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| Mexico http://lbcarchive.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=16905 |
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| Author: | Chris Grimshaw [ Wed May 16, 2012 2:55 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Mexico |
Spent 15 days with Ann and two friends at Secrets Capri a small all inclusive resort 5 miles north of Playa Del Carmen on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico from the 25 of April until the 9th of May This was just a beach holiday at a very comfortable hotel but I did manage to get some birdwatching in usually first thing in the morning or last thing in the afternoon. In the fifteen days of the holiday I recorded 60 species a total which I comfortably beat in five hours at Rutland Water on the 12th of May The resort was surrounded by trees with virtually no open ground. The trees I suspect were once mangrove. There was no open water that I could find within easy walking distance or it was hidden in private property One piece of luck for me was our room which was on the fifth floor and had sea views of about 2 miles to the south and across the Caribbean to the island of Cozumel. It also overlooked vast tracts of this mangrove and a small area of open ground which seems destined for development. I prayed for some rain as this area was attractive to birds but was bone dry Species seen. greater tailed grackle every day, common around the hotels turkey vulture small numbers each day black vultures small numbers each day laughing gulls every day along the beach and around the restaurants and pools - very confiding and usually easy to photograph barn swallow small numbers seen from my balcony on 5 days plain chalchalaca seen in small family groups usually early morning. A turkey like bird, these liked trees for which they seemed to large neotropic cormorant seen every day flying up and down the coast or roosting on the various posts in the sea yucatan jay seen distantly just three times. Never easy to find magnificent frigate bird this stately bird was seen every day 10 to 20 birds except the day we went to the Isla de Mujeres just off Cancun when we must have seen upwards of 150 birds brown jay common around the hotels in good numbers snowy egret groups flying up and down the coast in good numbers. Don't know where they were coming from or where the were going to unfortunately white winged dove just the odd one on four occasions. 2 on the Isla de Mujeres white ibis saw this bird on 5 occasions, 4 times flying and once in an inleted area about a mile to the both of our hotel least tern good numbers of these terns (50 to 100) visited the area of waste land next to our hotel early each morning. Saw them on the ground through the scope and was once able to photograph a couple on a sandy spit a mile to the north of our hotel grey kingbird common bird tricolored heron saw one early in holiday roosting in one of the dead trees around our hotel royal tern recorded on every day but our first. Good numbers up and down the coast yucatan woodpecker common around the woodland. Their drumming on the eaves of the hotel often waking us social flycatcher common bird giving close views grey plover - in various states of plumage the most common wader seen but the highest number being 24 common black hawk seen 3 times and always in the same tree yucatan vireo seen just once just outside the hotel grounds altimiras oriel this beautiful bird was seen everywhere in the grounds delighting non birdwatchers with its prettiness sanderling small numbers 3/4max on the shoreline on 10 occasions yellow warbler just once by the golf course a mile to the south of our hotel yellow loved parrot 15 land in bushes on our third morning -staying less than 5 minutes green heron fairly common flying above the trees wilsons plover seen in small numbers on 5 occasions piping plover just once on the waste ground next to our hotel room golden fronted woodpecker 4 seen ouside the front entrance of our hotel tropical kingbird seen in ones and twos on 11 occasions eastern kingbird fairly scarce but in singles occasionally semi palmated sandpiper just one seen scavenging in the seaweed which is a constant problem on this coastline ruby throated hummingbird seen just once on some guarded private wasteland to the south of our hotel caspian tern two seen to the north of our hotel on post. Photographed well sandwich terns 2/4 birds seen on 4 occasions in the same place as the caspian terns spotted sandpiper seen twice along the beach. The second occasion produced two birds common paurague a nightjar seen from our balcony on 4 occasions melodious blackbirds I recorded this bird on six occasions but am sure that it was more common than my sightings suggest black necked stilt saw three fly over early in the holiday osprey - always a delight to see - recorded on six occasions - suggest it was the same bird - once feeding on a large fish roseate spoonbill one on the waste ground next to our room recorded from the beach -immature grey breasted martin one late afternoon on the 30th snowy plover one on waste ground next to room great blue heron just one in dead trees northern rough winged swallow one over the hotel entrance late afternoon sooty tern Isla de Mujeres - a colony of about 300 on some small rocky islands where we stopped for some to snorkel collared dove 2 Isla de Mujeres prairie warbler 1 Isla de Mujeres reddish egret 1 in trees from balcony greater flamingo a flock of about 15 seen 100 yards or so out at sea. Seen as we were around the pool great white egret 2 spent a couple of hours in a dead tree and seen from our balcony moorhen one see on the beach at the inlet to the north of our hotel roseate terns 15 seen on one occasion on the sandy spit by the inlet which I believe is by a hotel called tres rios (three rivers?) great blue heron just one in the trees from our balcony as the sun was dropping black crowned night heron one on the penultimate day cattle egret seen only with certainty on the way back to the airport Five species were lifers for me - least, caspian , sooty terns, common paurague & roseate spoonbill Six species I had seen before I left for my year list - barn swallow, grey plover, sanderling, turnstone, collared dove & moorhen. Since I returned i have seen osprey but not yet a sandwich tern |
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| Author: | Roy Harvey [ Wed May 16, 2012 7:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mexico |
Not a big total from your holiday Chris but a lot of quality birds! Some of them bring back memories of our trip to Texas in 2004. Roy |
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