YUCATAN: Isla Cozumel, ‘la isla bonita’

Day 9 / March 9 – We awoke well before dawn to beat the heat on this picturesque ‘isla bonita’.  Common Paraques were still calling as we drove to the north side of the island, where the pavement ends, and the road continues as a bumpy but passable dirt road.  In a few kilometers we came to a series of cracked-pavement roads known as the “north grid”, the remnants of a housing development never built.  The lush, unimpeded vegetation hosts many of the birds found on Cozumel, including a handful of endemic species.

Vaux’s Swifts circled overhead and Caribbean Doves – commonly heard, but difficult to see – were calling while we walked up and down the empty streets lined with dense thickets.  We were joined by Jake, a ornithological graduate student from Yale, whom we had met on the ferry the night before.  He was one of very few birders encountered in the Yucatan, and both parties appreciated the company.

Our targets were the Mexican endemics that are found only on the island of Cozumel – the beautiful Cozumel Vireo (above), Cozumel Emerald (a longer-tailed version of Canivet’s Emerald), and the skulking Cozumel Wren.  We soon located them all. Another endemic, the Cozumel Thrasher has not been seen for over 5 years.

We also had success with the Cozumel races of Bananaquit, Black Catbird (above), Yellow-faced Grassquit, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and the ubiquitous Golden (Yellow) Warbler.

Resident Tropical Kingbirds and Tropical Mockingbirds were abundant, and Hooded was the most common Oriole.  Other residents seen were Green-breasted Mango, Northern Beardless Tryannulet, Brown-crested Flycatcher and Mangrove Cuckoo. Amongst our neotropical migrants, we saw Great-crested Flycatcher, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia Warbler, Gray Catbird, and Osprey.  We added Worm-eating Warbler and Painted Bunting to our trip list.

We drove to the northern tip of the island to tick Cozumel Raccoon (above).  At least 7 of them scampered tamely around the parking lot, begging for attention and scraps from some tourists who were doing a boat tour.

Following a relaxing lunch overlooking sparkling turquoise-blue waters, we ventured back out to explore the eastern side and southern tip of the island. A quick detour down the road to San Gervasio produced many of the same species from the morning.  We opted not to enter the ruin site, but continued east across the island and south to Punta Sur.  We stopped at an inland pond not far from the ocean, finding Pied-billed Grebe, Moorhen, Blue-winged Teal, Black-necked Stilts, and Belted Kingfisher. Royal Terns and frigatebirds soared above the rolling surf crashing against a rocky shoreline.

Few people used the beaches on the windy side of the island, though we passed plenty of cars enjoying scenic views of the ocean, as we were.  We paid a small fee to enter the Faro Celarain Reserva Ecologica at the southernmost tip of Cozumel. We followed a dirt road down to a tall lighthouse at the bottom.

At an observation area overlooking a marshy lagoon (above) we saw at least 10 American Crocodiles (below) sunning near the raised boardwalk, and a nice variety of waders and sandpipers, including Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Little Blue Heron, Wilson’s Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Short-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Plover.

As the sun descended in brilliant pinks and purples, we found ourselves driving slowly around the quiet village of El Cedral.  Dirt streets lined with neat little houses contrasted sharply with the bustling tourist atmosphere of San Miguel.  Few outsiders come here, though there is a small remnant of Mayan Ruin near the town square.  We enjoyed the peaceful late afternoon feeling, and were pleased to find a grove of fruiting trees around the village center loaded with kingbirds, Hooded and Orchard Orioles and the common warblers – Palm, Black-throated Green and American Redstart.  We located a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on a distant palm tree, and Yellow-bellied Elaenia.

We spent our last night in the Yucatan with cold drinks in hand and the sound of the ocean in our ears, reminiscing about all the wonderful birds, animals and Mayan ruins we had experienced.