YUCATAN : Jardin Botanico Cancun

Day 1 / March 1 – My tour of the Yucatan began in Cancun, amid gorgeous sunshine and blue skies. Debbie and I met up with Bob Straub, rented our car, got stopped by a friendly motorcycle traffic cop within a few kilometers – he let us off with a warning,  and were finally off to explore birds and mayan mysteries!

Black, Turkey and Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures soared in the skies. Social Flycatchers and Kingbirds, Tropical and Couch’s best separated by call, perched conspicuously. Great-tailed Grackles called and whistled everywhere.

Our main destination was Jardin Botanico Dr. Alfredo Barrera, located near Puerto Morelos, about 25km south of Cancun airport. At the entrance we were greeted by a Northern Waterthrush and Hooded Warbler on the road, the first of many familiar eastern warblers, including Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Yellow, American Redstart and Ovenbird. A pleasant surprise was running into Lee and Sequoia, friends from San Diego, who joined us for the remainder of the afternoon.

Families of Spider Monkeys (above) cavorted through the trees, many with babies clinging to their bellies. 

We followed well-maintained trails through the 60-hectare lowland forest, stopping often for bird activity.  The continuous, whistled notes of a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (above) aroused Cinnamon Hummingbird, Lesser Greenlet, White-eyed Vireo, Rose-throated Becard, and Orange Orioles. We admired Boat-billed Flycatcher, Green Jays, noisy Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Wood Thrush, and Dusky-capped Flycatcher. We climbed a rustic wooden observation platform for long views of the expansive wet scrubland. Magnificent Frigatebirds, Double-crested Cormorants and Anhingas were seen along the distant shoreline.

I was keen to photograph some fast-moving butterflies, and finally got an excellent shot of an Yellow-fronted Owl-Butterfly (above).

We enjoyed dinner in Puerto Morelos, then drove further south to Tulum, where we would spend the night close to our morning destination.