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MEXICO

A Birding & Nature Tour

in the area of the Yucatan

A land of Mayas & Motmots

June 14-24, 2008

Tour to be led by Armas Hill,
who has birded in Central America numerous times
during the last 30 years 

A Turquoise-browed Motmot,
called the "clock bird", "pajaro reloj",
because it moves its long tailfeaters
back and forth like a pendulum

THE UNESCO BIOSPHERES, WHAT ARE THEY?
  Of the 14 Biosphere Reserves in Mexico,
5 are in the Yucatan.
We visit 3 of them during this tour.

Established in 1968 by UNESCO 
(the UN Educational, Scientific, & Cultural Organization),
the Biosphere project combines the protection of natural areas
and the conservation of the land for local people.
Each Biosphere has a CORE AREA 
where human activity is kept to a bare minimum,
a BUFFER ZONE for non-destructive activities such as research,
and a TRANSITION ZONE where traditional land-use 
and human settlement is permitted.
After a lull in the 1990s, Mexico's Biosphere program
has regained focus since 2000.

During this tour, the 3 Biosphere Reserves to be visited are:
Sian Ka'an, Calakmul, & Rio Lagartos.

Another species of Motmot in the Yucatan,
this is the Blue-crowned Motmot.
(photo by Marie Z. Gardner)

A List of the Birds of Mexico

Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Tours in Central America & Mexico

Arrival at Cancun, on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. In the afternoon, our first birding will be at nearby Ceiba de Mar, where a one kilometer-long boardwalk goes into the mangroves, and where many birds can be seen. Overnight near Puerto Morelos.

Sun, June 15:

In the morning, we'll visit the 148-acre Marin Botanical Garden, where there's a path, 3 kilometers long, through native flora, and another longer trail into the forest. Walking along these, we'll see the native fauna, and particularly a good number of birds. 
Afterwards, we'll take a ferry to the offshore 40-mile long island of Cozumel. The word "Cozumel" is from a Mayan word meaning "Island of the Swallows". But it's not swallows that we'll be seeking to observe there. Rather, it'll be some birds that live on that island but no where else in the world, each with the adjective Cozumel in their name: a Thrasher, a Vireo, and an Emerald (a hummingbird). There are also some other specialties of the Caribbean coast, such as the Black Catbird, Western Spindalis, Caribbean Elaenia, and Yucatan Vireo. These will be nice birds to see and Cozumel Island will be a nice place to see them. Overnight on Cozumel.

Mon, June 16:

More Cozumel birding in the morning, in case we would have missed a target-bird or two the previous day. If we did see all of those objectives the day before, there still would surely be during the good morning hours something else to be found.
After the ferry crossing back to the Yucatan mainland, we'll travel south about 60 kilometers to the town of Tulum. Located near the town are the Mayan ruins of Tulum, considered one of the most picturesque of all Mayan sites, situated on the top of 15 meter-high cliffs above the brilliantly blue Caribbean Sea. During numerous FONT tours, over the years, at Mayan sites, we've had good birding experiences, and we will here too.
This will be the first of 4 overnights in the town of Tulum, but this will be the only day when we plan to visit the ruins.

Tue, Jun 17:

The town of Tulum will also be our base for visiting the nearby Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, where we will bird both on foot and from a boat. Sian Ka'an is a wonderful place. It's a large nature reserve, covering 1.3 million acres. Created in 1986 and made a World Heritage Site in 1987, Sian Ka'an is one of the largest protected areas in Mexico. It contains all of the principal ecosystems found in the Yucatan. About one-third of it is tropical forest. Another third is composed of both fresh and salt water marshes. The remaining third would be classified as marine environment, including a portion of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. 
The variety of flora & fauna at Sian Ka'an is wonderful. To give an idea of how "natural" the place is, it can be noted that all 5 species of Mexican wild cats occur: Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot, Margay, and Jaguarundi. Other larger mammals include: Tapir, Deer, and Monkeys. 
More than 300 species of birds have been recorded in the reserve. Of course, during our two days or so there we won't see every one of those species, but we will see a lot of them. Some of the birds will be small. Some of them will be large. Actually, the largest of all the wading birds that breed in the Americas is there. It's a stork known as the Jabiru.
Four endangered species of Sea Turtles nest at night on the beaches. July & August is a prime time for such activity.
In lagoons, there are both manatees and crocodiles. (One of these is known for being "gentle"; the other not always so.)
Not many people live in this region. There are only about a thousand permanent inhabitants, mainly fishermen and subsistence farmers, who dwell in and near the village of Punta Allen.
We'll dwell, again this night, back in the town of Tulum.

Wed, June 18:

But we'll spend two days in the Sian Ka'an Reserve, observing the birds and other nature. This will be our second day doing so. Again, overnight in Tulum.

Thu, June 19:

This day, we'll go 50 kilometers inland from Tulum to a place called Coba, a Mayan site in the forest, that's been, for many, a favorite place for birding. The ruins are spread out in a "tropical forest" in which numerous birds reside (obvious among them are some that would also be described as "tropical", such as toucans, parrots, and oropendolas). Among the "tropical animals" would be agoutis and coatis. One of the "tropical butterflies" would be the big, and brightly iridescent Blue Morphos.
The Mayan city at Coba was occupied from about 100 A.D. until the arrival of the Spanish. Its zenith was around 800 A.D. when most of the pyramids were built. The tallest of these is the looming Noboch Mul, resembling some of the temples at Tikal in Guatemala. It is taller than the highest structure in the renowned ruins of Chichen Itza, one of the more famous sites in the Yucatan. From the top of Noboch Mul, the forest can be seen stretching uninterrupted to the horizon. 
Also to be seen from the temple-top are some of the nearby lakes. By one of them, there's a nature reserve called in Spanish "Reserva de Monos Aranas de Punta Laguna". The "monos", or monkeys, referred to are Spider Monkeys, at the north end of their range.                    
We'll spend a full day observing the birds, and experiencing the nature, at Coba. Overnight again, our last overnight, in Tulum.           

Fri, June 20:

From Tulum, we'll be traveling, this day, west into the interior of the Yucatan Peninsula. We'll be going along roads along which there are just a few settlements. Most of our ride will be in the wilderness of Quintana Roo. Of course, we'll stop along the way, wherever & whenever we'd see something of interest. Progressively, as we head west toward the border with the state of Campeche the forest will become thicker. By that border, it's the densest "jungle" of the Yucatan, at the area that is our destination, the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.
The ruins, there, with the same name, are the largest and most remote in the Yucatan. While the best known of the Mayan sites in the Yucatan (places such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal), can, nowadays, be crowded with visitors, our experience at Calakmul will be very much the opposite, due to the remoteness of the place. In regard to birds in particular, and nature in general, there will be much for us to see.
The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve encompasses 1.7 million acres of "jungle", or tropical forest. We'll be staying, for 2 nights, just inside the park entrance, at a hotel with cabins decorated with "nature-inspired touches".
If we were to travel along the road from the entrance gate to the ruins without stopping, it would take an hour to get there. But we won't (go without stopping that is). There will be much to see. Among the large creatures residing in the area, there are Ocellated Turkeys, Deer, Peccaries, Guans, and Currasows. Obvious in the trees should be Toucans and Trogons; in the sky, or perched, there should be an ample assortment of Raptors. After dark, when the Jaguars would roam, various Owls and Nightjars will be out & about.
The ruins themselves (or at least some of them) were first uncovered in the 1930s. But it has been during the last decade or so that some excavation has been going on. Every year, recently, new discoveries have yielded more revelations about the city's former significance. Calakmul was designated a World Heritage Site in 2002. It is probably the biggest archeological zone in Mesoamerica (about 70 square kilometers). The site, although huge, is, of course, only partially restored. It will be a perfect area to us to explore and to bird, and that we will do. 

Sat, Jun21

A full-day of the exploration and birding just referred to, in the remote Yucatan region of Calakmul.  

Sun, Jun 22

After our last morning at the Calakmul Reserve, we'll start our journey back toward Cancun. But, not to be concerned, we won't ever get there - Cancun that is. We'll overnight, one last time, at Tulum.

Mon , Jun 23

From Tulum, via Coba (where we'll bird again in the morning), we'll continue to Rio Lagartos, where there is yet another Biosphere Reserve. We'll spend the afternoon birding there, along the north coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Along that coast, there's a long barrier island, with an inlet, lagoons, and marshes. Again, another  birdy spot. The most famous of the birds there is the American Flamingo. During the time of year when we will be there, a large number of the flamingoes should be present - tens of thousands. Of course, the flamingoes won't be the only birds of interest in the area. As the habitat is different than many places where we would have been earlier in the tour, there will be some "new birds of the tour" for us. Such targets would be the hummingbird known as the Mexican Sheartail and the Yucatan Wren (both endemics to Mexico restricted to this coast). During our visit to this area, there will be a boat-ride to get to places that we otherwise would not be able to reach. Overnight near Rio Lagartos.

Tue, Jun 24 

Our birding of the tour as we travel back toward the Cancun airport. Departure for home, in the afternoon.

Price: $2,395, per person, based upon double-occupancy. Single supplement (when applicable): $225  

Includes: 
All overnight accommodations.
All meals June 14 pm to June 24 am.
Drinks (other than alcoholic). 
Transportation on land & water within Mexico.
A FONT birding guide familiar with the birds and localities.

Regarding the JAGUAR: It’s the biggest predator in the New World, and needs a lot of space to roam. In the Yucatan, there's a  good number of Jaguars.

Regarding some of the LIFE in the SEA: The MESOAMERICAN CORAL REEF is 250 kilometers long, in the Yucatan of Mexico and to the south in Belize. It is the most extensive reef in the New World.

Some of the FISH of the REEF include: Atlantic Spadefish, Banded Butterfly Fish, Bar Jack, Blue-striped Grunt, Blue Tang, Dog Snapper, Foureye Butterfly Fish, French Grunt, Green Moray, Honey Damselfish, Nurse Shark, Queen Triggerfish, Schoolmaster, Sergeant Major, Smallmouth Grunt, Southern Stingray, Spanish Grunt, Spotfin Butterfly Fish, Spotted Drum, Trunkfish, White Grunt, Yellow Jack, Yellowtail Damselfish, Yellowtail Snapper.