Yucatan Peninsula Birding

March 2007

 
 





March 13-29 2007


Barry McLaughlin (with the help of Lois Goldfrank)


This past spring, we and our partners, Linda St. John and Wally Goldfrank, traveled by rental car through the Yucatan, adhering fairly closely (with a few exceptions) to Howell’s sites (see map).  There was still devastation to be seen because of hurricane Wilma of 2005, especially on Cozumel.  


We encountered very few problems on our trip, thanks largely to Wally’s fluency in Spanish.  We had booked most of the places where we stayed ahead of time, which was especially important for staying near or in Tulum, Cobá, and Uxmal.  The roads in the Yucatan are very good and the only place where traffic was problematic was Playa del Carmen, which was a zoo.  We did not go to Cancun.


We did get chiggers.  As you may know these are tiny six-legged critters whose  bites produce small, reddish welts on the skin that can be accompanied by intense itching (which was the case for some, but not all of us). We all had many bites throughout our mid-sections.  Apparently the best way to avoid chiggers is to keep your pants in your socks and to dust your clothes with sulphur powder around ankles, cuffs, and waistbands.  It also helps to use Deet and Permethrin. Deet-based repellents are effective for only a few hours, whereas Permethrin-based repellents are for use only on clothing and effective for up to six weeks.


Generally, we were fortunate with the birding.  We each saw well over 200 species, as well as almost all targeted endemics.  However, we had bad karma in Rio Lagartos (where we should have had a local guide); we barely saw the OCELLATED TURKEY (far in the distance for some of us); and we dipped on the ROYAL FLYCATCHER, and only heard the STUB-TAILED SPADEBILL (birds we were hoping to see based on previous trip reports).  There were very few hawks.


Rio Lagartos, where we had only fair birding, was a particularly attractive fishing village where we would have liked to spend more time.  Others did well birding there and we feel it is a place well worth visiting (though a bit out of the way) and perhaps adding in a day to just enjoy the atmosphere.

Yucatan Peninsula Trip Report