Mexico, The Yucatan, Day 14 - Uxmal, 26 February 2020

The other site at Uxmal described in Where to Watch Birds in Mexico is the small road that runs south from the main carpark for the Uxmal ruins. Thankfully this is less controversial than the site I tried yesterday!

I walked from our accommodation and saw 4 Turquoise-browed Motmots and a few Vaux's Swifts on the way before I wandered slowly down the road that passes through good dry forest and scrub. It didn't disappoint with a good numbers of birds seen including a couple of new ones. Caribbean Doves were calling everywhere, a pair of Masked Tityras passed through and I also had Lineated Woodpecker and several Velasquez's Woodpeckers.  Very pleasing were several Least Flycatchers, a species I've always failed to find in the past and a pair of Olive Sparrows skulking in roadside scrub. In that same scrubby area I had c5 Blue Buntings, a female Painted Bunting and 2 White-browed (Carolina) Wrens. A total of 4 Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, Spot-breasted Wren, 2 Altamira Orioles, 2 Hooded Orioles, Jucatan Jays, Brown Jays, Mangrove Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper and Boat-billed Flycatcher. As I turned round and began to retrace my steps I then hit the jackpot with a great find of a spanking Blue-headed Vireo. A bit of a rarity in these parts and a tick for me! The other main sighting on the walk back was a large flock of Cave Swallows passing overhead, presumably from their roost on the ruins.  

Back at the carpark a White-fronted Parrot showed well in treetops before I returned to our room (where 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers where in the usual tree)

Turquoise-browed Motmot

Masked Tityra

Painted Bunting

Least Flycatcher

Yucatan Jay

White-fronted Parrot

 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

The rest of the morning was spent at the Choco Story museum including a weird Mayan cocoa ceremony! 2 Yellow-headed Parrots and a point blank Olivaceous Woodcreeper were not to be sneezed at though!

 Yellow-headed Parrot

We then checked out and made our way north to our next overnight stop in Izamal. En-route a failed detour to find a cenote had us driving through the very derelict looking village of Cacao where nearby I fluked a Crane Hawk perched on a snag.

             

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