Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary: Mexico, The Yucatan, Day 6 - The Vigia Chico Road, Felipe Carrillo Puerto & Laguna Ocom, 18 February 2020

The main reason for wanting to stay a couple of nights in the rather unremarkable town of FCP was the excellent birding that is to be had on the edge of town. The site that has become well know amongst birders is the Vigia Chico road that runs NE out of town and peters out into a track through overgrown farming plots and eventually into forest. In Steven Howell's Where to Watch Birds in Mexico he enthuses about the place and I have to agree.
The first couple of hours I spent here as the sun slowly came up was truly a magical birding experience. The overgrown scrubby areas before the forest proper are really birdy and I had so many birds quickly that it was difficult to keep up - 2 Spot-breasted Wrens, White-bellied Wren, Green-backed Sparrow, Mangrove Vireo, Yucatan Parrots, Olive-throated Parakeets, Barred Antshrike, 2 Grey-throated Chats, Trilling Gnatwren, Yucatan Flycatcher, several Velasquez's Woodpeckers and Wedge-tailed Sabrewing.

Tearing myself away I ventured a little further down the track to a clearing where a Laughing Falcon was sat sentinel in a tree while 2 Gartered Trogons also perched up at distance.

The forest proper was much queiter but I hit the jackpot here with some amaxing views of a perched Collared Forest Falcon by the track (with me desperately hanging out of the car window trying to get a shot!) plus Lesser Greenlet, a flock of c8 Red-throated Ant Tanagers, Grey-throated Chat, Yucatan Jay, Brown Jay, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Northern Parula and Magnolia Warbler before I had to get back to Belinda at the villa!

Spot-breasted Wren

Yucatan Parrot

Olive-throated Parakeet

Gartered Trogon

Laughing Falcon

Collared Forest Falcon

Red-throated Ant Tanager

Ivory-billed Woodcreeper

After a bit of a chill we decided on a return visit to Laguna Ocom. Although still quiet there were a few other customers there today. Nonetheless the first Black-cowled Oriole of the trip plus Altamira Oriole and Northern Waterthrush are enjoyed over a lazy beer con limon (with lime)!

Back at the villa in the late afternoon things hotted up again as I went for a short stroll along the entrance road. Birds in a fruiting tree caught my attention and the first bird I look at was a stunning male Blue Bunting! Then a Yellow-winged Tanager and a small group of Yellow-throated Euphonias! Some commotion ensued when a Grey Hawk flashed through and the next few minutes saw me getting point blank views of 2 Collared Aracaris and a Velasquez's Woodpecker - wow! When things had quietened down I retreated back to the villa and had Squirrel Cuckoo and Black-headed Trogon together with the ever-present Social Flycatchers.

A few beers and tequila shots were enjoyed that night as we frolicked around our pool!