Tulum

   This morning after getting a new rental car, we were moving around more easily. We are traveling up the southern side of the Yucatan peninsula, and the further east we went, the more tourists.

   Our first destination was the small seaside fishing village of Majahual, near the Belize frontier. Cruise ships often dock at the port in Majahual. This does not usually make for good birding because of all the people and the noise. There are small shops on the beach selling touristy trinkets and thing-a-ma-bobs. We walked along the beach, painfully aware of the tourists next to us, then quickly left this scene and headed east toward Tulum.

   Tulum was originally the summer house of the Mayan emperor and managed to survive intact, until about 70 years after the Spanish Conquista of Mexico. Tulum is a popular place for tourists. A large number of cenotes are located in the Tulum area and this is where we birded. Cenotes are sources of fresh drinking water and often have interesting birds around them. At the cenote Tortuga, we saw a beautiful Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta Albilinea). The bird's plumage is black with a green-blue gloss. A characteristic feature that distinguishes the Mangrove Swallow from other white-rumped swallows is the small white spot in front of its eyes. This was another Life Bird for us. To celebrate the sighting of the Mangrove Swallow, we ate lunch in Tulum with all the tourists we had left earlier.

   On the way to Playa del Carmen, among the birds we saw were a Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis Vetula), a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes Burrovianus), and our old friend, the Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata Magnificens). We are beginning to feel tired of toting around all our earthly posessions in bags. We ate a sumptious dinner and stayed the night at the Hacienda Maria Bonita in Playa del Carmen.

Robert and Berry

photo courtesy of wikipedia