My wife and I spent May 19th to the 22nd in Cancun, Mexico to attend my stepdaughter's wedding, so this was obviously not a birding trip, but I was still able to get out and see some nice birds.
On Friday, May 19th, we flew non-stop from Philadelphia to Cancun. A shuttle took us to the Moon Palace Resort on the Riviera Maya, just south of Cancun. Without a rental car, my birding was restricted to the resort and its adjacent golf course. The damage to the vegetation done by Hurricane Wilma was still very evident. After settling in, I saw my first of five 'life' birds for the trip, a Melodious Blackbird. They were fairly common in the brushy swamps surrounding the resort, as were Anhingas. Great-tailed Grackles were everywhere. Another bird that was commonly seen around the resort and its edges was the Tropical Mockingbird, which was another 'lifer' for me.
On the morning of the 20th, I walked the golf course and found another 'lifer', a very cooperative Northern Jacana. The rest of the day was spent at my stepdaughter's wedding and the reception.
On Sunday, the 21st, I took a bus tour to the famous Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. We didn't get there until midday and the grounds were loaded with people, so I saw very few birds, but the ruins and the associated stories that the guide told us about the site were well worth the trip.
Very early on the 22nd, I once again walked the golf course and found my last two 'lifers', a Yucatan Jay and a female Thicket Tinamou before packing for our early afternoon flight home.
Some of the other birds seen during this long weekend were Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Plain Chachalaca, Brown Pelican, Magnificent Frigatebird, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Osprey, Common Moorhens with young, White-rumped Sandpiper, Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, White-winged Dove, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Vaux's Swift, the "dubius" race of Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Rose-throated Becard, "Ridgeway's" Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cave Swallow, Clay-colored Thrush (Robin), Red-winged Blackbird, Bronzed Cowbird, and Hooded and Altimira Oriole.
The following seven images were taken during this trip.
YUCATAN JAY at the Moon Palace Golf Club near Cancun, Mexico on May 22, 2006.
This photo shows the turquoise-blue wings and tail, black head and underparts, and yellowish legs. This bird was photographed along the path to the clubhouse. This life bird was with three others in the brush along the path.
NORTHERN JACANA at the Moon Palace Golf Club near Cancun, Mexico on May 20, 2006.
This photo shows the black face with the contrasting yellow forehead patch and yellow bill, black neck and breast, chestnut back and body, grayish legs and very long toes, and pale yellow flight feathers with dusky edges. This bird was photographed near one of the water hazards.
NORTHERN JACANA at the Moon Palace Resort near Cancun, Mexico on May 20, 2006.
This photo shows how strikingly different the immature looks from the adult. Note the white underparts and face, brown cap on the head, brown back, grayish-green legs, and duller yellow bill with a dusky tip. This is one of two immature birds that were seen in a brushy swamp along the edge of the resort area.
MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD at the Moon Palace Resort near Cancun, Mexico on May 20, 2006.
This photo shows the dark head, the long, dark, pointed wings, the white chest patch, and the long, forked tail. This adult female was photographed while circling over the beach.
TROPICAL MOCKINGBIRD at the Moon Palace Resort near Cancun, Mexico on May 19, 2006.
This bird has darker wings and a much smaller area of white in the tail when compared to our Northern Mockingbird and lacks the Northern's large white wing patches in flight. This bird was photographed on a post outside our room.
MELODIOUS BLACKBIRD at the Moon Palace Resort near Cancun, Mexico on May 19, 2006.
This photo shows the overall glossy black coloration, the dark eyes, and the dark, pointed bill. This bird was photographed in grass next to a brushy swamp along the edge of the resort area. These birds were fairly common in the brush around the resort.
ANHINGA at the Moon Palace Resort near Cancun, Mexico on May 19, 2006.
This photo shows the fairly long, sharply-pointed bill, the white on the wings and back, and the light area at the tip of the tail. This bird was photographed while drying its wings over a brushy swamp along the edge of the resort area.
On Monday, March 6th, Babe Webster and I flew to Albuquerque to try and see some of the rarities that were present in New Mexico and Arizona. Our target birds included Yellow Grosbeak, Black Rosy-Finch, Streak-backed Oriole, Rufous-backed Robin, and Gunnison Sage-Grouse, which we hoped might start visiting the lek before our week was over.
As soon as we got our small rental SUV, we headed over to the backyard of 1412 Las Lomas Road in Albuquerque. After about an hour-and-a-half wait, the Yellow Grosbeak popped up out of a vine-covered tree just outside of the yard and flew in to the feeders, giving us all the nice views we wanted. After enjoying the bird for about an hour, we headed up to Sandia Crest to check out the Rosy-Finches. There, at the Crest House, we saw all three species, including Babe's 'life' Black Rosy-Finch.
The next morning, we made the long drive to the Gilbert Water Ranch near Phoenix, Arizona. It's a nice little refuge surrounded by suburban sprawl. While looking for the Streak-backed Oriole that had been sporadically reported there, we spotted Great and Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, Gambel's Quail, American Coot, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, Anna's Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Purple Martin, Verdin, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped "Audubon's" Warbler, Abert's Towhee, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Brewer's and Lincoln's Sparrows, and many "Gambel's" White-crowned Sparrows.
On the 8th, we spent the morning back at the Gilbert Water Ranch. Birds seen there in addition to ones mentioned before included Double-crested Cormorant, Peregrine Falcon, Least Sandpiper, Gila Woodpecker, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Violet-green and Cliff Swallows, Bewick's Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, Wilson's Warbler, and Green-tailed and Abert's Towhees, but still no oriole.
We left Gilbert around mid-day and drove up to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. There, new trip birds included Broad-billed Hummingbird, Red-naped Sapsucker, Hermit Thrush, Spotted Towhee, and an unusual bird for Arizona: a Brown Thrasher.
Thursday, we spent the entire day at the Water Ranch looking for the Streak-backed Oriole but, once again, left without seeing it. Trip birds for the day were Pied-billed Grebe, Green Heron, Wilson's Snipe, Burrowing Owl, and Common Yellowthroat.
On the 10th, we started the day at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Trip birds found there included Cooper's Hawk, Cactus and Canyon Wren, Phainopepla and, finally, Babe's 'life' Rufous-backed Robin.
We left Boyce Thompson and made the long drive to Gallup, New Mexico after being told by a secretary at the Gunnison office of the Colorado Division of Wildlife that grouse had been seen on the lek. Little did we know after many hours of driving and waiting that this information she gave us was incorrect.
When we woke up Saturday, it was snowing with a few inches of snow already on the ground. We worked our way to Colorado through the towns of Durango and Ouray and over the mountain passes to Gunnison. Along the way, we saw Common Merganser, Steller's Jay, Black-billed Magpie, Mountain Bluebird, Dark-eyed "Oregon" Junco, and a flock of Brown-capped Rosy-Finches. A late afternoon scouting visit to the Waunita lek site produced a Golden Eagle perched on the fence right next to the road.
We were at the lek very early the next morning but never saw any grouse, although we're sure we heard a few cackling to each other. Surprisingly, an adult Bald Eagle was seen flying over the lek area.
We left the lek in the late morning and drove all the way down through Colorado and Albuquerque to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. There, new trip birds included American White Pelican, Snow Goose, Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Canvasback, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, a "Harlan's" Hawk, Ring-necked Pheasant, Say's Phoebe, and Brewer's Blackbird.
On our last day there, an Albuquerque native mentioned that we got to see all four seasons of the year in just one week. We had 80-degree weather in the beginning of the week, hail and snow with temperatures down in the teens in the middle of the week, followed by 'white-outs' caused by 50-mph wind-driven snow near the end. Needless to say, it was a memorable week weatherwise.
The following nine images were taken during this trip.
GOLDEN EAGLE near Gunnison, Colorado on March 11, 2006.
This mottled bird was photographed at the Waunita lek site.
This photo clearly shows the 'golden' hackles on the head. Using the car as a blind, we were able fairly close to this bird, take some photos, and slowly leave without it ever flushing off its perch.
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS at Ridgway State Park near Ouray, Colorado on March 11, 2006.
This pair posed on the fence along Highway 550.
This photo shows the electric blue male and the duller female with her turquoise blue rump and grayish head with white eye accent.
ABERT'S TOWHEE at the Gilbert Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona on March 9, 2006.
This bird was phototgraphed as it furiously kicked up leaves.
This photo shows the dark face contrasting with the pale bill and overall grayish face and body with pinkish tones on the breast and belly and tan undertail coverts.
BURROWING OWL at the Gilbert Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona on March 9, 2006.
This photo was taken near one of the man-made nesting sites.
This photo shows the pale eyebrows, speckled head, and spotted back. The barring on the flanks is barely visible.
VERDIN at the Gilbert Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona on March 8, 2006.
This bird was photographed in a small mesquite tree.
This photo shows the yellowish head, dark lores, tiny bill, the rufous shoulder patch exposed by the wind blowing the feathers, and the light gray breast and belly.
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH at Sandia Crest, near Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 6, 2006.
This bird was photographed at the Crest House feeders.
This photo shows the dark forehead, light gray head patch, rose-edged wings, and fainter rosy underparts on an overall dark brown body.
BLACK ROSY-FINCH at Sandia Crest, near Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 6, 2006.
This bird was photographed at the Crest House feeders.
This photo shows the dark head, back, and body with light gray head patch, rose-edged wings, and fainter rosy underparts. A Brown-capped Rosy-Finch is also in the upper left of this photo.
YELLOW GROSBEAK at 1412 Las Lomas Road, Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 6, 2006.
This bird was photographed just outside the yard.
This photo shows the large gray bill, large yellow head, all-yellow underparts, white spots on the black wings, and white spots in the dark tail.
YELLOW GROSBEAK at 1412 Las Lomas Road, Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 6, 2006.
This bird was photographed at the feeders.
This photo shows the large yellow head, large bill (which has a slightly deformed upper mandible), yellow underparts with some dark flank streaks, white spots on the black wings, and dark-streaked back.