Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 8 - Mexico

By the time I arrived in Mexico for the last of my long string of tours through South America, Central America and the Caribbean, I had seen close to 2000 species of bird in a matter of 5 months. However, far from being tired - I was very much looking forward to a week traveling around the Yucatan digging up as many of the specialities as possible. There were some long travel days, and the birds didn't always play ball - but we did find almost all the sought after species including the spectacular Ocellated Turkey. I had seen these a year before in Guatemala, where they roam about the Mayan ruins of Tikal fairly oblivious to humans. I didn't possess a decent camera or lens to do the birds justice back then, but by the time a small flock walked into the middle of the road in Calakmul - I had something reasonable to hand. Being the middle of breeding season, the males weren't too bothered by much, so long as the ladies were in sight.

Ocellated Turkey - Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Campeche, Mexico. 2015.

A high resolution version of a similar image is available on my Shutterstock page.

Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 7 - Colombia

Shortly after meeting Meg and Kai, I said goodbye and headed off to South and Central America for 5 and half months. The first destination on my list was Colombia, where I would spend just over 6 weeks. It simply isn't possible to select the 'best' species or images when you are seeing on average 20 new species every day! Like with any Andean birding adventure - you are going to see a lot of Tanagers and Hummingbirds, perhaps even some Antpittas. Oddly, it has taken until my 7th post to publish a member of my favourite family, the Antpittas. Thanks to time, dedication and care - a number of feeding stations have been established across Colombia allowing birders the chance to see some of these generally agoraphobic creatures. Whilst I enjoy the challenge of finding these birds away from feeders, some are quite simply skittish ghosts - such as this Bicolored Antpitta, which even at a feeding station gives you little more than a few seconds. I really want to see this one again Meg...

Bicolored Antpitta, Rio Blanco, Colombia. 2014.