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.

Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 6 - India

Today's image is from India, and yes - I could have picked from a number of gaudy options. Alas, as my two favourite birding families in the world are Antpittas and Larks, you can expect to be blown away by browns and beiges. Indeed, my main reason for this specific image isn't just that it is a lark, but that it was also my first lifer of 2020 (only 5 in total so far). Since it appears unlikely I am going to get many, if any more lifers this year - the significance is somewhat greater.

Sykes's Lark, Dholpur, Rajasthan. 2020.

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

Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 5 - Puerto Rico

Continuing with the Caribbean thread - I have been to the Caribbean a number of times, visiting Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic on at least three occasions. I had seen all the available extant endemics and near endemics (ie: Cuban Kite and Zapata Rail don't make the list as they are either very rare and isolated, or a complete enigma). However, I had failed to visit Puerto Rico - and consequently my Greater Antillean puzzle was a piece short. I had been scheduled to lead a tour to the island in 2015, but limited client interest meant that if I was to go - I would have to do so myself.

I spent all of 6 days in Puerto Rico, racing about twitching every island endemic - spending most nights sleeping in the back of the car. The bird I wanted the most was Puerto Rican Tody. The Tody's are a small family of 5 species endemic to the Caribbean. These tiny colourful jewels - related to kingfishers can be surprisingly confiding when you find them (in Old World terms, they behave somewhat similarly to Batises). Near enough the very first bird I saw on the island was indeed my last Tody, alongside a hatful of other endemics at Camberlache State Forest.

Puerto Rican Today, Camberlache, Puerto Rico. 2015.

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