Monday, April 28, 2008

Birds of Yucatan

In looking through the many pics from our five days on the Yucatan peninsula, I noticed a number of birds. So for a first collection of shots let's pick a few of those. Maybe Charlie, of 10,000 Birds, will help me know which species I have captured in pixels. [Thanks, Charlie, for IDing the birds for me in the comments. I have added Charlie's identifications in red.]

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Carnival Invitation!

Speaking of Charlie: he will edit the May edition of Learning in the Great Outdoors (LIGO). If you have an outdoor post on your blog, submit it to Charlie for inclusion in the carnival. Unfortunately the webpage I set up as a home for LIGO has become somehow corrupted. I have been unable to update it for several weeks.
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This [Brown Pelican] pelican posed for me on rocks near the Punta Cancun lighthouse.


These [Magnificent Frigatebirds] seem to have different destinations as they glide above the Fiestamericana Hotel. I think the lower one is male (red throat pouch) and the other female.


This [Social Flycatcher] flew among the trees around one of the huge water holes near Chichen Itza.


I am unsure which bird makes this interesting silhouette.


This [Osprey] perched atop the lifegaurd stand on the beach at Punta Cancun to eat the proceeds of a fishing expedition.


This beautiful [Tourquoise-browed Motmot] clings to vegetation hanging into a deep ancient sinkhole where Mayans obtained their water and where modern locals and tourists swim.


Another fellow I don't know. [Tropical Mockingbird] He reminds me of our mockingbirds.


This may be the same bird as the one just above. [Tropical Mockingbird]


These noisy brown and black [Great-tailed Grackles] were everywhere about our hotel with their oversized tail feathers. This guy was streching sleepily early Sunday morning. A local man, a worker at the hotel, told me the Mayan word for this bird is (phonetically spelled here) "peech".



Finally an anhinga or snake bird [Aninga or a Cormorant (can't quite tell)] swimming in the lagoon as Sheila flashes by in a speedboat. These strange birds swim about with only their necks and heads above water.

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