YUCATAN April 2011 - Progreso part 1

16th - 17th April - The plane touched down in Merida, and hot humid conditions greeted us. These stayed with us for the remainder, and consequently birding was at its peak early in the morning while it was (relatively!) cool. We were also greeted by the cries of Great-tailed Grackles and Social Flycatchers, two of the most visible birds in Mexico's lowlands.

Early birding potential was held by some coastal scrub and lagoon habitat East of the Mexican tourist resort of Progreso.

First port of call was the beach, though. Clouds of Laughing Gulls followed the trail of left-over tourist food. A few cunningly placed chips resulted in some nice photo opportunities! A few Ring-billed Gulls were mixed in the flocks.

Fishing alongside Progreso's famously long pier were good numbers of Brown Pelican, Magnificent Frigatebird, and Royal and Sandwich Terns.

Royal Terns and Magnificent Frigatebird

And a few Double-crested Cormorants loafed around on the lamp posts. A small pod of Dolphin were noted close to the pier.

Stayed at the noisy but cheap and comfortable Hotel Real del Mar on the Saturday night. See the next blog post for birding around Progreso..