The state has 444 species of birds, which represents about 50% of those registered in the country, and for the visitor to make the most of their stay, several routes have been proposed that function as a guide for bird watchers and for that they also enjoy the Mayan world.
Yucatan has become an excellent destination for nature tourism, with the possibility of participating in the annual event called the Yucatan Bird Festival, which receives the Mayan name of Toh or Clock Bird (Eumomota superciliosa), one of the birds most beautiful in Mexico.
The entire Peninsula and especially the state of Yucatan, dress in varied colors when autumn begins, as it marks the arrival and passage of thousands of migratory birds; however, it is in the middle of the year, when most of the resident birds sing their songs and are more visible because this is how they delimit their breeding territories.
In this region with high endemic flora and fauna, there are 11 species of endemic birds, about 100 endemic subspecies and more than 100 migratory ones. For this reason, the birds are an attraction for nature lovers; Furthermore, the warm climate with a dry season and a wet season influences the specific composition of the state's birds, which allows choosing the best time to find a particular species.
Sihunchén: Ecoarchaeological Park
Morning rays illuminate a path in this park in the west of the state, just 30 km from Mérida. The almost metallic screech trrr trrrtt trrriit, the melancholic song of the owl or the distant murmur of a dove, are heard continuously. The low forest dawns humid and it is difficult to identify the species due to the abundance of katsim, guaya or chechém foliage; the birds are "enchumbadas" (fluffy, wet) and only some small birds such as pearls, hummingbirds and flycatchers jump from branch to branch, restlessly beginning the day looking for insects, fruits and flowers. Among this varied avifauna you can see a Yucatecan rattle on a kantemoc, in the sky an eagle and on a penca of henequen a gray mound balances.
We advance along interpretive trails that attract visitors from Mérida and surrounding towns, as this low jungle is of great importance because inside it houses several Mayan pyramids with a ceremonial plaza. In a few hours we observed several dozen species, to which our excellent guide, Henry Dzib, a great connoisseur of the Mayan names, in English or the scientific name of the birds observed or heard, contributed. During the tour, we also identify various plants for medicinal and ornamental use by their Mayan name. After knowing this magical place, located between the town of Hunucma and the Hacienda San Antonio Chel, we had breakfast typical panuchos, polcanes and eggs with chaya, and so we left for Izamal.
Izamal, Oxwatz, Ek Balam: modified Mayan world
Almost in the center of the state, 86 km from Mérida, we arrive at one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico, Izamal, Zamná or Itzamná (Rocío del Cielo), which stands out for its colorful white and yellow houses, today included in the program of Magic Towns of sectur and that this year will host the Closing of the 6th Bird Festival 2007.
From the afternoon we contacted the local guides who would lead us to Oxwatz (Three Ways), a site abandoned by contemporary Mayans that aroused our curiosity.
The morning mist accompanied us for almost two hours of the tour that included Tekal de Venegas, Chacmay and old haciendas. On the rustic path we find birds such as the splendid toh bird, a cardinal, several quails, calandrias and dozens of ticks. The sounds produced by crickets and cicadas are confused with the song of a tucaneta, the clamor of the chachalacas and the call of a hawk at the entrance to Oxwatz, a 412-hectare estate delimited by trees over 20 meters high, such as the dzalam, chakáh and higuerón. Finally we arrive at the remains of a Mayan village surrounded by dense medium deciduous forest, where there are also ancient Mayan structures of more than 1,000 years, according to Esteban Abán, who is said to be a descendant of Mayan Akicheles and whose grandparents inhabited this place.
We walked in single file under leafy trees and from the top of a pich, a small owl watched attentively; we passed a bush with dozens of hanging gourds where a cinnamon hummingbird flutters, and shortly after, among the tangle of branches, lianas and bromeliads, we admired a toh bird that moved its long tail like a pendulum. We toured the edges of the huge Azul cenote, similar to a placid lake; We pass in front of the Kukula cenote and we arrive at the central pyramid that rises almost 30 meters and that shows portions of complete walls at the top, up to which we climb to admire several cenotes and aguadas, all surrounded by the immensity of this rich tropical jungle.
Gone was Oxwatz, and our next stop was in the extensive archaeological site of Ek Balam, a newly restored site with impressive sculptures. The area is surrounded by beautiful cenotes, among which the Cenote Xcanché Ecotourism Center stands out, a place where the toh has its habitat, associated with archaeological sites, because it nests in cavities in the wall of some cenotes, in recesses between the Mayan structures and also in the ancient chultunes, which served to store water since ancient times. Luckily, here we admire half a dozen toh, emerging from their hidden nests, in the middle and inaccessible part of the walls of this cenote.
Rio Lagartos: waters stained with pink specks
We arrived very early at this, the last point of the route, a fishing village that has all the infrastructure to make tours of the coast, the mangroves and to admire the colonies of flamingos. Here, Diego Núñez led us in his boat through channels among the mangroves, where we could observe rare or threatened birds such as the shoe-billed heron, the white ibis, the American stork and the pink spoonbill; further on we find mangrove islands covered by frigates, pelicans and cormorants. We see all the spaces occupied by diverse birds, because in places with shallow waters, sandpipers, candlesticks, herons and seagulls roam. While the sky is always adorned by dozens of frigates and pelicans, and some buzzards.
The road that takes us to Las Coloradas is surrounded by coastal dunes where sisal, a close relative of henequen, a wild cotton and dense bushes abound that give shelter to various species of pigeons, some raptors and migratory birds from North America. . In places where the sea water communicates with the interior channels, estuaries are created, places where we find dozens of herons nesting. Shortly after the salt factory, we skirted vast reddish ponds from which salt is extracted. In this tangle of saskab (limestone) roads, we look for a pond that a few days ago an expert in colonial bird conservation, Dr. Rodrigo Migoya, observed during an aerial tour. After traveling more than 2 km, we find our goal, a large colony of flamingos, hundreds or thousands, dazzle us with the intense pink of their plumage. With the help of binoculars we discovered the most interesting thing, a dark brown patch near the colony, it was a flock of 60 to 70 flamingo chicks, something difficult to see, because these birds are unfriendly, they reproduce in inaccessible places, their clutch it is low and they are frequently disturbed by tropical storms, humans and even jaguars.
Shortly after, while enjoying a delicious seafood platter at the Isla Contoy palapa, we did the count: we toured half the state and saw almost 200 species of birds, although the best thing was to admire the most emblematic species of the southeast, the flamingo and its young, for what we know today that next year, others will participate in this show.
6th Yucatan Bird Festival 2007
The main event of the festival is Xoc Ch’ich ’(in the Mayan language,“ bird count ”). In this marathon the objective is to identify the largest number of species in 28 hours, from November 29 to December 2. There are two venues: Mérida (opening) and Izamal (closing). All participants must spend two nights in rural environments, in order to observe the maximum number of the 444 species of birds in the state.
Teams are made up of three to eight people. One member must be a professional guide and all must be duly registered. The marathon starts at 5.30 on November 29 and ends at 9.30 on December 2. Suggested routes in the eastern part of the state: Ek Balam, Chichén Itzá, Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Dzilam del Bravo State Reserve, Izamal and surrounding sites such as Tekal de Venegas and Oxwatz. Each team chooses the route.
The event also includes Bird Marathon, Photography Contest, Drawing Contest, Bird Workshop for Beginners, Specialized Workshop (shorebirds) and Conferences.
