Little Blue Heron

A juvenile Little Blue Heron, Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

Another great find and another addition to my Life List was seeing my first Little Blue Heron. Initially when I saw it emerge from the jungly brush across the waterway where we were watching other herons, I thought it was an egret (Snowy or Great) but it didn't look quite like an egret. Its bill wasn't bright yellow as a Great Egret's, and it didn't seem to be as large and fluffy as a Snowy Egret which also has yellow lores around the eyes . When I pointed it out to Luis and asked if it was an egret, it took him only a couple of seconds of looking through his binoculars to conclude, "juvenile Little Blue Heron." It was then I remembered that Little Blues are white before they mature.

A juvenile Little Blue Heron hunting for a meal in the marsh near Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

Mature Little Blue Herons turn a beautiful cobalt blue (Below) throughout and sport a light blue bill with a black tip. Its legs are a pale dull green. Little Blues are found throughout much of the Southeastern states of the US during the summer, but will be a year round resident along the Gulf Coast and the southern Atlantic states as well as the Baja Peninisula. During the winter months it will migrate south into Mexico and Central America. It also lives year round in fresh water estuaries and marshes in the northern half of South America.


Image of a mature Little Blue Heron; Google Images; photo credit: Jan Sevcik

Orthinologists are studying as to why Little Blues stay white during its first year. One theory is, because they are loners which do not congregate with its own species, the young white herons are more readily able to mix in well with the white Egrets which otherwise do not tolerate the company of Little Blue Herons in their blue plumage. Young Little Blue "white" herons catch more fish when they are in the company of Egrets than when they are alone. Another advantage of  integrating into flocks of Egrets is gaining a measure of protection against predators.

Another Croc hanging around the banks of the waterways; Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

In the hour or so we spent stalking water birds in the marshes near Puerto Morelos, we ran into three (that we know of) separate crocodiles on the banks. The largest (Above) of the three wasn't startled and didn't move (as did the other two) as we came into its personal space. It just opened its mouth to show its teeth as if to say, "You best move along and get outta my territory." We did.

Tri-colored Heron, Green Heron, Northern Jacana




A Tri-colored Heron at right, a Green Heron at left center, and behind the Green Heron, two juvenile Northern Jacanas in the background (far left and center); Puerto Morelos, Mx; 12-24-10.

 We were rewarded with three wading birds - all in one spot: a Green Heron, and two firsts for me, a Tri-colored Heron and two juvenile Northern Jacanas (Above). As a matter of fact, we just missed having five different water birds in the same photo. Minutes after I took this pic, a Double-crested Cormorant landed in front of the Tri-colored Heron, and a minute after that, a Little Blue Heron walked out of the trees at the far left. Luis couldn't have picked a better spot to go water birding.

A Tri-colored Heron, Puerto Morelos, Mx; 12-24-10.

At first glance I thought I saw a Great Blue, but as soon as I took a more knowledgable look, I knew it wsn't a Great Blue, and before I could ask, Luis already announced, "Tri-colored Heron" (Above). Tri-colored Herons (TCH) at 26" tall are much smaller than Great Blues, which can grow as tall as four feet. Also TCH's are darker overall with dark grayish/blueish head, neck, breast, wings and back with a reddish feathering at the base of the neck and a highly contrasting white "racing stripe' running the complete length of its throat and a very white under belly. As seen (Below) in its non-breeding plumage, its long thin bill is yellow near the eyes blending to a bluish gray at the point; during breeding season the bill turns a brilliant blue near the eyes and turns black at the point. also in some TCH's its white throat stripe will become more yellowish. Its breeding plumage will aslo sport a long white spike of feathers at the back of its head.

The same Tri-colored Heron showing off its long narrow bill in contrast with its relatively small head; Puerto Morelos, Mx; 12-24-10.

Although the TCH we saw was fairly calm, this heron species is known to run after fish to capture tham with its long narrow bill.  TCH's are year round residents of the lower Atlantic Coast states as well as the Gulf of Mexico. In summer it will migrate up to as far as Massachusettes and Rhode Island and spend its winters in Mexico, Central America and as far west as the Baja Peninsula.

A Green Heron waiting for a meal to swim by, Puerto Morelos, Mx; 12-24-10.

Also hanging with the TCH was a Green Heron (Above). In summers, Green Herons are found throughout the Eastern two thirds of the US as well as along the Pacific coast.  Green Herons will spend its winter throughout the Gulf Coast, Baja Peninsula and into Mexico, Central America and into Columbia and Venezuela (South America). You can read more about Green Herons on my post on June 22, 2010:

http://northernillinoisbirder.blogspot.com/2010/06/green-herons.html

A great plus was seeing a couple of Juvenile Northern Jacanas which blended in so well into the background (Top of page) that I didn't even realize they were in the pic until later when I enlarged it. When Luis identified them for me, it was a bird I never heard of before. The Northern Jacana resides in the lowlands of Mexico and Central America. They very rarely are seen in the US - on the coastal plain of Texas from south of Houston and westward to San Antonio and southward to the Mexican border. Occaisionally they are sighted in the marshes of south Louisiana. For some reason most of the US sightings are of juveniles. Although it's difficult to see, but the Juveniles have no eye shield and sport white underparts.

The pic (Below) is the only photo I took of a couple of adult Northern Jacanas.

A couple of adult Northern Jacanas hiding in the tall grass; Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12-24-10.



Adult Northern Jacanas are brown overall with a black head and a bright yellow bill and eye shield (Below). They most striking feature are their extremely long toes which allows them to walk on the top of floating  vegetaion. They have been called "Lilly trotters" as well as the "Jesus Bird" in Jamaica because it is perceived to walk on water.

The Adult Northern Jacana's very long toes and bright yellow frontal eye shield are in evidence in this photo which I found at .http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/467/articles/introduction 



A crocodile making its way into the water after we startled it along the banks; Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

Again as we were hiking along the banks of this waterway stalking and concentrating on birds, we passed by a crocodile resting on the bank just across from where we were taking a photos of the Herons and Jacanas. We didn't even see it until it made its splash into the water (Above).  So if you're ever birding in Mexico along waterways be aware and careful of these creatures. Although crocodiles in Mexico are not considered to be aggresive towards humans, one should watch one's step as eveidence of the larticle link below...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1217116/Tourist-attacked-crocodile-Mexico-urinating-near-Cancun-lagoon.html

Anhinga and Double-crested Cormorant, Puerto Morelos, Mexico



An Anhinga with its long pointed bill, Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

An Anhinga drying its wings after making a dive, Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

After spending a couple hours hiking through the Yucatan jungle searching for land birds, Luis (Luis Ku, bird guide) brought us to a wetland area in Puerto Morelos to look for water birds. It didn't take long to find them. In less than an hour we saw Anhingas (Above), a Tri-colored Heron, American Coots, Northern Jacanas, Black-necked Stilts, Least Sandpipers, a Glossy Ibis, Belted Kingfishers, Great Kiskadees, Killdeers, Double-crested Cormorants (Below), a Green Heron, a Northern Waterthrush, and a non-water bird - Yellow-headed Vulture flew over.

Anhingas and Cormorants are both similar in that they are both expert swimmers and dive deep into the water to hunt for fish. However their feathers lack the water-repellent oils that other diving birds possess, and their feathers become saturated with sea water. Because of this they need to sit out in the sun and the air with their wings spread out to dry off.  They are similar in size with the Anhinga being an inch or two longer. Some differences are: the Anhinga has a longer bill that is used for spearing fish and are less common than the Double-crested Cormorant. DC-Cormorants have a shorter stubbier bill which they use more like a hook. Anhingas are more local to the Southeast and can be found along the gulf coasts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Lousiana, Texas, and Mexico, whereas the DC-Cormorant is much more common and spread out throughout the U.S. from coast to coast and from Mexico to Canada.

A Double-crested Cormorant landing in the water, Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.



The same Double-crested Cormorant. You can see its shorter stubbier bill, Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

I also can't end this post without stating how common crocodiles were along the banks of both out of the way places as well as fairly populated areas. It wasn't more than a couple of minutes after we hopped out of Luis's van, walking along a stretch of marshland looking at a Belted Kingfisher, when I was startled by splash in the reeds next to me. Apparently I wasn't the only one startled, because a crocodile who just made its escape from mean old me had jumped to safety into the water (Below).

A Crocodle trying to escape from the ferocious Northern Illinois Birder; Puerto morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

Plain Chachalaca

A Plain Chachalaca; Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

During the couple of hours we were exploring the forest, I kept hearing a raucus that sounded like a chorus of  "cha -cha-laca-cha-cha-laca..." coming from the thicket. Several times I tried to bushwhack my way to find the owners of the noise, but never did spot anything as I made far too much racket crashing through the brush and the noisemakers escaped. Luis infromed me that the birds that made the sound were Plain Chachalacas (Above). Their loud "cha-cha"calls are frequently heard in the early mornings and evenings at sundown, and the locals wouldn't call their noise as pleasant.

Chachalacas are named after the sound they make, sort of the onomotopoeia of birds. They are an upland game type bird similar to a grouse or chicken but more lean and with a rounder head. They are brown all over with a grayish head and a lighter reddish brown belly. They travel in small flocks of 10-12 and forage in thickets, dense second growth, scrub and forest. They are found mainly in Southeastern Mexico and sometimes make appearances into the southern tip of Texas along the Rio Grande Valley. Even though the Plain Chachalacas are not endangered, they belong to a family of 50 other species spread throughout Central and South America, that are endangered due to overhunting.


Perhaps an hour later, Luis suddenly pointed to a low branch and whispered, "Chachalaca!" And sure enough there was one perched high enough above the thick brush to be in the open for a photo op. I think it felt bad that it didn't stick around long enough to let me take its picture before, so it hopped up onto a branch to let us see it so it could get onto this blog. Thanks Chacha!

Val's pic of the same Plain Chachalaca; Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

Painted Bunting

A Painted Bunting, Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

I always thought that the Painted Bunting was one of the most colorfully striking birds in America, and I living in Northern Illinois, resigned myself of the probability that my chances of seeing one was very small because it resides in the south central states (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana) and the south Atlantic Coasts of South Carolina and Georgia. However, I never considered that I might see one in its winter range of Mexico. It also migrates to Central America, the Caribbean Islands and the southern tip of Florida.

So when I saw this beautiful bird flitting around a garden of a small homestead in the middle of the Yucatan Forest, and there is no other bird that I know of that looks like this, I knew it was a Painted Bunting, and Luis quickly confirmed it as soon as he saw it.

Its unmistakable blue head with red eye ring and red underparts, contrasting with its yellowish green back is not like any other bird in the U.S. It's great day when one sees a Painted Bunting, especially in an area when i totally didn't expect it.

A somewhat blurry photo of the beautiful Painted Bunting, Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

The same Painted Bunting, Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

Black-throated Green Warbler

Val's photo of a Black-throated Green Warbler, Puerto Morelos, Mexico, 12/24/10.

The first time I saw (or at least identified) a Black-throated Green Warbler was last summer while hiking up Blood Mountain in Goergia, but unfortunately I didn't get a decent picture. So when Luis announced that he just spotted one up in a tree, I was excited to have another chance at a photo.  Instead the best photo came from Val (Above) which could be of either a female or a juvenile male.

Black-throated Green Warblers spend their summers throughout much of Canada east of the Rockies and south into the Great Lakes and Northeast States and along Appalaichia. Its winter residence extends from the southern tip of Florida, along the Atlantic Coast of Mexico, throughout the Caribbean Islands and south into Central America.

A BIF photo of a Black-throated Green Warbler, Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

Val also got a nice sharp BIF shot of the Black-throated Green Warbler, Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

Turquois-browed Motmot



The exotic Turquis-browed Motmot with its racquet-shaped tail feathers; Puerto Morelos, Mexico; 12/24/10.

One of the most exotic birds we saw while exploring the jungles of Puerto Morelos was the Turquois-browed Motmot with its unique tail - two long tail feathers that have racket-tips at the end of long bare shafts. This feather shape is not genetic, but instead develops as the weaker middle portion of the feather is rubbed off against branches or other objects. Although the photo (Above) of this Motmot is too backlit to see, it has vibrant colors: turquoise plumage on the throat surrounded by black from the chin to the chest, and a turquoise green eyebrow. The underparts are dull cinnamon, and the "racquet" tips of its tail are also turquois and black.
The Turquoise is smaller (approx. 14" long) than its other member of the Motmots (Blue-crowned Motmot) and it ranges from southeast Mexico to Costa Rica. It can survive in a variety of habitats, but it prefers tropical deciduous and tropical evergreen gallery forest. It may also be found in forest edges and mangroves; savanna trees and thickets, particularly during the wet season.

We either saw this Turquois several times or we saw several different ones - and each time it was a thrill beacuse of its fantastic profile.