Winter recently arrived with a vengeance, complete with blowing snow and a polar vortex that has brought arctic air south.
Here is this week’s forecast.
The colder weather has brought glimpses of the sun and blue sky.
It has also produced frost patterns on our windows that resemble feathers and down.
Our orchids have agreed to bloom again this winter, a welcome reminder of tropical climates.
We decided that a visit to the tropics was in order. In December 2016, we went to Cozumel with Susan’s Toronto aquafit instructor and class. It was our first trip to a tropical zone and we were looking forward to discovering new (to us) birds.
We were happy to find that the resort where we stayed was heavily treed. We had a good view of birds from our balcony. The bare tree served as a perch for local birds such as Tropical/Couch’s Kingbirds and Tropical Mockingbirds. Typical of flycatchers, Tropical Kingbirds perch on a branch, ready to fly out to capture passing insects. We even spotted a Green-breasted Mango one day.
Tropical Mockingbirds are omnivorous and have a variety of feeding strategies. They always put on a good display.
Tropical resorts sometimes house non-native birds on their grounds, despite having an abundance of native birdlife. There is a parrot that is native to Cozumel and the Yucatan region of Mexico, but these parrots don’t appear to be of that variety.
American Flamingos are native to Mexico, but this flock was captive.
Cozumel is the wintering/non-breeding territory for several species of warblers. In usual warbler fashion, most of these birds moved quickly through areas of dense vegetation, making it hard to photograph them. Still new to birding, we did not always recognize some of the female birds whose plumage differs considerably from that of the males’.
Yellow-throated Warblers were typically less shy than other warblers and sometimes posed out in the open.
We had other sightings in Cozumel. We’ll tell you about them next time.
Baby Bird Photos from Audubon
Click on the picture to view the article and photos!
Celebrating Carole King
Live performances of songs from “Tapestry”.