Our early morning walk today led us to Los Ayala, the next beach community to the southwest of Rincon de Guayabitos.
Los Ayala
Trees along the roadside were full of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Black & White Warblers and more.
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker
In the town, Golden-cheeked Woodpeckers were easy to find among the papaya trees, but Yellow-winged Caciques & Magpie Jays were too quick to photograph.
Brown-crested Flycatcher
The birdiest area was at the west end of town among thicker brushy woods. A Brown-crested Flycatcher perched to pose for a moment in the trees- we initially thought it was a Western Kingbird, but the wings & tail were quite rufous-coloured.
Male Painted Bunting
We had a glimpse of a brilliant male Painted Bunting as well as male & female Blue Buntings foraging nearby.
Sunbathing Vultures
Also exploring the area were a couple of birders from Alberta, who spotted a Squirrel Cuckoo, a new bird for us. They noted Masked Tityra calling as well as Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, which we later glimpsed in the roadside woods. All were too fast to capture – only these roosting vultures were easy to photograph.
Willet on Los Ayala Beach
From the beach at Los Ayala we had an alternate view of the islands which can be seen from La Penita & Rincon de Guayabitos. The larger is Isla La Peña or Isla Coral (Rock or Coral Island), and the smaller is Isla Cangrejo (Crab Island).
nature student 