I’m attending a wedding a little south of Cancun, Mexico in early January. I was wondering if that area is good for wildlife photography and if anyone can make recommendations for locations, guides, etc…
Bird Photography near Cancun, Mexico?
- Thread starter Rookie Roy
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If you have time, head over to Holbox and hire a boat to take you to Cabo Catoche. It‘s a couple hours drive from Cancun. (You’ll actually drive to Chiquila, park your car and take a ferry to Holbox.) Pelicans, flamingos and more. We’ve been a couple of times and it never disappoints.
Thank you for responding! How about with “forest ” birds? Do you have any suggestions?
I looked the location up on a map. It looks awesome but it is north of Cancum. I’m going to be near Tulum. Do you have any suggestions for that area?
I’m not familiar with birding south of Tulum, though we’ve explored that area by car and it’s quite beautiful. I would check out the Sian Kaan ‘biosphere’, particularly the coastal areas and the area around Lake Chunyaxche. Lake Bacalar is a bit further, but should have a good amount of birds. Maybe search IG and Flickr for ‘Tulum’?
So @Rookie Roy, did you end up doing any birding down in Cancun? I leave for that area this Sunday, and at the moment am leaning towards not taking a birding kit. We’re staying at a resort, and I sorta get the impression that it isn’t a place that you can safely just take a random walk and go birding.
Matthew, I was there for a wedding and about half way between Cancun and Tulum. Basically not much to photograph there. I did photograph some agoutis, iguanas and some yellow birds at the resort where we stayed but that is about it. There was also an animal that looked like a raccoon with a pointed snout but I never got a photo of one. I inquired about some side trips but didn’t come up with anything interesting. North of Cancun is an area which reportedly has a lot of flamingos but that was too far away for me. At the resort where we stayed it was very safe. If I was going to do a side trip I would go with a group and a guide.
I believe it's called a Coati. The yellow birds that are common there is the Great Kiskadee. It's part of the Tyrant Flycatcher family. Pretty birds.
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Thanks Rassie! The Coati is what I saw. Attached is the bird I photographed. I also thought it is a Great Kiskadee.
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If it was me, I would take at least one long lens, say between 400-600mm. There are always birds in the resorts. I walked around different Caribbean resorts with a long lens numerous times and I always found some interesting birds to shoot.
Thanks, fellas, I think you’ve convinced me. I’m going to take the Z8+600PF, just for the off chance I get to go birding.
BrianSmall
Active member
Contact my good friend Greg Homel at Natural Encounters. He's an American who lives in Mexico most of the year guiding birding and bird photo trips. You will NOT find a more qualified, experienced and knowledgeable person in the entire country for what you want. Tell Greg I sent you. Link: http://www.naturalencountersbirdingtours.com/greg-r-homel/
Oldnintheway
Well-known member
The Muyil ruins, about 15 miles South of Tulum , is worth a visit. The ruins are nice and the setting is forested, "jungle". There are nice trails out to an estuary with a viewing tower. When I was there in 2016 there was ample bird life.
So I'm staying at an all-inclusive in Cancun, and we are not renting a car, so am looking at booking a birdwatching eco-tour that provides transportation to/from the hotel. I think this is the best option for my situation because I only have 1 morning to do this, don't have a car, would have to know ahead of time exactly where to go because my time is sort of limited, and chances are I probably wouldn't be able to be in the right spots for the best light. If I were staying down there for a few weeks, sure, I'd figure it out on my own.
Packing now... head tells me bring the 180-600, heart says 600PF + 1.4TC. Judging by photo reports, it's smaller birds at distance, so leaning towards the prime for this trip.
Will report back how it all goes!
Packing now... head tells me bring the 180-600, heart says 600PF + 1.4TC. Judging by photo reports, it's smaller birds at distance, so leaning towards the prime for this trip.
Will report back how it all goes!
Stmall
Member
There’s a young guide called Eddy Ay peña. His rate was very reasonable last year and he certainly put me on a fair few birds. He knows where to find them. Arranged a hotel collection too. Contact him through Facebook or +52 9838 097203. Based in muyil/tulum.