Chronicles of a Birders Life List
Over the past 40 years I have had the good fortune to photographically document 85% of the bird species added to my “Life List.” This blog series showcases the images and anecdotal accounts that document those “Lifer” sightings and a little about the environment and culture of the area. This Lifer blog series begins with my first LIFER outside of the US, Lifer #624 and proceeds chronologically forward from there.
A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes similis) > Tyrannidae > Passeriformes
IDENTIFICATION: Looks like a mini version of Boat-billed Flycatcher; in particular note Social’s small bill. Social lacks the rufous coloration in the wings that a Great Kiskadee has. Common in tropical and subtropical areas, especially in semi-open areas with trees and hedges, woodland edge, towns, gardens. Often noisy and ‘social’ (some of its calls suggest parakeets); usually found in pairs or small groups, often perching conspicuously. Eats a lot of berries, and often occurs alongside Boat-billed Flycatcher and Great Kiskadee in fruiting figs and other trees.
FIRST “LIFER” OBSERVATION:
Birding with: Miguel Amar Uribe from Mexico Kan Tours and my wife Maria
Date: 02 Dec 2021 @ Zona Arqueológica Muyil (Chunyaxché), Quintana Roo, MX
Zona Arqueológica Muyil (Chunyaxché) | MX-ROO
SPECIES GLOBAL eBIRD DISTRIBUTION MAP
Yellow Star indications the location of my Lifer sighting
DETAILS ABOUT SIGHTING: Highway 307, the main road from Tulum to Felipe Carrillo Puerto and eventually to Chetumal, runs right through the town of Chunyaxché and effectively separates the taller forerst habitat northwest of town from the ruins area with shorter vegetation and includes mangrove swamps. After strolling through the town side of the area, we headed east down the side road to see the lagoon. After birding the lagoon we returned through the mangrove swamp on an interesting boardwalk and then explored the ruins and park area back at the entrance. This circuit netted us 4 new Lifers, #649 to #652.
Muyil Ruins Lifer # 649 – Social Flycatcher
We had just finished birding in the town of Chunyaxché and had taken a few minutes to have breakfast on the Muyil Ruins side of the main road (Hwy 370). As we finished up eating, a new Lifer started calling directly above us in the trees. There were not one, but two Social Flycatchers calling back-and-forth. We got really good views with our binoculars, but with a bright background, most of my photographs had too much contrast. Fortunately I was able to see and photgraph this species many times in almost every spot we birded, from the tip of the northern tip of Yucatan, through Campeche, Quintana Roo, Belize and Guatemala. In total I recorded it on 32 distinct checklists.
PHOTOS TAKEN: In addition to the two birds here at Muyil, I also photographed them at Cobá, Tikal in Guatemala and at Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize.
BACKGROUND ABOUT THE MUYIL ARCHEOLOGICAL ZONE
Muyil (also known as Chunyaxché) was one of the earliest and longest inhabited ancient Maya sites on the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. It is located approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of the coastal site of Tulum, in the Municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The ruins of Muyil are an example of Peten architecture, like those found in southern Mayan sites with their steep walled pyramids such as Tikal in Guatemala. It is situated on the Sian Ka’an lagoon, a name meaning “Where the Sky is Born”. Muyil was located along a trade route on the Caribbean once accessible via a series of canals.
Previous 3 posts in my LIFER Blog Series.
Reflections of the Natural World 