Reflections of the Natural World

Travel with me as I explore the wild things and wild places of our planet. – Jim Gain

  • 700 o busto – Cuenta regresiva de Lifer

    700 o busto – Cuenta regresiva de Lifer

    Con un BIP BIP BIP desagradablemente fuerte, mi alarma de las 5:00 am me despertó de un sueño profundo. La adrenalina se disparó instantáneamente y literalmente salté de la cama. Estaba seguro de que hoy me traería la especie Lifer número 700. Estaba en una visita de regreso a la mística península de Yucatán, que Read more

  • 700 or Bust – Lifer Countdown

    700 or Bust – Lifer Countdown

    With an obnoxiously loud BEEP BEEP BEEP, my 5:00 am alarm woke me from a deep sleep. The adrenaline instantly kicked in and I was literally jumping out of bed. I was certain that today would bring me lifer species number 700. I was on a return visit to the mystical Yucatan Peninsula, having just Read more

  • Do you wash every week?

    Do you wash every week?

    The Rufous-browed Peppershrike is a member of the vireo family and can be found from Central Mexico south through Central America and into most of South America. It is generally found in the upper canopy of trees and tends to be very vocal all year round. Its song, which it will repeat over and over, Read more

  • A 4 “Yucatán” Bird Day

    A 4 “Yucatán” Bird Day

    As I looked ahead to the list of birds that would be “lifers” (never observed before) for me in the Yucatán peninsula there were upwards of 100 species that I thought I had a fairly decent chance of seeing. This list of 100 species was composed of mostly common to fairly common regional birds with Read more

  • A Squirrel Moment – Squirrel Cuckoo that is

    A Squirrel Moment – Squirrel Cuckoo that is

    Ranging from mid-Mexico down through central South America, the Squirrel Cuckoo is common and is most often seen in gliding from one tree to another, or energetically hopping from branch to branch in search of a wide variety of arthropods. It is a fairly common resident in the Yucatan Peninsula, but had somehow eluded me Read more

  • Holy Batcave – Batman

    Holy Batcave – Batman

    Taking a slight deviation from my theme of Yucatan Birds, one of the biggest Holy Guacamole moments was actually of a different kind of flying vertebrate – bats. Deep in the forests of southern Campeche is a unique natural protected area known as “Zona Sujeta a Conservación Ecológica Balam-Kú” in Calakmul Municipality. This ecological area Read more