In the next couple of weeks I’ll be sharing some of my bird photos from Mexico as promised. I spent a week in the Nuevo Vallarta area of Mexico just north of Puerto Vallarta. Waking up to the sound of birds is such a mood booster after months of winter songbird silence. That and the sunny beach!
I met a few new birds on the beach this year. Right out in front of our hotel, there was a willet that wandered up and down the coast foraging for invertebrates. Early mornings and evenings seemed to be the times that the shore birds were most active, likely because it was cooler and there were fewer humans to contend with.
One morning I thought I was the willet again but realized to my delight that it was actually a whimbrel! They are larger than a willet and their beak curves downward. I was glad I had my camera with me as she was not shy! This was my first time seeing a whimbrel.
During our visit to the beach at Puerto Vallarta, there were a number of birds hanging about near a restaurant. Maybe hoping to snag a cold cerveza! Gulls are a fixture on almost any beach but the handsome Heerman’s gulls were another first for me. They have a dark grey back and a bright red beak with a black tip. They also have black legs and a red eye-ring. They were curious but a lot quieter than the gulls I am used to seeing! The dark gull is a Heerman gull in first winter plumage.
Brown pelicans are also really prevalent along the western coast of Mexico. They are BIG. I am always impressed with the size of pelicans no matter when I see them. The Brown Pelican’s name does not do their beauty justice. The adults have very colourful faces and the colour and texture of their feathers are stunning. Even the youngsters who appear a bit more fuzzy than feathered have subtle blue and green in their faces.
If you remember our introduction to shorebirds last week you might recognize the not-so-spotted Spotted Sandpiper in the last photo. Winter non-breeding plumage makes it challenging to recognize a lot of Yellowknife’s summer visitors.
I hope you enjoyed this look at a few of the beach birds I saw while in Mexico. I will have a few more posts about the incredible birds I met while on vacation in the coming weeks. Enjoy your week ahead and thanks again for visiting!