23 lifers added to bird list

My family vacation to Cozumel, Mexico, produced 53 species of birds, 23 of which were new life-birds for me, bringing my life list to 421 species.   One of the 23 new birds was the Western Spindalis (Spindalis zena), pictured at left, a songbird who joined me at lunch one day.   This bird used to be known as the Stripe-headed Tanager.   While a number of the birds I saw, both old and new, can be found in many other parts of Mexico, plus countries like Guatemala, Belize and San Salvador, this bird was special because it occurs mainly in the Bahamas and places like Cuba, Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands, and even extreme southern Florida.   For a long time, it was thought that the only place it resided in Mexico was on Cozumel Island, off the Yucatan Peninsula, and that may still be the case.   Foolwing is a list of the 23 birds that I have added to my life list.   Finally, after many years, I can order a '400' button from the American Birding Association to go along with the '100' and '200' buttons that I wear on my Tilley hat.

1.   Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
2.   Common Black-Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus)
3.   Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus solitarius)
4.   Ruddy Crake (Laterallus ruber)
5.   Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa)
6.   Great Potoo (Nyctibius grandis)
7.   Vaux's Swift (Chaetura vauxi)
8.   Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii)
9.   Mexican Sheartail (Doricha eliza)
10. Ivory-billed Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus flavigaster)
11. Dot-winged Antwren (Microrhopias quixensis)
12. Greenish Elaenia (Myiopagis viridicata)
13. Slate-headed Tody-Flycatcher (Todirostrum sylvia)
14. Tropical Gnatcatcher (Polioptila plumbea)
15. Gray-breasted Martin (Progne chalybea)
16. Black Catbird (Melanoptila glabrirostris)
17. Cozumel Thrasher (Toxostoma guttatum)
18. Cozumel Vireo (Vireo bairdi)
19. Yucatan Vireo (Vireo magister)
20. Northern Parula (Parula americana)
21. Golden Warbler (Dendroica petechia) in part
22. Western Spindalis (Spindalis zena)
23. Melodious Blackbird (Dives dives)

A Tricoloured Heron is preparing to 'mantle' for fish in a Cozumel mangrove pond.   Mantling is a birding term used to descibe a bird's bringing forward of its wings in an umbrella position over its head to shade its vision of fish beneath the surface of water.   It also refers to certain raptors which will spread their wings in an umbrella-fashion over a recent kill to hide it from would-be thieves.

Please comment if you wish.

BtheB                                                                                            Photos by BarrytheBirder