*update #2* Tulum and more resort birds (#207-212)

As we stood on the side of the road waiting for the collectivo (public bus) to take us to Tulum, I saw something walking along the road. I thought, "wild turkey"! I ran after it only to smack my head...there were a bunch of chickens outside a house. Hey, it's a bird, right?

*update-March 16, 2012* Here I was assuming that the turkey vultures were the same--I was only differentiating between black vultures and turkey vultures. Dwayne at Nerdy for Birdy was so kind as to point out that I actually missed a really obvious lifer here. I questioned the colourfulness of the head, but somehow missed that this is a dead ringer for a lesser yellow-headed vulture! yippee! i think it is so awesome the way blogging and birding communities can can help you out...love the collaborative learning. so my numbering is all backwards but that makes it #211 :)
#211: Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture; Mayan Riviera (Tulum), Mexico; February 18, 2012
*end update*

At Tulum, we saw these turkey vultures come in really low and got great looks at them. But what was for lunch? This guy:

Luckily (for him), he scuttled off before they got him.

Just around the corner from here, we hit the goldmine. In this one tiny little spot, we saw so many great birds, including lifers--woodpeckers, orioles, warblers, hummingbird, the list goes on.

I noticed these rather plain looking birds on the ground. Wait now, take a closer look. Now that's a lifer. :)

#207: Bronzed Cowbird; Mayan Riviera, Mexico (Tulum), February 18, 2012

A bunch of people were sitting in this really cute grove of trees with stone benches when we noticed that there were lots of birds in the area. And also a snake, which was hunting a frog. All very eventful, and that certainly got a rise out of the tourists :)

I spotted this little hummingbird and it was only there for a few seconds. It's the only one we saw in Mexico. At first I was reluctant to call this one, but I'm almost certain of it. The other (less likely) possibility is Cinnamon Hummingbird; the bit of green on its breast indicates it's not. Hoping, knowing full well the complexity of light and the slim chance the WB was set right on, that I'm right. You should see the hummingbird section of the Mexican/Central American guidebook...it's really something (111 species!!!), especially when you are used to seeing exactly ONE variety of hummingbird at home!

#208: Buff-bellied hummingbird; Mayan Riviera, Mexico (Tulum); February 18, 2012

#209: Yucatan Woodpecker; Mayan Riviera, Mexico (Tulum), February 18, 2012
There were a lot of woodpeckers that had this general look. You can distinguish the Yucatan by the yellow that is not just on top of his bill, but also below. 

As luck would have it, I actually had two birthday life birds :) Here's one (another to follow):
Go figure. It's one that's at home but I had to go all the way to Mexico to see it!
#210: Cape May Warbler; Mayan Riviera, Mexico (Barcelo Maya Resort), February 19, 2012

The next one is also a birthday lifer, but I'm not 100% sure on it yet. I've pretty much narrowed it down to rose-throated tanager (broken eye ring), but it seems quite yellow to me (white balance may be partially to blame), which makes me question if it's a summer tanager. 

Here's what the guidebook has to say (sorry...sloppy pics taken before catching the bus):

The jury is out! Anybody feel confident?

*update March 16, 2012*
Looks like the mystery bird is a female or juvenile summer tanager. Thanks to my helpers for assisting me. There you have it!
#212: Summer tanager; Mayan Riviera (Barcelo Maya Resort), Mexico; February 19, 2012.