Bird Place of the Month April in the Yucatan

A year ago I was in Mexico and so I would like to celebrate the birds we saw there especially on the Yucatan Peninsular. In particular around the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum. I will also add in the iguanas too. Our first bird that was different was the grackle with its sounds and ability to live close to human habitation.

Or as some of the others birds a swimming pool on a roof was an opportunity for a drink at sunrise before the humans arrive.

Some of the other birds were around the hotel and open land not yet developed. The golden oriole was seen at sunset so the light was not good but I managed a glimpse through the lens.

After the ruins we spotted the Yucatan blue jay. A question asked with another WordPress bird lover was why the New World has so many blue birds. The European jay only has a dash of blue. And the American robin more blue than robin redbreast!

Certainly in the Yucatan there are more blue skies by very blue seas.

My friend Judy who I was travelling with inspired me to create a story along the style of Navaselva. The idea was to have the grackle, the frigate birds and the iguanas as guardians of the coast. Looking out many years ago they see strange beasts rolling across the waves towards their land. Their instincts are to prevent them landing. Turn them away. No good will come of this for the animal and plant kingdoms.

My plans for more writing after the sequel to Navaselva next year is to take flight to the New World with some of the old characters and create some new ones too. Maybe short stories or a novel.

What do you think? Any reviews, comments on Navaselva, The Call of the Wild Valley are welcome, especially reviews on Amazon USA.

Do join us for Bird Place of the Month. Gardens, local parks and any birds are most welcome where ever you may be. The grackle was quite common but a character around the hotels and ruins of Tulum!

Good news for Vaquitas in Mexico

Am really pleased to get this email from Greenpeace after a petition.Probably via facebook which I am sometimes criticised for using! Most of the time there is such ignorance about the damage being done to wild creatures and their habitats. If social media can raise awareness and help conservation and go straight to the corridors of power to create change, then lets keep doing it. Hope these little creatures now have a fighting chance to recover their numbers.

Vaquita: only 97 left, a type pf porpoise endangered in the bay of Mexico

Hi Georgina

Success! You’re making a difference for vaquitas. I’m delighted to share some great news about these Mexican porpoises with you:

The Mexican government has just published a proposal to protect the entire vaquita habitat. It covers 5,000 square kilometers, and includes a 2 year ban on fishing with gillnets. These nets are single-handedly responsible for entangling and drowning so many vaquitas, there are now just 97 of these incredible creatures left. The proposal also sets out compensation for affected fishers.

You helped build an international outcry that reached the highest levels of government. An incredible 320,000 of us sent messages to Mexican president Peña Nieto – and it’s clear there’s huge pressure to protect these little porpoises.

However, there are some missing measures that must be included for this proposal to be fully effective. The most important is to strengthen surveillance and enforcement. Illegal gillnetting in the vaquita habitat is common and must be eliminated. We’re also urging the Mexican government to make this a permanent ban on gillnet fishing.

By the end of this month the proposal will have passed through consultation and be ready for a final draft. This doesn’t mean the campaign is over, as there may be more campaigning needed – and you and I both know there’s a big difference between what’s written on paper and what happens on the water. If we need more action soon, I would love to have you on board to make sure we secure a bright future for the vaquita.

Thanks again for everything you do!

Victoria