En Español

A SUMMARY OF THE SECOND YUCATAN BIRD FESTIVAL

Two words on the lips of every participant attending the week-long birding event in Mérida, Yucatan November 15-21, best describe the results of the 2003 Yucatan bird Festival... “FUN” and “WELL-ORGANIZED”! In addition, most international visitors were overwhelmed with the opportunity to share their interest in birds with local nature guides from indigenous Maya and fishing communities. All enthusiastically expressed a desire to return next year with friends and colleagues in tow.
All together, 350 ornithologists, birdwatchers, biologists, students, conservationists and community guides, representing diverse nationalities and cultures, shared their love of birds during a week full of activities for all. Another 7,000 people visited the magnificent photographic exhibit of resident bird species provided by internationally acclaimed photographers: Fulvio Eccardi, David Andrews and Antonio Hidalgo. The elaborate design for the exhibit was contributed by Luis Montalvo of Imaginación XXI and Omega supplied all the picture frames. All three photographers have donated their art to the Mérida Natural History Museum.
A 12 hour-long bird marathon was organized for the first time in the Biosphere Reserves of Ría Celestún and Ría Lagartos on Sunday, November 16 as part of the festival. Approximately 50 local bird guides, biologists, conservationists and visitors participated in Celestún, while over 30 people formed teams within the Ría Lagartos reserve. Binoculars, provided by the CAPY program of Amigos de Sian Ka’an, (with many donations from Birder’s Exchange), were loaned out to many of the participants. Winners (restricted to local guides and biologists) took home brand new binoculars, field guides, t-shirts and caps donated by: Optics for the Tropics, American Bird Conservancy, Kalamazoo Audubon, Amigos de Sian Ka’an, the British Embassy, Pronatura Península de Yucatán and the Birder’s Exchange program of the American Birding Association. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) donated gasoline as did the Kalamazoo Audubon and the American Bird Conservancy along with the food and refreshments served at the two separate award events that evening. Melgar Tabasco of Niños y Crías, A.C. and Eduardo Galicia of Pronatura Península de Yucatán were responsible for the organization of the events in the biosphere reserves of Ría Lagartos and Ría Celestún, respectively. The Directors of both bioshpere reserves donated vehicles for use during the event.

Two workshops were organized for 50 biology students of the Autonomous University of Yucatán, including “Techniques on recording bird songs” by M. en C. Fernando González García of the Ecology Institute, Veracruz; and “Monitoring Techniques” by Dr. Eduardo Santana of the University of Guadalajara, Jalisco. They were assisted by local and international experts Paul Wood, Juan Chable, Jill Deppe and Antonio Celis, and local guides Victor Marín and Ramiro Lara.
Two round-table discussions brought together national and local experts, government officials, conservationists and news media to openly discuss two important themes: “Bettering the dialogue on ecotourism: ethics of responsible reporting and promoting”, moderated by Ron Mader of Planeta.com; and “The situation on the capture and sale of cage birds,” moderated by Ramiro Rubio, the state delegate for the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources.
Conferences held during two days included talks by internationally acclaimed bird guide, Kenn Kaufman and ornithologist, Eduardo Santana, as well as other local and international experts in the field of conservation, ecotourism development and the West Nile Disease.
Not all was “work and no play” during the week. Participants in the week’s major event – the bird-a-thon, known as the xoc ch’ich’ – were treated to an inaugural reception the evening before at the Quintna Montes Molina, one of the contributing patrons of the festival. The Governor of Yucatan, Patricio Patrón Laviada, and the state’s Secretary of Tourism, Carolina Cárdenas Sosa headed up the list of special guests that attended the event.
The next afternoon, 67 participants left the city of Mérida for distinct locations in the field in order to be in place for beginning the now famous 29 hour birding competition (for people with multiple interests), known as the “xoc ch’ich’”. Some were treated to staying at five-star hotels owned and operated by Mayaland Tours, another patron of the festival. This year, participants outdid last year’s effort, reporting a total of 285 bird species – many of which are endemic to the region. Eight of the nine teams observed more than 155 bird species each, while the remaining team, composed of photographers, captured on film an equally impressive number of bird species for next year’s photographic exhibit. Both the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), through donations to the CAPY program of Amigos de Sian Ka’an A.C., provided funding for the participation of local guides, as well as Ecoturism Yucatán.
The week-long festival ended with a magnificent awards dinner held in the open patio of the Contemporary Art Museum of Mérida, and was hosted by the Secretary of Tourism and the Organizing Committee for the Festival. Among the awarded prizes were CD’s donated from the Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University and Thayer Software.
The Committee thanks the participation of the festival’s adopted “godfather” - Troy G. Murphy, whose years of study of the Turquoise-browed Motmot helped produce the internationally awarded video “Toh – the clock bird” and whose photograph of the toh graced this year’s promotional material.