{"id":71526,"date":"2024-09-24T00:20:15","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T00:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.royalresorts.com\/blog\/?p=71526"},"modified":"2024-09-24T00:20:19","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T00:20:19","slug":"wildlife-encounters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.royalresorts.com\/blog\/october-2024\/wildlife-encounters\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildlife Encounters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whatever the season, Yucatan Peninsula\u2019s wild areas call nature lovers to catch a glimpse of families of spider monkeys and coatimundis in the jungle, crocodiles and manatees in the wetlands, and a wealth of colorful bird species. Thomas More Travel offers eco tours to the biosphere reserves of Sian Ka\u2019an, Contoy and Rio Lagartos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sian<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sian Ka\u2019an Biosphere Reserve<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Straddling northern and central Quintana Roo, this UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises 1.3 million acres of tropical forest, mangroves, Caribbean beaches and a 110-kilometer-stretch of coral reef. The biosphere reserve was established by government decree in 1986 to protect these fragile ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sian Ka\u2019an is home to 103 different mammals including the jaguar, puma, ocelot, peccary, tapir, howler and spider monkeys, and the West Indian manatee. It has one of Mexico\u2019s largest crocodile populations and is an important nesting area for sea turtles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0The reserve is also home to over 350 species of bird, and you are bound to notch up a respectable tally of sightings during a visit. Sixteen varieties of heron and egret \u2013 including the kuka or boat-billed heron, tiger, blue and green heron \u2013can be seen in the mangroves, along with wood storks, ibis and roseate spoonbills. Flamingos are occasional visitors to the coastal lagoons. Migrant warblers, finches and hawks join year-round forest dwellers such as parrots, motmots and keel-billed toucans. The reserve also has a large breeding population of ospreys and protects a tiny colony of the rare jabiru stork, the largest bird in the Americas, in the wetlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Contoy\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Contoy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A two-hour boat ride to the north of Cancun, the tiny desert island of Contoy is known as la isla de los pajaros<\/em> or \u201cthe island of the birds and with good reason. A protected area since 1961, and declared a national park in 1998, it is a refuge for 150 species of native and migrant birds, including one of the largest populations of brown pelicans in the Caribbean. Colonies of frigate birds, double crested cormorants and ten members of the heron family such as the great blue heron, snowy egret and the yellow-crowned night heron roost in the mangroves. During the winter months, the island is a refuge for migratory ducks, plovers, sandpipers, oystercatchers and other shore birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rio<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First stop during the fall for water and food for many exhausted migrant birds crossing the Gulf of Mexico, R\u00eda Lagartos Reserve protects 60,348 hectares of mangroves, salt marshes, dunes and tropical forest that is home to jaguars, monkeys, crocodiles and 365 bird species, including thousands of Caribbean flamingos, North America\u2019s largest nesting colony of these elegant birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are so many flamingos that they paint the horizon pink in the lagoons and salt flats. Fishermen from the waterfront village of R\u00edo Lagartos offer boat trips along the ria<\/em> or estuary and through the mangroves to the flamingo feeding grounds. In addition to the spectacle of watching flamingos taking wing, coming into land or feeding in the shallows, keep a lookout for flocks of white pelicans, skimmers, limpkins, plovers, reddish and snowy egrets, roseate spoonbills, peregrine falcons and kingfishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas More Travel<\/a> can help you organize trips to these destinations and many more in the Mexican Caribbean and Yucatan.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whatever the season, Yucatan Peninsula\u2019s wild areas call nature lovers to catch a glimpse of families of spider monkeys and coatimundis in the jungle, crocodiles and manatees in the wetlands, and a wealth of colorful bird species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":71529,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[714],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-october-2024"],"yoast_head":"\r\nWildlife Encounters - Blog<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.royalresorts.com\/blog\/october-2024\/wildlife-encounters\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wildlife Encounters - 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