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| El Sendero: The Woodland Trail Walk our peaceful nature trail and see exotic tropical birds and animals, interesting trees, plants, flowers and rock formations. |
El Sendero - the Woodland Trail (click here for pictures of Yucatan flora, fauna and birds)
Back behind the Inn, we have over 20 acres of land left wild. There are Chul-tuns, sartenejas, carved
rocks, and a vast assortment of wild-life. Squirrels and jays, armadillos and parrots, tinamous and agoutis:
all live here. Santiago says he saw a rufous necked woodrail, and Edgar saw an ocellated turkey on
his property, which connects to ours.
We have antbirds and catbirds, vireos and peppershrikes, flycatchers and mockingbirds, parrots and
tityras, pigmy owls and hooded warblers, to mention a few. Yesterday butterflies started landing on us,
as we walked through between the old rock walls, called albarradas, which we are slowly putting back in
shape. We pointed out a tiny black butterfly with 4 red dots on its wings, a red patch on the upper most
part, and a bright yellow patch just on the far outside tip. Reminded me of runway light patterns for
landing jets. Perhaps they are there to beam others in.
We are uncovering unique rock formations called "sartenejas" - pans. These look volcanic in nature,
but are not, formed with hollow tunnels and mini-caves, and shallow tiny pools where water collects. It is
the water that attracts the animals. Flitting silently through the trees went a large dark Morpho butterfly,
opening its wings to display a stunning blue/purple color over the entire upper side. There are some that
look just like the bark of the trees, before suddenly taking wing and flying away. These are the ones that
land on you, obviously mistaking you for a tree. Perhaps they need glasses.
Did you know some butterflies fight? We have ones with a swallow shaped wing that crash in airborne
battles, sounding like samari soldiers dueling with toothpick swords. Two have just gone zinging by my
window, battling furiously, the noise attracting my attention. Do they make it with their elongated wing,
I wonder?
The agoutis have been around all summer, but the armadillos have gone deeper into the territory. The
agoutis resemble a large, tailess chipmunk, and they entertained the workers building the latest
bungalow, Chel House, for several weeks. Armadillos love oranges, so I suspect they will be coming
down soon, as the citrus crops are all coming into season. You see them under the trees, eating the
fallen fruit.
The land climbs to an unexpected height behind, where you could see the church to the south, if we
thinned a few more trees. There is a nice valley between, and another hill ridge running across; the
land beyond and furthest back being quite flat. It is here that we are reforesting, with hardwood
trees. We have cut a trail from the Inn back through some of the land and around part of the border,
that one can follow. Here there are natural places to sit, and simply enjoy and observe the wild life
that makes its home in this tiny reserve.
Come and see for yourself. Perhaps you will even see the Green Yucatan Jay, stunning bird that it
is - all lime and emerald green with a purple head, white brow, and perfectly delineated black bib. Or
the blue crowned mot-mot, those birds with the long racket tail. Tiny hooded warblers, looking like
bandits wearing a yellow and black ski-mask, the black and white tree creeper........
Kristine,
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena
10 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico
Back behind the Inn, we have over 20 acres of land left wild. There are Chul-tuns, sartenejas, carved
rocks, and a vast assortment of wild-life. Squirrels and jays, armadillos and parrots, tinamous and agoutis:
all live here. Santiago says he saw a rufous necked woodrail, and Edgar saw an ocellated turkey on
his property, which connects to ours.
We have antbirds and catbirds, vireos and peppershrikes, flycatchers and mockingbirds, parrots and
tityras, pigmy owls and hooded warblers, to mention a few. Yesterday butterflies started landing on us,
as we walked through between the old rock walls, called albarradas, which we are slowly putting back in
shape. We pointed out a tiny black butterfly with 4 red dots on its wings, a red patch on the upper most
part, and a bright yellow patch just on the far outside tip. Reminded me of runway light patterns for
landing jets. Perhaps they are there to beam others in.
We are uncovering unique rock formations called "sartenejas" - pans. These look volcanic in nature,
but are not, formed with hollow tunnels and mini-caves, and shallow tiny pools where water collects. It is
the water that attracts the animals. Flitting silently through the trees went a large dark Morpho butterfly,
opening its wings to display a stunning blue/purple color over the entire upper side. There are some that
look just like the bark of the trees, before suddenly taking wing and flying away. These are the ones that
land on you, obviously mistaking you for a tree. Perhaps they need glasses.
Did you know some butterflies fight? We have ones with a swallow shaped wing that crash in airborne
battles, sounding like samari soldiers dueling with toothpick swords. Two have just gone zinging by my
window, battling furiously, the noise attracting my attention. Do they make it with their elongated wing,
I wonder?
The agoutis have been around all summer, but the armadillos have gone deeper into the territory. The
agoutis resemble a large, tailess chipmunk, and they entertained the workers building the latest
bungalow, Chel House, for several weeks. Armadillos love oranges, so I suspect they will be coming
down soon, as the citrus crops are all coming into season. You see them under the trees, eating the
fallen fruit.
The land climbs to an unexpected height behind, where you could see the church to the south, if we
thinned a few more trees. There is a nice valley between, and another hill ridge running across; the
land beyond and furthest back being quite flat. It is here that we are reforesting, with hardwood
trees. We have cut a trail from the Inn back through some of the land and around part of the border,
that one can follow. Here there are natural places to sit, and simply enjoy and observe the wild life
that makes its home in this tiny reserve.
Come and see for yourself. Perhaps you will even see the Green Yucatan Jay, stunning bird that it
is - all lime and emerald green with a purple head, white brow, and perfectly delineated black bib. Or
the blue crowned mot-mot, those birds with the long racket tail. Tiny hooded warblers, looking like
bandits wearing a yellow and black ski-mask, the black and white tree creeper........
Kristine,
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena
10 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico
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| The Woodland Trail. photo by Steve Brown |
| A chultuns; a natural rock formation. photo by Steve Brown |
| Remants of ancient structure. photo by Steve Brown |
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