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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ovenbird43" data-source="post: 3516370" data-attributes="member: 64478">Jan 6 AM: Quintana Roo National ParkAfter a somewhat restless night I eagerly got up with my alarm clock just before first light.  Mottled Owls were still calling, and soon a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl joined in.  A trio of Northern Barred Woodcreepers began calling and flying around at the edge of the camp clearing, and a pair of Melodious Blackbirds chimed in with their loud, varied calls.  As I walked slowly down the road, understory birds began to wake up: harsh rasping of Red-throated Ant-Tanagers, the chip of a Northern Cardinal, the lovely duetting of Spot-breasted Wrens, and a confiding male Hooded Warbler.  Stub-tailed Spadebills and Northern Bentbills were common by voice but inconspicuous, with a single good view only of the latter.  A Keel-billed Toucan called in the distance and Amazona spp. parrots flew overhead, daring me to try to differentiate between the similar Yucatan and White-fronted Parrots via silhouetted flight views.  In Ecuador I could identify all the Amazona by voice, but not here.Farther down the road I could hear two Black-faced Antthrushes singing, my only encounter with this species during the trip.  A Merlin flew by several times as it hunted, rather a surprise in the forest, but I would find later that there are many open areas farther down the road.  Comical Long-billed Gnatwrens put on a nice show, followed by a nice look at a Rufous-browed Peppershrike.  But the star of the morning was quite unexpected, a species I had feared written off by venturing no further southwest than here.  As I watched various warblers, gnatwrens, and vireos in a vine tangle, I heard a warblery chip note that wasn't familiar.  Wondering if it could be... well, I pulled out my phone to check the call note of Grey-throated Chat.  I played the call and song, and before I could decide if the call was a match, out popped a stunning male Grey-throated Chat, not two meters from me!  It sat there for a moment and then darted into the thick undergrowth across the road, giving me additional glimpses and it hopped around and circled back.I returned to camp in the mid-morning, happy with the morning's birding.  As I waited for Tom to wake up and get ready to head to Coba, I sat by the firepit, where I saw the trip's only Wedge-tailed Sabrewing and a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl that flew into a tree directly overhead.Afternoon - CobaAfter a late breakfast, Tom and I drove out of the park and to the ruins at Coba, spotting a male Great Curassow in the road near camp as we left.  I wasn't expecting too much in terms of birding, given the time of day and crowds at Coba (it was noon when we entered), but it was actually quite good.  We frequently ran into warbler flocks, almost invariably consisting of 2-3 Black-throated Green Warblers, 1-2 Magnolia Warblers, an American Redstart, a male Hooded Warbler, and a Black-and-white Warbler, with a smattering of White-eyed Vireos and in one a Yellow-throated Vireo.  As we approached the largest ruins, near a stand selling snacks and drinks we happened across a group of 4 Yucatan Jays that were calling and foraging on the ground right by the dirt track.  What stunning birds!  The raucous noise and flashing blue backs and wings contrasting against a black body were also enough to draw the attention of many other passersby, one of whom  managed to spot and point out a Golden-olive Woodpecker overhead.  Here I finally had the change to get out my camera and snap some bird photos.   We enjoyed the jays for a while, grabbed a drink and snack, and then climbed the main ruins.  Nothing notable birdwise, but a fantastic view from the top, and surprisingly a dog trying to nap in the afternoon sun at the very top as visitors stepped around him.  Once we descended and passed back by the jay spot, the jays were gone but had been replaced by a flock of birds attracted to an army antswarm (I suppose the ants had probably attracted the jays earlier too, I just hadn't seen them).  The birds were all right at the trail's edge and mostly confiding, as they were absorbed in snatching prey stirred up by the ants.  There was a pair of Tawny-winged Woodcreepers, one Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Rose-throated Tanager, Gray Catbird, and a male Hooded Warbler that got so close to me I could nearly have reached him with an outstretched arm!We explored the rest of the ruins, finding the trail that goes to some of the smaller structures to be less crowded.  As we sat to rest a moment, a quiet warbler flock moved in with the usual attendants plus Eye-ringed Flatbill and Northern Parula.  After exiting the ruins, we grabbed a late lunch at one of the restaurants surrounding the parking lot, and then took a quick look at the lake - Anhinga, Pied-billed Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, and Great-tailed Grackles were the primary species present.Below are eBird checklists with complete bird lists from the morning and afternoon, followed by a few photos from Coba.Quintana Roo National Park:<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33569806" target="_blank">http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33569806</a>Coba:<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33569783" target="_blank">http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33569783</a></blockquote>

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