Dear All,
I had to spend a night in Cancun yesterday, so I rented a car (just $20!) and checked out the road to Chiquila (Hwy 5, signposted “Holbox” on the toll highway to Merida). The last 25 km go through Yum Balam reserve and proved really good: I drove up and down twice (after 1 am) and got a juvenile margay and a grey fox, plus some gorgeous frogs and ground geckos. Driving time from Cancun to Chiquila is 2-3 hrs.
Cuban trip report forthcoming 🙂
Vladimir Dinets
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Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. I've also lived and worked in London, Canberra, Paris and Lusaka, and visited over 100 countries.
Great stuff, Vladimir!
We’re you spotlighting, or just whatever comes up in your headlights?
Just driving up and down. I looked for a good side road to spotlight on foot, but didn’t find any (although there are some visible in Google Earth).
Cool. So in fact, you did only see what happened to come across the road.. which was a MARGAY!!!
I have still not seen one 🙁
Henry Pittier NP in Venezuela used to be a good place for margay in the 1990s, but in 2008 I found the park to be badly neglected and the trail network mostly overgrown. If the country gets out of the crisis and the park system is revived, it will be worth trying. It’s a really nice place, I got 20 spp. there in 1995 and 3 more in 2008.
Highway 200 South of La Placita on the Michoacan coast is apparently very good for Margay. A herper with a lot of experience there told me that you should see one if you spend 2-3 nights roadcruising.
The Jalisco part of the same road is also great: I got 8 species there, including pygmy spotted skunk.
I’m planning on going to the Jalisco part later this year! 🙂
Most useful knowledge ever!! I will write this down. @mammalwatching did you know this? (or have you already checked off ‘Margay’ from your list?)
Btw apparently another good place is Rancho El Jabali in Colima. Hoping to try both these sites in the next few years as Margay is not easy to get!
I’ll be looking forward to seeing your reports from both places 🙂