Bird Photography at Hacienda Chichen, Mexico

Hacienda Chichen Itza is an incredible place to stay in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It is less than a 10 minute taxi ride away from the famous world heritage archaeological site. When we first arrived at the property, I was immediately blown away by the beautiful landscaping. The grounds of the property are like an exotic botanical garden. Telansia and bromeliad plants grow all over the numerous large trees, and iguanas walk across the paths and rest on the stone walls. I had chosen this resort to do bird photography at Hacienda Chichen.

Bird Photography at Hacienda Chichen

There are a lot of exotic birds in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, and I was hoping to see a toucan at the hacienda. In fact, I brought a specific camera along with me to be sure I had a long enough zoom lens. My Sony RX10 iv has a 600mm reach, fast focus and stabilization. So, I left LA prepared with high hopes of photographing some interesting birds. I knew I would only have a little time for birding. The RX10 gave me the option of photographing birds without needing my big heavy Tamron telephoto. 

A member of the staff named Adrian took us on a tour of the property. He told us there were over 100 varieties of birds there. I was shocked. The fact that the birds favored this property was perfect. I was prepared to make the most of any opportunities and planned to get up early to give it a go. 

Early Morning Birds

The Chichen Itza ruins open at 8am, and Adrian said by 6am lots of birds arrive each day. He offered to arrange a birding tour, but my photography is sort of a solitary thing. A big part of why I take photographs is, that I love the sense of peace I experience while on my own in nature. The moment I begin to feel the stillness around me, I enter a state of heightened awareness. My surroundings start to inspire me, and I notice subtle aspects that I did not see before. I also seem to have unexplainable luck encountering animals.

I woke up about 5am, made some coffee, grabbed my Sony RX10 and headed out the door by 5:20. By 5:30 I was looking for birds. They were flying from tree to tree all over. I figured there was no way to get a good photo of any birds, unless they landed on branches with light on them. So, I walked over to an area with trees I thought held the most potential. Trees with denser foliage probably attracted more birds, but I wanted to increase my chances of getting good shots.

Sony RX10 Camera

When I saw a bird land, I did my best to take a photograph of it. I did not even try to determine what type of bird it was. I just did my best to focus quickly and shoot before the bird flew away. None of the birds sat still for very long after they landed. I did not have much time to get my shots. I did not even review the images, because I kept seeing new birds flying from tree to tree. Plus, I was covering a lot of ground as the rising sun illuminated more of the surrounding trees.

Bird Photography Schedule

Despite knowing I had probably captured some interesting birds, this day was only the third time I used my RX10 in the field. I got it about a week before our trip, because I didn’t want to carry all my big camera gear. I already had a bunch of equipment with me for underwater photography. The Sony RX10 is one of the best cameras for travel, because you can capture everything from 28mm to 600mm without changing lenses. Plus, it focuses really fast and has a 1” sensor.

I practiced focusing with the RX before we left and got several excellent photos of a hummingbird. So, I knew how to set the camera for birds. I had also tested it at Tulum a bit before we arrived at the hacienda. I got some decent photos there which gave me a bit of confidence.

By 6:30am I had taken a bunch of photos around the hacienda, so I returned to our room. Our primary motivation for selecting this property was to visit Chichen Itza right when they opened. I was really excited about that and wanted to be sure we stuck to our plan. I also did not want Kathy to worry that I would return late. The bird action had already settled down a bit anyway. I did not see as many birds by 6:30 as I saw at 5:30 for sure. Of course, the beautiful morning light created lots of photo ops for my walk back to the room. So, I photographed the plants at bit then saw one of the most amazing birds right by our room.

Surprisingly Good Bird Photos

By the time I got back to our room, Kathy was ready to leave. I took a quick shower, and we headed to the lobby where a taxi was ready to drive us to the Chichen Itza archeological site. Excited for our next adventure, I completely forgot to look at the bird photos. When I finally looked, I was shocked. Luck as usual was clearly on my side. The very first bird I had photographed was not only in focus and lit, it was a toucan. There were also other very interesting birds that were in focus and well lit.