Day 2 - Tuesday, 25th January

After a full days conference session, we escaped the hotel at about 5pm. Time only allowed for a walk alongside the beach to the military buildings at the end of the promenade. We had been told that this could be visited and the birds looked for in the wooded installation, but it appeared that entrance was only on a Saturday, and cameras not allowed. Amazingly, and despite the surrounding busy urbanisation, there were quite a few birds to be seen in the tree lined avenue and around the installation. Most common were Tropical Kingbirds, as well as both Sayaca and Palm Tanagers, but almost equally as common were very busy Swallow-tailed Hummingbirds. Before we were ushered away from the military buildings, we did manage to see a gradually increasing number of hirundines. These were initially seen to consist almost exclusively of Rough-winged Swallows, but we eventually managed to pick out a few Blue-and-white Swallows, and latterly some of the larger Brown-chested Martins. As time progressed, these hirundines came closer, eventually flying around us and just around our heads. Surprisingly, there was also a pair of Masked Water-tyrants on the lawn here.