Good day friends! Thanks to the Dawn Chorus all-stars for inviting me to contribute this week’s diary, my first for DC.
This past April, my husband and I spent 12 glorious days birding, fishing, and sight-seeing in Belize. We planned the trip to celebrate my retirement and to introduce Mr. giddy (a serious bird-nerd) to the avian riches of Mesoamerica. Come on in and let’s go birding....
Belize
Belize is nestled in the northeast corner of Central America, bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Though small in size (8,800 square miles—a bit smaller than New Hampshire), its natural and archaeological features rival any destination in the Americas. Belize has one of the most extensive networks of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and nature reserves in the Americas, making up over 42% of its land area. Offshore is the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second largest barrier reef in the world, which teems with marine life above and below its turquoise waters. The Belizean national motto is Sub Umbra Floreo, which translates from Latin to Under the Shade I Flourish, referencing the country’s legacy of mahogany wood harvest. For us, the motto was an invitation to explore the amazing avian diversity flourishing under Belize’s tropical forest canopies.
Lamanai
From the international airport in Belize City (#1 on the above map) we drove northwest to the town of Orange Walk where we were boated ~24 miles up the New River to Lamanai (#2). This isolated and impressive Maya ruin overlooks the New River Lagoon. The site was occupied from ~1500 BC until the 16th century and has been extensively restored. We stayed 3 days at the nearby Lamanai Outpost Lodge and birded the surrounding tropical lowland forests and waterways.
One of the highlights during our stay at Lamanai Lodge was an evening boat trip on the New River under a bright starlit night. We encountered Morelet’s Crocodiles, yellowish Proboscis Bats feeding over the river, and the bizarrely fascinating Northern Potoo, a close relative of owls and nightjars. I’ll not soon forget this bird’s astonishing lavender eyeshine and its disturbing call.
Ambergris Caye
From Lamanai, we returned to the airport at Belize City and hopped on a plane to San Pedro, the bustling resort town on Ambergris Caye (pronounced “key”; #3 on map). We were on Ambergris primarily to fish, but birded on the side. We each caught and released our first Bonefish and Mr. giddy caught and released a beautiful Permit. Birding was fun and often done with binoculars in one hand and a Caipirinha in the other.
Crooked Tree
We left Ambergris Caye early, flying back to the airport where we rented a small SUV and drove 1 hour NW to Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, a 5-square mile reserve established by the Government of Belize and Belize Audubon Society. The reserve contains a mosaic of wetland and terrestrial habitats that make it one of the best birding destinations in Belize. We enjoyed a few hours of productive birding before driving on to the Cayo District.
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve and Caracol
From Crooked Tree, we drove SW to the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve (#4), a virtually uninhabited wilderness of hills, peaks, and gorges blanketed by pine-oak woodlands. We stayed at the fabulous Kane Villas, a perfect place for our day excursions. Our first morning, we hiked out Slate Creek Lookout Trail, a renowned location for raptor viewing that didn’t disappoint. We spotted 10 raptor species including King Vulture, Black Hawk-Eagle, White Hawk, Bat Falcon, and a rare Orange-breasted Falcon.
The next day we headed out early to Caracol (#5), the largest Maya site in Belize. Caracol was occupied as early as 1200 BC with its greatest period of construction between 600 and 900 AD. The community grew into one of the largest ancient Maya cities, covering some 65 square miles with an estimated peak population of about 120,000.
We decided to forego the recommended military escort to Caracol, established in response to attacks by armed robbers on tourists in 2005-2006. The escort didn’t rendezvous until 9:00 am, way too late for birding! We made it fine and had Caracol to ourselves for 2 glorious hours.
Cockscomb Basin
From Mountain Pine Ridge, we took the scenic Hummingbird Highway to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (#6), a 200-square mile verdant tropical forest on the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains and the world’s only dedicated Jaguar reserve. Over 300 bird species occur here, including rare Scarlet Macaws and Harpy Eagles. We didn’t see either of these, but did see many other birds that made our life lists. I would have loved to spend another couple days here.
And there our journey concluded. Between Mr. giddy and I, we saw 242 bird species – not bad for a couple of self-guided newbies to Belize. Hope you enjoyed the tour!
Now it’s your turn. What are you seeing in your corner of the birding world?