Belize - Day 3

More from our 2005 trip to Belize (Chan Chich Lodge)

2/16/2005 (Wednesday) – We again went on a 6:00 a.m. bird walk with Ruben. The morning was overcast and foggy, and this time we started out behind the lodge. Near the lodge we got dim looks at Strong-billed and Northern Barred Woodcreeper. We took the road into the Service Area (worker housing), and stopped at a small clearing that had been recently cut as a drain field for the lodge’s kitchen. In the clearing we watched a cooperative pair of Ruddy Quail-Dove along with a Crested Guan. In the housing area itself we watched Mealy Parrots fly over, noting how large they were. We also watched a Great Tinamou fly across the clearing. We saw Gray-fronted Dove and then excellent looks at Keel-billed Toucans in a tree.

We turned onto Sylvester Village Road, and found an Ovenbird walking along in the road. We enjoyed long, close looks at a Greenish Elaenia, which once again reminded us how tough it was to identify the flycatchers of the area! At flowering trees we watched Black-cowled Oriole, Purple-crowned Fairy (Beauty!), Wedge-tailed Sabrewing and Rufous-tailed Hummingbird. We heard and then saw Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, and got poor looks at Scaly Pigeon. In some palm leaves we watched a group of Tawny-crowned Greenlets, and then got superb looks at a perched Black-throated Shrike-Tanager. The Shrike-Tanager was leading a mixed flock of birds through the trees. Ruben explained that these flocks often contained a variety of birds feeding together, and were good to study. However, we were now running late for our 8:30 Laguna Seca tour, so we hurried back to the lodge. We arrive at 8:45 to find that the van had gone on without us, as it should have. 

Black-headed Trogan

Leticia suggested that we go out to Laguna Seca with Ruben once we’d had some breakfast. This worked out great, we had Ruben for our own private tour! We headed out in a Ford Ranger at 9:30. We stopped for gas at the Gallon Jug Farm, and watched a pair of Bat Falcons while we waited. We also noted several Brown Jays, which turned out to be more handsome than we’d thought they would be. As we drove the road toward Laguna Seca we noticed a “few” Olive-throated Parakeets in the trees by the roadway. As we approached, several dozen materialized out of the trees and flew ahead down the road. It is amazing how well a bright green bird can blend into the forest edge. We got many good looks as they (and we) continued down the road. We saw another Roadside Hawk sitting quietly alongside the road.

At Laguna Seca our first bird was a perched Barn Owl.  Then in the marshy area we saw Anhinga, Laughing Falcon, Northern Jacana, and a Green Heron. We walked along the edge of some woods and then out onto a mud flat. There we saw lots of Mangrove Swallows, some Blue-winged Teal, Killdeer, Least and Pectoral Sandpipers, and Black-necked Stilt. In the trees surrounding the area we saw a flock of Cedar Waxwings, a small group of Blue Ground-Doves, and a Pale-billed Woodpecker that drummed in a tree for a while and then flew over our heads on its way across the mudflat to the other side. On the way back to the truck we saw our only Kingfisher, a Belted. As we drove out we spotted a gray and white bird perched on a branch along the side of the road. We got out to look and identified it as a female Lovely Cotinga. As we returned to the lodge we got good long looks at an adult Ornate Hawk-Eagle perched in a tree. Our final find was a three foot long Boa crossing the road. We returned to the lodges around 1:00 and ate lunch.

Boa

As we were sitting at the cabana after lunch a loud group of parrots going to the nearby fruiting Bread Tree got us up to investigate. We saw White-crowned and Red-lored Parrots, Yellow-throated Euphonia, got marvelous looks at Keel-billed Toucan, and saw the seemingly ever-present Crested Guan. We then walked up to the Upper Plaza area and got great looks at a White-whiskered Puffbird. Looking up we saw an adult Howler Monkey with a youngster looking quietly back down at us. We later saw a second adult. Walking a bit farther we spotted a group of four Spider Monkeys in the canopy.

Spider Monkeys

Red-lored Parrots

While we were at the rim of the Upper Plaza looking down over the lodge area a film crew asked us to look through our binoculars so that they could film us. We understood that they were making a documentary on Chan Chich.

View of our cabana

White-whiskered Puffbird

We then headed down Sylvester Village Road. Teri immediately spotted a Squirrel Cuckoo overhead. In the drain field clearing we watched Northern Waterthrush, Wood Thrush, and Gray Catbird. These three birds were definitely winning the prize for the most common birds of the trip. As we walked down the road we had several noisy parrot flybys, and heard a Great Tinamou. We got good looks at a Gray-collared Becard on the road. It rained a bit and was overcast, and we were finding viewing conditions along the road to be a bit dark. We picked up the River Trail and decided to follow it back to the lodge area. This turned out to be a longer walk than we expected and even darker than the road. We saw virtually no birds, but as we were getting near the lodge we jumped a large, fast, reddish-brown animal up out of a dry creek bed. Checking later with Raul he felt that it could only have been a Puma based on the color and size. We got back to the lodge around 6:00. We were quite tired and glad to not have any night activities planned.