Grand Belize Feb 11—21, 2009
Posted by Barry Zimmer
Barry Zimmer
Barry Zimmer has been birding since the age of eight. His main areas of expertise lie in North and Central America, but his travels have taken him throughout much of the wo...Related Trips
We were nearing the conclusion of our very successful morning boat trip at Crooked Tree Lagoon and were heading back for lunch when Leonard, our boatman, suddenly pulled back on the motor. I was sure he must have spotted something, but he said nothing as we circled back a short distance and he tucked the boat in under the canopy of the forest edge. We had spent the better part of the last two hours searching for the highly-prized and rarely seen Agami Heron without luck. Unusually high waters had made this year's search more difficult than usual, and although the morning was filled with incredible highlights, we were still without an Agami. Suddenly a member of our group, Barbara, alerted us to a motionless bird amidst the branches and root tangles in a still pool of water at the river's edge. There, in full breeding plumage, with its wispy, powder-blue neck plumes, long head plumes, and its outrageously long bill, was a magnificent Agami Heron! Leonard had spotted it out of the corner of his eye in literally the last patch of trees before we hit the open lagoon. With some skillful maneuvering and patience, everyone was able to get a good look at this special bird. High fives and cheers filled the boat as we headed on to lunch. Not only had we experienced the thrill of the last-minute find of the Agami, but we had also seen several Bare-throated Tiger-Herons at ridiculously close range, comical Boat-billed Herons at 20 feet, magnificent Black-collared Hawks, perched Gray-headed Kite, two Great Black-Hawks, several Bat Falcons, Snail Kites, Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures, countless Limpkins, a good variety of kingfishers, and Yellow-tailed Orioles to name just a few. A wildly successful morning by any account!
Of course this was just one of many successful days on our recent Grand Belize tour. The Crooked Tree area also yielded an amazing Jabiru on a nest (with three babies!), an uncommon Aplomado Falcon, Gray-necked Wood-Rails, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Yellow-headed Parrot, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, and the regionally endemic Yucatan Woodpecker and Yucatan Jay—the latter in an impressive group of 22 birds that put on quite a show! Vermilion Flycatchers seemed to be on every fence post and Northern Jacanas in every small pool of water. This area is truly a birder's paradise.
An afternoon plane ride to Caye Caulker produced not only the spectacle of 15 (!) Rufous-necked Wood-Rails at one time, but also up-close views of Black Catbird, Yucatan Vireo, and Mangrove Warbler.
Our other two main destinations were Hidden Valley, located in the Mountain Pine Ridge region, and world renowned Chan Chich Lodge. At Hidden Valley we marveled at a stunning array of birds at the feeders just outside the dining room, including Yellow-tailed and Yellow-backed orioles, Hepatic Tanager, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Green and Brown jays, and Melodious Blackbird to name a few. The grounds of the lodge also yielded Golden-olive Woodpecker, Rufous-capped Warbler, Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, Rusty Sparrow, and Yellow-faced Grassquit. Short drives to spectacular Thousand Foot Falls and King Vulture Falls produced fantastic views of two very rare Orange-breasted Falcons, in addition to bathing King Vultures, White Hawk, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagles at a nest, Plain Wren, Golden-hooded Tanagers, and Black-headed Siskins. A roosting Stygian Owl (one of the hardest-to-see New World owls anywhere) provided the icing on the cake to our Hidden Valley stay.
The first four days of the trip would be a hard act to follow, but I knew Chan Chich Lodge and its surrounding seasonal rainforests would be up to the challenge. We had five full days to savor this incredibly rich area and we took full advantage of our time. Crested Guans and Ocellated Turkeys were common sights around our rooms. A cacophony of parrots (mostly Red-lored and Mealy) filled the lodge clearing every dawn and dusk. Keel-billed Toucans croaked from the nearby trees. Stripe-throated and Long-billed hermits buzzed about the garden Heliconias. Lineated and Pale-billed woodpeckers hammered away on dying trees. Montezuma Oropendolas continued their parade of going to and from the nest tree behind the bar with accompanying gurgling and acrobatic displaying. These were just some of the common sights right around our rooms. Other Chan Chich highlights included Ornate Hawk-Eagle on a nest, a pair of Black-and-white Hawk-Eagles right overhead for at least ten minutes, another Agami Heron, Pinnated Bittern, Great Curassow, Sungrebe, Northern Potoo at 20 feet, Blue-crowned and Tody motmots, Purple-crowned Fairies bathing in the creek, four species of trogons, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, White-whiskered and White-necked puffbirds, the wild Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Red-capped and White-collared manakins, Barred Antshrike, Gray-throated Chat, and Rose-throated Tanager are just a small sampling of the highlights. All this and I haven't even mentioned perhaps the coolest experience of all—four ocelot sightings with everyone getting fabulous views of at least one!
I could go on and on about our great trip and this fabulous country. We tallied over 300 species of birds (including many of the most highly sought of all Central American species, and myriad colorful tropical birds), monkeys, wild cats, and stunning butterflies. This tour is a must experience for anyone with an interest in the Tropics!