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Belize

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This tour of Belize is an excellent introduction to Neo-tropical birds and natural history in the American tropics.  The small country of Belize is an attractive destination for eco-travelers for many good reasons.  It is a safe, English-speaking country with the lowest population density in all of Central America.  Conservation, eco-tourism, and habitat protection are all priorities in Belize and have been facilitated through partnerships with groups such as the Belize Audubon Society, the country’s pre-eminent environmental organization.  In fact, more than a third of the country is protected by parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and nature reserves.  Among many ecological attractions, Belize boasts highly accessible yet lightly visited Mayan ruin sites surrounded by large tracts of primary tropical rainforest, which harbor diverse wildlife communities.

Descending by plane into Belize City, which lies on the Caribbean coast, one can see the flat coastal plain comprised largely of mangroves and swamps and wet coastal marshland bisected by numerous inter-coastal rivers.  First, you can head a short ways inland to Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary (right photo), one of the many conservation areas that the Belize Audubon Society administers.  Crooked Tree is an inland island surrounded by a freshwater lagoon with about 300 bird species known to the area.  NORTHERN JACANA and GRAY-NECKED WOOD-RAIL forage along the shoreline, LAUGHING FALCON, SNAIL KITE, KING VULTURE, and LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE soar overhead, and thousands of WHITE IBIS and LIMPKIN roost on the distant shore.  Take a boat tour through the lagoon and waterways to see JABIRU STORK, AGAMI HERON, PYGMY KINGFISHER, and SUN GREBE.  The island also has an extensive network of trails winding along the lagoon and through pine forest typical of northern Belize where APLOMADO FALCON and YUCATAN WOODPECKER may be found.  BAT FALCON, VERMILLION FLYCATCHER, and FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER may be seen right from your front door.  The human inhabitants of this small community are predominantly Belizean Creole making their living through eco-tourism, fishing, and growing fruits and cashews.  Here the atmosphere is relaxed and the local naturalists very knowledgeable.

From Crooked Tree travel to the Maya Mountains (left photo), which dominates the southern half of Belize and forms the highest and most rugged terrain in the country.  The tropical pine forest and pine savannah in this area makes up less than 5% of the country by area and represents a unique habitat type in Belize.  Your first destinations should be Blue Hole National Park and Cockscomb Basin's Jaguar Reserve, both in the eastern Maya Mountains.  The wildlife diversity in these areas is spectacular and we will search for species such as WHITE HAWK, DUSKY ANTBIRD, and SLATE-HEADED TODY-FLYCATCHER.  With luck, you will even find a jaguar.

You can then travel deep into the Maya Mountains and Mountain Pine Ridge looking for specialties including KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN, COLLARED ARACARI, EMERALD TOUCANETTE, FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL, and WHITE-NECKED JACOBIN.  There is also much broadleaf forest, rivers, spectacular waterfalls, and bogs in this area and we will bird local areas including Hidden Valley Falls looking for species such as RED-LEGGED HONEYCREEPER, RED-THROATED ANT-TANAGER, and CRIMSON-COLLARED TANAGER.

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