CHAN CHICH, BELIZE: birds and butterflies
2003
“Being an English-speaking county the size of New Hampshire that still
holds 70 percent of its native habitat, it’s no surprise that Belize is
increasing in popularity as a tour destination. Our visit there at the beginning of the dry season was blessed
with beautiful weather and a rich variety of birds and butterflies. To get a better appreciation of Belize’s
diverse fauna, our first stop on this tour was the Belize Zoo, located in the
pine-savanna less than an hour’s drive west of Belize City. This delightful little zoo with its
charming, hand-made signs holds only native Belizian animals, each with far
more space and cover than in most zoos.
Not only did we get a first-hand look at some of the elusive critters
that we hoped to see later in the tour, but we also saw many wild birds which
find the zoo’s habitat good enough to call home. Indeed, several hard-to-see species seem easier to see at the zoo
than anywhere else. Among the many
highlights at the zoo were White-tipped Dove, Green Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied
Elaenia, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Red-capped Manakin, Spot-breasted Wren,
Grace’s Warbler, Hepatic, Summer, Blue-gray and Yellow-winged Tanagers,
Green-backed Sparrow, and Black-cowled, Hooded and Yellow-tailed Orioles. Butterfly activity was just starting as we
left the zoo but one highlight was the incredible Mexican Cycadian, the first of
several we would see on this trip. We
had lunch at Cheers, a little roadside restaurant that is fast becoming one of
our favorite stops in Belize, both because the food is so good and because the
grounds are always birdy. Highlights at
Cheers included Aplomado Falcon, Vermilion and Fork-tailed Flycatchers,
Tropical and Couch’s Kingbirds, Tropical Mockingbird, White-collared Seedeater
and Ruddy Daggerwing. In the afternoon
we visited Monkey Bay Sanctuary, a corridor of riparian forest and bamboo
thickets along the Branch River. Even
in the heat of the day both birds and butterflies were plentiful and we had
nice views of Striped Cuckoo, White-necked Jacobin, Azure-crowned Hummingbird,
Keel-billed Toucan, Rufous-breasted Spinetail (including a nest), Ivory-billed
Woodcreeper, Rose-throated Becard, Masked Tityra, Passerini’s Tanager, Grayish
Saltator, Yellow-billed Cacique, Thoas Swallowtail, White and Yellow
Angled-Sulphurs, Mimosa Yellow, Molpe Metalmark, Guatemalen Actinote, Julia,
Guatemalen Crescent, Whitened Bluewing, Pavon Emperor, and Long-tailed and
Clouded Skippers. The botanical
highlight at Monkey Bay was the cluster of Duck Flowers (Aristolochia
trilobata). Though beautiful, these
huge flowers stink in order to attract the flies that pollinate them! We continued on to our lodge in Crooked
Tree, only to find that water levels were so low that thousands of wading birds
had flocked to the lagoon to devour stranded fish. As the sun set, we had cocktails on the balcony of our hotel as
we watched hundreds of Neotropic Cormorants, herons and Black-bellied
Whistling-Ducks, and scores of Limpkins, Northern Jacanas, and Snail Kites find
their last meals of the day.
We began our second morning (it felt like we were already on day four
or five!) scoping the vast numbers of birds in Crooked Tree Lagoon and quickly
found our first Jabiru. We would
eventually count at least twenty Jabirus among literally thousands of other
birds including American White Pelican, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood
Stork, Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, and Gull-billed and Caspian
Terns. When we finally tore ourselves
away from the lagoon, we enjoyed watching a female Vermilion Flycatcher feed
her hungry babies in a nest right by the lodge. A short walk near the lodge yielded a Purple Gallinule, several
troops of Groove-billed Anis, and scores of Yellow-rumped Warblers.
We were struck by how numerous Yellow-rumps were this year, no doubt
reflecting the hard winter in the eastern United States. We continued on to the magnificent Maya
ruins of Altun Ha, whose inhabitants are thought to have been sustained by
agriculture and trade during their occupation from about 1000 BC to 900
AD. The site is best known for the
large carved jade head of Kinich Ahau (the Maya sun god) that was discovered
there in 1968. As we contemplated Maya
life in the Classic Period, we enjoyed an interesting variety of birds
including Olive-throated Parakeet, White-fronted Parrot, Lesser Greenlet, and a
nice warbler flock including Golden-winged, Black-throated Green, Yellow-throated,
and Black-and-white Warblers and American Redstart. Altun Ha is often one of our best butterfly spots and we were not
disappointed with sightings of Polydamas Swallowtail, Dark Kite-Swallowtail,
Orange-barred Sulphur, Cloudless Sulphur, Gold-bordered Hairstreak, Monarch,
Queen, Mexican Fritillary, Banded Orange Heliconian, Gulf Fritillary, Theona
Checkerspot, Banded and White Peacocks, Carolina Satyr, Tropical
Checkered-Skipper and Turk’s-cap White-Skipper. For lunch we went to Mayan Wells, another one of our favorite
stops in Belize. In addition to great
food, the grounds were full of activity including a fruiting tree that
attracted dozens of birds, mostly Yellow-throated Euphonias and Red-legged
Honeycreepers. In our short walk
around, we also saw Gray Hawk, Golden-fronted Woodpecker (very different from
the birds in Texas), Piratic Flycatcher, Black-crowned Tityra, Variable Cracker
(cracking!) and Veined White-Skipper, not to mention several Black Orchids, the
national flower of Belize. After lunch,
we returned to Crooked Tree and took a relaxed boat ride through what was left
of Crooked Tree Lagoon. According to
our guides, Leonard and Robert, the main channel was only eighteen inches deep
but we proceeded without a hitch and made it to the deeper waters of Black
Creek. Our efforts were rewarded with
nice views of Boat-billed Heron, Muscovy Duck, Black-collared and Great
Black-Hawks, and Ringed, Green, and American Pygmy Kingfishers. We also saw several Lesser Yellow-headed
Vultures passing overhead and got our closest views of Limpkin and Northern
Jacana.
Day three started with a walk through the pine-scrub at Crooked Tree
where we saw some Yucatan specialties including the striking Yucatan Jay and
Yellow-lored (Yucatan) Parrot. This
walk also produced White-winged Dove, Yellow-headed Parrot, Acorn Woodpecker,
Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Mangrove Vireo, and Northern Cardinal, the latter a
familiar species to most of us, reaching the southern limit of its range in
northern Belize.
In the late morning, we returned to Belize City and took the twenty-two
minute flight to Gallon Jug. It’s
difficult to imagine just how vast the forest is here but a glance out the
airplane window gives one the heartening sense that there are still wilderness
areas left in the world. We got a nice
view of Gallon Jug’s famous shade-grown coffee plantation as we made our final
approach. We would enjoy the fruits of
that plantation in the days to come.
Upon arrival at Gallon Jug, we were whisked away to the lodge where we
were given a warm welcome and a round of cool drinks by the managers, Nick and
Brigitte. Thus began phase two of our
tour,Chan Chich.
Few places in the world are comparable to Chan Chich Lodge. First-rate accommodations and a first-rate
restaurant set on the main plaza of a Maya ruins in the middle of the
jungle. And a staff so professional and
trustworthy that you never need to think twice about leaving your cabana
unlocked. The word “paradise” comes to
mind. Almost as soon as we landed it
was obvious that there has been no hunting here in decades: White-tailed Deer
and Ocellated Turkeys wandering all over the place with no apparent fear of
man, a colony of Montezuma Oropendolas displaying right outside the restaurant,
and Red-lored and Mealy Parrots calling noisily from nearby treetops. After lunch and a short break, we took our
first walk to one of our favorite spots at Chan Chich: the “bathing pool” along
Sac Be Trail.
As we sat quietly by the stream, this protected little pool was visited
by Ruddy Quail-Dove, Stripe-throated Hermit, Ochre-bellied and Sulphur-rumped
Flycatchers, Bright-rumped Attila, Thrush-like Schiffornis, Red-capped Manakin,
Louisiana Waterthrush, Kentucky Warbler and Black-throated Shrike-Tanager. We even caught a glimpse of a passing male
Central American Spider Monkey. We
would make several other visits to this pool later in the week and eventually
watched a dazzling male Purple-crowned Fairy bathe there and an oblivious immature
Agami Heron wade right past us as it searched for food. Nearby along the Sac Be Trail, we saw a
magnificent Ornate Hawk-Eagle visit its nest in a towering Ceiba tree and a
Thrush-like Schiffornis perfectly camouflaged on its nest near the base of Cohune
Palm.
During our days at Chan Chich, we rose at dawn every morning, starting
with Gallon Jug coffee and muffins.
Over the course of five days we walked most of the nine miles of trails
and saw virtually all of the local specialties, all the while fitting in ample
siesta time. Each day was split up into
a series of short outings. For those
who didn't care to go on every walk, a rich experience could be had right at
the lodge. At meal times, the fruiting
tree right by the veranda regularly attracted Red-billed Pigeon, Black-headed
and Violaceous Trogons, Collared Aracari and Olive-backed Euphonia. The flowering heliconians attracted both
Stripe-throated and Long-tailed Hermits and a flowering bush drew in
Yellow-angled and Large Orange Sulphurs, male and female Nymphidioides
Metalmarks, Double-banded Banner, Banded Peacock, Sickle-winged and
Violet-banded Skippers, and an as-yet unidentified hairstreak. Dead snags around the lodge regularly hosted
Plumbeous Kite, Bat Falcon and Lineated Woodpeckers. A Crested Guan nest was visible right outside one of the cabanas
and a small troop of Black Howler Monkeys frequented the tall trees around the
lodge. In the evenings, as we retired
to our cabanas, we were lulled to sleep by the low trills of Cane Toads, the
eerie whistles of Great Tinamou and the occasional roars of Howler Monkeys.
We took three drives,
accompanied by local guides. Luiz took
us to the Escarpment, an abruptly rising ridge very near the Guatemalen border
where raptors ride morning updrafts. In
addition to a spectacular view of unbroken forest as far as the eye could see,
we also saw four King Vultures, six Swallow-tailed Kites including two zooming
by below eye-level, three Double-toothed Kites, two White Hawks, a pair of
Short-tailed Hawks on a nest, two Ornate Hawk-Eagles and several White-collared
and Vaux’s Swifts. That evening, Luiz
and Ruben took us on a night drive to Gallon Jug where we saw several Barn
Owls, numerous Common Pauraques and heards of White-tailed Deer. We also saw an interesting variety of
roosting diurnal birds including Roadside Hawk, Keel-billed Toucan and Summer
Tanager. Our third drive was to Laguna
Seca, again with Luiz. At this small
wetland, highlights were Anhinga, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Sungrebe and
Mangrove Swallows as well as Molpe Metalmark, Erato Heliconian and Pale-banded
and Guatemalen Crescents.
We have many special memories from Chan Chich. Along the River Trail we saw a spectacular
adult Agami Heron playing hide-and-seek with us, a female Purple-crowned Fairy
sitting on its nest, and a Rufous-tailed Jacamar sitting near its nest at the
base of a fallen tree. By the
suspension bridge we saw six species of hummingbirds visiting a flowering tree,
watched nine Yellow-throated Euphonias go to roost, and had an extended
conversation with a Slaty-breasted Tinamou that didn’t want to show
itself. Near the Upper Plaza we saw
several Blue-crowned Motmots as well as Purple-washed Eyemark and Double-banded
Satyr. At Norman’s Temple we saw a Tody
Motmot giving prolonged views through the scope and an antswarm attended by
Ruddy, Tawny-winged, Olivaceous, Barred, and Ivory-billed Woodcreepers. Along the Bajo Trail we had superb scope
views of a perched Bicolored Hawk, one of the rarely-seen forest denizens of
Chan Chich. On Xaxe Venic Road we saw
one of our prize butterflies, the Gold-edged Giant-Owl, as it flopped across in
front of us. At the service area we had
our best views of such tropical favorites as Red-lored Parrot, Keel-billed
Toucan, Masked Tityra and Intense-blue Stripestreak.
And none of us will soon forget the Pseudoconfused Satyr along
Sylvester Village Road, competing for our attention with a Slaty-tailed Trogon!”
by Michael O’Brien and
Louise Zemaitis.
Column 1 = number of days recorded
Column 2 = greatest daily total
N = nest or nest-building observed
H = heard only
|
Great Tinamou |
5 |
3 |
|
Tinamus major robustus |
|
Slaty-breasted Tinamou |
2 |
2 |
H |
Crypturellus boucardi |
|
Pied-billed Grebe |
1 |
7 |
|
Podilymbus podiceps |
|
American White Pelican |
2 |
20 |
|
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos |
|
Brown Pelican |
1 |
20 |
|
Pelecanus occidentalis |
|
Neotropic Cormorant |
3 |
800 |
|
Phalacrocorax brasilianus |
|
Double-crested Cormorant |
1 |
4 |
|
Phalacrocorax auritus |
|
Anhinga |
3 |
4 |
|
Anhinga anhinga |
|
Magnificent Frigatebird |
1 |
15 |
|
Fregata magnificens |
|
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron |
1 |
1 |
|
Tigrisoma mexicanum |
|
Great Blue Heron |
3 |
100 |
|
Ardea herodias |
|
Great Egret |
3 |
500 |
|
Ardea alba |
|
Snowy Egret |
3 |
300 |
|
Egretta thula |
|
Little Blue Heron |
5 |
40 |
|
Egretta caerulea |
|
Tricolored Heron |
3 |
15 |
|
Egretta tricolor |
|
Cattle Egret |
5 |
25 |
|
Bubulcus ibis |
|
Green Heron |
4 |
40 |
|
Butorides virescens |
|
Agami Heron |
2 |
1 |
|
Agamia agami |
|
Black-crowned Night-Heron |
2 |
40 |
|
Nycticorax nycticorax |
|
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron |
1 |
20 |
|
Nyctanassa violacea |
|
Boat-billed Heron |
1 |
15 |
|
Cochlearius cochlearius |
|
White Ibis |
3 |
200 |
|
Eudocimus albus |
|
Glossy Ibis |
1 |
1 |
|
Plegadis falcinellus |
|
Roseate Spoonbill |
3 |
75 |
|
Platalea ajaja |
|
Jabiru |
2 |
20 |
|
Jabiru mycteria |
|
Wood Stork |
3 |
100 |
|
Mycteria americana |
|
Black Vulture |
8 |
350 |
|
Coragyps atratus |
|
Turkey Vulture |
8 |
30 |
|
Cathartes aura |
|
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture |
1 |
8 |
|
Cathartes burrovianus |
|
King Vulture |
2 |
5 |
|
Sarcoramphus papa |
|
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck |
3 |
2000 |
|
Dendrocygna autumnalis |
|
Fulvous Whistling-Duck |
1 |
15 |
|
Dendrocygna bicolor |
|
Muscovy Duck |
1 |
2 |
|
Cairina moschata |
|
Blue-winged Teal |
3 |
500 |
|
Anas discors |
|
Ring-necked Duck |
1 |
2 |
|
Aythya collaris |
|
Osprey |
3 |
5 |
|
Pandion haliaetus |
|
Swallow-tailed Kite |
1 |
6 |
|
Elanoides forficatus |
|
White-tailed Kite |
2 |
1 |
|
Elanus leucurus |
|
Snail Kite |
3 |
75 |
|
Rostrhamus sociabilis
major |
|
Double-toothed Kite |
1 |
3 |
|
Harpagus bidentatus
fasciatus |
|
Plumbeous Kite |
4 |
4 |
|
Ictinia plumbea |
|
Black-collared Hawk |
1 |
1 |
|
Busarellus nigricollis |
|
Northern Harrier |
1 |
1 |
|
Circus cyaneus |
|
Bicolored Hawk |
1 |
1 |
|
Accipiter bicolor |
|
White Hawk |
2 |
2 |
|
Leucopternis albicollis |
|
Gray Hawk |
2 |
2 |
|
Asturina nitida plagiatus |
|
Common Black-Hawk |
1 |
1 |
|
Buteogallus anthracinus |
|
Great Black-Hawk |
2 |
3 |
|
Buteogallus urubitinga ridgwayi
|
|
Roadside Hawk |
8 |
6 |
|
Buteo magnirostris
griseocauda |
|
Broad-winged Hawk |
1 |
1 |
|
Buteo platypterus |
|
Short-tailed Hawk |
2 |
2 |
N |
Buteo brachyurus
fuliginosus |
|
Red-tailed Hawk |
1 |
1 |
|
Buteo jamaicensis |
|
Ornate Hawk-Eagle |
2 |
2 |
N |
Spizaetus ornatus |
|
Barred Forest-Falcon |
1 |
2 |
H |
Micrastur ruficollis
guerilla |
|
Collared Forest-Falcon |
1 |
1 |
H |
Micrastur semitorquatus
naso |
|
Laughing Falcon |
2 |
2 |
H |
Herpetotheres cachinnans |
|
American Kestrel |
1 |
1 |
|
Falco sparverius |
|
Aplomado Falcon |
1 |
1 |
|
Falco femoralis
septentrionalis |
|
Bat Falcon |
6 |
2 |
|
Falco rufigularis
albigularis |
|
Peregrine Falcon |
1 |
1 |
|
Falco peregrinus |
|
Plain Chachalaca |
3 |
5 |
|
Ortalis vetula |
|
Crested Guan |
4 |
2 |
N |
Penelope purpurascens |
|
Great Curassow |
3 |
2 |
|
Crax rubra |
|
Ocellated Turkey |
6 |
30 |
|
Meleagris ocellata |
|
Ruddy Crake |
1 |
1 |
|
Laterallus ruber |
|
Gray-necked Wood-Rail |
1 |
2 |
|
Aramides cajanea mexicana |
|
Purple Gallinule |
1 |
1 |
|
Porphyrula martinica |
|
American Coot |
1 |
40 |
|
Fulica americana |
|
Sungrebe |
1 |
1 |
|
Heliornis fulica |
|
Limpkin |
3 |
120 |
|
Aramus guarauna |
|
Semipalmated Plover |
1 |
1 |
|
Charadrius semipalmatus |
|
Killdeer |
1 |
2 |
|
Charadrius vociferus |
|
Black-necked Stilt |
2 |
150 |
|
Himantopus mexicanus |
|
Northern Jacana |
4 |
100 |
|
Jacana spinosa |
|
Greater Yellowlegs |
1 |
26 |
|
Tringa melanoleuca |
|
Lesser Yellowlegs |
1 |
2 |
|
Tringa flavipes |
|
Solitary Sandpiper |
1 |
15 |
|
Tringa solitaria |
|
Spotted Sandpiper |
2 |
1 |
|
Actitis macularia |
|
Long-billed Dowitcher |
1 |
1 |
|
Limnodromus scolopaceus |
|
Laughing Gull |
1 |
45 |
|
Larus atricilla |
|
Gull-billed Tern |
2 |
3 |
|
Sterna nilotica |
|
Caspian Tern |
2 |
50 |
|
|