Belize
Feb. 1-10 , 2007 - Trip Report

Thursday, Feb. 1. Arrival in Belize / Belize Zoo / Hidden Valley Inn
After smooth traveling, we met our excellent local guide, Rick, and set out to explore this land of palms and pines, of tropical broadleaf forest and ancient Mayan ruins. Four of us––Pat, Linda, Ed and Beth––had arrived a day early and spent this morning exploring Crooked Tree Lagoon, Belize’s famous wetland. They found plentiful birds, with a vagrant Southern Lapwing highlighting their excursion.

At our first stop along the Western Highway, a marauding juvenile Peregrine Falcon was ripping through flocks of stilts and sandpipers and harassing a Common Black-Hawk. Next we visited the Belize Zoo where we enjoyed a delicious picnic lunch of chicken, fruit, salads, and homemade cookies, packed by Hidden Valley Inn. After the picnic, we meandered through the zoo, which features local wildlife whose enclosures are nestled in native forest. The signage is delectable: “We macaw parrots are as scarce in the region as a rice and beans dinner in the North Pole!” Wild Agouti and Gray Foxes shared the pathways with us. An alert and vocal Harpy Eagle engaged us. In the Tapir enclosure, Pat spotted a preening Gray-necked Wood-Rail––they appeared so frequently during our travels that they soon became our trip mascot.

The rutted, rocky road from Georgeville (showing the effects of this year’s prolonged rainy season!) was memorable, as we continued on to Hidden Valley Inn, our retreat high in the Maya Mountains. After welcome drinks of refreshing limeade, we feasted on Hidden Valley’s highly esteemed cuisine.

Friday, Feb. 2. Thousand-foot Falls / Hidden Valley Falls / Local trails
Our early morning walk was exceptional for its lack of activity, until we returned to the main compound, where colorful Green Jays and Yellow-backed and Yellow-tailed Orioles were investigating the feeder area. Azure-crowned Hummingbirds zipped about. A bark beetle infestation has decimated the pine forests of Mountain Pine Ridge, and Bill expressed sadness at the destruction, which nonetheless had one bright aspect. All about the inn we saw young trees of the regenerating forest, mixed with a few remaining stands of mature trees.

After a topnotch breakfast, we departed for the short drive to the falls, which plunge over the lip of a major escarpment along the northeastern face of the Maya Mountains. A Laughing Falcon allowed good scope views, before departing his snag. At Thousand-foot Falls, the lookout area was hopping with Rufous-capped Warbler, grassquits, Black-headed Siskins, and lovely Golden-hooded Tanagers. Sharp-eyed Pat spotted a Plumbeous Vireo of the resident endemic race. Eventually we pulled ourselves away from the magnificent view and splendid birds, and headed toward the neighboring Hidden Valley Falls. Nearly there, Linda spotted the first of six magnificent King Vultures as they spiraled in the thermals rising along the escarpment. Above the falls, two more King Vultures lounged at the bathing pools, one drying his wings. A stellar find was a roosting Stygian Owl, spotted by our driver Freddie. We studied this rare and spectacular owl in the scope, as it nestled against the trunk of a Caribbean Pine, in one of the few intact groves left after the bark beetle scourge. This owl’s name compelled Ed to challenge us to use the word “stygian” in as many contexts as we could invent.

After an exceptional lunch from the Inn’s repertoire, came a welcome siesta. Our late afternoon walk skirted Tiger Creek, edged in broadleaf forest. A flame-red male White-winged Tanager was a show-stopper. Leafcutter ants busily supplied their underground fungus gardens.

Saturday, Feb. 3. Hidden Valley Inn / Caracol
Our Caracol outing has to be handled differently now, after last year’s two incursions by Guatemalan bandits along the road into the Chiquibul wilderness. Belize now mandates a military escort to their renowned Mayan site, and the escort departs at a set time. They’ve had no more trouble with robberies since this policy was instituted. We birded at the nearby Rio Frio while waiting for the escorts’ departure time.

This morning’s breakfast was the earliest of the trip, allowing us to reach the Rio Frio during the hours of peak activity. Here we encountered one of the wonders of the tropics: a fruiting fig tree was attracting scores of frugivores, including flocks of Black-faced Grosbeaks and beautiful orioles. Blue-black Grosbeaks sang their liquid melodies. A tiny Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet and various wrens joined the chorus.

Departing the outpost, we wound through hills where pine forest was reestablishing. At the Macal River, the soils change from the pine-supporting clays (weathered from igneous rock) to limestone soils, and the vegetation also changes dramatically to tropical broadleaf evergreen forest, an exceedingly rich habitat. At Caracol, we hiked a forest trail alive with mixed flocks of foraging birds, to impressive ruins which tower over the jungle. Viardi White butterflies courted in the corners of ancient stonework, and Rosebelly Lizards lounged on fallen stelae, those rock columns inscribed by Mayans to mark the ascension of kings and important victories in battle. Caracol was the city which conquered Tikal, achieving preeminence in the Mayan world for about 150 years.

After a fine picnic lunch, half of the group explored the museum, while the rest of us walked another trail, past giant Ceiba trees. In the shade of the forest, temperatures were cool and pleasant, as Golden-crowned Warblers and Dot-winged Antwrens scolded. We soon returned to the Inn, for a dip in the pool before dinner.

Sunday, Feb. 4. Hidden Valley Inn / Barton Creek / Local trails
On this beautiful, sunny, not-too-hot morning, we set out with Silvano for the Barton Creek Cave. The route wound through a small, traditional Mennonite community of neat farms and orchards nested in the folds of the hills. At one orchard, a Crimson-collared Tanager and a Royal Flycatcher stole the show. A magnificent Hernandez Basilisk Lizard lay camouflaged in a bed of dry leaves.

At Barton Creek we embarked in four canoes, each carrying a spotlight, and paddled into the cavern’s stygian depths, into a world of stalagtites and columns, of rock draperies and soda straws; a world of gleaming surfaces and flickering batwings; a world hallowed by dripping water. We paddled beneath natural bridges and past the sites of ancient Mayan ritual sacrifices.

We emerged, as Carol commented, steeped in peacefulness and wonder, then returned to the Inn for lunch and indulged in a siesta. On our late afternoon walk we climbed down along a lovely stream to Lake Lolly Folly. Golden-hooded Tanagers graced the trailside. As dusk fell, we radioed for a ride back to the Inn, where we enjoyed another superlative meal and fine conversation. The evening ended with a charming pair of Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls, which responded to Alan’s whistled imitation of their call and perched side by side in the open branches of a small tree.

Monday, Feb. 5. Hidden Valley Inn / Central Farms / Chan Chich
Our last early-morning walk at Hidden Valley brought superb views of Golden-olive Woodpeckers and Rusty Sparrows. After a leisurely breakfast, we departed for the airstrip at Central Farms and our charter flight to Chan Chich. Airborne, we watched the landscape shift from settled farmlands to seemingly boundless forest. We were over the immense northwestern quadrant of Belize, cloaked in mature forest, preserved by agencies such as Programme for Belize, as well as private landholders. Occasionally the yellows and violets of flowering trees interrupted the green mosaic. Soon we reached the settlement and airstrip at Gallon Jug, and were met by Marvin, one of Chan Chich’s excellent resident guides.

Shimmering Ocellated Turkeys wandered the grounds, as we checked into our cabanas. We enjoyed lunch and a midday rest, before meeting for our afternoon introduction to fabled Chan Chich, which is built upon a Mayan plaza. Forest-cloaked ruins loom over the lodge. As we set out, dark clouds threatened, so we weren’t surprised when a downpour caught us near the suspension bridge. We sheltered under a palapa while it rained, and talked of tropical forest ecology.

By evening the rain had cleared. We took advantage of this change in weather to go on a night drive. A comfortable open-air trailer carried us through a tunnel of trees, back to the open fields of Gallon Jug. Spotlights picked out White-tailed Deer, a Gray Fox, and several Common Potoos, their eyes glowing like giant jewels. A ghostly Barn Owl allowed close approach, and a female Great Currasow roosted high on an overhead branch.

Tuesday, Feb. 6. Chan Chich
On our early walk, we returned to the suspension bridge for another try at the roadside birds often encountered there, and were in great luck, as an antswarm stirred up insects and small vertebrates. Among the ant-following woodcreepers and flycatchers was a Barred Forest-Falcon, perched perhaps 4 feet above the ground, intent on the army ants’ activity. A little farther down the road, a male White-collared Manakin executed his courtship dance, darting from limb to limb with the snapping sounds appropriate to the occasion.

After breakfast, we joined Marvin for a walk around the temple area and Back Plaza. Almost as soon as we entered the forest, a mixed flock of trogons, puffbirds, woodcreepers, and greenlets (plus the obligate Black-throated Shrike-Tanager!) surrounded us.

Beth and Ed were especially delighted that Gilberto could join us for an afternoon walk along the Logger’s Trail. They had met him 10 years earlier, and thought him an exceptional guide. On this walk, mosquitos were pesky, being more numerous than usual due to the lengthened rainy season. Gilberto, whose mother was a curandera, pointed out many of the medicinal plants and spoke of local remedies.

Evening closed with a delicious dinner and the nightcalls of a Pauraque. Nearby Crested Guans roosted, and Spider Monkeys lounged at the forest edge.

Wednesday, Feb. 7. Chan Chich / Ambergris Caye
Early coffee and a breakfast buffet fortified us for the morning’s excursion along Sylvester Village Road with Ruben. We were enjoying flycatchers and woodcreepers, vireos and warblers, when Ruben heard the low, moaning rumble of a Jaguar, very close to the trail. We listened intently for perhaps 20 minutes. Apparently a male was calling to a female, who was probably also present, since we heard the quiet footfalls of another large animal passing nearby. Two Great Tinamous fled the commotion, crossing the road ahead of us. Eventually we continued our walk, returning to the lodge in time to check out of our rooms and have lunch.

Our send-off from Chan Chich was spectacular. Two White Hawks and two Black Hawk-Eagles circled and soared overhead. As they disappeared, an Ornate Hawk-Eagle dropped into the open branches of a tree just above the lodge, and settled in to preen and call.

We transferred from Chan Chich to the airstrip for our flight to Ambergris Caye. The pilot asked whether we wanted to fly high or fly low, and everyone opted for low. So he skimmed the treetops, giving us a superlative view of Lamanai’s imposing Mayan ruins, on the banks of the New River. At one point, not only was it possible to discern an Anhinga from the air, but it was obvious that she was a female! We agreed it was an exhilerating and memorable flight.

After checking into the SunBreeze Hotel, we were at leisure to explore the island on our own. San Pedro was bustling with construction, coming as rather a shock after our previous, peaceful surroundings. Nevertheless, breezes ruffled the palm fronds, and the tropical seas soothed us in shades of aqua and lavender, while a distant line of white marked the breaking of waves over Belize’s barrier reef, the second longest coral reef system in the world.

Thursday, Feb. 8. Ambergris Caye / Hol Chan Marine Reserve
This morning’s natural history outing began with a taxi ride south, where we stopped briefly at the town dump (which received rather mixed reviews), then walked among the gardens and littoral forest of two villas. A fruiting tree attracted both Yellow-bellied and Caribbean Elaenias, allowing a good comparison between them. Confiding Yucatan Vireos investigated us, and Black Catbirds frequented the trails. In a short while, we had savored several of the island’s regional endemics.

Today’s light breeze and sparse clouds contributed to excellent snorkeling conditions. This afternoon we geared up and boated for about 15 minutes to our stops along this celebrated reef. First was Shark and Ray Alley, where we snorkeled among myriad fish, including Blue-striped Grunts, Stingrays and docile Nurse Sharks. Especially intriguing were the towering formations created by schools of fish as they packed together for protection, hanging above heads of coral. En route to our second stop at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins sported around the boat. The captain and dive guides were very excited, as dolphins are rarely seen in these waters. We snorkeled part way through a cut in the reef, enjoying sea fans and coral, numerous bright fish and a Spotted Eagle Ray. The sea life was impressive, although we were sad to see that the reef in Belize shows signs of suffering from the same malaise affecting coral reefs the world over, likely due to the combined effects of recent hurricanes, pollution, injury from careless snorkelers, and global warming.

Tonight we dined on our own, sampling seafood, Yucatec and Caribbean cuisine, and walking back to our hotel along the beach path. There had been much competition among us concerning whose room was graced with the most outrageous work of art by Marcos, and eventually all agreed that Dody’s fine example took the prize.

Friday, Feb. 9. Ambergris Caye / Caye Caulker
This morning we hopped a water taxi for the half-hour ride to Caye Caulker and enjoyed a beautiful tropical day of hot sun screened by masses of cloud, and aqua and indigo waters. The boat docked amid brightly-hued buildings and a palm-and-mangrove-fringed coast. The few settlers here travel by golf cart and bicycle. Almost no cars were in evidence, and those were mostly used as planters or billboards declaring the owner’s philosophy of life. We hiked south from the village, past the Catholic school where children energetically swept and scrubbed the church, to the Caye Caulker Mini Reserve. This trail snaked through littoral forest, then continued south along the beach, past clumps of mangroves and beach almonds. Bananaquits chattered and fed a fledgling. Osprey, shorebirds, ibis and herons foraged. Small fishes shoaled in the sheltering mangrove roots.

We returned to explore the village of Caye Caulker, with its guesthouses, laundromats, and small post office (“I don’t have any stamps, but some might come in this evening”). Dale was enchanted with the signs, which invited photographs: “De Wind blow where de Pelikan want to go,” “Betta no litta,” and on a trashcan, “I be hungry for garbage.”

As we waited for the water taxi back to Ambergris, a flock of Sanderlings scudded past, and 140 Sandwich Terns settled on nearby piers. Back in San Pedro, we enjoyed a late lunch with more of that refreshing limeade, and then each of us swam, rested, shopped, or explored for the rest of the day. Our farewell dinner was a fine celebration at Elvi’s Kitchen, featuring a Mayan buffet in addition to their excellent regular menu, and lovely marimba music.

Saturday, Feb. 10. Ambergris Caye / Flights home or Tikal extension
Those of us continuing to Tikal today had to bid farewell to Dale and Bill, Dody and Carol, who caught flights for home. Our connection at the airport in Belize City was a bit tight, so we were surprised when the small plane landed on Caye Chapel shortly after leaving Ambergris, in order to pick up two more passengers. This entire island has been manicured into a golf resort. The short stop brought us the only coots of the trip, predictably inhabiting a pond on the golf course. In Belize City, the employees of Maya Island Air shepherded us through formalities, expediting our transfer to the small plane bound for Flores, Guatemala.

We traveled about an hour to Jungle Lodge, located within Tikal National Park and next to the entrance to the legendary Mayan ruins. Carrying a picnic lunch, we set off into the ruins with a guide whose answers to questions were less than satisfying. (“What are these monuments?” “Ruins.”) But we were indeed impressed with the spectacular pyramids, temples, palaces and plazas of this ancient city, and with the splendid wildlife. A pair of Mottled Owls dozed in the high trees next to Temple IV. Trogons plucked fruit from trees. A pair of endangered Orange-breasted Falcons, long known to nest on Temple IV, has now moved its nest site to Temple I. We were alerted to their presence when the male flew in, bringing prey to the female on her high perch. After a long and satisfying afternoon of hiking through the temple complexes, we returned to hearth and home-cooked fare.

Food at Jungle Lodge was superb––the best of the trip, several thought. Yet the condition of the rooms didn’t meet the same standard, at least not until Ed conveyed the message to the front desk in a very effective and concise mix of several languages, approximating Spanish. We laughed for two days about the attention that room 18B received, thereafter. For Pat, this was her first experience sleeping under mosquito netting.

Sunday, Feb. 11. Tikal
Our early morning walk skirted the edge of a pond by the visitor center, where a Limpkin hunted for snails and Keel-billed Toucans and Collared Aracaris plucked fruits from nearby trees. Two Gray-necked Wood-Rails tiptoed past us, intent on feeding.

Word to the lodge’s manager brought us a change in guides today. We were elated with Elias, whose very fine grasp of the current thinking about the ancient Maya was matched by his ability to communicate complex ideas elegantly and in great detail. His interest in history and archeology extended to include the environs and its wildlife. Our experience of Tikal deepened considerably today.

Along a path between temples, we came upon another antswarm, whose attending birds included a pair of Great Currasows, which quickly withdrew. Ruddy and Northern Barred Woodcreepers allowed us very close looks, and we were interested to see migrant Wood Thrushes also in the midst of the fray.

Elias led us along less-traveled trails, where we encountered excellent mixed flocks of warblers, woodpeckers, greenlets, and flycatchers. The song of Rufous Pihas blended exquisitely with that of Ivory-billed Woodcreepers. Lovely butterflies––Malachites, Gaudy Patches, Many-banded Daggerwings––enlivened the pathways. Bromeliads bloomed, attracting hummingbirds. An Agouti slipped across the trail. Black Howler Monkeys lazed on thick, epiphyte-laden branches. The more active Spider Monkeys swung on vines, carrying their babies. And over it all loomed the massive ruined temples, the testament of another civilization.

We returned to the lodge for lunch and a rest, then four of us set out on an afternoon walk along the old airstrip. Habitat here was good second growth, thick and shrubby, and brought a new subset of species. A stunning male Blue Bunting stripped seeds from grass along the path. Canivet’s Emeralds, Purple-crowned Fairies, and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds darted past. As evening drew near, Alan spotted an unusual motion in the undergrowth. A Pheasant Cuckoo slowly foraged, tail spread and wagging, wings partly outstretched. Such fine luck! We watched him for perhaps 20 minutes until dusk propelled us homeward.

Back at the lodge, we lingered again over dinner and conversation, while Mottled Owls called in the stygian gloom of the moonless night.

Monday, Feb. 12. Tikal
Our interest aroused, we returned to the airstrip, hoping that Beth and Ed could also see the cuckoo. Blue Buntings and Purple-crowned Fairies cooperated––but no cuckoo. Then, as we returned for breakfast, Ed spotted the incandescent red breast of a small bird––a male Gray-throated Chat flitted across the path! We wished for a longer look at this little gem.

This was our last day in Tikal, and during the morning we hiked to outlying complexes which we hadn’t yet seen, immersing ourselves again in the deep forest and the grandeur of the site. Ed and Beth climbed as high as allowed on Temple IV and enjoyed the panorama, while Linda, Pat, Alan and I lingered with birds, enjoying a Bright-rumped Attila and Squirrel Cuckoos. As we hiked toward the entrance, Linda spotted a tiny lizard in the path. She had found an adult Dwarf Gecko, one of the world’s smallest lizards at perhaps an inch and a half long.

For lunch, we sampled food at the neighboring lodge and briefly checked email with their internet connection. Next came a siesta, then Ed and Beth returned to the ruins, while the rest of us birded singly and together. As evening drew near, parrots, toucans and oropendolas noisily fed, then headed for their evening roosts. We enjoyed one last, superlative dinner, and one last, engrossing conversation before retiring.

Tuesday, Feb. 13. Tikal / Flights home
Our travel day went smoothly, as we returned to Belize City, enjoyed a surprisingly good lunch at the airport, and boarded our flights to the States. May we soon gather again, to stalk Pheasant Cuckoos, listen for moaning Jaguars, and work the word “stygian” into our conversations!

Photo Credits:
All photos by Peg Abbott

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