Belize
2026
Single Room Supplement $1,250
2027
Tour Price to be Determined
2026
Single Room Supplement $1,250
2027
Tour Price to be Determined
Belize is a birder's paradise. Bordered on its western side by Mexico and Guatemala, and on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the second-longest barrier reef in the world, Belize forms part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor which stretches from Mexico to Panama. The northern half of the country is part of Yucatan Peninsula and shares many of its sought after regional endemics. Belize has a small human population which is part of the reason there are still extensive areas of native habitat; in fact, some 60% of the country is covered by forest. In addition, Belize has been proactive in protecting its natural resources, and today almost 40% of its native habitat falls under some level of protection.
We’ll travel from Crooked Tree and La Milpa in the north to Caracol and Mountain Pine Ridge in the west, Blue Hole National Park in the center, and Mayflower Bocawina National Park in the south and east. The ancient Maya culture is writ large across the landscape and we’ll spend a day amid the wonderful ruins (and excellent birding) at Caracol, as well as visiting lesser known archaeological sites. Belize is an excellent birding trip for those beginning to explore the American tropics and as well those who have been to the region multiple times due to the number of specialty species that can be found. With some delightful lodges, easy trails through productive habitats, and a number of scintillating birds, the elements are all in place for a wonderful birding tour – you better Belize it!
Day 1: We’ll begin midday at the Belize airport. After clearing immigration and customs you’ll be met by your leaders. Flights may arrive at different times throughout the day, and the nearby Captain Hook’s Shrimp Farm and Wildlife Sanctuary will offer early arrivals an opportunity to enjoy cold limeade, fresh ceviche, and some easy birding while we wait for the others. The mangrove forests surrounding the shrimp farm host a number of Caribbean specialties and we’ll be looking for Black Catbird and Mangrove Vireo as well as wintering waterbirds in the shrimp ponds. After everyone arrives, we’ll drive north along the Northern Highway to Crooked Tree village, about an hour away and located inside the eponymous wildlife sanctuary where we’ll spend the next two nights. Night near Crooked Tree.
Day 2: The Crooked Tree Sanctuary was founded in 1984 by the Belize Audubon Society and consists of some 16,000 acres of inland waterways, swamps and lagoons. The wetland is approximately a mile wide and more than 20 miles long and the reserve features a number of trails allowing for exploration on foot. We’ll spend most of today birding these trails and exploring nearby forest patches by vehicle. The many waterways offer a first opportunity to encounter Jabiru or if we are really lucky a Pinnated Bittern, both of which are very difficult to find elsewhere in Central America, as well as dozens of other waterbirds. The treetops along the edge of the lagoons can harbor Black-collared Hawk, and the low aquatic vegetation offers perches for the apple snail loving Snail Kite. Once away from the water, we’ll search the nearby pine woodlands for birds that are endemic to the Yucatan Peninsula including Yellow-headed and Yellow-lored Amazons, Yucatan Woodpecker, Yucatan Flycatcher, Yucatan Jay, as well as other regional endemics such as Black-throated Bobwhite. As dusk approaches we may venture out to look for and listen to Yucatan Nightjar. Night near Crooked Tree.
Day 3: We’ll take a magical, early-morning boat ride, cruising gently along the Crooked Tree Lagoon and up Spanish Creek. We stand a good chance of getting close to shy species such as Jabiru, Sungrebe, both Agami and Boat-billed Herons, and American Pygmy Kingfisher. Ruddy and Yellow-breasted Crakes are possible, and we often have some notable raptor sightings such as Great Black or Crane Hawks.
After breakfast, we’ll depart for La Milpa, crossing open savannah, rice paddies, and dry farmland, before eventually reaching mature hardwood forest. There will be many roadside birds along the drive, so many in fact that it’s often difficult to get anywhere. We promise to stop for at least the first five Fork-tailed Flycatchers. Once we arrive at La Milpa we’ll settle into our rooms and then take a gentle pre-dinner walk around the grounds. The lawn around the dining area often hosts a large flock of Ocellated Turkey and one or two pairs of Great Curassow. Night near La Milpa.
Day 4: La Milpa Lodge is nestled deep in the forests of northwestern Belize and only a short distance from the La Milpa Archaeological Site, the third largest Mayan site in Belize and one of at least 60 found in the Rio Bravo area. We’ll look for birds throughout the day on the many trails as well as at the lodge fruit feeders. A highlight will no doubt be morning coffee or tea while watching the various feeders and the water stations attended by dozens of honeycreepers, tanagers, wood-warblers, and hummingbirds, the latter including White-necked Jacobin, Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, and White-bellied Emerald. It’s not uncommon to see over 100 species of forest birds before dinner! Some of the more notable birds seen on recent tours in the forest include Pheasant Cuckoo, Gray-throated Chat, Tody Motmot, Black-throated Shrike-Tanager, and Rufous Piha. In the evening we’ll do a bit of owling around the lodge (Mottled Owl is quite common), before going for a night drive. In years past, we’ve seen Gray Fox and Ocelot, and Jaguar and Tapir are not totally out of the question. Night near La Milpa.
Day 5: We’ll spend the pre-breakfast part of the day birding the lodge grounds, looking especially for anything we missed yesterday and taking one last look at the hummingbird feeders. After breakfast we’ll depart La Milpa, taking a route following back roads, across many private ranches, and through some of the healthiest and most remote forests in western Belize. Along the way we have a real chance of encountering interesting mammals such as White-tailed and Red Brocket Deer, and White-lipped and Collared Peccaries. In these forests we can at least dream of Jaguar, Puma, and Margay. There will be birds to look for as well; Laughing Falcon, Crested Guan, Black Hawk-Eagle and Double-toothed Kite have all been seen on this route. Brown-hooded Parrots and Mealy Amazons are often observed blasting across the sky overhead. After this long day of travel, we’ll settle into Crystal Paradise Lodge, our homebase for the next four nights. A great bird feeder setup right on the dining patio invites Collared Aracari and Lesson’s Motmot to keep us company while we eat! Night near San Ignacio.
Day 6: We’ll begin our birding at nearby and incredibly scenic Black Rock Lodge. The lodge’s observation deck overlooks the fast-flowing Macal River and steep limestone cliffs and thick forest, making a gorgeous backdrop for hawk-watching while enjoying the birds coming to the fruit feeders. This is one of the best places in Central America to encounter hawk-eagles and White Hawk and King Vulture are sometimes seen. We’ll stroll the grounds, then enjoy a delicious breakfast to the bevy of tanagers and hummingbirds at the dining patio. After a full morning here, we will return to Crystal Paradise to take a relaxing siesta and head back out in the late afternoon to bird the Mennonite rice fields for shorebirds, waders like Jabiru and Wood Stork as well as look for the localized White-throated Flycatcher. We’ll then have a picnic dinner in the field to allow for close proximity to some great night birding where we will try for Northern Pootoo, Yucatan Nightjar and Yucatan Poorwill. Some of the owls we have had in recent years here include Striped, Barn and the first documented record of Short-eared Owl for Belize! Night near San Ignacio.
Day 7: We’ll leave early and spend much of today in Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, a large park dominated by Honduras Pines interspersed with smaller patches of broad-leaved forest and grassland. A fine selection of birds awaits us including Lovely Cotinga, Rufous-capped Warbler, Yellow-backed Oriole, Golden-hooded Tanager, Plumbeous Vireo (a near endemic subspecies), Azure-crowned Hummingbird, Black-headed Siskin, Rusty Sparrow and Grace’s Warbler. In the afternoon we’ll visit the very impressive Thousand Foot Falls where we’ll scan the cliffs and treetops for the endangered Orange-breasted Falcon that nests near the falls. Stygian Owl has been found roosting in this area on more than one occasion, so we’ll check known roost sites before heading back to the lodge for dinner. Night near San Ignacio.
Day 8: We’ll drive to Caracol! It was in 1937 that a logger came across these hidden Maya remains deep in the jungle. Subsequent excavations revealed a huge site covering some 75 square miles and containing a wealth of ancient buildings, including the highest man-made structure in Belize today – the Caana Sky Palace. We’ll take time to explore the ancient site, and look for many of the birds that make this location their home including Keel-Billed Motmot and Crested Guan. Nearby pools are attractive to a variety of birds including Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Buff-throated Foliage gleaner, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Mayan Antthrush, Bat Falcon and Plumbeous Kite. Some years we encounter Scarlet Macaws moving between feeding and nesting areas nearby. Night near San Ignacio.
Day 9: We’ll begin trying to fill out our list of Yucatan species, targeting in particular Rose-throated Tanager and Gray-throated Chat if still needed. We’ll then depart for the Caribbean coast, stopping on the way at Blue Hole National Park. Besides the famous blue hole, the name given to a deep limestone pool set in the forest, there are a hiking trails which we’ll explore in hopes of finding Purple-crowned Fairy, Spotted-Wood Quail, Northern Royal and Sulphur-rumped Flycatchers, Barred, and Great Antshrikes, Slaty-tailed Trogon, and Orange-billed Sparrow. Night in Hopkins Village.
Days 10-11: We have two days to explore this region. Mayflower Bocawina National Park with over 7,000 acres of superb forest habitat is a short distance away. It’s home to waterfalls, lush vegetation and fabulous bird diversity including Keel-billed and Tody Motmots, Crowned Wood-Nymph, Little and Slaty-breasted Tinamous, Ruddy Quail Dove, Black-and-white and Spectacled Owls, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Cinnamon and White-winged Becards, Black-crowned Titrya, Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet, and Tawny-crowned Greenlet, among many others. We’ll also spend some time birding the shrubby coastline searching for Cinnamon Hummingbird and Yucatan Vireo and we’ll hope to see the first waves of spring migration with northbound Scissor-tailed Flycatchers moving up the coast. Sandwich and Royal Terns are abundant in front of our hotel and there are always (well…almost) a Magnificent Frigatebird somewhere up in the skies. We’ll spend a morning birding in the Jaguar Reserve where we hope to find White-collared Manakin, Scarlet-rumped (formerly Passerini’s) and Crimson-collared Tanagers, Hook-billed Kite, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Orange-billed Sparrow, Black-faced Grosbeak, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Dot-winged Antwren, and Dusky Antbird. Here, we’ll have another chance of finding a gorgeous Agami Heron lurking in some forest pool. Well over 200 species of birds have been recorded in the Park, so we’re guaranteed a bird-filled ending to our trip. Nights in Hopkins Village.
Day 12: We have a leisurely return around noon to the Belize International Airport where the tour ends.
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Belize. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they take this tour. Although we do our best to make sure that what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document which will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
ENTERING BELIZE: Your passport, as a general rule, should be valid for at least six months after the date the tour ends. US, Canadian and British citizens do not need a visa to visit Belize. Citizens of other countries may require visas. You should contact the Belize embassy for more details: Embassy of Belize, 2535 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20008, tel: (202) 332 9636, fax: (202) 332 6888 (also deals with inquiries from Canada).
COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can review the U.S. Department of State Country Specific Travel Information here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html and the CIA World Factbook here: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/. Review foreign travel advice from the UK government here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice and travel advice and advisories from the Government of Canada here: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories.
HEALTH: The most current information about travelers’ health recommendations can be found on the Centers for Disease Control’s Travel Health website at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list. Specific vaccinations and proof thereof may be required to enter the country. For entry and exit information please visit the U.S. State Department’s website. We strongly recommend contacting your doctor well in advance of your tour’s departure as some medications must be initiated weeks before the period of possible exposure.
No specific inoculations are necessary, although up-to-date tetanus protection is a good idea. There is a very low risk of malaria in the rural areas of Belize. Please check with your doctor or local health department as to advisability of your taking a malaria preventative. You might also want to discuss with your doctor the need for vaccinations for typhoid and hepatitis A, as there is some risk of these diseases in Belize (as in most developing countries). Special medications may be unavailable so bring enough to cover your needs for the entire trip.
We have found that with proper eating habits, intestinal problems can be largely avoided. In most of Belize, it is unwise to drink untreated water, although bottled water and soft drinks are reliable and available everywhere we go.
Don’t forget that the tropical sun can be very intense, particularly on the Caribbean coast. Please bring adequate protection from the sun, including a sun hat and a strong sunscreen of at least SPF15 rating. We recommend, as well, wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts.
Biting insects can be locally numerous, but are rarely a problem in the dry season. Careful application of repellant provides good protection and the leader will advise you when it will be necessary. We recommend using insect repellents with a high concentration of DEET. Care must be taken, however, to avoid getting the DEET repellent on optical equipment as DEET dissolves rubber and plastic and can damage coated lenses. DEET wipes are an option that helps reduce the chance that the insect repellent will be carried to your optics during application. Camping supply stores and outfitters carry some reasonably effective alternatives that contain natural products and aren’t corrosive.
Several species of poisonous snakes are present in Belize though we rarely encounter them. Watching where you step and keeping to well-cleared paths should prevent any problems.
PACE OF THE TOUR: As on most tours to the Neotropics, early starts are important for seeing and hearing the birds while mid-day is best for watching butterflies. This is countered by the option for an afternoon siesta and only 12 hours of daylight, so late nights are not a problem. Although this is not a particularly strenuous tour, much of the time spent birding will be spent on foot so bear this in mind if you have difficulty walking. There will be at least one boat trip that won’t require walking. The terrain is flat to somewhat hilly and most trails are quite clear while others have rocks or exposed roots. Breakfasts times are variable. We usually enjoy coffee and a snack around 5:30 a.m. at our accommodation, then go on a short morning walk and return for a typical breakfast. Lunches are either in the field or at the lodge. Dinners are at the lodge.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Bird’s Eye View Lodge is situated on the shores of Crooked Tree Lagoon and has comfortable air-conditioned rooms with private bathroom facilities. A large upstairs deck provides a stunning view of the Crooked Tree Lagoon which is often teeming with birds. La Milpa Ecolodge and Research Center on the Rio Bravo is located only three miles from the third largest archaeological site in Belize, the La Milpa Mayan Site, and offers comfortable, though somewhat rustic, accommodations under a beautiful thatched roof. Each room offers hot water, a private bathroom, and fans for keeping cool. Mariposa Jungle Lodge is very comfortable and has air-conditioned rooms equipped with WiFi. The food at Mariposa is delicious, and they are very acommodating to vegan and gluten-free diets. Bocawina Lodge offers comfortable, standard rooms with a lovely view of Mayflower’s Antelope Waterfall.
Wifi is available at all the lodges but may be very slow in some locations.
FOOD: WINGS tours are all-inclusive, and no refunds can be issued for any tour meals participants choose to skip. While our restaurants and ground agents make every effort to insure the comfort of all participants, we cannot guarantee that all food allergies can be accommodated at every destination. Many restaurants offer set menus and are unable to accommodate all special requests within a group. Thus, participants with significant food allergies or special dietary needs should bring appropriate foods with them for those times when their needs cannot, regretfully, be accommodated. Our tours are carefully scheduled to insure the best possible birding experience. Meal times can generally not be adjusted; any participant who needs to eat earlier or later than the times scheduled for the group should bring supplemental food with them. Please contact the WINGS office if you have any questions.
LANGUAGE: The official language of Belize is English, though Spanish is widely used, and both languages are spoken countrywide. In coastal areas one may encounter English Creole, a mixture of broken English, Carib and Spanish. This is different from the French Creole that is spoken in the New Orelans area of Louisiana, for example.
CURRENCY: The currency of Belize is the Belizean dollar, with an exchange rate of about two Belizean dollars equal to one U.S. dollar. U.S. dollars can be used everywhere in Belize. U.S. dollar traveler’s checks and credit cards are accepted most places.
CLIMATE: Although March is the dry season, we could encounter rain (rarely heavy or prolonged) almost anywhere, so a light rain jacket or traveling umbrella is advised. Daytime temperatures usually range from 70-90° F dropping into the 50s and 60s (F). The general nature of the climate is humid.
ELECTRICITY: Same as in the US (no need for adapters or converters). There is 24-hour electricity at all of our accommodations.
2025 Narrative
IN BRIEF: The WINGS 2025 Belize tour was a most excellent run this year. We had a fantastic group of fun and engaged participants, the weather, while often warm, was still conducive for birding, and we saw some amazing birds and other animals that will be remembered for a long time! We recorded 342 species of birds, of which most we actually got eyes on; no small feat in a dense jungle! We had several iconic Central American species and Yucatan specialists like Ocellated Turkey, Yucatan Poorwill, Jabiru, Bicolored Hawk, Lovely Cotinga, Orange-breasted Falcon, Keel-billed Motmot, Stygian Owl, Cave Swallow, Agami Heron and Rose-throated Tanager to name a few. We had 15 species of hummingbird, 30 species of raptor, 22 species of warbler and 6 species of owl including the first photographed documented record of Short-eared Owl for all of Belize! Some of the more notable non-avian animals observed were Boa Constrictor, Ocelot and Red Brocket Deer.
IN DETAIL: Ah Belize… This enchanting country never fails to weave its magic and the WINGS 2025 adventure through this beautiful land was a wonderful success. In the twelve days we journeyed across Belize, we visited multiple habitats, many of them forested or pastoral. The amount of land the nation has set aside for protection is admirable, obviously Belizeans take great pride in their natural cultural heritage sites.
We began our adventure at the Belize City airport, where we gathered for lunch at the lounge as participants' flights came in. Once we were fed and our introductions made, we made our way to the Toyota Coaster Bus that would be our ride. We barely made it out of the parking lot before we pulled over looking at our first birds of the tour. Mangrove Swallows were lining the roadside fence, while Fork-tailed Flycatchers sallied from brushy perches. And around the corner we stopped again for a pair of Common Black Hawks and a trio of Black-crowned Tityras. Finally, we were able to make it out of town and head to our first scheduled birding location, a shrimp farm and mangrove forest along the coast.
In the shrimp pools we had our only Lesser Scaup of the tour as well as our first Blue-winged Teal, and a host of Snowy Egrets foraged alongside some Great Egrets and Little Blue Herons. A handsome Bat Falcon perched along the dike gave us a dynamite view and I think this is when folks started to get their “not in Kansas anymore” feelings as this gorgeous raptor of the tropics showed off its orange pantaloons. As we poked around the mangroves, we of course were rewarded with some Mangrove Vireos! Even more of a treat was a couple of Yucatan Vireos. Raucous Brown Jays yammered as they flew overhead and the strange squeaky song of a Rufous-browed Peppershrike taunted us while a pair of White-fronted Parrots looked on. We felt a little bit of solid ground under our feet with views of some familiar North American birds; wintering warblers like Black-and-White and Magnolia and Yellow, though the ground got more interesting as it turned out there were two types of Yellow Warblers present, the migratory Northern subspecies most were familiar with, and the resident breeding subspecies “Mangrove Warbler, with its umber-colored head.
After wrapping up here, we settled into a bit of a drive to get to our lodging for the night. Along the way, we had no shortage of Tropical Mockingbirds and Tropical Kingbirds sitting on the roadside wires, punctuated by the aptly named (if not daresay somewhat unimaginatively) Roadside Hawk. Gradually we left the rural farm country and entered into the vast pine-swamp savannas and eventually crossed the long causeway into the village of Crooked Tree. A mix of private land and wildlife sanctuary, this area is renowned for its huge wetland complex. We would be staying at a charming lodge right on the banks of these expansive waterways for the next couple of nights and had just enough time to check-in, settle into our rooms before having dinner on the patio overlooking the water as Gray-breasted Martins flitted by and flocks of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks flew overhead.
Day two began with us up bright and early and we drove to the far side of the village to walk around the savanna and see what we could turn up. One of the first goodies we had was a diminutive Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl singing away in a cashew tree. We also had a nice flock of the signature species of the village, Yucatan Jays. One of my favorite species on the Belize tour, I love their blue and black plumage and their gregarious ways traveling in extended family packs. Flocks of Amazons flew overhead, and while most were Red-lored and White-fronted we did get a few of the rare and declining Yellow-headed Amazons. A mysterious singer confounded for a while but eventually gave good looks revealing it to be a White-browed Gnatcatcher Wintering warblers included Black-throated Green, and Northern Parula and we all admired the local race of Northern Cardinal with its vivid scarlet plumage and particularly long and erect crest. Notable was a good haul of falcons with flybys of Peregrine and Aplomado Falcons and a Laughing Falcon that perched giving us an extended study.
We went back to the lodge for some breakfast, where we were joined by a charming Yellow-throated Warbler on the patio. Stalking the edge of the parking lot was a robust Russet-naped Wood-Rail. We headed back into the forest savanna for another round of birding. We picked up an Altamira Oriole, a good snag of a species at the southernmost edge of its range. We had a good study of the differences between the closely related Couch’s and Tropical Kingbirds and had a nice look at a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet as well as a Greenish Elaenia. A pair of Rose-throated Becards showed well for us as did a pair of Gray-headed Tanagers, and a Rufous-browed Peppershrike gave unusually good views! We took a break to get out of the afternoon heat and when we resumed, we headed out to the Crooked Tree causeway. Here among the mangroves we tried to snag a view of a skulky Black Catbird, of which it did provide a few fleeting glances. Birds like Common Tody-Flycatcher and Black-headed Trogon showed much better. We then spent some time trying to track down Yellow-lored Amazons, a regional endemic. Sadly we couldn’t connect with them, but had some great looks at more Red-lored and Yellow-headed Amazons. After dinner, we did a little night birding where we had a Boat-billed Heron in a muddy pool right by the lodge and numerous Common Pauraques right on the grounds.
This next morning was one of our most fun- it was our boat outing up across the lagoons and up Spanish Creek. We all piled into our craft for the morning and motored out, where we immediately started to get all kinds of waterbirds like Limpkins, Neotropic Cormorants, Snowy Egrets, Anhingas, Purple Gallinules, Bare-throated Tiger-Herons and tons of Northern Jacanas. We had a few cool raptors like Black-collared Hawks and Snail Kites, and other interesting birds included Yucatan Flycatcher and White-necked Puffbird. As we snaked our way up the creek, the forest edge grew in closer creating a more intimate setting for our birding. We worked over a calling Ruddy Crake for a bit, some even got some flashes of it as it darted from its various hiding places. A juvenile Great Black Hawk made for a stately pose giving us good looks. Multiple species of kingfishers lined the creek, Ringed, Belted and Greens. A nice find was a Willow Flycatcher, a rarely seen wintering bird. We had to pull ourselves away from this watery paradise and get back to the lodge for a late breakfast. Afterwards, we meandered the grounds for a final stab at Yucatan Woodpecker, which ended up being a success!
We then loaded into the bus and headed out of Crooked Tree for La Milpa where we would stay for the next two nights. It was a bit of a drive, and we broke it up with a stop for lunch as well as some birding. A farm pond along the road yielded a family of Least Grebes, and a little further down the road a huge flock of Barn Swallows revealed a couple of rare Cave Swallows among the Barns. Exciting were a few Grassland Yellow-Finchs at this stop, the only ones we would see the entire tour. We entered into the pastoral farm country of the Mennonite community of Blue Creek; flocks of Western Cattle Egrets foraged among the cows and open country raptors like Kestrels and a pair of beautiful White-tailed Kites hunted. We finally rolled into the deep forest and eventually got to the grounds of the La Milpa Lodge. Delightfully rustic with thatch roofs, we were immediately greeted by the welcoming committee- a gang of Ocellated Turkeys and Great Curassows casually strolling across the lawn! With darkness quickly falling, there wasn’t too much time to do anything but get dinner, but afterwards, we took a nighttime drive where we had an excellent look at a Mottled Owl! With that, we put this long day to bed, so we could be rested to start anew to explore this mesic jungle in the morning.
The next morning, we walked the grounds of the ecolodge, there were so many birds, we could barely get much farther before breakfast! Fruiting fig trees were drawing in several species of birds to feast- Red-capped Manakins, Garted Trogons, Montezuma Oropendola, Collared Aracari, and many Clay-colored Robins. A nice get was down at the little pond on the grounds where an American Pygmy Kingfisher gave a good show. After a great breakfast, we set out exploring the jungle road up to the Mayan heritage site. This proved to be equally birdy with White-whiskered Puffbirds, Chestnut-colored Woodpeckers, the odd and diminutive Northern Bentbill, Northern Barred-Woodcreeper, several species of wren, and a nice look at a Black-throated Shrike Tanager. We broke for lunch and headed back to the lodge, where many of us lounged around the feeders watching the Scrub and Yellow-throated Euphonias and Green and Red-legged Honeycreepers coming in to nab bits of papaya. The hummingbird show here was great with White-necked Jacobins, White-bellied Emeralds and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds all showing well.
Resuming our group birding in the late afternoon we headed back up the jungle road, though not before strolling over to a limestone bank where a Rufous-tailed Jacamar had its burrow nest! However, once up the road, we got a trio of birds that really were quite the trip-makers. Honorable mention first to the good looks of the Green Shrike Vireo that we lured down from the canopy; this is a common bird in the jungle but looks can be hard to get as it tends to stay very high in the tree-tops. But the other two species were legit good gets and ones we had to work for before they finally revealed themselves to us, but patience and perseverance got us killer looks from both Pheasant Cuckoo and Tody Motmot! Absolutely thrilling!
We would begin our next day exploring the Mayan cultural site, a former Mayan city that had been reclaimed by the jungle. Huge mounds covered in vegetation kept the secret city still buried but still one could get a sense of the size and scope of this former city. We got there early in the morning, and waited as the jungle woke up around us. We got a few cool birds right in the parking area like Scaly-throated Leaftosser and heard more Pheasant Cuckoos. Up among the ruins, we had some great birds like Strong-billed Woodcreepers, Eye-ringed Flatbill, Slaty-tailed Trogons and Hook-billed Kite, but the real prize was the pair of Mayan Antthrushes that walked right in front of us on the trail giving ridiculous looks! After such a great morning out, we headed back to the lodge to have breakfast and pack up to leave. While loading the bus, we were treated to flyovers of both King Vulture and Ornate Hawk-Eagle!
We then began a long transit across Belize to head down to our next lodge, the Crystal Paradise. We had a few goodies along the way, in a grassy marsh along one of the highways we traveled on, a Jabiru stork foraged. And at our lunch stop we enjoyed some good looks at Hooded Warbler and Northern Waterthrush as well as Social Flycatcher. After lunch, we stretched our legs and birded along the Sibun River. This lush riparian zone gave us several new birds we had not yet encountered like Yellow-tailed Oriole, Cinnamon-bellied Saltator and Plumbeous Kite. Having had a nice birding break, we continued our slog to San Ignacio and settled into the lodge of Crystal Paradise where we would call home for the next four nights.
We were back at it up and early the next day to head to the Black Rock Lodge, but first we stopped in some rich farm fields along the way where we were able to get some nice looks at Black-throated Bobwhite. Arriving at the lodge, we were stunned at the beauty here. Set in a deep canyon along the Macal River, we got right to birding before the heat set in. And it was great birding too! We had point blank looks at a Russet-naped Wood-Rail, Tropical Pewee, Louisiana Waterthrushes, Yellow-throated Vireo, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Yellow-winged Tanagers and Black-cheeked Woodpeckers. A challenging sighting was trying to get a glimpse of a Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle incubating its nest on the far side of the gorge, but most everyone got a countable look of this distant bird. As we drove back into town we had a much more accommodating raptor in the form of a Swallow-tailed Kite wheeling around over the city streets of San Ignacio.
We took a break for the early afternoon; many enjoyed the active feeders at the Crystal Paradise dining patio. Here Melodious Blackbirds, Brown Jays, Blue-gray Tanagers and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers fed within feet of us making for some great photo opps! After our break, we headed out to the Mennonite community of Spanish Lookout. The habitat here was extensive rice fields with lots of brushy scrub. We hoped for shorebirds, but few were to be found. In the shrubby edges though a host of wintering Rose-breasted and Blue Grosbeaks were present as were lots of Orchard Orioles. Lots of wading birds like Wood Storks and Great Egrets, and an exciting get was a Loggerhead Shrike, an extremely rare visitor to Belize that had been in this area since November. We then headed over to a region of pine savanna where we would have a picnic dinner and then do some evening birding. While we birded before dark, we encountered a massive Jabiru gathering nesting materials as well as a pair of Bat Falcons. We tried for some Yellow-lored Amazons, but only heard some distantly.
As night fell, we began to slow cruise the roads for night birds. We quickly started tallying in the Common Pauraques, and before long had some great looks at Northern Potoo. Yucatan Nightjar was a bit elusive, but Yucatan Poorwill gave us a great look! We then headed out into some farm fields where we had a Barn Owl and a Boa Constrictor crossing the road. It was then when we got on a different kind of owl winging across the field that became apparent to me that it was an Aiso owl and not the local species of Striped Owl either. It turned out to be a Short-eared Owl! This was a bird that, while had been reported before in Belize, had never been documented to a level of acceptance on the country’s official list! Eric quickly called some other local birders and they raced there where they were lucky enough to snag a good photo of the bird when it landed in the road in front of them. An exciting evening and a moment of contribution to Belize’s rich ornithological history! As we drove out, a few lucky participants caught a flash of an Ocelot crossing the road in front of the bus.
Being out half the night, we had a little bit of a later start today, enjoying breakfast at the always birdy patio at Crystal Paradise. We were barely on the road to head to the Mountain Pine Preserve before we pulled over to enjoy the multi-colored hues of a couple of Green Jays, certainly one of the more beautiful birds in the tropics. We enjoyed these lovely birds but kept going as we had a date for something even more… lovely. Parking the bus at this forested two-track we hiked into the mountain forest a mile to this amazing overlook. We could hear the sounds of a rushing waterfall below and the view was an expansive 180 view of a valley. And then our quarry appeared- a Lovely Cotinga perched up in a fruiting fig. It took some time and effort, but we eventually got everyone a look at this beautiful bird. As we walked out, we stopped at another overlook where we saw a pair of Double-toothed Kites do a breeding display and lock talons as they briefly plummeted towards the ground from high in the sky. But we weren’t done with amazing birds or stellar views yet!
We then headed to the 1000 Foot Falls, which is just as incredible as it sounds. Here we had a host of interesting mountain birds, like Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Hepatic Tanagers, Black-headed Siskins and Grace’s Warblers, with one coming into forage at our feet! But the bird we were really hoping for here did keep us waiting, and for a moment I thought we would dip on it. But eventually a beautiful and endangered Orange-breasted Falcon tee’d up in a dead pine on the cliff’s edge giving us all an amazing study of this striking bird. We finished up our birding this day stopping at a Butterfly/Hummingbird garden and it did not disappoint. Hordes of hummers were present, lots of White-necked Jacobins and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, but we also had a few Wedge-tailed and Violet Sabrewings, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, and Long-billed Hermits.
We woke up very early the next day to start our day with some predawn owling in the Mountain Pine Forest Preserve. It took a few stops, but we did get our target, a Stygian Owl! This smokey colored relative of a Long-eared Owl was a highly desired target and a lifer for everyone- a fantastic way to start the day!
From there we started the long drive to the ancient city of Caracol, an archaeological world heritage site that had uncovered the ruins of the Mayan city. We had some fun bird stops along the way- highlights included Crested Guans, White Hawk and Bicolored Hawk. Hard to get anywhere sometimes when there is so much good birding to be had around every corner! Caracol itself was a very moving place. The time and energy spent hewing and placing the limestone bricks into these amazing temples and courtyards is hard to conceive and it was a real treat to get a small glimpse into the lives of the people that existed here hundreds of years earlier. The birding was great here on the grounds of Caracol as well with Keel-billed Motmot and Collared Trogon being the most notable. Lots of wintering warblers were present including Blue-winged, Chestnut-sided and Black-throated Green Warblers and resident in these jungles were Golden-crowned Warblers. Overhead, Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts and Purple Martins dashed about and every so often a Swallow-tailed Kite would drift by. On our drive back to Crystal Paradise, we made a few stops, one of which yielded our only Rusty Sparrow of the tour.
We woke for the final time at Crystal Paradise and ran out to try to get a couple more birds that we wouldn’t be able to find further south. Gray-breasted Chat sadly remained elusive, but Red-throated Tanager showed up right on cue and gave us great looks! We also had some nice looks at Hook-billed Kite, Barred Antshrike and even plucked out a Cabanis Wren from the grass. From there we headed back to the lodge for breakfast and to pack up and head out. We would pull out of the western side of the country and head back towards the coast, but this time in the southeast. After a bit of a drive through emerald-colored hills, we arrived at the Blue Hole National Park. This would kick off a few days of more tropical lowland birding- hot but very productive. As promised it was hot, but we got some goodies like Masked Tityra, Orange-billed Sparrow, Purple-crowned Fairy, Kentucky Warbler and an American Kestrel that looked pretty good for an individual from the southern Central American populations.
We then headed towards the coast, rolling into the town of Dangriga in the late afternoon, where we had some productive birding at the mouth of a river letting out into the Gulf of Mexico. Here there was a fun mix of shorebirds, with some Hudsonian Whimbrel, both Western and Eastern Willets, Black-bellied Plovers and Ruddy Turnstones. Overhead Magnificent Frigatebirds soared about and Royal and Sandwich Terns along with Laughing Gulls foraged in the waves. We then settled down to our lodge in Hopkins Village right on the beach, a delightful setting for our final three nights of the tour.
We arose early to head into the jungle where we would spend the entire day exploring Mayflower Bocawina National Park, albeit with a nice siesta to get out of the heat of the day, returning in the late afternoon and staying into the evening to try for owls. Bocawina was a fantastic park full of mature primary forest and brimming with birds. We took a long hike through the forest ending up at a gorgeous tropical cascade waterfall. We saw so many new species this morning like Crowned Woodnymph, Rufous-breasted Spine-tail, White-winged Becard, Stub-tailed Spadebill and Crimson-collared Tanager among many other fantastic sightings. When we returned in the late afternoon, some of what we experienced included a pair of Golden-olive Woodpeckers and a Black Hawk-Eagle carrying prey and as dark fell, we listened to singing Common Pauraques and a Middle American Screech-Owl.
For our final full day of birding, we went to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Like yesterday we were treated to several new species like Great Antshrike, Dot-winged Antbird, Streak-headed Woodcreeper and Long-billed Gnatwren. We then took a hike along a river with some nice shrub openings and quiet marshy rescacas. Here we had an amazing experience with an Agami Heron, truly one of the most beautiful of all the waders! A few other new trip birds included Yellow-tailed Oriole and Blue Ground-Dove. A fun surprise was a Red Brocket Deer, known locally simply as “antelope” that dashed off the side of the road. After several hours of birding and hiking we were ready for a break and everyone enjoyed some downtime by the ocean. As the evening cooled off, a few of us got together and tooled around south of Hopkins Village getting a few fun birds like Cinnamon Hummingbird, Muscovy Ducks, Yucatan Vireo and Thick-billed Seedfinch.
The final morning was mostly a time of transit back up to Belize City so folks could start their flights home. But a part of the group did awake early and head back to the marshes south of the village where they were rewarded for their efforts with a visitor from the Caribbean in the form of a White-crowned Pigeon! The drive back was mostly uneventful (kinda what one wants on the way to the airport!) but the raptors along the highway were pretty good and made for a nice send-off. We did make one final stop where we picked up our final trip bird, an Amazon Kingfisher! Birds till the last drop. And with that, we could start our way home satiated with a fantastic experience from traveling in this amazing and wildlife rich county!
- Skye Haas
Maximum group size 10 with one leader and a local guide.
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