Belize

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. 

2026 Narrative

The tour began with afternoon arrivals at the airport. Before we had even left the airport grounds, the birding was already underway with Fork-tailed Flycatchers, Groove-billed Anis, Acorn Woodpeckers, and Social Flycatchers, along with the ever-present Tropical Mockingbirds, Clay-colored Thrushes, and Great-tailed Grackles.

Lunch was a short drive down the road at a shrimp farm, which provided a bird's-eye view of the surrounding ponds. Shorebirds were well represented with eight species, including Black-necked Stilts, Black-bellied, Semipalmated, and Wilson's Plovers, Northern Jacanas, and Spotted, Least, and Western Sandpipers. A pair of Blue-winged Teal and a single Lesser Scaup lounged in the middle of one of the deeper ponds, while a pair of White-crowned Pigeons perched atop the treeline. Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, and White Ibises passed through, while Bare-throated Tiger-Herons joined the more common Little Blue and Tricolored Herons. As we sifted through flocks of vultures, we found a couple of Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures among the Black and Turkey Vultures. Other highlights included Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Morelet's Seedeaters, and our first Neotropical warblers of the trip, American Redstart, Hooded Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat.

From there, we worked our way north toward Crooked Tree, stopping along the way for Belted and Ringed Kingfishers, Limpkin, and Brown Jay before reaching town. The final mile added Plain Chachalaca, Red-lored Amazons, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Vermilion Flycatcher, and Melodious Blackbird, to name just a few.

After dinner, we finished off the first day with several Common Pauraques and a couple of Boat-billed Herons right outside our hotel.

We spent the next morning birding the savanna forests around Crooked Tree. We were quickly greeted by Yucatan Jays and a Yucatan Woodpecker, both regional specialties. Acorn Woodpeckers were active, and noisy groups of Brown Jays moved through the scrub. The migrant warblers did not disappoint either, adding Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, and Northern Yellowthroat. Other highlights included Vaux's Swift, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Rose-throated Becard, Green Jay, and Eastern Meadowlark.

After breakfast, we did another walking loop, adding Common and Plain-breasted Ground-Doves, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Altamira Oriole, Northern Waterthrush, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, and Yellow-throated Warblers, along with a pair of Gray-headed Tanagers. A kettle of 45 Swallow-tailed Kites migrating overhead was quite a sight.

 After lunch and an afternoon break, we headed back out toward the west causeway, quickly spotting a couple of Pinnated Bitterns. The vast floodplains hosted impressive numbers of Great Egrets, the prehistoric-looking Limpkin, and plenty of Snail Kites. A nearby savanna offered some excellent late afternoon birding, with the highlights going to Black-throated Bobwhites, Yellow-lored Amazons, Collared Aracaris, and Botteri's Sparrows. A series of mobbing calls soon filled a tree with curious birds, and we had a whole host of species coming in to see what the fuss was about, including our first Yellow-throated Euphonias, Azure-crowned and Buff-bellied Hummingbirds, and a Ladder-backed Woodpecker among the usual assortment of migrant warblers. As the sun lowered on the horizon, small flocks of Pale-vented and Red-billed Pigeons flew overhead, and a distant Laughing Falcon perched in the fading light.

The next morning, we hopped on a boat and spent the morning birding the Crooked Tree Lagoon. The birdlife was staggering, with the shorelines lined with Limpkins, egrets and herons, Wood Storks, White Ibises, Purple Gallinules, Roseate Spoonbills, and triple-digit numbers of Northern Jacanas. We also picked up Russet-naped Wood-Rails, a Wilson's Snipe, all four species of kingfishers, Bat Falcon, Mangrove Vireo, and an impressive Jabiru. Raptors did not disappoint either, with several Black-collared Hawks, a Great Black Hawk, and a couple dozen Snail Kites.

We then focused our attention on Spanish Creek, a smaller, quieter channel. We were quickly greeted by a Sungrebe working its way across the water. We also encountered roosting Boat-billed Herons, enjoyed a close fly-by encounter with a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, and found the main target of the morning, a gorgeous Agami Heron that stood right out in the open for us.

The afternoon was spent working our way north toward La Milpa, birding along the way through the Mennonite community of Blue Creek. Dominated by open pastureland, the area produced new additions including Greenish Elaenia, Black-cowled Oriole, White-tailed Kite, American Kestrel, and Common Squirrel-Cuckoo. The drive through the pastures abruptly ended, and we finally entered the protected forests, which quickly provided our first Great Curassow along the road. These would become almost commonplace on the grounds of our lodge, along with Ocellated Turkeys. After checking in, a walk around the grounds added White-necked Jacobin, Black-headed Trogon, Northern Plain-Xenops, Yellow-throated and Olive-backed Euphonias, Yellow-winged Tanager, and Green Honeycreeper, to name just a few.

After dinner, a short night drive produced an incredibly cooperative Middle American Screech-Owl, which sat right out in the open and offered remarkable photographic opportunities. Farther along, back in the Mennonite community, a pasture fence row hosted several Common Potoos perched on the posts.

Taking advantage of waking up in the heart of the stunning rainforest, we set off early and spent the entire morning birding a couple of miles along a quiet gravel track. Trogons were well represented, and in addition to the Black-headed Trogon we had seen previously, we added Slaty-tailed, Gartered Violaceous, and Collared Trogons. Flycatchers were equally impressive, with a great diversity of species including Ruddy-tailed and Sepia-capped Flycatchers, Northern Bentbill, and Yellow-olive Flatbill. Ten species of warblers were recorded, including Worm-eating, Kentucky, and Golden-crowned Warblers. Other highlights from the morning included, but were not limited to, small flocks of flyover Brown-hooded and Mealy Parrots, Scaled Pigeons, a Lesson's Motmot, White-whiskered Puffbird, Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Red-capped Manakin, Green Shrike-Vireo, and a pair of the localized Black-throated Shrike-Tanagers.

After lunch and a midday break, we headed back out to see what else we could turn up. Highlights from the afternoon included Tody Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Keel-billed Toucan, Stub-tailed Spadebill, Eye-ringed Flatbill, and the regional endemic Gray-throated Chat. It was also fun to see several Blue Buntings, including gorgeous males, feeding along the path ahead of us. After dark, we found Yucatan Poorwill at a stakeout.

Dawn the next morning produced a calling Short-tailed Nighthawk along with Common Pauraque, Mottled Owl, and a couple of Pheasant Cuckoos. We then spent a few hours exploring the La Milpa Mayan Ruins. While traversing the ruins, we encountered Barred Forest-Falcons, the secretive Mayan Antthrush, Masked Tityra, and Red-crowned Ant-Tanagers, along with a surprise singing Eastern Wood-Pewee. On our way back to La Milpa to pack our bags, we stopped to admire an iconic Tropical Royal Flycatcher.

We then headed south and spent the afternoon driving toward our next accommodation. The drive was captivating as it traversed both the Rio Bravo Protected Area and the recently protected Maya Forest, which together safeguard nearly half a million acres. Along the way, we stopped for three Crested Guans before reaching the agricultural lands of Spanish Lookout at the far end of the protected forest.

We departed early the next morning to bird the Black Rock Lodge area. The entrance road was alive with activity in the early morning hours, and we recorded 40 species in a little over half an hour while covering only a couple hundred yards. Philadelphia Vireo, Yellow-tailed Oriole, and Yellow-faced Grassquit were among the new additions. The lodge had an endless supply of hummingbirds at the feeders, including White-necked Jacobin, Long-billed Hermit, Green-breasted Mango, Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, and Scaly-breasted and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds. Around the gardens and trails, we enjoyed excellent views of Russet-naped Wood-Rail, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Black-tailed Tityra, Northern Tropical Pewee, Rose-throated Becard, Black Phoebe, Ovenbird, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, and Variable Seedeater.

Raptors were the highlight of the morning, with good views of Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, White Hawk, and a roosting Spectacled Owl. On our way back out, we stopped briefly for Least Grebes and Black-headed Saltators before heading off to lunch.

The afternoon was spent birding the agricultural fields and scrublands around the Mennonite colony of Spanish Lookout. New additions included Lincoln's Sparrow, White-throated Flycatcher, and the introduced Tricolored Munia. At dusk, a couple of Lesser Nighthawks began flying around and were soon followed by sightings of a couple dozen Common Pauraques along the road, an American Barn Owl, and several Northern Potoos and Yucatan Nightjars.

The next day promised to be a good one with a day trip into the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, which is comprised primarily of Caribbean Pine. One of the very first birds of the morning was a new species for the trip, a Plumbeous Kite perched over the road. Once we reached the reserve, our bathroom stop turned into an excellent birding stop as well, with the highlight being a couple of Black-headed Siskins. We also had our first Rufous-capped and Grace's Warblers, the latter hanging out very near a Yellow-throated Warbler providing an excellent comparison.

Next, we hiked out to the Slate Creek Lookout to watch for our main targets, Orange-breasted Falcon and Lovely Cotinga. While waiting, we found a couple of Black-faced Grosbeaks and heard a falcon calling nearby, though it never made an appearance. Raptors were putting on a great show, and we recorded King, Black, and Turkey Vultures, Swallow-tailed Kite, Black Hawk-Eagle, Double-toothed and Plumbeous Kites, White Hawk, and Great Black Hawk. After a long wait, just as we were beginning to lose hope, a Lovely Cotinga was spotted on the far side of the valley, offering scope views of this stunning bird.

Elated, we headed over to Thousand Foot Falls. These spectacular falls actually plunge 1,600 feet and are among the tallest waterfalls in Central America, providing an excellent backdrop for a well-earned picnic lunch. The birding did not disappoint either. Among the countless White-collared Swifts, a surprise Solitary Eagle made a pass over the falls, an unexpected species. To top that off, an Orange-breasted Falcon was spotted near the falls, offering extended scope views. After dinner, we ventured back into the Mountain Pine Ridge, where a little searching rewarded us with a Stygian Owl. 

The next day promised to be yet another excellent one, this time spent at the ancient Maya city of Caracol deep in the rainforest. Along the way, we paused to bird a stand of pines where we added Plumbeous Vireo (the Central American subspecies), Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, Hepatic Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and more views of a sizeable flock of Black-headed Siskins. We reached the breathtaking ruins and spent the rest of the morning taking in the history and grandeur of this incredible place. By this point, we had seen most of our targets, but we still managed to pick up some new birds, including Broad-winged Hawk, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Giant Cowbird, and the resident breeding Montezuma Oropendolas.

In the afternoon, we visited Rio Frio Cave, where we added Ochre-bellied Flycatcher and Orange-billed Sparrow before working our way back to the lodge. Along the way, we stopped and found Cabanis's Wren and a pair of Rusty Sparrows, which provided extended point-blank views right beside us and remained fully exposed even after we departed. We also found a pair of the regional endemic Rose-throated Tanagers at a stakeout to top off the day. 

On our final morning at Crystal Paradise Lodge, we took a short walk around the grounds before breakfast and awoke to the calls of a Thicket Tinamou. A White-necked Puffbird and a pair of Northern Barred-Woodcreepers showed very well, as did displaying Red-capped and White-collared Manakins. We then packed our bags and headed back to Spanish Lookout, where we added several Aplomado Falcons, a Northern Harrier, and a Zone-tailed Hawk, while a nearby lagoon produced a Golden-olive Woodpecker.

We eventually reached the coast, where the beaches and lagoons provided our first American Oystercatcher, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Willet, Sanderling, Royal and Sandwich Terns, Double-crested Cormorant, Cinnamon Hummingbird, and yes, even House Sparrow.

The next morning, we headed to Mayflower Bocawina National Park, picking up an endangered Yellow-headed Amazon along the way. We then spent the entire morning birding the park, tallying more than 100 species before lunch. Some of the new species included Purple-crowned Fairy, Crowned Woodnymph, Dot-winged Antwren, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Cinnamon, White-winged, and Gray-collared Becards, Piratic Flycatcher, and Ochre-crowned Greenlet. Among the dozen Neotropical warblers, we had our first Prothonotary and Blue-winged Warblers, while among the tanagers, we recorded our first Scarlet-rumped Tanager. On the reptile front, we enjoyed excellent views of a Morelet's Crocodile.

The afternoon was spent birding along the coast near our accommodation, primarily in search of Yucatan Vireo, which we indeed found. We also had our first Scissor-tailed and Boat-billed Flycatchers along with more excellent views of Mangrove Vireo.

Our final full day was spent birding the nearby Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. On the drive in, we heard Spotted Wood-Quail and stopped to view a Chestnut-headed Oropendola colony. On the trails, the real highlight was stumbling upon an ant swarm and, with it, a good number of birds foraging nearby. Among the Northern Barred and Ivory-billed Woodcreepers, we added our first Ruddy and Tawny-winged Woodcreepers, as well as Fawn-throated Foliage-gleaner, Dusky Antbird, and a host of other ant specialists.

Other highlights around the sanctuary included our first Violet Sabrewing, Amazon Kingfisher, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Yellow-green Vireo, and White-throated Thrush, along with better views of Golden-hooded Tanager and Black-faced Grosbeak. Despite it being our last full day, there were plenty of new birds to keep us entertained.

That evening, we enjoyed our final dinner and got a good night's rest before our drive back to the airport the following morning.

                                                                                                                                                                             -          Ethan Kistler

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