birds

[Tad Eareckson]

Yeah, it's a real privilege seeing this stuff. And thanks, once again, for all the support for Kite Strings and Yours Truly.

Yeah, that's a cool video and I can't wait for an opportunity to try the feeders. You don't score a ten though until your target lies belly down on your finger. I weigh about 34.5 thousand times as much as the two and a half gram Calliope - the smallest bird this side of the Rio Grande. And it's so awesome to feel the weight - what little there is - and warmth of a tiny bird like that who's at least assessed you as not being a significant threat.

Comment on:

http://www.abigailsings.com/hummingbirds/


More power to her but I was landing hummers by the late Nineties, I'm pretty sure, and didn't think doing so was a major news item. Also doubt that I was the first individual in the history of the Western Hemisphere to have done so.

Further thoughts on the Potoo...

http://www.kitestrings.org/post9877.html#p9877

(That shot was from Trinidad, I just realized.)

Tad Eareckson - 2017/01/12 15:24:37 UTC

Never in a million years did I think I'd get a look like that at one of those (Common Potoo) in the wild. Excellent light, clear unobstructed shot, maybe 25 feet right over the beginning of a paved drive tunneled under the canopy.

Yesterday I reached the conclusion that these guys aren't anywhere near as hard to score as I'd always imagined. Do a potoo image search. They're ALL conspicuously perched - like the one in the photo and the one we saw on Tobago. I'd always assumed that they'd usually be perching in dense foliage along with camouflaging themselves as stumps or bases of broken limbs.

Nah. Stumps, bases of broken limbs aren't really compatible with dense foliage and they wanna be conspicuous and quickly dismissed as nothing of interest. And if you're a human with a decent pair of binoculars and looking for them you're gonna be checking out all halfway suspicious looking stumps and bases of broken limbs and you're gonna find them.

These things:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proboscis_bat

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Long-nosed_proboscis_bats.JPG

are mammalian potoos - nocturnal insectivores that spend the day hiding in plain sight presenting themselves as parts of trees.

Morning One in Belize - 2015/12/31 - we're taking a canoe ride down about six winding miles of the Belize River in the vicinity of Bermudian Landing (Community Baboon (Black Howler Monkey) Sanctuary. Wallingston Russell, our guide and power source, turns the boat back upstream to show us the bats roosting under the trunk of a tree overhanging the river.

You SWEAR that the very evenly spaced little bumps on the underside are features of the bark as your guide is assuring you otherwise. Then the bark features decide that they're no longer adequately fooling anyone, explode into the air within the same nanosecond like a flock of butterflies, and find someplace else to hide in plain sight.

Felt bad about disturbing them but that was one of the half dozen coolest things I've seen in the two trips to the Caribbean tropics.

So I ask Russell what species they are. "Insectivorous." (Thanks Russell, that should really help narrow things down.) Found out stunningly fast when I got back home but Jesus H. Christ. You've been doing this once a day for the past hundred years, you get these guys two outta three trips, they're a MAJOR highlight, EVERBODY loves them, and "insectivorous" is the best you can do? Not to mention that you can ID them online in SECONDS?

ALL these guides know ALL their birds.

- Red hot birders from all over the globe constitute a sizeable percentage of their clientele and they can't afford to be caught showing deficiencies.

- They're IDing birds all the fuckin' time and if you're IDing birds all the fuckin' time you're gonna get good at it whether you want to or not.

But if something doesn't have feathers... Fuck it. They can get away with it. The Seba's Short-Tailed Bats hanging in plain sight overhead in the visitors center were "fruit bats". (Thanks, that should really help narrow things down.)

The Proboscis Bat is a one-species genus (Rhynchonycteris) in the Sac-Wing family (Emballonuridae). And that family includes our little diurnal Lesser Sac-Wing buddy (Saccopteryx leptura) from T&T - along with a huge chunk of Central and South America.America.

P.S. - 2017/02/03 21:05:00 UTC

The ranges for those two are about the same.

P.P.S.

http://travellingboomer.com/birds-bats-crocs-trip-new-river-belize-river/
Birds, monkeys and crocs -- down the New River, Belize

Paul Marshman - 2015/02/06

A few minutes later, Guadelupe slid the boat up to a tree branch that at first glance seemed to hold ... nothing. A closer look revealed a lovely little nighthawk dozing away the morning. True to their name, these birds get active at night, scooping up insects as they fly. During the day, they doze - but this one was keeping an eye just a little open to make sure we didn't get too close.

http://i0.wp.com/travellingboomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Lizard-nighthawk.jpg?w=1404
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50657965452_e2b4d446ab_o.jpg

http://i0.wp.com/travellingboomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Lizard-nighthawk.jpg?w=800

Gonna call that a LESSER (not "LIZARD") Nighthawk, same order as the Potoos, same camouflage strategy, behavior.

A little farther on, Guadelupe pulled the boat up to a stand of cypress trees at the waterside. "Look at the trunk of the trees," he said, "and you’ll see some bats."

I peered at the trees, now only a few feet away. I saw nothing - until a dozen bats took off right under my nose and flew into the nearby thicket. Luckily, one flew back so I could get a picture, and here it is: a proboscis bat. It may not be cute, but when it comes to camouflage, it's hard to beat.

http://i0.wp.com/travellingboomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Proboscis-bat_edited-1.jpg?w=1404
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50657876046_bdebdd9f58_o.jpg

http://i0.wp.com/travellingboomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Proboscis-bat_edited-1.jpg?w=800

Same experience, perceptions. (I wonder if Guadelupe also IDed the bats as "insectivorous".)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pajarero/16978721276/

Mark Faherty - Crooked Tree

[Tad Eareckson]

Odds 'n ends...

Tobago has Amevia genus lizards...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/onemoreshotrog/9459321584/

Roger Sargent

...crawling all over it. Same family - Teiidae - as and similar in appearance to the Whiptail I referenced:

http://www.kitestrings.org/post9877.html#p9877

earlier. I was almost certainly seeing several species of similar looking lizards on Big and Little Tobagos. Real good bet that we had a Giant Ameiva underneath the totally cooking hummer feeder array at the Cuffie River Nature Retreat on 2017/02/07.

On the subject of reptiles... While we were camped at Asa Wright another guest (from New York) returned from the Caroni Swamp expedition and reported having seen a two and a half foot Coral Snake - undoubtedly one of these:

http://asawright.org/venemous-snakes-of-trinidad-tobago/

Micrurus lemniscaus diutius - John C. Murphy

guys - that had been deliberately killed by some local asshole. I'd have deliberately killed (the right person) to have seen one of those alive and well. (Note the violation of one of the color pattern rules for IDing Coral Snakes.) And just to give ya a feel for just how dangerous Coral Snakes really are when treated with a bit o' common sense:

http://www.theapricity.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-67972.html
What's your favorite type of snake? [Archive] - The Apricity Forum: A European Cultural Community

Siberian Cold Breeze - 2013/01/18 02:23

Coral snakes are not aggressive or prone to biting and account for less than one percent of the number of snake bites each year in the United States. When confronted by humans, coral snakes will almost always attempt to flee, and bite only as a last resort. In addition, coral snakes have short fangs (proteroglyph dentition) that cannot penetrate thick leather clothing. Any skin penetration however, is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention.

Discovered a couple afternoons ago that the five milliwatt 532 nm lasers are pretty much useless for painting sunny side tree trunks when all the leaves are on the ground. Yeah, you're generally gonna need to locate the bird less when it's not in or under a foliated canopy - but definitely just generally.

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/01/30/us/02xp-dcbobcat/31xp-dcbobcat-superJumbo.jpg


http://www.washingtonian.com/2017/01/31/dc-schools-suspend-outdoor-activities-rogue-bobcat/
Missing Bobcat Forces DC Schools to Cancel Recess

Some DC Schools Suspend Outdoor Activities Because of Rogue Bobcat
Ollie the bobcat's escape has ruined recess.

Andrew Beaujon - 2017/01/31

Ollie the bobcat is still missing from Smithsonian’s National Zoo. In a news release, the zoo says it has received tips from neighbors that suggest the 25-pound cat may be in the Woodley Park or Cleveland Park neighborhoods of Northwest DC. It deployed a search party that includes zookeepers, zoo cops, and members of the DC Humane Rescue Alliance early Tuesday morning.

While Ollie is at large, 13 DC public schools have gone on alert status, "which includes moving activities indoors," DCPS spokesperson Michelle Lerner tells Washingtonian. The affected schools are Murch, Lafayette, Deal, Hardy, Hearst, Key, Eaton, Janney, Mann, Stoddert, Wilson, Oyster-Adams, and West. "In an abundance of caution, DCPS has explicitly suspended outside play until further notice," Deal Principal James Albright told parents in an email that describes Ollie as "pretty entrepreneurial." Albright continues: "The National Zoo is on the edge of our school zone and Ollie is still not found. This stands until further notice is issued."

Do not approach Ollie if you see her. Bobcats "are not known to be aggressive to humans," the zoo says, and pose no danger. But still. If you see Ollie, take notes on where and when, and call 202-633-7362.

The zoo also offered more details on Ollie's escape: She "likely climbed through a small opening in the mesh net that encloses her habitat," it says, continuing:

The industrial grade mesh measures 2 inches by 2 inches. During an inspection yesterday, keepers noticed that one piece of the mesh was broken forming a larger hole, approximately 5 inches by 5 inches. Ollie is an adept climber and would have been able to climb and crawl through the hole. For more about the species, read the Bobcat section of the Zoo's website.

Washingtonian has skimmed that section of the zoo's website and can confirm it is very informative.

In a grotesque overabundance of stupidity.

Coyotes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqVE9qfg7yI


...they have living wild in Rock Creek Park - in which the National Zoo is situated. My niece and nephew grew up in a house with a yard that was visited by Bobcat, Coyote, Black Bear, Moose, and, I'm willing to say, Mountain Lion. Gray Wolf within a mile. There's never been a record of a Bobcat scratching anyone. All the other aforementioned have records of killing adults of our species of monkey. Not to mention dogs and other humans. One wonders how either one ever made it beyond age three.

Small wonder the products of our educational system get into the glider scene and demand their birds ship equipped with backup loops and won't tow without extremely safe weak links.

[Steve Davy]

Some DC Schools Suspend Outdoor Activities Because of Rogue North Island brown kiwi.
Oskar the Kiwi's escape has ruined recess.

Andrew Beaujon - 2017/01/31

Oskar the Kiwi is still missing from Smithsonian’s National Zoo. In a news release, the zoo says it has received tips from neighbors that suggest the 6-pound bird may be in the Woodley Park or Cleveland Park neighborhoods of Northwest DC. It deployed a search party that includes zookeepers, zoo cops, and members of the DC Humane Rescue Alliance early Tuesday morning.

While Oskar is at large, 13 DC public schools have gone on alert status, "which includes moving activities indoors," DCPS spokesperson Michelle Lerner tells Washingtonian. The affected schools are Murch, Lafayette, Deal, Hardy, Hearst, Key, Eaton, Janney, Mann, Stoddert, Wilson, Oyster-Adams, and West. "In an abundance of caution, DCPS has explicitly suspended outside play until further notice," Deal Principal James Albright told parents in an email that describes Oskar as "pretty entrepreneurial." Albright continues: "The National Zoo is on the edge of our school zone and Oskar is still not found. This stands until further notice is issued.

Do not approach Oskar if you see her. Kiwis "are not known to be aggressive to humans," the zoo says, and pose no danger. But still. If you see Oskar, take notes on where and when, and call 202-633-7362.

The zoo also offered more details on Oskar's escape: She "likely climbed through a small opening in the mesh net that encloses her habitat," it says, continuing:

The industrial grade mesh measures 2 inches by 2 inches. During an inspection yesterday, keepers noticed that one piece of the mesh was broken forming a larger hole, approximately 5 inches by 5 inches. Oskar is an adept climber and would have been able to climb and crawl through the hole. For more about the species, read the Kiwi section of the Zoo's website.

Washingtonian has skimmed that section of the zoo's website and can confirm it is very informative.

[Tad Eareckson]

Belize Morning One - 2015/12/31 - Community Baboon Sanctuary, canoe trip down the Belize River from first upstream to first downstream landing, six miles. Accesses are steep...

http://8itchyfeet.com/page/2/

http://8itchyfeetdotcom1.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/dsc08705.jpg

...but general terrain is flat - meaning river has a hard time figuring out which way to go and therefore winds the hell all over the place. Still rainy season so high level / flow rate. Narrow with steepish banks in forested area means views from the river are limited to up as far as your eyes permit, short left and right, where you've been to the last bend, where you're going to the next bend. Not much in the way of down due to the sediment load.

First mile is WAY more interesting than the last mile 'cause the habitat's the same and thus after a bit just about everything you see is a rerun.

Male Green Iguanas in orange breeding plumage...

http://www.dreamchaser.org/garya/GoingsOn/Winter2010_11/BelizeGuatemala/BaboonSanctuary/baboonsanctuary.html

http://www.dreamchaser.org/garya/GoingsOn/Winter2010_11/BelizeGuatemala/BaboonSanctuary/BelizeGuatemala_745_20110121_BaboonSanctuary_Iguana_web.jpg
http://jhumbrachtphotography.com/2015/01/26/the-green-iguana-conservation-project-san-ignacio-resort-hotel/

http://i2.wp.com/jhumbracht.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/dsc_0249-1.jpg

...are pretty easy to spot...

http://howlerhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Howler-House-Neighbour-650x487.jpg


...as the idea is to be blindingly obvious to potential rival males and mate females. Find a male and look around him a bit carefully and you're probably gonna score a green camouflaged female within a few feet.

http://8itchyfeet.com/page/2/

http://8itchyfeetdotcom1.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/dsc08701.jpg

In the absence of dinosaurs (you're only about 280 miles SSW of the asteroid impact point) they're pretty reasonable facsimiles.

The Black Howler Monkeys in the riverside treetops (also see above)...

http://moon.com/2016/01/best-wildlife-spotting-belize-cayes/

http://deathstar-650a.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Belize_baboonsanctuary_LebawitLilyGirma.jpg
Lebawit Lily Girma

...are everywhere and way easier than the Iguanas and totally unconcerned regarding the big monkeys in the boats below.

http://www.mybelize.net/there-are-no-actual-baboons-in-the-community-baboon-sanctuary/

http://8itchyfeet.com/page/2/

http://8itchyfeetdotcom1.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/dsc08827.jpg

Wish I'd known you could do that when I was there.

Saw a river access trail of a...

http://belize-travel-blog.chaacreek.com/2014/07/six-iconic-belizean-animals/

http://belize-travel-blog.chaacreek.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Tapir-1.jpg

...Baird's Tapir, the country's national mammal, that Russell informed us had been used the previous night. I'd never expected to see the actual beast and was pretty happy to get that much. Largest of the three American tapir species and largest land mammal south of the Rio Grande (Mexico, Central and South America) - up to 400 kilograms / 880 pounds.

Six foot croc but at breathing depth along the shore in muddy water so just enough of a short look to say it was a croc.

And we've already discussed the wonderful little Proboscis Bats.

I know we saw lotsa interesting birds but the reptiles and mammals were what was best burned into memory from this hop.

[Steve Davy]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/01/politics/ollie-the-bobcat-national-zoo-missing-found/

Delighted to read that Ollie has been safely captured before some Brad Barkley type total dickhead got a chance to save the school kids from certain death.

[Tad Eareckson]

What with Emperor Bob's paramount concern for the safety of people of varying ages I'm really surprised that he didn't propose a ten mile radius poison bait campaign.
...
Brown/Striped Basilisk, Basiliscus vittatus. On the Morning One river trip, the crocodile paddle that night, Crooked Tree (I'm pretty sure) on Full Day Two, running across the dirt road on hind legs in front of us somewhere...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_basilisk
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steveharbula/6968443212/

Steve Harbula

This is one of the four species of Jesus lizards (Suborder Iguania). Easy to see around water edges hanging out on branches hanging low over or descending into the water. Paddle or drift too close and you WILL see them running on it.

http://www.belizesavannaguesthouse.com/

Belize Savanna Guest House

http://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/6775707063/

Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary - Bernard DuPont

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_basilisk
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Basiliscus_vittatus_lizard_on_a_rock%2C_Costa_Rica_%282009%29.jpg


Pretty cool.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8797121@N07/2502271484/

Bill Taylor

[Tad Eareckson]

Belize Day Two - Headed north to Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary.

http://www.belizeaudubon.org/?page_id=3613


MAJOR wildlife habitat resource of global importance and fame.

http://www.belizeaudubon.org/?page_id=3613


Yeah, it's that beautiful and the weather's always like that. (Which makes one wonder where all that fresh water's coming from.)

Nice comfortable tour boats which go really slow or fast...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rareplanet/4473853604/

Jason Houston
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27727337@N04/8596384496/

Larry Kay

...as called for by the circumstances.

Happy with our guide - head not up ass, recognized that his two clients weren't totally clueless. Within a few minutes of puttering north from the dock (back towards the causeway) close to the west shore he'd gotten us a beautifully front-lit pair of Bat Falcons. I forgave him for not immediately flooring the outboard and beelining us to within twenty yards in order to maximize our prime viewing time, as is the custom for approaching falcons on Tobago, and appreciated him holding prime viewing position heedless of the danger to which we and our craft were exposed (Trinidad Toucans).

THIS:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyyeomans/7232239886/

Tony Yeomans - 2012/05/03 - Belize

could very well be one of the pair we saw. The Crooked Tree Bat Falcons are pretty reliable and brain dead easy but after that our guide could do no wrong. Stayed and soaked in the view until guilt about not exploring other stuff set in.

Note: When I was trying to figure out what flavor of falcon I'd seen diving on the Lesser Bulldog Bat over Grande Riviere Bay and for long thereafter I was totally blanking on the fact that I'd already seen this species a wee bit over a year prior.

Apple Snail egg cluster:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jroldenettel/4411975342/

Jerry Oldenettel

Untold zillions of them...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27727337@N04/8596384742/

Larry Kay

...above the high water level on stems of aquatic plants everywhere you look. Makes two specialized bird species - the Limpkin:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pazzani/16487115836/

Mike Pazzani
http://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/6776018567/

Bernard DuPont

and Snail Kite:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattymc/8307444277/

Patty McGann
http://www.flickr.com/photos/129510055@N06/23739111779/

Stewart Bentley
http://www.flickr.com/photos/closebirdencounters/16930369681/

Brandon Caswell
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pajarero/17003297752/

Mark Faherty

very happy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/avian_pursuits/4661127372/

David Trently

Northern Jacana:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nclarkii/23813940770/

Pierson Hill
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/northern-jacana-andrew-mcinnes.html

Andrew McInnes

Also walks on water (sort of), all over the place in the right habitats, tend not to get tired of looking at them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lsirvio/9378281168/

Larry Sirvio

http://www.flickr.com/photos/132845718@N08/26207863655/

Alison Mews
http://travellingboomer.com/birds-bats-crocs-trip-new-river-belize-river/

http://i2.wp.com/travellingboomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Anhinga-Belize.jpg
Paul Marshman

[Tad Eareckson]

Back at the dock, Bird's Eye View Lodge for lunch. A staffer arrives and reports a Jabiru Stork...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/129510055@N06/23738947279/

Stewart Bentley
http://www.flickr.com/photos/129510055@N06/23998840482/

May Haga
http://world.std.com/~eva/belize.html

Birds of Belize
http://www.belizejunglemasters.com/tours/crooked-tree-baboon-sanctuary/


...about a mile back down the road. Lunch can wait.

Ours is in a small wet field with grass the better part of a foot high. We get out of the car and the bird doesn't seem to be the least bit concerned about our presence. Stabs his bill into the ground at frequent intervals. I'm happy not to be something on his menu.

With Wood Storks:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95180531@N08/14267965003/

Nancy Cunningham

to give a better appreciation of the size of these asteroid survivors.

And after getting our visual fill, back at lunch, speaking of asteroid survivors...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctenosaura_similis
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/CtenosauraSimilis.jpg

Christian Mehlführer

Had first of many encounters with Black Spiny-Tailed Iguanas. Also recall them at Shipstern Nature Reserve and Xunantunich.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89084793@N04/31543762384/

Susan Brown
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37247779@N07/8231819996/

troupial
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50657948361_90716a53e8_o.jpg

Ty Ficker

[Tad Eareckson]

An interesting Crooked Tree species I neglected to mention...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattymc/13491509564/

Patty McGann

Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture. Obviously very closely related to the Turkey Vulture but:
- range restricted to areas of Central and South America
- flies:
-- alone
-- low - harrier height
- likes wetlands and moist fields
- differences in colors of:
-- plumage
-- head (obviously)

I was rather pleased with myself after I learned to target distant suspect birds which would be verified when the range decreased sufficiently.

Next morning - 2017/01/02 - back at the Community Baboon Sanctuary / Nature Resort (where we were staying) did the Howler Monkey walk. Guide howls a territorial challenge in the patch of forest across the road and a couple football fields back east and the troop goes nuts and comes right in. Much better than feeding them...

http://8itchyfeet.com/page/2/

http://8itchyfeetdotcom1.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/dsc08806.jpg

...which is illegal...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/natalia930/2452411396/

Natalia

...and harms the wildlife.

http://8itchyfeetdotcom1.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/dsc08823.jpg


Bailed around checkout time and headed north through Orange Walk and on up to Corozal - northernmost town in Belize, practically engulfed by Mexico. One night comfortable stay at the Las Palmas Hotel - owned by a fellow Yank (Charlie, Alaskan).

Next day - target Sarteneja and back out to civilization - was brutal. Seventy road miles, about 57 of them off of any reasonably definition of The Grid.

http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/89302
The long winding and bumpy road to Sarteneja | Channel5Belize.com

Mike Rudon - 2013/08/15



The forty miles from Orange Walk Town felt more like one hundred. What should have been a relatively short trip turned into a bone-jarring, uncomfortable nightmare which lasted two hours. At least some portions of the road, from the Progresso cutoff through Little Belize to Chunox, were rehabilitated in 2011 through funding by the EU. But there was no maintenance by the Ministry of Works.

That photo is a good representation of one of the better stretches I had to work with. At the bottom end of the scale I had bodies of water I was afraid to take the all wheel drive Kia Sorento rental into. But I always managed to come out the other sides without slipping - going super slow and carefully.

Couple of hand cranked ferries, Pueblo Nuevo (Corozal / Progresso Road) and Copper Bank / Chunox, early in the excursion. Got a great look at a young (about three foot) beautifully patterned crocodile...

http://mythatchedhut.com/category/travel/belize/

http://mythatchedhut.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Croc-1.jpg

...sunning himself up on a bank a few yards to starboard on the first boat and I manned the crank solo for bits of both crossings - just so I would be able to say I had.

I believe it was between the two ferry crossings that we had a HUGE herd of Coatis...

http://8itchyfeet.com/page/2/

http://8itchyfeetdotcom1.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/dsc09090.jpg

...(White-Nosed - same species that makes it up into the US southwest) crossing the road from left to right in pretty much single file a hundred yards or so ahead of us. Vegetation was maybe chest-high scrub.

Short stop at the Shipstern Nature Reserve. By far most intense mosquito attack of the two tropics trips but I'll take them over chiggers any day and nothing compared to the salt marsh mosquitos I've experienced on the Atlantic coast in this neck of the woods. Needed lunch and slogged on to Sarteneja.

Finally made it to that end of the line. Boy was I glad I'd had the GPS receiver to monitor progress and keep morale up to an adequate level. Had a decent lunch, looked around a bit, punched Orange Walk into the Garmin...

Don't think our average speed made it into double digits. It was roosting time when we cleared Progresso Bay on the south end of Chunox Road and stopped to watch some interesting avian action at a pond at the intersection with Progresso / San Estevan Road. Dark by the time we got back down to Orange Walk after another thirteen miles.

That was the most demanding and tiring stint of driving of my entire life. (Sharing it with HM (I discovered (confirmed) within the initial half mile) was not anything anywhere close to a viable option.) Must've been about six hours of visually mapping potholes, ruts, washboarding, puddles, swamps, tire tracks and making decisions about probable best paths and speeds. The main benefits of the experience were an appreciation of just how bad the situation was and a lot of sympathy for the locals who needed to deal with it on a regular or frequent basis.

[Tad Eareckson]

2016/01/03

Orange Walk, Lamanai Riverside Retreat, proprietor - Rawell Pelayo. Google him. Volunteered his story to me the next morning. That version had him entirely the victim of circumstances and errors. After doing some research on the issue I'd wager not - but he's very accomplished and talented and I found him quite likeable.

2016/01/04

Lotsa Jacana entertainment along the riverbank and a wonderful little Ferruginous Pygmy Owl posing nicely (well into the morning) on a utility pole within thirty yards of the room.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tyficker/16585384765/

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52005112836_85dd6aba77_o.jpg
Ty Ficker - Lamanai, Orange Walk

(HM insists this sighting was a Mottled Owl. May have gotten a better look than I did but Ferruginous Pygmies are:
-- tiny
-- common
-- pretty cool with daylight activities
and my impression was strong pygmy.)

Bailed from Orange Walk, pushed the button for Lost Reef Inn, Riversdale. First half mile of the Coastal Highway looks like a clone of the Sarteneja access roads. 180 back to The Belize Zoo. Ask a uniform leading a tour - whom I later realize was the Director, Sharon Matola - if my suspicions about the road were well founded. Right. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES...

Do the zoo (which was wonderful (write-up to come)) and reroute to the coast via Belmopan and the Hummingbird Highway.

2016/01/05

My first confirmed Frigatebirds. (May have had them in my field of vision by the time I'd reached Anole catching age (three, four) when my father was stationed at Key West.)

Hit the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in the afternoon. Extensive forest, wet (been raining a bit), modest sprinkling of mosquitos, not a bad set for a Tarzan movie. Start doing the trail out of the headquarters, wasn't long before:

http://uvmbelize2012.blogspot.com/2012/02/aswe-packed-up-our-belongings-as-well.html

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fnPSciAc0jE/T0VNUrcls_I/AAAAAAAAAAg/_QOLJMqIqTk/s1600/Cockscomb,+Jaguar+Paw+Print.jpg

The tracks we saw could've been laid down within the previous hour - no sign of effects from rain. That was as much as I'd dared to hope for.

As I've mentioned before I've got a back problem which compels me to sit and decompress my lower spine periodically. So as I'm starting to go numb from the waist down I target a footbridge - quite possibly this one:

http://www.belizeaudubon.org/?page_id=3605

http://www.belizeaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/bas_cockscomb_basin_5.jpg
Belize Audubon Society - Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

Face upstream, lower myself with hands at sides, left hand at far edge. Feel a little prick, maybe splinter, near the tip of my little finger. Examine and there's a fairly robust ant with her jaws clamped down hard, body arched, and the other end pumping venom. Then a burning off-the-scale pain kicked in.

Tried to scrape her off but that wasn't working - she was either clamped too hard or reclamping too quickly. The pain situation wasn't improving as she continued to pump so I crushed her - which was something I really hadn't wanted to do and have always felt bad about.

Thought I must've disturbed a colony and knew I wasn't gonna be able to regain my footing and exit in any short order and was bracing for the follow-up attack but nothing else happened - no sign of any other ants around. So how come a lone foraging worker took that action? I'm pretty sure I wasn't the one who'd initiated contact.

Gave a description to one of the staffers on the way out. "Fire Ant?" Nope, I'd seen a colony or two of those back at our first base of operations and they were little jobs. "Bullet Ant?" Yeah, quite likely. I'd already heard of them courtesy PBS.

Update:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ants/game-04.html
NOVA | Master of the Killer Ants | Amazing Ants Game image 4 | PBS

Bullet ant
Species: Paraponera clavata
Think honeybees and paper wasps have a painful sting? This ant has a jab that produces debilitating pain that can last up to 24 hours. P. clavata uses its powerful sting not only as a defensive mechanism if threatened but also as a weapon while foraging. The indigenous Sateré-Mawé people of Brazil use bullet ants in a painful initiation ritual, in which youths on the brink of manhood repeatedly don hand-woven gloves laced with dozens of live bullet ants.

Yeah, that fits pretty well. 'Cept I was surprised at how quickly the effects dialed down. After maybe fifteen minutes I wasn't feeling much.

Another Update:

Belize is almost likely a fair bit out of their range. Shouldn't have assumed the staffer knew what he was talking about in this department.

Anyway...

http://www.walkstool.com/comfort
Walkstool Comfort | Walkstool

http://www.walkstool.com/sites/default/files/ws_comfort_45_screen.png

One of those went down on the next trip to T&T with me. Well built; weighs and collapses to zilch; sets up, collapses, stows quickly and neatly. There when you want or need it, hugely reduced likelihood of negative interactions with local wildlife. Also works in airports, museums, shopping malls. Totally love it. Paid for itself before the first trail was done.

2016/01/06

Bailed for Crystal Paradise Resort, Cristo Rey, San Ignacio area. En route young mom carrying a 2.8 year old kid. Wanna ride? Sure, thanks. Thinking she'd just be going home some part of a mile but had actually been bound for a bus stop and was headed to Belmopan - thirty-some miles through the mountainous area.

Approaching a ridge several beautifully lit White Hawks...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountainpath/59213337/

Kent Nickell
http://www.markprettinaturetours.com/belize_photo_gallery.htm

Belize Photo Gallery - Misty Vaughn

...are working light lift low. They're glowing like egrets and look really out of place in that really lush green forest environment.

Kid starts exploring from the back seat, uses my right arm as a handrail. I'm having to do a lot of shifting so it's not a very good handrail. Thought occurs to me that he's most assuredly not strapped into anything along the lines of a child seat and that configuration would be a felony in the US. But in Belize you see large families and extended families flying around in the backs of pickups all the freakin' time. I shift into hyper alert mode to minimize the possibility of him exiting through the windshield.

Mom was worried about OUR safety. There'd just been the discovery of the body of a murdered Canadian filmmaker, Matthiew Klinck, the day before very near our destination. (And Anne Swaney, a tourist from Chicago, was murdered in that neck of the woods about a mile NE of Xunantunich a few days after we'd blown that scene.)

We reach the Belmopan destination in great shape and mom and kid wave bye-bye all smiles for a couple minutes. Then on to San Ignacio, lunch, Crystal Paradise.

Had one of these:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebriccetti/3349715803/

Eleanor Briccetti - Panama
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motmot

Stephen Turner

before the afternoon was done. Blue-Crowned Motmot - pretty wide range through lotsa Central and South America. Made themselves pretty available to us on Tobago (but stayed out of sight on Trinidad) a year later. Order Coraciiformes with the kingfishers, bee-eaters, rollers, todies. Another bird one should never tire of seeing.