Belize's 1st Pelagic Trip, Warbler Mania on Halfmoon Caye Blog #5

So this has been what many Belizean Birders have been waiting for, a Pelagic Birding Trip. For those of who don't know a Pelagic is a trip that goes out in the open ocean look for seabirds (boobies, shearwaters, storm-petrels etc)

This trip has been in planning from the beginning of the year and thanks to the chief Roni Martinez and the Belize Audubon Society the day has come. We boarded the Booby at the Old Belize Marina to start our journey out to the Lighthouse Reef Atoll we had a pretty solid group of birders Roni Martinez, Fidelio Montes , Isaias Morataya, Diego Cruz, Eduardo Ruano, Marcos Corado, Meshack Eliah, Eric Tut and myself. Before the trip even started Eduardo, Marcos and I managed to stumble upon a Brown Noddy in Belize City.

The Booby 

Brown Noddy 

So we took hour two hour journey and our first stop within the Lighthouse Reef Atoll was at a caye called Northern 2 it was supposed to be some sort of mega resort on the atoll but it never really took off ( thankfully) so now the island is abandoned buildings that have become fishing camps and an abandoned airstrip. A perfect stopover point for migrating birds before long we were picking up migrants such as Palm Warblers, Blue Grosbeak, Dickcissels, Merlin, Peregrine Falcons and my first pair of lifers an Acadian Flycatcher and a Prairie Warbler. Other than birds we stumbled across an Allison's Anole an Anole that's found only on a few Islands in the Caribbean.

Allison's Anole 

Acadian Flycatcher

Royal Tern 

After birding the island a bit we had lunch which for us consisted mainly of bread, canned sausages and cheese followed by some fresh coconut water (can't beat that haha) and some talk about HAARP, conspiracy theories and evolution. After Northern 2 we headed across to Sandbore Caye where I fell of the pier with my camera and phone luckily a managed to save my camera but my phone was finished. Well I little fall can't stop the birding jam so I took off my shoes and continued birding the island where we had good looks at some nesting Ospreys, a whole drove of Palm Warblers and a Yellow Warbler that was having us thinking Orange-crowned Warbler.

Brown Noddy at Sandbore

Osprey 

Palm Warbler 

Confusing Yellow Warbler 

After Sandbore Caye we headed to Halfmoon Caye. On the way we passed a very sad sight, a ship that had run aground on our beautiful Belizean barrier reef. It's quite an eyesore and a remembrance of how we are slowly destroying mother earth. The good thing was that  Brown Pelicans, an Osprey and a Merlin were on the ship.



We docked at Halfmoon Caye, set up camp and went to do what we do best, birding. We managed to pick up some good birds although we were losing light. We had a Mourning Dove, Male Painted Bunting and some more of the warblers we had earlier in the day. The Sunset at Halfmoon Caye was beautiful, so beautiful that I managed to capture just the end of it.




We settled in to camp had some some great birder talk, made dinner with headlamps as there is no electricity for the campsite, the coffee addicts (I wont call any name) made their coffee and we headed off to our tents and hammocks. Halfmoon Caye gets a lot of wind and that night was no different, we had strong winds blowing throughout the night at one point my tent was beginning to collapse on me so I had to get out and fix it. We survived so it was all good.

The wonderful sunrise at Halfmoon Caye

The day was here PELAGIC! time. But before the pelagic we did an early morning walk on the caye, we picked up some great migratory birds like the very shy Swainson's Warbler, a beautiful male Painted Bunting, Black-throated Green Warblers, Palm Warblers, Ovenbirds, Cape May Warbler and the list could go on, by the end of the checklist we has about 24 species of warbler! But the highlight of the morning birding came about when I was showering, Eduardo uttered two words that made the entire team stop what they were doing.... Townsend's Warbler!!!!! Within 10 seconds the whole team was there, some even in their towels haha. The Townsend's Warbler winters on the Pacific coast of Central America but somehow one wonder out to the most eastern part of Belize, amazing stuff. This was the first record for Townsend's warbler for Belize on eBird and we had photos.

Townsend's Warbler

Female Hooded Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Male Painted Bunting

Red-footed Booby

Magnificent Frigatebird

Red-footed Booby

Cape May Warbler

After breakfast and coming down off the high that was caused by the Townsend's Warbler we boarded the Booby once more, our plan was set we were going to head out 5 mile north east of Halfmoon Caye in search of some pelagic birds. The sea was pretty rough but that was expected we were prepared for it  well at least some of us haha. We stopped at 2.5 miles out an tossed some bait fish and waited for a bit, all eyes glued to the horizon scanning diligently for any signs of life. The boat tossed and turned in surf but we continued looking, after we had no birds we continued east another 2.5 miles, by that time one of our birders had already lost their breakfast due to sea sickness. We threw out some more bait fish and waited a bit longer but we hadn't come across any pelagic species except 2 Red-footed Boobies so we turned around and headed back to halfmoon.

The blues of Halfmoon Caye

Back on land we had another 2 hours to spare before we went back to the mainland, we were at one of the 4 atolls that are in the Western hemisphere so we had to get some snorkeling done. The reef right near the island is pretty good for snorkeling we had Barracudas, puffer fish, parrot fish ( a lifer?) and even the very beautiful Rock Beauty.





Back to camp we began packing up to leave one of the most beautiful places in the world. While we were packing up we had an unexpected visitor a male Black-throated Blue Warbler, one of the most beautiful species of warbler. He was right in the coconut tree over Eric's hammock, like he just wanted to tell us goodbye.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

That time had come, back to the city, we were back aboard the Booby getting ready to endure the 2 hr boat ride back. We passed by a flock of terns feeding nothing too special but as we passed near where the cruise ships dock this large bird began to fly towards us, the flight seemed almost falcon like it had white under the wings and was quite brown, it flew right by the boat and Roni yelled "jaeger" (a huge mistake because this was one of the target birds for the pelagic trip so all the birders went to one side of the boat and almost toppled it haha) all of us managed to get some brief looks at it, just as fast as it came it disappeared but we were certain it was a Pomarine Jaeger! pelagic species check! and only a mere 10 miles from the mainland imagine that. That was the icing on the cake for this trip.

The Crew

We managed to complete Belize's first pelagic, we had some amazing birds, everyone had a life birds but most of all a group of people who are passoniate about birds came together and did what we love. Birding is more than just about birds but also about the people we meet and bond with I'm thankful we have such a tight birding community in Belize and I'm looking forward to the next pelagic trip.


eBird Checklists:

https://ebird.org/ebird/camerica/view/checklist/S39821081
https://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39821451
https://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39821450
https://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39821446
https://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39821387
https://ebird.org/ebird/camerica/view/checklist/S39860258
https://ebird.org/ebird/camerica/view/checklist/S39860261
https://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39821368
https://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39821366
https://ebird.org/ebird/camerica/view/checklist/S39821059

Operation Black Phoebe Blog #4

Where the Roaring River meets the Belize River 

From I began birding I've always wanted to see a Black Phoebe. Something about this bird had me drawn to it, I mean it's a black flycatcher with a contrasting white belly who loves rapids a strange combination but cool none the less.

I had some free time so I decided to use it to search for the Phoebe. This first step was to find where this little bird would be so I went to my trusty friend called eBird to look for recent sightings.

eBird map of Phoebe Sightings 

 As seen on the map above the Cayo district is definitely the place to go for Mr Phoebe. The latest sighting at that time was at the Xunantunich ferry so I was planning to go there but then I realized it's like a 3 hr bus ride which wasn't a problem I mean it's a Black Phoebe. To be sure I checked with the chief Roni to see if I had a good chance at Xunantunich. He told me to try Guanacaste National Park instead and if I wasn't successful there to try Ian Anderson's Caves Branch. So I adjusted my plans, I contacted my friend Jose from Guanacaste and we were set to meet up in the morning and start operation Black Phoebe.

Guanacaste National Park managed by the Belize Audubon Society 

I arrived at Guanacaste a little before 8 which is very late for birding. I missed two buses because of my social life the night before but I was here and ready to find this Phoebe. I stopped at the office and chatted with my uncle the park manager.  Soon Jose arrived and we were off to look for the Phoebe, this was my first time birding the park but Jose is a ranger there so I was in good hands. 

On the trail we started to hear some birds, Northern Barred Woodcreeper, Hooded Warblr and the usual Spot Breasted Wren. We reached our first stop for the Pheobe, a lookout over the Roaring River, we had looks at  Boat-billed Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee and Social flycatcher the 3 derby flycatchers that inhabit Belize but no Phoebe. 

We continued moving along the trail, we had a pair of Pale-billed Woodpeckers, a summer Tanager calling from it's winter home, a pair of Dusky-capped Flycatchers and some Black-headed Saltators calling in the distance.

Pale-billed Woodpecker 

We reached the next stop for the Phoebe, it was where the Roaring River meets the Belize River, a beautiful piece of the country. Here we had brief looks at both Amazon and Green Kingfisher, some Neotropic Comorants, Spotted Sandpipers ( I swear these are everywhere) and to my surprise a Band-backed Wren a lifer for me came right in front of us I had some good looks at the highly arboreal wren but didn't get a good shot but mien was I happy that I saw this bird he was right alongside the Phoebe on the list of birds I must see. We got the Wren but again to Phoebe.

Roaring River 

Horrible shot of the Band-backed Wren (Lifer!)

Immature Gray Hawk

We dipped on the Black Phoebe in Guanacaste but I did manage to score the Band-backed Wren. The next stop was at Caves Branch which Roni had arranged for us the day before. We stopped for a quick breakfast in Belmopan where we had a small flock of migrating Eastern Kingbirds. We hit the Hummingbird Highway(the most scenic highway in Belize) on the way to Caves Branch, we were on motor cycle so birds easier to spot. We stopped for a strange look raptor, it had a very long tail almost resembling an accipiter but it turned out to be and immature Gray Hawk, there was also and Ornate Hawk-eagle calling in the area but no looks at him.

We arrived at  at Caves Branch a wonderful lodge nestled in the jungle near the Caves Branch River, perfect Black Phoebe Habitat.  We were greeted by a nice lady by the name of Ella and she gave us a short but sweet tour of her botanical garden which was filled with epiphytes a group of plants that I believed is often overlooked. But Ella is very knowledgeable and passionate about them and she's willing to share that knowledge with anyone willing to learn. So I'll have to come back to get my full tour and learn quite a bit more. Pineapples and Orchids are both epiphytes something new I learned that day.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Ella showing me and Jose around.

Ferns!!!

After the wonderful tour we were given access to the lodge grounds to search for the Phoebe, we headed straight to the river. But right beside the river was a pool and guess who was hanging out there? Yes! the Black Phoebe himself like he was just waiting there for us, it was an epic moment. Two years ago I'd never thought that I'd jump on a bus and on the back of a motorcycle to go find a bird but I did and it was an awesome experience. 

Black Phoebe lifer!!!!!!!!!

I was so excited that a messed up my camera settings and only got a moderately good photo. We stayed around to try and get a couple more shots but nothing great. We picked up  Yellow-olive Flycatcher, Northern Waterthrush, Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night heron and even a Buteogallus soaring high that gave us some ID trouble (write in the comments if you know what it is).

Yellow-crowned Night Herons

Buteogallus sp

 After caves branch we headed to St Herman's Blue Hole to try out the Dusky Antbird Trail. We had White-tipped and Gray headed doves, Red-troated Ant Tanagers, White-collared Swifts, a pair of Northern-barred Woodcreepers and a Lesson's Motmot giving a very weird vocalization.

Very simple park rules

Red-throated Ant Tanager

We moved over to the main office of the Blue Hole and did the lowland trail for about 30 minutes. It was pretty hot and bird activity was very low but we did have a good look at a Tawny-winged Woodcreeper and some other critters like a pair of Gray Foxes and a Rainbow Ameiva. After this we decided to call it a day so we headed over to Wingstop in Belmopan to get some drinks and food, this best way to end a good day birding.

Gray Foxes

The day was a real exceptional one I got to hang out with my good friend Jose, if you're ever going to Guanacaste to look for birds make sure you ask for Jose he knows that place well. Caves Branch has a drove of information for those who are willing to learn, meeting Ella who is as passionate about epiphytes as I am about birds was great, birders should go there and learn about these plants, they go hand in hand in birding. Operation Black Phoebe was successful and the day went 10 times better than I had expected.

I wanna thank Roni Martinez for the info on the Phoebe and arranging for us to visit Caves Branch, Ella Anderson for giving us that wonderful tour and giving us access to Caves Branch ( I will be back).

eBird checklists: 

Guanacaste National Park

Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Jungle Lodge

St. Herman's Blue Hole NP--Dusky Antbird Trail

St. Herman's Blue Hole NP

Birding the unbirded road. Blog #2

Yes another Crooked Tree blog. Like I said in the previous blog Crooked Tree is a birding hotspot and it's not just the egrets ,ibises, cormorants, storks and herons that call the lagoon and waterways home.We have vireos, warblers, woodpeckers and whole bunch of other "land dwelling" (I don't think land dwelling is a good term to describe birds) birds. Since I've begun birding I've failed at trying to class the village of Crooked Tree as one sole habitat. I mean it's primarily cashew trees? with Pine, Oak, Palmetto and even few patches of Broadleaf. This mixture offers some good birding.

Crooked Tree

Crooked Tree has been where I've done a lot my birding in my short time as a birder mainly because I spend a lot of time here, my grandfather was born and raised in Crooked Tree so I'm often visiting. I've been birding the same patches over and over so I decided to try somewhere different, there is this road know by the villagers as the Big Pond Road, before the highway was built it was used to connect the villages of Crooked Tree and Carmelita, now that there's a highway vehicular traffic is almost none existent. Perfect for birding!!!!

The beginning of the Big Road

I tried get out before sunrise but I wasn't successful, I managed to start my journey to the Big Pond Road at 5:30. Me and my cousin hopped on our beach cruisers and headed out, we had to ride about 15 minutes through the village before we reached the road.Yellow-green Vireos, Rufous-browed Peppershikes, Clay-colored Thrushes, Thick-billed Seedfinches and a Bright-rumped Attila all participated in the morning chorus.

Birding by beachcruiser

Female Thick-billed Seedfinch

We continued riding along until the sand got too thick for the bikes. We stashed the bikes in the bushes and continued by foot which in my opinion is the best way to bird. Olive Sparrows,White-bellied Wrens and Northern Cardinals were very much present along this road calling from within the brush and some bravely coming into the open. Pale-vented pigeons were quite common and even a few Barred Antshrikes were present with their awesome calls.

The sand got too thick for the bikes.

Not 1 but 3 Olive Sparrows

A very young Vermilion Flycatcher

The road narrows 

The road began to narrow and the vegetation began to change, less signs of humans? yes more birds? yes!!! We came upon what was supposed to be the big pond, the road's namesake but it was more of a marsh it did give me a good look at low flying Aplomado Falcon. A large Oak tree had a great mixed flock of birds such as White-bellied Wrens, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Spot-breasted Wrens, Scrub Euphonias, even a Northern Cardinal and a Buff-bellied Hummingbird were there, that was a treat to see all those birds in that one area.

A young Roadside Hawk

We continued on for a bit along the road but I stopped when a heard an almost mournful call, I listened some more just to be sure and it was certainly the call of a Collared Forest Falcon! in my book that a damn good bird for Crooked Tree. By this time the morning sun was starting to "lick" ( as we Belizeans would say) so we started our journey back passing by a young Roadside Hawk calling for its mom, a male Canivet's Emerald who almost hit me in the face (who doesn't like a feisty hummingbird?) , a Laughing Falcon way off in the distance, two species of warblers the migrant Yellow Warbler (Northern) and the local and very much at home in Crooked Tree Grace's Warbler.

Camp David was found on the way back.

This area was very good for birding it had some very intact pine-oak forest and a nice mix of species I managed to get 70 species but I did  miss some very easy birds to get in Crooked Tree like the Yucatan Jay (how did I miss this jay????)  and Yucatan Flycatcher.

I fear that it may not continue to be that way for years to come because of the fact that I found some property markers and large areas were already fenced off, I could also hear the trucks passing on the Phillip Goldson Highway. I hope when I come back to bird this area it isn't cleared out and made into a cattle pasture ( this seems to be the trend in Crooked Tree).

I believe that the village of Crooked Tree can benefit a lot from bird tourism. But currently from what I can see the village is against conservation which isn't good for the birds. But I believe there is hope that Crooked Tree will change and become a great example of how beneficial a community within a Wildlife Sanctuary can be rather than how detrimental it is.


eBird Checklist:

https://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S38634548