Trip
Information
Date: February
1 - 13, 2010
Duration: 13
days
Leader: Colin
Jones
Limit: 12 people
Cost: $4675
USD, $5295 CDN
Single supplement $725 USD, $795 CDN
From: Belize
City, Belize
Highlights
•
Wonderful, often easy birding, with some highly localized and scarce
species numerous and obvious (e.g. Ocellated Turkey)
•
Stunning historical ruins
•
Magnificent wildlife lodges
•
Large areas of unbroken tropical forests and wetlands with a rich
and diverse fauna
Featured Birds
•
Ocellated Turkey
•
Orange-breasted Falcon
•
Tody Motmot
•
Great Curassow
•
Sungrebe
•
Jabiru
•
American Pygmy Kingfisher
•
King Vulture
•
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
•
Yucatan Nightjar
•
Yucatan Parrot
Trip Summary
•
Easy to moderate walking
•
Warm days, hot on some afternoons, warm nights
•
Good to outstanding accommodation
•
Moderate amounts of driving, one long day
•
Easy neotropical birding, lots of other wildlife
•
Two boat rides, three internal flights
•
4-8 participants with one leader, 9 - 12 with two leaders
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We
plan our tour around four outstanding birding locations: Chan Chich
Lodge, Crooked Tree, Hidden Valley and Tikal. Imagine awakening to
Ocellated Turkeys gobbling outside your door, Bat Falcons perched
on a snag in the lodge grounds, Ornate Hawk-Eagle nesting close by,
or a Jaguar ambling across the road. We look for Boat-billed and Agami
Herons, Sungrebe and Jabiru and take boat rides for  potoos and pauraques
as well as Morelet’s Crocodile and Hickatee-a large river turtle.
Tikal National Park boasts over 200 species, including woodcreepers,
tanagers, cotingas, manakins, toucans, trogons, and much more. Imagine
sitting atop a magnificent Mayan pyramid with King Vultures and White
Hawks circling close by, Orange-breasted Falcons in sight, and tropical
forest canopy stretching as far the eye can see! This tour is what
dreams are made of!
See detailed itinerary
below
Previous checklists from our Belize tour:
2009 Belize and Tikal tour (174 kb pdf)
2007
Belize and Tikal tour (pdf)
2002
Belize and Tikal tour (pdf)
Click
here to download a registration form
Photos by
Cam Gillies |
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrival in Belize City
Our trip begins after supper at our hotel close to the airport. Night
near Belize City.
Day 2 – Monkey Bay and travel to Hidden Valley
We first visit the waterfront at Belize City to look for coastal species
such as Sandwich and Royal Terns and maybe a booby. Flowering gardens
nearby host Cinnamon Hummingbirds and Black-cowled and Hooded Orioles.
Then we head inland to the Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary for our first
introduction to neotropical families such as woodcreepers, honeycreepers,
motmots, manakins, maybe a puffbird. Commoner birds include Pale-vented
Pigeon, Yellow-tailed Oriole, Golden-fronted Woodpecker and Spot-breasted
Wren. Our trip along the road to Mountain Pine Ridge will be punctuated
with frequent stops, as this area is excellent for raptors – from
White Hawk to Bat Falcon to Black Hawk-eagle. Night at Hidden Valley
Lodge.
Days 3 & 4 - Hidden Valley
We explore the pine forests, broadleaf stream valleys and cliffs of
this wonderful area. In the pine forests around the lodge we look for
mixed flocks containing Grace’s Warbler amongst the northern migrants
and, with luck, we may even find a roosting Stygian Owl or Ferruginous
Pygmy-Owl. The broadleaf gullies are home to Little Hermits and Blue-crowned
Motmots, and on past tours we’ve found Tody Motmots and White-throated
Spadebills there, and the gardens of the lodge are frequented by Acorn
and Golden-olive Woodpeckers, Rusty Sparrows, Azure-crowned Hummingbirds,
Black-headed Saltators, and Yellow-tailed and Yellow-backed Orioles.
We take excursions to the nearby Thousand Foot Falls (the highest waterfall
in Central America), where we search for the rare Orange-breasted Falcon,
and to King Vulture Falls, where we will hopefully see the vultures
that gave it its name.
An early start the next morning will allow us to reach the forests and
ruins at Caracol where we will search in particular for the rare Keel-billed
Motmot amongst the ruins. The foothill forests here support a diverse
array of birds, from Crested Guans to Black-crested Coquettes, and we
should have a great day exploring this beautiful area. Nights at Hidden
Valley Lodge.
Day 5 - Travel to Tikal
Before breakfast we investigate once again the areas around the Hidden
Valley lodge, looking for mixed species flocks. We then drive to the
international border and, after crossing into Guatemala, we will bird
some of the roadside marshes and lakes. In the mid- to late afternoon
we should arrive at Tikal National Park, an internationally renowned
site for both its magnificent Mayan ruins and its incredible wealth
of wildlife. We will have some time to do a little birding around the
lodge, where we should see Ocellated Turkeys feeding close to our lodge
at dusk. Night in Tikal National Park.
Days 6 & 7 - Tikal National Park
There are few more exhilarating experiences than walking among the fabulous
Mayan ruins at Tikal and watching a wealth of wildlife, often surprisingly
unconcerned about our presence. The view atop Temple VI is amazing as
one looks in all directions over the top of unbroken tropical forest
and observes several raptors circling over the canopy. The list of potential
raptors is so impressive that it even includes Crested Eagle! Ocellated
Turkeys and Great Curassows stroll through the clearings. Motmots and
puffbirds perch quietly along forested trails and Thrush-like Manakins
(Schiffornis) whistle melodiously from the undergrowth. Mixed-species
flocks containing an interesting mixture of tanagers (led by Black-throated
Shrike-Tanagers), warblers and flycatchers move through the canopy,
while woodcreepers, ant-tanagers, and antbirds follow army ant swarms.
Our time at Tikal will be full and exciting. Nights in Tikal National
Park.
Day 8 - Tikal to Bird’s Eye View Lodge
We do some early morning birding along the old airstrip before taking
a bus to Flores where we catch a commercial flight to Belize City. Upon
arrival we head for the remarkably productive wildlife areas at Crooked
Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. En route, we look for Lesser Yellow-headed
Vultures among the very similar Turkey Vultures. Black-bellied and Fulvous
Whistling-ducks are often found in flocks of Blue-winged Teal which
overwinter in the area. Night at Bird’s Eye View Lodge.
Day 9 - Crooked Tree
The Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary is a superb area of marshes, lagoons,
and pine and hardwood forests. It has an extensive complex of shallow
lagoons streams, rivers and marshes, linked to the Belize River via
Black and Mexico Creeks. The aquatic and riverine habitats are a highlight
of our visit; we could encounter tiger-herons, Agami and Boat-billed
Herons, Snail Kite, Black-collared Hawk, Great and Common Black-Hawks,
Muscovy Duck, Sungrebe and American Pygmy Kingfisher. There are nesting
Jabirus on Western Lagoon, which we will make a special effort to locate.
Our boat trips could turn up potoos and pauraques as well as lots of
other interesting wildlife including crocodiles, turtles and fish-eating
bats. During our stay, we visit the pine savanna, with its strong Yucatán
assortment of birds — Yucatán Woodpecker, Yucatan Parrot,
Yucatán Flycatcher and Yucatán Jay. Aplomado Falcons cruise
the grasslands, and Grace’s Warblers grace the pines. The short
tropical and second-growth forest support Golden-fronted Woodpeckers,
Squirrel Cuckoos, Gray Hawks, Laughing Falcons, and an array of orioles,
saltators, flycatchers and seedeaters. Night at Bird’s Eye View
Lodge.
Day 10 - Transfer to Chan Chich
After breakfast we head back to Belize City, will take a short charter
flight to Gallon Jug, from where we transfer by van to Chan Chich Lodge,
which is in the middle of a 130,000 acre private reserve. We arrive
in time for lunch; afterwards we will do some birding around the lodge
and along the entrance road. Night in Chan Chich.
Days 11 and 12 - Chan Chich and Surroundings
At Chan Chich (“little bird” in Mayan) we explore over 9
miles of trails and experience the same sights, sounds and smells that
Maya enjoyed more than 1200 years ago. Birding starts as soon as one
wakes up. Our cabañas are situated in a clearing in the forest,
which is used as a thoroughfare for a whole suite of birds, from Ocellated
Turkeys, Great Curassows and Crested Guans to parrots, flycatchers and
tanagers. Howler and Spider Monkeys regularly parade around the perimeter
of the clearing. Lush jungle surrounding the lodge is also home to Brocket
Deer and Coatimundi. Trails are wide and well-kept, and traverse marvelous
tropical forest with several excavated and unexcavated Mayan ruins.
Birding is superb; hummingbirds, toucans and araçaris, flycatchers,
cotingas, motmots — Chan Chich is a good spot for finding Tody
Motmot, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird and Northern Royal Flycatcher. Raptors
could include Black and Ornate Hawk-Eagles, Collared Forest-Falcon,
Laughing Falcon, and Black-and-white Owl. Montezuma Oropendolas are
a common sight and can often be seen at their three-foot-long nests
that hang from the lower canopy. In total, over 300 bird species have
been recorded at Chan Chich. And - there is always an outside chance
of glimpsing a cat — Jaguarundi, Ocelot, Puma or even Jaguar.
Nights at Chan Chich.
Day 13 - Departure
After breakfast, we leave Chan Chich and take a charter flight back
to Belize City, arriving around noon at Belize International Airport,
where our wonderful tour concludes.
What
to Expect
We spend the more pleasant parts of the day, morning and late afternoon,
birding and exploring each area we visit. Early afternoons will be for
siestas or gentle birding around the lodges. Most meals will be in the
lodge restaurants; we have packed lunches on those days when we transfer
between sites. We start each day early to take advantage of high bird
activity during the first few daylight hours.
Driving will generally be limited to transfers between sites, with some
additional driving at Hidden Valley to reach the Mayan ruins at Caracol.
There will be opportunities for people to follow their own agenda if they
wish. The weather should be warm and pleasant, becoming hot by mid-day.
Some rain is to be expected, and a waterproof jacket or umbrella is recommended.
Most trails are easy to moderate. Bring mosquito repellant – mosquitos
are not usually a problem but can be a nuisance after rain. Each evening,
the list of birds and other wildlife will be reviewed, and plans for the
next day discussed.
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