Trip to Belize

We are just back from a great vacation in Belize.  Besides time on the beach and by the pool we went on two trips to the rainforest or jungle and on a snorkeling trip out to Glover's Reef.  In the rain forest we saw the dense foliage, heard and saw many birds and saw a few butterflies.  The Blue Morpho was the most spectacular butterfly we saw.  I saw them several times, once while on a brief hike looking for the Howler Monkeys which were living along the Monkey River.  The Monkeys were too high in their trees for a good picture and the butterflies were just too fast.

On the Monkey River

We also went to the Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve, however, we did not see Jaguars.  They are primarily nocturnal and there are relatively few of them in this very large preserve.

Belize is a poor country in terms of its per capita income but rich in natural resources.  Over 40 percent of the land is in some type of conservancy, either as national parks or private consersation groups.

As we stayed close to the shore most of the birds we saw were those that love the coast and marshlands. Examples:  various herons and ibis, Jabiru stork, the Magnificent Frigatebird, the aptly named Roadside Hawk and several other hawks, a lovely Fork-Tailed Flycatcher, a Pinneated Bittern and a Neo-tropical Cormorant.

Around the lodge we had the constant company of Large Tailed Grackles and the lovely Great Kiskadee.  There was the familiar Belted Kingfisher and a larger bird called the Ringed Kingfisher.

The trip out to Glover's Reef for snorkeling was a highlight. Glover's reef is an atoll beyond the barrier reef.  I don't have any underwater pictures to show you but the coral reef provides home for quite a variety of lovely fish and other sea creatures.  We also visited a Research Station on the reef that is maintained in a very sustainable way with captured rainwater, a composting toilet and solar collectors for electric power.