Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus, the National Bird of Belize
Just returned from a couple of hectic weeks in Central America visiting Belize with a couple of days in Guatemala. We thoroughly enjoyed visiting a number of wildlife areas including Crooked Tree, Cockscomb Basin, Belize Botanic Gardens, the coral island of Cauye Caulker aswell as indulging in a bit of culture seeing a variety of Mayan archaeological sites. Despite being the dry season the weather was disapointingly wet for most of the time. Nevertheless there was some great birding, 90 lifers for me! including such gems as Ornate Hawk-Eagle; Bat Falcon; Orange-breasted Falcon; King Vulture; Crested Guan; Ocellated Turkey; Purple-crowned Fairy; Slaty-tailed, Black-tailed and Gartered Trogon etc…
Also plenty of other Natural History with Amphibians, Insects, Bugs, Marine Life, Fungi and Flowers to keep my lens busy. Even managed a couple of ‘Corpse Of The Day’ 🙂
Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus
Creole Lady who caught this Mangrove Snapper Lutjanus griseus on a handline
Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulinus argus
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres – no Mersey molluscs for these Turnstones, only the finest dining on Lobster remains
Hairstreak Butterfly
Black Witch Moth Ascalapha odorata
Cane Toad Rhinella marina
Rainforest Toad Bufo cambelli
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana Ctenosaura similis
Dragonfly
Ruddy Woodcreeper Dendrocincla homochroa
Ocellated Turkey Meleagris ocellata
Cinnamon Hummingbird Amazilia rutila
Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
Peanut-headed Bug Fulgora laternaria
Jaguar Panthera onca
Yucatan Black Howler Monkey Alouatta pigra
Baird’s Tapir Tapirus bairdii
Various Fungi
Paca Agouti paca Skull
One of the local specialities Cow’s Foot Soup, yum!
If you are interested in the wildlife of the north-west of England and would like to join the walks and coach trips run by the Merseyside Naturalists’ Association, see the main MNA website for details of our programme and how to join us.
A wide photographic selection of birds, marine life, insects, mammals, orchids & wildflowers, fungi, tribal people, travel, ethnography, fossils, hominids, rocks & minerals etc. is available on my Alamy webpage