10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2018

In a little less than two weeks my family and I will be enjoying a long weekend on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. But my experiences in Belize and Honduras give me a good basis in the birds of the region and I have plenty of time to study and learn what to expect with the endemics.

Belize 105

Belize Mexico Honduras Science 105

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

The male bird’s scarlet plumage and pert crest was reminiscent enough of a Roman Catholic cardinal’s colored robes to earn it, its family, and its genus the name they all share. The family Cardinalidae encompasses a plethora of New World passerines. The Northern Cardinal is literally the cardinal of cardinals.

St. Louis 179

St. Louis United States Belize Guatemala 179

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

The Poor Knights were internationally famous and often turned up in those inevitable lists of “top places to dive&# along with Cocos Island, Sipadan, the Great Barrier Reef, Truk Lagoon, Bikini Atoll and the Blue Hole in Belize. Also present off the wall were the large predatory Kingfish.

New Zealand 180

New Zealand Belize Vanuatu Fiji 180

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

In Belize I cruised above reefs few people had ever seen. Ugandan Mangabeys were part of my family once. In California I smelt the breath a Blue Whale as it passed feet beneath my boat. You may not get the species counts that the race delivers, but you’ll have memories burned into your skull.

Uganda 160

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 160

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2017

They are members of the Parulidae family and Horneros are members of the Furnariidae family, a nice example of parallel evolution. First Corey gets his life Jabiru in Belize, then I see my lifer in the Pantanal. We saw a family of three jaguars–mom, dad, and daughter–in the two full days we spent in Porto Jofre.

Brazil 146

Brazil Los Angeles Birds Tigers 146

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2018

But, I think the birding world is big enough to accommodate more than one way to identify the members of this infamous family. A larophile is a gull enthusiast, taken from the genus name Larus and/or the family name Laridae. It may be intimidating to beginning birders, even with its “simplified” approach.

North America 198

North America El Salvador America Nicaragua 198

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

The guide presents 69 species and 1 subspecies, from “NEW WORLD VULTURES: Cathartiformes” to “OSPREY: Pandioninae” to “FAMILY: Accipitridae” (Kites, Hawks, Eagles, Hawk-Eagles), to “FALONIDS: Falconidae” (Falcons, Forest-Falcons, Caracaras, Kestrels, Merlin). Owls are not included, though they sometimes are in ‘raptor’ guides.

Mexico 160

Mexico America North America Falcons 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Super Hot-spot: Toledo District, Belize – Central Flyway. The STK families will be departing the panhandle of Florida, with flights possibly hugging the Gulf coastline. Super Hot-spot: Toledo District, Belize – Central Flyway. Photo by © Michael Todd. Fall count to date: unknown. Peregrine Falcon. Photo by © Mark Schraad.

Belize 211

Belize Mississippi Bald Eagle Mexico 211

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2012

Birds called catbirds include two species in the New World family, Mimidae, four from the bowerbird family, Ptilonorhynchidae, and one from the Old World babblers, Timaliidae. Both catbird species in the Americas are part of the family Mimidae along with the mockingbirds , thrashers, and tremblers.

Papua New Guinea 181

Papua New Guinea Ethiopia Guinea Belize 181

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2013

On my last visit, which lastes four days, I didn’t have much time to sneak away from family, but I did get to check out two new sites. I once visited Crooked Tree in Belize for a few days without hitting any of the great spots because I didn’t really know what I was doing.

Albatross 151

Albatross Rats Belize New Zealand 151

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2018

After a brief look at a map, my rough guesstimate is that the territory from Guatemala and Belize south to the Darien gap is roughly equal to New England, or Florida and the eastern parts of Georgia and the Carolinas north to the Virginia line. Fewer tanagers : Many more member of this technicolor family occur in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 114

Costa Rica Guatemala Nicaragua Birds 114