After landing at Belize City international airport at lunchtime on 18 February we met up with the other tour participants and the driver from the lodge who took us to Black Rock, with the journey taking about two and a half hours. On arrival we were pleased to see that the lodge was of a high standard and we had a very comfortable cabin in the forest overlooking the valley of the Macal River.
Soon after moving into our room we saw a Wood Thrush on our balcony, but the birding started in ernest the following morning with a pre-breakfast session around the lodge grounds. The light was poor when we started at 6 AM but as it improved we saw several species at the well-stocked feeders, including White-collared Manakin, Red-throated Tanager, Collared Aracari, Yellow-throated Euphonia and Black-cheeked Woodpecker.
In our search for new birds we began to move away from the feeders to other parts of the grounds and eventually along a trail that ran above the lodge’s small farm. There we saw Black-headed Trogon and got good shots of a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
After our early morning birding session we enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the lodge’s dining room. The staff here were very attentive and there was a wide range of options available for breakfast.
We then went to the Belize Botanic Gardens, which involved driving down the road that follows the valley of the Macal River – a drive that we were to do several times during our stay at the lodge. The large gardens were very impressive and well maintained but we were surprised to hear how few members of staff they had to maintain such a large site. There we had excellent view of the iconic Keel-billed Toucan, along with a Slaty-tailed Trogon eating fruit. We were pleased to see a number of butterflies around, including Crimson Patch.
After a couple of hours in the gardens we returned to the lodge for lunch and got a few photos of birds around the feeders near the restaurant, including Long-billed Hermit and Social Flycatcher.
In the evening we went out in the vehicles for our first night-birding session of the trip. We drove along Black Rock Road and had good views of Mottled Owl and Northern Potoo, although they were tricky to photograph by torch light.
The following morning (20 February) was spent at the Spanish Lookout agricultural area, which is farmed by the Mennonite religious community who moved to the area from Mexico and who speak Plautdietsch. On the way we saw Eastern Meadowlark and Grey-crowned Yellowthroat, although the early morning light was poor.
As the light improved we came across a Fork-tailed Flycatcher close to the road which we were able to photograph from the vehicles. Our first birding destination was a series of ponds to the southeast of Spanish Lookout where we saw a White-winged Dove .
Photography at the ponds was difficult as we were looking directly into the sun but we still got acceptable shots of a Russet-naped WoodRail. Close by we had a fly-over by a Bat Falcon.
As we drove to the north of Spanish Lookout we had close views of an Aplomado Falcon on a tree close to the road on Route 60, while a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher posed on a fence.
The local rice fields proved to be a particularly productive area for birds, although many were quite distant. However, we got good photos of Morelet’s Seedeater, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Eastern Meadowlark and Yellow-bellied Elaenia.
After a productive morning session we had lunch at Sisters’ Diner on the southern side of Spanish Lookout where several of us had the classic Canadian dish poutine.
In the afternoon we visited Aguacate Lagoon, which is close to the border with Guatemala and we made a circuit of the lake in just over an hour. There was a good selection of birds around, but photography was ricky as many of the birds were high up in the canopy. However, we did get a reasonable shot of a Northern Jacana at the water’s edge and photographed a Brown Basilisk lizard in the undergrowth.
Our final sightings of the day were a Roadside Hawk which we saw while driving back from the lagoon and a Lineated Woodpecker back at the lodge.
On our last full day at Black Rock Lodge (21 February) there was the option of visiting the Mayan ruins at Caracol or doing some local birding around the lodge. Maggie decided that she would like to see the ruins while I chose to carry out some bird and butterfly photography at Black Rock.
Not surprisingly, the birds I saw at the Black Rock feeders were mostly the same as those we’d seen on previous days but I did get better shots of Yellow-winged Tanager and Melodious Blackbird.
Agouti were a common sight around the lodge, often seen looking for food under the feeders.
After spending time at the feeders I checked for other birds and following the trail above the farm. There I photographed Morelet’s Seedeater, White-tipped Dove, a female Yellow-throated Euphonia and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
Several species of butterfly were seen along the farm trail, including Mandarin Nica, Postman and Banded Peacock.
On my walk I discovered a couple of ponds behind the farm where the water was drawing in birds, including Blue-and-white Swallow and Black Phoebe
Back at the lodge I enjoyed photographing the Scaly-breasted Hummingbird which had a nest in front of the dining room. I also spent time photographing a Long-billed Hermit near one of the feeders just outside the door to the restaurant.
My afternoon walk through the farm produced new birds, including Yellow-faced Grassquit and Common Yellowthroat.
