Belize really ups its game!

It was another amazing day in Belize, and things got off to a great start when I strolled around the hotel grounds before breakfast.

I spotted this little bird, which I have never seen before, in a small tree, and my camera was having a dickens of a time focusing in the low, early-morning light, but he was so thrilled to show off that bug or grub in his bill, that he just kept flashing it around until one of my pictures came out. He turns out to be a yellow-throated euphonia (Euphonia hirundinacea), and there was probably a female somewhere in those leaves, that he was hoping to impress, but I never really caught more than a glimpse of her shadow.

Before I was able to observe how that story ended, however, this critter, which is the size of a small chicken, hopped into the same tree and broke up the show. I had already seen two of these on the lawn, but this picture came out better than any of those, and this turns out to be the first plain chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) I’ve ever managed to capture on film.

I eventually had to call off the hunt and join Anne for breakfast before we headed out to see the fabulous Caracol archeological site. There, our guide Ethan, who had gone ahead a bit with Anne, called for me from atop one of the many pyramids because he had spotted some toucans in the nearby trees. By the time I managed to hustle up there, and if you’ve ever tried climbing a Mayan pyramid, you know what I mean, the only one we could find is this stunning collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus). Wow, wow, wow! What a consolation prize.

The next most amazing bird I was able to photograph there was this extraordinary hooded warbler (Setophaga citrina), which even migrates through Milwaukee, but I have failed to see until today.

Finally, we saw several troops of Central American spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) in the canopy above us, and here’s one taking a momentary break from swinging through the trees.

Lastly, there were quite a few butterflies flitting about, and this gray cracker (Hamadryas februa) has about the most intricate design I have ever seen on one.

Tomorrow, we off to meet my sister across the border into Guatemala, but before we go, we’re gonna spend a couple of hours in the nearby Cahal Pech archaeological site, where 51 species have already been reported on ebird this month, so wish me luck!