Everyone,
I'm thinking of making a "nature only" blog, worked on it yesterday rlephoto.worldpress.com but when it came to custom designing the layout worldpress wants you to pay $15 a year.... So guess I'll stick to blogger any thoughts??
Anyway Belize was very nice, we found just over 100 bird species and for me 55 new species! My favorite place we stayed was
Clarissa Falls , Chena the owner took us birding and her brother took us out at night to see Northern Potoos in the pasture on the fences. If you want to experience Belize Clarissa Falls Resort is the place to visit.
Northern Potoo, Nyctibius jamaicensis they perch on posts and dead trees to camouflage themselves. We found this one from a 1/4 mile away with a strong flashlight, the eyes can be seen easily with the flashlight. We drove up and approached this guy from 4-5 foot away and he stayed on the post the entire time.
The White-necked Puffbird
, Notharchus hyperrhynchus was the first bird I photographed in Belize.
Not my best photo, yet a beautiful bird. This is an Violaceous Trogon,
Trogon violaceus
.
I didn't get the photos I wanted of the Northern Jaçana, Jacana spinosa. When they get ready to fly they lift the wings up and you get delighted with pale yellow undersides of the wings.
This is an Collared Aracari, Pteroglossus torquatus, it is a tucan. They feed on palm berries next to the bathroom at Clarrissa Falls. We saw the Keel-billed Toucan eating the same berries as well.
The Brown Jay, Cyanocorax morio was the first new bird we IDed in Belize. At 16 inches it is a huge and noisy Jay. The last evening I was in Belize a small flock of them flew in out in the open along the road I was walking on and allowed me several photos.
We saw lots of new kingfishers like this Ringed Kingfisher, Megaceryle torquata. I think I have seen this one from a distance in southern Texas years ago.
The Gray-necked Wood-Rail, Aramides cajanea was the last new bird I saw in Belize. Good thing I'm tall was the pond it was in was blocked with bushes and I barely got a clear photo of it.
A small flock of Groove-billed Ani, Crotophaga sulcirostris entertained the heck out of me while walking a small road the last evening we were there. They chased and mocked each other to no end, to my delight.
I still have 3 hawk species to post so do stay tuned! Once I get the butterfly IDs right there will be a lot of them too.
24 comments:
Welcome home Randy and Meg! What wonderful birds you share!! I love the Northern Potoo... amazing how you could get so close! Great photo!! They are all fabulous ... also love the Gray-necked Wood Rail ... beautiful reflection. I cannot wait to see more images of your trip! Thanks so for sharing. ;>))
Welcome home, and what a delightful assortment of birds you've shared with us. I like the photo of the Potoo, too -- it's hard to tell where post ends and bird begins! Wonderful photos.
Ooh, Randy, what a treat! Such beautiful birds! The first one is camouflaging itself so well! I got excited when I saw a tucan. I love this bird! Thank you SO much for showing us these pictures!
Carol,
Almost missed the gray-necked Wood Rail, it was something.
Nancy,
The potoo is really something and most people in Belize never even know it is out there and so easy to find.
Tatyana,
The tuocan was so easy as I took these photos in the parking lot at Clarrisa Falls Resort. She has a Mealy Parrot she hand raised after it fell out of the nest as a baby.
Just wonderful. I think these pictures and your great pics would work super well on a nature blog but then again, I do like everything consolidated and think the two (garden and nature) go together great on your blog already. As far as paying, that would be up to you. I like the free stuff myself.
Marvelous bird photos!
I have not explored Wordpress custom features, just used different templates available for different purposes and made very, very small changes that were not 'custom' and did not require RSS style sheets -- a little out of reach of what I'm willing to sit and figure out.
I am not inclined to switch from blogger where everything is familiar, but I've ventured there on occasion as a learning assignment to post some things for my nephew.
Amazing photos, I can't wait for the leps!
You did some great birding and got the photos to prove it! I will have to check out Clarissa Falls when we go down in a few months.
I personally like nature and gardening jumbled together. Hard to actually draw a hard line between them.
I really enjoyed seeing these pictures. I really thought the first one was carved from the same wood as the post, it almost doesn't look real. It must've been really exciting to see so many new species!
Tina and Neil Jean,
I set up my other blog Liberalhandyman.worldpress.com and it was at the time easier than blogger. But now it seems they want the money which is pretty short around here these days.
Ali,
The satyrs like the White Satyr and my white and black striped hairstreaks are pretty cool. I think we even got some not in any field guides yet.
Wilma,
Be sure to get the chicken and onion soup Chena makes called Negra something it was very good in fact I ordered it twice.
Catherine,
Those potoos do hide very well. Enjoyed your post today.
Fabulous photos! I think the first is my favorite, partially because of its huge eye and partially because of your story about finding it with a flashlight. I can't believe it was't scared of you!
Welcome home to winter Randy! Great bird shots. I love the Nightjar. I knew a graduate student who did some work in Belize, he was always talking about it. Looks like a fantastic place!
Randy, what extraordinary birds! and your photos as well. I can't stop looking at the first one and the guy with the pink stockings is simply amazing. Wow, what an experience you had!
Very nice bird photos! It looks like you had some fun on your trip.
If you are starting a new blog you could get your own custom URL and free hosting with Blogger for less than $15. There are quite a few nice blogs out there than mimic Wordpress themes.
It must have been a fabulous trip it must have been, Randy. The birds are just fascinating. As for a wildlife blog, you know you can set up another blog on Blogger, right? I've been wasting way too much time looking at the sites that offer free custom blog backgrounds, banners, fonts and other gadgets. It's all only a Google away. :)
You got some great shots of birds I have never seen before. The first one looks like it is carved from wood. Thanks for sharing. Helen
I'm sure it was thrilling for you to see these wonderful birds! I can't wait to see more pictures from your trip!
Incredible! I love the colorful creatures a lot, but the bird that looked like a carving was exceptional! Glad you had a successful and fun trip. gail
Wow! That was an amazing tour! I doubt if I'd ever see them for real, but I should thank you for such wonderful photos! You guys are simply awesome, Randy and Meg!
What absolute fun! I really enjoy seeing the different birds. We had some different ones when we lived in Germany and some in Texas that we don't have in Virginia. I look forward to seeing more.
As for doing another blog, you can have multiple blogs with blogger. If the templates you want are in blogger, why venture away?
OMG!!! I am so impressed with your bird photos! What a great variety. I've been wanting to visit Belize, now I have a solid reason. Thanks for sharing!
Each picture was more thrilling than the one before it! And the ANI ! ! ! ! I've had a long-distance love affair with that bird for years.
Your site is really good and the posts are just wonderful. Thank you and keep doing your great work.
Youre so awesome, man! I cant believe I missed this blog for so long. Its just great stuff all round.
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