Hawks and Flycatchers from Belize!!

 

This hawk stumped us and after many hours I came to the conclusion it is a juvenile Common Black Hawk, Buteogallus anthracinus. It was huge, at first we thought it was the rare Solitary Eagle. I took many photos as it was very cooperative, much more than the dim morning light was.

This guy I almost got in trouble with Roger as I used wordsI should not have said in getting him to stop the car in time. This White Hawk, Leucopternis albicollis landed next to the car and I got a few photos out the window before it flew off. I would have loved to see it soaring, maybe the next trip.

We saw this guy soaring like our Northern Harrior and found out it was a Snail Kite, Rostrhamus sociabilis! Really enjoyed watching it fly but it was too far away to get a decent in flight photo.

Some birds are easier to ID, like this Vermilion Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus I have seen this one in the US in Texas where it is common and in North Carolina where it shows up every 5 years or so.

This  Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Tyrannus savana was an easy ID too. Never seen such cool tails on a bird before!

 

Not sure if this is an Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus or the Couch's Kingbird, Tyrannus couchii. They both look alike and the only way to tell them apart is by the calls. We saw lots of these and never heard any calls, nor did we know the calls anyway.

The garden here is still covered in snow and it is raining now. maybe we'll get the peas planted soon. Last year the peas were coming up by now!

Stay tuned for some butterflies from Belize in the future.