Belize reprise

Its quiet so why not, a few more images from Belize.



Chan Chich from a big mound.

A White-nosed Coati which gave us a hard time.




Some fat bloke on a bridge.
White-collared Manakin above, a male about to go pop.

Occelated they may be but they hide it well.

Gallon Jug, almost like Notts


A bit of red eye on this pauraque

Bird's Eye Lodge from the water.

Below the Crooked Tree Police station, banged to rights.

Little Blue Heron in its uninspired phase.

Ringed Kingfisher, stupid name, it rattles not rings.

Tropical Mockingbird. They have a very distinctive song for Canadians "hot enough for ya eh!"

Central American Spider Monkey, a name as long as its tail. Also a Violaceous Trogon and Northern Jacana.

A plethora of Neotropical Cormorants.

Mayan Rubble piled high

A mother Yucatan Black Howler Monkey and bebe below.

A Laughing Falcon having a quiet chuckle to itself.

Steamy Jungle

What do you wanna do next!

Jabiru, big birds.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, not sure what tune though.

Its yellow, its green, its a Yellow-green Vireo.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker about to peck some wood.

The middle bit

July, a month for looking at dragonflies and butterflies and only occasionally seeing birds.

After the bird overload that is a visit to the Neotropics, motiviating to go birding at home is always tough, doubly so when the weather restricted opportunities are few.

Some of the best places to go birding in Quebec are from cycle paths. They bisect the better marses and cut through scrub and farmlands, skirt rivers and follow streams. They also attract lots of users in summer and even dawn visits are no guarantee of some peace. I'm not complaining about the users here, they enjoy the countrside in their own way although the ones who strap a radio to the handlebars and share with the World at high volume should be drowned in a bucket.

I had hoped to visit St-Lazare sand pits more often this year but the habitat is reduced by more workings and the water body has been found by anglers, the least said about them the better.

In passing I dropped in, expecting nothing but actually fnding a couple of Eastern Bluebirds for the pits year list. Further on a four Purple Martins were hawking the fly ridden tree tops, another pits year tick and a bird I only see there perhaps one a year.

Below is all I managed, it was a bit grey for flight shots and the martins got a bit edgy when they realised I was not just a big fly.

The video clip shows the Eastern Bluebird at the end of a good preen. The grainy photo shows an immature Purple Martin just about to terminate a fly.

Things will get better.

Odd looking Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

The bird on the peanut feeder is odd in two ways. First its a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on a peanut feeder, the first I have ever seen utilising one. Second it has no red on the head at all, and quite extensive white on the back when it flew (off). According to the literature it is a second-year female, a plumage I have never seen before. It did occur to me that it might be a hybrid Hairy Woodpecker x Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and I am not at sure it isn't, comments welcome.

The subject in the video, a Woodchuck, is an addition to the garden animal list and, it seems, a new resident. It has taken a liking to some of Sandra's plants but mostly eats other vegetation which grows freely in our wildlife garden.