It was my first time bird watching; and, to my surprise, it was an invigorating experience. We were invited over by
Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Adventure Company and Jungle Lodge, also known as “Caves Branch,” to go bird watching with all their birding guides. We sort of had the idea that the most appropriate times to
go birding would be in the morning or in the evenings. And we were right; we had to get up early in the morning to get to Caves Branch, which is located in the outskirts of
Belmopan after the
St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park. It was at least a fifteen-minute drive from the City of Belmopan to get to Caves Branch. Although we had to roll out of our beds extra early, you know what they say, “Early bird catches the worm.”
On our way there, we experienced some scattered showers; and, we were hoping that the rain wouldn’t ruin our first time birding. We were ready to capture all the beautiful birds that we only get to see in fancy pictures posted by professional birders.
Growing up in Belize, I was accustomed to seeing the everyday black crow, pigeon and the infamous “Jankro” or “John Crow.” What’s the Jankro you would ask? It is the local term for the black vulture that is usually flying around when they catch a whiff of their next meal.
Here’s a little Belizean proverb about these Jankros for you, “Evrey John Crow tink ‘e pikney white – Every black bird thinks his children are white, or no one sees the flaws in his/her own child.” Interesting, isn’t it?
Getting to experience birding with a group of passionate and engaging tour guides was a pleasure. It was Luis, Derrick and I that accompanied a group of at least five or six birding guides. Everyone was so enthusiastic and quick to spot their next flying friend. Jason, one of the guides, showed us two useful apps that expert and amateur birders use. These were the
eBird App and the
Merlin App. If you didn’t know, the eBird App, that is available for both
Android and
Apple, is a data entry app that allows you to record the bird that you encounter and submit them to your eBird account. The Merlin app, which is also available for
Android and
Apple devices, is one that is most useful for me who is a beginner birder. It allows you to identify birds in your area. You can simply take a picture or upload a picture of the bird. It will then give you the name of the bird along with more pictures and additional information.
After showing us those apps, we met with Carlos, who is the head guide at Caves Branch. We also met with Marvin and Esperansa, who are two of the lead birders in the team, along with Hector, Pedro, and two other guides. Everyone was ecstatic to spot their next bird. One bird after the other, we continued to move and hike through the lodge to see if we can spot some other birds.
We got to see the Lineated Woodpecker and the Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night Heron. We also saw a Grey Hawk and a Great Black Hawk, and other beautiful, vibrant birds such as the Prothonotary Warbler.
Since I have a very inconvenient case of astigmatism, I relied a lot on my Nikon binoculars and a super scope that the guides had. That scope was amazing! It zoomed in so well that we could have seen in detail every bird that we spotted, whether it was in a tree that was really far from us or just a branch that was a couple feet away. My favorite thing about the scope was being able to place my phone camera at the peeping hole and snap clear pictures of the birds! I was like, “Wow! This scope is amazing!” A double kudos to whoever created those. You have made a girl with bad astigmatism zealous about bird watching. I now have a greater appreciation for the local and migratory birds that can be found in Belize. And, I encourage you to go birding in Belize because it is simply marvelous to see great works of nature that are hiding in our tree branches.
It wasn’t just me that enjoyed our bird watching trip. Derrick and Luis also had a great time. In Luis’ perspective, bird watching is a great activity that contributes to data collection. And, collecting data and having that data, in this case with birds, is important for the conservation and protection of our natural resources – and I agree.
I don’t think that I would ever underrate bird watching like I used to. It is a fun and exciting pastime that is great when you have amazing guides such as the ones that we met at Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Adventure Company and Jungle Lodge.
After our birding tour, we had breakfast at Caves Branch’s restaurant. The food was spot on! We got to do breakfast buffet style and everything that I had on my plate was YUM-MEE! I had fresh fruits, pancakes, sausage links, sautéed bell peppers, and an interesting cup of white chocolate mocha black tea from Stash Tea. My morning was great that day!
A massive thank you to Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Adventure Company and Jungle Lodge for having us over – it was a pleasure meeting all the guides. We definitely learned a lot about birding and we got to experience A Day in a Birder’s Life with everyone from Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Adventure Company and Jungle Lodge. If you would like to experience birding with them as well, head over to
belizing.com and book their amazing
Tropical Feathers bird watching package. It is a lovely 6-night stay in one of their super cool cabanas; and, it also includes unlimited drinks from their restaurant and bar, the delicious buffet style breakfast, lunch on tours and buffet style dinner – perfect for any family. Caves Branch also offers other tours such as
caving and the
black hole drop. Visit Caves Branch’s listings
here.