And from the Bar Association to the Birds of Belize…
How many species of birds can you name? Some of you may know all 600 kinds found in Belize, and others, well, they're familiar with the chickens in the grocery store. But regardless, it's never too late to become a birder.
Belize has been dubbed the "Birding Nation" by the birding community here in the country because of the different landscapes that serve as nesting and resting areas for native and migratory birds. And as we head into December, these migratory birds are calling Belize home for the next few months.
It's an exciting time for birders, especially since there's been a sighting of a very rare bird right here in Belize. Today, Courtney Menzies went bird watching with a guide and learnt more about the animals and the community. Here is that story:
If you've been feeling cold lately, imagine the shorebirds living in the Arctic. That's why, during the winter months, they migrate to Belize. And this year, birders were rewarded with the sighting of a rare bird.
This is a snowy plover, and these photos were taken in 2019 in Belize City. It was only the fourth time this bird had been seen in the country.
But this year, another one returned and was spotted at Captain Hook's Shrimp Farm. And our news team went bird watching with birder, Francis Canto.
Francis Canto, Birder/Bird Guide
"We're in a good spot for migratory birds, right along the Caribbean coast. So we have birds that use what we call the Atlantic fly way so they would cross over the Gulf and fly along the coast of Central America. Some of them would stop here and spend the winter here so they would nest up in the Artic and during the cold months they would come down and spend the winter here."
"For the shorebirds we get the spotted sandpipers, the western sandpipers, black belly plovers. When it comes to the raptors, we get broad-winged hawks, Mississippi kites, we get a lot of warblers, those are the pretty ones usually like yellow and black and blue. We get tanagers like the summer tanagers which is a beautiful red bird. Some of the bigger birds we get would be like the egret and great blue heron."
Canto explained members of the birding community would venture from district to district in search of birds - but that this was all part of the fun and a major economic booster for many places.
Francis Canto, Birder/Bird Guide
"Birds like that help to build the connectivity with the birding community because sometimes you meet people you haven't met before, you're going for the same bird, and sometimes if the bird is in a small community it would boost the economy for that community maybe for four, five days because there are people who need to eat or spend a night."
And you'd be surprised to know how big the birding community is, especially since Belize has almost 600 species of birds. It's a hobby that Canto says can be extremely rewarding and it's a great way to be a tourist in your own country.
Francis Canto, Birder/Bird Guide
"I enjoy seeing what's there, it's a sense of not knowing, and when you go and you find out, hey, I didn't know this bird would show up here. Also it's the fun of doing with others, especially when you have someone new and you introduce them to the world of birding, you show them a new bird, and honestly Belize is beautiful and if I hadn't been birding I probably wouldn't have gone to these beautiful places. I think going bird watching helps us to open up to the natural world around us and we can see parts of the country that maybe we wouldn't have seen. Because even if you have a bad day birding, which you can't really have a bad day birding, being that you're out enjoying your beautiful country, it's a real treat."
And if that hasn't convinced you to make this your new hobby, maybe you just need to find your "spark bird." That's the bird that sparks your interest. For Canto, it's the black colored hawk. And if you need help getting started, you can always contact the community.
Francis Canto, Birder/Bird Guide
"The best advice would be to try to reach out to a birder. But if you can't, if you're on Facebook we have a group called the Belize Birding Network and we're pretty open so if you have any question, need recommendations, if you want a plan a trip but not sure, if you just want someone to bird with you can ask the question there and we'll reach out to you and give you as much advice as we can. if you want to see 300-400 species of birds, you can do that pretty easily without having to go above and beyond. Most of the resorts are open to bird watchers so if you're staying at one of these nice resorts, you can just open your hotel door and see birds there, and even that you don't even have to go to a resort, right in Belize city you can drive around and get 50-60 species for the morning quite easily. Belize, we call it the birding nation."
