Belize Day 1

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my.... or as the Belizeans would say, Jaguars and Coatimundi and Boas!

We had an Amazing first day in Belize. Up before dawn, we traipsed through the jungle in the hopes of seeing rain forest birds. The day began blanketed in fog (and Mosquitos!), but as it burned off, we found several amazing birds, including Red-lored Amazon parrots, Montezuma's Oropendulas, and several varieties of Manakins. After getting a few quick shots, we hurried back to Jaguar Paw Resort, so that we could join the entire Paradise Earth tv crew for a production trek through the jungle.

Having the opportunity to photograph jaguars was simply amazing! And the National Animal of Belize, the Tapir, is quite a beast. Somewhat of a cross between a horse & a rhino.

Our work day ended with a 3 hour production walk through the jungle, exploring vegetation and listening for bird calls. We did manage to hear an amazing variety of birds, but the most interesting animal we heard was the male Howler Monkey, who was apparently very distressed that we were trespassing through his territory! As we walked closer and closer, his calls became more and more strident and distressed - the climax of our hike was seeing him up high in his tree, protecting his harem.
What an amazing day! We are thrilled to be able to share our experiences through this blog... if you have any questions for the Paradise Earth Team while we're in Belize, or anything you want us to explore, please leave us a comment on the blog! We look forward to your questions.