Small is Beautiful

Almost every time I have been out on Black Creek Lagoon, I have seen a flashes of a small green and cinnamon colored kingfisher flitting through the dense mangrove vegetation.  Back in October, I was finally able to get a good look at one of them and even took some photos that were good enough to ID the little bird as an American Pygmy Kingfisher, aka the Least Green Kingfisher, Chloroceryle aenea.


There are 2 other green kingfishers found in this habitat that this one can be confused with, but, at 5 1/4  inches, this one is the smallest of them.  Probably why it is called "pygmy".  ;-)


The American Pygmy Kingfisher has a cinnamon collar, in contrast to the white collar of the Green Kingfisher and the Amazon Kingfisher.


A few days later I was able to get a look at and some better shots of another Pygmy while kayaking in the mangroves.

Unlike the Amazon Kingfisher, which is considerably larger (11 plus inches!), the Pygmy Kingfisher and the Green Kingfisher both have rows of white spots on their green wings.  The female pygmy and green kingfishers have a green band across their breast.






This was a very friendly male who sat and talked to me for about 15 minutes while I photographed it from the kayak.

Nearby were what looked like nest holes excavated on the bank of the creek.  I will definitely come back later to see if I can detect any nesting behavior.

More Scenes and Birds from the Canal

The entry to the drainage canal from the sea is broad and flanked by low growing red mangroves.


Farther up the canal where the water is fresh rather than brackish, there are steep banks.
On the right bank, you can see ferns cascading down toward the water.  In my previous post, I had a photo of the ferns.  
Mixed in among the ferns were beautiful Lycopodium, also called club moss.
On the left bank, where the soil is bare, there was a spotted sandpiper scrambling along.




















It didn't fly off as I floated by in the kayak, letting me take some photos as I went.



It bobbles its tail up and down as it goes.
After reaching the end of the canal, I turned around and went slowly downstream toward the sea, eventually reaching the mangroves.  In a protected sort of bay surrounded by mangroves, there a number of herons and egrets.  
The light was terrible for photography, and it didn't help that the birds were far away and against the grey sky.
Never-the-less, the shots were good enough to ID this bird as an adult Little Blue Heron.


I was able to do a bit better with this individual that was considerably closer and cooperated nicely with the camera.
Its colors are quite subtle with some pale blues and pinks along the base of the bill.


The legs are greenish yellow and eyes are yellow.
It turns out this is a juvenile Little Blue Heron before it begins its color change from white to blue.

A lovely bird; one of the exceptions in which the juvenile is more striking than the adult.

Mystery Bird?

This fine-looking bird was sitting along side the path through the mangroves behind our cabana that leads to Black Creek.  It let me approach quite close before it flew into the mangrove roots.

By size, shape, neck length, and habitat, it keys out to be a green heron.  But it is the wrong color and has a darker beak than green herons usually have.  After much searching, the most likely ID is a dark form of green, striated, or green-backed heron.  Some sources lump all those 3 into one species, Butorides striatus.  I hope to see and photograph this individual again during different seasons.  Any insights into the ID will be greatly appreciated!

A Bit of Belize: Land, Sea, and Air

A small selection of photos from two of my Belize kayak trips back in October and November; mostly to bring to mind a warm,sunny place on these cold February days when we are so ready for spring.  Spring is still a few months away for us in Minnesota.  :-( 
The two "land" photos were taken along the canal where I was surprised to see a couple of ferns growing just above the water line.  

I haven't keyed this fern out yet.  It appears to be a climbing fern that was growing profusely on the banks of the canal. I need to get photos of its spore-bearing leaves to help ID it.

Actually, I am not positive that this one is a fern, but I think it may be in the genus Ophioglossum (adder's tongue ferns) or maybe a tongue fern.  
I will have to go back to take a closer, more definitive look.   hmmm... a good mystery to work on next time I'm in Belize.
Seeing the ferns along this part of the canal made me realize that I was upstream of the tidal portion and in an area that is fresh water.
Back out into the salt water, I saw this sting ray making its way along the shallows.  This is a medium sized individual.
Closer to home in Belize, this little whelk was grazing in the shallows.  I love the way the sunlight is refracted by the little ripples on the water; you can see how clear the water is.

While paddling back in the mangrove marsh, I heard this  frantic flapping of a flock of birds that I disturbed as they went crashing through the trees.  When I was finally able to see them, I was surprised that they were doves.  There is no solid ground below these mangroves, and I am more used to doves that like to hang out on the ground.

They wouldn't sit still for a second so my shots are not very good.  But they were good enough for me to identify them as Pale Vented Doves, which are known to prefer mangrove habitats.  I would like to get some better shots of them.
Looks like I have work my cut out for my next trip.  :-)

Around the Cabana

As you approach our cabana by boat, you can't see it until you are almost directly in front of it.  The sea grape trees, noni bushes, and dwarf yellow palms shield it from view.

The cabana is behind the trees on the right.

This view of the cabana from the dock is always a welcome sight to our eyes each time we arrive.

This is the view looking out to sea from just in front of the cabana.  The hibiscus and cana lily flowers are a glowing red.  Amazing what grows here considering that the "soil" is just sand.

Some of the hibiscus flowers are doubles.  The hummingbirds and orioles love theses flowers.

The great tailed grackles like to perch in the cercropia trees.  Lots of birds enjoy the cercropia fruits.  You can see a few of the sausage-shaped immature fruits beneath the grackle.   Turns out these relatives of mulberries, so that may explain the interest to the birds.

This is the same plant that is in the header photo with that beautiful flower - shell ginger, Alpinia zerumbet.  The foliage is lush and lovely after an early morning rain.

  This  spider lily, also called a Crinum lily, grows wild in the jungle and is very tolerant of sea spray.  The locals consider them weeds!

Abstract Belize

I was inspired by Andrew's "Which Way is Up" post (click here to see it) to show these images of the mangroves along the edge of Black Creek lagoon behind our place in Belize.  Like Andrew's photos, these are water reflections, and I was struck by their abstract beauty when viewed sideways.

Up close it looks vaguely arthropodic (is that a word?)  to me.