On Sunday, October 13th, at the crack of dawn, bird aficionados flocked to San Pedro’s Central Park to participate in the annual Belize Audubon Society (BAS) Urban Bird Watch. Held throughout the country during October, the birding activity was initiated by the Belize Audubon Society in 2009 with the intent of engaging birders of all levels with birdwatching within an urban habitat. For the beginner, who may not be ready for deep forest exploration, the three-hour townified excursion from 6AM to 9AM is more civilized. The Urban Bird Watch is always accompanied by an expert birder, and the San Pedro group of five early risers were joined by renowned Belizean birder Roni Martinez.
Their route began along the beach heading north to Boca del Rio. As the sun rose Snowy Egrets, a variety of Sandpipers, Yellow-crowned Night Herons, and other shorebirds wadded along the beach while busy Palm, Black and White, Magnolia and Yellow Warblers darted in the coconut tree-tops and a Peregrine Falcon soared high above. Once the group crossed the Sir Barry Bowen Bridge, Reddish Egrets, White Ibis, and Blue Herons were just a few of the birds spotted. The route then headed south of San Pedro Town via golf cart to explore the lagoons around Mahogany Bay, where Clapper Rails, Bobolinks, Anhinga, and Roseate Spoonbills, among others, delighted the group. The birds were all recorded on an eBird list where citizen science has contributed a tremendous amount of vital data on bird locations globally. When the time hit 9AM the birders were happy to list 57 species within the three-hour time frame.
This year BAS Urban Watches are held in Corozal, Orange Walk, Placencia, Caye Caulker, San Pedro, Benque, Belize City, San Ignacio, Independence, Punta Gorda, Belmopan, and Dangriga. For more information, please visit https://www.belizeaudubon.org/
