Chan Chich Aracari

I don't post about birds as often as I'd like. To be honest, with my little pocket camera, it is difficult to get a good shot in order to have something to write about. I'm ok with that right now since I hauled around long lenses, tripods and SLR cameras for a number of years here in Belize. Right now it feels pretty good to have a "take everywhere" camera that fits in my pocket.

That said, I was amazed and envious of the gorgeous bird photos our friend Jeff got a couple days ago at Chan Chich Lodge. This is one of the toucans, a bird that most visitors want to see. Specifically, it is a Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus), a common resident near the Lodge, eating palm fruits.

A Social Toucan

For anyone needing a break from jaguars, here is another gorgeous photo from Graham Sampson. This is one of the smaller toucans, the Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) found in Belize. Another of several really nice bird photos Graham got during the recent GJ CBC.

I don't find aracaris as easy to photograph as the Keel-billed Toucan, which tends to "pose" in the open, so I'm pretty impressed with this photo. But aracaris are quite social. So if you see one, there are more than likely others near by perhaps giving you more than one chance at a good photo.

There are actually 3 species of toucans in Belize, and all of them can be found around Chan Chich. If you want to hear the Collared Aracari's calls, check them out at xeno-canto ("Sharing Bird Sounds from Around the World"). Scan down the list, you'll see one from Belize, Rio Bravo Research Area. This would be our neighbors to the north and east of Gallon Jug Estate, the Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area.