The Turtleman's House

I normally post exclusively about Chan Chich Lodge and Gallon Jug Estate ... but I couldn't help myself. We've just returned from Belize's Ambergris Caye where we did a short bat survey and then took a couple days to relax.

The Turtleman's House (above) is named for biologist Greg Smith, "the Turtleman," who has lived on northern Ambergris Caye for well over 20 years. The house over the water, pictured above, is where we stayed. It was like something out of Swiss Family Robinson, put together with driftwood and other found objects. Most would call it "rustic" but we were completely comfortable and extremely well fed thanks to the excellent fresh-caught fish prepared by both Greg and his wife Rosemary.

I'm not a fan of long boat trips to crowded snorkeling spots so the fact that we could wade out from the house over the water and enjoy snorkeling in 5-6 ft. water at our leisure, was a real pleasure. Greg was on hand, along with the 3 knowledgeable Smith children, to answer any marine questions and identify the myriad fish species for us.

The Smiths enjoy having guests, but do keep in mind that you need to be a hearty adventurous sort. Most tourist accommodations are designed to offer an "experience." Turtleman's House and the Smith family are authentic, the real deal. Check them out here: http://turtlemanshouse.com/

And as for us, the trip was a big success combining a little slice of paradise with a short research project.

Chechem

The chechem trees are fruiting on our hill. I give them a wide berth, a really wide berth. That's because I know from personal experience that chechem, or black poisonwood, really is POISON -- or more accurately, contains a powerful allergen called urushiol. Reason enough to steer clear.

Brushing up against this tree, Metopium brownei, results in contact dermatitis. Like poison ivy, which is in the same family (Anacardiaceae) along with poison oak, poison sumac, mangos and cashews (yes, mangos and cashews!), some people are more sensitive than others.

Bruce is one of those people. He jokes that if he even sees poisonwood, he gets it. We've both had our bouts with it. It turns your skin to leather, itching, red, miserable leather and takes some time to heal. It can go systemic which happened to both of us, in our first years here, before we learned to recognize it. We were down and out for several days, dosing ourselves with antihistamines which seemed to have little to no affect.

That was before we learned of a powerful antidote that was readily available. And better yet, it normally grows near by chechem...

A New Bird for Me

After nearly 24 years in Belize, we can boast that we've seen a majority of the birds listed for the country. Still, there are the persistent few that are shy, rare, evasive or accidental that have so far eluded us. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) is just such a bird. It appears on the Belize country list as "transient," meaning it doesn't over-winter here, just passes through. I've leafed through the field guides, wondering what combination of luck and skill is needed to encounter this species. So when it dropped in at our driveway a couple days ago, imagine our surprise.

These photos were taken after removing a screen from the bedroom window and aiming my little pocket camera in the general proximity of the cuckoo. At max digital zoom, the resulting photos are admittedly soft. Still, the field marks are apparent: the trademark yellow bill, the long graduated cuckoo tail with black and white underside pattern, and the rufous on the wing.

Bound for its breeding grounds in North America, this bird is evidently enjoying a little R&R as we've seen it over 4 days now. Other northward bound migrant species that we saw on a daily basis are: Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius), and an assortment of warblers. A weather front has pushed them onward and they are gone until next autumn.

Tiny Parachute

As I've mentioned it is now officially dry season (aka "spring") in Belize. Other than a few short, isolated showers, our weather has turned hot and sunny. In a normal year, it'll stay like that until June. That means many plants and trees are fruiting or flowering. This delicate wind dispersed seed ended up perched upside down on a rock. The feathery "pappus" functions like a tiny parachute, with luck carrying the seed to a fertile destination.

Provision Tree

PROVISION TREE, Pachira aquatica, BOMBACEAE

Now that we are well into dry season (sort of like "spring" Belize-style), many plants are starting to blossom and the one pictured above is a favorite. The provision tree blossoms are spectacular, larger than your hand and very showy. The provision tree is most often found along waterways, swamps and wetlands. This particular tree was about 20' in height although provision trees can attain a maximum height of 60' or so. A large nut is produced that is evidently edible though we've never tried it. The nut is water dispersed and floats to a new location where it germinates. Many plants in Belize are considered to have medicinal value. In the case of the provision tree, it is thought that making a tea from its bark helps to build the blood.

Mark of the ocelot

Really, a great thing about these camera traps, is the "rapidfire" ability which captures some behavior. This is an ocelot, a mid-sized spotted cat, that is actually fairly common throughout much of Belize. They are almost always photographed at night -- and this sequence is from Chan Chich just a couple of weeks ago -- which means the infrared is used.

While the infra-red is terrific in many ways, unfortunately the ocelot's beautiful golden/buffy coat pattern appears in black-and-white. Still in this sequence, the male ocelot is going about his evening business including spraying. Spraying urine is an important marking mechanism that cats use to communicate and mark territory. Kind of fun to see this guy going about his normal behaviors for us.

By a Whisker

Mid-January 2010 -- this puma is clearly aware of the camera. It'd be great to be able to tell individual pumas apart, but it is tough without the spotted coat pattern of the jaguar, ocelot, or margay. The notches in the ears and the slight bump in the tail might be defining characteristics ... if the animal is positioned in such a way that they are actually visible in the photo.

Recently I was talking with someone at Chan Chich Lodge who travels between Central America and Africa frequently. She reminded me that for lions in Africa, researchers are photographing their faces and then matching individuals based on the unique whisker pattern on the muzzle. Very ingenious. The great thing about lions is that they are pretty cooperative when they are lolling around in the open savanna. With a long lens and some patience, they can be pretty easily photographed.

You don't come upon a lolling puma too often. And they are much more solitary and secretive. In this photo, you can see the whiskers ... but not a definitive pattern.