For a long time, Central America has been near the top of my "birding dream destinations" list. My big chance finally came this spring when I organized to meet my parents for a frantic four days at Chan Chich Lodge, Belize. Nestled deep in a vast tract of rainforest, this is a real gem of a lodge. The birds come thick and fast, and in bewildering diversity. As always, my big plans to do plenty of field sketches flew straight out of the window as soon as I started birding. So much to see and so little time! In the end, my 'will power' prevailed and I managed to get a few drawings done.

One of the star birds at Chan Chich is the Ornate Hawk-Eagle. A pair usually nests in the vicinity of the lodge, though you need some good fortune to get anything other than a brief flight view. For once, my luck was in. My father and I stumbled upon this bird, resting on a bare snag overhanging a river. Just 20 feet away, and at head height, it posed for some time before melting back into the forest. A truly superb bird - like a Goshawk with a Picasso makeover.


Once your ears are tuned into their subtle calls, and your eyes have mastered picking out their motionless shapes, trogons are quite easy to find around Chan Chich. These beautiful birds seem to live their lives in slow motion. They spend their days sitting on a secluded branch, gradually turning their heads to survey their surroundings. They are easily approachable, though seeing an entire bird in the dense foliage can be a difficult process!

This male Violaceous Trogon, the smallest of the three common species at Chan Chich, was particularly confiding. I also managed to get good views of the other two species, Slaty-tailed and Black-headed, during my stay.

One of the characteristic sounds of Chan Chich is the call of the Thrush-like Schiffornis. In terms of plumage, this bird is amongst the dullest I've seen. It has literally no noticeable characteristics, other than being brown. However, what it lacks in aesthetic appeal, it makes up for in character. Very curious by nature, it hops from perch to perch, always about a foot off the floor, constantly whistling it's three-note song. It will even come to inspect foreign objects placed in the forest - this one seemed particularly fascinated by the legs of my tripod.

Four days is not enough time in a place like Chan Chich. I awoke before dawn on the last morning, in blind panic - time was ticking away and I still had so much to see! The forest didn't disappoint, and finding this Tody Motmot was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the trip. I heard a faint whirr of wings from the midst of a tangle of vines - it was one of those sounds that suggested something good. After a few agonizing seconds, and various changes of angle, I found myself peering into the gloom at this fabulous ball of weirdness. Watching it quietly wag its pendulum-like tail, just a few feet away, was a fantastic experience - and a great one to finish on.