BLANDEN NATURE RESERVE & LIST (outside) 

BELIZE

Region (Compass)

Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl 

Protected/registered status

Best Time for visit (9th December, 2004)

 

Birding Site Guide

The turn-off for the Bladen Nature Reserve is about an hour and a half north of Punta Gorda and buses leave PG as early as 5am. From the clearly signed turn-off to the reserve is quite far (at least 7-8km) and at the time I visited, the track was flooded in many places and probably only passable with a decent 4-wheel drive. The reserve can only be visited with prior permission and I turned back at the no entry sign after about 5km, well before the start of the forest. The habitat up to this point was savanna with scattered trees and had OK birding. The other alternative to birding in the reserve is to visit the adjacent BFREE Protected Area. The entrance is the same as for the reserve. I met people from BFREE on the way in and they said I could stay inside for US$40 a night. I decided against it but it would probably be worth it as the birding is supposed to be excellent. I recommend contacting the Bladen Reserve or BFREE before attempting to visit. 29 species including 0 lifers. 


Species seen 

  • Great Egret Ardea alba
  • Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
  • Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
  • Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
  • Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris
  • Red-billed Pigeon Patagioenas flavirostris
  • White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
  • Olive-throated Parakeet Aratinga nana
  • Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Amazilia tzacatl
  • Azure-crowned Hummingbird Agyrtria cyanocephala
  • Golden-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes aurifrons
  • Yellow-bellied Elaenia Elaenia flavogaster
  • Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
  • Couch's Kingbird Tyrannus couchii
  • Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
  • Spot-breasted Wren Thryothorus maculipectus
  • Black Catbird Melanoptila glabrirostris Near-threatened
  • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
  • Brown Jay Cyanocorax morio
  • White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
  • Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
  • American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
  • Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
  • Gray-crowned Yellowthroat Geothlypis poliocephala
  • White-collared Seedeater Sporophila torqueola
  • Rusty Sparrow Aimophila rufescens
  • Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
  • Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula


Other Fauna 

A total of -- species of mammals. 

There are -- recorded species of amphibians and reptiles. 

Flora 

Author: Charles Hesse

 

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