Birding

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 4 Dec 2012 23:06
Monkey River Bird Watching Trip
 
 
 
 
 
 
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We were picked up by Renee on the beach outside the villa for our three quarter of an hour launcha trip in the pouring rain to Monkey River. We picked up a couple as we passed Placencia Village who told us they came from “Trinidad, Colorado, the sex change capital of the world”, not entirely sure how to respond we asked the ratio of men to women changing. “Oh 50 : 50”. Right then.
We stopped at the mouth of the river, got out to put in our lunch orders and wring out a bit. Sadly my R.E. anorak has no hood, so a quick bit of improvisation – hey it worked. Moth took it in her stride seeing the funny side and I showed the only dry patch courtesy of my camera bags coat.
 
 
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We were joined by a second guide, Victor and the spotting duo worked really well together. We were soon shown lots of flora and fauna, including a very wet, fed up howler monkey. The great thing about birding is hopefully if and when the rain stops all sorts of creatures come out to dry. We were not disappointed. The list we saw: royal tern, pelican, yellow-crowned night-heron, turkey, swallow-tailed kite, short-billed pigeon, frigate bird, little blue heron, great blue heron, great egret, green heron (known locally as Poor Joe), white ibis, common black hawk, osprey, great kiskadee, tropical kingbird, cowbirds, sun grebe (locally greeb littlest duck and quite a rare sighting), finches, swallows, and a spotted sandpiper (locally and a favourite called shaky batty). The boat-billed heron, the squirrel cuckoo and the white-lined sac-winged bat were completely new ones on us.
These are some of the pictures we took.
 
 
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After we had meandered up the wiggly river for an hour, spotting a couple of crocs, we got out to go seek a troop of howler monkeys, they shouted to order but the light was fairly ropey
 
 
 
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I was delighted on our walk back that Victor, our second guide got down on his hands and knees and shoved his hand into a biggish home. What a chap he pulled out.
 
 
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A bit of a scrapper by his missing eye and claw.
 
 
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After lunch we were introduced to Victor’s rescue-come-pet, a random anvil and a one carefully owned house
 
 
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Time for Renee to take us back, just as the rain started once more. Hot showers, a game of Mexican Train Dominoes Baileys o’clock then.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL TOP NOTCH SPOTTING
                      BUT A BIT DAMP
                      ANOTHER INCH OF BAILEYS ANYONE