An adult King Vulture rises near the BRRI Hawkwatch
Today was another tough day for migrant Hook-billed Kites at the Cattle Landing Hawkwatch, north of Punta Gorda, Belize (run by Belize Raptor Research Institute). Twenty-eight Hook-billed Kites made the move south after slowly moving through the site…one pair of birds took about 35 minutes to completely exit! Migrant dragonflies were out in force but not nearly as bad as yesterday. Other migrants were sparse, but four local King Vultures were a highlight, including a juvenile bird (too far for photo!). Victor also heard a Black Hawk-eagle call, and it soon appeared overhead, but gliding away and not a great angle for a photo.
Bat Falcon hunting dragonflies nearby
And what is better than Bat Falcon? Two Bat Falcons! A pair double-teamed a Double-toothed Kite as it quickly regretted its decision to fly over their territory. After, one of the Bat Falcons came closer than ever before for a photo. Still not the best but you can at least see the white collar, dark head, and red vent.
By noon, clouds moved in and storm clouds started building from the north. Our entertainment for the day was a single man that launched a huge heavy canoe, apparently going on a fishing trip. He soon got sucked out to sea by a current, and we watched him paddle for about 45 minutes without going anywhere at all. Eventually, he broke free, and made it to the pier just as the big storm hit from the north at 2:30.
Storm clouds building in the north
The count-ending storm…