Belize Bird Sanctuary and Spicy Shrimp

Today began with a trip to the Belize Bird Sanctuary. It was something I had found at the last minute and emailed to see if I could volunteer. However, the email saying when I should come to do so arrived while I was traveling. I got it too late to help with the morning feeding but another volunteer gave me a short tour. Nina, the owner, has been doing this for years in conjunction with the Ministry of Forestry. Her property houses over 60 birds in different cages.

Some are just there for rehabilitation, some did not heal in a way that would allow them to survive free or are too aggressive for release. There are special permits required to have these birds but you get the bird and set everything up and then apply, rather than the other way around. Several birds had been reclaimed by the Forestry service due to neglect, feathers turning bright yellow instead of green from the lack of vitamin A.

The Ministry of Forestry is not a big organization though so it is hard to enforce or protect bird species just in the same way it is hard to protect the wilderness reserves. This is an example of a bird that looks pretty but is very aggressive. He was constantly fluffing the feathers around his neck at me and utterly what I could only assume was bird curses.

Nina runs the only bird sanctuary and what makes it complicated is that you cannot export exotic birds from Belize, so all of those that are too aggressive to release are there for life. The only way around this is providing birds to the Belize Zoo or to tourist places if they can care for them.

At the end of the road was a teak farm, these are apparently teak trees.

I then spent the rest of the afternoon researching other places to go and painting this. It is the pool where we are staying.

Last but not least we went to a pizza place and got spicy shrimp pizza. It was as tasty as it looks.

They also had this contraption, two table fans zip tied to the post. Simplicity itself. As I sit on the porch I am watching a massive rain storm start to come in, the perfect end to the day.