Though we’ve finally settled in the heart of the Chiquibul Forest, I may have been too hasty in my previous assessment of our luck on this trip.
The morning began with little sleep, some unidentifiable (but delicious) fried bread, a blue-crowned motmot sighting, and our departure from the Crystal Paradise and San Ignacio. Just as we set off, I caught this silky anole (Anolis sericeus).
Our first stop was a step 2000 years back in history, to the ancient Mayan city of Ozhuitza at the Caracol Archaeological Site. The great city now stands in ruins, with only the largest structures of the ancient city center excavated today. I became a momentary archaeologist, traipsing through the remains of a metropolis that once housed 150,000 people. We climbed 43 meters with many, many steps to the top of Caracol’s “Sky Palace,” the tallest structure in Belize.
The day’s reptile sightings remained sparse compared to yesterday’s excitement; Caracol only yielded a few stray skinks, darting among the ruins. The morning’s greatest surprise was the sight of the odd hanging nests characteristic of the Montezuma’s oropendola. As we entered what can best be described as the suburbs of Ozhuitza, I caught a glimpse of the birds’ bright yellow tails. We watched the intricately woven nests swing like pendulums in the breeze to the tune of the oropendula’s strange mating call.
However, as soon as we left Caracol, the Mayan gods appear to have left our side. Our journey to the Chiquibul was cut short by an unanticipated lack of oil. In true field biologist fashion, we halted our journey outside a military checkpoint and seated ourselves on the dirt road for a lecture on the termite species of Belize. But in just a few short hours, two pickup trucks with a bed full of TFBs finally found their way to Las Cuevas Research Station. For the next five days, we’ll make our home here in the forest—hopefully, with a little more luck this time.
