On March 18, 2026 we visited the Mayan archaeological site of Xunantunich in western Belize, about 70 miles west of Belize City and very near the border with Guatemala. It is on a ridge above the Mopan River near the town of San Jose Succotz and relatively near the larger town of San Ignacio. We started the day in Caye Caulker, an island off of Belize City, took a water taxi to Belize City and then drove to San Jose Succotz. Our guide stopped along the way to show me a jabiru stork, a beautiful bird that was a lifer for me. It was standing quite a distance from the road and took flight, providing me some fun photos.
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| Jabiru |
We got to the Mopan River and had to cross it on a small barge. We had swallows flying about and landing on the barge, above us and below us. I thought they were tree swallows, but it turned out they were another lifer for me, mangrove swallows.
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| Mangrove swallow |
On the way back across the Mopan River on the barge I encountered more mangrove swallows, but also a beautiful green heron, not a lifer, but I bird I don't see often.
After the barge on the way in, we parked the car and started an uphill walk to the archaeological site. There was some loud squawking and our guide told me they were brown jays, another lifer for me. I immediately focused on trying to see these loud and elusive birds and over the course of our time there I saw quite a few of them.
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| Brown jay |
Up among the Mayan ruins the most predominant animal was the black spiny-tailed iguana. We saw quite a few of them. They loved the perches provided by all of the stone. We'd seen them previously on a visit to the Mayan ruins in Comalcalco, State of Tabasco, Mexico, about nine years ago.
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| Black spiny-tailed iguana |
Inside a recess in the largest monument, El Castillo, our guide pointed out some bats hanging on the walls. I believe they were greater sac-winged bats.
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| Greater sac-winged bat |
We also saw a familiar turkey vulture and some less familiar golden-fronted woodpeckers. I first saw the golden-fronted woodpecker in Caprock Canyons State Park in the panhandle of Texas, but had just seen them again, for the second time, the day before on Caye Caulker in Belize.
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| Turkey vulture |
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| Golden-fronted woodpecker |
I was hoping to see more wildlife at Xunantunich, but was thrilled to get two lifers there and one on the road to get there.
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