Crooked Tree Wild life Sanctuary


		The Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary According to the Belize Audubon Society the Sanctuary is '"Birding Heaven" - The wetlands of Crooked Tree Wildlife Santuary (CTWS) are a birdwatcher's dream.' There are few who would disagree and it is not likely that they have been here. This is truly an amazing place, a nature photographer's dream location. The Village of Crooked Tree is on an Island of about 20 square miles; it is home to between 600 and 900 residents. The lagoons and marshes of Crooked Tree Sanctuary cover over 12,800 acres and is the home of untold thousands of birds. The Lagoons can get to a mile in width in the rainy season and may, in some years, dry up in the dry season. The largest group of lagoons includes Calabash Pond, Southern Lagoon, Western Crooked Tree and Revenge and Spanish Creeks. These flow into the Belize River through Black Creek. Jones and Mexico Lagoons flow into the Belize throuh Mexico Creek. The shores of the Lagoons are teming with birds, especially in the early morning. You will find more detailed information about the Sanctuary at: The Audubon Society Belize National Parks
		Visitor's Information and Park Rules Entrance fees are BZ$2.00 for nationals and US$4.00 for non-nationals. Opening hours are 8am - 4:30pm. To help maintain the park's pristine condition all visitors are requested to observe the following regulations: 1. Please register at the visitor center. 2. Do not harm or attempt to capture animals or birds. 3. Please do not disturb collect or remove plants or trees. 4. Fishing and hunting is not allowed. 5. Do not litter. Leave trash in the bins provided. 6. No firearms are allowed. 7. Outside the village, please stay on the trails.
		A few of the over 300 resident or migrating birds commonly seen around the Lodge and along the nearby Lagoons and Trails. (You'll find additional information about migratory birds in Belize from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center here.)
		Agami Heron Amazon Kingfisher American Coot American Pygmy Kingfisher American White Pelican American Wigeon Anhinga Bare-throated Tiger Heron Barn Swallow Belted Kingfisher Black Vulture Black-bellied Whistling Duck Black-collared Hawk Black-crowned Night Heron Black-necked Stilt Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-winged Teal Boat-billed Flycatcher Boat-billed Heron Caspian Tern Cattle Heron Common Black Hawk Common Moorhen Fork-tailed Flycatcher Glossy Ibis Grackle Gray Hawk Gray-headed Kite Gray-necked Wood Rail Great Black Hawk Great Blue Heron Great Egret Great Kiskadee Green Heron Green Kingfisher Groove-billed Ani Gull-billed Tern Jabiru Stork Kingbird Laughing Gull Least Bittern Least Grebe Least Sandpiper	Lesser Scaup Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture Lesser Yellowlegs Limkin Little Blue Heron Magnificent Frigatebird Mangrove Swallow Muscovy Duck Northern Jacana Northern Rough- winged Swallow Northern Shoveler Olivaceous Neotropical Cormorant Osprey Peregrine Falcon Pied-billed Grebe Prothonotary Warbler Purple Gallinule Red-winged Blackbird Ringed Kingfisher Roadside Hawk Roseate Spoonbill Ruddy Crake Savannah Vulture Snail Kite Snowy Egret Social Flycatcher Solitary Sandpiper Southern Lapwing Sungrebe Tri-colored Heron Tropical Kingbird Turkey Vulture Vermillion Flycacher White Ibis White-rumped Sandpiper White-tailed Hawk Wood Stork Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Yellow Warbler Also you will likely see Black, Brown and Green Iguanas in the trees and Jesus Christ Lizards walking on water as many are about.