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www.belize-realestate.net
Belize River Front Real Estate and Investment Properties
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Go straight to the Pool Homes at Banana Bank Heights
Burdon Canal Nature Reserve
Right on the doorstep of Belize city. The red mangroves form. a tunnel right over the
Haulover Creek, home to kingfishers, herons, White Ibis, egrets, and the
Common Black Hawk. All are easy to see.
The banks are lined with gaping mud holes of the Blue Land Crab, a
meaty delicacy much bigger than the Fiddler Crabs nervously scavenging the
mud for food.
Turkey vultures, Pelicans and Magnificent Frigate Birds are overhead as
you carry on down the arrow-straight Burdon Canal, built in the 1920s to
help farmers further south get their crops to market without risking life
and limb on the open sea. The common butterfly along the waterway is the
Mangrove Skipper. Its brown wings have a large orange dot.
The other creature to watch for is the American Crocodile. Extensively
hunted for its skins up to 1981, its now so common the Forest Department
is continually called out to collect them from drains, gardens and school
back yards. Don't expect any 15 foot monsters though. Ecologists are
finding the area along the canal is not ideal crocodile habitat, and most
are quite small.
The waterway continues south to the Sibun River, cutting through
savanna before suddenly emerging into the Northern Lagoon. Rising from its
shallow muddy water, two islands are used by nesting Ibis, Herons, Egrets,
Pigeons and others. Both are reserves. At the southern end, is the
lagoon's only outflow, a winding creek that leads into Manatee Lagoon.
This is one of the prime spots for seeing manatee in the whole country!
The Reserve can be reached from either Gales Point Village or Belize City. The village has its own excellent
guides who can also show you other natural attractions in the area (if
you're prepared to hike) like the magnificent caves towards the Forest
Reserve and nearby turtle nesting beaches. Gales Point has a guest house
(basic) and a resort, and is connected by bus to Dangriga and Belize City.
The villagers make regular trips to the Belize market, and if you're
prepared to rough it in a dory (dug out canoe) and are in no hurry, you
might be able arrange a ride. Just ask around the village, or phone ahead
to the community telephone (05-22087). Current calculation of the area of
this reserve is 5970 acres.
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Web site and all contents © Copyright Graham Heyes 2008 - 2009,
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