Searching for a "hack site" - Sept. 2008

You may remember back in August I wrote about The Peregrine Fund. The Peregrine Fund is a non-profit organization that attempts to save the dwindling population of certain birds of prey. They have people here in the Mountain Pine Ridge working to increase the orange-breasted falcon population in Belize.

The leader of the Peregrine program in Belize is Yeray (who is originally from the Canary Islands of Spain). Yeray and his group have been releasing young falcons at a "hack site" on the escarpment of George and Melina's property for a couple of years now.

In September, Yeray was in search of a new hack site where they hope to release young falcons next year. George took Yeray out on a tour of the eastern property and they asked if I'd like to join.

This area of land is very remote and quite different from what I have seen elsewhere in Belize and in the Pine Ridge. Here, you can see the clouds were low and in the mountains. But can you see the road? No? Well, that is because there is none! George drove the Land Rover down this rocky path out to the edge of the mountain ridge.

Yeray and George were hard at work searching for birds and areas that could serve as the new release site.

Turns out that the soil here is rocky and the land is quite barren making it difficult for animals, plants, and humans to live here. Yeray felt this might not be the best place for a hack site.

Later, George took us on a driving tour a bit further south and east from his property. All that could be found up here were a radio stations and fire towers. Does this remind anyone of western Ireland?

We continued further into the Mountain Pine Ridge and we had some stunning views of Victoria Peak (one of the highest peaks in Belize).

Soon we came to Despair Cairn Road, an old logging road that winds its way along a skinny ridge and into a creek bed. There were views of valleys on either side of the truck. I could understand why they named it "Despair" Cairn Road!

This is the creek at the bottom of Despair Cairn Road.

George says this reminds him of what the Pine Ridge used to look like before the beetle epidemic hit killing most of the pine trees. There are still some large pines here that escaped the wrath of the beetles.