by Robert Orenstein
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Itinerary
Birding sites
Bird list
Participants: Richard Stanley Echler and Robert Orenstein, tour leader: Knut Eisermann
Claudia Avendaño and Knut Eisermann of Cayaya Birding organized a nine day custom tour that provided an excellent cross-section of the country. While my goal was to see some of the birds that have eluded me in previous visits to Guatemala and southern Mexico (and others that I just like to see over and over again!), my friend Rich is a novice birder who wanted to have a sampling of tropical birdlife. We started on the Pacific slope (Finca Los Tarrales, Cerro Tecpán), then headed north to the cloud forest (Chelemhá Reserve, Biotopo del Quetzal), foothills (Hun Nal Ye Reserve), and finally, the drier forest of Tikal National Park.
Highlights included close and prolonged looks at Hook-billed Kite, Great Curassow, and Orange-breasted Falcon (the latter with two chicks at its eyrie on Temple IV) at Tikal; a spectacular array of colorful and animated toucans, motmots, oropendolas, jays, trogons, parrots, tanagers, manakins, and orioles; and a very cooperative Hooded Grosbeak near Tecpán that rewarded us with eye-level scope views after keeping us waiting for two hours! Hummingbirds were also a major attraction, with twenty species seen; including leks of Wine-throated and both hermits.
Knut was an outstanding guide, as on my previous tour. His knowledge of the birds is encyclopedic, and his sharp eyes and perseverance were greatly appreciated. We also had the pleasure of being escorted nearly everywhere by the tourism police - a national service provided free of charge to ensure the safety of tourists. In summary, an outstanding experience for novice and veteran birders alike.
270 total species (48 heard only)
Day 1, May 8: Arrival in Guatemala City, Cerro Alux (afternoon), evening in Los Tarrales Reserve.
Day 2, May 9: Los Tarrales Reserve (morning), Cerro Tecpán (afternoon), evening in Guatemala City (Hotel Best Western).
Day 3, May 10: Drive to Chelemhá (morning stop in Motagua Valley), evening in Chelemhá lodge.
Day 4, May 11: Chelemhá Reserve.
Day 5, May 12: Chelemhá lodge (morning), Biotopo del Quetzal (afternoon), evening in Hun Nal Ye lodge.
Day 6, May 13: Hun Nal Ye Reserve.
Day 7, May 14: Hun Nal Ye lodge (morning), drive to Tikal (stop at wetland near Las Pozas), evening in Tikal National Park (Jaguar Inn).
Day 8, May 15: Tikal National Park.
Day 9, May 16: Departure from Flores.
Biotopo del Quetzal: A brief afternoon stop in a private reserve produced brief looks at Emerald Toucanet, Unicolored Jay and Slate-throated Redstart; but little else.
Cerro Alux: A small reserve near Guatemala City that protects a nice patch of mature high elevation (2200 m) pine-oak forest. There are several well-maintained trails through the forest, as well as clearings with restrooms and picnic facilities. Unfortunately, we arrived on a Friday afternoon, when the picnic area was full of happy (and noisy) people, and had to content ourselves with looking at a few Eastern Bluebirds, Rufous-collared Sparrows, and Rufous-collared Robins. Time did not permit further exploration. A lunch stop at the nearby Swiss restaurant produced numerous hummingbirds; including Rufous Sabrewing, Green Violetear, Blue-tailed, White-eared, Azure-crowned, and Magnificent.
Cerro Tecpán: A high elevation (2100+ m) pine-oak forest east of Lake Atitlán, part of which is easily accessed near a roadside restaurant, where we ate during a driving hailstorm! We also visited a site Knut recently discovered which had some seeding thistles, thus affording an outstanding look at Black-capped Siskin; as well as Steller's Jays, Rufous-collared Robins, White-naped Brush-Finches, and a gorgeous Hooded Grosbeak (see summary). Our main target at the former spot was Pink-headed Warbler, which was cooperative, although our birding was hampered by the cold and damp conditions following the passage of a brutal cold front.
Chelemha Lodge: A small and cozy (no electricity) lodge perched on a steep slope below pristine cloud forest at an elevation of 2000-2500 m. While the star attraction is the large number of nesting Resplendent Quetzals, we were not well rewarded, seeing just a single male flying above the ridge on the day we arrived. However, that was enough to stir the senses! We were more than compensated by the nesting Blue-throated Motmots at the lodge, and particularly by the antics of the hordes of Garnet-throated, Amethyst-throated, Magnificent, and White-eared Hummingbirds, and Green-throated Mountain-gems that constantly fought over the feeders; while a single female Slender Sheartail on the first afternoon was tantalizing. Birding inside the forest was more challenging, where we were serenaded by Black and Mountain Robins, Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrushes, Brown-backed and Slate-colored Solitaires, Mountain Trogons, Rufous-browed Wrens, Gray-breasted Wood-Wrens, and Slate-throated Redstarts on each hike; but the dense growth of ferns, vines and epiphytes only permitted occasional glimpses of the singers. The notable exception was a cooperative pair of Blue-crowned Chlorophonias that rewarded us the first afternoon. It rained in quantity each evening, significantly limiting our opportunities for owling (we neither saw nor heard any), and making the trails extremely slippery. Nonetheless, a morning hike to the top of the ridge rewarded Knut and me (Rich was feeling the effects of the high altitude and long days) with outstanding looks at displaying Wine-throated Hummingbirds, as well as three fly-by Barred Parakeets (which I initially mistook for White-collared Swifts due to their long pointed wings). This was a magical place despite the rain, mud and paucity of Quetzals!
Los Tarrales Reserve: A large ornamental plant and coffee plantation on the southern slope of the Atitlán volcano. This is one of the prime ecotourism destinations in the region, with very comfortable accommodations in several newly renovated buildings and excellent trails though forest ranging in elevation from 760-2500 m. Some of the lower trails have interpretive signs that identify the plant species, and are home to a wide variety of lowland and mid-elevation birds; including regional endemics such as White-bellied Chachalaca, Pacific Parakeet, and Long-tailed Manakin. We encountered two of the latter who seemed ready to perform their whimsical dance almost directly above the road, but apparently decided to seek a more concealed location for that activity. We were also entertained by trios of Rufous-naped Wrens and Collared Aracari near the office, an adorable Common Tody-Flycatcher wagging and fanning his tiny tail, and an eye-level perched Crested Guan at the Manakin spot. Time did not permit an excursion to the higher slopes, but we were told that Horned Guan and Azure-rumped Tanager had been seen in previous days.
Hun Nal Ye lodge: A new ecotourist lodge in the foothills (500 m) a short distance north of Cobán. They were still having some teething problems (intermittent electricity and hot water), but the birding was excellent. We explored several trails inside the forest, but the edges and pastures produced the best birding, where we had outstanding looks at Keel-billed Toucans, Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Ringed Kingfishers, Crimson-collared Tanagers, Red-capped and White-collared Manakins, and a few jumping Blue-black Grassquits. A colony of Montezuma Oropendolas and its attendant Giant Cowbirds was thoroughly enjoyable, much more so than the Nightingale Wren we pursued inside the forest, which teased us with his fluty song and afforded a mere glimpse after getting close to inspect a small speaker placed a few meters from us.
Motagua Valley: We made a brief early morning stop at a roadside facility by a river while enroute to Chelemhá. The sun had just risen, stirring the insect life, which resulted in a flurry of flycatching behavior by Turquoise-browed and Russet-crowned Motmots, Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Altamira and Streak-backed Orioles, and Great Kiskadee.
Tikal National Park: The highlight of the trip without a doubt! We were greeted by a close pair of Red-lored Parrots in the trees above the Jaguar Inn the first afternoon, and a Vermiculated Screech-Owl that responded nicely to a recording, several gobbling Ocellated Turkeys, and a Roadside Hawk having a snake for breakfast early the following morning along the road that used to be the old airstrip. A mid-morning walk through the ruins rewarded us with the incredible sight of a male Great Curassow and a Coatimundi trailing a group of Spider Monkeys to feast on their discarded fruit just a few meters from us - probably my personal highlight. A few minutes later we climbed the steep ladders to the top of Temple IV, Knut having received permission to view the Orange-breasted Falcon eyrie nearly 70 meters above the ground. The hen graciously permitted our presence, briefly flying off her perch to harass a passing Turkey Vulture, then departing about thirty minutes later to seek a meal for her two chicks (and no doubt give the tardy tiercel a thorough scolding for making her leave the chicks unattended) which gave Knut his best opportunity to photograph them. While atop Temple IV we were also treated to a soaring pair of Hook-billed Kites, and several Plumbeous Kite nests in large epiphytes. The experience of a lifetime! Other notable sightings included groups of Black-headed Trogons plus smaller numbers of Violaceous and Slaty-tailed Trogons among the ruins, a nice assortment of parrots (Red-lored, White-fronted, White-crowned, Mealy, and Olive-throated Parakeet), and a perched Hook-billed Kite on the airstrip road while we searched in vain for a Pheasant Cuckoo. What a perfect reason to return!
(H) - heard only
TINAMIDAE
ANATIDAE
CRACIDAE
PHASIANIDAE
ODONTOPHORIDAE
PHALACROCORACIDAE
ARDEIDAE
CATHARTIDAE
ACCIPITRIDAE
FALCONIDAE
RALLIDAE
SCOLOPACIDAE
COLUMBIDAE
PSITTACIDAE
CUCULIDAE
STRIGIDAE
CAPRIMULGIDAE
NYCTIBIIDAE
APODIDAE
TROCHILIDAE
TROGONIDAE
MOMOTIDAE
ALCEDINIDAE
RAMPHASTIDAE
PICIDAE
FURNARIIDAE
THAMNOPHILIDAE
FORMICARIIDAE
TYRANNIDAE
PIPRIDAE
VIREONIDAE
CORVIDAE
HIRUNDINIDAE
AEGITHALIDAE
CERTHIIDAE
TROGLODYTIDAE
SYLVIIDAE
TURDIDAE
MIMIDAE
PEUCEDRAMIDAE
PARULIDAE
Genus INCERTAE SEDIS
THRAUPIDAE
EMBERIZIDAE
CARDINALIDAE
ICTERIDAE
FRINGILLIDAE
PASSERIDAE
Robert Orenstein, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
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