Mirador Rey Tepepul & arrival to Chiabal

Before daybreak we set out to look for our last target of the region. The Middle American Leaftosser. We were at location before first daylight and enjoyed a surprise visit of a Cacomistle and a Mexican Whip-poor-will. Though the Leaftosser didn’t give himself up easily. We tried at 4 different locations when finally on the 5th and with only minutes to spare the desired bird hopped into view and gave us a spectacular sighting.

We drove back to the Hotel, had breakfast and arranged for an earlier boat across the lake. Our journey would now take us to the state of Huehuetenango and up to the Cuchumatanes plateau. We arrived in good time and set out immediately to search for the next mythical target bird. The Ocellated Quail. On the way we found our secondary target, the future Goldman’s Warbler. While not a full species yet, it is a must see bird for its unique look and extremely restricted distribution.

After several hours of meticulous work by Esteban we tracked down an Ocellated Quail and carefully coaxed it out of his hiding place. The male quail flew far, but even across the valley we managed to put it in the scope and had a proper look at this rare and difficult bird.Read more