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Birding in Guatemala
  • Roland Rumm

Birding in Guatemala

Just a three-hour flight from the US, the highlands of Guatemala’s Pacific slope are famous worldwide for holding a host of regional endemics. The improbable-looking Pink-headed Warbler might top the list… Czytaj więcej
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    27 marca 2025
    Roland RummBirding in GuatemalaPodróżnik

    Day 1 - Antigua

    26 marca, Gwatemala ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Today was the first day of our Guatemala tour, and everyone gathered at the Hotel for our first dinner of the tour. We all got to know each other and had a little introduction and talked about birds and culture over a beer. We soon retired to our rooms since we were going to have an early start the next day. Czytaj więcej

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    Day 2 - Finca El Zapote

    27 marca, Gwatemala ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We left Antigua at 5 am after a cup of coffee in the lobby of the hotel. Our tour would take us towards the pacific coast to the southern flank of Fuego Volcano to the gorgeous “El Zapote” Finca. We arrived there just after daybreak and immediately started to bird the beautiful gardens. Getting all the common birds on the list, we enjoyed many Yellow-winged Tanagers, Rufous-backed Wrens and several flocks of Pacific Parakeets. After a wonderful breakfast under a Guanacaste tree we got into a truck in order to drive up Fuego volcano. Birding turned out to be on the difficult side, due to many heard but not seen birds. Fortunately most of the species we would have better chances on over the next days. After some effort we did get to see a pair of the very skulky White-eared Ground-Sparrow, two pairs of resident Golden-crowned Warblers and a Chestnut-capped Warbler before returning to lower elevations for lunch. In the afternoon we made our way to the Tarrales Nature Reserve where we would spend the next couple of days. Czytaj więcej

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  • Roland RummBirding in GuatemalaPodróżnik

    Day 3 - Vesubio & San Pedro

    28 marca, Gwatemala ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    We were off to an early start today. After coffee we left the lodge at 5:00 am towards Vesubio. An abandoned coffee picking village on the slopes of Atitlan Volcano. Upon arrival we started with a bang seeing a pair of Hooded Grosbeaks which are not easy to come by. The area around Vesubio was just teeming with birdlife and we spend a solid hour around the area enjoying spectacular views of rare birds like the Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge and the stunning Elegant Euphonia. And that was just the beginning of a spectacular day. During the day we would encounter great views of the two extremely range restricted and rare Azure-rumped Tanagers and Bar-winged Oriole, followed by breathtaking views of a pair of Blue-crowned Chlorophonias and to top it off we got to enjoy a spectacular flight show of a displaying Ornate Hawk Eagle over the valley. Just before nightfall, we saw a flock of several hundred Swainson’s Hawks migrating north which was just the icing on the cake for a spectacular day at Tarrales. After several fresh out of the oven Pizzas, accompanied by a cold beer we fell into our beds for a good nights rest. Czytaj więcej

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    Day 4 - La Isla & La Rinconada

    29 marca, Gwatemala ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After sleeping in until 5:00 am we had a cup of fresh Tarrales coffee and set off towards La Isla shortly after. La isla is a lower part on the plantation and at 1100m above sea level a perfect spot to scan for raptors. On the way we had a great encounter with two Crested Guans whom we had tried to stalk for a while. Once we arrived at the lookout we unpacked our breakfast and almost threw away our sandwiches due to a grand spectacle over the nearby ridge. An enormous kettle of raptors appeared over the forest as they soared the thermals to gain altitude for their migration north. Once they had reached a certain altitude they carried on westward as another kettle formed behind them. Closer inspection showed that we were dealing almost exclusively with Swainson’s Hawks including several rare dark morphs. For about half an hour we watched one kettle form after another and estimated them conservatively to be more than 1500 birds. What a show!

    After seeing several Broad-winged Hawks we heard a Green Shrike-Vireo which after some persuasion gave us a great sighting. We had one more stop on the menu for this morning, hoping to see the majestic King Vulture. Once we reached the location Eve spotted a Great Black Hawk and soon after the King of the Vultures made an appearance. What a morning it has been indeed.

    The afternoon, though short due to an afternoon rain shower, turned out to be equally exciting. Knowing that the Long-tailed Manakin was one of the most desired birds, we set out to the Rinconada in order to track one down. Just as we got out of the car two beautiful males were spotted in the tangles and gave us an unusually long sighting. And like that wouldn’t have already been a great afternoon, the luck was on our side when we spotted two Black-and-white Owls that hadn’t been seen in months. After extensive scope looks and pictures takes the rain started to creep up on us, and we happily retired to our rooms after another incredible day in Tarrales.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Roland RummBirding in GuatemalaPodróżnik

    Day 5 - IMAP & Drive to San Marcos

    30 marca, Gwatemala ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Before breakfast we headed to the soccer field to catch up with some species we hadn’t yet seen well. Several flocks of Orange-chinned and Pacific Parakeets later, we had a nice sit down breakfast before departing Los Tarrales. Our next location for the day was the Mesoamerican Institute of Agriculture. A site where the tiny Slender Sheartail is sometimes found. Even though very difficult to see, we gave it a shot and started birding as soon as we arrived. After only a few yards into the garden we heard the fine chattering of the hummer. And there she was! Even though odds of finding the bird were low, we had great looks at that special species. Once the Sheartail in the bag, we made one more stop at the lake shore and filled up our list with Purple Gallinules, Blue-winged Teals, and the weirdest mutant (Barn?) Swallow we had seen. Then it was time to head across the lake to Hotel Atitlan for lunch. We enjoyed the fancy location and good food before our lengthy journey to San Marcos. We arrived there in good time, and after dinner we called it a day and settled in for the night. Czytaj więcej

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    Day 6 - Refugio del Quetzal & Bojonal

    31 marca, Gwatemala ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We left the Hotel early and headed straight to Doña Elo’s house for breakfast. While we ate we enjoyed the many Hummingbird species around the feeders of usually hard to see species. The big surprise was an appearance of a female Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird who hovered around the feeders in a bumblebee-like manner. Then it was time to head to the Refugio del Quetzal. Don Lisandro took off down the slippery steps, and by the time we caught up with him, he had a spectacular male Resplendent Quetzal all lined up for us. And what a show we got! We must have spend over an hour with the feathered Serpent as the Mayans called Guatemala’s national bird. We enjoyed extensive looks and photo opportunities while the Quetzal completely unbothered carried on preening himself on a mossy branch right in front of us. Another highlight of the morning was a pair of Northern Wmerald Toucanets that were frequenting a nest hole on a nearby tree trunk.

    Before lunch we decided to bird the road to Bojonal for a stretch. And as usual what we encountered was absolutely incredible. Blue-crowned Chlorophonias, Azure-rumped Tanagers and four Hooded Grosbeaks at and below eye level!!! Yet again this road did not disappoint!!! What an incredible experience!

    We finished off the morning with more Hummingbirds and a very large lunch at Doña Elo’s. Unfortunately in the afternoon we got rained out, but adjusted our itinerary to make room for the site the following day. What an amazing day!     Czytaj więcej

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    Day 7 -Astillero de San Marcos & Sibina

    1 kwietnia, Gwatemala ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Since we got rained out the evening before, we decided to move breakfast up two hours and squeeze in a stop at the Astillero de San Marcos. Since we had to leave the hotel without coffee, we made an impromptu stop at a McDonalds (very unusual) so we could all get our daily dose of coffee. The Astillero provided us with lots of great species and looks of rare birds, like Black Thrush, Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Mountain Trogon and our first looks at the incredible Pink-headed Warbler. After breakfast at Doña Elo’s house, we gave to road to Bojonal another sweep and came up with several great looks at species we had previously heard but not seen, like Brown-backed Solitaire and Bushy-crested Jays. The afternoon was set aside to get us to our next destination, Sibinal. As Jack very fittingly described as a forlorn 500 year post apocalyptic town on the border to Mexico. The drive was uneventful, and after several hours of dense fog we arrived at the Estrella Dorada. Czytaj więcej

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    Day 8 - La Vega del Volcan

    2 kwietnia, Gwatemala ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    Today was the big day for the toughest bird of the trip. The Horned Guan! We had a very early breakfast at Doña Lidias and then set off towards La Vega del Volcan. We arrived on location at sunrise and started scanning the mountainside for the mythical unicorn. The Horned Guan always takes a lot of effort and an hour and a half into the waiting game we finally heard one vocalize. The Guan hopped into a window from the backside of a tree, and we quickly set the scope on it for everyone to see. After several rounds of scope views, we relaxed and ended up spending over half an hour with the mythical beast. We watched him sing, scratch himself and finally fly off into the valley. With huge smiles in our faces, we birded our way down to the village and to Roman’s house, picking up and enjoying great views of Blue-throated Motmot and several migrant warbler flocks. Before lunch at Roman’s house we went down a little trail across the valley where we finally got to see Blue-and-white Mockingbirds, a gorgeous male Flame-colored Tanager and three very nearby Black-capped Siskins. After lunch we returned to Sibinal for a lengthy afternoon break, before heading to Canjulá for dinner and a little birding. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side, and made the planned Owling session impossible. But we still managed to pick up a few Black Thrushes and Mountain Thrushes before we called it a day. Czytaj więcej

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  • Roland RummBirding in GuatemalaPodróżnik

    Day 9 - Union Reforma & Huehuetenango

    3 kwietnia, Gwatemala ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    After a coffee at reception we set off towards Union Reforma with all luggage aboard. We birded the access road and enjoyed fantastic views over Tacaná and Tajumulco volcano. The stars of the morning were several Black-throated Jays that unbothered by our presence foraged through the forest. After breakfast at Maribelle’s we had a quick but wonderful encounter with a male Singing Quail and then enjoyed the numerous Pink-headed Warblers together with several migrant warblers. The never before seen record of the day was a Brown Pelican casually cruising by at 10,000 feet without any water in sight. After a great and abundant lunch we started our journey to Huehuetenango. Even though only 60 km away as the crow flies, the drive takes several hours without a real opportunity for a birding stop. But the next day in the Cuchumatanes will makes up for it. Czytaj więcej

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    Day 10 - Los Cuchumatanes

    4 kwietnia, Gwatemala ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    After a very early cup of coffee in the hotel lobby, we left Huehuetenango towards the Cuchumatanes plateau. Driving up to an elevation of over 10,000 ft, we arrived at Esteban’s house in good time, even though we had to deal with complicated detours due to construction sites in Chiantla. We picked up Esteban, and drove up to our favorite Goldman’s Warbler spot. As we arrived, the sun came over the mountain and flooded the unique habitat in beautiful light. With a cup of coffee in hand, we enjoyed our first looks at the unique Goldman’s Warbler, that couldn’t look any different from the other Yellow-rumped Warblers. Also we got to enjoy world class views of a male Olive Warbler, Guatemalan Flickers and two very cooperative Eastern Meadowlarks. After spending some time in this beautiful area, we drove on to search for the most difficult species of the day. The Ocellated Quail! At just above 12,000 ft of elevation, we made a stop and had a listen for the male’s whistling call. Just behind us, and only a short distance away we heard the promising call and excitement quickly rose. Esteban had the brilliant idea to get inside the vehicle and use it as a hide. We slowly drove up to the field we heard the call from and started scanning the edges. Only minutes later, the Quail hopped up on a rock and started singing from across the field. We enjoyed absolutely marvelous looks. But that was only the beginning of the show! After some time, the Quail started to move across the field and with several stops (amazing photo ops) he came within a couple of feet of our bus. What an incredible show! Excited and grateful for such an amazing sighting we returned to Chiabal, Esteban’s town, to bird his home patch. Walking through the many beautiful agaves (Agave hurteri) we enjoyed and added several new species like Broad-tailed Hummingbirds and Scott’s Oriole to our list. With wonderful experiences lived, we said good bye to Esteban and took off towards El Amparito for lunch. Afterwards we returned to Huehuetenango and rearranged our luggage for tomorrow’s travel day. Yet again a wonderful day with memories made to last a long time! Czytaj więcej

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  • Roland RummBirding in GuatemalaPodróżnik

    Day 11 - Travel day

    5 kwietnia, Gwatemala ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    With a very unusual breakfast at McDonalds, we made our way to the Airport of Huehuetenango. With a little delay we had a very smooth flight at a very low altitude and landed in Guatemala City just after 9:00. We had a unique stop arranged for our brief visit of the city. Through good connections we managed to arranged a special visit to the Montessori School where recently several Stygian Owl fledglings had been spotted. With a short stop to pick up Pollo Campero for the gardeners of the school who were staying overtime for us, we arrived there with just enough time to search for the Owls. High up in the Pine trees we finally spotted three Owls. Two seemed to be fledglings, and even one of the adults was present. With just enough time and three very rare Owls in our pockets, we headed back to the center of the city for lunch. Right on time we got back to the airport to catch our flight to Petén where we arrived just around sunset over the lagoon at the beautiful Villa Maya hotel. Czytaj więcej

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    Day 12 - Santa Ana & Lake Peten Itzá

    5 kwietnia, Gwatemala ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    For our first day in Petén, we headed out very early with a boxed breakfast in hand. It was absolutely essential to be on site early, since we were planning to bird the savanna in Santa Ana. The targets being Green-backed, Olive and Botteri’s Sparrow. Also Black Catbird used to be a target here, but we were to try a more reliable spot for the latter. The savanna was very much alive and we gathered up lots of species quickly. Wonderful views of Blue Grosbeak, several stunning Indigo Buntings and a Vermilion Flycatcher so bright that it could have hurt our eyes. The Sparrows were fair game and little by little we gathered them up in the hot morning sun. Then it was time for the leader of the rarity list. The Black Catbird. We drove a short distance and then it was time to track him down. We’re aware of one pair on a one mile stretch of road and it takes some serious walking and listening to the tiniest whistles in order to see that monotypic species. After twenty minutes of walking on the scorching hot road a faint whistle gave him away when we were just about to give up. Quickly everyone gathered around just in time to see the Black Catbird hop up into a tree for everyone to see. Woohoo! Another very special bird in the bag we headed to Ixpanpajul for the rest of the morning where we quickly added two new Trogon species, Black-headed and Slaty-tailed, plus a soaring Double-toothed Kite to our list.

    In the afternoon we had a boat trip on the menu, and as we departed dark clouds started to roll in on the horizon. We were out to track down the rare Yellow-breasted Crake. Once at the right location, Jose tried to call them in and after a few minutes we got the first response. We were surrounded by three crakes, but just as they closed in on us a heavy rain shower rolled in over the lake. Initially it seemed like we could wait it out, but more and more squalls appeared on the horizon and once the thunder started we decided to get out of there the sooner the better. After all we got caught in a lot of rain out on the lake, and everyone got soaked down to the bones. Our driver picked us up at the closest dock and we all went for hot showers as soon as we arrived at the hotel.     Czytaj więcej

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    Day 13 - Yaxhá

    7 kwietnia, Gwatemala ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Then it was time to leave the Villa Maya behind. Our destination for the day was Yaxhá. We arrived in good time, and immediately tried to get the very range restricted Yucatan Flycatcher. It hadn’t been seen this year, but that didn’t stop us from trying. And sure enough, from a distance we heard the sad wailing call of the Myiarchus. After a long while of stalking him down, we eventually caught some looks at the bird. Not as shy was a Rufous-tailed Jacamar who very willingly came in for everyone to see. Then we carried on and after several loaded migrant flocks we had a fantastic encounter with a juvenile Gray-throated Chat. We spend the rest of the morning in the archeological site of Yaxha and then had lunch at the nearby lagoon.

    Then it was time to drive on towards Tikal. Once there, we quickly checked in and then went out to bird the old runway. Just outside the hotel we encountered our first Ocellated Turkey who proudly showed of his stunning colors while singing to the nearby girls. On the runway we had several note worthy encounters. One of the rarest, a Yucatan Poorwill which flushed just as we stumbled upon a crocodile who had gone walk about. After a pair of American Pygmy Kingfisher, Boat-billed Herons and a loudly singing Mayan Antthrush, we returned to the hotel and fell into our beds after a wonderful dinner.     Czytaj więcej

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    Day 14 - Tikal

    8 kwietnia, Gwatemala ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today was the day of our big archeological birding highlight Tikal. Since birding at such an abundant site, with a backdrop of Mayan temples sticking through the misty canopy is always an unforgettable experience, we were in for a wonderful day. We started our hike through the night at 4:30 and arrived just at daybreak at the “Lost World”. We quickly climbed the steps up the ancient pyramid and were immediately surrounded by a spectacular landscape packed with many parrot species, Keel-billed Toucans, Scaled Pigeons and countless other species, as their morning chorus filled the air. At closer inspection we noticed the Orange-breasted Falcon dominantly sitting on Temple 4, leaving periodically to chase down some breakfast. For the very first time we spotted a Black-and-white Hawk Eagle miles away perched on a tree. A very distant but still noteworthy affair.

    We spend the rest of the day birding the archeological site, and did clock many miles throughout the entire day. But as always it was an experience to remember for a long time, filled with spectacular sightings like a close up Orange-breasted Falcon, and even numerous sightings on the non-avian world like Middleamerican Boa, Gray Foxes casually running between pyramids and all the monkeys and coatis we could hope for.     Czytaj więcej

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    Day 15 - Return to the City

    9 kwietnia, Gwatemala ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Our final day of birding started out with a pre-breakfast outing with many Russet-naped Wood-Rails and a few other new species like a Limpkin. While enjoying a spectacular migrant flock we heard a Barred Forest-Falcon. When the calls seemed closest we had the bird shoot across the road seemingly right between our group. Even though a quick sighting but still a memorable one by a stunning species. We returned to the Jungle Lodge for a wonderful sit down breakfast and the prepared our departure from the forests of Petén. On the drive to Flores, we made one more stop on the lake Petén Itzá in hopes of seeing one of the regional endemic crakes. We walked out on the dock between the reeds and lily pads, when a Ruddy Crake called in the vicinity. With some patience, luck and persistence we got great views of the shy species, and we couldn’t have asked for a better final bird of the trip. One more fabulous lunch at the Villa Maya, a fantastic flight over incredible cloud formations and dinner at the Tikal Futura later our tour came to an end. Once again Guatemala gave us nothing less than spectacular experiences and memories. Two weeks filled with many habitats, countless amazing bird species filled with surprises and spectacular views and lots of wonderful people on the way.

    A huge Thank you to everyone on the tour. It was an absolutely wonderful experience showing you the beauties of Guatemala and I truly hope we’ll all cross paths again some time!     Czytaj więcej

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