Naturetrek Feb’25

Today, after breakfast we drove to Ranchitos del Quetzal where we usually would try to see Guatemala’s national bird, the Resplendent Quetzal. Having seen the species already, we concentrated on finding other specialties like Unicolored Jays and the Slate-colored Solitaire. After lunch we had quite some spare time on our hands, and decided to look for Ruddy Crakes and then bird the old road to Salamá, hoping to encounter one of Guatemala’s hardest to see species, the Belted Flycatcher. While the Belted Flycatcher was heard, together with the just as rare Maroon-chested Ground Dove, the Ruddy Crakes gave us the show of a lifetime! Not one or two, but seven individuals emerged from the reeds and gave us an incredible concert. Singing simultaneously we enjoyed the seldomly seen birds for an endless seeming time and had incredible photo opportunities throughout. What a day and what a sight!!!Читать далее

For our second day in the central highlands we decided to arrive very early on location in order to get a chance to see the two rare Nightingale-Thrushes of the region. And just after day-brake, we were rewarded by decent looks at first a Yellow-throated, and then a Black-headed Nightingale Thrush. Having those two in the back we headed back out in search of the Belted Flycatcher. Little did we know that we were about to be treated to an almost religious experience. Not only did the Flycatcher hop right out in the open for a first unobstructed look, but then came into a bare tree at eye level where we had enough time to take what are likely the worlds best photos of the species. After being speechless and covered in goosebumps we continued up the road and enjoyed the day to the fullest, coming up with other rare birds like a completely unexpected Red Crossbill.

The central highlands didn’t disappoint, and with our impromptu additions to the itinerary it was nothing short of spectacularЧитать далее