Tag: Guatemala (Page 1 of 2)

Birding Guatemala #4: Los Tarrales Nature Reserve

September 6, 2025 / KDL / 1 Comment

The calming, lush grounds of Los Tarrales Nature Reserve

Birding Los Tarrales Nature Reserve

I wrapped up my 10-day trip to Guatemala with a stay at Los Tarrales Nature Reserve, a working plantation and great spot for birding on the slopes of Volcan Atitlan. I stayed in the cheapest accommodation available – the motel-like rooms known as “Las Chachas”. They had some nicer rooms, and a few tree-fort-style places available (next time). I had 3 full days at Los Tarrales. I spent one hiking Volcan de San Pedro in a search for the Horned Guan. On the other two days, I wandered the property.

My first day there, I arrived following a two+ hour car ride from Antigua. I first took a stroll down a trail that visited a small lake on the property not far from the central lodging and eating area. It was early afternoon, so activity was not high. But I picked up two lifers – the large and loud White-bellied Chachalaca, and the brightly-marked and conspicuous Rufous-backed Wren. A Northern Tropical Pewee perched out in the open, giving great views. A Yellow-Green Vireo did the same, which was surprising given how elusive the one that visited Los Angeles was. There ween’t any ducks in the pond, but it was a nice warm-up walk.

White-bellied Chachalaca

Northern Tropical Pewee

Yellow-green Vireo

Rufous-backed Wren

After refueling, I headed for a trail that went up the slope of the volcano and through great habitat. Activity was still a bit low, and I heard many more birds than I saw. I managed understory views of a lifer Blue-tailed Hummingbird. I repeatedly heard, but never saw, lifer Long-tailed Manakins in the higher parts of the trail. These birds, like other manakins, have dazzling courtship displays that may be the only male cooperative courting in the animal world. Other nice birds on the hike included multiple White-Throated Thrushes, a pair of Red-legged Honeycreepers, and a Masked Tityra.

Day 2 at Los Tarrales was my trip to Volcan de San Pedro. My third and last day started at the “feeder” station just outside my room. The only food that is put out is a big bunch of bananas. That’s apparently all it takes, because a slow but steady stream of birds visited the trees around the bananas. Clay-colored Thrushes were their usual ubiquitous selves. Four spectacular Lessen’s Motmots were feeding on berries in the nearby bushes. A pair of Yellow-winged Tanagers showed off their subtle beauty. And just as my birding guide Ben promised, a lifer Spot-breasted Oriole showed up for some banana breakfast.

Lessen’s Motmot

Yellow-winged Tanager

Clay-colored Thrush

Spot-breasted Oriole

After breakfast, I wandered more of the property. After a quick check of the pond (still no ducks), I headed north through the fields. Again, the birding was great. The agricultural fields were surrounded by patches of trees, where the birds congregated. I saw my first-ever Yellow-Olive Flatbill, Spot-breasted Wren, and White-throated Magpie-Jay. A Smoky-Brown Woodpecker flew in while I snacked. On a wire, I found a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher.

White-throated Magpie-Jay

Smoky-brown Woodpecker

Pacific Parakeet

Cinnamon Hummingbirds were the most prevalent hummingbirds on the property, regularly perching at eye level on edge bushes. A Roadside Hawk kept watch over an empty field. A buzzing sound turned out to be a Blue-black Grassquit, whose midnight coloring looked cool when hit by the sun.

White-throated Thrush

Roadside Hawk

Cinnamon Hummingbird

Blue-black Grassquit

it wasn’t just birds on the property. There were agouti all over the place, some sort of tropical rodent. I spotted a couple of basilisks. Deer roamed around at night. But perhaps the strangest, most unexpected sighting of all was the palm-sized crab that walked across the trail in front of me one day. The reserve is about 50 miles from the ocean. It turns out there are freshwater crabs in nearby Lake Atitlan, which I guess explains this crab’s presence.

Los Tarrales Nature Reserve is a great spot, and located near the stunning Lake Atitlan and some hikable highland volcanos where you can see some rare birds. They offer birding guides and tours on site if that’s your jam. I found wandering the property to be enjoyable, but I’m sure I would’ve added more species if I had a guide with me. I wish I’d checked in about a night tour, to see if there were any known owls around. All in all, great visit.

Birding Guatemala #2: Lake Atitlán & Panajachel

June 25, 2025 / KDL / 0 Comments

Volcán de San Pedro and water taxis, Panajachel, Lake Atitlán

Volcanos and birds around mile-high Lake Atitlán

There are certain people, places, and works of art whose beauty stops us in our tracks. They cause us to take in a breath, and then exhale with a belly-deep “whoa.” The stained glass in Barcelona’s La Sagrada Familia, and a dawn arrival at Machu Picchu after 4 days on the Inka Trail, did this to me. Mark Rothko paintings have as well. My trip to Guatemala added a new such place to my list: Lake Atitlán. The sparkling blue lake fills the caldera of a massive ancient volcano. It’s surrounded by picturesque villages and a trio of green forested volcanos. In every direction, from every angle, it’s beautiful.

The second biggest town along the lake is Panajachel, where my group stayed for a couple of nights. As luck would have it for a birder, we weren’t right in town. Instead, we were at the lakefront Hotel San Buenaventura. The place felt more like a retreat (some of the group were getting White Lotus vibes), with lush grounds and an aquamarine pool with great lake views.

White-faced Ground Sparrow

Azure-crowned Hummingbird

Morelet’s Seedeater

Cinnamon-bellied Saltator

After we checked in to our delightful red brick split-level suites, I walked around. The back half of the property is covered in trees, and was full of birds. The lake sits at just about a mile above sea level, nearly the same as Antigua’s elevation. As a result, the expected species in the area were basically the same. I added a lifer Boat-billed Flycatcher, White-faced Ground Sparrow, and Morelet’s Seedeater on my walk. A bank of red flowers attracted some hummingbirds, including an Azure-crowned Hummingbird. I even spotted 4 white-nosed coati moving through the trees.

Later in the afternoon, I walked up and down Calle San Buenaventura, the road that connects our hotel and Panajachel. Again, the birding was good. A Greater Pewee was sallying from a wire over the road. Along the edge of the road, a lifer Rusty Sparrow hopped into view. A pair of Rose-throated Becards were coming repeatedly to a big nest. I also got good looks at Guatemala’s cool version of Bushtit, tricked out with a thick black face mask. It was also visiting a nest, as was a Tropical Mockingbird. I had ever seen so many birds visiting nests.

Bushtit

Guatemalan Flicker

Rusty Sparrow

Band-backed Wren

White-nosed Coati

Greater Pewee

You didn’t have to be on the trails to see birds. Hanging out at the hotel’s lake front, I saw Common Gallinule and American Coots on the water. A Green Heron flew past me a couple of times. Coming to a big snag of a tree were Guatamalan Flickers, Black-vented Orioles, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows. The birds, the natural beauty, and the wonderful companions of my tour group made this a highlight of the trip. Indeed, my only regret from Panajachel was tasting the Pollo Campero fried-chicken flavored Lay’s potato chips. They were gross. Really gross.

Lakefront at Hotel San Buenaventura

A Trip Across the Lake

During our stay, we took a water taxi across the lake to Santiago Atitlán. This town sits between the volcanoes in the picture above. The morning boat ride was serene (just a single Laughing Gull and Brown Pelican on the lake during our ride). Our tour of Santiago Atitlán included some tragic sites from Guatemala’s decades-long internal conflict. We stopped at the Parque de la Paz, the site of a massacre of 13 villagers by the Guatemalan army in 1990. And we visited the St. James the Apostle church, where Father Stanley Rother was murdered in 1981.

We then hopped on our water taxi and went to IMAP, a group working to promote food sovereignty, biodiversity protection, agroecological education, and the empowerment of small-scale farmers. After learning about their efforts, buying a hat, and enjoying a delicious lunch, I managed 20 minutes of birding. The target was a Slender Sheartail, a small hummingbird of the highlands with an arched bill and, on males, a long forked tail. One had been reported a few days previous. As luck would have it, a local birder was present when we arrived and showed me where it had been appearing. With my time running out, I finally got a quick glimpse of a female.

Slender Sheartail

Rufous-collared Sparrow

The Lake Atitlán area was fantastic. And I wasn’t done with it yet. When my group tour ended, I spent a few days not far from Santiago Atitlán. In a future post, I’ll cover that visit to Los Tarrales Nature Preserve and a hike to the top of Volcán de San Pedro in the search of a Horned Guan.