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If I’ve been remiss in finishing the tale of my February 2009 Guatemalan odyssey, it may be that I’m as sorry to end the story as I was the trip itself. On the bright side, I’ve saved one of the best stops for last!

After our inexorable sweep of Cerro Alux, Finca El Pilar, Rincon Suizo, [...]

You’ve probably heard this tale before. Many a proud birder has made the inevitable pilgrimage to Guatemala to climb a volcano in search of one of the most coveted, not to mention quirky birds in the Americas. Rick Wright has done it. Bill Thompson III has done it. Jeff Bouton has done it. Sharon Stiteler [...]

The Los Andes Private Nature Reserve is a lovely, lovely place but it’s a bit off the beaten path. One does not accidentally stumble into paradise but rather pursues it purposefully. Our group certainly did; our purpose resided high on a peak overlooking mist-shrouded fields of tea and quinine.
Two times in two days we ascended [...]

After successfully stalking the Pink-headed Warbler, our glorious assault on Guatemala’s Pacific Slope began in earnest. The first stop on our ambitious circuit was the Los Andes Private Nature Reserve, an absolutely heavenly plantation of sustainable coffee and organic tea mixed with pristine cloud forest. Yet the action started as soon as we hit the [...]

Surprisingly for a country with over 720 bird species on its list, Guatemala doesn’t have any species to call its very own. Endemic, however, may be in the eye of the beholder. The Endemic Bird Area (EBA) BirdLife International has designated North Central American Highlands shelters 20 extant restricted-range species. Some of the rarest [...]

For many, the name “Antigua” conjures visions of posh resorts and crystal coves in the Caribbean. For me, the word will always take me back to the charming, challenging colonial capital of Guatemala.

Antigua is a gorgeous little city about 45 kilometers from Guatemala City. Its inimitable character derives from its rich history as the former [...]

My first full day in Guatemala during the Fifth International Birding Encounter started with a stellar trip to Cerro Alux. Following that was a pit stop for coffee and hummingbirds en route to the fabulous Finca El Pilar outside Antigua. This working coffee farm is a perfect example of the power of private landowners to [...]

Guatemala’s current capital, Guatemala City and colonial capital, Antigua both lie in the central highlands. Most of this vast region is between 2000 and 4000 meters above sea level and characterized by cool mountain forest habitat. Apparently, it’s also magic for hummingbirds.
I’ve previously encountered the typical feeder hummingbirds of this region working the noble array [...]

So there I was, back in one of my favorite countries in the world. A few regrettable travel malfunctions kept me from attending the conference portion of the Guatemala International Birding Encounter program at Finca El Pilar so my adventure began in earnest the next morning at Cerro Alux. This was a fitting inception [...]

Malign meteorological conditions over the northeastern United States couldn’t keep me from coming home to share tales of high adventure through the central and western highlands of Guatemala. The trip was by all accounts a rousing success, one that I look forward to unpacking over the coming weeks. But those of you steeped in Central [...]

They say that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. I don’t know how this month will end but we’ll be roaring right into it. After my unforgettable week in Guatemala and Corey’s extended odyssey in Honduras, we’ll be unpacking our Neotropical adventures for the foreseeable future. And yet, just because [...]

Since I’m literally counting the days until I attend the Fifth International Birdwatching Encounter in Guatemala (it’s not too late to register!), I’m ready to share a very special series of photos I’ve been saving since my last trip there.
After a couple of days kicking around Guatemala City and Antigua, our horde of rabid birders [...]

The birding south of the U.S. border and north of the equator is always exceptional. This February, the mind-boggling birding splendors of Central America will be wide open for international indulgence. Check out these incredible events:

The Neotropical nation nearest and dearest to my heart is Guatemala. If you’re not exactly sure why a country the [...]

One of the coolest and most confiding reptiles I’ve encountered in the tropics is the Striped Basilisk Lizard (Basiliscus vittatus). This remarkable little monster is also known as the Brown Basilisk, but it shares a more glamorous nickname and ability with other lizards in its genus.

The genus Basiliscus, in the same family as iguanas, includes [...]

Most of my time in Guatemala was spent in some type of forest or another, which is exactly how I like it. To me, the Neotropics are all about rain forests and cloud forests and the other assorted flavors of vegetation and altitude. But if you spend any time at all in the Petén region, [...]

Guatemala’s 2008 International Birding Encounter truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, an adventure I’ll always remember as much for my fellow participants as for the absolutely mind-blowing birding. While I’ve endeavored to keep the name-dropping to a minimum, the truth is that most of the people I spent time with are famous (or notorious) in some [...]

Some names conjure visions of such reckless tropical adventure that one might grow dizzy just to hear, let alone speak them. Ixpanpajul. Swinging through dense, steamy jungles. Ixpanpajul. Traversing swaying, sun-drenched spans high above mouldering ruins. Ixpanpajul! Drums beating, heart thumping, manakins, motmots, cassowaries curassows… Ixpanpajul!!!
Parque Natural Ixpanpajul is an action-packed slice of lowland [...]

Chronicles of my Guatemalan birding adventures are still forthcoming but I thought it might be nice to focus on one special bird from the tropics. The Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa) is a striking wader that ranges from Mexico to Panama. With its attenuated, spindly toes and day-glo orange shield, the jacana looks like a close [...]

So there I was in Guatemala, where it’s cool to eat cookies before dawn. A murderer’s row of local and international scientists, conservationists, guides, tourism agents, optics ambassadors, and birding industry writers, editors, and organizers queued up, well before sunrise of course, for the short flight from Guatemala City to the Peten. Time in the [...]

So there I was in Guatemala, where the living is easy. Our motley crew of American, Guatemalan, and British birders abandoned the sweet pine oak habitat of Cerro Alux for the delights of a lush, deliciously vertical finca outside Antigua. Finca El Pilar cultivates coffee under a biodiverse canopy of dry, deciduous forest. Of course, [...]