Explorations of an Ecologist: Guatemala 2019, Part 3 : Los Ranchitos del Quetzal

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Thorn forest in the Motagua Valley (January 18-19, 2019)
Part 3: Los Rachitos del Quetzal (January 19-20, 2019)
Part 4: Sierra de Los Cuchumatanes (January 20-21, 2019)
Part 5: Reserva Natural Atitlán (January 21-22, 2019)
Part 6: Volcán San Pedro (January 23, 2019)
Part 7: Cerro Rostra Maya, Los Tarrales Natural Reserve (January 24, 2019)
Part 8: Los Tarrales Natural Reserve (January 25, 2019)
Part 9: Los Tarrales Natural Reserve (January 26-27, 2019)
Part 10: Parque Nacional Tikal (January 28, 2019)
Part 11: El Caoba former airstrip, Tikal former airstrip (January 29, 2019)
Part 12: Parque Nacional Tikal, Uaxactún (January 30, 2019)
Part 13: El Remate and Flores (January 31, 2019)

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January 19, 2019 (continued)

Los Ranchitos del Quetzal is a private nature reserve located south of Coban, represented by #3 on the map. Situated in humid forest right beside the main road, Los Ranchitos is an excellent place to explore. A trail system on the property includes one which follows a stream to a waterfall, while a second short trail climbs into the hills above the lodge. Lodging here was a little bit more expensive here compared to a hostel or hotel, but the advantage of staying at Los Ranchitos is that you are surrounded by pristine forest that is just outside your cabin.

We pulled into the driveway by early afternoon, having made good time on the drive from the Motagua Valley. Right away we had an excellent sighting. A Long-tailed Weasel darted across the driveway, pausing to look back at us before scurrying away. It was the first Long-tailed Weasel that either of us had seen in Central America.

We checked in, were shown to our rooms, and tried to not get too distracted by the Violet Sabrewing and Green-throated Mountain-Gem periodically visiting the feeders. A walk was in order; Dan and I were excited to explore a new area. We headed straight for the trail leading to the waterfall.

Los Ranchitos del Quetzal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

Several bird species are found in this part of Guatemala that we would not have another chance at on this trip. Of particular interest to us was Slate-colored Solitaire and Unicolored Jay, two species with somewhat limited ranges. A few other birds of interest included Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush and Great Swallow-tailed Swift, though these species are not commonly seen at Los Ranchitos. Resplendent Quetzal was another target of mine since I had never birded in their range before. We were in the right place, given the name of the reserve and the photos of quetzals everywhere around the lodge.

Slate-throated Redstart - Los Ranchitos del Quetzal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

Birding was very quiet during the afternoon, though I did get on a Slate-colored Solitaire and Dan later found one as well. We sifted through one mixed flock but there were few others mixed in with the Common Chlorospinguses (Chlorospingi?). A pair of Golden-browed Warblers was a life bird for both of us but otherwise it was slim pickings.

Stuart's Anole was a species we were really hoping to connect with. Limited to a small geographical area and narrow elevation range in these central highlands, Stuart's Anole was certainly one of the more range-restricted species we would search for during our trip. At Los Ranchitos they are exceedingly abundant; perhaps fifteen or twenty of them appeared on mist-soaked branches, under crumbling logs, or among the thick-leaf litter in the humid environment during our time here. A distinctive characteristic of anoles is the presence of a colourful dewlap which males possess and use to express their dominance to each other. Anole species can often be told apart by the colour and pattern of their dewlaps. Stuart's Anole has an attractive dewlap that is royal blue in the center, gradually fading to purple, pink, orange and peach.

Stuart's Anole - Los Ranchitos del Quetzal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

For dinner that evening we decided to stay in and enjoy the wonderful Cafe Guarumo. We were both starving; our caloric intake that day had consisted of a Clif bar and a few handfuls of peanuts each.

Dinner at Cafe Guaramo - Los Ranchitos del Quetzal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

That evening we strapped on our headlamps and headed back out to the trails to see what sort of nocturnal creatures we could scare up. As we walked we paused occasionally to inspect the abundant orthopteran, lepidopteran, phasmid or arthropod life.

Orophus sp. - Los Ranchitos del Quetzal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

We noticed several moths, like this one pictured below, that had been attacked by a parasitic fungi in the genus Cordyceps (as far as I can tell). When the fungi attacks the host, the mycelium invades and replaces the host's tissues, while the elongated fruit bodies (ascocarps) grow outwards. It is on these ascocarps that the spores reside, eventually breaking into fragments and presumably becoming infective. Pretty wild stuff!

Moth invaded by Cordyceps sp. fungus - Los Ranchitos del Quetzal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

Unfortunately the temperatures had steadily dropped all afternoon and were now several degrees below normal, which we worried would put a damper on reptile activity. This, unfortunately, turned out to be the case. While snakes remained out of sight, at least we had the opportunity to study many Stuart's Anoles, a species that did not seem too bothered by the cold temperatures.

Stuart's Anole - Los Ranchitos del Quetzal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

A few frogs were also noted, though we observed fewer than expected given that we were walking beside a rushing stream.

Ptychohyla hypomykter - Los Ranchitos del Quetzal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

Unidentified treefrog - Los Ranchitos del Quetzal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

January 20, 2019

The following morning dawned gray and misty while a chill hung in the air. We walked from our cabin to the main lodge building and waited for the sky to lighten with the onset of a new day. Eventually the first birds appeared as the morning brightened, including Northern Emerald-Toucanet, a flyover flock of Barred Parakeets and the usual hummingbird species. The lodge feeds Unicolored Jays daily, putting out pieces of fresh tortillas for the birds. Some distinctive calls drew our attention and soon we were looking at a quartet of Unicolored Jays, silhouetted against the steely gray sky. They worked up sufficient courage and flew down to the tray feeder.

We cranked our ISOs on our cameras to combat the low light but it was tricky obtaining a nice photo of the jays due to their propensity to perch out of sight after stuffing their beaks with tortillas.

Unicolored Jay - Los Ranchitos del Quetzal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

The rest of the morning consisted of some casual birding on a different trail that climbs up into the hills as well as an excellent breakfast at Cafe Guarumo. The cold temperatures made birding difficult and a dawn chorus never really materialized. New birds included a Resplendent Quetzal (heard only, unfortunately), Rufous-browed Wren, Spot-crowned Woodcreeper and Azure-crowned Hummingbird.

Soon, it was time to hit the road. Our destination would be the high-elevation mountains further west of us and north of Huehuetenango. The Goldman's Warbler, a distinctive subspecies of Yellow-rumped Warbler, is found only in a few mountains in western Guatemala and would be our target for the following morning.

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Friday, 22 March 2019

Guatemala 2019, Part 3 : Los Ranchitos del Quetzal

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