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 30, 2019
Just like that, we were into our last full day of exploration in Guatemala. It is amazing how a trip like this can seem like it lasts months, while at the same time feeling like it is over far too quickly. We had covered a lot of ground and seen many things, but it is always a bit surprising how quickly a trip like this ends.
The morning began with cool(ish) weather and overcast skies, and we made our way over to the entrance gates to Tikal at dawn. Previously we had seen a lot of birds in the trees near the entrance gate as well as around the nearby ponds. Today the birding was just as good and we stayed here for over an hour.
We were pleased to locate a Bare-necked Tiger-Heron, skulking on the shadowy bank of one of the ponds. This was a new species for me, and a long overdue one at that.
We also added Philadelphia Vireo and Scaly-breasted Hummingbird to the trip list before continuing on into the reserve. Once inside, Dan and I decided that we would climb the impressive Templo IV, the tallest structure at Tikal. It is one of the few buildings that has pedestrian access, and the view point is perhaps halfway up the side of the massive structure. From here, one can see above the endless tracts of humid forest, while several other structures are visible cresting through the trees - an iconic sight. Since it was early in the morning we were practically the only ones present. This Gartered Trogon was spotted at eye-level while we were climbing the steps up Templo IV.
The views from the top were breathtaking to say the least!
One of the funniest moments of the day occurred when we passed an older couple, likely visiting the ruins for their first time. The woman was clearly not too impressed with the place, and we overheard her complain to her presumed husband in her thick, German accent that "There was nothing to see here! Just a bunch of old rocks!". .
The birding remained steady all morning, though new species were becoming harder to come by. Chestnut-coloured Woodpecker and White-bellied Wren were nice to finally come across, both of them new species for me.
We encountered our first ant swarm of the trip as well, an experience that is always thrilling. Unfortunately this one was a rather small swarm, attended by only a few bird species. We stuck with it for a while but were unable to turn up much, other than several Gray-headed Tanagers, a Kentucky Warbler, and about five Ruddy Woodcreepers. Still, it was a great chance to study these sometimes difficult to see species.
We reemerged from the forest to explore the open areas around some of the ruins. One intriguing thing about Tikal is that the site is only partially excavated. Tikal was essentially a city at one time and ruins can be found for quite a distance in the surrounding forest, so I have been told. While walking down the long, shaded forest trails, every now and then you will come across a peculiar, triangular shape covered in soil, trees and vines. Some ruins have been excavated, while partial or complete restoration work has been done on many of the larger or iconic ruins. It was interesting to see the steps of restoration that take place, and to appreciate the amount of work that goes into it.
A few Slaty-tailed Trogons were calling and flying around and we also noticed a Strong-billed Woodcreeper. mA little while later we found a ixed flock in the canopy that contained our first Golden-winged Warbler of the trip, along with a female Black-throated Shrike-Tanager.
Soon our stomachs were growling and it was time to head back to the hotel. We refueled and prepared for our afternoon, which would include our visit of the Uaxactún ruins further north.
To receive the appropriate permit for our vehicle we had to deal with a bit of administrative red tape, but an hour later we had our permit in hand and permission to drive through Tikal, to head up to Uaxactún.
Along the way we stopped briefly when a few woodcreepers flew across the road in front of us. We were suspecting they were attending another ant swarm, which proved to be the case. This time we were able to pick out a couple of Tawny-winged Woodcreepers with the Ruddy Woodcreepers, which was a lifer for both of us.
It was pretty warm out by the time we reached Uaxactún and we took a bit of time to drive around the town and get a feel for it. We were hoping that we might see some different birds here compared to Tikal, but it was difficult to glean information regarding the avian diversity of the Uaxactún area since it is not often visited by birders.
The birding was a little slow given the time of day, though a walk through some secondary forest turned up a Ruddy Quail-Dove, Great Tinamou and Worm-eating Warbler. I was more interested in the lizards found on the ruins. All appeared to be Rose-bellied Lizards (Sceloporus variabilis).
We were pretty beat at this point, since it had been another day with a lot of walking. We discovered a little restaurant in town, found the owner, and she kindly opened the doors for us to serve us a couple of cold beers. It was a great way to finish the afternoon!
That evening we returned to Tikal and enjoyed our last night at this special place before going to bed early.
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)
The morning began with cool(ish) weather and overcast skies, and we made our way over to the entrance gates to Tikal at dawn. Previously we had seen a lot of birds in the trees near the entrance gate as well as around the nearby ponds. Today the birding was just as good and we stayed here for over an hour.
 |
| Summer Tanager - Parque Nacional Tikal, Petén, Guatemala |
We were pleased to locate a Bare-necked Tiger-Heron, skulking on the shadowy bank of one of the ponds. This was a new species for me, and a long overdue one at that.
 |
| Bare-necked Tiger-Heron - Parque Nacional Tikal, Petén, Guatemala |
We also added Philadelphia Vireo and Scaly-breasted Hummingbird to the trip list before continuing on into the reserve. Once inside, Dan and I decided that we would climb the impressive Templo IV, the tallest structure at Tikal. It is one of the few buildings that has pedestrian access, and the view point is perhaps halfway up the side of the massive structure. From here, one can see above the endless tracts of humid forest, while several other structures are visible cresting through the trees - an iconic sight. Since it was early in the morning we were practically the only ones present. This Gartered Trogon was spotted at eye-level while we were climbing the steps up Templo IV.
 |
| Gartered Trogon - Parque Nacional Tikal, Petén, Guatemala |
The views from the top were breathtaking to say the least!
 |
| Parque Nacional Tikal, Petén, Guatemala |
One of the funniest moments of the day occurred when we passed an older couple, likely visiting the ruins for their first time. The woman was clearly not too impressed with the place, and we overheard her complain to her presumed husband in her thick, German accent that "There was nothing to see here! Just a bunch of old rocks!". .
 |
| White-necked Puffbird - Parque Nacional Tikal, Petén, Guatemala |
The birding remained steady all morning, though new species were becoming harder to come by. Chestnut-coloured Woodpecker and White-bellied Wren were nice to finally come across, both of them new species for me.
We encountered our first ant swarm of the trip as well, an experience that is always thrilling. Unfortunately this one was a rather small swarm, attended by only a few bird species. We stuck with it for a while but were unable to turn up much, other than several Gray-headed Tanagers, a Kentucky Warbler, and about five Ruddy Woodcreepers. Still, it was a great chance to study these sometimes difficult to see species.
 |
| Gray-headed Tanager - Parque Nacional Tikal, Petén, Guatemala |
We reemerged from the forest to explore the open areas around some of the ruins. One intriguing thing about Tikal is that the site is only partially excavated. Tikal was essentially a city at one time and ruins can be found for quite a distance in the surrounding forest, so I have been told. While walking down the long, shaded forest trails, every now and then you will come across a peculiar, triangular shape covered in soil, trees and vines. Some ruins have been excavated, while partial or complete restoration work has been done on many of the larger or iconic ruins. It was interesting to see the steps of restoration that take place, and to appreciate the amount of work that goes into it.
 |
| Parque Nacional Tikal, Petén, Guatemala |
A few Slaty-tailed Trogons were calling and flying around and we also noticed a Strong-billed Woodcreeper. mA little while later we found a ixed flock in the canopy that contained our first Golden-winged Warbler of the trip, along with a female Black-throated Shrike-Tanager.
 |
| Slaty-tailed Trogon - Parque Nacional Tikal, Petén, Guatemala |
 |
| Strong-billed Woodcreeper - Parque Nacional Tikal, Petén, Guatemala |
 |
| Black-throated Shrike-Tanager - Parque Nacional Tikal, Petén, Guatemala |
Soon our stomachs were growling and it was time to head back to the hotel. We refueled and prepared for our afternoon, which would include our visit of the Uaxactún ruins further north.
To receive the appropriate permit for our vehicle we had to deal with a bit of administrative red tape, but an hour later we had our permit in hand and permission to drive through Tikal, to head up to Uaxactún.
Along the way we stopped briefly when a few woodcreepers flew across the road in front of us. We were suspecting they were attending another ant swarm, which proved to be the case. This time we were able to pick out a couple of Tawny-winged Woodcreepers with the Ruddy Woodcreepers, which was a lifer for both of us.
It was pretty warm out by the time we reached Uaxactún and we took a bit of time to drive around the town and get a feel for it. We were hoping that we might see some different birds here compared to Tikal, but it was difficult to glean information regarding the avian diversity of the Uaxactún area since it is not often visited by birders.
 |
| Uaxactún ruins - Petén, Guatemala |
The birding was a little slow given the time of day, though a walk through some secondary forest turned up a Ruddy Quail-Dove, Great Tinamou and Worm-eating Warbler. I was more interested in the lizards found on the ruins. All appeared to be Rose-bellied Lizards (Sceloporus variabilis).
 |
| Rose-bellied Lizard - Uaxactún, Petén, Guatemala |
 |
| Rose-bellied Lizard - Uaxactún, Petén, Guatemala |
We were pretty beat at this point, since it had been another day with a lot of walking. We discovered a little restaurant in town, found the owner, and she kindly opened the doors for us to serve us a couple of cold beers. It was a great way to finish the afternoon!
That evening we returned to Tikal and enjoyed our last night at this special place before going to bed early.
----------
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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