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Los Tarrales, Guatemala (Center on Interactive Map)

Map of Los Tarrales, Guatemala

Map of Los Tarrales, Guatemala



Volcan de Fuego Erupts
Lesser Nighthawk (Chordeiles acutipennis) Horned Guan (Oreophasis derbianus) White-bellied Chachalaca (Ortalis leucogastra) Long-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia linearis) - Male Green-throated Mountain-gem (Lampornis viridipallens) White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Masked Tityra (Tityra semifasciata) Golden-olive Woodpecker (Piculus rubiginosus) White-throated Thrush(Turdus Assimilis) Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia cyanura)

This farm contains extensive patches of cloud forest on the slopes of a 3000 meter volcano. With reservations, it is possible to spend a few days here.

Trips

Mexico to Panama

2/3/2009: We took a mid-morning chicken bus from Santiago to our next destination, Los Tarrales. The website for this private reserve, one of the oldest in Guatemala, looked promising.

One of my biggest complaints about humans is that it seems that in order for a building to be habitable, it must have all signs of nature cleared from the immediate vicinity and replaced by lawn or concrete. I find this to be the case even in nature reserves, and that is why I was especially intrigued by staying in one of the Los Tarrales electricity-free tree houses.

We arrived at the finca in the early afternoon, and we were promptly given a tour of the facilities. Believe it or not, the employee who showed us around tried to talk us out of the tree houses which were "far away" and "not ready." A short time later, however, we were sitting on the balcony of the tree house eye-level and five feet away from the lower canopy of a shade coffee plantation.

I made arrangements to go with Josue on an early morning hike up the volcano to look for the Horned Guan. We woke up at 2:30 AM, pounded some home-grown coffee, and drove for almost an hour to the trail head. This is where I got my first view of the Southern Cross (for this trip). The hike up the volcano was brutal. It was a steep climb the entire way for about three hours. I have to admit that I was almost thinking about giving up, but Josue had told me earlier that a 62 year old lady had done the hike in the past. When we got to the "cloud forest", where the guan lives, it had become very windy. It would be just my luck to dip on this bird after the effort I had put forth to get to the habitat. I barely had energy to move. Lalo and Josue walked further up the mountain in search of the guan while I waited in ambush on the trail. About an hour later, the guides had found a guan, and I set upon bushwhacking and rock scrambling to get a good look.

The hike back down the mountain seemed anti-climactic. The high winds hindered any serious birding. Part way down the mountain, I thought I heard thunder in the distance. Just my luck. But, it turns out that the sound was not thunder, instead the sound was a volcano erupting nearly 50 miles away.


Previous Visit (Santiago de Atitlan: 2/2/2009)
Next Visit (Antigua: 2/5/2009)



Species Recorded (91)

Birds ( 90 )

Herons ( Ardeidae )
Western Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis

New World Vultures ( Cathartidae )
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura
Black Vulture - Coragyps atratus

Kites, Hawks, Eagles, and Allies ( Acciptridae )
Short-tailed Hawk - Buteo brachyurus
Gray Hawk - Buteo plagiatus

Chachalacas, Guans, and Curassows ( Cracidae )
Horned Guan - Oreophasis derbianus
White-bellied Chachalaca - Ortalis leucogastra
Crested Guan - Penelope purpurascens
Highland Guan - Penelopina nigra

Pigeons and Doves ( Columbidae )
Ruddy Quail-Dove - Geotrygon montana

New World Parrots ( Psittacidae )
Orange-chinned Parakeet - Brotogeris jugularis
Orange-fronted Parakeet - Eupsittula canicularis
Pacific Parakeet - Psittacara strenuus

Nighthawks and Nightjars ( Caprimulgidae )
Lesser Nighthawk - Chordeiles acutipennis
Common Pauraque - Nyctidromus albicollis

Swifts ( Apodidae )
White-collared Swift - Streptoprocne zonaris

Hummingbirds ( Trochilidae )
Emerald-chinned Hummingbird - Abeillia abeillei
Cinnamon Hummingbird - Amazilia rutila
Green-breasted Mango - Anthracothorax prevostii
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris
Violet Sabrewing - Campylopterus hemileucurus
Blue-throated Goldentail - Chlorestes eliciae
Mexican Violetear - Colibri thalassinus
Rivoli's Hummingbird - Eugenes fulgens
Long-billed Starthroat - Heliomaster longirostris
Green-throated Mountain-gem - Lampornis viridipallens
Berylline Hummingbird - Saucerottia beryllina
Blue-tailed Hummingbird - Saucerottia cyanura

Motmots ( Momotidae )
Tody Motmot - Hylomanes momotula

Toucans ( Ramphastidae )
Northern Emerald Toucanet - Aulacorhynchus prasinus

Piculets and Woodpeckers ( Picidae )
Golden-olive Woodpecker - Colaptes rubiginosus
Smoky-brown Woodpecker - Dryobates fumigatus
Golden-fronted Woodpecker - Melanerpes aurifrons

Ovenbirds ( Furnariidae )
Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner - Anabacerthia variegaticeps
Spot-crowned Woodcreeper - Lepidocolaptes affinis
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper - Xiphorhynchus flavigaster

Tyrant Flycatchers ( Tyrannidae )
Northern Tropical Pewee - Contopus bogotensis
Yellowish Flycatcher - Empidonax flavescens
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - Empidonax flaviventris
Boat-billed Flycatcher - Megarynchus pitangua
Tufted Flycatcher - Mitrephanes phaeocercus
Common Tody-Flycatcher - Todirostrum cinereum
Yellow-olive Flatbill - Tolmomyias sulphurescens
Paltry Tyrannulet - Zimmerius vilissimus

Cotingas ( Cotingidae )
Rose-throated Becard - Pachyramphus aglaiae
Masked Tityra - Tityra semifasciata

Manakins ( Pipridae )
Long-tailed Manakin - Chiroxiphia linearis

Swallows ( Hirundinidae )
Black-capped Swallow - Atticora pileata
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Jays and Crows ( Corvidae )
White-throated Magpie-Jay - Calocitta formosa

Wrens ( Troglodytidae )
Rufous-naped Wren - Campylorhynchus rufinucha
Plain Wren - Cantorchilus modestus
Rufous-and-white Wren - Thryophilus rufalbus

Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers ( Sylviidae )
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea

Thrushes and Allies ( Turdidae )
Swainson's Thrush - Catharus ustulatus
White-throated Thrush - Turdus assimilis
Clay-colored Thrush - Turdus grayi

Vireos ( Vireonidae )
Yellow-throated Vireo - Vireo flavifrons
Brown-capped Vireo - Vireo leucophrys

Wood-warblers ( Parulidae )
Golden-crowned Warbler - Basileuterus culicivorus
Fan-tailed Warbler - Basileuterus lachrymosus
Rufous-capped Warbler - Basileuterus rufifrons
Wilson's Warbler - Cardellina pusilla
MacGillivray's Warbler - Geothlypis tolmiei
Tennessee Warbler - Leiothlypis peregrina
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia
Slate-throated Redstart - Myioborus miniatus
Northern Waterthrush - Parkesia noveboracensis
American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla
Townsend's Warbler - Setophaga townsendi

Tanagers ( Thraupidae )
Blue-crowned Chlorophonia - Chlorophonia occipitalis
Common Chlorospingus - Chlorospingus flavopectus
Red-legged Honeycreeper - Cyanerpes cyaneus
Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer - Diglossa baritula
Yellow-throated Euphonia - Euphonia hirundinacea
Flame-colored Tanager - Piranga bidentata
Western Tanager - Piranga ludoviciana
Summer Tanager - Piranga rubra
Azure-rumped Tanager - Poecilostreptus cabanisi
Yellow-winged Tanager - Thraupis abbas

Grosbeaks and Buntings ( Cardinalidae )
Painted Bunting - Passerina ciris
Indigo Bunting - Passerina cyanea
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Pheucticus ludovicianus
Black-headed Saltator - Saltator atriceps

Brushfinches, Seedeaters, Sparrows, and Allies ( Emberizinae )
White-eared Ground-Sparrow - Melozone leucotis

American Blackbirds and Orioles ( Icteridae )
Melodious Blackbird - Dives dives
Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula
Altamira Oriole - Icterus gularis
Orchard Oriole - Icterus spurius
Great-tailed Grackle - Quiscalus mexicanus

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