Guatemala: Alma de la Tierra Indeed!

As some of you know already, I was privileged to be part of the Third Guatemala International Birdwatching Encounter in late February, a marvelous event intended to spread the word about birds and birding in a country that has been unjustly neglected of late.

I knew, of course, that the birds in northern Central America would be great, but I had no idea how captivating the entire experience of birding in Guatemala would be. From the moment Bitty of Via Maya Tourism picked me up at the airport to the fond camaraderie of the concluding banquet, I felt not just welcome but “at home,” and it didn’t take long to understand why Guatemala calls itself alma de la tierra, soul of the earth.

My first bird was not unexpected: I raised my head from the pillow in my Guatemala City hotel to hear the jeering chant of a Great-tailed Grackle, the last species I had seen the day before in Tucson and in Houston both. But then things got good fast. Really good. Really fast.

Laura, a participant from Minnesota, and I met up with our guide, Alejandro, and headed out through the dark to Cerro Alux, a nearby preserve evocatively named for the nocturnal imps (”aloosh”) said to inhabit the high-elevation forest there. We ran into no elves, sadly enough, but as dawn broke, Rufous-collared Thrushes became obvious on the roads, the first of what would eventually be more than 100 (!!) lifers for the trip. Gray Silkies and Eastern Bluebirds were a great combination while Black-capped Swallows flitted overhead. Brown-backed Solitaires sang from the forest, and Rufous-collared Sparrows bounced around the picnic tables. A magical place indeed, even without nocturnal fairies.