maya ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE BIRD WATCHER'S DREAM

Code: Brd4

Day 1 GUATEMALA CITY
Arrive Guatemala City. Welcoming dinner. Hotel accommodations

Day 2 GUATEMALA CITY / MOTAGUA / QUETZAL RESERVE

Early breakfast, leave Guatemala city at 6:00 hours in order to arrive at El Rancho in the Motagua valley at 7:30 am. Doughnuts and coffee en route. Bird the dry Motagua river valley, home to the Crested Bobwhite, Orange-fronted Parakeet, White-crowned Parrot, Buff-collared Nightjar (rare), Elegant Trogon or the Turquoise-browed and Russet-crowned Motmots. Around 9:00 am leave for the Quetzal Reserve; "Mario Dari". Lunch at the Posada Montaña de Quetzal where we will be spending the night. After lunch bird one of the many good sites in this area. At dusk search for the two rare owls that nest close to the Hotel. Stygian Owl and the Bearded (Bridled) Screech-owl. Dinner and Hotel.

Day 3 QUETZAL RESERVE
Early coffee at 5:30 am. Drive to the Quetzal reserve to locate the National bird of Guatemala, the Resplendent Quetzal. In the misty fog, the quetzals make their distinctive two note call. At approximately 7:30 am we will have a snack breakfast in order to begin birding the reserve before the tourists arrive. We can select from two paths in the reserve. One trail is 4 km and the shorter path is a 2 km hike. While we walk through the cloud forest, we can expect to see Highland Guans, various species of hummingbirds and jays, and many other species. Return to hotel for lunch. Return to birding area for one last bird walk, then it is back to Guatemala city for farewell dinner and hotel accommodations.
For the afternoon, there are many excellent birding sites in the Biotopo area. Depending on the weather we will choose the site best for birding.
Rare birds we will specifically search for are:
Golden-cheeked Warbler (rare-migrant)
Blue-crowned Chlorophonia
Spotted Nightingale-Thrush

Day 4 GUATEMALA CITY / DEPART
Depart for country of destination.