I returned late Saturday night (once again, sans luggage by the way!) from a fantastic – albeit far too short – journey to Guatemala. I was extremely fortunate to be one of twenty people invited by Nikon to celebrate the unveiling of the brand-new Nikon EDG binoculars. It was an extreme honor to be included in this select group, and I am very grateful for the opportunity. I must also admit, it was also a bit intimidating to be included with some the “big names” in the business and in birding, and I must admit to some insecurity about considering myself equally as worthy of inclusion as most of the folks in this group.

Obviously, it goes without saying that this was a special event. Unfortunately, optics manufacturers don’t go around flying people to the rainforest every time they role out another new product (but, if anyone else want to send me places, you know where to find me!). But, the EDG is Nikon’s first product developed by, and for, birders, and the unveiling of this creation called for a celebration.

The plane touched down shortly after noon local time, and Great-tailed Grackles foraging in the short grass between runways greeted me. Cynthia (the owner of the Wild Bird Center of Chapel Hill, NC) and I ended our “shop-talk” that lasted the better part of the flight between Charlotte and Guatemala City as we rolled up to the gate. The deal was that we could spend the flight discussing (read: complain) about our business, but once we landed we could not discuss, complain, and/or gossip about “work.” Half way through the flight, we realized Pete and Linda were right in front of us, so at least we talked to someone about something other than grain futures for some of the trip!

Upon landing in Guatemala City, our group, arriving from various corners of the US began to coalesce as friends embraced and new acquaintances were made. We boarded a bus and were taken to a local market, where we were able to pick up some beverages, treats, and souvenirs. I promptly stocked up on some homemade candies to fuel me in the coming days. And, a Rufous-collared Sparrow in the market’s gardens was my first of dozens of life birds to come.

The bus took us from the city to the IRTRA hotel and resort complex in Retalhuleu, which was to be our base camp for the next few days. There was plenty of traffic, and lots of unidentified birds zipping by. Although I only confidently identified 5 species by the time darkness fell, two of those (the aforementioned sparrow and Roadside Hawk) were life birds. But, this bus ride was really dedicated to great conversation with old and new friends.

From the IRTRA hotel, we set out on a different destination each day. 4:00 am wake-up calls were followed by 4:30 coffee (I was hoping for a caffeine IV drip while on the bus, but I had to do take in my “liquid brain” the old fashioned way) and a 5:00 departure. Boarding very comfortable mini-buses, we headed out for a finca (plantation) and a home-cooked breakfast upon our arrival.

Day one took us to the Patrocinio Private Reserve. In the subtropical humid forest biome, this reserve featured primary forest, shade coffee plantations, and orchards of various fruits and Macadamia nuts. We began the day – as we would for each of the next three days – birding around the farm buildings, as breakfasts were prepared. And, you’re simply not going to get any fresher coffee than we had on this trip! This locale was not very birdy today by Neotropical standards, but our visit here was designed as an introduction to the Guatemalan avifauna, which was especially welcome by a Neotropical neophyte such as myself. Stunning Violet Sabrewings and somewhat comical, yet still stately Laughing Falcons were two of the highlights.

The roads into the fincas were quite adventurous themselves, at times.

Checking the flow on Rubber Trees.

Finca Patrocinio

Birding from the porch before breakfast.

Coffee, aka "Liquid Brain"

Macadamia Nuts are a bit difficult to eat in the field, we learn.

Laughing Falcon.

Bill does his best Mary Poppins imitation.

Diane and Mike cross the bridge. Can't say I was a huge fan of this particular crossing.

The Canopy Tower.

I'm glad I don't have to crack all of those!

"Tourist Police" followed our buses as we traveled between fincas. I was under the impression that this was as much - or even more - a show of support, as it was a need for our safety.

We returned to our “base camp” in Retalhuleu, and Chuck, Bill, and I strolled the grounds for a while, getting some great looks at a few birds that we had struggled to view earlier today, such as Masked Tityra. I also added Red-billed Pigeon and Lineated Woodpecker to my burgeoning life list. This was really a rather weird place, for lack of a better word. Walled in from the surrounding city, with very manicured, and rather sterilized, grounds, this massive complex – that at times had a Disneyworld, or Epcot Center-like feel to it. The “herd” of Peacocks only helped to augment the somewhat surreal feeling.

Bill and Chuck birding in front of our hotel.

It might not be "countable," but that doesn't make it any less beautiful!

And yes, there was actually some business to be had.

Which, of course, was followed by some funny business. A few (or more) margaritas among friends were on the agenda for this evening. From right to left: Kris, Jessie, Amy, Jackie, Chris, and Richard's foot.

Me and Richard. Come to think of it, I think he looks better in the last shot!

On our second full day in the country, we headed over to the Los Andes Private Reserve, another coffee plantation and privately owned refuge. Of the 607 hectares of land here, 60% is in original forest. Cloud forest, shade coffee plantation, and botanical gardens surrounded the estate were the habitats here, and this was certainly the most picturesque estate. Sitting in lawn chairs above a reflecting pool, overlooking the valley while sipping the absolute best iced tea that I have ever had (from tea grown on the farm) was tough to beat – let alone the fact that we had things like Blue-tailed Hummingbirds and Red-legged Honeycreepers feeding around us!

Today’s outing involved being loaded into the back of a pickup for a very bumpy, and very, err – cozy – ride up cobble and mud roads as we climbed up into the cloud forest. We only got stuck a couple of times, mostly due to mud saturated from torrential rains (over 15 inches, I believe) that fell in days preceding our visit, thanks to the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur. Unfortunately, our birding was rather slow today, with surprisingly little even heard in the forest. Rather little was singing as well, which can only be expected at this time of year when most birds here are busy feeding young. We all dipped on the Resplendent Quetzal – the national bird of Guatemala – which given the time of day and the time of year, was not entirely unexpected. It did not help however, that a Collared Forest-Falcon – a predator of the quetzal – was calling incessantly from the top of one of the trees our local guide told us the quetzal prefers. But, hey, at least we got to see a Collared Forest-Falcon, which itself is not an easy feat!

More bus adventures.

Another delicious breakfast.

Our gracious hosts for the day.

Heliconia.

Birding Los Andes.

Hugo, our guide, working hard.

Violaceous Trogon.

Pete strikes a pose.

After another fantastic lunch – and more of that amazing iced tea and more outstanding freshly roasted coffee! – many of us birded the estate and plantation grounds, with great success. The diverse garden attracted a wide range of species into a more open habitat, providing some really great views. Bill, Tim, and I took a walk that resulted in an Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush view that we may never beat. This normally very shy and secretive deep-forest, ground-hugging denizen was coming out into a wide cobblestone road to pick at insects (presumably), providing exceptional views. Although it was in the shade – and therefore rather difficult to digi-bin – Bill put it to me this way, “You have no idea how lucky we are to get a look like this!” And, since he has a lot of Neotropical experience, and I don’t, I’m inclined to believe him. This was also true of a White-faced Quail-Dove that we all enjoyed from within a few feet as it wandered around a grove of banana trees.

Chuck, Linda, Pete, and Tim demonstrating our hard-core birding effort on this trip.

Local specialty, the Blue-tailed Hummingbird...

. . . Sporting its pantaloons.

Ginger.

A lousy shot, but a wicked cool bird: the Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer.

Green-throated Mountain-gem.

This "digi-bin" shot was not very successful, but we just wanted to make sure that people believed us when we told them we had an Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush in the middle of the road!

The shy White-faced Quail-Dove.

On day three, our destination was the Los Tarrales Private Reserve, which features cloud forest, coffee plantation, and agro-tourism among other pursuits. We began with an early am drive, which found 5 guys, all sleep-deprived and a bit punchy, become rather raucous at times as we bounced our way through some light rain up to the trailhead in the back of a pickup truck. The smart ones in our group had taken shelter from the weather – and the immaturity and downright silliness that was going on in the back of the truck. The target of this outing was the range-restricted Azure-rumped (Cabani’s) Tanager, which our outstanding local guide, Jose, brought us to. But, I’ll have to admit that it was the Blue-crowned Chlorophonia and White-winged Tanagers that really stole the show for me! And, on the way back down, many of us in the group did manage to get pretty good looks at the little sprite known as the Emerald-throated Hummingbird, another very “good” bird.

Heading up from the estate.

On the trails at Los Tarrales.

Gray Hawk.

Cinnamon Hummingbird.

Bird of Paradise flower.

The children of the finca were just too darn cute, as they hammed it up for the cameras.

After another delectable lunch, where I once again consumed far too much, a small group us set out on a short hike to look for Long-tailed Manikans. We did see one pair, and some other species, before the weather began to turn. Mike asked our guide if he thought that this would be a quick, passing shower. Our guide responded with “No, long-time rain.” Yet, this group of crazed bird-obsessed gringos decided to march on – towards a Mannikan lek and nest – despite our guide’s warning. When the rain became a deluge, and the trail - and each of us – became a soppy mess, we fully understood exactly what was meant by “long-time rain,” and this became a running joke and mantra as we trudged along. But, most of us were just having too much fun to really care, and all was once again well when we returned to the estate and were greeted with towels and cold Gallo beer.

I don't know if I'll ever enjoy guacamole again after trying the "real" stuff! The pollo, carne, home-made tortillas, and the stuffed plantain weren't too shabby either.

Mike Freiberg, Nikon ProStaff extrordinaire, and I enjoy a Gallo after our "damp" outing.

And, we were soon joined by Miguel, (Mike), Andy, Ben, and Chuck.

Today, our grand finale, we were treated to some of our best birding of the trip, some of the best food, some of the heaviest rain, and fantastic red-carpet treatment which was all followed up by a marvelous banquet, where we were spoiled by our gracious hosts from the finca and the country’s department of tourism. Entertainment, gifts, and great food added to continued great conversation with new and old friends.

Did they think we were that much trouble!?

Another exceptional meal of pollo, puerco, and carne stew (whose name I have forgotten), rice and beans, and amazing homemade tamales.

A long, late-night bus ride back to Guatemala City brought us to magnificent 5-star Hotel Vista Real for the last night of our adventure. Come morning, I wandered around the grounds of the hotel, and continued to build my paltry Neotropical life list. And the nice thing about this jaunt was that I was actually able to identify most of the birds myself! For the last few days, I have relied on the expertise of Mike, Frances, and our local guides, and tagged along with folks like Bill, Pete, Linda, Tim, and Chuck whenever possible so that I would be able to learn from them - and I am quite grateful to each of them for sharing their knowledge. I think my most common proclaiment of the trip was, “I have a bird, but I don’t know what it is!”

The view from the hotel.

I really enjoyed these few relaxed hours around the hotel gardens, which turned out to be surprisingly birdy. Plus, I had ample opportunity to study each bird I encountered, and I was quite happy to have actually identified a few new things by myself! I made a few laps around the grounds, stopping to chat and share observations with Pete and Linda, who were also patrolling the perimeter. White-eared and Azure-crowned Hummingbirds were in the courtyard garden, Gray Silky-flycatchers were flying by and sallying for insects overhead, and a few Black-capped Swallows zipped by – all life birds for this Central American greenhorn. I also enjoyed visiting with some old friends – like Acorn Woodpeckers and a soaring Red-tailed Hawk, while becoming better acquainted with new friends, such as Clay-colored Robins and Rufous-crowned Sparrows.

Since the only reason Jeannette allowed me to take this trip without her was that I was learn where WE would be going on OUR trip to the country, I didn’t mind the fact that overall, the birding was actually rather slow. But, ‘tis the season. Silently going about their business of feeding hungry mouths, there was little time for most birds to proclaim their territories, and less chance for them to be easy to spot. Although I would not recommend birding here in June – our next visit will be earlier in the year, during the dry season, when birds are more visible – the trip was a great way to both introduce me to an almost entirely new suite of avifauna, as well as whet my appetite for my next visit. But, this event had been postponed twice, which means that if we had in fact visited in February, my information overload of new birds to see, learn, and enjoy may have been even more overwhelming. Of course, it is a lot of fun to be in a completely foreign location with almost no familiarity with any of the species present – the thrill of discovery and the joy of seeing something “new” awaits almost every binocular view. But, it can also be a bit frustrating – I don’t know how many times I searched out a Clay-colored Robin when I heard a different call.

On the plane ride home, I tallied my checklist for the trip, resulting in 94 species seen by me. I heard at least 10 others, but I know that was a much higher total, as I was not diligent about maintaining my checklist. However, out of those 94 species, 57 were life birds. Considering that I picked up 4 lifers in the gardens of our urban hotel on our last day of the trip, it is quite obvious that I have much exploring to do south of the border. And, don’t worry, such explorations will come – and a return visit, or two, or three … to Guatemala will be part of that!

And, frankly, although birding was really the focus of the trip, this was by no means three days of hard-core dawn-to-dusk non-stop birding. We lingered at delicious meals, engaged in riveting conversations, and even found some time to relax. And, yes, I must say, we spent quite a bit of time discussing the new Nikon Edg binoculars. Nikon asked us for feedback, and feedback was received. Now, since I write product reviews for Birding Magazine (the main reason, I presume, as to why I was lucky enough to be included on this experience), I don’t want to get into too much about the product itself at this time – I’ll save it for the review – I was most definitely quite impressed, and there’s little doubt that this is the best binocular that Nikon has ever created.

And, hey, let’s face it – their plan worked. I – and many others right now – am writing about this great experience, and the excellent optics that was used during the adventure. Sure, there was some practical, objective value to this excursion - if these bins held up to that deluge during our hike at Los Tarrales, which they did, they can really handle the elements! But, as much as anything, this was a celebration of a great new product and the kick-off of a extraordinary marketing effort. And let’s not forget our hosts – many of this trip’s participants – myself included – are already planning our next visit. Eco-tourism, and birding in particular, can really be a significant input into the economies of developing nations, providing incentive to protect the land and its resources while still growing an economy. Guatemala was a truly beautiful country, and the people were extremely welcoming and gracious.

As my plane gained altitude over Guatemala as I, begrudgingly, departed, I looked down at the sprawling growth of Guatemala City, clear-cuts in the mountains and massive scars from resource extraction, I can see two futures for the country – and all countries in the developing world. There is a right way, and a wrong way to do things, but who are we to stand on our soapboxes and tell other countries how to do things? As my plane began its descent into the Newark airport and the sprawling megapolis of the New York area, I became even more reflective than on the rest of the flight. All along, while enjoying the beauty of Guatemala, we also saw signs of the desperation and poverty that is found all over the world. Many of us were often discussing how “lucky” we are to come from such a privileged, affluent society, where basic needs are so easily taken for granted.

However, especially looking out over the endless concrete, pavement, and steel of northeastern New Jersey (and you all know how much I really do love my native state), I questioned exactly how lucky we really are. Privileged? Absolutely. Lucky? Maybe, but are the Guatemalans really the truly lucky ones? They have the chance to “do things right,” and learn from the countless mistakes that countries in the so-called “Western World” have, and continue to, make. But, especially given my sleep-deprived, and now jet-lagged state, such thoughts and philosophical synthesis is well beyond my means.

For now, I will have to be content with celebrating my experience, relegating the deep thoughts to another time. Memories of Blue-crowned Chlorophonias, Blue-gray Tanagers, and dozens of other species are far too colorful (literally) to be clouded by such ruminations at this time. Plus, this is a BIRDING blog! (albeit one with regular forays into foodstuffs and Rutgers football!).

-------

By the way, if you want to read more about our travels, you can check out these blogs, which I am sure will have tales of adventure and discovery shortly:

Mike Freiberg's blog

Chuck Hagner’s blog.

Amy Hooper's Blog