Honduras Feb 23—Mar 03, 2006
Posted by Robert Gallardo
Robert Gallardo
Robert Gallardo grew up in California, and from an early age he loved nature. He started collecting butterflies at age 11 and has continued that passion ever since. He bega...Related Trips
Our tour to Honduras brought some spectacular birds and a few new surprises, as well as a life bird for the leader. Topping the list were two green, canopy-dwelling species: the Blue-crowned Chlorophonia and the Green Shrike-Vireo, both of which are typically difficult to observe. The first chlorophonia was found by Judy as it fed upon wild figs amongst a myriad of other species including Collared Aracari and Crimson-collared Tanagers. The tree above the Cerro Azul Meambar National Park visitor center was crawling with birds. The chlorophonia?s delicate combination of overall bright green with yellow underparts divided by a thin, black line and baby blue crown probably makes this the most darling of all Honduran cloud forest birds. It was seen again at both the Malcote Nature Preserve and the Miramundo reserve in Copan. Never before had we seen so many so well on one trip.
Stunning male and female Violet Sabrewings were visiting some feeders at the parks? visitor center. At the hotel Las Glorias we saw an array of shorebirds, Limpkins, Purple Gallinules, Turquoise-browed Motmots, Snail Kite, and White-throated Flycatchers (new for almost everyone).
Green Shrike-Vireos were found along the Pico Bonito Lodge?s loop trail. A male sang high in the canopy and was taped, then coaxed down lower for a brief glimpse. Farther down the trail we came upon a mixed feeding flock where another shrike-vireo was seen close up and at nearly eye level. David had wanted to see this bird for many years and he got two in one day. A graceful Rufous Mourner also came out and perched in full view. A couple of Black-throated Shrike-Tanagers were also present, and we glimpsed one female; the next day Bill and I saw a stunning male.
The coveted Keel-billed Motmot was also coaxed in out of the deep rainforest and was Gus? last motmot to add to his life list. A cute Tawny-crowned Greenlet, Red-capped Manakin, and White-collared Manakin were also taped in along the trail.
A nice surprise was a Ruddy Quail-Dove that hung around Robert?s cabin. Bill had his video camera and, with the aid of a spotlight, we obtained some great footage of this usually secretive and quite uncommon bird.
At the Los Naranjos archaeological site we coaxed a Rufous-breasted Spinetail out of some piper bushes and got close-up looks at this northernmost of spinetails. While there we also saw an uncommon and handsome male White-winged Becard.
At the Lancetilla Botanical Gardens we were treated to Ruddy Crake, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Plain Xenops, and Orange-billed Sparrow. A nesting site of Rufous-tailed Jacamars was found and we observed four together.
The Agaun Valley thorn scrub forest is always a highlight, as this unique habitat is highly endangered. Amongst the cacti, acacias, and other thorn forest plants we went in search of a number of birds. We left the hotel before sun-up and stopped at a roadside pond. As we had breakfast, the predawn light afforded us a couple of brief glimpses of a Short-tailed Nighthawk as it sallied for bugs over the pond. There are still relatively few records of this bird in Honduras. At the newly formed Honduran Emerald Reserve we found our only endemic bird, unique to only two sites. We spied a King Vulture flying overhead, which was a nice surprise for this area. Several Lesser Ground-Cuckoos responded to a tape, but we could not find them; finally, at Elio?s property in Las Minas, we called one in. It then perched within 12 feet of us on a low-lying cactus and called incessantly. We were fortunate to obtain such a wonderful view.
David and Judy continued on to Copan where we had some good birding, great dining, and visits to archaeological sites. During the next several days we visited a variety of habitats in the surrounding mountains and foothills that ranged from semi-deciduous forest, pine/oak associations, and mid-elevation rainforests. We had glimpses of the diminutive, but showy Black-crested Coquette, Collared Trogon, Scaly-throated Foliage-Gleaner, Brown-backed Solitaire, Bushy-crested Jays, Elegant Euphonia, and a horde of wood-warblers. A stubborn and long-winded Northern Nightingale-Wren sang in the dense forest understory at Malcote, but would not come into view. This is one of the best places in Honduras to see this secretive bird.
A total of 272 species were identified, with 27 of them belonging to the Parulidae family.