Honduras: Copan Extension or Pre-trip Feb 18—23, 2011
Posted by Kevin Zimmer
Kevin Zimmer
Kevin Zimmer has authored three books and numerous papers dealing with field identification and bird-finding in North America. His book, Birding in the American West: A Han...Related Trips
Once again, our Copán tour provided a wonderful mix of easy birding and fascinating archaeology/anthropology, made even more special by the gracious hospitality of the entire Hacienda San Lucas staff.
Starting from San Pedro Sula, we got the tour off to a rousing start with our first stop at the El Puente archaeological site. Here, amidst some of the southernmost known Mayan ruins, we were treated to our first encounters with that quintessentially Mayan bird, "Xukpi," the Turquoise-browed Motmot. We also enjoyed a wide range of other species, many of them Neotropical migrant warblers, vireos, and orioles that would soon be headed north to North America to breed. A particularly responsive Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, a low-flying Zone-tailed Hawk, a nice cross section of Myiarchus flycatchers, and a pair of impressive Squirrel Cuckoos were among the other notable sightings of the morning.
We arrived at the lovely Hacienda San Lucas in time for a typically delicious lunch, and then settled into our rooms. In the latter part of the afternoon we walked the lodge trails, where we encountered both Turquoise-browed and Blue-crowned motmots, a pair of Rose-throated Becards, and lots of noisy White-throated Magpie-Jays, as well as several stunning Altamira and Streak-backed orioles that were feasting on the blossoms of a flowering Erythrina.
The next day dawned bright and beautiful, and we headed to the main archaeological site of Copán. The early morning was spent birding (highlighted by some outstanding studies of Golden-olive Woodpecker, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, and Spot-breasted Orioles), which eventually yielded to a masterfully guided tour of the ruins (thanks Fito & Yobani!), which are some of the most beautifully intricate I have seen anywhere in the Mayan realm. This was followed by a nicely-catered picnic lunch at the ruins, which, in turn was followed by a fascinating visit to the sculpture museum, all of which brought us additional perspective and insight into the Mayan civilization and its subsequent "rediscovery."
After a fairly full day of archaeology, we returned our focus to birds on the following day, as we worked our way up the La Laguna-San Francisco road. This road provides an excellent elevational transect that begins in dry scrub teeming with Plain Wrens, Rusty Sparrows, and gobs of migrant buntings, ascends through pine-oak woodlands with Grace's Warblers and Hepatic Tanagers, and ends up in humid, broad-leaf forest inhabited by Olivaceous Woodcreepers and Slate-throated Redstarts. Birding highlights came in dizzying procession along here, beginning with point-blank studies of responsive pairs of Rusty Sparrows and Brown-crested Flycatchers, and agitated clusters of migrants (among them, Painted and Indigo buntings and Blue Grosbeaks) responding to pygmy-owl tape. Farther up, in the pines, we enjoyed nice studies of responsive Grace's Warblers and a lovely pair of Emerald Toucanets. Less cooperative was the huge flock (20+ birds) of the range-restricted Bushy-crested Jay, which barreled past us twice while leap-frogging their way through the forest. Eventually, we all got good looks, but it was a challenge given that the birds never seemed to sit still long enough to be seen in the scope by more than one person at a time!
On our way back down the mountain, I spotted a large group of low-flying swifts overhead. We hopped out to check them out, only to discover that they were a mixed-species flock of mostly Chestnut-collared Swifts, with lesser numbers of Black Swifts. The flock swirled over our position for 15 minutes or so, allowing fabulous studies, which, for me, were the birding highlight of the trip. At one point, high-pitched calls overhead drew our attention to an elegant pair of White-breasted Hawks, the highland Central American counterpart of our Sharp-shinned Hawk (and still often treated as a distinctive subspecies of that bird), one of which was carrying prey clutched tightly in its talons.
After lunch and siesta, we headed to the Las Sepulturas archaeological site, where, once again, we alternated between Mayan ruins and birds. In addition to more studies of gorgeous Turquoise-browed Motmots, we were treated to perched White-fronted Parrots, a responsive pair of big Lineated Woodpeckers, group-chorusing Rufous-naped Wrens, and more migrant warblers than you could shake a stick at!
The next morning found us once again on the La Laguna-San Francisco road, but this time we started at the top of the road and worked our way down. The first highlights of the day were provided by several animated Slate-throated Redstarts, and by a major mob scene of mostly migrant warblers harassing a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. That group of birds included 3 Hermit Warblers, 1 Townsend's Warbler, and 1 Golden-cheeked Warbler among the much more common Black-throated Greens, Wilson's, and Magnolias. We also picked up a stunning male Golden-winged Warbler and Blue-headed Vireos in the same spot. Farther down, I heard the calls of Bushy-crested Jays and their partners in crime, the Yellow-backed Orioles. The orioles proved very responsive to playback, coming close for nice studies. Once again, the jays were less cooperative and offered only fleeting views. A stop at some mistletoe-infested trees at the borders of a coffee finca produced a tree-full of colorful Elegant Euphonias, the males of which made such an impression that they were runners-up for Favorite Bird of the Trip. The afternoon was spent walking the Hacienda San Lucas grounds, where we scored an aptly named male Elegant Trogon, still more Altamira and Streak-backed orioles, and a feeding group of Plain Chachalacas.
It was a most enjoyable few days of birding and archaeology, and a perfect complement to our Pico Bonito trip, which was to follow. Again, special thanks to Argi and the rest of the Hacienda San Lucas staff, and to Yobani and Fito for helping to navigate us through the complexities of Mayan history.