birding...

Brown Violet-ear Colibri delphinae ©Steve Blain http://www.steveblain.co.uk

Guatemala was, until recently, a lost birdwatching destination. Birdlife, and natural history in general has suffered here from lack of scientific study due to a turbulent political past. The country and its birds are now open to the international birding community to be protected and enjoyed.

Guatemala is a fantastic destination for birding. Lowland forest drapes both Atlantic and Pacific coasts, displaying unique floral and faunal assemblages with legacies of natural colonization from both North and South America. The interior is dominated by extensive chains of high mountains, some reaching over 12,000 feet. Sandwiched between mountains and coast are vast deserts, with fascinating flora and fauna, and extensive freshwater lakes and river systems, which harbor diverse and rare aquatic life including colorful freshwater fishes.

The mountainous interior features biomes packed tightly together, due to topography, enabling visitors to experience several in a day. Isolation of populations of animals and plants among the mountains has created such interesting endemic species as the Azure-Rumped Tanager, Horned Guan, Pink-Headed Warbler, Blue-Tailed Hummingbird, and White-Breasted Hawk. A rich assemblage, but one that requires protection to be ensured a chance of survival.

The Guatemalan Birding Research Center, in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, was founded with the purpose of promoting and facilitating birding and ecotourism in Guatemala, and to be a presence in research and conservation in the country.

The following appeal was recently recieved - please contact the correspondent if you can help.

We at the Guatemalan Birding Resource Center have recently [three weeks ago] found a very endangered example of Guatemalan Pacific Slope montane rainforest (1150m). Most of this habitat has been converted to agriculture over yhe last 100 years ago. We have found many interesting bird species that are rapidly disappearing from the Pacific slope(White-eared Ground-Sparrow, Long-tailed Manikin, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Violet Sabrewing, etc.) But especially interesting is that we have found, and are photographing, a nesting troop of Endemic AZURE-RUMPED TANAGERS! This bird is globally endangered and considered the most endangered and important conservation priority bird for the country. It is restricted to the Pacific slope of Guatemala and adjacent Chiapas Mexico between 1000m and 1700m. We have also found the following regionally endemic birds: Blue-tailed Hummingbird, Rufous Sabrewing, Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, bar-winged Oriole, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, rufous-browed Wren, & Pacific Parakeets there too. It may also be one of the last areas to find the Pacific slope populations of Central American Pygmy-Owl.

The area also falls within an interesting hybrid zone of Rufous-capped x Chestnut-capped Warbler. Studies here could decide the species status.
This is the good news...

The Bad News is...

The owner is planning on cutting it all down and damn the small river to put up a bathing resort. The area is right next to a major single lane road that connects the highlands to the Pacific Lowlands. This must be stopped. GBRC is going to talk with the owner of the land (who has a macadamia plantation on the surrounding land) to see if he could adjust his plans, but the best solution is to buy it! It is about 4 square blocks in area with a clear stream flowing through the middle. Some of the land was farmed for coffee in the past, but it is now mostly native vegetation (with some emergent trees).

Anyone out there interested in buying it? We don't know if the owner is interested in selling or what his price would be [maybe between $10,000 - $40,000], but it would be quite a nice parcel of land to own! If anyone is interested, please contact GBRC ASAP!

It would be nice if I could mention that there are people in the world who would be interested in buying the area, and the rough amount. One option would be for "investors" to donate the money to a local conservation group so they could buy and manage it! There are a number of good groups in the country, e.g. Defensores de la Naturaleza, Nature Conservancy, Fundaeco, CI, etc. They all have land that they manage and/or own in the country.

To help, or for more information, contact:
Jason Berry, Director, GBRC - See below