Blue-grey Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Tara

The Blue-grey Tanager (Thraupis episcopus) is a medium-sized South American songbird of the Tanager family, Thraupidae. Its range is from Mexico south to northeast Bolivia and northern Brazil, all of the Amazon Basin, except the very south. It has been introduced to Lima (Peru). On Trinidad and Tobago, this bird is called Blue Jean.

This delicately hued little beauty has a wide range throughout Central and South America (easily reached with airline miles) and can be easily seen in most of the national parks. I saw them in Crooked Tree, Belize; Tikal, Laguna del Lagarto & Savegre, Costa Rica; and Soberania in Panama.

The breeding habitat is open woodland, cultivated areas and gardens. The Blue-grey Tanager lives mainly on fruit, but will also take some nectar and insects. This is a common, restless, noisy and confiding species, usually found in pairs, but sometimes small groups. It thrives around human habitation, and will take some cultivated fruit like papayas (Carica papaya). Many eco-lodges put bananas out to attract them closer. I have no problem with this since bananas are part of their normal diet. Breeding season is from March to July. During this time, the female lays one to three mottled eggs, which she incubates for 12 to 14 days. Once hatched, both parents feed their chicks.

Adult blue-gray tanagers are preyed upon by felines, snakes, birds of prey and crocodilians. Other predators, such as raccoons, eat young birds and eggs. Habitat destruction due to deforestation is the primary threat to this species.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Rainforest Alliance

VIDEO

This one is long but watch for a few minutes to see the bird’s feeding habits and sound.

White-fronted Parrot (Amazona albifrons)

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Tara

The White-fronted Amazon (Amazona albifrons) also known as the White-fronted Parrot, or adopted slang term Spectacled Amazon is found throughout most of Central America.

We saw them in Belize at Belize Bird Rescue, Tikal National Park and Laguna del Lagarto in Costa Rica.

The White-fronted Amazon, at about 25 cm (10 in) long, is the smallest of the Amazon parrots. This species is named for the bright white patch of feathers on their foreheads, although the amount of white varies from individual to individual. They have mostly green plumage with some blue colouring on their outspread wings. They have bright red coloring around their eyes (in some individuals almost like spectacles) and blue coloring behind the patch of white on their foreheads.

They can be found in a variety of wooded areas and open country with trees such as moist, seasonal semi-evergreen and deciduous forest, pine woodlands, gallery forest, ranchland with stands of open woodland, savanna and arid tropical scrub with cacti. Up to 1850m (6068 ft).

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PARROT

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

VIDEO

I had a hard time finding footage of this bird in the wild, this one is short but you can hear what they sound like.

Gateway: Flores, Guatemala

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Tara

Flores is a very attractive little town and if it weren’t for the fact that Tikal is so amazing, we probably would have spent a night here. The good news for Star Alliance (especially Lifemiles) members is that Taca has flights to/from Guatemala City twice daily making it very easy to access this charming town. Use the Central America award chart to see how many miles you need. The alternative is an overnight bus to Guatemala City and while I have done this in my younger days (and even last year in Brazil) I would really prefer a good night’s sleep! Linea Dorada and Autobuses del Norte operate this route for around $25-ish.

There are no chain hotels here so you can’t stay here on points. There are all kinds of small, local hotels that looked pretty nice and would do just fine if you can’t/don’t want to stay in the Tikal park. Trip Advisor has the best list, unfortunately I didn’t stay at any of them to make a personal recommendation.

When we checked out of the Tikal Inn, we used their free shuttle that lets people off at either the airport or at the edge of the town. We loved the cobblestone streets, Guatemalan architecture and poking around the craft shops!

We had dinner at this restaurant and the food was excellent! I went for the pork tacos, my less adventurous husband stuck with a hamburger.

After dinner, we hopped in a “tuk-tuk” to get back to the airport. It cost less than $5 and took less than 10 minutes.

Security was making everyone open their bags for a manual inspection so be sure to allow enough time in case there is a line. We only had these little carry-on backpacks.

I love that they had a conservation charity box to help wild birds in the departure area! I put in most of our left-over cash, just keeping enough for a taxi to the Radisson in Guatemala City in case the shuttle didn’t show up.

The Birds Of Tikal National Park

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Tara

Yesterday, I posted about the travel aspect of Tikal National Park and because I had so many photos decided to split the birds off into their own post. Tikal has quite an impressive bird list, with several of my targeted parrot species. I’ll screenshot the parrots and leave you to visit the bird list on their website. Remember, creating a successful birding adventure means identifying the species you most want to see and finding out the best places to see them. I have highlighted in yellow the parrot species I saw at Tikal. I did see the other species later in Costa Rica. The subspecies of Olive-throated Parakeet found here is more commonly known as an Aztec Conure. We saw a small flock near the Grand Plaza flying swiftly overhead-as conures do.

Montezuma Oropendulas were everywhere throughout the whole trip.

Keel-billed Toucan

Lineated Woodpecker

Montezuma Oropendula

Brown-hooded Parrot (Aztec Conure)

Ocellated Turkey

Montezuma Oropendulas and White-fronted Parrots sharing a tree

Great Kiskadee

White-collared Seedeater

Lineated Woodpecker

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher

Collared Aracaris

Blue-grey Tanager

Long-tailed Hermit

Tikal National Park, Guatemala

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Tara

Tikal National Park is located in the Northern Guatemala area of Petén, 60 km from Petén’s capital city of Flores. The closest airport is in Flores and you can use any Star Alliance carrier to book an award on Taca to get there. If you collect Avianca-Taca Lifemiles, there are some amazing bargains to be had if you are flexible with dates. Look how much you can save from the normal rate of 37,500 miles one way!

If you fly into Belize, it is pretty easy to get to the park overland. There are also overnight buses between Guatemala City and Flores but if you have Lifemiles you can book this flight for as little as 3500 miles, a true bargain!

A – Tikal National Park
B – Flores

Whatever you do, please stay at least one night in the park! This gives you a chance to do the sunrise and/or sunset tour plus spend a regular day inside the park exploring the ruins. There are 3 lodges inside the park within walking distance to the entrance.

Tikal Inn – Trip Advisor – My review

Jaguar Inn – Trip Advisor

Jungle Lodge – Trip Advisor

All have their pros and cons so I suggest reading the reviews on Trip Advisor to get a feel for the lodges. We loved our stay at Tikal Inn and can highly recommend it. If these 3 lodges are full, you can seek accommodation at El Remate or Flores but you won’t get to the park in time for sunrise.

The park is open from 6am – 6pm daily and entrance fee is 150 Quetzals. You can also enter the park from 4am for sunrise or stay in the park after sunset, for 250 Quetzales. During these extra hours visitors must be accompanied by a guide. There are no ATMs and they don’t take credit cards so bring cash!

You will buy your first entry ticket at the gate about 15 km down the road before you reach the actual park and lodges. Since you will have already paid to enter, it’s a good idea to make at least a quick visit even if you are tired. We decided to do the sunset tour as part of our Tikal Inn package. We didn’t actually see the sun set (we didn’t climb the pyramid), but we did see some of the ruins and lots of birds! Here’s a few photos from the sunset tour (bird photos are on tomorrow’s post).

If you stay in one of the lodges, the next day you will have to buy a new ticket here. Cash only!

Map of Tikal.

These people were doing some kind of ceremony. I have no idea what it was but it was pretty cool to observe!

The history of these amazing ruins is beyond the focus of this travel blog but you can get a good idea from Wikipedia.

Tikal (/tiˈkäl/) (Tik’al in modern Mayan orthography) is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala. Situated in the department of El Petén, the site is part of Guatemala’s Tikal National Park and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tikal was the capital of a conquest state that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya. Though monumental architecture at the site dates back as far as the 4th century BC, Tikal reached its apogee during the Classic Period, ca. 200 to 900 AD. During this time, the city dominated much of the Maya region politically, economically, and militarily, while interacting with areas throughout Mesoamerica such as the great metropolis of Teotihuacan in the distant Valley of Mexico. There is evidence that Tikal was conquered by Teotihuacan in the 4th century AD. Following the end of the Late Classic Period, no new major monuments were built at Tikal and there is evidence that elite palaces were burned. These events were coupled with a gradual population decline, culminating with the site’s abandonment by the end of the 10th century.

The trails are well marked so it is unlikely you will get lost but the condition of the trails can be challenging, especially if they are muddy. I managed to throw my back out and struggled quite a bit. I was so sore from this, I decided to forego the sunrise tour as I didn’t want to slow down a whole group and go birding around the grounds instead. We made a 2nd visit during normal hours and were able to take advantage of a small shuttle that takes you up to the Grand Temple for a nominal fee (less than $5). These photos are from the 2nd day.

Outside the park is a small market with souvenirs and handicrafts, some of which take credit cards at a premium. There’s a restaurant near the shops and another one across the road that is cheaper and had good food.

I couldn’t resist the “Angry Bird” Quetzal t-shirt!

The souvenirs weren’t cheap, I wanted this painting but couldn’t afford it and didn’t want to lug it around the rest of the trip. I did end up buying a needlepoint Mayan wall hanging with Quetzals on it.

Mini-Tikal

Lodge Review: Tikal Inn, Guatemala

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Tara

Although it is possible to visit Tikal as a day trip from Belize, I highly recommend staying at least one night. After studying the options, I chose Tikal Inn because it was within easy walking distance of the park, surrounded by rainforest and had a swimming pool to relax in during siesta when it’s too hot to be visiting the park or birding.

We stayed 2 nights and got in on a special deal that included a free sunrise or sunset tour, breakfast, dinner and a shuttle to Flores. Package deals change from time to time so always email them to ask what’s going. They sometime advertise their packages on Trip Advisor. Tikal Inn isn’t found on any of the typical online hotel booking sites such as Expedia or Hotels.com so you have to contact them direct. They take credit cards to pay your final bill. Wifi is available in the lobby though the signal is slow and tends to drop out. It’s adequate to check your emails. The setting more than makes up for slow connectivity. They turn the generator off around 10pm-ish. Birds are everywhere, you can see them from the swimming pool if you are feeling lazy! More on the local species later!

Land Crossing From Belize To Guatemala

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Tara

Few people who visit Belize can resist the temptation to visit the wonderful archeological ruins of Tikal. Some people go on a very long day trip and return to their San Ignacio hotel at night. Others will be planning a longer stay in Guatemala and moving on to other places in Central America. Crossing at the land border is very easy whether you take a group shuttle or do it in segments.

If you want to leave first thing in the morning, the same companies that operate the Tikal day trips also offer shuttle service to Tikal. Here are a few to check out.

Pacz Tours

San Ignacio Belize Tours

Mayan Heart World

If you don’t want to leave first thing in the morning (birders probably won’t want to as they will be birding in the morning), you can either have your hotel book you a private transfer or take a Belizean taxi to the border, do the formalities on both sides and get a Guatelmalan minibus or taxi on the other side yourself. Since Parrot Nest is a fair ways out of town, we opted for the convenience of door to door service. The lodge arranged it and it was around $80USD to be picked up, have the driver wait while we did the formalities, then hand us over to a Guatemalan driver who took us direct to Tikal Inn. I don’t think you really save all that much by breaking it down as this guy on Trip Advisor paid $60 from the border to Tikal so make it easy for yourself!

Be prepared with cash as you won’t be able to use credit cards for the transport, the exit/entry fees and the entrance fees to Tikal. You will need to pay the departure fee of $37.50 BZD ($19 USD) per person after which you will stamp out at the Belize immigration desk, from there you driver will accompany you to the Guatemala area where you will then stamp in and pay a $6.00 BZD ($3 USD) entry fee. After you have completed this, hop in your waiting Guatemalan vehicle and head direct to Tikal.

You will have to pay the park entry fee before continuing the last 15 km or so to the lodges in Tikal. There are no ATMs or banks at Tikal so you will need to take along extra change to pay the entrance fee to the park which is 23 USD or 150 Quetzals. You should also change some extra money into Quetzals for extra park fees if you do a sunrise or sunset tour, meals outside your hotel, guide fees and souvenirs. Tikal Inn takes credit cards and we had breakfast & dinner there but lunch in the small market mearby. Some souvenir sellers take credit cards but charge extra for doing so.

These photos show what to expect from a border crossing from San Ignacio to Tikal.

SCENERY FROM SAN IGNACIO TO BORDER