February comes to a warm end and more on the injured Ross's Goose

Ross's Goose, Russleville Rd, Hadley/Amherst line, MA, Feb 24, 2018

Ross's Goose, Russleville Rd, Hadley/Amherst line, MA, Feb 24, 2018

Ross's Goose, Russleville Rd, Hadley/Amherst line, MA, Feb 24, 2018

Canada Goose with extensive white on neck, Russleville Rd, Hadley/Amherst line, MA, Feb 24, 2018

Green winged Teal, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 24, 2018

Northern Pintails, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 24, 2018

American Wigeon, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 24, 2018

Ring necked Ducks, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 24, 2018

Ross's Goose with injury (initial view along river), Hadley, MA, Feb 24, 2018

River Otter, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 24, 2018

On Saturday I set out early to try to catch up with the Ross's Goose (and other notable geese) I found the day before and I was able to find it right away among some Canada Geese in the Connecticut River in Hadley.  Unfortunately the bird looks to have gotten into quite a fight and was covered with blood.  My views were somewhat obscured but the pristine white bird seen the day before was looking much the worse for wear.  I watched the bird leave with a group of Canada Geese and head out to the northeast and it seemed to fly without difficulty.  I then headed in the same direction and found the geese settled into a series of fields on the Hadley/Amherst line off Russelville Road.  This vantage point provided a closer, unobstructed view of the bird and the bird looked even worse than before with an obvious neck wound and lots of blood all over the bird.  It seemed rather alert and able to walk around and swim but didn't seem to feed.  The number of Canada Geese was also impressive with a total over two thousand present.  I then headed over the river to Arcadia to catch up with a few people to go birding with for a bit.  My first stop along Fort Hill Road turned up a Green winged Teal and a Yellow rumped Warbler.  As it appeared that the ice was out of the marsh and part of the Oxbow, I headed over in search of additional waterfowl and found ten species of waterfowl including multiple Wood Ducks, a pair of American Wigeon, nine Northern Pintails, another Green winged Teal and five Ring necked Ducks.  It was a very productive morning overall with really good diversity for late February.  In addition to the birds we were all treated to a nice, close look of a River Otter feeding on a rather large fish...any morning is better with a otter!

Snow Goose (blue morph), Russelville Rd fields, Hadley/Amherst, MA, Feb 26, 2018

Snow Goose (blue morph), Russelville Rd fields, Hadley/Amherst, MA, Feb 26, 2018

Ross's Goose, Russelville Rd fields, Hadley/Amherst, MA, Feb 26, 2018

Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 26, 2018

After seeing reports from Sunday (while I was working) that the Ross's Goose, as well as a blue morph Snow Goose, were up on the fields in Hadley/Amherst I headed right over there on Monday morning after work.  I arrived to find thick fog but obviously large numbers of geese present.  I initially had over 1300 Canada Geese but no sign of anything unusual.  I left to run a few errands and returned once the fog started to lift.  I had better luck the second time I checked the fields turning up the Ross's Goose, still covered in blood but still moving....a tough bird.  The bird was a bit further out and a bit west from where I previously found it.  I moved a bit further down the road to scope out more of the fields and as soon as I got there I had some low flying geese moving further north with a Cackling Goose bringing up the rear of one group.  The Cackling Goose even called twice as it disappeared into the fog heading north.  I suspect the group set down in some of the inaccessible fields but could never confirm.  After a bit more scanning I turned up the blue morph Snow Goose which became the fourth goose species for the morning...really unusual for late February.  After getting my fill of the geese I headed for home with a brief stop off at Winsor Dam where I had a male Bufflehead at the edge of the rapidly disappearing ice.

Iceland Gull (middle foreground), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 27, 2018

On my way to work on Tuesday I stopped off at Winsor Dam to check on the gull gathering there and found an impressive number of gulls with at least 650 Ring billed Gulls, 37 Herring Gulls, 3 Great Black backed Gulls and at least two Iceland Gulls plus a number of gulls just too far away for an ID.  Typically finding large gatherings of gulls at this location is tough to do as the state actively attempts to keep the gulls away for water quality reasons but with the ice still blocking their boats from getting on the water the gulls have a temporary reprieve and I get to see some decent numbers and varieties of gulls close to home.  Unfortunately the ice is rapidly disappearing so the gull honeymoon will soon be over.

Hooded Mergansers, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 28, 2018

Wood Duck and Hooded Merganser, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 28, 2018

Lesser Scaup and Ring necked Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 28, 2018

Lesser Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 28, 2018

Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 28, 2018

American Wigeon and Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 28, 2018

Ring necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup and American Wigeon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 28, 2018

After a somewhat late start this morning after work I headed over to Arcadia seeing what I could find for waterfowl and any other early migrants.  Lots of Common Mergansers in the Oxbow and a smattering of other waterfowl species but nothing too unusual.  No sign of any Great Blue Herons back in the rookery but the eagle perched in there and my distance away may have been a factor in detecting them.  I then headed across the river and spent about half an hour looking for geese in the Meadow Street fields but only came up with Canada Geese (with almost two thousand present with most on the ground plus a few hundred flyovers heading north).  No sign of the injured Ross's Goose in the spots it had been hanging out in.  Not sure if it moved north with other geese or if it succumbed to its fairly serious looking injuries.  The last time it was seen by anyone was apparently when I had it early on Monday morning...I guess I ended up being the first and last person to see the bird while it was here.  I made a few other quick stops on the way home with the most productive being Winsor Dam where I had a nice mix of waterfowl with the most unusual being three Lesser Scaup in among a mixed flock that also contained four American Wigeon, 18 Ring necked Ducks, three Bufflehead and a Common Goldeneye.  The Lesser Scaup became my 100th for the year in Hampshire County (the earliest date I have ever reached 100 species.  The 88 species in February beats my previous record for this month that had been 84 species back in 2016.  The very mild weather for the middle to end of the month certainly helped push my totals up higher than usual.

Ross's Goose among several good birds the last couple days

Ross's Goose, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Feb 23, 2018

Ross's Goose, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Feb 23, 2018

Ross's Goose, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Feb 23, 2018

Canada Goose with neck band, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Feb 23, 2018

Canada Geese with neck band, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Feb 23, 2018

Although the last couple days were not nearly as pleasant as our record setting warmth on Tuesday and Wednesday they were at least productive bird wise with lots of good stuff including a Ross's Goose today.  Ross's Goose is a rare species in Hampshire County and I have only had them a few times in the past including a single back in April of 2015 and a group of between 5-8 seen at various times on the dates of March 17-22 at a variety of locations (including in the same field I had the one today).  I found out about the bird from a phone call from Bob Zajda letting me know he saw a white goose among some Canada Geese as he was driving by but he could not stop to check on the exact species and wanted to know if I could go check them out.   I was able to head right over and eventually found a spot to get a view (very tough at this location due to private property, busy roads and lots of mud).  I initially saw a white goose in among the Canada Geese but it was tucked in and not moving around.  I started scanning the rest of the nearly five hundred geese present and ran across both a Cackling Goose and three neck banded Canada Geese.  I kept checking back on the white goose and I eventually saw it starting to move, showing its small size and small triangular bill.  I got some digiscoped shots and got word out on the bird.  I tried to relocate the Cackling Goose but I could never turn it back up.  I also spent some time trying to read the codes on the neck banded geese but never managed to read all three but I got at least one and possibly two codes and have reported them to the banding lab and will update when I hear back.  The viewing conditions were far from optimal with fog and heavy rain but it was nice to see a rare bird on a miserable day..thanks to Bob for the heads up to go check on the bird.  The two geese bring my total for the month of February in Hampshire County up to 80...a record setting pace for me.

Red shouldered Hawk, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 23, 2018

White crowned Sparrows, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Feb 23, 2018

Dawn, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Feb 23, 2018

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 23, 2018

Elsewhere today I turned up a number of good birds and I have listed the highlights below:

-Common Loon and Iceland Gull (different individual compared to yesterday's bird) at Winsor Dam

-Killdeer, a Hermit Thrush and two Field Sparrows at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River

-2 White crowned Sparrows at the Honey Pot in Hadley

-2 Fish Crows at the Hadley Mall

-Red shouldered Hawk at Quabbin Park

Ring billed Gulls and Herring Gulls (part of several hundred present), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 22, 2018

American Wigeon pair with Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 22, 2018

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 22, 2018

Yesterday I also had some good stuff before the snow and rain moved in with the highlights being a pair of American Wigeon, two female Red breasted Mergansers and an Iceland Gull at Winsor Dam.

Record warmth the last couple days

Yellow rumped Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 20, 2018

Yellow rumped Warblers, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 20, 2018

Yellow rumped Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 20, 2018

Black Vultures, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, Feb 20, 2018

I got out to do a little birding yesterday after work and managed to find some good stuff despite the early fog.  I started off at Lower Mill Pond where I had two Black Vultures sitting atop a smoke stack where they have been seen on and off for a couple weeks now.  Not much for waterfowl to be seen but with the warming temperatures and the opening of previously iced out locations it is not surprising the birds have dispersed a bit.  I next went over to Arcadia mainly in search of Yellow rumped Warblers that have been seen occasionally in the general area.  I almost immediately had two or three and watched them for awhile and got a few photos through the binoculars with the phone.  As I was about to leave I noticed a few more and then suddenly I had at least eleven of them around me...unprecedented for me in the county in February...more about the warblers here.

Yellow rumped Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 21, 2018

Wood Ducks, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Feb 21, 2018

Common Merganser, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Feb 21, 2018

Golden crowned Kinglet, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Feb 21, 2018

Today I headed out with temperatures starting in the 50's and warming up quite rapidly once the fog burned off and setting yet another record (more on that below).  I found my first American Woodcock before dawn in Hadley (breaking my earliest record by a day).  I made it over to Arcadia just after dawn and once again found quite a few (ten today) Yellow rumped Warblers among the more expected species.  I made a few other short stops on my way over to Mitch's Way where I had a decent selection of waterfowl following the river heading north.  Other notables there included a continued Ruby crowned Kinglet and lots of migrating crows.  With all the geese moving I decided to check some fields in Hadley and Amherst where I found several hundred Canada Geese but nothing unusual among them.  I also hoped for an early Killdeer but I didn't have any luck.  Most stops today featured decent numbers of Red winged Blackbirds and a few Common Grackles and Brown headed Cowbirds.  I also turned up a few other new species for the county this year with a couple Turkey Vultures in Hadley in the morning and a Red shouldered Hawk over the house in the afternoon.

Now a bit more about the weather.  We broke two consecutive high temps with a high on Tuesday of 67 (old record 62) and a high of 74 today (old record of 61).  These become only the fourth and fifth days since 1940 that temperatures have reached 60+ degrees in February (with number two and three occurring last year...February heat 2017 post 1, February heat 2017 post 2).  Today also set an all time February high temperatures record eclipsing the record set last year by a degree.  Winter returns tomorrow with some light snow possible.

Gray Fox, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 7, 2018

Gray Foxes, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 7, 2018

Gray Fox, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 6, 2018

I also checked the motion camera I have had set up along the Jabish Brook and found quite a few shots of Gray Foxes over the last few weeks.

Guatemala trip -February 8-13

Pink headed Warbler, Unicornio Azul Lodge, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018

Fan tailed Warbler, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Fuego Volcano (L) and Acatenango Volcano (R), La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Back from another trip down to the tropics with my destination this time being Guatemala. The main focus of the trip was to catch up with six species of warblers (plus some unique subspecies) I have not yet seen that occur in the region including Crescent chested Warbler, Goldman's Warbler, Fan tailed Warbler, Golden browed Warbler, Red faced Warbler and Pink headed Warbler. For an in depth discussion of the warblers found with lots more photos go to the following link: Guatemala warblers.  Even with the focus primarily on these warblers there were still lots of other species to be seen.  Given the difficulty in locating all of my targets in such a short time, I decided the best course of action was to hire a guide and go from there, which is exactly what I did.  After quite a bit of research I went with Cayaya Birding which got great reviews and seemed to be the best choice.  It is run by Knut Eiserman (a German transplant who has lived in Guatemala for 20+ years) and Claudia Avendano (a native Guatemalan).  I was not disappointed with my choice and I would recommend them highly to anyone wishing to bird down in Guatemala.

Pink headed Warbler, Rincon Suzio, Tecpan, Guatemala, Feb 9, 2018

Crescent chested Warbler, Rincon Suzio, Tecpan, Guatemala, Feb 9, 2018

Blue and White Mockingbird, Rincon Suzio, Tecpan, Guatemala, Feb 9, 2018

Golden browed Warbler, Rincon Suzio, Tecpan, Guatemala, Feb 9, 2018

Pine/oak habitat, Rincon Suzio, Tecpan, Guatemala, Feb 9, 2018

I arrived into Guatemala City on the afternoon of February 8th and spent the first evening in Guatemala City before meeting up with Knut bright and early the next morning. We met at six and we headed out of the city for a long drive out to Tecpan and then onto the Cuchumatanas mountain range and our lodging at Unicornio Azul Lodge. After fighting the traffic of Guatemala City and nearby areas we finally made it to our first stop, Rincon Suizo (a restaurant with a few nearby trails) around 8:45. The weather at that point was low clouds and drizzle, which made viewing quite difficult. Nonetheless we added some good birds (and life birds) right away including Mountain Trogon (#1333), Hooded Grosbeak (#1334) and Rufous backed Robin (#1335). After just a few hundred meters on the trail we found another new bird, a Blue and White Mockingbird (#1336), feeding on some small fruits on a bush. Knut then heard a Pink headed Warbler (#1337) calling and we quickly tracked down at least three of them...what a truly striking bird! We stayed in a relatively small area for the next hour plus and turned up lots of good stuff including Crescent chested Warbler (#1338), MacGillivray's Warbler, White eared Hummingbird (#1339), Amethyst Hummingbird (#1340), Brown backed Solitaire (#1341), Mexican Violetear (#1342), Black capped Swallow (#1343), Rufous browed Wren (#1344), Gray Silky Flycatcher (#1345) and Cinnamon bellied Flowerpiercer (#1346).  Just before leaving we decided to try once again to track down Golden browed Warbler and were successful in finding at least two working through the undergrowth and providing species #1347 for me.  The stop managed to find three of my main targets in just a few hours..time well spent!  Also interesting to hear and see Hairy Woodpeckers, Brown Creepers, Steller's Jays, etc that are resident at the location.

Sunset over volcanoes, Unicornio Azul Lodge, Guatemala, Feb 9, 2018

After a five hour drive we finally made it to our destination in the mountains, Unicornio Azul Lodge. The lodge sits high in the mountains at 3200 meters (the highest lodge in all of Central America). It is a bit rustic with no heat in the rooms but it puts you up close to some great habitat (hot water bottles make it toasty under several blankets so it is tolerable!). After dropping our luggage we headed out to an area nearby for nocturnal birds and had some great luck. We had Mexican Whip Poor Wills calling as it started to get dark and once it was dark we had at least one (possibly two) Unspotted Saw Whet Owls calling (#1348). Despite much effort to get looks, we were not successful.

Goldman's Warbler, Todos Santos Regional Municipal Park, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018

Fuego Volcano throwing up ash in the distance, Todos Santos Regional Municipal Park, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018

Leucistic Rufous collared Robin, Todos Santos Regional Municipal Park, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018

Yellow eyed Junco (Guatemalan), Todos Santos Regional Municipal Park, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018

Eastern Meadowlark, Todos Santos Regional Municipal Park, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018

Savannah Sparrow, Todos Santos Regional Municipal Park, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018

Goldman's Warbler, Todos Santos Regional Municipal Park, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018

Common Raven, Todos Santos Regional Municipal Park, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018

Goldman's Warbler habitat, Todos Santos Regional Municipal Park, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018

On Saturday we spent a full day of birding in the Cuchumatanas mountains heading up to Todos Santos Municipal Protected Area. We left from the lodge before sunrise with a temperature below freezing. We picked up a local guide (a requirement to enter) on the way and arrived there about quarter after seven. The elevation there was quite high at between 3100 and 3800 meters (10,200-12,500 feet) but thankfully the sun was out and it was not too breezy. The main target for the day was to find Goldman's Warbler which can only be found in a few spots at the highest elevations in Guatemala. Some authorities consider it a subspecies of Yellow rumped Warbler but others split it into a separate species (I'm in agreement with it being a separate species). It is non migratory, it has a different habitat preference, it looks different and sounds different. It certainly fits the criteria to be considered a unique species. We found our target right away and I got some fantastic views and some good photos of both the male and female...another target species found and another life bird added! (#1349).  We found quite a few others over the course of the day and all appeared to be paired up. Another rare species for Guatemala showed up around the same time we saw the warbler, a Common Raven. The guides stated this is probably one of the rarer birds in Guatemala. Apparently a few decades ago they were relatively common in the higher elevations but the birds were poisoned as they were considered a pest to crops. None were seen for years but they have slowly started to return but are still tough to find. Not long after seeing our first Goldman's Warblers and the raven Knut noticed that a volcano in the distance, Fuego Volcano, had shot up an ash cloud. It is one of several active volcanos in the country so this was not too unusual. We then spent the remainder of the morning into mid afternoon exploring the unique habitat found within this protected area. It looked and felt somewhat like the Rocky Mountains with Steller's Jays, Northern Flickers, Spotted Towhee, Yellow eyed Junco, Savannah Sparrow and Golden crowned Kinglets (all of these species are resident here and many either looked and/or sounded different from individuals from up north and some may indeed be separate species).  We also chased at least two calling Ocellated Quail (#1350) all over the rocky hillsides but never managed to get a look. Overall species variety is quite low (just 23 species for the day) at this high elevation but what they lacked in quantity they made up for in quality.

Pink headed Warbler, Unicornio Azul Lodge, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018

After a late lunch we made it back to the lodge where we spent some time getting trying to get better looks and photos of a few species with mixed results. Our attempt to relocate the saw whet owl found the night before didn't turn up the owl but it was a bit breezier, which is hardly ever good for owling.

Northern Flicker (Guatemalan), Unicornio Azul Lodge, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018

Rufous collared Robin, Unicornio Azul Lodge, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018

Townsend's Warbler, Unicornio Azul Lodge, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018

Dawn, Unicornio Azul Lodge, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018

Sunday we birded a bit around Unicornio Azul Lodge in the early morning before having breakfast and then heading out toward Antigua. It was another long ride over some bad roads. We broke up the trip with a stop for lunch at Rincon Suizo but we didn't stick around there too long as we wanted to make it to Antigua for some afternoon birding at Finca el Pilar.

Black headed Siskins, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Gray Silky Flycatcher, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Greater Pewee, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Bushy crested Jay, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Red faced Warbler, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Black headed Siskin, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Black vented Oriole, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Wilson's Warbler, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Bar winged Oriole, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Fulvous Owl, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018

Finca el Pilar is a large privately owned reserve just outside Antigua that features a variety of habitats at varying altitudes, which provides a nice cross section of species. We arrived in the mid afternoon and stayed until after sunset and had some great luck in locating some new birds for the trip with the highlights including 14 life birds including another one of my target warblers, Red faced Warbler (#1357).  Other life birds included a wide range of species including Buffy crowned Wood Partridge, Azure crowned Hummingbird, Golden throated Mountain Gem, Bushy crested Jay, Pacific Parakeet, Black headed Siskin, Yellow winged Tanager, Collared Forest Falcon, Black vented Oriole and Bar winged Oriole (species #1351-1362).  In addition we also ran across a number of mixed flocks that contained a wide selection of neotropical migrant species. As it got late in the day we added a few more species including Highland Guan (#1363) and Blue throated Motmot (#1364) and then after sunset we found some owls including a pair of Fulvous Owls (#1365) and a Mottled Owl.

Fan tailed Warbler, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Golden Olive Woodpecker, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Rufous and White Wren, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Pacific Parakeets, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

White faced Ground Sparrow, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Scrub Euphonia, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Western Tanager and Red legged Honeycreeper, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Yellow winged Tanager, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Fuego Volcano steaming, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

White throated Thrush, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Black headed Saltator, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Collared Trogon, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

The last full day of the trip was spent in the Antigua area where we started the morning at La Reunion which is located a few hundred meters lower in elevation compared to any of our other stops which produced even more variety.  We started off birding along the main road which featured a wide selection of species including a number of life birds for me including Berylline Hummingbird (#1366), Scrub Euphonia (#1367), White faced Ground Sparrow (#1368) and Thicket Tinnamou (#1369).  Many other highlights for the morning included calling Buffy crested Wood Partridge, White throated Thrush and other resident and migratory species in mixed flocks. The location also provided some spectacular views of a few volcanoes including the still quite active Fuego Volcano (which we saw blow ash from while we were up in the highlands). The volcano was steaming while we were there but it thankfully held off blowing any ash. The main focus of the stop was to find Fan tailed Warbler and we had luck almost as soon as we arrived in the area the warbler is known to be in, ticking off yet another target and added species #1370 to my life list.  It occupies a ravine area and is quite reliably found at the location. I was happy to have good looks at a bird as it worked its way through the low vegetation, fanning its tail as it went. Although the looks at the first location were good they paled in comparison to what we see not too much later as we ran across a pair in the open attending to an army ant swarm...amazing looks as they fed on the insects being scared up by the ants.
Video links here: Fan tailed Warbler video 1, Fan tailed Warbler video 2, Fan tailed Warbler video 3

Golden crowned Warbler (stripe crowned subspecies), Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Berylline Hummingbird, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Black capped Swallow, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Azure crowned Hummingbird, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Rufous Sabrewing, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Green throated Mountain Gem, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

Sunset over volcanos, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018

After a lunch in Antigua we headed back over to Finca el Pilar, covering a few different spots from those seen yesterday. We started out at the hummingbird feeders where we had four species including my first Rufous Sabrewings (#1371). After getting our fill of the hummingbirds we hiked up a nearby ravine trail where we found a pair of Golden crowned Warblers of the stripe crowned subspecies. I had only seen the species briefly once before (several years ago in Costa Rica) so getting some decent views and a few photos was great. We then headed higher up in elevation and hiked several areas and came across a few mixed flocks but most birds were high up in the trees and a persistent breeze made viewing a bit tough. Probably the biggest highlights later in the afternoon were several Singing Quail (#1372) and a brief but very close view of a Highland Guan. We finished up birding for the day (and the trip) at sunset looking over Antigua.

Overall for the trip I managed to find a total of 161 species over the course of four full days of birding (plus a lot of driving on some days).  Among these species were 40 life birds bringing my grand total to 1372.  Full album of photos from trip.