Honduras Birding Highlights 9-18 April 2016

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3 HONDURAS Honduras Birding Highlights 9-18 April 2016 Day 1 9 April Arrival at Tegucigalpa airport and transfer to Hotel Gloriales Day 2 10 April Birding in La Tigra NP Day 3 11 April Transfer to Gracias and birding at Hotel Casa Celaque Day 4 12 April Birding at Honduran Emerald and Ocellated Quail locations Day 5 13 April Transfer to Cerro Azul Meambar NP and birding at Panacam Lodge Day 6 14 April Birding in Santa Barbara NP and visit to La fuente de Vida project Day 7 15 April Birding in Lake Yojoa wetlands and transfer to Pico Bonito NP Day 8 16 April Birding at Pico Bonito Lodge Day 9 17 April Birding at Rio Santiago Nature resort Day April Transfer to San pedro Sula airport

4 HONDURAS General description Honduras packs several personalities into a country with more square miles of protected area than Costa Rica, boasting fantastic natural beauty, cultural richness, and a relaxing tropical vibe waiting to be discovered along a less tourist-trodden path. Honduras packs several personalities into a country with more square miles of protected area than Costa Rica, boasting fantastic natural beauty, cultural richness, and a relaxing tropical vibe waiting to be discovered along a less tourist-trodden path. Honduras north coast is characterized by beautiful jungles, mangroves, and rainforests, such as Pico Bonito National Park, whereas east Honduras has the largest area of amazonian jungle in Central America La Moskítia. The south is arid, but offers breathtaking landscapes, and the authentic fishing communities make this a particularly interesting place to visit. West Honduras for its part boasts the country s highest peak Cerro the las Minas Ocellated Quail in Celaque NP in Celaque National Park. It is also strongly influenced by the ancient Maya culture, which you will clearly in see in sites such as Copán Ruinas. This Honduras Birding Highlights trip takes you through three of the four quarters of the country. We start our tour in La Tigra National Park, where the cloud forest offers excellent mountain birding along wide and fairly easy trails. This is the home of the some key species such as the Wine-throated Hummingbird, Green-breasted Mountain-Gem, Singing Quail or White-faced Quail-Dove. View on Lake Yojoa and Santa Bárbara NP To talk about Gracias is to talk about the impressive mountains of Celaque National Park, which is characterized mainly by pineoak forest, dry forest and cloud forest on the park s highest elevations. These types of habitats support motmots, hummingbirds, antbirds and toucans, and two stunning prize birds, for Celaque is also home to the elusive Ocellated Quail and to Honduras only endemic the Honduran Emerald! Rising majestically above the beautiful Lake Yojoa in central Honduras are two of the country s more impressive mountain ranges: Montaña Santa Barbara and Cerro Azul Meambar. Here the combination of limestone and volcanic landscapes surrounding the lake supports a

5 rich diversity of habitat types including freshwater wetlands, pine-oak forest, lowland rainforest and cloud forest and a corresponding diversity of plants and animals. Some species of interest we can find here are the Keel-billed Motmot, Prevost ground-sparrow, Resplendent Quetzal, Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, Barred and Collared Forest-Falcons, Collared Aracari, Blue-crowned Motmot, Masked Tityra, Crimson-collared Tanager, Northern Barred Woodcreeper. The north-facing coast is characterized by long beaches interspersed with rocky headlands, coastal wetlands and mangroves and the coastal mountain ranges of Nombre de Dios and Pico Bonito National Park. The extensive rainforest of these mountains harbors a wealth of top species including the Shining Honeycreeper, Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet, Rufous Mourner, Black-and-White Owl, Purple-crowned Fairy or Tody Motmot. Day-by-day Itinerary Day 1 9 April : Arrival at Tegucigalpa airport and transfer to Hotel Gloriales The tour begins with afternoon birding around Hotel Los Gloriales. Here we can find higher elevation species such as the Blue-and-white Mockingbird, White-eared Hummingbird, Blue-crowned Motmot, White-breasted Hawk and more. After nightfall we enjoy chatting and getting to know each other during a hearthy welcome dinner. Day 2 10 April: Birding in La Tigra NP La Tigra National Park offers great birding and a wide array of hummingbirds such as the Wine-throated Hummingbird, Green-breasted Mountain-gem, Green Violet-Ear and Sparkling-tailed Woodstar. But we won t only look out for hummers, there are obviously other interesting species we might encounter too, including the Emerald Toucanet, Singing Quail, Resplendent Quetzal, Mountain Trogon, Spotted Woodcreeper, Barred Forest-Falcon, Mountain Elaenia, Rufous-browed Wren, Slate-colored Solitaire and many more. Wine-throated Hummingbird

6 HONDURAS Day 3 11 April: Transfer to Gracias and birding at Hotel Casa Celaque An early morning departure from our hotel will bring us to the colonial town of Gracias, Lempira next to the Parque Nacional Celaque the hightest point of Honduras. Our hotel is located amidst pine forest woodland and coffee plantations. In this bird-rich area, we are likely to encounter species such as the Mesoamerican endemic Bushy-Crested Jay, the Laughing Falcon, Turquoise-browed Motmot, some resident warblers such as the Common Yellowthroat and Rufous-capped Warbler, and other birds like the Altamira Oriole, Blackheaded Saltator, Mountain Trogon, Flame-colored Tanager and Yellow-backed Oriole. Day 4 12 April: Birding at Honduran Emerald and Ocellated Quail locations Today we search for the only endemic bird of Honduras so far: the Honduran Emerald! The region is also home to many other drier-country birds, amongst others the Elegant Trogon, Striped Cuckoo, Turquoise-browed Motmot and many more. Along the Río Grande, we will also see some water birds such as Green Herons, Black Phoebes, different Kingfisher species etc. In the afternoon we drive up into Celaque National Park to get one of our targets birds: the elusive Ocellated Quail. A hard bird to get, but Celaque NP offers some excellent opportunities, so keep your fingers crossed that you are one of the lucky few to get a glimpse of this shy quail. Other species we may see up hare are the King Vulture, Crested Bobwhite, Azure-crowned Hummingbird and many more. Honduran Emerald View of Río Grande Day 5 13 April: Transfer to Cerro Azul Meambar NP and birding at Panacam Lodge We leave early to the Lake Yojoa area, home to the biggest variety of bird species in Honduras. We have lunch at a restaurant on the Lake which offers splendid view over the lake and the surrounding wetlands and marshes. Over here we have the opportunity to spot water birds such as Pale-billed Grebes, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Bare-throated TigerHerons, Ringed Kingfishers, Snail Kites, Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures and so on.

7 After lunch we drive up to our hotel PANACAM Lodge. Once we are settled, we have time for afternoon birding around the Lodge in search for the Black-crested Coquette, Barred ForestFalcon, Collared Aracari, Keel-billed Motmot, Blue-crowned Motmot, Masked Tityra, Crimsoncollared Tanager, Blue-crowned Clorophonia, White-throated Thrush, Long-billed Hermit, Violet Sabrewing and more. Keel-billed Motmot Day 6 14 April: Birding in Santa Barbara NP and visit to La fuente de Vida project This morning we drive up to Santa Bárbara National Park. We visit the La Fuente de Vida ecotourism project that Beaks and Peaks is supporting. The communities up here are trying to protect a beautfiful parch of forest for the future. They have decided to make the change from exclusive coffee growing to providing sustainable tourism services. They have for example built a series of beautiful trails that offer excellent birdwatching opportunities. Very early in the morning, we drive up to the community. That should take us about an hour. Upon arrival we enjoy breakfast with one of the local families and after that we start looking for birds such as the Prevostground Sparrow, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Resplendent Quetzal, Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, White-breasted Hawk, Greenthroated Mountain-Gem, Buffy-crowned Woodpatrigth, Slate-colored Solitare, Rusty Sparrow, Collared Trogon, Spotted Woodcreeper, Ruddy Foliage-Gleaner, Scalythroated Foliage-Gleaner, Buff-throated Foliage-Gleaner, Black-headed NightingaleThrush, Chesnut-capped Brush-Finch, WhiteResplendent Quetzal in its tree trunk nest naped Brush Finch, Spot-breasted Wren etcaetera. Day 7 15 April: Birding in Lake Yojoa wetlands and transfer to Pico Bonito NP Today we do some early morning birding around the Lake, searching for more great species such as the Masked Duck, Least Bittern, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Black-crowned Tityra, Green-

8 HONDURAS backed Sparrow, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Grey-breasted Crake and others. We then have a long drive ahead of us, all the way to Pico Bonito on Honduras north coast, in the Nombre de Dios mountains. Upon arrival, it will be time for dinner and a good night s sleep so we are fit again the next morning for yet more birding at our last destination. Day 8 16 April: Birding at Pico Bonito Lodge Pico Bonito Lodge combines the adventure of the outdoors, the beauty of the rainforest, and the personal service of a boutique hotel. In this luxurious setting, we enjoy yet another splendid birding day, as the area offers an incredibly varied array of bird species such as Brown-hooded, White-fronted and White-crowned Parrots, Little and Great Tinamous, Greychested Doves, Olive-throated Parakeets, Black-cheeked Woodpeckers, Wedge-billed and Cocoa Woodcreepers, Paltry Tyrannulets, Guatemalan Screech-Owls, Great Potoos, Violetheaded Hummingbirds, Purple-crowned Fairies, Slatytailed, Gartered and Collared Trogons, Red-capped Manakins, White- and Grey-breasted Wood-Wrens, White-throated Thrushes, Olive-backed Euphonias, Kentucky Warblers, Giant Cowbirds, Red-throated and Redcrowned Ant-Tanager, Keel-billed Motmot, Green Shrike-Vireos and Black-faced Grosbeaks. And those are just a few examples. Guatemalan Screech-Owl Gartered Trogon Red-capped Manakin Day 9 17 April: Birding at Rio Santiago Nature resort Birding at Rio Santiago Nature Resort to enjoy of the stunning beauty of the Hummingbirds at the garden with 22 species of hummingbirds White-necked Jacobin, Brown Violet-Ear, Crowned Woodnymph, Blue-throated Goldentail, Bluetailed Hummingbird, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Stripe-throated Hermit, Long-billed Herming, Black-crested Coquette etcaetera. Rio Santiago also offers pleasant trails that give you a chance of spotting more

9 stunning birds such as the White Hawk, Olive-backed Euphonia, Golden-hooded Tanager, Keel-billed Toucan, Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet, Black-crested Coquette, Spectacled Owl, Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, Royal Flycatcher and many more. In the evening, we enjoy our last supper together, sharing stories, thoughts and experiences with friends both old Blue-throated Goldentail Black-crested Coquette Day April: Transfer to San pedro Sula airport Your trip unfortunately has come to an end (unless you opted for the 3-day post-tour to Copán) and we will drive you to San Pedro Sula international airport in time for your flight. We hope you enjoyed the tour and wish you a safe journey home. And who knows... hasta la proxima?!

10 HONDURAS Your guides William Orellana William started birding at an early age in his hometown, Gracias Lempira, Honduras. William s first career was with the government, where he eventually became a math professor and later worked for a NGO helping communities to develop. He wisely decided on a complete change of career and started birding in 2005, rapidly becoming a key member of the Honduran Ornithology Association of Honduras (ASHO). William is also one of the best bird photographers throughout the country of Honduras. William has travelled extensively in search of birds, visiting over 15 countries in Asia, Europe, North America and Central America. He has spent considerable time in the field. He also created the first youth birdwatching club in Honduras named Tanunas. William has a long experience and skills to show you the best of Honduras. Katinka Domen Katinka was born and raised in Belgium, but fell head over heels in love with Central America particularly Honduras while traveling here. It didn t take her long to wave goodbye to her old life and cross the Atlantic to settle in her new home. Not one for sitting still, Katinka has been building up a portfolio of adventure tours including hiking, rafting, kayaking, etc, and rapidly became a skilled birder as well. Katinka is fluent in many languages, and will be able to guide you in English, French, German, Dutch and Spanish. Furthermore, she has obtained a certificate in wilderness first aid, so you are in safe hands! She likes nothing better than introducing this magnificent country she now calls home to other visitors. Her enthusiasm and sense of adventure will no doubt kindle a passion for Honduras with anyone who visits.

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