My wife and I spent about ten days in Guatemala in May 2006, including a weekend at Los Tarrales Reserve near Lake Atitlan, and a week in Guatemala City.
Los Tarrales is a great place to vist. We were the only guests, and were treated like royalty. The only complaint I had was that they did not maintain their feeders. They had several hummingbird feeders, but they were attended only by wasps. Well maintained feeders, for hummingbirds and with fruit for other birds are great for good looks and photo opportunities. But it wasn't the end of the world at all, since there was a lot to see in the woods and in the shade-grown coffee plantings.
We were in Guatemala City for an orchid show. While we were there, local orchid enthusiasts took us around to their growing facilities and farms. This treatment isn't open to everyone - my wife is an orchid taxonomist, AOS judge, and co-author of a book on a group of neotropical orchids. Her work doesn't particularly pay, but we get wonderful treatment from local orchid poeple when we go to Latin America. I get to tag along, but it isn't real birding, so I don't generate the long lists that you see from folks who focus on birds.
Here is the bird list, but keep in mind we were without expert guidance most of the time, and some records may be stringy:
Northern Pintail 5/23/2006
Acorn Woodpecker 5/24/2006
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 5/21/2006
Hairy Woodpecker 5/25/2006
Smoky-brown Woodpecker 5/22/2006
Golden-olive Woodpecker 5/21/2006
Collared Trogon 5/22/2006
Violaceous Trogon 5/23/2006
Tody Motmot 5/22/2006
Turquoise-browed Motmot 5/23/2006
Blue-crowned Motmot 5/21/2006
Amazon Kingfisher 5/29/2006
Squirrel Cuckoo 5/22/2006
Groove-billed Ani 5/22/2006
Striped Cuckoo 5/28/2006
Pacific Parakeet 5/22/2006
Orange-chinned Parakeet 5/22/2006
Chestnut-collared Swift 5/22/2006
White-collared Swift 5/21/2006
Vaux's Swift 5/24/2006
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift 5/22/2006
Violet Sabrewing 5/21/2006
Emerald-chinned Hummingbird 5/22/2006
White-eared Hummingbird 5/24/2006
Azure-crowned Hummingbird 5/22/2006
Blue-tailed Hummingbird 5/22/2006
Cinnamon Hummingbird 5/21/2006
Long-billed Starthroat 5/21/2006
Common Potoo 5/21/2006
Rock Dove or Common Pigeon 5/21/2006
Red-billed Pigeon 5/22/2006
White-winged Dove 5/25/2006
Inca Dove 5/22/2006
Ruddy Ground-Dove 5/29/2006
Blue Ground-Dove 5/29/2006
White-tipped Dove 5/22/2006
Forster's Tern 5/22/2006
Grey Hawk 5/23/2006
Red-tailed Hawk 5/27/2006
Great Egret 5/21/2006
Cattle Egret 5/22/2006
Green Heron 5/21/2006
Black Vulture 5/21/2006
Turkey Vulture 5/21/2006
King Vulture 5/22/2006
Common Tody-Flycatcher 5/21/2006
Paltry Tyrannulet 5/21/2006
Yellow-bellied Elaenia 5/26/2006
Yellow-olive Flycatcher 5/22/2006
Tufted Flycatcher 5/28/2006
Greater Pewee 5/28/2006
Tropical Pewee 5/21/2006
Buff-breasted Flycatcher 5/25/2006
Dusky-capped Flycatcher 5/22/2006
Tropical Kingbird 5/22/2006
Boat-billed Flycatcher 5/21/2006
Social Flycatcher 5/21/2006
Great Kiskadee 5/29/2006
Rose-throated Becard 5/22/2006
Masked Tityra 5/22/2006
Long-tailed Manakin 5/22/2006
Barred Antshrike 5/23/2006
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper 5/22/2006
Rufous-browed Peppershrike 5/22/2006
Hutton's Vireo 5/25/2006
Red-eyed Vireo 5/21/2006
Lesser Greenlet 5/22/2006
Steller's Jay 5/27/2006
Black-throated Jay 5/27/2006
Bushy-crested Jay 5/27/2006
White-throated Magpie-Jay 5/21/2006
Grey Silky-flycatcher 5/25/2006
Eastern Bluebird 5/25/2006
Clay-colored Thrush 5/21/2006
White-throated Thrush 5/22/2006
Tropical Mockingbird 5/25/2006
Rufous-naped Wren 5/22/2006
Band-backed Wren 5/25/2006
Spot-breasted Wren 5/22/2006
Rufous-and-white Wren 5/22/2006
Plain Wren 5/22/2006
House Wren 5/22/2006
Bushtit 5/26/2006
Grey-breasted Martin 5/25/2006
Black-capped Swallow 5/25/2006
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5/21/2006
Black-headed Siskin 5/25/2006
Lesser Goldfinch 5/22/2006
Rufous-collared Sparrow 5/24/2006
White-eared Ground-Sparrow 5/23/2006
Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch 5/27/2006
Grace's Warbler 5/24/2006
Slate-throated Redstart 5/25/2006
Golden-crowned Warbler 5/22/2006
Rufous-capped Warbler 5/22/2006
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager 5/22/2006
White-winged Tanager 5/22/2006
Blue-grey Tanager 5/22/2006
Yellow-winged Tanager 5/21/2006
Scrub Euphonia 5/22/2006
Yellow-throated Euphonia 5/23/2006
Red-legged Honeycreeper 5/22/2006
Blue-black Grassquit 5/29/2006
White-collared Seedeater 5/21/2006
Cinnamon-bellied Flower-piercer 5/25/2006
Black-headed Saltator 5/21/2006
Yellow-billed Cacique 5/22/2006
Spot-breasted Oriole 5/22/2006
Altamira Oriole 5/22/2006
Black-vented Oriole 5/27/2006
Melodious Blackbird 5/22/2006
Great-tailed Grackle 5/21/2006
Bronzed Cowbird 5/23/2006
Thanks for publishing the list Jeff. Tha'ts a great list of birds. I really like this spot and I think that it will develop over the years. Its easy to visit, reasonably priced and completely safe. The on-site birding is excellent and there are also opportunities for top quality birding on the Volcano, which has Horned Guan in decent numbers.
I include a page on Tarrales, with access details, on my website (see link below).
Tom
thats a grand list compared to what im used to, and in 10 days no less. liked the pics!