Las Guacamayas

December 9

We began the day with a bird walk in Tikal before breakfast on a misty morning.  We drove south to the park exit and then to a local soccer field. We rode by helicopter to our next destination, Las Guacamayas research station in the Laguna del Tigre national park. The twenty minute helicopter ride took us over the “buffer zone” of the Tikal National Park—- the contrast between cattle ranches on one side and dense forest on the other was dramatic. Traveling by air also spared us a three hour bouncy car ride. 

Upon arrival at the research stations, we climbed into a skiff to travel upriver on the Rio San Pedro to Paso de Caballos. This village is larger in population and is contained within the national park. They have only recently adopted conservation protocols with the ministry of forests. Already their organized approach is having impact: during the most recent dry season there were many fires in this section of Guatemala, but none near this village or the concessions we saw north of Tikal. The importance of these conservation communities cannot be overstated, nor the role of WCS on the ground to support them. 

The research station over looks the San Pedro river and is really a lovely spot. Over lunch we learned about some of their work using camera traps to monitor mammal behaviors. Some of the video footage was surprising and amusing. We walked through the forest to an overlook, at one point surrounded by a large flock of mealy parrots on migration. Then after dinner we went back out on the river to look for owls and crocodiles. 

Pictures: Gray fox, black and white owl, sunset on the San Pedro River from our room