Anne and I arrived safe and sound in Guatemala City early this afternoon, and after we delt with the shenanigans of their new-fangled, all-digital customs declaration, we walked the few blocks to our hotel for the night. On the way, I could hear plenty of birds calling, and I couldn’t wait to check in so I could get my gear out.
While Anne unpacked her stuff, I took some pictures out the window of our room, and this is the male great-tailed grackle who was energetically defending his territory from atop a utility pole across the street. We saw them before, in Nevada on our way home from our trip to the Grand Canyon last year, but this is the first time I got to see them nesting.
We walked to a great cantina for a late-late lunch/early supper, and when we returned to our room, I continued taking pictures out the window. Here’s the female grackle who left the territory defending to him and spent more of her time hauling nesting material up to a well-hidden spot in the tree that shades our courtyard.
There were a couple of white-winged doves perched on the wires strung between the utility poles, and here’s one showing the backside and blue eyering. I first saw them in Texas a couple of winters ago, but I must not have gotten a picture worth showing.
Here’s another showing the name-sake white wing stripe.
Meanwhile, this tropical kingbird kept its distance down the street. I did see at least on our trip to Brazil a couple of summers ago, but its picture didn’t make the cut at that time, and I have no idea why because it’s way better than the one I got today.
Finally, there were swifts overhead, which I failed to identify, and a hummingbird checking out the tree the grackles were in, which I also failed to identify, but the bird I was most excited about is this yellow-winged tanager (Thraupis abbas), in the tree across the intersection from our hotel. It’s my very first, so Woo Hoo!
Tomorrow we’re off to Biotopo del Queztal for a couple of days, so wish us luck! And sorry about the typos. My editor is off for today, so Lord only knows what I typed.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 