Wood Thrush from Tikal Guatemala to Connecticut
Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina, wintering, PN Tikal, Petén, Guatemala. ©Townsend P. Dickinson All Rights Reserved Lis#J2O2231
I trudged in the oppressive heat with my guide Daniel Aldana and the mandatory local guide to the site of the Mayan Tikal Great Plaza and iconic Great Jaguar Pyramid. Words alone cannot depict the scope of Tikal, the stone work and grandeur uncovered from the tropical forest by the archeologists. While standing near Templo II, trying to muster the strength to climb to the top to better see the nesting Orange-breasted Falcon, I noticed a couple of concession stands in the shade of trees off to the left. Parched after the falcon climb I stopped at the concession stands. The area behind the stands looked like unbroken forest on a a rock incline, and I looked for birds. Refreshed for the moment, I soon saw a Wood Thrush foraging nearby in the shrubby forest on broken limestone. This was a section of the ruins that either had not been stripped of cover or was left to grow back. The Wood Thrush moved me almost as much as the temple, here was a threatened migrant earning a living as her ancestors had for many years.
Orange-breasted Falcon, Falco deiroleucus, perched near nest on temple, PN Tikal, Petén, Guatemala ©Townsend P. Dickinson All Rights Reserved Lis#J2O2614-1
I enjoy an early spring birding walk down the Appalachian Trail portion River Road, in Kent Connecticut. There is still some gallery forest left along the Housatonic River to give one a taste of what we lost elsewhere. Cerulean Warblers and Thrushes can be heard by those who take the time to listen. I feel privileged to be a witness to a bird that has suffered at least a 62% decline from 1966 to 2015 per Cornell Lab.
Wood Thrush, spring, calling on territory, River Road, Kent, CT ©Townsend P. Dickinson All Rights Reserved Lis#_D7F4232
Addendum: Encounters Kentucky Warbler
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