During 59 years of visiting different areas of Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize, the areas where I have seen the largest mass of birds are in coastal lakes and swamps of the Yucatan Peninsula and in the lakes, rivers, and bay of Livingston, Izabal, Guatemala. I would rate Lake Izabal, Rio Dulce, and especially the El Golfete area, as having “more water birds per square meter than anywhere else in this part of Mesoamerica.” Amatique Bay would be included in the Rio Dulce water bird area.
So if you are interested in seaside, riverside, lakeside hotel relaxation, plus experiencing many species of friendly pelicans, cormorants, and lots of other energetic water birds, plan a trip to the Rio Dulce-Livingston part of Central America.
We (FLAAR in USA and FLAAR Mesoamerica in Guatemala) have undertaken field trips to photograph water birds during February and then during April of 2018 and again in February 2020. We return to the Municipio of Livingston with our 200mm, 300mm, 400mm, 600mm, and 800mm prime telephoto lenses (plus zoom telephoto lenses) the second week of March.
About 80 species just of water-related birds have been noted here by the helpful work of FUNDAECO by Cerezo, Ramirez, Lopez, Javierm, and Barrientos (2012). On our field trips we photographed 12 species of water birds (and in our previous field trips we found two water birds not in their list). Our goal is accomplish high-resolution photography of all 80 species. If you would like to help fund our field trips, please contact us.
Pokomchi Mayan plant scout Norma Estefany Cho Cu not only is helping us find wild Coyo, Persea schiedeana, a wild Mayan avocado species, but she is also very adept at finding and photographing larvae of moths and butterflies.
We hope some day that a university, foundation or kind soul could help fund this project so we can get entomological identification of each Family, Genus and species. And then publish a book on these photogenic creatures. But in the meantime, here are three photos she took with a Google Pixel 3XL.
We at FLAAR (USA) and FLAAR Mesoamerica (Guatemala) are dedicated to accomplishing research on all pollinators. It is crucial to create educational material in the local Mayan, Garifuna, Xinca and Spanish (and English) to explain to school children the importance of not killing potential future pollinators.
The Biotopo Chocón Machacas CECON-USAC, El Golfete, Livingston, is paradise on earth for trees, vines, mosses, flowers, mushrooms, and larvae of moths and butterflies. Here is a remarkable aggrupation of large sized larvae surrounding three horizontal smaller “baby” caterpillars.
Photograph by David Arrivilaga, FLAAR Mesoamerica, with Sony Alpha A9 II, Lens 90mm F2.8 Macro G. Settings: 90mm, 1/250, f/10, ISO 640 using a flash on camera, with a softbox, Biotopo Chocon Machacas CECON-USAC, Municipio Livingston, Departamento Izabal, Guatemala, Central America.
Our visit to this Biotope was arranged by Edwin Mármol Quiñonez, Coordinación de Cooperación de Livingston (Izabal, Guatemala). The flora and fauna research team from FLAAR Mesoamerica had been invited to visit the Municipio of Livingston by the new Alcalde the Municipio of Livingston, Daniel Esaú Pinto Peña. We are discussing undertaking a joint project to record the flora and fauna of the entire municipio, and to prepare educational material for the local schools, and to prepare material for the tourists so they know what photogenic waterbirds and gorgeous plants can be found in this part of Guatemala. This would be a four year project of cooperation between FLAAR Mesoamerica and the various entities of the Municipio of Livingston.
Over the recent two years we have tested various mobile phone cameras, to learn which is best for panoramas, which is best for general photographs, and which is best for macro photos of flowers and insects. iPhone Xs is excellent for general photos and panoramas (even though we have a Nikon D5 and a Canon EOS 1D X Mark II and a 61 megapixel Sony Alpha a7R IV mirrorless full frame). Google Pixel 3XL and Google Pixel 3 are excellent for macro photos.
Courtesy of a donation by Scott Forsythe, we were able to acquire a Google Pixel 3XL that we could loan to one of our plant-and-animal scouts. Our “scouts” are individuals in various parts of Guatemala who search for, find, and photograph the rare endangered flora and fauna that we are recording throughout Guatemala (especially in Peten and Alta Verapaz, and now we have added Izabal).
It is not realistic for a plant scout in a remote mountain area to carry a regular camera. A mobile telephone is far more practical.
These larvae were photographed on Feb. 19, 2020 by Norma Estefany Cho Cu, a helpful Pokomchi Mayan plant-and-animal-scout in southern Alta Verapaz. She, her husband, and her father have worked with FLAAR Mesoamerica in recent years.
Along many highways in the Highlands of Guatemala you can find lots of Wigandia urens plants. Their large leaves make them easy to find. Since our long-range project is to photograph as many native flowering plants of Guatemala, we stop along the highway when there is an easy and safe way to get the vehicle completely off the road.
Last week while we were photographing the purple-blue flowers of Wigandia urens between kilometer 60 and 75 of highway CA9 (Guatemala City towards Puerto Barrios) we found hundreds of two or more species of bees busy at work harvesting nectar from these flowers. But I estimate that more than 90% of the larger bees were working at the back of the flower. Thus I estimate they are nectar robbers: they get the sweet sugary nectar that they want by sneaking in the back of the flower; but don’t get pollen on their bodies (so, in theory, are not pollinators).
Big bee on side or back of Wigandia urens flower.
Big bee on side or back of Wigandia urens flower.
Big bee in middle of front of Wigandia urens flower.
There was another flowering tree nearby, palo de brasil, Haematoxylon brasilletto. So we also photographed the bees pollinating these flowers.
We learn a lot about bees of Guatemala, especially stingless bees, from Scott Forsyth. He has helped local Mayan people on bee projects, especially in the Izabal area of Guatemala. We look forward to continue working together with him on a future project in the Municipio of Livingston (Rio Dulce, El Golfete, eastern end of Lake Izabal).
Local stingless bee, buzzing around same Wigandia urens flowers as the larger bees. Since these are small, it was not as easy to keep track of where they landed on a flower (front or back).
