In Honduras to establish links between bird clubs in the U.S. and Honduras -- Day 1

               Building linkages between bird clubs in New York (and elsewhere in North America) and Honduras is off to a fantastic start.  On Wednesday 12 October, I was picked up at the airport in San Pedro Sula by Katinka Domen, half of the dynamic duo (along with William Orellana) who operate Beaks and Peaks Birding and Adventure Tours out of the Lake Yojoa area.  In late afternoon, she dropped me off at D and D Brewery Lodge and Restaurant in Los Naranjos.  I had time to do some birding before the sun set at about 5:45pm (and when the sun goes down here, it gets dark without much of any twilight).  Sixteen species right around the cabin area, including Stripe-throated Hermit, many Rufous-tailed Hummingbird sparring over the feeders, Lesson’s Motmot, Altamira Oriole and Montezuma Oropendulas. 

The entrance to D and D Brewery Lodge and Restaurant in Los Naranjos,

Honduras.  A birder's delight to visit.  Photo credit: Jody Enck.

               In the evening, Walter Mejia, the birding guide at D and D (yes, a micro-brewery lodge and restaurant has a birding guide!) introduced himself to me.  I enjoyed talking with Walter about his interesting life journey to become a birder.  Just a few years ago, he met William Orellana, and was enthralled with William’s vast knowledge and appreciation of birds and the ecology of habitats on which they depend.  Walter calls William his inspiration, and it’s easy to see why when the two of them get together. 

A head-on picture of a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird visiting one of the feeders at

D and D Brewery Lodge and Restaurant in Lost Naranjos, Honduras.  I also saw 

Stripe-throated Hermits (another hummingbird species) visiting these feeders today.

Photo credit: Jody Enck. 

          Walter was told “it’s really hard to become a bird guide because you have to learn so much.”  William told Walter to come back and talk to him when he could identify 100 birds.   I think Walter took that as a challenge because he started studying and obtaining all the resources he could locate.  He was working as a wait person at D and D Brewery Lodge and Restaurant at the time and had to study at home after work.  He located books, went on-line and found the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “shape and size” on-line course, connected with Robert Gallardo and took a couple of field course with him in Honduras.  And, he spent a lot of time in the field learning birds by sight and sound.  After just about three months, he went back to William Orellana and said, “OK, I am ready for a test.”  They walked around the area and William quizzed Walter on the birds they saw and heard.  Walter aced the field quiz!

A little later in the evening at D and D Brewery, Lodge and Restaurant, Katinka and William joined Walter and me.  Over Pena Blanca Ale made right here at the Brewery, I heard about the genesis of Beaks and Peaks Birding and Adventure Tour company only three years ago.  William’s dream was to build a birding and conservation culture in a country that mostly lacked both birders and any kind of focus on conservation issues.  He started making connections with the Honduran government, especially the Honduras Tourism Department.  By chance, the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras (James Nealon) is a birder.  So, a bit of funding for eco-tourism and conservation projects started to trickle in through USAid projects. 

In 2008, the Honduran Ornithological Association (ASHO) was started to focus attention and actions on building the birding and conservation culture in the country.  ASHO is a mix of university and professional ornithologists, some professionals from the eco-tourism industry, and representatives from each of the six or so birding clubs that now exist in the country.  William has been a part of ASHO since its beginning.      

In addition to these top-down connections, William is a master at building relationships from the ground-up.  He tirelessly works to have local businesses recognize the connection between birds and the people who frequent those businesses.  He also is astute enough to know that local residents whose lives and livelihoods are inexorably tied to the land (and using the resources associated with that land) need to benefit economically from protecting birds and their habitats.  You can’t just expect to set aside land as a park or protected area when people need to cut wood for cooking, clear land to grown corn and beans, or help produce the coffee beans that we Americans love so much. 

The D and D Brewery, Lodge, and Restaurant in Los Naranjos is an example.  William got the folks there to hang some hummingbird feeders, actively promote the main eco-tourism sites around the Lake Yojoa and Santa Barbara National Park areas.  Plus, Walter is now a full-fledged birding guide for hire here at the Brewery.  They also have an active web presence (webpage and Facebook page).  Tourists from around the world are coming to this business now to experience the fine beer, nature and birding experiences, and to enjoy the warmth and hospitality of Hondurans. 

Anyone can enjoy a vast array of eco-tourism opportunities in the Lake Yojoa and

Santa Barbara National Park areas.  Photo credit: Jody Enck

William also has worked very hard to visit and interact with all of the half-dozen clubs in the country to talk about how they can engage in conservation actions that have sustainable development benefits to them as local residents.  This includes everything from helping people become birding guides to working with agricultural cooperatives.  He and Katinka also try to support these clubs by facilitating development of birding expertise.  The Lake Yojoa Birding Blitz is a prime example of this.  In addition to a multiple-day monitoring event where the diversity and abundance of bird species will be documented, there are several workshops to help participants learn about identification of flycatchers and other hard-to-identify groups of birds, and how to use eBird as a monitoring tool. 

After a couple of hours of conversation and beers, William and Katinka had to head home to take care of some last-minute details for the Lake Yojoa Birding Blitz that starts tomorrow afternoon.  I had to try to get some sleep after not sleeping the previous night due to too much excitement and a long day of travel.  As we said our goodnights, we made plans to meet at 6am tomorrow for some birding at William and Katinka’s home base on Lake Yojoa.  We will be joined by Walter Mejia and two birders from Club Tanunas (which means Lesser Roadrunner in the local Lenca language) in Gracias in western Honduras.  In my cabin, I listened to the various night noises and wondered how I could possibly top the incredible experiences I have had on my first day in Honduras.  A Vermiculated Screech-Owl outside my window serenaded me as I drifted off to sleep. 

A really comfortable room awaits visitors to the D and D Brewery, Lodge and

Restaurant in Los Naranjos, Honduras.  Photo credit: Jody Enck