Species:

109; in 1 and 1/2 days (no guide)
94; 1 day high tally

Birding:
*****  This was humid lowland birding at its best. With  several ponds, a drier scrubbier area, and the lush jungle you can see why there are so many birds here. As with many of the places we visited, we only saw a fraction of what was actually out there, but a great day none the less.

Trails:
Great. You can easily walk the them for days, don’t get lost though!

Where:
El Peten in Northeastern Guatemala, 2 1/2 hours from Belize border.

How Do I get there:
By far the most common way to get there is on a tour package from Flores or Belize.  It wasn’t terribly expensive, $7 or so, with a return ride the next day included.  

You might be able to take a (chicken) bus to the entrance of the Reserve and then hitch(?) your way the remaining 17kms to the actual park entrance itself.   I suppose you could if need be rent a car as well.  

Accomodations:
There are several nice places to stay right outside the entrance to park some a bit cheaper than others but all considerably more than outside this touristy area. 

We tented it for about $5 a night for the both of us at the Jaguar Inn.  They have a nice shower and bathrooms for the tenters. You can also leave your stuff at the front desk  if need be.

What to bring:

• Good flashlight/headlamp, it gets very dark in the jungle and its about 300m to the cheaper places to eat.
• Food, if we were to do it again we would probably bring more food in that we did. There are no descent tiendas within walking distance and the food at the restaurants was around $6-8 a meal. Beers for about $2.  
• Tent, it worked out great.

BIRDS

Phalacrocoraciadae
1. Neotropical Cormorant                         Phalacocorax brasilianus

Podicipedidae
2. Pied-billed Grebe                                 Podilymbus podiceps

Anhingidae
3. Anhinga                                              Anhinga Anhinga

Ardeidae
4. Great Egret                                        Ardea alba

Cathartidae
5. Black Vulture                                      Coragyps atratus
6. Turkey Vulture                                    Carthartes aura

Accipitridae
7. Gray Hawk                                          Asturina nitida
8. Ornate Hawk-eagle                              Spizaetus ornatus
9. Short-tailed Hawk                               Buteo brachyurus

Falconidae
10. Bat Falcon                                         Falco rufigularis
11. Orange-breasted Falcon                       Falco deiroleucus
12. Barred Forest-Falcon                          Micrastur ruficollis

Cracidae
13. Great Currasow                                  Crax rubra
14. Crested Guan                                     Penelope purpurascens
15. Plain Chachalaca                                 Ortalis vetula

Phasianidae
16. Ocellated Turkey                               Meleagris ocellata

Rallidae
17. Grey-necked Wood-rail                     Aramides cajanea

Aramidae
18. Limpkin                                             Aramus guarauna

Columbidae
19. Ruddy Ground-dove                        Columbina talpacoti

Psittacidae
20. Mealy Parrot                                     Amazona farinosa
21. Red-lored Parrot                                Amazona autumnalis
22. Brown-hooded Parrot                          Pionopsitta haematotis

Cuculidae
23. Squirrel Cuckoo                                 Piaya cayana

Strigidae
24. Black-and-white Owl                          Strix nigrolineata
25. Mottled Owl                                     Ciccaba virgata

Apodidae
26. Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift               Panyptila cayennesis
27. Vaux’s Swift                                     Chaetura vauxi

Trochilidae
28. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird                  Amazilia tzacatl
29. Purple-crowned Fairy                          Heliothryx barroti
30. Canivet’s Emerald                              Chlorostilbon canivetii
31. Little Hermit                                        Pygmornus longuemareus

Trogonidae
32. Violaceous Trogon                              Trogon violaceus
33. Black-headed Trogon                           Trogon melanocephalus

Momotidae
34. Tody Motmot                         Hylomanes momotula
35. Blue-crowned Motmot              Momotus momota

Alcedinidae
36. Ringed Kingfisher                               Ceryle torquata

Ramphastidae
37. Keel-billed Toucan                              Sulfuratus sulfuratus
38. Collared Aracari                                Pteroglossus torquatus

Picidae
39. Smokey-brown Woodpecker                  Veniliornis fumigatus
40. Golden-fronted Woodpecker                 Melanerpes aurifrons
41. Golden-olive Woodpecker                     Piculus rubiginosus
42. Chestnut-colored Woodpecker              Celeus castaneus
43. Lineated Woodpecker                          Dryocopus lineatus
44. Pale-billed Woodpecker                       Campephilus guatemalensis

Dendrocolaptidae
45. Olivaceous Woodcreeper                     Sittasomus grisicapillus
46. Ivory-billed Woodcreeper                   Xiphorhynchus flavigaster

Furnariidae
47. Plain Xenops                                      Xenops minutus

Thamnophilidae
48. Barred Antshrike                               Thamnophilus doliatus

Tyrannidae
49. Least Flycatcher                               Empidonax minimus
50. Ochre-bellied Flycatcher                    Mionectes oleaginus
51. Great Crested Flycatcher                    Myiarchus crinitus
52. Dusky-capped Flycatcher                     Myiarchus tuberculifer
53. Brown-crested Flycatcher                   Myiarchus tyrannulus
54. Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher                  Myiobius sulphureipygius
55. Vermillion Flycatcher                         Pyrocephalus rubinus
56. Royal Flycatcher                                Onychorhychus coronatus
57. Boat-billed Flycatcher                        Megarynchus pitangua
58. Social Flycatcher                               Myiozetetes similes
59. Couch’s Kingbird                                 Tyrannus couchii
60. Great Kiskadee                                  Piangus sulphuratus
61. Eye-ringed Flatbill                             Rhynchocyclus brevirostris
62. Stub-tailed Spadebill                          Platyrinchus cancrominus
63. Cinnamon Becard                                Pachyramphus cinnamomeus
64. Slate-headed Tody-flycatcher              Todirostrum sylvia
65. Masked Tityra                                   Tityra semifasciata

Estrildidae
66. White-collared Mannakin                     Manacus candei  
67. Red-capped Mannakin                          Mentalis mentalis

Vireonidae
68. Yellow-throated Vireo                        Vireo flavifrons
69. White-eyed Vireo                               Vireo griseus
70. Red-eyed Vireo                                  Vireo olivaceus
71. Warbling Vireo                                  Vireo gilvus
72. Lesser Greenlet                                 Hylophilus 73. decurtatus

Corvidae
73. Brown Jay                                        Cyanocorax morio

Hirundinidae
74. Tree Swallow                                      Tachycineta bicolor
75. Gray-breasted Martin                           Progne chalybea
76. Northern Rough-winged Swallow           Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Troglodytidae
77. White-bellied Wren                            Uropsila lieucogastra
78. White-breasted Wood-wren                 Henicorhina leucosticte

Sylviidae
79. Long-billed Gnatwren                          Ramphocaenus melanurus
80. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                        Polioptila caerulea

Turdidae
81. Wood Thrush                                     Catharus mustelina

Mimidae
82. Gray Catbird                                     Dumetella carolinensis

Parulidae
83. Yellow Warbler                                 Dendroica petechia
84. Western Palm Warbler                       Dendroica palmarum
85. Magnolia Warbler                              Dendroica magnolia
86. Black-throated-green Warbler       Dendroica virens
87. Chestnut-sided Warbler                      Dendroica pensylvanica
88. Yellow-rumped Warbler                       Dendroica coronata
89. Tropical Paurla                                  Parula pitiayumi
90. Kentucky Warbler                              Oporornis formosus
91. Hooded Warbler                                 Wilsonia citrina
92. Black-and-white Warbler                    Mniotilta varia
93. American Redstart                             Setophaga ruticilla
94. Worm-eating Warbler                         Helmitheros vermivorus
95. Ovenbird                                          Seiurus aurocapillus
96. Golden-crowned Warbler                     Basileuterus culicivorus
97. Common Yellowthroat                          Geothlypis trichas
98. Yellow-breasted Chat                         Icteria virens

Thraupidae
99. Black-throated Shrike-tanager            Lanio aurantius
100. Red-crowned Ant-tanager                   Habia rubica
101. Olive-backed Euphonia                       Euphonia gouldi
102. Scrub Euphonia                                 Euphonia affinis
103. Summer Tanager                               Piranga rubra

Cardinalidae
104. Blue Bunting                                  Passerina caerulea
105. Indigo Bunting                                 Passerina cyanea

Emerizidae
106. Green-backed Sparrow                       Arremonops chloronotus  

Icteridae
107. Black-cowled Oriole                          Icterus dominicensis
108. Montezuma Oropendula                      Psarocolius montezuma
109. Melodious Blackbird                          Dives dives