Gracias (about 700m altitude) was used as a base to visit the Celaque National Park. It was 7km from town to the park boundary which is as far as I went on the first day. This was a good walk and there were many birds in the farmland and patchy pine forests. On the second day I left in the early morning and walked into the park proper. On the lower slopes was good pine forest. Golden-cheeked warbler was seen in pine forest in a mixed-species flock about 1,640m. Higher up, the habitat changes to evergreen forest and finally great cloud forest by the second campsite called El Naranjo at 2,560m. Quetzals had been seen here the previous day but I didn't see any. I do not recommend doing it in a day trip from Gracias. I climbed up about 1,800m and was exhausted. There is a basic dormitory at the park HQ at 1300m (bring a sleeping bag). Camping at one of the campsites (2,050m or 2,560m) would mean getting to good habitat early in the morning. Entry and accomodation fees are payable at a house on the way up from Gracias. More time at higher altitudes should produce many more cloud forest species. I saw 56 species including 3 lifers
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | |
| Black Vulture | Coragyps atratus | |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | |
| White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica | |
| Inca Dove | Columbina inca | |
| White-tipped Dove | Leptotila verreauxi | |
| White-fronted Parrot ? | Amazona albifrons | |
| Groove-billed Ani | Crotophaga sulcirostris | |
| Mountain Pygmy-Owl | Glaucidium gnoma | |
| Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl ? | Glaucidium | |
| White-eared Hummingbird | Hylocharis leucotis | |
| Azure-crowned Hummingbird ? | Agyrtria cyanocephala | |
| Mountain Trogon h | Trogon mexicanus | |
| Collared Trogon | Trogon collaris | |
| Acorn Woodpecker | Melanerpes formicivorus | |
| Golden-fronted Woodpecker | Melanerpes aurifrons | |
| Yellowish Flycatcher | Empidonax flavescens | |
| Tropical Kingbird | Tyrannus melancholicus | |
| Black-capped Swallow | Notiochelidon pileata | Rare/Accidental |
| House Wren ? | Troglodytes aedon | |
| Brown-backed Solitaire | Myadestes occidentalis | |
| Slate-colored Solitaire | Myadestes unicolor | |
| Clay-colored Robin | Turdus grayi | |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | |
| Brown Jay | Cyanocorax morio | |
| Bushy-crested Jay | Cyanocorax melanocyaneus | |
| Black-throated Jay | Cyanolyca pumilo | |
| Plumbeous Vireo | Vireo plumbeus | |
| Brown-capped Vireo | Vireo leucophrys | |
| Golden-winged Warbler | Vermivora chrysoptera | |
| Crescent-chested Warbler | Parula superciliosa | |
| Golden-cheeked Warbler | Dendroica chrysoparia | Endangered |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | Dendroica virens | |
| Black-and-white Warbler | Mniotilta varia | |
| Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapilla | |
| Wilson's Warbler | Wilsonia pusilla | |
| Painted Redstart | Myioborus pictus | |
| Slate-throated Redstart | Myioborus miniatus | |
| Rufous-capped Warbler | Basileuterus rufifrons | |
| Golden-browed Warbler | Basileuterus belli | |
| Common Bush-Tanager | Chlorospingus ophthalmicus | |
| Summer Tanager | Piranga rubra | |
| Blue-gray Tanager | Thraupis episcopus | |
| Blue-black Grassquit | Volatinia jacarina | |
| Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch | Buarremon brunneinucha | |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Pheucticus ludovicianus | |
| Eastern Meadowlark | Sturnella magna | |
| Melodious Blackbird | Dives dives | |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus | |
| Bronzed Cowbird | Molothrus aeneus | |
| Yellow-backed Oriole | Icterus chrysater | |
| Altamira Oriole | Icterus gularis | |
| Streak-backed Oriole | Icterus pustulatus | |
| Baltimore Oriole | Icterus galbula | |
| Black-vented Oriole ? | Icterus wagleri | |
| Lesser Goldfinch | Carduelis psaltria |
Olanchito was reached by bus in 2 hours from La Ceiba, a large town on the northern coast of Honduras. I planned to visit in a day trip leaving La Ceiba at 6:30am but missed the last bus back at 3pm so had to stay the night after spending the day birding. There are a few places to stay in Olanchito and it would have been better to used it as a base to get an earlier start. From the Esso station on the main street in Olanchito, I walked about 2.3km West where there was another smaller Esso station at an inverted Y-junction where the road met up with the unpaved Route 23. From here it was exactly 5km (on the right hand side) to the site where the Honduran Emerald has been seen. It is apparently difficult to see here and proved so. I had a brief glimpse of a hummingbird but nothing more. I saw none of the plant the bird is associated with, Pedelantus. This has long bare stems without leaves and hangs down from trees like dreadlocks. The next site I tried was described on the website www.mayanbirding.com. It was 17.4 from the Y-junction but the directions were complicated and I got lost, finding the site by accident. The following may be easier if travelling by public transport. Take a bus heading to La Lyma from Olanchito and get off at the village of Chorrera. It is only 17km but takes a detour via another town and took about an hour. Don't worry when you turn off the highway. The bus rejoins it further along. In Chorrera there is a concrete bus stop on the right hand side reading 'Bienvenidos a Chorrera' in big letters. From here it is 400m to a turning on the left. At this point a wire goes over the road and there is a lampost on the left and a large white sign on a gate. Walk 500m straight on this track. There is a field of clumpy grass on the right and just after this comes to a end there is a pile of metal scrap on the left followed by a couple of big trees with Pedelantus in them. This is where I saw the Honduran Emerald. The small hut with a blue wooden door (mentioned on Mayan Birding)is 500m further along on the left. The thorn forest here didn't appear to have any Pedelantus although it said there was a lot on the website. I saw 49 species in the area including 2 lifers.
| Little Blue Heron | Egretta caerulea | |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | |
| Wood Stork | Mycteria americana | Between Choluteca and the Nicaraguan border |
| Black Vulture | Coragyps atratus | |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | |
| Gray Hawk | Asturina nitida | |
| Roadside Hawk | Buteo magnirostris | |
| Northern Jacana | Jacana spinosa | |
| Red-billed Pigeon | Patagioenas flavirostris | |
| White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica | |
| Common Ground-Dove | Columbina passerina | |
| Ruddy Ground-Dove | Columbina talpacoti | |
| Inca Dove | Columbina inca | |
| White-tipped Dove | Leptotila verreauxi | |
| White-fronted Parrot ? | Amazona albifrons | |
| Groove-billed Ani | Crotophaga sulcirostris | |
| Pauraque ? | Nyctidromus albicollis | |
| White-collared Swift | Streptoprocne zonaris | |
| Honduran Emerald | Polyerata luciae | Endemic Critically endangered |
| Golden-fronted Woodpecker | Melanerpes aurifrons | |
| Lineated Woodpecker | Dryocopus lineatus | |
| Brown-crested Flycatcher | Myiarchus tyrannulus | |
| Great Kiskadee | Pitangus sulphuratus | |
| Social Flycatcher | Myiozetetes similis | |
| Tropical Kingbird | Tyrannus melancholicus | |
| Tree Swallow ? | Tachycineta bicolor | |
| House Wren ? | Troglodytes aedon | |
| Tropical Mockingbird | Mimus gilvus | |
| White-lored Gnatcatcher | Polioptila albiloris | |
| Brown Jay | Cyanocorax morio | |
| White-eyed Vireo ? | Vireo griseus | |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | Vireo flavifrons | |
| Yellow Warbler | Dendroica petechia | |
| Magnolia Warbler | Dendroica magnolia | |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Dendroica coronata | |
| Gray-crowned Yellowthroat | Geothlypis poliocephala | |
| Blue-black Grassquit | Volatinia jacarina | |
| White-collared Seedeater | Sporophila torqueola | |
| Yellow-faced Grassquit | Tiaris olivacea | |
| Indigo Bunting | Passerina cyanea | |
| Painted Bunting | Passerina ciris | |
| Melodious Blackbird | Dives dives | |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus | |
| Altamira Oriole | Icterus gularis | |
| Baltimore Oriole | Icterus galbula | |
| Orchard Oriole | Icterus spurius | |
| Montezuma Oropendola | Gymnostinops montezuma | Between Olanchito and La Ceiba |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Introduced species |