The Second Shorebird Festival was held in Tecojate, Nueva Concepción, Escuintla, bringing together students, teachers, partner organizations, and local authorities around the conservation of migratory birds and the coastal ecosystems of Guatemala’s Pacific coast.
In this Pacific region, beaches, estuaries, and mangroves serve as key resting and feeding sites for species such as the Red Knot (Calidris canutus), one of the most representative migratory birds along this coastal route and an inspiration for several of the artistic expressions presented during the event.
The activity brought together 190 students from the National Basic Education Institute (INEB) of Tecojate Sector I, who participated in educational sessions, contests, and cultural activities focused on the ecological importance of shorebirds and the protection of their habitats.
The festival was coordinated by an organizing committee made up of teachers, community leaders, young students, and partner institutions, who promoted environmental education and community participation to strengthen commitment to coastal biodiversity conservation. During the event, 11 partner organizations set up educational booths to share information and experiences with participating youth. Participating institutions included the Private Institute for Climate Change Research (ICC), the National Forest Institute (INAB), FUNDAECO, FLAAR, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), among others.
As part of the festival, students organized alongside their teachers developed environmental awareness activities to share with guests and the community the importance of these migratory species and their biological diversity.
In the afternoon, singing, poetry, painting, and costume contests inspired by shorebirds took place, along with a dramatization about the challenges these species face along the Pacific migratory route. Among the artistic expressions, a painting created by student Rolman Amir Guerra Guerra, an eighth-grade student, stood out and earned first place with a work inspired by the Red Knot and the coastal landscapes of Guatemala’s Pacific coast.
The Second Shorebird Festival was organized by WCS in Tecojate, Escuintla, as part of citizen awareness actions, with the collaboration of the local organizing committee, the Municipality of Nueva Concepción, Magdalena, and strategic partners such as the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP), Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), INAB, ICC, and South Coast partners.
The enthusiasm and commitment of the young participants were also reflected in artistic expressions such as the following poem dedicated to shorebirds and their conservation.
Birds of Tecojate
On the sands of Tecojate, when the tide arrives, travelers from the north appear, without passports or display. From Alaska they come, tired, with the wind upon their faces, searching for food in the warm sea. The Red Knot runs, small yet determined, pecking at the sand, leaving behind its heartbeat. The Semipalmated Sandpiper follows close behind, its light feet marking the rhythm of the sea. The Royal Tern flies above, with its fiery bill, watching over the shore from the quiet sky. And in the calm mudflats, with its painted collar, stands the Collared Plover, always alert nearby. Then comes the Whimbrel, with its long curved bill, its song crossing the air, deep and clear. It searches the mangroves and beaches for sustenance, before continuing the journey carried by the wind. In Tecojate they shine with joy, like a gift from creation, and every shorebird we see fills our hearts with life. Let us always protect their beautiful flight, their home of sand, mud, water, and mangroves, because the birds of our land teach us to love and to care. Long live the flight beneath the sun of Escuintla, may Tecojate remain a refuge, not just a footprint. May the call of the Whimbrel never fall silent, and may the sea answer back with the same memory.
On the sands of Tecojate, when the tide arrives, travelers from the north appear, without passports or display.
From Alaska they come, tired, with the wind upon their faces, searching for food in the warm sea.
The Red Knot runs, small yet determined, pecking at the sand, leaving behind its heartbeat. The Semipalmated Sandpiper follows close behind, its light feet marking the rhythm of the sea.
The Royal Tern flies above, with its fiery bill, watching over the shore from the quiet sky. And in the calm mudflats, with its painted collar, stands the Collared Plover, always alert nearby.
Then comes the Whimbrel, with its long curved bill, its song crossing the air, deep and clear. It searches the mangroves and beaches for sustenance, before continuing the journey carried by the wind.
In Tecojate they shine with joy, like a gift from creation, and every shorebird we see fills our hearts with life.
Let us always protect their beautiful flight, their home of sand, mud, water, and mangroves, because the birds of our land teach us to love and to care.
Long live the flight beneath the sun of Escuintla, may Tecojate remain a refuge, not just a footprint.
May the call of the Whimbrel never fall silent, and may the sea answer back with the same memory.