| From early July to early August of 2005, I enjoyed an almost month-long tour of central and western Panama. It was my third trip to Panama, but my first time venturing away from the Canal area, so I anticipated finding a good number of new (to me) bird species as I moved west. I won't dwell here on the details of the journey itself; if you are interested in a rather thorough description of the trip, including lots of cultural (and practical) commentary, please visit my extensive Panama Tour Journal. This page is designed for birders, particularly those who might be considering a trip to these parts of Panama. I will list the avian highlights taxonomically by family, and occasionally include some of my better digital stills from video. My discussion will be necessarily less-than-complete; click here for a complete list of birds sighted on this trip, and feel free to e-mail me if you are interested in details regarding additional species. The appearance of a species' name in the color green means that this bird has an entry in my bird image library, and you may find additional pictures and information by clicking on the link. Enjoy! |
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I experienced some good luck in this category; early one afternoon, my small group was birding an area just before
the entrance to Pipeline Road, a spot which can yield a few interesting forest edge species. I separated from the group for a few minutes, and was chasing a Black-bellied
Wren when something made me turn around; a Little Tinamou was crossing the road, and stopped for a few seconds dead in its tracks, not 20 feet away, before running for cover. I snapped my fingers to get the attention
of Diana Manetz, the only member of the group in sight, and the others came running, but we could not relocate the bird. It was a lifer
for me. It turns out that the British group had also seen the bird at the same spot earlier in the day, and all had enjoyed lingering looks.
An hour or so later, we were driving up Semaphore Hill to the Canopy Tower, with José Soto, nicknamed "Mr. Tinamú", at the wheel, when Mike Manetz spotted
something at the side of the road; he yelled just in time, and José screeched to a halt just before a Great Tinamou
ran in front of the BirdMobile. We enjoyed a good laugh (with a hint of relief) at the thought of Mr. Tinamú running over one of his signature birds.
I heard both Great and Little Tinamous every day in La Rica, but never spotted one. I struck out on Highland Tinamou in western Panama, where it is quite local and elusive. Another time, perhaps! |
This very general category offered few possibilities for life birds, but I nonetheless enjoyed great success in adding
a number of species to my Panamanian list. 
A night trip from the Canopy Tower yielded the Capped Heron
pictured at right, frozen on a branch over the Summit Ponds (not a bad image considering it was captured by flashlight only)- this was
only my second sighting of the species. I found Great Egret while crossing the
Canal en route to El Valle, Snowy Egret also in transit and at the airport, and Cattle Egret
on agricultural lands throughout (from the lowlands to the high-elevation fields around Guadalupe). I enjoyed long looks at the congeners
(and formerly conspecific) Striated and Green Herons along the Chagres
River, near Gamboa. My travel from Aguadulce from Santa Fé was particularly fruitful, as I found
Black-crowned Night-Heron, Wood Stork, and Roseate Spoonbill in the abundant marshy lowlands en route (the latter
two species are declining rapidly in Panama, to the best of my knowledge).
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No luck with King Vulture on this trip, although I've found it on my previous two. Gray-headed Kite was seen perched near the Canopy Tower. I spotted the unmistakeable
Swallow-tailed Kite
on all of my western stops, the best views being of several birds soaring over Cerro Tute, above Santa Fé, where I captured the modest image at left.
I spotted Snail Kite twice at the Ammo Dump Ponds; this bird was considered accidental in Panama only 40 years ago, and has engaged in a remarkable range expansion in Lago Gatún since then, and in recent years is moving up the Chagres River. A White-tailed Kite was a wonderful find on my hike to La Rica; unfortunately, my idiot "guide" decided to flush the bird by clapping his hands; I missed capturing some video, but did get a nice look at the bird in flight. This species was a bit of a surprise on the Caribbean slope, but the habitat was appropriate, and White-tailed Kite has also been enjoying a dramatic range expansion in Panama in recent decades. Double-toothed Kite was spotted regularly in the forests along Pipeline Road. I was fortunate to make both of our group's Crane Hawk sightings during my week at the Canopy Tower, one at Summit Gardens, and one from the Tower itself. Barred Hawk was heard only at Cerro Gaital, but I finally spotted one soaring above a window in the forest near La Rica (my "guide" of course, had no idea what it was). We enjoyed splendid views of soaring Great Black-Hawks from the Canopy Tower. I spotted Savanna Hawk a few times in transit, including one splendid bird that came in low as my bus approached Aguadulce. Gray Hawk was common at Summit Gardens, and I collected excellent audio recordings of a calling juvenille (the bird looked nothing like the illustrations in Birds of Panama). We spotted a Roadside Hawk  (pictured at right)
in El Valle, as we approached Cara Iguana in El Valle, and I saw it a few times in transit as well. Short-tailed Hawk (all dark-morph) was common in the Canal area. Michael Harvey pointed out a Black Hawk-Eagle near the Canopy Lodge, and I spotted another
near Boquete. Crested Caracara was seen only in transit,
but Yellow-headed Caracara was seen virtually throughout, in open areas from Gamboa to La Rica to Boquete.
I stood atop the viewing platform at the Canopy Tower one afternoon, as a group of day-trippers came up for their easy looks at toucans and monkeys; a medium-sized bird arced in over the treetops, making a beeline for the Tower. At first I thought it might be an interesting dove/pigeon, but as it approached I realized it was a Bat Falcon; I uttered some manner of excited expletive, and rushed past the clueless tourists. I called down the hatch to Mike Manetz, who rushed upstairs to enjoy great looks at the splendid, bat-like flight of this tiny raptor. This species was also found in Gamboa, Summit Gardens, and at Altos de Maria. My only other possible falconid, an Aplomado Falcon seen en route to David, passed by too quickly to count as a lifer. |
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Gray-headed Chachalacas were found throughout the country, with my best sightings ever of these generally arboreal "gamebirds".
I enjoyed several sightings (and a few "hearings") in the Canal area of Gray-necked Wood-Rail. The most interesting occurred at the Gamboa docks on the Chagres River, when we
spotted a pair feeding at the water's edge across the river. An American Crocodile was mostly submerged about 100' away, and moving slowly towards the birds. I let my camera roll, and
we waited breathlessly as the crocodile drew closer, expecting to see a "National Geographic Moment." But the Wood-Rails sensed that something was amiss, and moved inland before the crocodile
was in striking range.
We enjoyed an excellent day for White-throated Crakes at the traditional spot, the Ammo Dump Ponds near Gamboa, spotting at least a half-dozen individuals (I collected some video, but it is too distant to bear reproduction here). At Finca Lerida and the Sendero Los Quetzales, both sites above Boquete, I clearly heard Spotted Wood-Quails, but had no luck tracking down what would have been a life bird. |
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One of my most desired target birds of this trip was the splendid, monotypic Sunbittern.
There is a pair of Sunbitterns at the Central Park Zoo in New York, and I have spent hours there exchanging mournful whistles with
the captive birds, in some way thinking that this demonstration of camaraderie would somehow earn me good karma in the field. This species shows a fidelity to cold, fast-moving streams and rivers
similar to that of the American Dipper here in the States. One afternoon we were watching the hummingbird feeders at Chorro Macho, in El Valle, when our guide, Danílo Rodriguez, gestured for us to move quietly to the edge
of the adjacent stream. There, not ten feet away, was a foraging Sunbittern! It flew downstream almost immediately, and we enjoyed the nice look at the radiant sunburst pattern on its wings, from whence the species gains its name.
Danílo indicated that we should wait on the small suspension bridge crossing the river, and he hustled to get downstream of the bird. There he found his way into the river, and slowly worked his way upstream, gently chasing the bird in our
direction. The bird popped into view for a minute or so, and we enjoyed excellent looks (and I collected the image at top left), before the bird cleverly
crossed to a separate branch of the river to avoid Danílo and our prying eyes.
Wattled Jacanas are abundant in moist, open areas in the lowlands throughout; a few flying out of the grass adjacent to the airport runway as my plane took off were the last birds I saw on the trip. I took a few moments at Ammo Dump Ponds to film the bird pictured at bottom left, nicely showing the fleshy wattles that give the species its name. My best Southern Lapwing sightings took place in La Rica, where a small flock passed overhead on my first morning (they are quite odd-looking in flight, are they not?). We later saw a few birds in the pastureland around the town, and Santiago (my often clueless guide) commented that this was the first year he had actually seen these birds land in La Rica, perhaps an indication of a range expansion (and likely symptomatic of increased agricultural activity by an expanding human population). Another excellent shorebird sighting occurred at Old Gamboa Road; I broke off from my group for a few minutes to climb atop a dirt embankment along the road, a product of the ongoing Canal expansion project. I took the hike mainly to capture some pictures of the degraded landscape, but was also rewarded with multiple sightings of several plovers working the dune-like dirt mounds. I confirmed my i.d. when I climbed back down, that these were Collared Plovers, a species not seen often in the interior of Panama. José was surprised by the sighting, as he had no reason to have climbed the dirt pile before, but I hope this species will now be added to the lists of future Canopy Tower guests. |
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This trip held a great deal of potential for some good finds in the family columbidae, and I met with some modest success.
White-tipped Dove was found throughout, and Pale-vented Pigeon was also common
from the Canal area through Santa Fé. I enjoyed nice looks at the handsome Scaled Pigeon from the Canopy Tower and at the highest elevations of
El Copé. Band-tailed Pigeon joined my Panama list at high elevations in the Western Highlands. I heard Short-billed Pigeon
several times in the Canal area, but only saw the bird in the forests outside La Rica, where I captured some excellent audio.
The lookalike Ruddy Pigeon, a lifer for me, was seen, as expected, at higher elevations in the west. The reclusive Gray-chested
Dove revealed itself a few times in the Canal area and around La Rica.
I lucked into a great look at a Gray-headed Dove feeding on some spilled grain along the road to Alto de Piedra, outside Santa Fé. Upon my return home, I discovered that the A.O.U. had, as anticipated, just officially split this species from Gray-fronted Dove of northern South America, which I had already seen in Trinidad. We enjoyed a thrilling moment along Pipeline Road one morning, when we inadvertantly flushed a pair of Ruddy Quail-Doves from the side of the road. The doves engaged in a vigorous chase for 30 seconds or so, flying rapidly in a circle around our position, at times making us duck to avoid being struck. I have never seen anything quite like it. But the uncontested highlight in this family cama on our morning hike to Cerro Gaital, outside El Valle. We heard a calling dove that our guides identified as a Purplish-backed Quail-Dove, an uncommon and reclusive species in the region. Michael Harvey, a student at Cornell University, and a de facto guide at the Canopy Lodge this summer, commented that he had heard this bird often during his stay, but had thus far failed to spot it. I am too stubborn to be discouraged by such pronouncements, and slowly worked my way in the direction of the sound. Danílo Rodriguez, the primary guide at the Lodge, did as all great guides do, gauging the interest of his clients, and followed me into the woods. He soon took the lead, and used his remarkable auditory skills to determine the approximate location of the calling dove. After several minutes of quiet work, he waved to Michael to bring our spotting scope forward, and then worked a bit at finding a good angle from which to see the bird. When he finally called us into the lens, we were treated to a stunning view of the beautiful Purplish-backed Quail-Dove, from the chest up only, as it softly called, nestled deep in the foliage some 50 yards away. We each took a couple of turns getting a look, and moved quietly back out of the woods. I only regret that I am not yet equipped for digiscoping! This spectacular bird was truly one of the crown jewels of my trip to Panama. |
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I came into this trip with only mild expectations for new sightings among the psittacids; in Panama, as in pretty much all of the neotropics, the populations of
many species of parrots and their kin have been decimated by the cage trade. In central Panama I enjoyed expected good numbers of Blue-headed, Red-lored,
and Mealy Parrots, and Orange-chinned Parakeets were abundant throughout.
My first spot of good luck came on our early morning visit to the cloud forest atop Altos de Maria. Almost immediately upon hopping out of our van at our designated starting spot, we heard Brown-hooded Parrots calling nearby. I have heard this species before along Pipeline Road, but it has never been coaxed into view. On this occasion, the calls were extremely close, and eventually a small flock appeared out of nowhere from out of the clouds, passing perhaps 50' above our heads. The next psittacid I felt I had a good shot at spotting was Sulphur-winged Parakeet, which is present in modest numbers in the western highlands. In Boquete, Santiago Cabellero pointed out a favored tree in which he had often seen the parakeet, but on two trips to the site I came up empty. Then one afternoon I hiked the western end of the Sendero Los Quetzales, above Guadalupe, at elevations exceeding 8000 feet. On my walk downhill from El Respingo, I heard an unfamiliar psittacid squawk, and turned my eyes skyward. Fortune was with me, and a small flock of Sulphur-winged Parakeets landed in a tree just ahead of me. They were too backlit to film, but I enjoyed excellent looks as they noisily foraged for a minute or so. I bow down before the birding gods that I happened to be in the right place at the right time to enjoy this lovely life bird! |
The family cuciliformes holds only a few surprises for me in Panama, but these species are among the most sought-after
birds in the neotropics. During my stay at the Canopy Tower, the large group of British birders enjoyed a bit of a coup by having the good fortune
to enjoy exquisite looks at the gorgeous Pheasant Cuckoo. The Brits were at the time birding the first half of Pipeline Road while
my small group explored the deeper reaches (with our own excellent finds).
A few Greater Anis visited an ant swarm along Pipeline Road one morning, and we enjoyed listening to their remarkable cacophony; I sadly
only captured a bit of audio on the occasion (I refuse to trouble a birding group by asking
them to alter their behavior to accomodate my videographic interests). Both Smooth-billed and Groove-billed Anis were seen
on multiple occasions as far west as Santa Fé, with Groove-billed generally more common
at higher elevations (they were seen together on one occasion).
Squirrel Cuckoo was seen quite often in the Canal area. I was delighted to add Striped Cuckoo (a modest image at right) to my Panama list while in La Rica; the species is relatively abundant in the area (I heard it calling regularly every day of my stay). |
| Owls, as usual, are a slow crawl; I am convinced that an individual birder has little hope of tallying a complete list of the owls of any particular region, in a single trip, without expert guidance during the breeding season. These nocturnal birds are so elusive that they often defy conclusive scientific classification. New species in this family are described on a disproportioantely regular basis, and owls are the subject of many ongoing taxonomic debates. Case in point: I have heard Vermiculated Screech-Owl on several night trips from the Canopy Tower, although one has never come in for a look. The guides at the Tower inform me that they believe the bird we have been hearing is actually a separate species, based largely on vocalization (I have listened to recordings of the nominate bird, and heard the central Panamanian version, and the distinction is clear). Robert Ridgely, the esteemed author of A Guide to the Birds of Panama, refers to the Panamanian species as Choco Screech-Owl, and is apparently preparing a paper on the subject (so it seems a split is imminent). |
Virtually every morning at the Canopy Tower, two species of owls were heard calling in the pre-dawn hours. Mottled Owl was quite easily
heard, but repeated attempts to draw the bird(s) in by means of playback failed (one bird did come remarkably close, but remained invisible
in a thicket behind the Tower; the guides informed me that they've heard that individual often, but never penetrated its roost). Spectacled Owl
called almost every day, but remained distant. But I knew that I'd have another shot at this species, as Spectacled Owl has been staked out
in a known breeding location along Old Gamboa Road for some years now. My guide, José Soto, claimed to be unable to find the owl
on our first pass through the favored location, although our small group speculated that he was merely building the drama.
 On our return walk,
José slipped into the forest for a minute or so, and then called us forward. We were rewarded with splendid
looks at a pair of adult Spectacled Owls (one pictured above left) standing watch over a pair of downy juvenilles (at right). I captured wonderful film of one of the young
owls, as it bobbed and weaved its head repeatedly as if in time with some unheard James Brown tune; I can only speculate that the odd motions were
simply an outward expression of curiosity at either our presence or that of the calling Slaty-tailed Trogons nearby.
Late in my first afternoon in Santa Fé I took a short walk along the road below my hotel. As I headed back up the hill, I saw 
a small but stocky bird perched in a tree alongside the road. The bird flushed almost as soon as I saw it, but landed only a few more feet, ahead, still
right at the road's edge. From less than 15' away I could see that the bird was clearly a pygmy-owl, of which there are
three species in western Panama. Regrettably, I had not taken my video camera on this short walk in light rain, and had to hustle
back to my hotel room (this was the last time I would make this mistake). When I returned, the bird had moved off the road, into
a tree in a field surrounded by barbed wire, and the grainy image at left was the best I could collect. I saw another owl the next morning as I started up the trail to Alto de Piedra.
Pygmy-Owls can be difficult to distinguish in the field unless they are heard calling, but after careful study of both birds, and the video, I was reasonably certain that this was a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl.
My i.d. is backed up by a look at the excellent Xenornis website, home of the Panama Rare Bird Alert, and a helpful addenda to A Guide
to the Birds of Panama. The addenda comments that Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl is known to be common around Santa Fé, a high elevation for this species.
My last bit of owl-related luck came on my taxi ride from Guadalupe to the David airport, about 20 miles north of Concepción. As I scanned the trees ahead for roadside raptors, I spotted a large, tawny bird not far ahead. I asked my driver to slow down a bit, and quickly recognized the bird as a Barn Owl, a widespread species that is somewhat rare in this part of Panama. I have now seen this cosmopolitan bird in Washington State, New York City, St. Maarten in the eastern Caribbean, and western Panama! |
I had no luck finding the few potential new nightjars in the region, as these species generally require a bit of expert advice and
extended nocturnal effort. The unusual croaking call of Great Potoo
(Mike Manetz first recognized the sound) was heard several times just before dawn from atop the Canopy Tower.
José Soto spotted a roosting Common Potoo, camouflaged perfectly as a dead tree stump, at the
entrance of Pipeline Road. 
The sighting was made all the more satisfying by the fact that we were chatting with an American family that included two small children, who
were thrilled at the rare chance to view such an unusual bird. At right is a Pauraque, caught in the beam of a flashlight as it rested on the road near Summit Ponds,
where we saw several on a night tour from the Canopy Tower. I also enjoyed multiple sightings of this species in flight around my hotel in Santa Fé.
A number of intriguing swifts are possible in the region, but distinguishing chaetura swifts in the field is tremendously difficult if not impossible at times, so I was content to compare the most common Band-rumped and Short-tailed Swifts from the Canopy Tower. Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift was regular west to La Rica. White-collared Swift was a welcome addition to my Panama list at Cerro Tute, above Santa Fé, where I enjoyed a dozen or so birds soaring on late-morning thermals in the company of Swallow-tailed Kites and Black Vultures. |
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| This family represented perhaps the most striking success story of my Panama excursion. I spotted 31 species of hummingbirds on this trip, 18 of which were life birds. It seemed that I could not turn around without encountering a new species of hummingbird; in the neotropics, hummingbird life varies greatly as one passes through new habitat and/or elevation. Please click here for a complete list of hummingbirds sighted on this trip; you will find a plain text list along with brief species accounts. On this page, in the interest of brevity, I will only include some pictures and a few noteworthy details. Above (from left to right) are images of a few old favorites from the Canopy Tower: Blue-chested Hummingbird, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, and Snowy-bellied Hummingbird. Snowy-bellied and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds showed the broadest range of the hummingbird species I encountered, and were found virtually throughout, at most elevations. |
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The female Violet-crowned Woodnymph pictured above
left presented a bit of an i.d. problem. We found the bird deep on Pipeline Road,
and struggled with its i.d. until José Soto arrived to help. Mike Manetz and I agreed that the bird we were seeing
barely resembled the illustration in Birds of Panama. I find the hummingbird pages in this field guide the most frustrating;
almost 45 species are crammed into a page-and-a-half, with an additional 25 on one page in the back of the most recent edition.
Females of several species are not included, and some pictures only show the head of the bird.
Given somewhat significant plumage variations in certain species, I have often been forced to rely on the written species
accounts to make identifications. I believe I saw a Veraguan Mango near Santa Fé (a bit
north of established range), but had on hand neither an illustration nor a clear verbal description of this recent split, and felt it prudent
to remove the sighting from my trip list. I hope that future editions of Birds of Panama will dedicate an extra page
or two to hummingbirds, particularly to the more tricky females and subadults.
I experienced no such difficulties with the other two birds pictured above, both adult males of their species. At center is a handsome Green Violet-ear, which I found in gardens at several highland locations, most easily outside the Los Quetzales Lodge in Guadalupe. Top right is a White-throated Mountain-Gem, which I observed on both ends of the Sendero Los Quetzales, and occasionally at the feeders outside my cabin in Guadalupe. This male was feeding at both flowers and feeders near the guard house at El Respingo. |
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The Western Highlands were particularly productive in terms of both the variety of hummingbird species, and my opportunites
to capture them on film. The large and striking Violet Sabrewing (above)
was the dominant bird at the feeder outside my cabin above Guadalupe. The upper cabins at Los Quetzales had more than one feeder, so other species
were more abundant there, including Magnificent Hummingbird (a male below left),
White-throated Mountain-Gem, and Stripe-tailed Hummingbird. All of these species occasionally dipped into my feeders, but the most exciting
guest hummer was a Green-fronted Lancebill that braved the wrath of the Sabrewing twice on my last evening at the cabin.
My hike to El Respingo, on the western side of the Sendero Los Quetzales, yielded a couple of gems. I was able to view and compare two very similar
high-elevation species, Scintillant and Volcano Hummingbirds.
These species are quite similar in size and appearance (only the male Scintillant shows any iridescence on the gorget in this region), but my looks were solid enough to
even pick out a dull female Scintillant. The Volcano Hummingbird at left was filmed
near the guard house at El Respingo; it's a modest image, but not bad considering I was chasing a 3-inch long bird with its wings beating at 1000 times per minute, without
special gear!
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| White-vented Plumeleteer (above at center) was a regular at the feeders at the Canopy Tower. We spotted its congener, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, in El Valle and Altos de Maria. The gardens near the Canopy Lodge also yielded views of the tiny Rufous-crested Coquette, which I believe to be the second-smallest bird in the world (to the Bee Hummingbird of Cuba). I missed White-tipped Sicklebill at Cerro Gaital, but lucked into a wonderful look while hiking around La Rica. This species feeds in a regular pattern at favored heliconia flowers, to which the deeply curved bill is perfectly adapted, and, predictably, it was at a heliconia that I found this remarkable life bird. Another highlight of the trip was a great look at a young male Snowcap at Altos de Maria, where Michael Harvey and Danílo Rodriguez have only recently discovered a stable population. |
I had only an outside shot at picking up a life bird in this family, and Lattice-tailed Trogon eluded me 
in the Western Highlands. But I did enjoy a clean sweep of Central Panama's five species of trogons;
one morning on Pipeline Road we tallied Slaty-tailed,
Violaceous, Black-throated, White-tailed, and Black-tailed Trogons.
Orange-bellied Trogon was added to the list at Altos de Maria, a very accomodating life bird for Mike Manetz. Images of White-tailed and Slaty-tailed Trogons flank this paragraph.
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My kingfisher experience was pretty much defined in one splendid day, as I saw Amazon, Ringed, Green, and American Pygmy (at left) Kingfishers in one fine morning along Old Gamboa Road
and the Summit Ponds. A Green Kingfisher was also resident on the small stream near my lodgings at La Rica, and I enjoyed long views of this bird almost every day as I bathed.
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I entered this trip with only one goal regarding motmots, the hope of seeing the tiny Tody Motmot,
relatively common in the area of El Valle, where I was staying
at the Canopy Lodge. I was not disappointed in this search, as Danílo Rodriguez led Mike Manetz and me to a somewhat distant bird near Chorro Macho on my second day
in the area. By the end of the day our luck had improved, as Danílo was able to call in the bird pictured at right along the road down to the Lodge; the bird was buried in the understory, but
the source video is actually much better than the still I present here.
Broad-billed and Rufous Motmots were present west to La Rica, and I found the widespread Blue-crowned Motmot as far west as Finca Lerida, above Boquete. |
I enjoyed good looks at most of the expected central Panamanian puffbirds while at the Canopy Tower; White-whiskered
and Black-breasted Puffbirds (pictured at left) were seen with some regularity. Hans Spicher spotted our Pied Puffbird on the Caribbean slope of Pipeline Road, typically
perched on the high branch of a dead tree.
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My only addition to my life list in this family came in the form of Prong-billed Barbet; my life bird appeared as a welcome distraction
as I was observing a pair of Gray-throated Leaftossers and listening to a flock of Spotted Wood-Quail at Finca Lerida, above Boquete.
I saw the species several more times as I worked my way through the Western Highlands.
The literature I've encountered regarding Collared Aracari has suggested that there is little if any distinction between males, females, and subadults of both genders. This is not to suggest that my research is exhaustive, but I have examined all of the field guides that include this species, and the archives of most of the major ornithological publications. My observations on this trip suggest that the species may in fact be distinguishable by age/sex; I must credit Mike Manetz for first noticing that some of the Collared Aracaris we were observing lacked the jagged toothlike pattern typical of the species. Both of the birds pictured at left lack the tooth pattern, although the left-most bird has a hint therof (the bird on the right also sems to have less extensive orbital skin around the eye). This pair of aracaris was seen bill-nuzzling, and the left-most bird was caught on film feeding cecropia fruit to the more blandly-patterned bird on the right. It is not much of a stretch to guess that the bird on the left is the mother of the righthand bird- at the least, it is probable that both birds are subadults. My suppositions are less than conclusive, but certainly reason enough to re-examine previously established information regarding this species. |
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I enjoyed the usual point-blank Canopy Tower views ofChestnut-mandibled (at left) and Keel-billed Toucans. The Keel-billed Toucan pictured at right was an interesting bird, as its lower left mandible was cracked. The break did not extend to the right side, and the bird seemed able to feed as normal. I spotted this species as far west as Santa Fé. |
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My most intriguing woodpecker sightings were of familiar species. I spotted both Acorn and
Hairy Woodpeckers several times in the Western Highlands; it seems the remarkably adaptable
Hairy Woodpecker has a range that truly extends over the entire continent. I also saw Golden-Olive Woodpecker near my cabin in Guadalupe, a species that I had
seen years ago in Trinidad. This wide-ranging woodpecker is curiously absent in central and eastern Panama; disjunct populations of species
often merit a reexamination of taxonomy.
Red-crowned Woodpecker was common throughout, and found at virtually every elevation. Lineated Woodpecker was also found at several locations, but I only saw a single pair of the similar Crimson-crested Woodpecker on Pipeline Road. Unfortunately I was away from my group at the time, as the bird would have been a lifer for Mike Manetz. We did enjoy a great look at the beautiful Cinnamon Woodpecker, on the edge of an ant swarm along Pipeline Road. |
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Prior to this trip, I had only seen four members of the family commonly (and somewhat confusingly) referred to as ovenbirds; I doubled that number this time around.
Most furnariids can be somewhat skulking, with the exception of the relatively gregarious Plain Xenops, which I saw on many occasions. I also spotted Streaked Xenops, a species that I
had seen before in Trinidad, in the Western Highlands, . My first amazing furnariid moment came in the recently "discovered" cloud forests of Altos de Maria, east of El Valle. A Red-faced Spinetail was in the area, but I was unable to get
a bead on it. Michael Harvey slipped into the woods to pin down the bird, and when he called us in we were treated to excellent looks. Moments later we were watching a pair of Dusky-faced Tanagers (itself a lifer)
when Mike Manetz saw a small bird climbing up a tree trunk. It was a Spotted Barbtail, giving me two life furnariids in the space of 2 minutes! Both species were little known
from central Panama before Michael Harvey and Danílo Rodriguez began their intensive birding of Altos de Maria earlier in the summer.
I experienced even greater success in the Western Highlands, where there's a greater diversity of furnariid species. My preparation for the trip served me well here, as on every occasion where I first encountered a furnariid the various gentlemen serving as my guides were less than familiar with the birds, and called them as woodcreepers (woodcreepers are similar in plumage and structure, but differ greatly from ovenbirds in behavior). Ruddy Treerunner was common and easily viewed, particularly near my cabin in Guadalupe. While hiking with Sergio Araúz at Finca Lerida, above Boquete, I spotted a pair of furnariids foraging by the edge of the trail. They turned out to be Gray-throated Leaftossers, and I only regret that I did not move more quickly to capture the birds on film. (I was distracted from the task by my first sighting of a Prong-billed Barbet, and a flock of calling Spotted Wood-Quail in the distance.) I spent a morning at the east end of the Sendero Los Quetzales with Santiago Cabellero, the most skilled guide I teamed up with in western Panama. When I spotted a pair of large furnariids, he dismissed them as woodcreepers, but I persisted, and recognized them as Streak-breasted Treehunters. To Santiago's credit, he quickly realized his error, and when I opened up my field guide he pointed to the correct picture. My last and perhaps most interesting furnariid sighting came on the trails near my cabin near Guadalupe. I found a pair of handsome Buffy Tuftedcheeks on my first full day there, and enjoyed it every day of my stay thereafter, even getting to know the species' call. |
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I enjoyed a nice sampling of many species in this fascinating family, and even managed to add a couple of
life birds. Plain-brown Woodcreeper was less abundant
than on my previous trips, only seen once near the Canopy Tower and once in La Rica, perhaps indicating that this species is a seasonal
altitudinal migrant. Cocoa Woodcreeper was the most frequently-seen member of the family, viewed and heard regularly west to La Rica.
Northern Barred Woodcreeper was seen only once on Pipeline Road, and I enjoyed my best look ever at a Black-striped Woodcreeper
on my long hike to La Rica (the bold stripes are even more distinctive than illustrated in field guides). Spotted Woodcreeper
made its appearance at Cerro Gaital and at Altos de Maria.
I spent an unstructured afternoon alone at Summit Gardens in search of two habitat specialists, 
Black-crowned Tityra and Streak-headed Woodcreeper. The woodcreeper is somewhat unique in its family for its affinity for open spaces. I lucked into an
excellent look at the woodcreeper, a modest image of which appears at right. Another life bird was the Spot-crowned Woodcreeper
of the Western Highlands, where I saw the species almost every day, and captured some decent audio of the bird's call.
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| This diverse group of neotropical songbirds (comprised of 2 closely-related families) offered some of my greatest successes of the trip, as well as a few serious disappointments. I collected excellent audio of Streak-chested Antpitta, Black-faced Antthrush, and Chestnut-backed Antbird. I found one lifebird, a beautiful, if misnomered, Pacific Antwren, found on the Caribbean slope in La Rica. But I missed an outside shot at Russet Antshrike, which has been with some regularity lately at Altos de Maria, and my failure to find good forest habitat near Santa Fé eliminated any chance I had of finding a couple of interesting antpittas. Antbirds were virtually absent from higher elevations, with only Chestnut-backed and White-bellied Antbirds and Black-faced Antthrush found as far west as Santa Fé. |
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Above are a few images of some of the antbirds one might encounter in Panama on a regular basis.
Bicolored Antbird is perhaps the most abundant antbird in the Canal area, and more often than not the presence of
this raucous, gregarious bird is a good indicator that an ant swarm might be nearby, as was the case when I filmed the bird above left on Pipeline Road.
The Fasciated Antshrike at center was unusually accomodating, squawking and jumping about only a few feet
from my group near the entrance of Pipeline Road; we found out why when the bird came up with a huge grasshopper a few moments after I captured this image.
Great Antshrike is usually the least-frequently encountered antshrike in central Panama,
so I was delighted for the opportunity to film the male shown above right,
who was making a ruckus (in the company of a female) along the trail just above the Canopy Lodge.
Barred Antshrike only made one appearance, near the Ammo Dump Ponds, but Western Slaty-Antshrike was common as far west as La Rica.
Once again, I only encountered Plain Antvireo at Cerro Gaital (in almost the same exact spot where I saw one two years before!). Checker-throated and Dot-winged Antwrens were as common as always in the Canal area, while the more elusive White-flanked Antwren was only found on Semaphore Hill. I enjoyed a number of fine looks at Dusky, Chestnut-backed, 
and White-bellied Antbirds, all of which were found at least as far west as La Rica. Jet Antbird was found at the usual spot along Old Gamboa Road, with the expected degree of difficulty.
The handsome Spotted Antbird was not as abundant as on my previous trip , but was still seen with some regularity in the Canal area.
I enjoyed unprecedented looks at the striking Ocellated Antbird. This beautiful bird is one of the most sought-after species that regularly attends army ant swarms. I've seen it before, but never so well as at an ant swarm we found along Pipeline Road one morning. At one point Mike Manetz had three Ocellateds in his binocular view, and I was able to linger behind the group for a few moments to capture some excellent footage. 
I also had my best-ever looks at Streak-chested Antpitta,
one of the signature species of Pipeline Road. José Soto brought the bird in with a spot-on imitation of its song, and our small group waited motionless
in the forest for about ten minutes before the antpitta popped into view. I was less than ten feet away when I captured the image at right of the bird preparing to sing.
I successfully filmed the bird twice as it sang in the open. A few days later I collected even better audio as I waited out a singing antpitta as I worked alone in the same general area.
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This mind-bogglingly diverse family gave me more species (41) than any other on this trip and was second
only to hummingbirds in the number of life birds (11). My discoveries in the family tyrannidae were
all the more gratifying given the number of i.d. difficulties presented by several similarly-plumaged genera.
Case in point is the complex of large, stripe-headed myiozetetes-type flycatchers, actually represented
by 8 or so species in 6 different genera. I cleaned up on these lookalikes on the trip, excepting White-ringed
Flycatcher, a bird of the deep forest that I have seen before on Pipeline Road. I was fortunate to find
both Gray-capped and Golden-bellied Flycatchers in the Boquete area, both of which were life birds. I also enjoyed my looks at the rather widespread
Rusty-margined Flycatcher. The bird pictured at right was
posing outside my cabin in La Rica, after some heavy rain. I've seen and heard
hundreds of this gregarious species, but this was the first time I have gotten a clear view of its rufous crown.
For space considerations, I won't discuss every single flycatcher in these pages; readers with a particular interest in an individual species are once again encouraged to e-mail me. |
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The trip to the cloud forests of Altos de Maria offered a sort of flycatcher bonanza. Olive-striped Flycatcher, Rufous-browed
Tyrannulet, 
and Tufted Flycatcher were all life birds for me here. The tyrannulet was a particular gem, as this was the first time it had been seen at this site.
Some fine looks were also had of several very active Scale-crested Pygymy-Tyrants
(pictured at left), who seemed distracted by their rather social behavior. This was the first trip on which I failed to spot
Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, the smallest passerine in the world; Scale-crested is not much larger, so I was thrilled
to capture even this modest image. N.B.: you won't find an illustration matching this individual in Birds of Panama; this bird is either a female or a juvenille, as evidenced by its very
brown head and lack of yellow on the breast.
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| Another favorite species was the Brownish Flycatcher (pictured at right); this species was formerly known as Brownish Twistwing, until the A.O.U., in its infinite wisdom, decided to suck all of the poetry out of the bird's common name. The original moniker originated in the flycatcher's peculiar stiffened and bent primaries, which it often utilizes in an unusual wing-lifting display. I recognized the Twistwing's call one morning on Pipeline Road while we waited for José Soto to retrieve the Birdmobile, but we only got a bead on the skulking bird with José's help. We later enjoyed a good look at the Twistwing engaging in the wing-lifting behavior; although I was not quick enough to capture that activity on film, I did collect the decent image at right, which clearly shows the bend in the primaries. |
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The Western Highlands also proved to be particularly productive for new flycatcher species.
Besides the aforementioned myiozetetes-type birds, I found Mountain Elaenia at Finca Lerida, and the lookalike Black-capped and
Yellowish Flycatchers in the Guadalupe area. The Yellowish Flycatcher pictured at right was my first,
filmed in the rain as I walked into town for dinner. I also was pleased to discern White-fronted Tyrannulet at Finca Hartmann, seen a few minutes after
a similar, but much more widespread, Paltry Tyrannulet. White-fronted Tyrannulet is considered conspecific with the Rough-legged Tyrannulet of South America by the A.O.U., but most
authorities dispute this classification, and I believe a revision is long overdue.
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| As often happens, I enjoyed a bit of good luck in finding my first member of the tapaculo family. I was fighting a serious cold on my first full day in Guadalupe, and was sticking close to my cabin, trying to nurse myself back to full strength. I took advantage of a break in the rain to take one last short stroll on the nearby trails. A pair of birds flew rapidly across the road in front of me, and I was able to discern roughly where they landed. I acted quickly enough to get a good look at a pair of wren-like Silvery-fronted Tapaculos. |
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The stunning male Blue Cotinga is one of the "must-see" birds for
any first-time guest at the Canopy Tower (the bird is even pictured on the Tower's t-shirt). The Tower is certainly the best place in the world from
which to observe this sedentary tree-topper, but there are still no guarantees. I observed Blue Cotingas at length on my first stay in Panama,
but only saw a couple of distant birds on my second trip, and some guests missed the species entirely. On this visit, I was joined at breakfast
on my first full day by the large contingent of British birders, who had arrived late the night before. I was first on line at the breakfast
buffet, and as I settled in to a prime window seat
I saw something fly in out of the corner of my eye. I yelled, "Male Blue Cotinga in the cecropia!," and glasses clattered and dishes
flew as the assembled birders rushed to the window for their first look at one of the most beautiful birds in the world. We saw the species
perhaps twice more over the coming week, but the first sighting was the best and most prolonged. I was happy to collect some good footage of the bird pictured above, including
the interesting shot at right, of the cotinga enjoying a quiet moment alongside a molting male Green Honeycreeper.
I was again lucky to find a second species of cotinga, when I had a short look at a Turquoise Cotinga while visiting Finca Hartmann, near the Costa Rican border. I admit that I would have been hard-pressed to distinguish this species from this brief view but for the species' known range. The family cotingidae is in a constant state of taxonomic flux, and several species that were formerly considered part of this family are now listed in genera Incertae Sedis, meaning "of uncertain placement", and considered a sub-family of tyrannidae. For the sake of expedience I will address the two families as one (from a birder's perspective this makes sense). Purple-throated Fruitcrow was common in the Canal area, although I have not yet managed to capture the male's spectacular courtship display on film. Mike Manetz did well to find a Speckled Mourner on Pipeline Road, the first of several "A-list" birds on the day. I finally got a bead on a Rufous Piha near La Rica; this species is downright common in parts of its range, but it had previously eluded me, despite my having heard its distinctive call on several prior occasions. I had a brief look at a White-winged Becard near the entrance to Pipeline Road, and a handsome Cinnamon Becard was a serendipitous life bird near my cabin in La Rica. I saw Masked Tityra on several occasions, and as far west as Santa Fé. Black-crowned Tityra was one of my target species on a solo jaunt to Summit Gardens. As I observed a perched Yellow-headed Caracaras, I noticed a couple of large black and white birds in the vicinity. What was clearly a Masked Tityra shortly flew away, but I stayed locked on the tree, and was rewarded with a clear look at the dark crown (and absent orbital skin) of a Black-crowned Tityra. The unquestioned highlight of my morning walk at Finca Lerida, above Boquete, was the opportunity to see and hear the remarkable Three-wattled Bellbird. The call cannot be accurately described as "bell-like" as is true of the Bearded Bellbird of northern South America; Three-wattled utters what can best be described as a resonant, mechanical, off-key croak. At times I was surrounded by the vocalizing birds, but only managed quick looks at this tree-topping species. I did collect some excellent audio footage. Thrush-like Schiffornis was only seen once, but quite well, at the lower elevations of Cerro Gaital. Michael Harvey commented that he felt the Coclé birds sounded different than those found around the Canopy Tower. I captured a bit of audio of this year's bird and compared it to the song of a bird found last year on Semaphore Hill, and the vocalizations are indeed distinct. Further research reveals that the western populations of this species are currently considered a subspecies, and I wonder if further research is warranted (remember that field observations of vocal differences have led to the description of full species elsewhere in the neotropics). |
My only new species in this family was a lovely White-ruffed Manakin found on Cerro Gaital, above El Valle.
The Canal area delivered the usual assortment of Red-capped, Blue-crowned,
and Golden-collared Manakins. The latter species was also found displaying on a lek
near my cabin in La Rica. I was pleased to capture great footage of the handsome male Red-capped Manakin
pictured at right, as this tiny, hyperactive bird always represents a challenge for photographers; I waited this one out on Plantation Trail one afternoon.
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| I found Brown-capped Vireo at Finca Lerida, and Yellow-winged on a couple of occasions near Guadalupe; both birds required hard work, and were probably missed on other occasions. I enjoyed fine looks at Yellow-green Vireo west to Santa Fé. Green Shrike-Vireo was heard often from the Canopy Tower, but was, as usual, a tough find, and I saw the bird only once. Lesser Greenlet was common in lowland areas west all the way to Finca Hartmann, and Golden-crowned Greenlet was seen only once, on Old Gamboa Road. |
Black-chested Jay was the only corvid I found on the trip, seen west to La Rica. I will have to venture into the western Caribbean
slope for a real shot at the other Panamanian jays. Blue-and-White Swallow was seen at the one good location in El Valle, but was
abundant in the Western Highlands. White-thighed Swallows
were spotted often near the Canopy Lodge in El Valle, where the pair pictured at left graciously posed for some
video (note the white feathering on the tarsus of the bird on the left). Earlier this summer Michael Harvey found a cup-like nest occupied by White-thighed Swallows near Chorro Macho; to the best of his knowledge,
this species' nest has not yet been described to science, and he was seeking permission to collect the now-empty nest.
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Of all the avian success stories I experienced on this trip to Panama, my luck with wrens is perhaps the achievement
of which I am most proud. The fact that I don't have so much as a blurry image of a bird in this family to present here is a testament to not only
how elusive wrens can be, but to my focus on enjoying good looks before collecting video. Mike Manetz and I were successful
in viewing 12 species of wrens while touring the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge and, for reasons upon which I will elaborate later, I believe we
are the first guests at these sites to tally this figure. These 12 species represent all of the wrens that are to be found on the Pacific slope
of central Panama (excluding extra-limital rarities). Below are some details regarding the lucky dozen:
I whiffed on Riverside Wren in the west, and a possible sighting of Timberline Wren near El Respingo was not clear enough to add to my list. And I'd love to visit the Achiote Road area for a shot at the beautiful White-headed Wren of the Caribbean slope. All of these can wait for another trip. For now I can revel in a unique achievement, albeit one that will no doubt be replicated in the future by other visiting birders. |
The fact that I travelled a bit farther afield on this trip almost guaranteed that I would find a few gems in this category,
as thrush diversity increases as one gains in elevation in the neotropics. The Canal area has only Clay-colored Robin, the rather pedestrian national bird of Costa Rica,
to offer. I found Sooty Robin at the highest elevations near El Respingo, and Mountain Robin on both sides of Volcan Barú. The El Valle area delivered Pale-vented
Thrush atop Cerro Gaital, and White-throated Thrush on a path across from Chorro Macho; in contrast to U.S. thrushes, these species are almost exclusively treetoppers.
I worked hard for my first look at a beautifully-singing Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush
in El Valle, but it turns out I needn't have bothered; the bird pictured at left
hopped into the open at Mi Jardin es Su Jardin, a botanical garden in Boquete, and was seen easily on subsequent visits (the horizontal banding in the picture is a result of zooming
to full magnification in a humid environment).
I also found Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush quite easily on both sides of Volcan Barú in the Western Highlands, and Black-billed
Nightingale-Thrush was also present near my cabin in Guadalupe, making me pay close attention to roadside thrushes.
I was in the company of Santiago Caballero on the western side of the Sendero Los Quetzales when I saw and heard my first Black-faced Solitaire. Santiago informed me that residents of the highlands noted that their most beautiful bird is the Resplendant Quetzal, the most interesting the Three-wattled Bellbird, and the most beautiful singer the Black-faced Solitaire. I captured a bit of audio of this species, and I only wish I had figured out how to share audio files on this website (stay tuned!). |
I will briefly address here two unrelated neotropical families. I found Long-billed Gnatwren only once on Semaphore Hill, but Tropical
Gnatcatcher was common west to La Rica. A distant perched bird at Finca Lerida proved to be a Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, my only sighting of the trip.
Black-and-Yellow Silky-Flycatcher was found first at Finca Lerida,
but proved to be most abundant on the western slope of Volcan Barú, where I filmed the bird at
left, and saw the species on multiple occasions every day. The species' call note was quite similar to that of the familiar Northern Cardinal, so I learned quickly to zero in on this handsome bird.
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Most of my previous Panamanian sightings in the family parulidae had been of seasonal migrants from the north,
so I had great expectations of a few life birds in this category. I was not disappointed. The first big score in this family
was Buff-rumped Warbler, which Danílo Rodriguez pointed out to me and Mike Manetz on the rushing river below Chorro Macho.
Buff-rumped Warbler is a streamside species, and as such behaves much in the manner as a waterthrush of the United States, bobbing
up and down for no apparent reason. I also found this species on the stream near my cabin at La Rica, where it accompanied me as I brushed my teeth
each evening.
 The Western Highlands were especially productive for warblers.
Collared Redstart, Black-cheeked Warbler, and Flame-throated Warbler were part of most mixed flocks, particularly on the west slope of Volcan Barú, and I found the large-and-lovely
Slate-throated Redstart on both sides of the volcano as well. I found Tropical Parula and Gray-crowned Yellowthroat only at Finca
Hartmann, at middle elevations near the Costa Rican border.
My pleasant and modestly-skilled guide in Guadalupe, Mariano, shared a decent imitation of the song of the elusive Zeledonia (formerly known as Wrenthrush).
Thus I was well-prepared when I heard that same sound while hiking down from El Respingo, on the west end of the Sendero Los Quetzales. I was inspired to work hard to get a quick look at this difficult species.
Bananaquit, which has only recently been reclassified as genera incertae sedis, in a sub-family of parulidae, was found sporadically throughout the country. |
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Even the most common neotropical tanager species almost always provide pleasurable viewing, and this trip offered the added
bonus of a few potential life birds in this diverse family. Above are a few of the more regular, if not common, tanagers found in Panama.
At left is the abundant Blue-Gray Tanager, which along with
Plain-colored and Palm Tanagers is common throughout most of Panama.
At center are male and female Red-legged Honeycreepers,
sharing a banana at a fruit feeder near the Canopy Lodge; I found this species throughout the country. At right is
the striking Bay-headed Tanager, a true gem no matter how often viewed. The bird pictured here was feeding
a juvenille along the road in Boquete, but lighting conditions did not allow me to capture this parental activity on film.
Rosy Thrush-Tanager is a considerably less-common species than any of the above. Its lovely, melodic song 
may be heard relatively often, but sightings are generally furtive, as this species is virtually always found in dense undergrowth. We were fortunate to enjoy relatively good looks
at both male and female Rosy Thrush-Tanagers on Old Gamboa Road, which is generally one of the better spots for this bird. But
things got even better as we walked along Cara Iguana on a rainy afternoon, our first in El Valle. A male Rosy Thrush-Tanager was uncharacteristically
vocalizing and hopping about the open branches of a tree in a manner more befitting a common tanager of the fruit feeders. Even our guides had never seen anything quite
like it; we can only guess that perhaps there was a female in the area. I was a bit disappointed with the quality of the film I collected, but I was dealing with rainy and backlit conditions.
Birders tend to get excited about a sighting for one of three reasons; the bird is somewhat uncommon throughout all or most of its range; it is particularly difficult to lay eyes on;
or it is exceptionally beautiful. Rosy Thrush-Tanager has the whole package.
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Occasionally the most abundant species offer most uncommon surprises. White-lined Tanager is a fairly common resident of central Panama, more likely to be found in foothills than the lowlands. One day at the fruit feeders near the Canopy Lodge, we observed a male White-lined Tanager engaged in a splendid mating display, vocalizing, strutting about, and lifting and flexing both his wings and tail (one of the few times one will see the white wing lining in the field). A female looked on without much apparent interest, at least less than that of the assembled awestruck birders! |
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Here's a few notes of interest from my tanager sightings on this trip:
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Emberizidae is a rather diverse family, a sort of catch-all for North American sparrows and finches, excepting those
species included in fringillidae (found later in this page). The emberizid species diversity escalates as one gains in elevation,
so the frequency of my first-time encounters in Panama grew accordingly. This family represented yet another of the great avian success
stories of my Panama odyssey.
Orange-billed and Black-striped Sparrows were found with varying frequency west to Santa Fé.
Mike Manetz found his first Orange-billed as we huddled in the rain a few feet from a young fer-de-lance along Plantation Trail. Black-striped was surprisingly abundant on the grounds
of the Canopy Lodge. The Western Highlands were the perfect place to find
Rufous-collared Sparrow, a cosmopolitan species whose range extends from southern Mexico all the way
to Tierra del Fuego. The bird pictured at right posed quite graciously in Mi Jardin es Su Jardin, a botanical garden in Boquete.
A flurry of activity near the Ammo Dump Ponds gave a darned-near clean sweep of assorted seedeater-types. Within 15 minutes we found Ruddy-breasted, Yellow-bellied, and Variable Seedeaters, Blue-black Grassquit, Thick-billed Seed-Finch, and Black-striped Sparrow. Yellow-faced Grassquit was found first near Cerro Gaital, and proved abundant in all elevations as I moved west. 
I was unable to get on a Blue Seedeater at Cerro Gaital, a tough bird that has only been recently discovered to be regular
in that area, but had my chance at redemption later on. I locked onto a pair at Finca Lerida, above Boquete, despite my guide's efforts
to distract me with his sighting of a Blue-throated Toucanet, a more flashy species, but one which I had seen before.
The Chiriquí highlands dazzled once again with a variety of new species, including the fascinating Slaty Flowerpiercer pictured at left. The unique upturned bill of this bird is designed to puncture flowers to collect nectar. I filmed this gregarious individual near the guard house at El Respingo, and found one later outside the main lodge of Los Quetzales in Guadalupe. Yellow-thighed and Large-footed Finches were also quite regular in forested areas in the region. I found the beautiful Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch for the first time at Cerro Gaital, near El Valle, but my best looks came in the highlands, including one foraging bird outside my cabin very early on my last morning in Guadalupe. White-naped Brush-Finch was also enjoyed at a private garden near Boquete; it took me a while to put a name to this, as relatively recent A.O.U. taxonomic decisions changed not just the common name but the genus of the species. |
Buff-throated Saltator (pictured at right) was the most common member of this family, seen virtually throughout. Mike and Danílo had a great spot for Black-headed
Saltator near Cerro Gaital, and I found this mostly Caribbean slope species again near La Rica. Streaked Saltator was found a few times in the Canal area and in El Valle.
Black-faced Grosbeak was another life bird for me, and was again found at a known spot near Cerro Gaital. I enjoyed my best looks at it on the long hike to my cabin in La Rica. I only saw the striking Slate-colored Grosbeak once, on Pipeline Road. I laid my eyes on Blue-black Grosbeak a few times, as far west as Santa Fé, but more often than not this species remained out of sight, seeming to taunt us with its sing-song chorus, which I came to transliterate as "YOU-can't-SEE-me!." |
A blackbird was the last new species of the trip for me, as I lucked into a striking Red-breasted Blackbird as my taxi approached
the airport at David. Apparently this grassland species takes refuge in the protected buffer zones around airports, as Joe Hammond
and Bill Heck reporting seeing it as their plane taxied in 2003, and my first sightings of this species were at the abandoned airstrip called Waller
Field, in Trinidad.
I found all 3 regional cacique species, although Yellow-billed and Yellow-rumped were found only once each, at Altos de Maria and El Copé respectively. Scarlet-rumped Caciques had a basket nest hanging over the observation platform in the Canopy Tower's parking lot (at left, an adult pokes its head out to make sure the coast is clear). If one sat still a few feet from the nest, an attendant parent would eventually risk flying in and climbing into the nest to feed its ravenous fledgling(s). The most intriguing cowbird sighting took place above Boquete, en route to the Sendero Los Quetzales, when my guide and I pulled over for an excellent look at a Bronzed Cowbird. This was significantly higher than the expected elevation for this species described in Birds of Panama; presumably over the last 20 years the species has followed agricultural development into the highlands, as crafty cowbirds are wont to do. Chestnut-headed was the only oropendola found this time around (west to La Rica), and Yellow-backed the only oriole (Canal area and El Valle). Perhaps the most unexpected icterid sighting was of a very familar species, several Eastern Meadowlarks in the fields around La Rica. I had no idea this species' normal range includes much of two continents! |
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Fringillidae is another sort of catch-all family of birds, thanks to the A.O.U.'s decision, based on somewhat obscure genetic studies, to
move euphonias and chlorophonias from thraupidae (tanagers- where they probably never belonged) to this category. Two sub-families,
euphoniidae and carduelinae, are found in the neotropics. Many of the species included
have at one time or another in relatively recent ornithological history been placed elsewhere, and I would bet that the taxonomy is
anything but settled. As evidence of the confusion regarding these genera, one need look no further than the A.O.U.'s own website
(www.aou.org), which contains contradictory information. Just look at the listings
for the family fringillidae on both the North American and South American checklists and you'll see what I mean.
That having been said, the birds of this family (who could care less how we classify them) represent a true joy of neotropical birding. I have found the local populations of euphonias vary greatly by season, so I had little idea as to which species would be the most common this time around. Thick-billed Euphonia turned out to be this year's winner, as it was seen with some frequency throughout the country. Yellow-crowned Euphonia was seen only once on Old Gamboa Road, while Tawny-capped Euphonia was, as expected, seen a couple of times in the El Valle area. I was pleased to point out life Fulvous-vented Euphonias to a number of fellow guests at the Canopy Tower; Mike Manetz noted with some amusement that every time we discussed the finer points of euphonia identification, the Fulvous-vented seemed to dip forward to give us a look at its signature better side! I found this species west to La Rica. The highlands offered a couple of excellent life birds in this family. I found Elegant Euphonia near my hotel in Boquete, and enjoyed even better looks a few days later on my walk to Finca Hartmann. Golden-browed Chlorophonia eluded me at a likely spot near Boquete, but I managed to clean this one up with good looks at a female, also at Finca Hartmann. It was also heard near the east end of the Sendero Los Quetzales; I'm dying to see the more flashy male one of these days. Among the carduelinae, I was delighted to find the handsome Yellow-bellied Siskin at several highland locations. The familiar Lesser Goldfinch was spotted in the Canal area, and then not seen again until it became somewhat common in open areas in the Chiriquí highlands. |
| The final numbers for the tour: I saw 348 species of birds, 99 of them for the first time. I could have added quite a few species to my triplist by seeking out certain habitats, or enlisting the aid of my knowledgeable guides. But the success of this journey is not measured in numbers, but by the knowledge I gained, and the beautiful moments I experienced. I will never forget the thrilling sightings of such avian gems as Scaly-breasted Wren, Streak-chested Antpitta, Purplish-backed Quail-Dove, Sunbittern, White-tipped Sicklebill, and Three-wattled Bellbird. More importantly, I grew more confident in my nascent skills in neotropical birding, reinforcing my knowledge of now-familiar birds, and developing the ability to quickly identify new species at every turn. I will gladly sacrifice a few species off a large world list of birds to devote my energies to learning more about what this one country has to offer. The great thing is that there is still much to be found in the now familiar locales, and Panama has lots of remote corners where the possibility of genuine discovery is still very real. For this and many other reasons I believe that I will spend much time in the coming years in lovely Panama, mi corazón. |
| If you're interested in further details regarding this trip, and my first two visits to Panama, check out the links below- each of these pages contains photos, journals, and links to other pages detailing some of the birds, butterflies, and other critters I found on these trips. |
At low to mid-elevations west from El Valle, two subspecies of Common Bush-Tanager were sighted often (the Coclé version has a distinctly darker head).
At higher elevations this species is replaced by