Some new birds on this trip I had to work quite hard for, but a few were absurdly easy to find. One such bird was the delightful White-whiskered Puffbird, which we spotted every day and at virtually every site, often at close range. I missed this bird entirely on my trip in August of 2003, but this September it was hard to miss (Carlos says that the relative abundance of certain species can change by the week, let alone the month). Puffbirds have become a favorite family of mine, and the White-whiskered variety is exceptional in that it seems to favor lower parts of the canopy than its relatives, affording much closer views, including some at an exciting ant swarm (detailed below). I never heard this bird call, and they often could be quite dificult to spot, given their cryptic coloration and sedentary habits; I considered it a personal achievement when I spotted a perched puffbird during my last afternoon, on a solo hike down Semaphore Road.

Cacophonous Caciques

Caciques are icterids, relatives of orioles and grackles, and an easily found, but still welcome, bird of the neotropics. On each of my trips to Panama I have seen three species of cacique, and have yet to tire of them; they tend to socialize in modest flocks, and can be quite vocal and almost carelessly gregarious (the Yellow-billed Cacique is a personal favorite, with a call that sounds like gurgling liquid). The Scarlet-rumped Cacique pictured at left was the most abundant member of the family this time 'round, and I observed large groups of them on several occasions. The images here are all of the same bird, part of a flock that passed by the viewing platform of the Canopy Tower one morning. I'm delighted with the images I captured, as they illustrate quite nicely the plumage that gives the Scarlet-rumped Cacique its name. This detail is not always visible in the field, and birders generally learn to distinguish the various species of caciques by alternate field marks (in this case, a blue-ish iris contrasts with the yellow iris of a Yellow-billed Cacique).

The Exceptional Antpitta

We took two separate trips to Pipeline Road, a world-renowned birding site, a restricted-access road (in the loosest sense of the term) cut into the heart of the protected rainforest around the Panama Canal. Early into our first trip, I heard Carlos give a whistle, in imitation of a Streak-chested Antpitta, and I grew excited, as I knew this meant we were in what he knew to be good territory for this elusive creature. It took some time, but this enigmatic bird finally came into view, spotted by our driver, Alexis (who is extremely talented, and perhaps an English lesson or two away from being a full-fledged guide for the Tower). I had seen this bird only briefly last year, but this time was thrilled by an extended study at less than ten feet away. Despite the close range, the images flanking this text are a bit grainy, as the antpitta was (typically) skulking in dark foliage. Carlos says that this species is quite territorial, evidenced by the puffed-chest of the bird as pictured at right. This sighting was an exceptional one for all of our group, and I was thrilled to capture even this modest video of a species which I never thought I'd observe at such close range!

Again, What a Difference a Month Makes...

There are three kinds of large toucans found in the area of the Canopy Tower (plus a couple of more modest toucanets), and I've delighted in seeing them all on both trips. But, while I captured excellent video of two of the species (Collared Aracari and Chestnut-mandibled Toucan) on my first trip, I only had long-distance view of the third, Keel-billed Toucan, and no sightings at the Tower itself. Well, September was the kindest month, and on this trip I not only filmed the Keel-billed Toucan pictured below, but saw all three species at close range (from the Canopy Tower's viewing platform, and in the same tree) in the span of a remarkable ten minutes! I have read that in regions where two large, similarly-plumaged toucans are found, one yelps and one croaks- in Panama, the Keel-billed Toucan is the croaker.

Without a Doubt, My Favorite Bird

It's probably bad form for a birder to admit that he has a favorite- we're supposed to swear equal allegiance to the dull brown sparrows, the confusing winter gulls, the indistinguishable silent empidonax flycatchers. But I freely confess that I do indeed have a favorite bird: the spectacular Collared Aracari (pictured at right, about to swallow a cecropia fruit). What's not to like? Its plumage is absurdly colorful, its behavior thoroughly entertaining, and, at least at the Canopy Tower, it is remarkably accomodating for the amateur photographer. I have probably collected at least two hours of quality footage of this creature on my two trips to Panama, quite an achievement for an inveterate twitcher such as myself. This year I witnessed a remarkable behavior, a bill-duel between no less than three aracaris. Snippets of the action are pictured at right; one of the birds issues a challenge, and another engages by clasping its bill to the other (one time seemingly getting stuck for over 30 seconds), and finally, the winner leveraging the other bird off of its perch, forcing it to fly away. The drama was repeated several times, as the victor (I believe the same bird each time) would be challenged again from another side. I watched this drama in the cecropia tree outside the Canopy Tower, only 20 feet or so away, with another birder, who could only say, "Please tell me you're getting this...". Well, I did, and I must say it is the most amazing behavior I have ever captured on film. I have researched this behavior a bit, and have only found one mention of bill-combat among aracaris, in an article by the recently-deceased, respected naturalist Alexander Skutch, who only notes the behavior, without speculating as to its function. I wonder if this represents some sort territorial ritual, or a battle for mating dominance, or maybe I saw juvenilles practicing either of the above. I welcome comments (e-mail me) from anyone out there who has more info regarding this fascinating display. By the by, I haven't yet worked out presenting video clips on this site, but I have a possible venue in the works, and I will update this page as news develops on this front.

In Brief: Birds of Prey

I've got very little documentation of birds in this category, simply because these birds tend to be observed at too great a distance for my modest little camera, but this category actually included some of the finest birds of the trip. At left is a handsome Bat Falcon that perched at length along Old Gamboa Road (I had only seen this before in Trinidad), and at right, a Black Vulture, the ubiquitous occupant of the high trees surrounding the Canopy Tower. Other (undocumented) highlights were a Tiny Hawk spotted by Mary Gustafson at the base of Semaphore Hill, an easy Crane Hawk perched at the Summit Gardens, and a juvenille Hook-billed Kite follwing a troupe of White-throated Capuchin monkeys. A personal highlight was spotting my own first White Hawk on Pipeline Road, as I lingered behind the group to (ahem) answer the call of nature (this and other such instances engendered a joke about my fine "pee-birds"); I bellowed ahead to the group, and everybody spotted this gorgeous raptor. But the finest moents occured while hawkwatching in the afternoons with Mary Gustafson and Bruce Peterjohn (both outstanding birders and fine people to boot), when we spotted, among other things, migrating Mississippi Kites numbering in the thousands, and a pair of King Vultures that actually landed in distant trees for a time. I have never caught on to the cult on hawk-watching, mostly because my autumns tend to be devoted to work, but, thanks to the patient instruction of these two experts, I am now hooked!

Can't-Miss Birds

Some birds you just can't miss, at least if you want to go home and brag to your birding friends with a clear conscience! The two tanagers above (Palm, at left, and Blue-gray, at right) are among said birds; they have a range that extends through Central America and northern South America (I also observed them easily in Trinidad), and they have adapted well to human presence, making them ubiquitus feeder birds. They are also, lest we forget, quite beautiful. The Lesser Greenlet at left was common in a number of habitats, notably in the thickets around the Canopy Tower itself- again, its beauty is under-appreciated. And the Dot-winged Antwren, two males pictured below, was hard to miss in any vegetated area, the neotropical equivalent of a Yellow-rumped Warbler. But it was hard to ignore this bird, as it often attends ant swarms (details of one such occasion below), and also has a few lookalikes, such as the more sought-after White-flanked Antwren.

At this point I'm going to take the advice of some friends, and send you to a second page for the rest of my bird images from this trip; I've been told that I need to be a bit more conscious of the fact that my pages can take quite a bit of time to download. I hope you'll take the time to check it out- page two has some lovely images of hummingbirds, motmots, and, as promised above, details regarding an exciting ant swarm and its attendant birds. See you there!

Move On to Panama 2004 Birds Page Two!
The list of birds I spotted on this trip.
Panama 2004 Journal
Panama 2004 Mammals and Other Critters
Butterflies of Central Panama
Return to Main Photos Page