23 December 2000 - 02 January 2001

by Allen & Nancy Chartier

Saturday, December 23, 2000

We got up this morning at the irritating hour of 3:30 a.m.  in order to catch our Continental Airlines flight departing at 6:20 a.m.  for Houston.  Despite the early hour, it was already crowded due to the holidays, but it wasn’t as bad as we expected.  Our flight departed almost an hour late and we arrived in Houston just before 9:00 local time.  We killed time at the airport until our 1:20 p.m.  flight.  We didn’t feel like going outside as the temperature was only about 50 degrees, but that was 50 degrees warmer than Detroit!

Our flight departed from Houston at about 1:40 p.m.  and after about 4-½ hours we arrived in Panama City around 6:30 p.m.  local time (Panama is on Eastern Standard Time).  After a somewhat slow immigration and customs process, we met Hernan Arauz in front of the airport.  He had shaved off his beard since Allen had seen him last November, so he didn’t recognize him until he shouted "Hello Allen!"

Hernan drove us to The Canopy Tower Lodge, about a 2 hour drive from the airport.  They prepared an excellent dinner for us in mere minutes, even though it was nearly 9:00 p.m.  After dinner we settled in to our room on the highest floor with rooms, just below the dining area, which was one level below the topmost observation deck.

Sunday, December 24, 2000

The staff at the Canopy Tower generously agreed to make us breakfast at 5:30 a.m.  Hernan met us at 6:00 and we went to the famous Pipeline Road.  Hernan had a Land Rover that allowed us to go in farther than if we had walked in from the locked gate (he also had a key).  The birding was great (100 species seen in the morning) and lots of other neat things too including: Coatimundi, Central American Agouti, and White-faced Capuchin among the mammals, and Common Amieva (Amieva amieva), lots of frogs (including a tiny toad with an orange nose, elbows, and knees), and best of all a Vine Snake (PHOTO).  There were lots of Morpho butterflies as well as several Heliconias including one with blue on it that Allen caught.  It had the numbers 323 written in pencil on the under side of a white band on each wing!  The Smithsonian does a lot of research along this road, but what are the odds that we would catch one of their marked ones?  Dragonflies were everywhere and two different species of giant damselfly (PHOTO) were pretty neat.  A 2-inch orange and black banded Robber Fly got away before it could be caught or photographed.

We returned to the Canopy Tower for lunch, then watched the hummingbird feeders for a while.  It was rather windy so not much was in evidence from the canopy observation deck.  We had dinner at 7:00 p.m., then watched the nocturnal "feeders," which were bunches of bananas hung in the trees near the lodge.  We saw another Coatimundi, an opossum, and a Kinkajou which we’d been wanting to see since our first trip to the tropics in 1983.

Monday, December 25, 2000

We were up at 5:30 a.m.  so we could get to the top of the Canopy Tower by 6:00.  By breakfast at 7:30 we had seen all three species on their T-shirt (Green Shrike-Vireo, Masked Tityra, and Blue Cotinga).  Now we’ll have to buy one!

After breakfast, we walked down the 1 ½ mile Semaphore Hill Road to the Plantation Trail into Soberania NP.  We walked a short distance on this trail before we had to head back up the hill for lunch.  We found an antswarm on the way down with several interesting birds, but the activity had diminished quite a bit by the time we returned past the spot.  There were lots of Geoffroy’s Tamarins and a few White-faced Capuchins along the road.  The Olivaceous Woodcreeper we saw was a new bird for the area, and we found out from Raul, the owner of the Canopy Tower, that the Blackpoll Warbler we saw in the morning from the observation deck was not only a new species for the area, but rare in Panama.  He gave us two free T-shirts for adding these species to the list!

Around 3:00 p.m.  we set out to repeat our walk from the morning, hoping to get a bit farther along this time.  We looked into the White-whiskered Puffbird nest we had discovered in the morning, and found it contained two young with eyes open.  Other highlights were Yellow-headed Caracara and Tawny-capped Euphonia along the Plantation Trail, neither of which are on Raul’s list, though he doesn’t include this trail in his compilation.  Two more free T-shirts tomorrow?  There was an interesting small Anole that was all black with a dark brown head.  Coming back up the road we flushed a Great Tinamou out of the ditch next to the road.  We spent half an hour on top of the Canopy Tower before we showered and had dinner.  There were lots of guests arriving today, most just for a single night.  Some noticeable activity in the hallway turned out to be some of the other guests looking at an interesting Praying Mantis with a large green shield on its thorax.

Tuesday, December 26, 2000

Since others were getting a 5:30 breakfast (to go to Pipeline Road), we took advantage and ate early so we could get farther down Semaphore Hill Road and walk a fair portion of the Plantation Trail.  We got to the trailhead at 7:30 and walked in for 1 ½ hours (about 2 miles).  It was fairly quiet, but we saw a few things including a troop of a dozen Coatimundis, and of course "the usual" Geoffroy’s Tamarins.  We returned to the lodge just before noon, 6 hours and 7 miles later.  After lunch we killed some time taking photos at the hummingbird feeders, and reorganizing our luggage for the flight tomorrow (weight limit 25 lbs per person).  It started raining (first time for the trip) just before 5:00 and the Howler Monkeys (heard daily so far) really complained.  Two Kinkajous were at the "feeder" during dinner.

Wednesday, December 27, 2000

We were up on the observation deck of the Canopy Tower at 6:00 for one last look before breakfast at 7:30.  Raul called us from Panama City to say goodbye and wish us well, which we thought was a nice gesture.  We were picked up at 8:00 and driven to the Holbrook domestic airport.  Our driver, Edgar, didn’t speak English, but our worries about getting most of our luggage to the Ancon office were unfounded, as he knew what we needed.
We ran into a snag at the airport, as we had no tickets and no boarding passes issued to us.  Edgar hadn’t left yet, and helped us figure out the situation.  We were on a charter flight by ourselves.  The flight was a bit over an hour late, and another Ancon representative came out to the airport to apologize.

We got underway in a 6-seat single-engine Cessna (like at Kapawi Lodge three years ago).  After about an hour and a half we landed at the airstrip at Cana.  We met our guide, Rick Morales, and the three staff (one the cook).  Since the four people who were at Cana before us were leaving, we would be the only ones here for the next four days (except for three military police, a.k.a.  Maytag repairmen).  Cana is a two-day walk from the nearest small village.  One more staff person was encountered along the Boca del Cupe trail where he had ridden by horseback 15 hours from that very village to get to Cana.  This is the most remote place we’ve ever stayed.

Thursday, December 28, 2000

We were up at 6:00 a.m.  for some early birding around the camp, then we had breakfast around 7:30.  At 9:15 we started up the Cerro Pirre trail.  Luckily it only rained briefly last night, so the trail wouldn’t be as wet and slippery, and treacherous as Rick said it could be.  We don’t do treacherous very well.

About half way up the trail it started to rain.  It rained for about an hour, just long enough to make it slippery.  It was also very hot in our raincoats.  Among the birds, we saw some Central American Spider Monkeys, a few White-faced Capuchins, and some Mantled Howler Monkeys.  In the mud, we saw several tapir tracks.  At 2:45 p.m.  we arrived at the Cerro Pirre tented camp, 5 ½ hours and 6.2 kilometers later, and 2300 feet higher.  We had hoped to see some orchids on this trail, but the habitat was more like a hilly rainforest, and there were not too many epiphytic plants on the trees.  We found an interesting and colorful grasshopper (PHOTO) near the scenic overlook near camp.  We did a little birding around the camp before dinner, and retired early for the evening.

Friday, December 29, 2000

We were up at 6:15 a.m.  after an all-night rain, of which about 3 hours were very hard.  We birded briefly around the camp, then after breakfast started up to the cloud forest on Cerro Pirre (about 2 kilometers each way, rising another 1000 feet).  The rain had made the trail slippery, but we hadn’t seen anything yet.  After about an hour, it started raining hard again, and kept up for about 2 hours.  It stopped raining for about ½ hour, then started again even harder!  By the time we got back down to the camp at 2 p.m.  parts of the trail were like a river.  This made the narrow, difficult to follow, rocky, muddy, steep, overgrown trail really treacherous.  As stated previously, we don’t do treacherous very well.  We did manage to see a few birds between the rain showers, including the "critical" few endemics, but there is so much more here that we didn’t see.  The group that left before us didn’t have any rain, and the trail was dry for them.  They weren’t birders.  We got some very good looks at spider monkeys, and found Puma tracks in the trail.

Rick said this all-night and all-day rain was very unusual for this time of year (it was supposed to be the dry season).  Once again a freak weather pattern sought us out as on so many of our previous trips.  We found out after we got home that they had so much rain in Panama City that they had to release 1.2 billion gallons of water into the ocean to prevent the Panama Canal from bursting!  This was the first time in 15 years this had to be done.

As this trail took us up into real cloud forest, we again expected to see orchids.  But again the forest really looked like a transition between rain forest and true cloud forest.  There weren’t too many bromeliads either, so we didn’t have a chance to find our first Neotropical species of salamander.

In the afternoon, it cleared for about an hour before starting to rain again at 4:15 p.m.  The rain stopped for the day at 6:00 and we turned in for the night at 7:00.

Saturday, December 30, 2000

We were up at 6:15 for breakfast, then started down the trail for Cana camp at around 7:00.  It seemed much longer going down, since it took us 6 hours due to the very steep, rocky, muddy, slippery, treacherous trail conditions.  There were relatively few birds until near the end, when we ran into a fairly decent mid-level flock.  At least it didn’t rain until we were across the airstrip on our final 50 yards.  On getting to the airstrip, we had to wait while a military helicopter came in to land.  They were changing shifts of the guard here, which they do once a month.  They also delivered a turkey along with the new guards.  It rained off and on until around 3:30.  There was a small gecko of some native species that was hunting on the porch, keeping mostly out of sight.

We then walked part of the Mine Trail and part of another that headed back up the Pirre Ridge (yikes!).  We quit this one, having had enough steep trails for one day, and found a good canopy flock on the way back.  We had dinner at 6:30 and turned in right afterwards to rest our beat-up feet, if nothing else.  Since the sky was partly clear, we had an excellent view of Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus.  The moons of Jupiter were easy to see in binoculars, and even the rings of Saturn were just barely visible in 10x binoculars.  In the 60x telescope, the rings were very nicely visible.

Sunday, December 31, 2000

We were up at 6:15 a.m.  for some birding before breakfast around the camp.  Then we walked the Mine Trail in its entirety, and more of the trail leading up the Cerro Pirre Ridge where we were yesterday.  There was only one antswarm, and it was a rather long way away from the trails so we couldn’t pursue it.  It also didn’t sound like a particularly enthusiastic congregation anyway.

We returned to camp just after noon to hear that the Black-tipped Cotinga, one of our "must see" birds, had been around, but left 20 minutes before we arrived.  This species apparently prefers to sit up on treetops only on sunny afternoons.

Then, the sun went away.  Soon, however, Rodolpho (the caretaker who had helped Alexander Wetmore collect and skin birds in the 1940s) called out "cotinga!" It was high on a far ridge, and we got it in the scope.  Then it started to rain.  Then it rained really hard.  The cotinga stayed put the whole time.  A lifer at the last possible minute, 30 minutes before our plane out was scheduled to arrive.

Our plane arrived at 2:30 and we had to take off without Rick as the runway was too short for the 6-seater Cessna to take off with three passengers plus luggage.  The plan was to fly 12 minutes to the tiny town of El Real, where there was a longer paved runway, leave us off, then go back and get Rick, then take off from the longer airstrip.  Sound’s simple doesn’t it?  It wasn’t.  When we were coming in for a landing, crosswinds at the end of the runway caused us to wobble quite a bit, which prevented the pilot from pulling us up as much as we needed to.  As a result, we came down pretty hard.  The result was that the brakes failed and we rolled right off the end of the runway into a tall canegrass field.  The pilot got us back onto the tarmac, but until a mechanic could be flown in from Panama City, we were stranded.

One thing didn’t lead to another and no plane arrived before dark.  Since there weren’t any lights on the runway (nothing but a runway, in fact), no plane would be coming after dark.  We found out later that the plane that was sent out for us was on another mission to look for a small plane that had disappeared during the heavy rains on December 29.  It was late getting back to Panama City to refuel, and all available planes were looking for this downed plane; nothing was available to "rescue" us.  At least we saw a few new birds for the trip, including one last life bird (Spectacled Parrotlet), along with lots of parrots going to roost for the night.  We had to sleep overnight in town, where there were no real hotels and no restaurants.  Our dinner consisted of some cheese and crackers, and an Orange Crush, purchased at a small store that was still open (it was New Year’s eve, after all).  I’ll leave out most of the details of being taken into custody, passport checks, and questioning about Colombia by the local Policia Nacional.  What a day!

Monday, January 1, 2001

El Real was possibly the worst place for two tired, stressed travelers to spend New Year’s Eve.  The parties started around 7:00 p.m.  and were very loud with crackling microphones.  There were at least four bars with music or live entertainment within a couple of blocks.  The building right across the road (maybe 20 feet away from our room) was having some kind of religious revival in some language other than English or Spanish.  They kept up constant yelling (seemingly without a breath) with 3-4 people on microphones yelling simultaneously for about 1-½ hours.  We could barely hear each other from about a foot away all night long.  The revival stopped around 1:00 a.m., but the other bars continued loudly until we left the town for the airstrip at 6:00 a.m.  We had gotten about 1-2 hours of sleep.  We had to carry our luggage about ½ mile to the airstrip.

Marco, from Ancon Expeditions, had called the police station last night and explained to us what was planned for this morning.  The plane that was promised had left Panama City at 6:00 a.m., but didn’t arrive on time at 6:45 because the airstrip was fogged in!  The plane had to land nearby at La Palma to wait for the low cloud to lift.  The clouds lifted around 9:00 a.m.  and the plane arrived around 9:15.  We landed at Tocumen International Airport (Rick was on his own at this point!) in Panama City at 10:15 and the pilots led us up to the Continental Airlines check-in counter where Edgar (our Ancon driver) was waiting with the rest of our luggage.  It was now 10:20, the scheduled departure time of our flight, and they wouldn’t let us check in.  They also hadn’t paged us to the gate even though we were confirmed on the flight.  There were no other flights to Houston, and few other flights to the US.  All possible flights to the U.S.  were completely booked, or overbooked.  They couldn’t put us on any flights, but were only able to put us on tomorrow’s Houston flight on standby!  The flight was oversold by 50%, but at least we were first on the standby list.

Edgar drove us to the very nice Hotel Ejecutivo in Panama City, where we spent the rest of the day relaxing, eating lunch and dinner, and birding on the bay a few blocks away, another opportunity to add to our Panama bird list.  We both called in to work to let them know we wouldn’t be in to work the next day due to our little adventure.

Tuesday, January 2, 2001

We were up at 5:00 a.m.  to reorganize our luggage and go down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast (good planning, as it turned out).  The Ancon driver (a young woman this time, not Edgar, but again speaking no English) met us at the hotel at 6:20 and drove us to the airport.  We waited in line at the Continental Airlines counter until it opened at 7:00.  We couldn’t get confirmed on the flight, but verified that we still were first on the standby list.  We got to the gate and waited as passenger after passenger arrived late, and they paged several confirmed passengers until 10:45.  It’s very unfair that they didn’t extend this courtesy to us yesterday.  The flight ended up full and we were out of luck AGAIN.

One of the Continental Airlines staff (Francia Luiz) was very helpful, the first such person from Continental we’ve met so far.  She managed to get us on an Iberia Airlines flight to Miami at 1:00 p.m.  and got us "confirmed" American Airlines flights to Chicago then to Detroit, where we were expecting to arrive around midnight.  We had to reclaim our bags and recheck in, but unfortunately our main bag had been put on the Houston flight that we couldn’t get on.  Francia arranged for the bag to be transferred to the Continental flight to Detroit where we supposedly would be able to claim it.

The Iberia flight departed late at 1:50 p.m., making our connection with our Chicago flight very tight.  At least we were on a plane headed for the US!  The flight landed at 4:30 p.m.  and we managed to get through immigration and customs in 30 minutes.  We ran across the airport to the American Airlines gate, arriving at 5:05 for the 5:09 flight.  They wouldn’t issue us a boarding pass at the gate, as they had no record of our reservation (confirmed?) in the computer.  They told us there were 100 people on standby for this flight, and there was nothing they could do!  How can a business run this way?  They did nothing to help us, so we were on our own.  We checked out the Northwest Airlines counter where there was a friendly, helpful person with nobody else waiting in line.  She put us on standby on the 6:40 p.m.  flight to Detroit, which would arrive at 9:00.  We were first on the standby list, as she had listed us as "mishandled passengers," which was the most accurate thing we’d heard all day.

Not too hopeful, we went to the gate to wait and see if we got on the flight.  The supervisor there eventually called us up and indicated that he could probably get us on the flight if we could get our ticket signed over from Continental to Northwest (it was signed over to American, which Northwest couldn’t honor).  This was handled in the nick of time by another Continental Airlines person and we got on the flight.  There are some people out there willing to help, but they’re hard to find and most of them don’t work for Continental.

We landed in Detroit at 9:45 and walked all the way across the airport to the Continental Airlines baggage claim area to see if our other bag had made it.  The bag was not in their computer, and of course Continental wouldn’t take responsibility for the bag even though they were the last ones to handle it.  They told us we had to file a claim with Northwest Airlines, as they were the last ones to "handle" us.  So, back across the airport we went to file our claim.

We got home around 11:00 p.m.  only to find that our screen door was frozen shut.  We were locked out!  We ended up prying the door open with a tire iron that we had in the trunk of the car.  It’s great to be home!  Our missing bag arrived the next day.

TRIP LIST:

A total of 330 species, with 54 life birds, was seen. Quite a few new species for our A.O.U. list were seen as well, and one new species for Panama and the A.O.U. area was seen (and documented).

Life birds are in boldface, and unusual sightings are underlined. Endemics or local specialties are in ALL CAPS. (This includes Panamanian endemics, Pirre Mountain endemics, and Choco specialties which are at the northern limit of their range in Panama). Total number of individuals seen for each species is in square brackets [ ].

TINAMOUS
1. Great Tinamou (Tinamus major)  [7]
Heard from the Canopy Tower, and one seen along Semaphore Hill Road in a ditch as it ran into the forest. Heard at various locations around Cana and Pirre Ridge in the Darien.
2. Little Tinamou (Crypturellus soui)  [5]
Heard only at various locations around Cana and Pirre Ridge in the Darien.

FRIGATEBIRDS
3. Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)  [95]
All were seen flying over Panama City and Panama Bay.

CORMORANTS
4. Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)  [40]
All were seen in wetlands in Panama City, including Panama Bay.

PELICANS
5. Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)  [550]
All were seen in wetlands in Panama City, with a few in Panama Bay.

HERONS
6. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)  [7]
One seen flying overhead at El Real in the Darien. All others were in Panama Bay.
7. Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus)  [1]
Seen flying over the airstrip at El Real, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
8. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  [5]
One was seen flying over the domestic airport in Panama City and one was at El Real, Darien. All others were in Panama Bay.
9. Great Egret (Ardea alba)  [14]
One was seen from the plane on our flight over the Darien on our way to Cana. A few were at El Real, and a few were in Panama Bay.
10. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)  [39]
A few were seen from the plane on our flight over the Darien on our way to Cana. A few were at El Real, and a few were in Panama Bay.
11. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)  [1]
Seen along the causeway over Panama Bay when we were going from Tocumen Airport into Panama City on our last day.
12. Rufescent Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum)  [1]
Seen along the road in the town of Gamboa on our way to the Pipeline Road. New for our AOU area list.

STORKS
13. Wood Stork (Mycteria americana)  [8]
Only seen along the highway after we left Tocumen Airport on our way to Panama City on our last day.

VULTURES, KITES, & HAWKS
14. Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)  [170]
Quite common over the Canopy Tower, Pipeline Road, and Panama City. Only a couple seen in the Darien.
15. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  [90]
Common over the Canopy Tower, Pipeline Road, and Panama City. Only a few seen in the Darien.
16. King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa)  [1]
An adult seen perched in a distant tree at Cana, Darien, then watched as it flew toward us and right overhead.
17. Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus)  [12]
A single group flying overhead along the Cerro Pirre trail, Darien.
18. Long-winged Harrier (Circus buffoni)  [1]
Seen quite close at the airstrip at El Real the morning of our departure.
First record for Panama, and first AOU record!
19. Bicolored Hawk (Accipiter bicolor)  [1]
Heard giving its call, which is very much like a Cooper's Hawk, along the Pirre Ridge trail, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
20. Barred Hawk (Leucopternis princeps)  [1]
Seen flying overhead, quite low, along the Pirre Ridge trail, Darien.
21. Semiplumbeous Hawk (Leucopternis semiplumbea)  [1]
Seen briefly flying overhead from the Canopy Tower.
22. Great Black-Hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga)  [2]
One was seen along the Pirre Ridge trail, and another was heard from the trails behind the camp at Cana, Darien.
23. Gray Hawk (Asturina nitida}  [1]
Seen near the airstrip at El Real, Darien, the day of our arrival there.
24. Roadside Hawk (Buteo magnirostris)  [2]
One seen near El Real, Darien, and the other was along the freeway on the way to Tocumen Airport the day we departed.
25. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)  [1]
One was heard calling in flight, but couldn't be located through the heavy canopy, along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower.
26. Short-tailed Hawk (Buteo brachyurus)  [2]
A dark morph seen several times, and a light morph seen once, both at the Canopy Tower.

CARACARAS & FALCONS
27. Yellow-headed Caracara (Milvago chimachima)  [5]
One seen along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower. All others were along the freeway on the way to Tocumen Airport the day we departed.
28. Barred Forest-Falcon (Micrastur ruficollis)  [1]
Heard calling near the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
29. Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon (Micrastur mirandollei)  [1]
Heard calling each morning at the Canopy Tower.
30. Collared Forest-Falcon (Micrastur semitorquatus)  [4]
One or two heard calling each morning at the Canopy Tower, and two heard in the Darien, one at Cana and one at El Real.
31. American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  [2]
One was at the domestic airport in Panama City chasing Great-tailed Grackles (!), and the other was along the Pirre Ridge trail, Darien.
32. Bat Falcon (Falco rufigularis)  [1]
Seen briefly as it flew through the clearing at Cana, Darien.

GUANS, CURASSOWS & CHACHALACAS
33. Gray-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps)  [1]
Surprisingly only a single individual was seen, adjacent to the airstrip at Cana, Darien.
34. Crested Guan (Penelope purpurascens)  [10]
First seen on the Pirre Ridge trail, then seen around the camp at Cana, Darien. The ones on the trail were huddled on a log due to the pouring rain.

NEW WORLD QUAIL
35. Marbled Wood-Quail (Odontophorus gujanensis)  [2]
Heard calling along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower.
36. Black-eared Wood-Quail (Odontophorus melanotis)  [1]
Just a single individual heard calling one evening and the next morning at the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, Darien.

RAILS
37. White-throated Crake (Laterallus albigularis)  [3]
Heard only at a small pond in Gamboa and near the airstrip at El Real, Darien.

JACANAS
38. Wattled Jacana (Jacana jacana)  [6]
Seen only at a small pond in Gamboa. New for our AOU area list.

SANDPIPERS & SNIPES
39. Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)  [5]
Seen only in Panama Bay in Panama City.
40. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia)  [2]
Seen only in Panama Bay in Panama City.
41. Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)  [50]
Seen only in Panama Bay in Panama City.
42. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)  [15]
Seen only in Panama Bay in Panama City.
43. Surfbird (Aphriza virgata)  [200]
Seen only in Panama Bay in Panama City.
44. Sanderling (Calidris alba)  [150]
Seen only in Panama Bay in Panama City.

PLOVERS & LAPWINGS
45. Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  [2]
Seen only in Panama Bay in Panama City.
46. Southern Lapwing (Vanellus cayennensis)  [2]
Seen at the airstrip at El Real, Darien. New for our AOU area list.

GULLS & TERNS
47. Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)  [650]
Seen only in Panama Bay in Panama City.
48. Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  [1]
A second winter bird seen at Panama Bay in Panama City.
49. Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica)  [1]
Seen only in Panama Bay in Panama City.
50. Royal Tern (Sterna maxima)  [50]
Seen only from the causeway across Panama Bay entering Panama City.
51. Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)  [25]
Seen only in Panama Bay in Panama City.

PIGEONS & DOVES
52. Rock Dove (Columba livia)  [30]
As expected, seen primarily at airports and in cities.
53. Pale-vented Pigeon (Columba cayennensis)  [36]
Quite common around the Canopy Tower and the Pipeline Road. A few were at El Real, and only one was at Cana, Darien.
54. Ruddy Pigeon (Columba subvinacea)  (10)
All were in Darien, with most at Cana and a few seen well along the Pirre Ridge trail.
55. Plumbeous Pigeon (Columba plumbea)  [1]
Only at the camp near Cerro Pirre, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
56. Short-billed Pigeon (Columba nigrirostris)  [7]
One was along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower. All others were around Cana and along the Pirre Ridge trail, where they were relatively easy to see.
57. Ruddy Ground-Dove (Columbina talpacoti)  [16]
Seen primarily in open areas, including the entrance to the Pipeline Road, the domestic airport in Panama City, and at El Real, Darien.
58. White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi)  [18]
Seen easily at the Pipeline Road. A little shier, but still fairly common at the Canopy Tower. Most were quite easily seen in the gardens at Cana, Darien.

PARROTS
59. Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna)  [10]
Seen flying over the clearing, and perched several times, at Cana, Darien. Always in single pairs. New for our AOU area list.
60. Great Green Macaw (Ara ambigua)  [7]
Seen from the clearing at Cana, and once from the Pirre Ridge trail, Darien.
61. Red-and-green Macaw (Ara chloropterus)  [8]
Seen mainly flying over the clearing at Cana, Darien. Always in single pairs. New for our AOU area list.
62. Chestnut-fronted Macaw (Ara severa)  (12)
Seen mainly flying over the clearing at Cana, and once from the camp near Cerro Pirre, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
63. Spectacled Parrotlet (Forpus conspicillatus)  [15]
All seen in one flock going to roost our first evening in El Real, Darien.
64. Orange-chinned Parakeet (Brotogeris jugularis)  [67]
Quite common along the Pipeline Road and at the Canopy Tower. Several also seen flying over Panama City. Only a couple were at Cana, Darien.
65. Brown-hooded Parrot (Pionopsitta haematotis)  [11]
Most were seen over the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower, including two well-seen perched overhead in the trees. A couple were at Cana and three were at the camp near Cerro Pirre, Darien.
66. Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus)  [80]
Seen only in the Darien. Most were seen flying overhead at Cana, but good numbers were also seen along the Pirre Ridge trail and at El Real.
67. Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis)  [90]
Common at the Pipeline Road and the Canopy Tower. The only ones seen in the Darien were with the parrot flocks going to roost our first evening at El Real.
68. Yellow-crowned Parrot (Amazona ochrocephala)  [33]
Only two were seen over Cana. Most were with the parrot flocks at El Real, Darien. A couple were seen along the highway in Panama City on the way to the airport on our departure. New for our AOU area list.
69. Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa)  [60]
All were in the Darien, with daily flyovers at Cana and a few along the Pirre Ridge trail. Most were with the parrot flocks going to roost at El Real.

CUCKOOS
70. Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana)  [9]
Several were at the Canopy Tower, and the remainder were in the Cana area, Darien.
71. Little Cuckoo (Piaya minuta)  [1]
Heard only, calling from near the airstrip at Cana, Darien. New for our AOU area list.

ANIS
72. Greater Ani (Crotophaga major)  [15]
One group was heard calling along the Pipeline Road. Most were along the airstrip at El Real, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
73. Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani)  [35]
Only seen along the airstrips at Cana and El Real, Darien.

GROUND CUCKOOS
74. Striped Cuckoo (Tapera naevia)  (2)
Heard calling near the airstrip and near the town of El Real, Darien.

TYPICAL OWLS
75. Mottled Owl (Ciccaba virgata)  [2]
First heard calling from the tented camp near Cerro Pirre. Another heard calling near Cana camp, Darien.

NIGHTJARS
76. Short-tailed Nighthawk (Lurocalis semitorquatus)  [5]
All were seen flying over the airstrip at El Real, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
77. Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)  [10]
Seen each evening flying over the Canopy Tower.
78. Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis)  [5]
Most were heard at Cana, with one heard near the airstrip at El Real, Darien.

SWIFTS
79. White-collared Swift (Streptoprocne zonaris)  [20]
A single flock flew over Cana, Darien, before the rain started one morning.
80. Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicauda)  [15]
Small groups were seen over the Pipeline Road, over the Canopy Tower, and over Cana camp, Darien.
81. Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)  [2]
Seen in a group of swifts at the Canopy Tower.
82. Short-tailed Swift (Chaetura brachyura)  [8]
Most were over the Pipeline Road. Two were over the Canopy Tower our first evening there. New for our AOU area list.
83. Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis)  [6]
One was with the small groups of swifts over the Canopy Tower. All others were over Cana, Darien.

HUMMINGBIRDS
84. Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy)  [4]
First seen along the Pirre Ridge trail, then seen later around Cana, Darien.
85. Western Long-tailed Hermit (Phaethornis longirostris) [55] PHOTO
Common at the Pipeline Road, and very common at the Canopy Tower and at all locations around Cana, Darien.
86. Little Hermit (Phaethornis longuemareus)  [6]
A couple were seen at the Canopy Tower, and a few were at Cana and along the Pirre Ridge trail, Darien.
87. TOOTH-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD
      (Androdon aequatorialis)  [1]
Seen briefly by Allen only from the clearing at the highest point of the Pirre Ridge trail during a brief period when it wasn't raining.
88. White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora)  [20]  PHOTO
Quite common at the feeders at the Canopy Tower. A few seen in the forest and the garden around Cana, Darien.
89. Rufous-crested Coquette (Lophornis delattrei)  [1]  PHOTO
A nice male seen in the garden near Cana camp, Darien.
90. Green Thorntail (Discosura conversii)  [1]  PHOTO
A single female seen in the garden near Cana camp, Darien.
91. Violet-bellied Hummingbird (Damophila julie)  [18]  PHOTO
Several females and/or immatures were first seen along the Pipeline Road. Most numerous at the feeders at the Canopy Tower, where a couple of stunning males were seen. A few were around Cana, Darien.
92. Sapphire-throated Hummingbird
      (Lepidopyga coeruleogularis)  [2]
Seen briefly at the Canopy Tower our first afternoon there, then completely absent for the rest of our stay (shy?).
93. RUFOUS-CHEEKED (PIRRE) HUMMINGBIRD
      (Goethalsia bella)  [3]
The first one was around the tented camp on Cerro Pirre. Another was higher up toward the cloud forest in this same area, and the third was a short distance down from camp along the Pirre Ridge trail.
94. Blue-chested Hummingbird (Amazilia amabilis)  [16]  PHOTO
Most common at the feeders at the Canopy Tower, but also fairly common in the garden around Cana camp, Darien.
95. Snowy-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia edward)  [8]  PHOTO
A couple were at the feeders at the Canopy Tower, but they were somewhat shy here. More were seen, though also not very approachable, in the gardens at Cana camp, Darien.
96. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)  [2]
Seen only in the garden at Cana camp, Darien.
97. White-vented Plumeleteer (Chalybura buffonii)  [12]
Fairly common in the forest and forest clearings around Cana camp, Darien. Behavior and call notes seem identical to the next species. New for our AOU area list.
98. Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer (Chalybura urochrysia)  [11]  PHOTO
A few were seen along the Pipeline Road. Most were at the feeders at the Canopy Tower, where they were easily detected by their harsh call notes. They were difficult to photograph due to their hyperactive behavior at the feeders; constantly moving around quickly, and radically changing positions, almost cartwheeling.
99. Greenish Puffleg (Haplophaedia aureliae)  [20]
About half way up the Pirre Ridge trail near Cana, Darien, they became quite common.
100. Purple-crowned Fairy (Heliothryx barroti)  [1]
Seen on our last morning along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.
101. Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris)  [1]
Seen in the garden near Cana camp, Darien.

TROGONS
102. Slaty-tailed Trogon (Trogon massena)  [14]
Most were heard along the Pipeline Road and at the Canopy Tower, with a couple lured into view with tape at the latter location. A couple were heard at Cana camp, Darien.
103. Black-throated Trogon (Trogon rufus)  [6]
Two were seen quite well along the Pipeline Road. Others were heard at the Canopy Tower and along the Plantation Trail. New for our AOU area list.
104. Violaceous Trogon (Trogon violaceus)  [9]
Seen well along the Pipeline Road, and heard at the Canopy Tower. Three (a family group?) seen well at Cana camp.

KINGFISHERS
105. Ringed Kingfisher (Ceryle torquata)  [1]
Seen briefly flying over El Real, from the airstrip.

MOTMOTS
106. Broad-billed Motmot (Electron platyrhynchum)  [4]
Heard only, all at the Canopy Tower.
107. Rufous Motmot (Baryphthengus martii)  [6]
Two pairs, each near a nest, were seen along Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower and along the Plantation Trail. Two were also seen near Cana camp, Darien.

JACAMARS
108. DUSKY-BACKED JACAMAR (Brachygalba salmoni)  [3]
All three were in one tree along the Boca del Cupe trail at Cana camp, Darien.
109. Great Jacamar (Jacamerops aurea)  [5]  PHOTO
Hernan whistled one in quite easily along the Pipeline Road. Another was heard along the Plantation Trail, and at least three (two seen) were around Cana, Darien. New for our AOU area list.

PUFFBIRDS
110. White-necked Puffbird (Notharchus macrorhynchos)  [1]
Heard near the bottom of Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower. New for our AOU area list.
111. Black-breasted Puffbird (Notharchus pectoralis)  [4]
Two were heard along the Pipeline Road. Two others were heard, with one glimpsed briefly as it responded to Allen's whistled imitation, along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
112. Barred Puffbird (Nystalus radiatus)  [1]
Seen well along the edge of the airstrip at Cana, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
113. White-whiskered Puffbird (Malacoptila panamensis)  [8]
Seen well along the Pipeline Road, at the Canopy Tower, and at Cana, Darien. A pair was visiting a nest in a roadside bank along Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower. Later investigation revealed two downy young with their eyes open in the upwardly-slanted nest chamber.
114. Gray-cheeked Nunlet (Nonnula ruficapilla)  [1]
Seen briefly along the Boca del Cupe trail at Cana, Darien.
115. White-fronted Nunbird (Monasa morphoeus)  [3]
Seen only on our last morning along the Mine Trail at Cana, Darien.

BARBETS
116. SPOT-CROWNED BARBET (Capito maculicoronatus)  [8]
PHOTO
One of the first birds we saw, a family group near their nest hole, on arriving at Cana camp, Darien. Also seen along the Pirre Ridge Trail.

TOUCANS
117. Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus)  [1]
One seen briefly in the cloud forest on the Pirre Ridge Trail, Cana, Darien.
118. Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus)  [11]
A few seen along the Pipeline Road and at the Canopy Tower. Most were at Cana, Darien.
119. Yellow-eared Toucanet (Selenidera spectabilis)  [1]
A female was seen perched in a low shrub across a clearing along the Boca del Cupe trail, Cana, Darien.
120. Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)  [38]
Common at the Pipeline Road, the Canopy Tower, and most areas around Cana, Darien.
121. Choco Toucan (Ramphastos brevis)  [1]
Only recently discovered in Panama. Heard near Cana camp, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
122. Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (Ramphastos swainsonii)  [7]
Seen at the Canopy Tower mainly in the mornings and evenings when they called from bare snags in the canopy. Also seen well, but mostly heard, at Cana, Darien.

WOODPECKERS
123. Olivaceous Piculet (Picumnus olivaceus)  [1]
Seen along the Boca del Cupe trail at Cana, Darien.
124. Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani)  [2]
Surprisingly few seen, considering how common it is in Costa Rica and Venezuela. Only found along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Cana, Darien.
125. Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus)  [3]
Two were seen along the Pipeline Road and one was at El Real, Darien. Perhaps we saw so few because we weren't in many open areas.
126. Red-rumped Woodpecker (Veniliornis kirkii)  [1]
Seen briefly along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Cana, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
127. STRIPE-CHEEKED WOODPECKER
        (Piculus callopterus)  [2]
Both were seen quite well, the first along the Pirre Ridge Trail on the way up to the cloud forest, and the second along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien. Endemic to Panama.
128. Cinnamon Woodpecker (Celeus loricatus)  [6]
Three were heard, and one glimpsed very briefly, along the Pipeline Road. Others were heard near Cana and along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
129. Lineated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus)  [4]
Seen along the Pipeline Road and heard at the Canopy Tower. Others were seen well at Cana, Darien.
130. CRIMSON-BELLIED WOODPECKER
        (Campephilus haematogaster)  [2]
A pair was watched at length, giving good views, along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien, on the way up to the cloud forest. Quite a spectacular woodpecker.
131. Crimson-crested Woodpecker (Campephilus melanoleucos)  [2]
One was heard along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower, and one was heard near Cana camp, Darien. New for our AOU area list.

WOODCREEPERS
132. Plain-brown Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla fuliginosa)  [2]
Although Raul said this was the commonest woodcreeper at the Canopy Tower, we only saw one there (and didn't hear any others calling). The other one was along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
133. Ruddy Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla homochroa)  [2]
Both were seen at the antswarm at the Canopy Tower.
134. Olivaceous Woodcreeper (Sittasomus griseicapillus)  [4]
One was at the Canopy Tower, where it was a new bird for their list. All others were along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
135. Wedge-billed Woodcreeper (Glyphorhynchus spirurus)  [1]
Seen only along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
136. Northern Barred-Woodcreeper
        (Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae)  [4]
One was seen very well along the Pipeline Road and three were at the Canopy Tower, including one at the antswarm.
137. Cocoa Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus surussans)  [25]
The most frequently seen, and heard, woodcreeper. Most were at the Canopy Tower, with lesser numbers at the Pipeline Road and at most locations in the Darien.
138. Black-striped Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus lachrymosus)  [4]
One was at the Canopy Tower very close to the road near the top of Semaphore Hill Road. Others were along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
139. Spotted Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus erythropygius)  [4]
Fairly common but only along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
140. Streak-headed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes souleyetti)  [3]
One was along the Boca del Cupe Trail and two were along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
141. Red-billed Scythebill (Campylorhamphus trochilirostris)  [2]
Both were seen well, along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. New for our AOU area list.

OVENBIRDS
142. Slaty Spinetail (Synallaxis brachyura)  [20]
Very common in open areas, particularly in the clearing and garden, around Cana camp, Darien.
143. Red-faced Spinetail (Cranioleuca erythrops)  [4]
Heard only from the tented camp on Pirre Ridge and along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
144. Spotted Barbtail (Premnoplex brunnescens)  [1]
Seen only along the upper part of the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien, on the way up to the cloud forest.
145. Lineated Foliage-gleaner (Syndactyla subalaris)  [10]
Most common around the tented camp on Pirre Ridge, Darien.. Others were along the Pirre Ridge Trail, both above and below the tented camp.
146. Slaty-winged Foliage-gleaner (Philydor fuscipennis)  [10]
Common on the trails around Cana, including the entire length of the Pirre Ridge Trail. Not very "slaty-winged" for the most part. Some individuals even looked more like Montane Foliage-gleaners, which are in a different genus and hasn't been recorded outside of South America.
147. Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner (Automolus ochrolaemus)  [4]
One was seen along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower. All others were in the Darien, with one near Cana, and two along the Pirre Ridge Trail, one below and one above the tented camp.
148. Tawny-throated Leaftosser (Sclerurus mexicanus)  [3]
One was heard at the Canopy Tower and two were heard along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
149. Scaly-throated Leaftosser (Sclerurus guatemalensis)  [1]
One flew across the Boca del Cupe Trail, Darien, and landed a ways back but in full view where it sat motionless (as other leaftossers we've seen have done) for quite a while.
150. Plain Xenops (Xenops minutus)  [7]
Three were at the Pipeline Road and four were at the Canopy Tower.

ANTBIRDS
151. Fasciated Antshrike (Cymbilaimus lineatus)  [6]
Three were seen quite well at the Pipeline Road, and three others were seen at the Canopy Tower.
152. Great Antshrike (Taraba major)  [3]
Two were heard calling from the same places each day at Cana camp, Darien, and one was calling near the airstrip at El Real. New for our AOU area list.
153. Barred Antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus)  [2]
Only one pair was seen in the open scrub near the entrance to the Pipeline Road.
154. Western Slaty-Antshrike (Thamnophilus atrinucha)  [25]
Quite common in the denser forest of the Pipeline Road and the Canopy Tower. Several individuals seen, including males and females. Lesser numbers were in the Darien.
155. Russet Antshrike (Thamnistes anabatinus)  [1]
Seen with a flock of foliage-gleaners just before we got back down to the airstrip near Cana camp, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
156. Plain Antvireo (Dysithamnus mentalis)  [10]
Common along the Pirre Ridge Trail, including around the tented camp, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
157. Pygmy Antwren (Myrmotherula brachyura)  [1]
Seen along the Pirre Ridge Trail in the cloud forest above the tented camp, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
158. Pacific Streaked-Antwren (Myrmotherula pacifica)  [5]
Fairly easily seen in the garden at Cana camp, Darien. Others were along the Boca del Cupe and Mine Trails.  Recently split from Amazonian Streaked-Antwren, which is a little more secretive.
159. Checker-throated Antwren (Myrmotherula fulviventris)  [47]
One of the three commonest antbirds on the trip. Seen well at the Pipeline Road, at the Canopy Tower, and along the trails around Cana, Darien.
160. White-flanked Antwren (Myrmotherula axillaris)  [25]
Locally in good numbers. Seen at Pipeline Road, the Canopy Tower, and at Cana, Darien, with most along the Pirre Ridge Trail at the latter location. New for our AOU area list.
161. Rufous-winged Antwren (Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus)  [3]
Two were seen well in trees above the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, Darien. One other was seen as we were well down the Pirre Ridge Trail.
162. Dot-winged Antwren (Microrhopias quixensis)  [48]
One of the three commonest antbirds on the trip. Seen well at the Pipeline Road, at the Canopy Tower, and along the trails around Cana, Darien.
163. Dusky Antbird (Cercomacra tyrannina)  [30]
One of the three commonest antbirds on the trip. Seen well at the Pipeline Road, at the Canopy Tower, and along the trails around Cana, Darien.
164. Jet Antbird (Cercomacra nigricans)  [1]
One was heard near the entrance to the Pirre Ridge Trail near the airstrip at Cana, Darien.. New for our AOU area list.
165. White-bellied Antbird (Myrmeciza longipes)  [1]
One was heard along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
166. Chestnut-backed Antbird (Myrmeciza exsul)  [25]
Commonly heard, with a few seen, along the Pipeline Road and at the Canopy Tower. Less common at Cana, Darien.
167. Bicolored Antbird (Gymnopithys bicolor)  [4]
First heard, then one seen with the antswarm at the Canopy Tower. Others were heard along the Plantation Trail and near Cana camp, Darien. This species is sometimes lumped with South American White-cheeked Antbird (G. leucaspis, which we've seen), so we may lose this "lifer" soon.
168. Spotted Antbird (Hylophylax naevioides)  [15]
Surprisingly common and easy to see at the Canopy Tower. Our first (a single bird) was at the Pipeline Road. Others were in the weedy vegetation along the Plantation Trail and a couple were at Cana and along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.

ANTTHRUSHES & ANTPITTAS
169. Black-faced Antthrush (Formicarius analis)  [15]
Commonly heard at Pipeline Road, the Canopy Tower, Plantation Trail, and most areas around Cana camp, Darien. One walked plainly into view along the Pipeline Road without any prompting from tapes or whistled imitations!
170. Rufous-breasted Antthrush (Formicarius rufipectus)  [3]
One was seen well (during the rain) along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. This bird just walked along a small ridge about 30 feet off the trail, and as with the previous species we hadn't prompted it with tapes or whistled imitations. Others were heard along that same trail, and from the tented camp higher up. New for our AOU area list, and finally removed from our "heard only" list.
171. Streak-chested Antpitta (Hylopezus perspicillatus)  [3]
Two were heard along the lower stretches of Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower, and one was heard along the Boca del Cupe Trail (along with the next species), Darien.
172. Thicket (Fulvous-bellied) Antpitta (Hylopezus dives)  [3]
Heard only along the Boca del Cupe Trail and the Mine Trail at Cana camp Darien. Formerly lumped with the previous species, their vocal distinctiveness is quite obvious when they occur together as they do here.
173. Ochre-breasted Antpitta (Grallaricula flavirostris)  [1]
Seen sitting in a bare sapling along the Pirre Ridge Trail (during the rain), where it gave us very good views. This is the first member of this genus of small antpittas that we've actually seen! None were heard.

COTINGAS
174. Rufous Piha (Lipaugus unirufus)  [3]
All were along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien, on our way up and on the way down.
175. BLUE COTINGA (Cotinga nattererii)  [2]  PHOTO
Excellent views of males from the Canopy Tower.
176. BLACK-TIPPED COTINGA (Carpodectes hopkei)  [1]
Seen at the last possible minute before we were leaving Cana, Darien. It sat in a tree on a distant ridgetop all through a heavy downpour as we watched it in the scope. This species is said to prefer to perch in the treetops only in the sunny parts of the middle of the day!
177. Purple-throated Fruitcrow (Querula purpurata)  [20]
Most were heard along the Pipeline Road, with a few along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower. A group of 5 was seen along the Mine Trail at Cana, Darien.
178. Sharpbill (Oxyruncus cristatus)  [8]
Only seen along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Cana, Darien. Quite common along this trail, with a few seen and others heard. We haven't seen them this common in any of our other Neotropical travels.

MANAKINS
179. Red-capped Manakin (Pipra mentalis)  [11]
Most were heard, and a few females seen, at the Pipeline Road, along the Plantation Trail, and at the Canopy Tower.
180. Golden-headed Manakin (Pipra erythrocephala)  [4]  PHOTO
Seen mainly in the garden at Cana, Darien, but a couple were also along the Pirre Ridge Trail. New for our AOU area list.
181. Blue-crowned Manakin (Pipra coronata)  [12]
Quite common along the Plantation Trail where one male (of several seen) came closer than our binoculars could focus. Others were around Cana and along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
182. Golden-collared Manakin (Manacus vitellinus)  [15]
Difficult to get a good look at, but they were heard (typical calls of the genus) and glimpsed along Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower, and along the Boca del Cupe Trail, Darien.
183. White-ruffed Manakin (Corapipo altera)  [7]
Mostly males, and a couple of females seen. All were near Cana, Darien, with most along the Pirre Ridge Trail.
184. GREEN MANAKIN (Chloropipo holochlora)  (4]
All were in the Darien, with three around the tented camp along the Pirre Ridge Trail and one along the Mine Trail near Cana camp.

TYRANT FLYCATCHERS & ALLIES
185. Slaty-capped Flycatcher (Leptopogon superciliaris)  [10]
Two were seen along the Pipeline Road, and the remainder were in the Darien. Most were along the Pirre Ridge Trail, but a few were near Cana camp.
186. Common Tody-Flycatcher (Todirostrum cinereum)  [3]
Not particularly common, with only single birds seen. One was along the Pipeline Road and two were in different areas around Cana camp, Darien.
187. Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher (Todirostrum nigriceps)  [1]
Seen well from the observation deck of the Canopy Tower.
188. Paltry Tyrannulet (Zimmerius vilissimus)  [6]  PHOTO
A couple were seen briefly at the Canopy Tower. Others were easily seen in the garden around Cana camp, Darien.
189. Brown-capped Tyrannulet (Ornithion brunneicapillum)  [6]
Most were heard along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien, with one seen briefly. Also heard around Cana camp.
190. Southern Beardless Tyrannulet (Camptostoma obsoletum)  [13]
Most common at the Pipeline Road and along Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower. One was at the airstrip at El Real, Darien.
191. Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet (Tyrannulus elatus)  [2]
One was heard on the Pipeline Road and one was seen along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
192. Forest Elaenia (Myiopagis gaimardii)  [1]
Seen briefly along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
193. Yellow-bellied Elaenia (Elaenia flavogaster)  [11]
Three were along the Pipeline Road and most of the others were in the Darien, around Cana camp and at El real. One was in Panama City on our last afternoon there, an unusual species to find among skyscrapers with sparse landscaping.
194. Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant (Myiornis atricapillus)  [1]
Seen almost at the last minute along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien. Carrying materials apparently to build a nest.
195. Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant (Lophotriccus pileatus)  [5]
Heard only, all in the Darien. Most were along the Pirre Ridge Trail, especially around the tented camp. A couple others were around Cana camp. Much more difficult to see than they were in Ecuador and Costa Rica.
196. SOUTHERN BENTBILL (Oncostoma olivaceum)  [21]
Very common along the Pipeline Road and at the Canopy Tower. A few were around Cana camp and along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. More heard than seen, but several were seen well.
197. Brownish Flycatcher (Cnipodectes subbrunneus)  [6]
A couple were seen well around Cana camp, and others were heard along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
198. Olivaceous Flatbill (Rhynchocyclus olivaceus)  [2]
Both seen well, one along Semaphore Hill Road and one along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower. New for our AOU area list.
199. Yellow-margined Flycatcher (Tolmomyias assimilis)  [5]
One was at the Pipeline Road and two were at the Canopy Tower. Two were along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
200. White-throated Spadebill (Platyrinchus mystaceus)  [1]
Seen briefly along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
201. Golden-crowned Spadebill (Platyrinchus coronatus)  [11]
A few were along Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower. A group was seen along the Plantation Trail. One was along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
202. Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher (Terenotriccus erythrurus)  [5]
Three were along the Pipeline Road and two were in the Darien, one along the Boca del Cupe Trail and one along the Mine Trail near Cana. All were seen well. We've been jinxed by this species as we've had several chances to see it in the Neotropics, but this is the first time we've found it.
203. Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher (Myiobius sulphureipygius)  [3]
One was along the Boca del Cupe Trail and two were along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.
204. Black-tailed Flycatcher (Myiobius atricaudatus)  [4]
Seen in pairs, both along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
205. Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)  [1]
One was seen at the tented camp along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
206. Tropical Pewee (Contopus cinereus)  [1]
One was heard along Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower.
207. Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)  [1]
Seen briefly along the Mine Trail near Cana, Darien.
208. Long-tailed Tyrant (Colonia colonus)  [3]
Two were seen high in a tree along the Pirre Ridge Trail, and one was along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.
209. Bright-rumped Attila (Attila spadiceus)  [15]
Heard frequently at the Canopy Tower and along the Plantation Trail. A few were also heard around Cana camp, Darien.
210. Rufous Mourner (Rhytipterna holerythra)  [7]
Several were seen well along the Pipeline Road. Two were seen along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
211. Sirystes (Sirystes sibilator)  [2]
Both were seen quite well, perched together, along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
212. Dusky-capped Flycatcher (Myiarchus tuberculifer)  [7]
A couple were heard at the Canopy Tower. Others were around Cana camp, and along the Pirre Ridge Trail where one was seen perched.
213. Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)  [5]
Seen along the Pipeline Road, at the Canopy Tower, and along the Boca del Cupe Trail, Darien.
214. Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)  [65]
Seen in the open areas along the Pipeline Road, and from the observation deck in the canopy at the Canopy Tower. Also fairly common in the more open areas around Panama City. Less numerous in the Darien, with most around the airstrip at El Real. A few were around Cana.
215. Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana)  [2]
The first one was on a wire near the Holbrook Airport in Panama City. The other was in the town of El Real.
216. Boat-billed Flycatcher (Megarynchus pitgangua)  [1]
Heard along the Pipeline Road.
217. Streaked Flycatcher (Myiodynastes maculatus)  [1]
Seen along the Pipeline Road.
218. Rusty-margined Flycatcher (Myiozetetes cayanensis)  [2]
Seen in the town of El Real, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
219. Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes similis)  [16]
Seen in pairs or small groups at the Canopy Tower and along the Plantation Trail, as well as in the Darien around Cana and El Real.
220. Gray-capped Flycatcher (Myiozetetes granadensis)  [8]
All were around the clearings and the airstrip at Cana camp, Darien.
221. Piratic Flycatcher (Legatus leucophaius)  [1]
Only seen along the Pipeline Road.
222. Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)  [2]
Much less common than we anticipated, perhaps because we spent so much time in forested areas. Only seen around the airstrip at El Real, Darien.
223. Thrush-like Schiffornis (Schiffornis turdinus)  [8]
One was heard along the Pipeline Road. All others were in the Darien, with a couple seen along the Boca del Cupe Trail and the Pirre Ridge Trail. New for our AOU area list.
224. Cinnamon Becard (Pachyramphus cinnamomeus)  [1]
Seen with a flock as we were finishing our walk on the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
225. Masked Tityra (Tityra semifasciata)  [5]
Most were at the Canopy Tower where we had excellent views from the observation deck. A couple were around the Cana camp and along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.

JAYS & CROWS
226. Black-chested Jay (Cyanocorax affinis)  [12]
The first two were seen well along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower. All others were in the Darien, with good views along the Boca Del Cupe, Pirre Ridge, and Mine Trails. We had only seen this species once before, in Costa Rica, where it is rare.

VIREOS & ALLIES
227. Green Shrike-Vireo (Cyclarhis gujanensis)  [20]
Very common around the Canopy Tower, were their titmouse-like calls were heard all day long. Also heard along the Pipeline Road and the Plantation Trail. One bird came close to the observation deck and, with persistence, we were able to get scope views from about 40 feet away.
228. YELLOW-BROWED SHRIKE-VIREO
         (Cyclarhis eximius)  [1]
Heard along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien, giving a similar but gentler call to the previous species.
229. Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons)  [8]
Seen only in the Darien, where most were along the Pirre Ridge Trail. Others were along the Mine Trail near Cana camp.
230. Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus)  [1]
Seen from the observation deck at the Canopy Tower.
231. Yellow-green Vireo (Vireo flavoviridis)  [1]
Seen along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.
232. Lesser Greenlet (Hylophilus decurtatus)  [15]
Most were heard around the Canopy Tower and the Plantation Trail. A couple were seen from the observation deck. A few were also heard along the Pirre Ridge Trail and the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.

THRUSHES
233. VARIED SOLITAIRE (Myadestes coloratus)  [7]
A couple were heard around the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, Darien. Seen well later as we hiked up higher into the cloud forest.
234. Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus fuscater)  [12]
Seen and heard only along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. Only encountered as we neared the tented camp, and areas above there.
235. Clay-colored Robin (Turdus grayi)  [14]
A few were along the Pipeline Road, with most at the Canopy Tower.
236. White-throated Robin (Turdus assimilis)  [3]
Heard only from the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, Darien, and in the cloud forest higher up.

MOCKINGBIRDS
237. Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus)  [3]
Seen only at El Real, Darien.

WRENS
238. WHITE-HEADED WREN
        (Campylorhynchus albobrunneus)  [5]
Mainly seen around the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, Darien. Two were seen along the Mine Trail near Cana camp.
239. SOOTY-HEADED WREN (Thryothorus spadix)  [4]
Glimpsed briefly along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. Also heard on the Mine Trail near Cana camp.
240. Black-bellied Wren (Thryothorus fasciatoventris)  [8]
First found along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower. Also seen along the Boca del Cupe, Pirre Ridge, and Mine Trails, Darien.
241. Rufous-breasted Wren (Thryothorus rutilus)  [2]
Seen only along Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower.
242. Bay Wren (Thryothorus nigricapillus)  [10]
Only found in the Darien, where it was commonly heard at most locations around Cana camp and along all the trails. A couple were seen briefly. Two were heard near the airstrip at El Real.
243. Stripe-throated Wren (Thryothorus leucopogon)  [2]
Heard only along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
244. Plain Wren (Thryothorus modestus)  [3]
One seen well sitting on a barbed wire fence near the start of the Pipeline Road. Others were heard along the Semaphore Hill Road near the main highway at the Canopy Tower.
245. Buff-breasted Wren (Thryothorus leucotis)  [18]
Seen well along the Pipeline Road, the Plantation Trail, and at the Canopy Tower. More were heard than seen. New for our AOU area list.
246. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)  [3]
Only seen in the town of El Real, Darien.
247. Ochraceous Wren (Troglodytes ochraceus)  [2]
One seen well in the cloud forest above the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, Darien. The other was heard along the Pirre Ridge Trail.
248. White-breasted Wood-Wren (Henicorhina leucosticta)  [7]
Seen briefly along the Pipeline Road, and heard at the Canopy Tower. Also seen and heard along the Pirre Ridge and Mine Trails, Cana, Darien.
249. Gray-breasted Wood-Wren (Henicorhina leucophrys)  [6]
Only seen (briefly but well) and heard at the higher elevations of the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
250. Scaly-breasted Wren (Microcerculus marginatus)  [6]
One was heard along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower. All others were heard in the Darien, with birds along all the trails leading from Cana.
251. Song Wren (Cyphorhinus phaeocephalus)  [5]
A family group was seen very well along the Pipeline Road. Another pair was heard duetting along Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower.

GNATCATCHERS & ALLIES
252. Tawny-faced Gnatwren (Microbates cinereiventris)  [1]
Seen briefly in undergrowth along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.
253. Long-billed Gnatwren (Ramphocaenus melanurus)  [8]
Heard and seen mostly along the Pipeline Road and at the Canopy Tower. Only one was heard in the Darien, along the Boca del Cupe Trail.
254. White-faced (Tropical) Gnatcatcher (Polioptila plumbea)  [8]
Most were along the Pipeline Road where we had good views. Others were at the Canopy Tower and two were along the Boca del Cupe Trail near Cana camp, Darien.

SWALLOWS
255. Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta albilinea)  [10]
Seen only at the wetland near the Panama Canal in Gamboa where we stopped briefly on our way to the Pipeline road.
256. Gray-breasted Martin (Progne chalybea)  [50]
Seen in open areas such as Gamboa and over the forest canopy at the Canopy Tower. Also seen at El Real, Darien, and at Panama City, including Tocumen Airport.
257. Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis)  [40]
Most were in the clearing around Cana camp, Darien. Others were near the airstrip at El Real.
258. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  [2]
Seen only over the airstrip at El Real, Darien.

WOOD WARBLERS
259. Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)  [1]
Seen briefly along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
260. Tennessee Warbler (Vermivora peregrina)  [5]
Most were in the gardens in the clearing around Cana camp, Darien. One was in the town of El Real.
261. Tropical Parula (Parula pitiayumi)  [5]
Heard mainly around Cana camp, Darien, with two along the Pirre Ridge Trail.
262. Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)  [1]
The first one was along the Pipeline Road. All others were in the town of El Real, Darien.
263. Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica)  [8]
A couple each day at the Pipeline Road and at the Canopy Tower.
264. Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca)  [1]
Seen only from the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, Darien.
265. Bay-breasted Warbler (Dendroica castanea)  [12]
A few were around the Canopy Tower, but more numerous in the Darien where they were in most canopy flocks around Cana. One was in the town of El Real.
266. Blackpoll Warbler (Dendroica striata)  [1]
Seen very well from the observation deck of the Canopy Tower on our first morning there. There are only a few records of this species from Panama. Details of the sighting were forwarded to the Panama Audubon Society.
267. Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  [2]
One was seen from the observation deck of the Canopy Tower and the other was along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
268. Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis)  [2]
One was near the nice bridge over the river along Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower, and another was along the river along the Plantation Trail.
269. Louisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla)  [1]
Along the same river on the Plantation Trail as the previous species.
270. Kentucky Warbler (Oporornis formosus)  [6]
All were along the Pipeline Road, with most heard giving their distinctive call, but two were seen well.
271. Mourning Warbler (Oporornis philadelphia)  [5]
Two were along the Pipeline Road and three were in various areas around the clearing at Cana camp, Darien.
272. Slate-throated Redstart (Myioborus miniatus)  [4]
Only seen in the higher cloud forest along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
273. PIRRE WARBLER (Basileuterus ignotus)  [2]
Seen well in the cloud forest along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. This species reminded us of the Black-cheeked Warbler endemic to eastern Costa Rica and western Panama.
274. Buff-rumped Warbler (Phaeothlypis fluvicauda)  [8]
Seen very well on the lower part of the Pirre Ridge Trail, and along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.

SPARROWS & ALLIES
275. Orange-billed Sparrow (Arremon aurantiirostris)  [10]
Good views at the corner of Semaphore Hill Road and the Plantation Trail. Others were seen and heard along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.
276. Black-striped Sparrow (Arremonops conirostris)  [5]
One seen well at the entrance to the Pipeline Road. Others were seen well around the clearing at Cana camp, Darien.
277. Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch (Buarremon brunneinuchus)  [10]
One group was easily seen near the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, Darien. Another group was in the cloud forest along the Pirre Ridge Trail, and yet another group was along this same trail below the tented camp.
278. Black-headed Brush-Finch (Buarremon atricapillus)  [1]
Seen very well along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien. This species is sometimes lumped with the South American species Stripe-headed Brush-Finch, though it doesn't look much like that species.

TANAGERS & ALLIES
279. Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)  [5]
Surprisingly scarce. Only seen around the gardens in the clearing at Cana camp, and in the town of El Real, Darien.
280. PIRRE BUSH-TANANGER (Chlorospingus inornatus)  [20]
Seen very well a short distance away from the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, and also up in the cloud forest along the Pirre Ridge Trail where they were more numerous.
281. Yellow-backed Tanager (Hemithraupis flavicollis)  [1]
Seen briefly along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
282. Black-and-yellow Tanager (Chrysothlypis chrysomelaena)  [14]
Three groups were seen, all in the Darien. The first was in the cloud forest in the higher areas of the Pirre Ridge Trail, the second was below the tented camp along the same trail, and a third smaller group was along the Mine Trail near Cana camp.
283. Dusky-faced Tanager (Mitrospingus cassinii)  [16]
Noisy groups were seen along the lower areas of the Pirre Ridge Trail and along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.
284. LEMON-SPECTACLED TANAGER
        (Chlorothraupis olivacea)  [8]
All were seen in the Darien. The largest group was along the Pirre Ridge Trail, with smaller groups along the Mine Trail near Cana camp.
285. Gray-headed Tanager (Eucometis penicillata)  (2)
Both were seen along Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower, one at the antswarm and another the next day, not associated with an antswarm.
286. Scarlet-browed Tanager (Heterospingus xanthopygius)  [1]
An excellent view of a male in a tree above us along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.
287. White-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus luctuosus)  [27]
The commonest tanager on the trip, with most at the Pipeline Road and around the Canopy Tower. A few were along the trails near Cana camp, Darien.
288. Tawny-crested Tanager (Tachyphonus delatrii)  [1]
Seen with a group of Dusky-faced Tanagers along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
289. Red-throated Ant-Tanager (Habia fuscicauda)  [20]
A noisy group was encountered along the Pipeline Road, and a few were among the noisy flocks of White-shouldered Tanagers in the undergrowth at the Canopy Tower.
290. Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)  [10]
Interestingly, only males were seen. One each along the Pipeline Road and at the Canopy Tower. All the rest were in the Darien, with most seen around the clearing at Cana camp. Two were in the town of El Real.
291. Crimson-backed Tanager (Ramphocelus dimidiatus)  [11]
First seen near the small pond at Gamboa. Others were along the Pipeline Road. Less common in the Darien, where a couple were seen in the clearing at Cana camp, and a couple were near the airstrip at El Real.
292. Flame-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus flammigerus)  [20]
Seen only around the clearing at Cana camp, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
293. Blue-gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)  [25]
Common, as almost everywhere in the tropics.
294. Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum)  [15]
Common, as almost everywhere in the tropics.
295. Yellow-crowned Euphonia (Euphonia luteicapilla)  [1]
A single male was seen along the Pipeline Road.
296. Tawny-capped Euphonia (Euphonia anneae)  [1]
A single male was seen in the top of a sapling along the Plantation Trail.
297. Orange-bellied Euphonia (Euphonia xanthogaster)  [10]
All were in the Darien, with most in the cloud forest along the Pirre Ridge Trail. Others were near the tented camp and farther down along the same trail. A couple were in the town of El Real. New for our AOU area list.
298. Plain-colored Tanager (Tangara inornata)  (4)
Only seen from the observation deck at the Canopy Tower.
299. Emerald Tanager (Tangara florida)  [2]
Seen our last morning along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.
300. Silver-throated Tanager (Tangara icterocephala)  [3]
Seen briefly in the cloud forest along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien.
301. Speckled Tanager (Tangara guttgata)  (4)
All were along the Pirre Ridge Trail below the tented camp, Darien.
302. Bay-headed Tanager (Tangara gryola)  [4]
All were in the Darien, with most along the Pirre Ridge Trail. One was along the Mine Trail near Cana camp.
303. Golden-hooded Tanager (Tanagara larvata)  [13]
Two were seen seen along the Pipeline Road. Most were seen from the observation deck at the Canopy Tower. Two were near the clearing at Cana camp, Darien.
304. GREEN-NAPED TANAGER (Tangara fucosa)  [3]
Only seen in the cloud forest above the tented camp along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. Good views.
305. Scarlet-thighed Dacnis (Dacnis venusta)  [4]
All were along the Pipeline Road.
306. Blue Dacnis (Dacnis cayana)  (15)  PHOTO
Common along the Pipeline Road and at the Canopy Tower. Several seen very well in the gardens around Cana camp, Darien.
307. Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza)  [6]
Seen from the observation deck at the Canopy Tower and along the Plantation Trail. A few were around the clearing at Cana camp, Darien.
308. Swallow-Tanager (Tersina viridis)  [1]
Seen around the clearing at Cana camp. Darien. New for our AOU area list.

BUNTINGS & ALLIES
309. Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola)  [2]
Seen only in El Real, Darien. Likely introduced here. New for our AOU area list.
310. Blue-black Grassquit (Volatinia jacarina)  [3]
Much less common than we expected. One was along the edge of the pond at Gamboa, and two were along the airstrip at El Real, Darien.
311. Variable Seedeater (Sporophila americana)  [95]
Two were near the entrance to the Pipeline Road. All others were in the Darien, with a good number around the airstrip at Cana and the airstrip at El Real.
312. Yellow-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila nigricollis)  [2]
Seen only in the grassy area at the entrance to the Pipeline Road.
313. Dickcissel (Spiza americana)  [1]
Seen only along the airstrip at El Real, Darien.

GROSBEAKS & SALTATORS
314. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)  [4]
One was along the Pipeline Road and three, including one in nearly full breeding plumage, were near the airstrip at El Real, Darien.
315. Yellow-green Grosbeak (Caryothraustes canadensis)  [4]
All were in one flock along the Pirre Ridge Trail, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
316. Slate-colored Grosbeak (Saltator grossus)  [5]
Heard mostly around the Canopy Tower and along the Plantation Trail. One was heard singing from the edge of the clearing at Cana camp, Darien.
317. Buff-throated Saltator (Saltator maximus)  [7]
All were around the clearings and open areas around Cana camp, Darien.
318. Blue-black Grosbeak (Cyanocompsa cyanoides)  [5]
A male and female were seen at the lower end of Semaphore Hill Road at the Canopy Tower. Two females were seen near the tented camp on Cerro Pirre, and another was heard singing on the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.

BLACKBIRDS & ALLIES
319. Crested Oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus)  [5]
One was along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower. All others were in the Darien, with most around the clearing at Cana camp. Two were near the airstrip at El Real. New for our AOU area list.
320. Chestnut-headed Oropendola (Psarocolius wagleri)  [12]
First seen near Gamboa and along the Pipeline Road. Others were along the Plantation Trail and near the Canopy Tower. A few were around the clearing at Cana camp, Darien.
321. Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela)  [9]
Two were along the Pipeline Road. All others were near the clearings at Cana camp, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
322. Scarlet-rumped Cacique (Cacicus uropygialis)  [3]
All were in one group along the Mine Trail near Cana camp, Darien.
323. Yellow-billed Cacique (Amblycercus holosericeus)  [15]
All were at the lower end of Semaphore Hill Road and nearby along the Plantation Trail near the Canopy Tower. Much less secretive than other places we've seen this species.
324. Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater)  [3]
Seen well along the Plantation Trail and at the lower end of Semaphore Hill Road near the Canopy Tower.
325. Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  [1]
Seen in a small tree near the airstrip at El Real, Darien.
326. Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius)  [3]
All were in one group in a small tree with the previous species along the airstrip at El Real, Darien.
327. Red-breasted Blackbird (Sturnella militaris)  [10]
All were near the airstrip at El Real, Darien. New for our AOU area list.
328. Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)  [875]
A very large roost was at Tocumen Airport, seen on our arrival in the dark, and on our departure. Also common around Gamboa, in Panama City, and at El Real, Darien.
329. Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis)  [15]
Most were on the airstrip at Cana camp, Darien. Others were near the airstrip at El Real.
330. Giant Cowbird (Scaphidura oryzivora)  [5]
Seen around the clearing at Cana camp, and near the airstrip at El Real, Darien. New for our AOU area list.