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PANAMA - Canopy Tower and Lodge

12 - 27 January 2011

by Blake Maybank


This was the second trip to Panama for the Canadian-based Maritimes Nature Travel Club.  The first was in 2005, and that trip report is available on-line here.

In 2005 we spent two weeks in-country, the first week at the Canopy Tower, and the second week at a coastal resort on Playa Blanca.  During the second week we contracted with Canopy Tower for three day-trips to the El Valle de Anton area, where the Canopy Lodge is now located (it was under construction in 2005).  

For our return trip we booked our first week, as earlier, at the Canopy Tower, and the second week at the Canopy Lodge.  I pre-arranged all our group’s outings with Raul Parias, the owner and operator of the Tower and the Lodge.


Daily Itinerary:

January 12 - Canada to Panama (not)
January 13 - Newark to Panama
January 14 - Semaphore Hill (a.m.) and Ammo Ponds (p.m.)
January 15 - Pipeline Road & Ammo Ponds (a.m.) and Gamboa Resort (p.m.)
January 16 - Plantation Trail (a.m.) and Chagres River (p.m.)
January 17 - Achiote and the Caribbean coast (full day)
January 18 - Pipeline Road (full day)
January 19 - Rainforest Discovery Centre (a.m.), Summit Metropolitan Park (p.m.), Semaphore Hill (evening)
January 20 - Summit Metropolitan Park (a.m.), Canopy Lodge (p.m.)
January 21 - Las Minas (a.m.) and Cara Iguana (p.m.) trails
January 22 - The Caribbean Slope (Rio Indio and Jordanal)
January 23 - El Valle Market  (a.m.) and Watercress Trail (p.m.)
January 24 - Pacific Coast: El Chiru, Playa Juan Hombron, Playa Santa Clara
January 25 - Cerro Gaitál (a.m.) and Valle Chiquito (p.m.)
January 26 - Altos del María (high altitude excursion)
January 27 - Heading Home (?)


Group Trip Species Lists

Note #1

My photos from this trip are available for viewing here.

Note #2:
 
In all the Daily Bird Lists within this report,
personal World Life Birds are illustrated in Blue,
while personal Panana Life Birds are in Green.



Day One - January 12

Canada to Panama (not)

Most of our group, 11 of 14 participants, were to fly from Halifax to Panama City via Newark, New Jersey.  We always try, whenever possible, to avoid any U.S. city in our travel plans, but regrettably there is as yet no direct service between Canada and Panama, though one will commence next June.  One couple were flying from Toronto via Houston, and our last (but not least) participant flew from Germany via Amsterdam.

A nasty winter storm had passed over the New England states on January 11, and though snowfall amounts were modest by Canadian standards most of the U.S. airports, Newark Liberty included, cancelled most flights on the 11th.  U.S.-based airports always seem to be unprepared for clearing even modest amounts of snow from runways.   Perhaps only Heathrow is worse?

The storm was scheduled to increase in intensity and move into the Halifax area by the afternoon of January 12, our departure date.   Our flight to Newark was delayed by three hours, not because of conditions in Halifax, but because they still had not cleared the runways of snow in Newark.

Our flight did eventually depart Halifax, though 4.5 hours late, which meant we would miss our connecting flight to Panama City.  Did I mention that our carrier was Continental, one of the wretched U.S. based airlines?   It is in the process of amalgamating with United Airlines, and I can’t foresee that there will be any improvement in reliability or customer service.

Our superb travel agent in Halifax had already booked us onto the next day’s afternoon flight from Newark to Panama City, which meant that we would arrive only one day late.  We arrived, perforce, in Newark, but most of our checked luggage did not.  Continental chose to put most of our checked bags on a later flight out of Halifax, and that flight, being a turboprop, was duly cancelled.  This, of course, according to Continental, was not its fault, as they blame everything on the weather.

We overnighted at one of a series of Marriot hotels (one without a restaurant), but an adjacent Marriot Hotel did have a restaurant, and it was within walking distance.  All our group had, fortunately, taken travel insurance for this trip, so our unexpected hotel and meal expenses would be reimbursed, but I am sure everyone became bored with my frequent reminders to "keep your receipts".


Day Two - January 13

Newark to Panama

We spent the morning in the hotel, having a leisurely (and unprepossessing) breakfast, the cost of which was included in the room price.  By looking out of the hotel over the urban barren city scape that surrounds Liberty airport, we did manage to catch sight of a few routine local species with which to begin our trip list: the Big Three (Rock Pigeon, House Sparrow, European Starling), and a few odds and ends, such as Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and Great Black-backed Gull

There was free WIFI at the hotel (unlike Liberty airport, where one must pay), so I was in correspondence with the staff at the Canopy Tower, rearranging our intinerary for the first week, since we were to miss a day.  We scrubbed two "soft" non-nature outings, including a tour of the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal.  Sometimes sacrifices must be made.

We headed to the airport at noon in the hopes of learning more regarding the missing luggage (8 of  11 in the group were without their checked bags), and were distressed to learn that the bags would not arrive in time for our late afternoon flight to Panama City.  We duly boarded that flight, and were surprised that Continental did provide a hot meal of a sort, but they charged for everything else on the plane, including the privilege of watching the seat-back TV. 

We were delayed in our departure from Newark by the long queues for plane de-icing, and as we picked up only a little time on our 5.5 hour flight, we arrived in Panama City just before midnight.  We were picked up by the Canopy Tower, and met our main guide for our Tower stay, Alexis.   The transfer to the Tower was efficient (we saw Peccary in the van’s headlights), and we were in our beds before 0200.  We were fortunate there was little jet lag (Panama is on Eastern Standard time), as we were facing a short night’s sleep.  But our adventure could now truly begin.


Day Three - January 14

Semaphore Hill (a.m.) and Ammo Ponds (p.m.)

Morning


The Canopy Tower is a former radar installation, and there is an exterior platform circling the radar dome, at eye level with the upper canopy of the forest.  The tower sits on top of Semaphore Hill, at roughly 300 metres elevation, and you can look down onto the canal, and to the south to Panama City.  The door to the exterior platform is opened at 0600, roughly 30 minutes before sunrise, and coffee and tea are available.  So one grabs a hot beverage and heads out to watch the sun rise, and listen to the dawn chorus, dominated at first by Ecuadorian Mantled Howler Monkeys.   A Great Tinamou was calling, as was Green Shrike-Vireo, and Blue-headed and Red-lored Parrots flew by.   A Keel-billed Toucan put on a nice show, and there were sightings of commoner species, such as Palm Tanagers (quite unafraid), and some Neotropic migrants, of which Bay-breasted Warbler was the most common.   A distant White Hawk went on to the list, as did White-shouldered and Blue-gray Tanagers, and Scarlet-rumped Caciques.

Our first morning on the Canopy Walk was also a time to greet the other three participants in our group, who had arrived on schedule a day earlier.   They had spent the previous morning birding in the immediate area of the Tower, and had enjoyed the tour of the Multiflores Locks in the afternoon (the tour that the rest of us cancelled in light of our late arrival).  Gerd, Alex, and Joyce were also too polite to list all the birds we’d missed the previous day –  we eventually caught up with most of their discoveries.

Breakfast was at 0730 and, as with all meals at the Tower, it was a delight.  The coffee had already been proven to be superb (this is Panama, after all), but the cold and hot buffet had more than enough to keep everyone content.  Dietary restrictions are catered too, though these should be announced in advance of arrival.  I was personally thrilled to see a wonderful platter of thick bacon (a.k.a “death strips”), a decadent culinary treat that never sees the light of day in our home kitchen.

After breakfast we assembled at the base of the Tower for our first gentle excursion, a walk down the nearly 2 km-long access road that winds up Semaphore Hill.   But we started by enjoying the show at the Tower’s hummingbird feeders, with six species on offer through the day (see list, below - the most common were the Jacobin, and the Blue-chested and Violet-bellied Hummingbirds).  

The first day’s birding in a tropical habitat is always exciting, and there were many attractive species observed, and for most of the group (for 12 of the 14 this was the first trip to Panama) there were many lifers.  Some highlights included Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Gartered Trogon (a former subspecies of Violaceous Trogon, now split), White-necked and White-whiskered Puffbirds, Southern Bentbill, and Golden-winged Warbler.  The warbler and the White-necked Puffbird were new for my Panama list.  We also began to come to grips with the various “ant thingies”, the difficult-to-view-and-photograph-and-identify assemblage of the various antbirds, antwrens, antshrikes, et al.

When we were about half-way down the access road a Tower vehicle arrived with a mid-morning snack of pastries, water, and fruit juices. 

At the base of the hill, where the access road joins the main road along the Panama Canal, the guides had a stake-out roost for Great Potoo, which was my only lifer for the day. 


Morning List for Semaphore Hill (including Canopy Tower) - 54 species:

Great Tinamou (heard only)
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
White Hawk
Scaled Pigeon
Blue-headed Parrot
Red-lored Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Great Potoo
Band-rumped Swift
Long-billed Hermit
White-necked Jacobin
Violet-bellied Hummingbird
Blue-chested Hummingbird
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird
White-vented Plumeleteer
Slaty-tailed Trogon
Gartered Trogon
Black-throated Trogon
Broad-billed Motmot
White-necked Puffbird
White-whiskered Puffbird
Keel-billed Toucan
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Cinnamon Woodpecker
Western Slaty-Antshrike
Checker-throated Antwren
White-flanked Antwren
Dot-winged Antwren
Dusky Antbird
Spotted Antbird
Brown-capped Tyrannulet
Forest Elaenia
Southern Bentbill
Olivaceous Flatbill
Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher (heard only)
Great Crested Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Lesser Greenlet
Green Shrike-Vireo (heard only)
White-breasted Wood-Wren
Long-billed Gnatwren
Golden-winged Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
White-shouldered Tanager
Crimson-backed Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Blue Dacnis
Green Honeycreeper
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Blue-black Grosbeak
Scarlet-rumped Cacique


Afternoon

Upon our return to the Tower we learned that the luggage would not arrive that day.  Maybe tomorrow.  Continental was then the recipient of many fine curses.

Lunch (unlike Continental’s customer support) was fabulous.  The Tower employed the same superb cook that was present on our previous visit, and the food was always wonderful, as was his special home-made hot sauce.  I was going to have to moderate my portions at mealtime.  Maybe tomorrow.

Lunch was at 1230, and our afternoon excursion was not scheduled to start until 1500.  Some took the chance to take a nap, others chose to photograph hummers at the feeders, and those doing so discovered a Brown-capped Tyrannulet nest, with hungry fledglings.  More opportunities to fill those camera memory cards.

Paul was one of our three keen photographers, and the one with the biggest lens.  He was, however, in spiritual and physical agony, as his tripod was in one of the missing suitcases, and he was having to hand-hold his massive camera array.   Even with all his straps and cords to distribute the weight across his upper torso, it was a lot of weight to lug around.  But he persevered.  Hank and Merv had more modest, yet still imposing, cameras and lenses, and Merv birded solely with his camera, eschewing binoculars.   All three photographers were taking large numbers of photos, and Paul’s laptop ran all night long to accommodate the vital back-up process.

By contrast I used a Panasonic point-and-shoot, with a stabilized 24X lens.  It has limitations (anything over 100 ISO is grainy), but it is easy to carry, and the nightly back-up takes 2 minutes.  I still manage some nice shots, and I’m not aiming for magazine covers, in any case.

We left after 1500 and drove down the hill, then north along the canal, over the Chagres River, to the famous “Ammo Ponds”.   There was quite a different array of species on offer, most associated with the wetland area, or the adjacent Panama Canal.  Some were guaranteed to elicit wonder and approval, such as Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Black-throated Mango, Wattled Jacana, and Crimson-crested Woodpecker.  There were many swallows and martins, and when they rested on power lines it was useful to be able to compare Southern and Northern Rough-winged Swallows.  The Crimson-backed Tanager was showy, as were the Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Purple Gallinule, Yellow-tailed Oriole, and Yellow-rumped Cacique. 

I’ve attached a few photos with this posting, including a digiscoped female Black-throated Mango - a record shot only, but this lovely species deserves every photo.


Afternoon List for the Ammo Ponds - 42 species:

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Neotropic Cormorant
Magnificent Frigatebird
Rufescent Tiger-Heron
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Gray Hawk
Yellow-headed Caracara
White-throated Crake (many heard (loudly!), and one briefly glimpsed)
Purple Gallinule
Wattled Jacana
Pale-vented Pigeon
Ruddy Ground-Dove
White-tipped Dove
Greater Ani
Black-throated Mango
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Crimson-crested Woodpecker
Barred Antshrike
Great Kiskadee
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Gray-breasted Martin
Mangrove Swallow
Clay-colored Thrush
Tropical Mockingbird
Yellow Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
White-shouldered Tanager
Crimson-backed Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Blue-black Grassquit
Variable Seedeater
Great-tailed Grackle
Yellow-tailed Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Yellow-rumped Cacique


Day Four - January 15

Pipeline Road & Ammo Ponds (a.m.) and Gamboa Resort (p.m.)

Morning


There was still no luggage.  Patience was wearing thinner than repeatedly hand-washed T-shirts.  We were filled with thoughts of revenge and retribution.

I recalled a wonderful viral video by the Canadian singer Dave Carroll called “United Breaks Guitars”, and I wondered if a similar video directed at Continental might be called for.  While travelling to Panama I’d listened to the song “Valparaiso” by the Irish singer Rita Connolly, and it became my daily Ohrwurm (or Earworm).  You can listen to a snip of the melody here, and the song’s lyrics are here.  

I began re-writing the lyrics to suit our particular despair.   This is what I’ve come up with:

------------------------------------------
He was singing about Continental,
Singing as though in a dream.
A southern vacation with birds in the trees.
He thought of his suitcase and started to scream.

Chorus:

    And he cried “Continental.  Continental.
    When will I see my lost luggage again?
    Continental, Continental,
    Hardens the heart of a kind-hearted man.”

He was singing of phoning the airline,
“Your call is important, please hold”
Fair words and foul words, of begging and pleas,
Bags gone astray o’er the wide southern seas.

Chorus:

We all sat in the baggage claim office,
Our tears falling onto the floor.
“No luggage today” and that’s not a surprise,
The only bags there were the ones ‘neath our eyes.

Chorus:


But now back to our regular program.

We had an early 0530 breakfast so that we could be at the start of the Pipeline Road at first light.  But we were waylaid by a large feeding flock at the turn-off to the Pipeline Road, with Brown-hooded Parrots doing a star turn, along with Golden-collared Manakin, Black-tailed Flycatcher, Tropical Gnatcatcher, and others.

The feeding flock eventually melted away, so we headed for the entrance gate to the Pipeline Road, but not before the group astride the “Rainfomobile” saw two Little Tinamous run across the road; those of us in the 4X4 truck missed them, regretably.

We alternately walked and drove the section of the Pipeline Road as far as the turn-off to the Rainforest Discovery Centre.  We had no further feeding flocks, but we came upon a few birds, such as Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Black-tailed Trogon, Lineated Woodpecker, and Bicolored Antbird.  

I also managed a few more butterfly photos.

There were other attractions as well.  It was not the main flowering season but one plant caught everyone’s eye (photo below), and there were always insects to keep us entertained.   This was especially so for the ubiquitous Leafcutter Ants, which were encountered many times a day.  On this morning, however, we saw a new side to their relentless activity – their recycling efforts.  I deemed this worthy of a short video.



Leafcutter Ants Cleaning House


Despite the flurry of activity at the start of this field trip the final tally for our first Pipeline Road adventure was only 36 species.

Pipeline Road Bird List

Little Tinamou
Black Hawk-Eagle
Brown-hooded Parrot
Red-lored Parrot
Mealy Parrot
Violet-bellied Hummingbird
Black-tailed Trogon
Black-throated Trogon
Pied Puffbird
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Keel-billed Toucan
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
Dot-winged Antwren
Dusky Antbird
Bicolored Antbird
Spotted Antbird
Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Black-tailed Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Piratic Flycatcher
Golden-collared Manakin
Cinnamon Becard
Golden-fronted Greenlet
Green Shrike-Vireo
Plain Wren
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Bay-breasted Warbler
Plain-colored Tanager
Blue Dacnis
Shining Honeycreeper
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Buff-throated Saltator
Summer Tanager
Blue-black Grosbeak
Yellow-tailed Oriole

Once we left the Pipeline Road we made a short stop at the Ammo Ponds, and were glad we did, as we had a quick view of a rarely-seen raptor, the Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon.  A small flock of Smooth-billed Anis was also new for our trip list.

Ammo Ponds Bird List - 15 January

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Rufescent Tiger-Heron
Great Egret
Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon
White-throated Crake
Purple Gallinule
Common Moorhen
Wattled Jacana
Smooth-billed Ani
Great Kiskadee
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Gray-breasted Martin
Mangrove Swallow
Tropical Mockingbird


Afternoon

We had lunch at the Tower, and in the early afternoon interlude before our 1500 departure some of the group taking photographs around the hummingbird feeders were fortunate to witness a brief visit of a female Rufous-crested Coquette which, eschewing the feeders, probed a few flowers before zipping away.  This is considered a rare hummer at the Tower, so those who saw it felt privileged.

At 1500 we boarded the Rainfomobile and the truck, and headed to the Gamboa Resort, on the north side of the Chagres River, just across the one-way bridge.  At the bridge, while waiting our turn to cross, we saw a short-tailed Fork-tailed Flycatcher, that still seemed quite regal despite not bearing the long train. 

The Gamboa Resort is very large, the antithesis of the Canopy Tower resort, and we were unanimous in deciding that we’d chosen the better facility for our base of operations.  The Gamboa operation even has its own internal shuttle service – heaven forebear that the guests should have to walk.  We walked, naturally, and enjoyed a surprising variety of bird life.  There were feeders, and a mix of habitats: grass, shrubs, trees, thickets. 

Southern Lapwings greeted us as we disembarked our vehicles, and there were flycatchers everywhere, not surprising given the amount of edge habitat, including Great and Lesser Kiskadees, Southern Beardless Tyrannulet, and Streaked, Boat-billed, and Social Flycatchers.  The platform feeders attracted many tanagers, including Flame-rumped and Crimson-backed, and a Black-striped Sparrow foraged on the ground underneath.  Another female Rufous-crested Coquette appeared, and this time everyone saw it.  

Other enjoyable sightings included Whooping Motmot (one of the recent multi-species split of Blue-crowned Motmot), Gray-headed Chachalaca, Black-striped Woodcreeper, and Blue-black Grosbeak.

As dusk fell we headed back to the Tower for a wonderful supper.

Here is our list from Gamboa.   Despite its length there were no life birds for me.  But for most in our group there were many.

Bird List from Gamboa Resort, Chagres River - 67 species

Gray-headed Chachalaca
Neotropic Cormorant
Magnificent Frigatebird
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Snail Kite
Yellow-headed Caracara
White-throated Crake
Southern Lapwing
Wattled Jacana
Pale-vented Pigeon
Ruddy Ground-Dove
White-tipped Dove
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Blue-headed Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Band-rumped Swift
White-necked Jacobin
Black-throated Mango
Rufous-crested Coquette
Violet-bellied Hummingbird
Slaty-tailed Trogon
Gartered Trogon
Whooping Motmot
Keel-billed Toucan
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Black-striped Woodcreeper
Great Antshrike (heard only)
Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Common Tody-Flycatcher
Lesser Kiskadee
Great Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Streaked Flycatcher
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Blue Cotinga
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Gray-breasted Martin
Buff-breasted Wren
House Wren
Clay-colored Thrush
Tropical Mockingbird
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
White-shouldered Tanager
Crimson-backed Tanager
Flame-rumped Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Green Honeycreeper
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Buff-throated Saltator
Black-headed Saltator
Variable Seedeater
Thick-billed Seed-Finch
Black-striped Sparrow
Blue-black Grosbeak
Great-tailed Grackle
Yellow-tailed Oriole
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Chestnut-headed Oropendola


Day Five - January 16

Plantation Trail (a.m.) and Chagres River (p.m.)


Morning


We awoke to the usual chorus of Ecuadorian Mantled Howler Monkeys and Great Tinamous.   We were on the Tower’s canopy level just after six, and spent the next 90 minutes enjoying the dawn activity.  Each morning is different, and on this day all of us caught up with views of the reclusive Green Shrike-Vireo, though it took some time – it is a loud singer, but very difficult to spot.  But Alexis is remarkable at finding birds.  

A perched raptor at a great distance caused some consternation.  Even through the scope there was little detail to discern, though Alexis confidently proclaimed the bird to be a Semiplumbeous Hawk.  This would have been a lifer for all of us, myself included, but I couldn’t, myself, consider the view to be “countable”.  I had complete faith in Alexis’ ID, and would put the bird on the trip list, but each member of the group would have to decide what was appropriate for his or her own life-list – as it should be.

Our morning’s excursion was to be on the Plantation Trail, part of the trail system in Soberanía National Park.   The trail head is at the foot of Semaphore Hill, with the parking lot adjacent to the gate for the Canopy Tower’s access road.  Gerd, Pat, and I were ready before the planned departure of the Rainfomobile, so we started walking down the hill, to be picked up by the rest of the group once they were en route.  We were glad we made this decision.  It was rather quiet for the first few hundred metres but I then noticed quite a commotion from a flock of small birds near the road, and it was Pat that picked out the cause for the avian alarm calls – a large Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator).  It was motionless (and it was too shady for my point-and-shoot camera), but an assortment of birds flitted about, in some consternation.  The mob changed members frequently, but we picked out Fasciated Antbird, Orange-billed Sparrow, Fulvous-vented Euphonia, and a variety of the more common “ant thingys”.   We remained in situ until we were joined by the rest of the group, and everyone enjoyed views of the snake.  The snake gradually withdrew from the scene, so we headed to the start of the Plantation Trail.

The excitement with the snake meant that we were somewhat late starting our hike, and there was less bird activity than we might have wished for.  We also had the novelty of sharing the trail with non-birders, as it is popular with mountain bikers and joggers, though there few of either. Their infrequent passage was not an imposition.

Though birds were short on quantity we enjoyed some quality.  A few species stand out in particular.  A pair of Black-faced Antthrushes were cooperative, as were a noisy flock of Purple-throated Fruitcrows that attended us for many minutes.   The highlight, though, was Alexis’s discovery of a perched Semiplumbeous Hawk –  yes, the same species (individual?) that had taunted us with distant looks from the Tower earlier that morning.  The bird lingered permitting extended viewing through the scope, which erased any doubts anyone had about including this lovely bird on their life lists.  

The morning’s hike seemed to pass by very rapidly, and we returned to the Tower to be welcomed by the over-due news that the lost luggage would arrive just after lunch.  Cheers all ‘round.  Our afternoon outing was not scheduled until 1500 which gave people time to reacquaint themselves with their belongings, or to photograph hummingbirds.


Morning List - Semaphore Hill (including both Canopy Tower & Plantation Trail) - 52 species


Great Tinamou   (Heard only)
Gray-headed Kite
Semiplumbeous Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Gray Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Collared Forest-Falcon
Mealy Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Short-tailed Swift
Long-billed Hermit
White-necked Jacobin
Rufous-crested Coquette
Violet-bellied Hummingbird
Blue-chested Hummingbird
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird
White-vented Plumeleteer
Black-throated Trogon
Rufous Motmot
Broad-billed Motmot
White-whiskered Puffbird
Keel-billed Toucan
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Crimson-crested Woodpecker
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Fasciated Antshrike
Western Slaty-Antshrike
Checker-throated Antwren
Dot-winged Antwren
Dusky Antbird
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Black-faced Antthrush
Brown-capped Tyrannulet
Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet
Paltry Tyrannulet
Olivaceous Flatbill
Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Purple-throated Fruitcrow
White-breasted Wood-Wren
Tennessee Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
White-shouldered Tanager
Palm Tanager
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Orange-billed Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Yellow-crowned Euphonia
Fulvous-vented Euphonia


Afternoon

Our second excursion of the day was a repeat visit to the Chagres River, but this time outside of the Gamboa Resort, in public land closer to the one-way bridge crossing at the mouth of the river.  There was a different mix of species than our first visit to the river, and while several new trip birds were a bit less than stunning (American Coot and Spotted Sandpiper for example), some provoked more interest, especially a lovely male Prothonotary Warbler which, although not a lifer for most in the group, is a neotropic migrant rarely seen in eastern Canada, so was eagerly sought out. And everyone had lovely looks.

The Royal Tern was new to our list, as were the Great-tailed Grackles, but most were repeats of earlier excursions.  But there were new photographic opportunities, and everyone enjoyed the close (but not too close) views of American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus).  

Afternoon List - Chagres River - 52 species
(Coincidently the same number of species as our morning list)


Brown Pelican
Magnificent Frigatebird
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Yellow-headed Caracara
Bat Falcon
Purple Gallinule
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Wattled Jacana
Spotted Sandpiper
Royal Tern
Pale-vented Pigeon
Scaled Pigeon
White-tipped Dove
Greater Ani
Black-throated Mango
Blue-chested Hummingbird
Gartered Trogon
Keel-billed Toucan
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet
Common Tody-Flycatcher
Lesser Kiskadee
Great Kiskadee
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Gray-breasted Martin
Mangrove Swallow
Buff-breasted Wren (heard only)
House Wren
Clay-colored Thrush
Yellow Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Blue Dacnis
Green Honeycreeper
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Variable Seedeater
Great-tailed Grackle
Yellow-rumped Cacique


Some new mammals for our day list, seen on the morning Plantation Trail walk, were Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus) and Geoffroy's Tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi).  And we saw a Basilisk Lizard (a.k.a. Jesus Lizard) (Basiliscus sp.).

Coming up tomorrow: our long day trip to Achiote and the Caribbean coast.


Day Six - January 17

Achiote and the Caribbean coast (full day)

This day’s outing required our earliest start time – though not as early as I’d feared.  On our previous trip, six years earlier, we’d had to leave the Tower by 0330 for the nearly three-hour drive to the Achiote Road, near Colón, on the Caribbean coastline.  The highway linking Panama City with Colón was two lane, winding, and tedious in the dark.   But it was necessary to reach the bird-rich Achiote Road area at dawn.  In 2011, however, we didn’t have to depart until 0500, because since 2005 a 4-lane toll highway had been built linking the two cities, and a long day-trip became less arduous.

The Achiote Road area is renowned for its rich bird life, much of which is due to its passing through the San Lorenzo National Park (Área Protegida San Lorenzo).

Just how avian rich is it?  This is the site of the Atlantic Canal Area Christmas Bird Count circle, whose participants routinely tally the highest total of any Christmas Bird Count in the country, between 320 and 350 species.  We weren’t expecting any such totals ourselves, but we were hoping for a productive day.

Before we could start our birding we had first to cross the Panama Canal, which we did at the series of locks closest to Colón, the Gatún Locks.  We had roughly a 10 minute wait, not onerous, unlike our 2005 outing, where we were stuck for more than an hour.   While we waited we watched the interplay of locks, cargo vessels, and a stunning yacht, whose name was spelled out in bright lights in the early dawn – the “Vibrant Curiosity”.   We ourselves were curious regarding this vessel, and we later Googled it.  What did we find?   The "Vibrant Curiosity".

We covered only a small stretch of the road, but had plenty of sight and sound to distract us.  There were many new birds.  Red-lored Parrot.  Green Hermit.  White-tailed Trogon.   Crane Hawk (overhead).  White-headed Wren.  Black-breasted and Pied Puffbirds.   Great Antshrike (heard only).  Gray-capped Flycatcher.  Golden-hooded Tanager.  Yellow-crowned Euphonia.  Black-crowned Tityra.  And many more.

It was necessary to bird only from the road, as the area, a former U.S. military firing range, still has unexploded ordnance.  No point risking your life for a life bird.

We didn’t linger over our mid-morning snack, as there was more to see.   We investigated more forest and fields (finding Slaty-tailed Trogon, Limpkin, and Short-tailed Hawk), and explored a stretch of river (the northern extension of the Rio Chagres, flowing out of Gatún Lake), with a variety of herons, and a remarkable concentration of Black Vultures.  This latter assemblage was worthy of a short video.



But we were ready for a break by the time lunch rolled around – and what a lunch!   The Canopy Tower really knows how to put on a picnic.  

Following our leisurely lunch we drove to San Lorenzo Fort for a too-brief visit.   There were lovely views of the Caribbean Sea, and the ruins of the fort were photogenic.  Our “dream bird” was Yellowish Pipit, and of course we didn’t see one, but we did add a couple of unexpected trip birds, Yellow-rumped “Myrtle” Warbler (Dendroica coronata coronata), and “Western” Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum palmarum).  

After our fort visit we stopped in a Mangrove area in an unsuccessful search for Mangrove Cuckoo, and had to be content with lovely views of White-tailed Trogon

But again we couldn’t linger, as we had a train to catch, and didn’t wish to risk missing it by getting hung up in traffic waiting to cross back over the Gatún Locks. But we crossed with time to spare, and spent some of it seeking out (and finding) Saffron Finch.

We then boarded the Panama Canal Railway Company’s Transcontinental Train, which takes a bit more than one hour to cross the continent.  The train was not full, though the single dome car was.  our group had dome car seats, and with the bar serving local beers for just one dollar each, we got a nice buzz on as we made our quick air-conditioned traverse of Panama.  We expected to see Snail Kites on this trip, and were not disappointed – we saw more than 50, including a congregation of at least 25 birds.  

We were back to the Tower in time for supper.  A great day.

In addition to the birds we saw this day (list to follow) we also had some new mammals for our list: Variegated Squirrel (Sciurus variegatoides), Crab-eating Raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus), and Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni).   Despite intermittent showers during the morning I managed to photograph a variety of butterflies and dragonflies. 


Day’s Bird List - 17 Jan - Achiote Road & San Lorenzo - 111 species


Brown Pelican
Neotropic Cormorant
Magnificent Frigatebird
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Crane Hawk
Common Black-Hawk
Gray Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Yellow-headed Caracara
Bat Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
White-throated Crake
Purple Gallinule
Common Moorhen
Limpkin
Southern Lapwing
Wattled Jacana
Spotted Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Rock Pigeon
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Brown-hooded Parrot
Blue-headed Parrot
Red-lored Parrot
Mealy Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Greater Ani
Smooth-billed Ani
Band-rumped Swift
Green Hermit
Long-billed Hermit
White-necked Jacobin
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Slaty-tailed Trogon
White-tailed Trogon
Gartered Trogon
Ringed Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Black-breasted Puffbird
Pied Puffbird
Spot-crowned Barbet
Collared Aracari
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Keel-billed Toucan
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
Crimson-crested Woodpecker
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Great Antshrike
Western Slaty-Antshrike
Dot-winged Antwren
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Black-faced Antthrush
Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet
Common Tody-Flycatcher
Lesser Kiskadee
Great Kiskadee
Social Flycatcher
Gray-capped Flycatcher
Streaked Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Golden-collared Manakin
Black-crowned Tityra
Lesser Greenlet
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Gray-breasted Martin
White-headed Wren
Black-bellied Wren
Bay Wren
Plain Wren
House Wren
Tennessee Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Bananaquit
White-shouldered Tanager
Flame-rumped Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Blue Dacnis
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Buff-throated Saltator
Black-headed Saltator
Variable Seedeater
Saffron Finch
Red-breasted Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Yellow-backed Oriole
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Chestnut-headed Oropendola
Yellow-crowned Euphonia
Thick-billed Euphonia
Fulvous-vented Euphonia


Day 7 - January 18

Pipeline Road (full day)

We headed back to the Pipeline Road, this time for the Full Monty treatment, aboard 4WD vehicles, which were required to tackle the untamed muddy road.   With Alexis’s advice we walked certain stretches of the road, and we were then driven further along to the next likely portion.  

But wait: what is this Pipeline Road of which I speak?   A quick orientation.  The road was built by the U.S. military in W.W.II to aid in the construction and maintenance of an oil pipeline, to be use in the event that the canal became inoperational.  But it was never used, and since W.W.II the road has been more or less left to its own devices.  The road now lies completely with Soberanía National Park, and while there has been intermittent grading and clearing of the road, it has become a rougher and rougher ride, now requiring 4WD vehicles in all seasons.  Progress along the road is measured by the crossing of small rivers, and the bridges are also becomming increasingly dubious.  How long is the road?  I’ve read a reference to it being 17+ km, but from the map it looks to be longer.  

I have prepared an orientation map, included with this post as one of the photos.  It was based on a map at the Plantation Trailhead parking lot, but I’ve jazzed it up.  And along the Pipeline Road I’ve indicated a “Wash-Out”, at roughly KM 9.2.  This occurred last December during a period of extremely heavy rains, that caused much disruption across the country, and even caused the Canal to be closed for a period of time.   Will the national park (or the national government) repair or rebuild the road at the wash-out?   I deem it unlikely which, if my prediction holds, means that half the Pipeline Road will no longer be of practical access, save for those will to undertake a long hike.


Map of the Pipeline Road, Panama

To further complete your orientation of the Pipeline Road I took a hand-held video of the rougher sections of the road, from the perspective of the 4WD truck, which followed the 4WD “Birdmobile”.  Thrills, chills, but no spills.  The video (13 minutes long, an eternity) is on-line on Youtube.  There is no narration, but it will at least impart a sense of what driving the road is like. 



One of the day’s highlights came early on, with the sighting of a Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) , munching its way through an ant nest (it looked as if it were eating a cob of corn).  This was a fine addition to our mammal list, as were the White-headed (or White-faced) Capuchins (Cebus capucinus) we saw soon after.  There were many new birds: we added two more manakins (Blue-crowned and Red-capped) to our trip list, and the Great Jacamar, which unfortunately was heard only.  Alexis continued to show his mettle as our leader, and despite us birding within a jungle he never stopped looking up, and he thereby alerted us to King Vulture and Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts.

The activity was neither constant nor frenetic, but there were many birds and other diversions, such that before we knew it (notwithstanding the mid-morning snack and the wonderful picnic lunch), it was mid-afternoon, and time to drive back.  In any case we could go no further along the Pipeline Road, for we had reached the Wash-Out.

So we slithered and slipped and slogged our way back the way we’d come, but our day was not over.  Alexis, who needed no further excuse to demonstrate his superb birding and leadership qualities, did something quite remarkable.  Despite driving the Birdmobile, and keeping one eye always on the road, he noted something off the road down a shrubby, shaded slope, a grayish lump that aroused his curiosity.  The vehicles stopped, and he proudly pointed out a Great Tinamou which, confident of its camouflage, remained still (or nearly so) for quite a while, allowing everyone extended views of this secretive (usually “heard-only”) species, and despite the low light level I snapped a record shot or two.  

This was a most satisfying end to a memorable day of birding.


Bird List - 19 January 2011 - The Pipeline Road - 69 species


Great Tinamou
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
King Vulture
Black Hawk-Eagle
Gray-chested Dove
Brown-hooded Parrot
Red-lored Parrot
Band-rumped Swift
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
Long-billed Hermit
Stripe-throated Hermit
Slaty-tailed Trogon
Black-throated Trogon
Rufous Motmot
Broad-billed Motmot
Green Kingfisher
Pied Puffbird
White-whiskered Puffbird
Great Jacamar
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Keel-billed Toucan
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Cinnamon Woodpecker
Crimson-crested Woodpecker
Plain Xenops
Plain-brown Woodcreeper
Black-striped Woodcreeper
Fasciated Antshrike
Western Slaty-Antshrike
Spot-crowned Antvireo
Checker-throated Antwren
Moustached Antwren
White-flanked Antwren
Dot-winged Antwren
Dusky Antbird
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Bicolored Antbird
Spotted Antbird
Black-faced Antthrush
Streak-chested Antpitta
Brown-capped Tyrannulet
Forest Elaenia
Gray Elaenia
Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant
Yellow-margined Flycatcher
Golden-crowned Spadebill
Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Purple-throated Fruitcrow
Blue-crowned Manakin
Red-capped Manakin
Green Shrike-Vireo
Bay Wren
White-breasted Wood-Wren
Song Wren
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Tennessee Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Gray-headed Tanager
White-shouldered Tanager
Flame-rumped Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Green Honeycreeper
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Chestnut-headed Oropendola


Day 8 - January 19

Rainforest Discovery Centre (a.m.), Summit Metropolitan Park (p.m.), Semaphore Hill (evening
)


Morning

On our previous visit in 2005 the Rainforest Discovery Centre had not been developed, so we were keen to visit it.  On the drive to the tower we stopped for Gray-necked Wood-Rails that crossed our path, but otherwise we didn’t stop until we reached the Centre.

Morning visits are preferable, both for the birds, and to avoid the heat of the day for the long climb up to the top of the Centre’s Observation Tower (someone in our group counted the steps, but I forgot to record the number – there were many steps. . .).   Reservations for the tower must be made for the preferred morning period, and there is a limit on the number of observers at that time.   But the limit was sufficiently large to accommodate all our group, plus two smaller groups, and a few independent birders.   There was certainly room on top for all us, though some gymnastics were needed for the queue at the scopes. [Note: the tower was solidly constructed, with minimal vibration and swaying, so scoping was not a problem].

The target bird from the tower was the Blue Cotinga – there had been a brief unsatisfactory view earlier on one of our Chagres River outings, but the species showed well for all at the tower, and other birds made the list as well, including Gray-headed and Double-toothed Kite, and Short-billed Pigeon.

The tower offers no shade, and as the sun rose it became increasingly uncomfortable, so we repaired to the Discovery Centre, where there are WCs, a gift shop, and many hummingbird feeders.  Most of the hummers were the same species as those at the Canopy Tower, but there regular visits by a couple of different species, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and White-vented Plumeleteer.

After the hummer feeder watching we hiked the Lago Trail to Calamito Lake, where a few water birds were in view, and a Thrush-like Schiffornis performed in the underbrush nearby.  Brownish Twistwing and White-bellied Antbird were new to the trip list. 


Morning’s Bird List - Rainforest Discovery Centre - 63 Species


Great Tinamou
Pied-billed Grebe
Brown Pelican
Magnificent Frigatebird
Rufescent Tiger-Heron
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Gray-headed Kite
Double-toothed Kite
Gray-necked Wood-Rail (along Pipeline Road en route to Centre)
Common Moorhen
Wattled Jacana
Scaled Pigeon
Short-billed Pigeon
Blue-headed Parrot
Red-lored Parrot
Mealy Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Band-rumped Swift
Long-billed Hermit
White-necked Jacobin
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
Violet-bellied Hummingbird
Blue-chested Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
White-vented Plumeleteer
Black-tailed Trogon
Broad-billed Motmot
Pied Puffbird
Keel-billed Toucan
Cinnamon Woodpecker
Fasciated Antshrike
Western Slaty-Antshrike
Dot-winged Antwren
White-bellied Antbird
Bicolored Antbird
Forest Elaenia
Brownish Twistwing
Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher
Black-tailed Flycatcher
Bright-rumped Attila
Great Kiskadee
Social Flycatcher
Blue Cotinga
Golden-collared Manakin
Masked Tityra
Thrush-like Schiffornis
Song Wren
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Golden-winged Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Gray-headed Tanager
White-shouldered Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Blue Dacnis
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Red-throated Ant-Tanager
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Yellow-rumped Cacique


Afternoon

Our afternoon field trip was to Summit Metropolitan Park.  This excursion usually includes visiting the Summit Ponds, but this area was temporarily closed due to damage from the previous month’s heavy rains.

The park is popular with Panamanians on weekends, but was not too busy when we were present.  We accumulated a modest list of species, but there were some new ones for the trip, including Masked Tityra, Rufous-breasted Wren, Panama Flycatcher, and two different cowbirds, Great and Shiny (it sounds like a good name for a band – the Great and Shiny Cowbirds).

Then back to the Tower for supper, after which a night excursion.


Afternoon’s Bird List - Summit Metropolitan Park - 40 species

Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Yellow-headed Caracara
White-tipped Dove
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
Gartered Trogon
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
Paltry Tyrannulet
Common Tody-Flycatcher
Yellow-olive Flycatcher
Panama Flycatcher
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Streaked Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Blue Cotinga
Masked Tityra
Gray-breasted Martin
Rufous-breasted Wren
House Wren
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Yellow Warbler
White-shouldered Tanager
Crimson-backed Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Plain-colored Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Variable Seedeater
Summer Tanager
Great-tailed Grackle
Shiny Cowbird
Giant Cowbird
Yellow-backed Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Chestnut-headed Oropendola
Thick-billed Euphonia


Evening

Our post-supper night excursion consisted of a slow drive down Semaphore Hill on the Rainfomobile, with Alexis shining a bright Q-beam on the surrounding forest.  There were other flashlights in play as well, but Alexis had the experience, skill, and brightest light, and so found most of the attractions.  We did not encounter any owls, but there were some new mammals (all nocturnal) for our list, including Derby’s (or Central American) Wooly Opossum (Caluromys derbianus), Kinkajou (Potos flavus), and Bushy-tailed Olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii). 

The prize of the evening, however, was the discovery of a large pit viper snake, Bothrops asper, known locally as Terciopelo, but often called a Fer-de-lance, though this latter common name is applied to at least four different species across the Americas.  The individual we saw was on a horizontal tree branch, at least 4 to 5 metres above the ground.  And it was immense, apparently 2 metres in length, and so likely a female.  I had always imagined them as much smaller.   Well, the babies are, at least.

We were relieved to see the species under such relatively safe circumstances.  They are often found near (or even inside) buildings, so bites are not rare, as the snakes are said to be irritable and often aggressive.  There are anti-venoms available, so the number of deaths from bites is much reduced, but any bite is a serious matter.

An exciting night excursion.


Day 9 - January 20

Summit Metropolitan Park (a.m.), Canopy Lodge, El Valle de Antón (p.m.)

Morning

This was our transfer day to El Valle, but the morning began with an alteration to the schedule.  The company that had been contracted to supply a bus and driver to transport our group had recorded an incorrect start time, so instead of a departure after breakfast the new schedule did not have the bus arriving before 1100.  But the Canopy Tower reacted quickly, and after a discussion with Alexis we decided on a morning excursion to Summit Metropolitan Park.  The bus would pick up our luggage at the Tower, then pick us up for the transfer to El Valle. 

The park was productive, and we enjoyed a busy morning, and the photographers had a lot of fun.  Paul, however, was looking the wrong way when a Gray-headed Kite flew overhead: it was the third time he dipped on this species. 

Morning's Bird List - Summit Metropolitan Park - 52 species


Gray-headed Chachalaca
Magnificent Frigatebird
Gray-headed Kite
Gray Hawk
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Short-tailed Swift
Band-rumped Swift
White-necked Jacobin
Violet-bellied Hummingbird
Keel-billed Toucan
Lineated Woodpecker
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Brown-capped Tyrannulet
Common Tody-Flycatcher
Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher
Yellow-olive Flycatcher
Panama Flycatcher
Lesser Kiskadee
Great Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Streaked Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Blue Cotinga
Yellow-throated Vireo
Green Shrike-Vireo
Buff-breasted Wren
Plain Wren
House Wren
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Clay-colored Thrush
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
White-shouldered Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Plain-colored Tanager
Bay-headed Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Buff-throated Saltator
Variable Seedeater
Summer Tanager
Indigo Bunting
Great-tailed Grackle
Giant Cowbird
Yellow-backed Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Chestnut-headed Oropendola


Afternoon

We boarded the bus at around 1130 and began our 2.5 hour journey to El Valle.  We crossed over the Panama Canal on the old bridge, as the new one was been repaired – the heavy December rains had undermined the bridge’s support structures. 

Much of the drive was along the Pan-American Highway, and (at my request) we made a restroom stop at Quesos Chela, which is located in Capira.  Telephone: 507-223-7835.  This is a favourite stop for Panamanians for empanadas, cheeses, and fresh fruit drinks.  Takeout only.  They also serve an interesting variety of cold grain drinks, the most popular being Chicheme.  It is a beverage made by pounding, and then soaking maize overnight. It is cooked until soft. Boiled milk is added, the mixture is allowed to cool, and finally, vanilla, cinnamon, honey, or cane sugar are thrown in.

There are many other interesting cold drinks, and my favourite is Chicha de Avena, an oatmeal drink.  Well, I am half Scots, so that may explain it.    Here is the recipe, in Spanish.  I have made it at home, and it is wonderful.   Add rum to it, if you wish.   Or to the Chicheme, if you prefer. 


Chicha De Avena
   
Chicha:
 1 taza de harina de avena Lassie
 6 tazas de agua
 ½ taza de almíbar de papelón
 1 lata de leche condensada
 2 cdtas. de vainilla

Almíbar:
 ¼ de panela o papelón
 2 tazas de agua

Almibar:

Cueza a fuego lento y deje que se disuelva la panela.
Apague cuando espese el almíbar.

Chicha:

Hierva el agua; agregue la avena revolviendo; tape y apague el fuego.
Deje enfriar.
Agregue el almíbar, leche condensada y la vainilla, licue muy bien y cuélelo.
Sirva bien frío.

We arrived at the Canopy Lodge around 1400h, and were treated to a wonderful lunch.  The main part of the Lodge was constructed in 2005-2006, and consists of a number of double rooms, a couple of them the pricier suites.  There is a separate, and somewhat older, smaller building with five single rooms (which need some refurbishment, which is scheduled).  There are bird feeding platforms adjacent to the open-air dining area (and some as well opposite the more expensive double rooms), and these platforms are periodically replenished with fresh fruit, usually bananas, for which many birds go, well, bananas.  There are a few hummingbird feeders as well, but these are, for no obvious reason, not much patronised by hummers, though bats drink from them at night.  Hummers were, however, much in evidence at the Lodge’s surrounding floral plantings.

Other amenities: there is WIFI in the dining area, as well as a computer for those who travel without personal laptops or netbooks.  A small river runs past the Lodge, between the buildings and the road leading to the town of El Valle de Antón, and some of the river’s water is diverted to fill an adjacent swimming pond.

The feeders were a distraction during our meal, as well as later in the last hour of daylight.  The most numerous and aggressive patrons were Clay-colored Thrushes, but with persistence and patience many other species secured pieces of banana: Bananaquit; various tanagers and Euphonias; saltators, and others.  The stars of the feeders were, however, a lone Emerald Toucanet and a group of Collared Aracaris.  I’ve uploaded a short video clip of the Lodge’s feeders to YouTube.



After lunch we took a guided stroll, in the company of our new guide, Augustino, who was, as are all the Canopy Tower and Lodge guides, excellent.  We strolled along the road that winds up the river valley from El Valle to agricultural areas higher up the slope.  The road is lightly travelled, and makes for convenient birding.  The initial excitement came from hummingbirds, first with a male Rufous-crested Coquette, then subsequently by a staked-out nest of a Long-billed Starthroat.  We reached the site of the Canopy Adventure (owned and operated by the Canopy Lodge), where participants go on ziplines between trees, but such adventure was not for us.  We, instead, had the adventure of hiking a trail at the facility to where another of the Lodge’s guides had earlier that day discovered a Mottled Owl roost.   There had been two birds present earlier that day, and though only one was in view when we arrived we were all quite satisfied with the lengthy scope views of this magnificent owl: it was a life bird for everyone, myself included.

We doubled our owl list later that same evening, when a Tropical Screech-Owl began calling from the hillside behind the main Lodge complex.  Indeed, it called every evening we were present, but it frustratingly never revealed itself, remaining a “heard-only” on our list.

We had a wonderful start to our week-long stay in El Valle, and were looking forward to the adventure beginning in earnest the following day.


Afternoon's Bird List - El Valle de Antón - 36 species

Gray-headed Chachalaca
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Rock Pigeon
White-tipped Dove
Tropical Screech-Owl (heard only)
Mottled Owl
Rufous-breasted Hermit
Violet-headed Hummingbird
Rufous-crested Coquette
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
Blue-chested Hummingbird
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Long-billed Starthroat
Rufous Motmot
Amazon Kingfisher
Emerald Toucanet
Collared Aracari
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Black-chested Jay
Bay Wren
Clay-colored Thrush
Bananaquit
White-lined Tanager
Crimson-backed Tanager
Flame-rumped Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Buff-throated Saltator
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager
Chestnut-headed Oropendola
Thick-billed Euphonia
Tawny-capped Euphonia


Day 10 - Jan. 21

Las Minas (a.m.) and Cara Iguana (p.m.) trails

After a filling breakfast we drove the road to a higher elevation, to the Las Minas Road.  The Lodge describes Las Minas as “an excellent place to get a wide variety of birds.  The road follows the ridge line, with sweeping vistas of forested mountains, speckled with grasslands and small fincas [farms]. The views from here are fantastic, as on a clear day near the summit, both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans can be seen.”

And so it was.  It was an ideal area for a large group, and we enjoyed a wide array of species.  As always, some generated more excitement than others, especially the Black Hawk-Eagle that offered an extended series of fly-overs.  Most of the offerings were forest birds, of course, and while some were sneaks (Plain Antvireo, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren) others were more cooperative, such as the Spot-crowned Barbet and Wedge-billed Woodcreeper.  A Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch was much more frustrating for most of the group – it played an unpredictable game of hide-and-seek (mostly hide) and showed itself, randomly, to only a few that happened to looking at the right gap at the right time.  I was one so blessed, and it was my lifer for the day, but I would have been happier if everyone had got on to the bird.

Other birds were more cooperative: Golden-winged Warbler, Silver-throated Tanager, and Lance-tailed Manakin.

We returned to the Lodge for lunch and siesta, then at 1500 headed into the village of El Valle de Antón, where we hiked along the Cara Iguana road, which passes through some of the last Dry Pacific Forest habitat in the foothills of El Valle.  The key species here was the Tody Motmot, and although seven or eight pairs are known to nest along the road the birds refused to show themselves, and the one that called was heard by only a few in the group.  Slight frustration, but there would be more chances for this compelling species later in the week.  The birding was otherwise fairly slow along the road, but we did encounter White-vented Plumeleteer, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, and American Redstart.   And I can't forget the very showy Blue-crowned Motmot (from which the Whooping Motmot was recently split) -- we were pleased to have seen both species so well.

Our day-list eventually turned out to be the highest of any day in our second week, and it was a great way to start our El Valle explorations.


Day’s Bird List - 84 species

Little Tinamou
Gray-headed Chachalaca
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Black Hawk-Eagle
Yellow-headed Caracara
Merlin
Bat Falcon
Gray-necked Wood-Rail
Southern Lapwing
White-tipped Dove
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Tropical Screech-Owl
Rufous-breasted Hermit
Green Hermit
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
White-vented Plumeleteer
Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer
Tody Motmot (heard only)
Blue-crowned Motmot
Rufous Motmot
Amazon Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Spot-crowned Barbet
Emerald Toucanet
Collared Aracari
Keel-billed Toucan
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Spotted Woodcreeper
Plain Antvireo
White-bellied Antbird
Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Paltry Tyrannulet
Yellow-margined Flycatcher
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Lance-tailed Manakin
Lesser Greenlet
Black-chested Jay
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Rufous-breasted Wren
House Wren
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren
Scaly-breasted Wren
Clay-colored Thrush
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Canada Warbler
Rufous-capped Warbler
Tawny-crested Tanager
White-lined Tanager
Crimson-backed Tanager
Flame-rumped Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Plain-colored Tanager
Silver-throated Tanager
Bay-headed Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Streaked Saltator
Buff-throated Saltator
Variable Seedeater
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch
Orange-billed Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager
Chestnut-headed Oropendola
Yellow-crowned Euphonia
Thick-billed Euphonia
Tawny-capped Euphonia


Day 11 - Jan. 22

The Caribbean Slope (Rio Indio and Jordanal)

This was a day for 4-wheel drives.  After an early breakfast we drove uphill, past the extensive Oleando chicken farms, then down a steep and pothole-ridden road on the Caribbean slope.  This is a fairly new trip option for the Lodge, and the birding delights and possibilities are still being discovered.

Our first stop was the village of Rio Indio where, through the encouragement and support of the Canopy Lodge, several homes are now keeping feeders.  The delightful day continued, with frequent stops as we gradually continued further downhill.  We also took the time to explore the life of the rustic villages of Rio Indio and Jordanal – school, church, store. . .

At several locations some desultory road repairs were underway, occasioned by the heavy rains the previous December. 

We ate a superb picnic lunch at a picnic site developed by the Canopy Lodge in the village of Jordanal, as a thank-you for the villagers support for birders visiting the area.

But was the excursion worthwhile?   Absolutely.  It was one of our finest days of the trip.   A few highlights:

-    on the drive up Paul noted a Wilson’s Snipe in a wet area, but by the time the bus stopped the bird had vanished.
-    An Ornate Hawk-Eagle, a rare raptor, gave us extended looks as it soared above a ridge in the distance.  Scope views, but wonderful.
-    Two Jet Antbirds played a very elusive game, calling constantly, but providing brief views to only a few in the group.  Ant-thingys can be very frustrating.
-    Dusky-faced Tanagers and Tropical Pewees made it on to the group list, as did Roadside Hawk and Common Black-Hawk
-    A Long-tailed Tyrant gave a wonderful show to all.
-    A Crested Oropendola finally appeared.
-    The last possible Puffbird for our list, the Barred Puffbird, was elusive for much of the day, when a pair suddenly appeared and put on a superb show, including one of the birds posing with a dead snake in its bill, looking like a strand of spaghetti.

We returned to the Lodge in late afternoon, with time to unwind by the feeders.


Day List for The Caribbean Slope - 71 species

Little Tinamou
Gray-headed Chachalaca
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Common Black-Hawk
Roadside Hawk
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
Merlin
Bat Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Wilson’s Snipe
White-tipped Dove
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Blue-headed Parrot
Smooth-billed Ani
White-collared Swift
Band-rumped Swift
Rufous-breasted Hermit
Long-billed Hermit
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
Blue-chested Hummingbird
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Motmot
Amazon Kingfisher
Barred Puffbird
Spot-crowned Barbet
Keel-billed Toucan
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
Jet Antbird
Brown-capped Tyrannulet
Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Common Tody-Flycatcher
Yellow-margined Flycatcher
Tropical Pewee
Long-tailed Tyrant
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Streaked Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Masked Tityra
Cinnamon Becard
Black-chested Jay
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Bay Wren
Plain Wren
House Wren
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Tennessee Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Rufous-capped Warbler
Dusky-faced Tanager
White-lined Tanager
Plain-colored Tanager
Green Honeycreeper
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Buff-throated Saltator
Variable Seedeater
Black-striped Sparrow
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Giant Cowbird
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Crested Oropendola
Chestnut-headed Oropendola


Addtional Species from the Canopy Lodge - 12

Tropical Screech-Owl
Emerald Toucanet
Clay-colored Thrush
Canada Warbler
Bananaquit
Crimson-backed Tanager
Flame-rumped Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Streaked Saltator
Orange-billed Sparrow
Thick-billed Euphonia


A quick mention of a special outing this evening.  Raul made us aware of a special concert in conjunction with the 20th annual Festival Musical de El Valle, and nine of us chose to attend.  The concert was to take place in the town’s church, the only venue large enough to host the expected audience.  The focus of the concert was two pianists, Anna Kurasawa of Japan and Alexandra Beliakovich from BeloRussia, both of whom had competed in Panama’s International 2010 Piano Competition (Ms. Beliakovich had been awarded the runner-up prize, while Ms. Kurasawa came fourth, and had won the people’s choice award).  The pianists were backed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Panama.

It was a pleasant evening.  Both pianists performed well, though of the two only Ms. Beliakovich showed the poise and skill that suggests she might be capable of a medium-to-high-level soloist career.  Both pianists’ performances were, however, negatively impacted by: 1) the historic church’s acoustics, which were understandably poor, and 2) by the surprisingly poor performance by the orchestra, which made numerous mistakes, and in one case played the wrong piece entirely. 


Day 12 - Jan. 23

El Valle Market, and Watercress Trail

On our 2005 visits to El Valle we had missed the weekend market, which is at its best on Sunday.  I wasn’t about to miss the opportunity this time around.  The group, by consensus, had agreed that scheduling a market visit was a good idea.  Part of the market is open daily, but on weekends many more vendors arrive, with farmers and nursuries offering fresh fruit and vegetables, and garden and house plants, flowers and orchids, and local artisans offering a wide array of  art and handicrafts, including colourful molas and jewellery made by Kuna Indians.

And so, dutifully, we descended upon the market, and money exchanged hands.  There was bargaining, there were cheers, there were tears.  Such are the emotions wrought by retail therapy.

We returned to the Lodge for lunch, as well as post-lunch feeder photography.   And with some of us wandering the grounds, a decent list was compiled, though nothing new or eventful.


Canopy Lodge species list - 25

White Hawk
White-tipped Dove
Tropical Screech-Owl
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Amazon Kingfisher
Emerald Toucanet
Collared Aracari
Black-chested Jay
House Wren
Clay-colored Thrush
Tennessee Warbler
Bananaquit
White-lined Tanager
Crimson-backed Tanager
Flame-rumped Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Plain-colored Tanager
Streaked Saltator
Buff-throated Saltator
Orange-billed Sparrow
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager
Chestnut-headed Oropendola
Thick-billed Euphonia


At 1500 we headed of to hike the Watercress Trail, named after the herb which is commercially grown in the terraced creek near the trail’s entrance.  The trail passes under good secondary forest, with the mountains of Cerro Gaital Natural Monument as a backdrop.   There were no new trip species, but we enjoyed extended scope views of a Roadside Hawk dining on its latest meal, and a brazenly posing Little Blue Heron.

Watercress Trail species list - 33 species

Little Blue Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Roadside Hawk
Rufous-breasted Hermit
Stripe-throated Hermit
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
White-vented Plumeleteer
Rufous Motmot
Green Kingfisher
Keel-billed Toucan
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Common Tody-Flycatcher
Long-tailed Tyrant
Great Kiskadee
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Scrub Greenlet
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Gray-breasted Martin
Bay Wren
Plain Wren
Bay-breasted Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Rufous-capped Warbler
Dusky-faced Tanager
Green Honeycreeper
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Black-headed Saltator
Variable Seedeater
Great-tailed Grackle


Day 13 - Jan. 24

Pacific Coast: El Chiru, Playa Juan Hombron, Playa Santa Clara

We broke fast early and were on the road before sunrise, making for the Dry Forests and beaches of the Pacific coastal lowlands.  Different climate, habitats, and species awaited. 

An over-indulgence in breakfast coffee occasioned a washroom stop at a petrol station on the Pan American Highway, where some of us purchased a few beers for lunch, throwing them in the cooler (sometimes one needs a break from Mango Juice, and it promised to be a hot day).

We spent the morning doing roadside birding, investigating forests, fields, and gardens.  One key species was the Veraguan Mango, an endemic Panamanian hummingbird, and Tino impressed us (yet again) by his skill and doggedness.  He picks up upon (and identifies) the wide variety of hummingbirds by their calls alone, and true to form he heard the mango and, with some patience, we were all able to view the bird through the scope – a lifer for all.

But there were many other coastal lowland species that we were seeking, and our group trip list grew significantly this day: Crested Bobwhite (elusive and brief looks for some); Brown-throated Parakeets; Sapphire-throated Hummingbird; Rufous-browed Peppershrike; Groove-billed Ani (giving us “El Trio de las Anis”); Savannah Hawk; Plain-breasted Ground-Dove; Orchard Oriole; Yellow-crowned Parrot (fly-over); White-tailed Kite; Crested Caracara; Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl; and Eastern Meadowlark.   And many others.  This all made for a busy, rewarding morning.  We needed a break.

We found said break at our luscious lunch-stop on Playa Juan Hombron, from a base in a lovely beach-side hacienda.  The picnic lunch was divine, the beers were cold, and we could change into swimming costumes for swims in the sultry Pacific (and shower to rinse the salt off afterwards).  There was time to photograph cooperative Sandwich Terns, watch for fly-by Blue-footed Boobies, look for waders, or doze in the warm shade. 

As the afternoon wore on we roused ourselves from our torpor and headed to agricultural fields and wetlands along a dusty road leading to Playa Santa Clara.  Here we were hoping for Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures and the birds did not disappoint, eventually providing convincing looks to all – the yellow heads are surprisingly hard to pick out, and they are otherwise very similar to the abundant Turkey Vulture.  The wetlands held no new species, but we had fun and frustration looking through hundreds of Little Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets for some new heron for the list.  We had to settle for an America Kestrel

Then, back to the Lodge, with 20 trip birds under our belt, and warm fuzzy feelings all ‘round, though that may have been due to the humidity and beers.


Pacific Coast Bird Species List - 72 species

Crested Bobwhite
Blue-footed Booby
Brown Pelican
Neotropic Cormorant
Magnificent Frigatebird
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture
Osprey
White-tailed Kite
Savanna Hawk
Crested Caracara
Yellow-headed Caracara
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Southern Lapwing
Willet
Whimbrel
Laughing Gull
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Plain-breasted Ground-Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove
White-tipped Dove
Brown-throated Parakeet
Yellow-crowned Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Smooth-billed Ani
Groove-billed Ani
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
Band-rumped Swift
Veraguan Mango
Sapphire-throated Hummingbird
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Barred Antshrike
Panama Flycatcher
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Streaked Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Lance-tailed Manakin
Yellow-throated Vireo
Rufous-browed Peppershrike
House Wren
Clay-colored Thrush
Tropical Mockingbird
Tennessee Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Blue-gray Tanager
Plain-colored Tanager
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Streaked Saltator
Variable Seedeater
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-breasted Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
Giant Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Yellow-crowned Euphonia


Day 14 - Jan. 25

Cerro Gaitál (a.m.) and Valle Chiquito (p.m.)

Morning

Our trip was nearing its end, but there were still new places to explore in the El Valle area.  In the morning we visited Cerro Gaitál Natural Monument, seeking new birds (and for me, orchids).  We had good fortune on both counts.

After a sensibly-timed breakfast we headed uphill, past the Oledano chicken farms (shrouded in fog, but still noisy), to the road access for Cerro Gaitál .  The forests were quite active, but I became distracted at first by some lovely orchids, which caused me to miss seeing the Orange-bellied Trogon, the last of the possible trogons for our list.  A male had showed itself well to the entire group, but refused to reappear for me.  And no more were encountered that morning – a big dip for me, and entirely my fault.   But I was on hand to see the other new trip birds that Cerro Gaitál offered, including a quartet of flycatchers: Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Bran-colored Flycatcher, Rufous Mourner, and Dusky-capped Flycatcher.  Blackburnian Warbler, a winter migrant, was new as well, as were a group of Common Bush-Tanagers.

We were quite pleased by the morning’s birding, as we had not expected so many new birds.  We had clearly not exhausted the possibilities.

But it was not all birds, or orchids.  A sub-adult Three-toed Sloth gave us a fine display of sloth acrobatics and personal hygiene.  A photo is attached to this posting, but to really appreciate the sloth’s antics I encourage you to watch a three-minute video I posted to Youtube. 



I also added two new butterflies to my slowly growing list.

We returned to the Lodge for lunch.   Here is our morning bird list:


Cerro Gaitál Bird Species List - 60 species

Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Roadside Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Merlin
Blue-headed Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Green Hermit
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
Blue-chested Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Orange-bellied Trogon
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Plain Xenops
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Spotted Woodcreeper
Plain Antvireo
Checker-throated Antwren
White-bellied Antbird
Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant
Bran-colored Flycatcher
Bright-rumped Attila
Rufous Mourner
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Thrush-like Schiffornis
Bay Wren
Rufous-breasted Wren
House Wren
White-breasted Wood-Wren
Scaly-breasted Wren
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Canada Warbler
Rufous-capped Warbler
Bananaquit
Common Bush-Tanager
Tawny-crested Tanager
Plain-colored Tanager
Silver-throated Tanager
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Variable Seedeater
Thick-billed Seed-Finch
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch
Orange-billed Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager
Yellow-backed Oriole
Chestnut-headed Oropendola


Afternoon

Later in the afternoon we went to a side valley, the Valle Chiquita, with but a single species in mind – Tody Motmot.   Tino again showed his mettle, and this time we were successful (though it took some time), and everyone enjoyed scope views.   I managed a fuzzy digital photo for a record shot, but it is too abysmal to share on this fine forum.  The motmot was a lifer for the others in the group (though not for me), but the outing, though not producing many species, did have another welcome surprise, three White-thighed Swallows, a very rare bird locally, and a lifer for all.   The swallows distracted us away from two Lesser Goldfinches, lifers for most, and a trip bird.

And so it was that what we had thought might be a routine, uneventful day, in fact produced a fine array of new sights and sounds.


Valle Chiquita Bird Species List - 16 species

Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
White-vented Plumeleteer
Tody Motmot
Rufous Motmot
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
Acadian Flycatcher
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Lesser Greenlet
Black-chested Jay
White-thighed Swallow
House Wren
Lesser Goldfinch


Day 15 - Jan. 26

Altos del María (high altitude excursion)

This was our final day of birding, and it was “brilliant”, as several of my Brit birding friends might be wont to say.  We left after an early breakfast, travelling  in 4WD vehicles, which were needed not because of any rough roads, but due to the steepness of the grade.   We were driving on private roads constructed to permit access to a high elevation, for the purpose of developing subdivisions full of weekend get-away homes - the “Altos del María Estate and Gated Mountain Community”.  Yes, this is as tacky as it sounds.  Check out the web site.

Access to the forest was via the main road and various side cul-de-sacs.  The forests were still in reasonable shape, and as the proposed lots were large there was no reason they couldn’t be left somewhat intact, but I feared the worst, as, upon available evidence, Panamanian developers follow the North American model – cut everything down (improves the “view” and aids “security”) and replant with non-native species.

But that is for the future.  For the day we were present we looked for, and found, many new species for our trip list.  There was nothing special about the strategy: drive, stop, listen, look, and repeat as necessary, with additional stops for snacks and lunch.   The weather provided distractions we had not heretofore enjoyed, including the extended foggy periods typical of a Cloud Forest.  These were interspersed with clear breaks and brief showers.  Never a dull moment.

By day’s end we had ticked only 48 species, but fully a third were new for the group.   For my part I added 12 to my Panama list, including a catch-up Orange-bellied Trogon upon which I’d dipped a day earlier.   And six of my 12 were world lifers, easily making this last day of Panama birding my most productive.

Snowcap, a high-altitude hummingbird, was high on our list of desired species, and while we failed to catch a glimpse of the striking male, two females were much more cooperative.  Less so was a Band-tailed Barbthroat, that only a few caught a view of before it zipped away.  The least-expected species was the Smoky-brown Woodpecker, which had not been included on the checklist I prepared, though I suspect this was my fault.   Never mind – we all saw the bird well.  Write-ins count as much as the others.

The Ochraceous Wren played hide-and-seek (mostly hide), and the ant-things were skulky as ever.  The Black-eared Wood-Quail was a frustrating “heard-only”, and while it seemed as if the Black-and-yellow Tanager might fall into that category, we all eventually secured fine looks.  We even took the time to enjoy an over-wintering Olive-sided Flycatcher.  It is a widespread and fairly common breeder across Canada’s boreal forest, but is often difficult to see well. 

As always I became occasionally distracted by new plants and butterflies.   And I found an active Leafcutter Colony, and took a short video.



This was a wonderful way to play out our last day of the Panama trip.  Too soon it was time to return to the Lodge for our last supper, and then packing.


Bird Species list ~ Altos Del Maria  ~ 48 species

Gray-headed Chachalaca
Black-eared Wood-Quail
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
White Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Blue-fronted Parrotlet
Blue-headed Parrot
Band-tailed Barbthroat
Brown Violetear
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
Snowcap
Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer
Orange-bellied Trogon
Broad-billed Motmot
Emerald Toucanet
Keel-billed Toucan
Smoky-brown Woodpecker
Spotted Barbtail
Spotted Woodcreeper
Russet Antshrike
Dull-mantled Antbird
Streak-chested Antpitta
Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant
Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher
Tufted Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Bright-rumped Attila
Tropical Kingbird
White-ruffed Manakin
Rufous-breasted Wren
Ochraceous Wren
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren
Tennessee Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Canada Warbler
Rufous-capped Warbler
Common Bush-Tanager
Black-and-yellow Tanager
Buff-throated Saltator
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Hepatic Tanager
Black-faced Grosbeak
Chestnut-headed Oropendola


Day 16 - Jan. 27

Heading Home (?)

As the day of our departure drew near we monitored the weather in the American northeastern states, as well as Atlantic Canada.  Some slightly scruffy weather was forecast, but nothing that a sensible well-prepared Canadian airport could not handle.  We did not account, however, with the timidity and ill-preparedness of American airports, in particular Newark’s Liberty airport.

In the time it took to drive (early) from El Valle to Panama City Airport, our flight to Newark had been cancelled, because Newark’s airport had been closed to all traffic.  Eleven of our group were thus stranded (the others going to different destinations later in the day were not affected).  We spent a long time in the airport as the over-whelmed (and not uniformly competent) Continental staff tried to re-book us.  In the end we were sent on different itineraries.  Two couples made it to Houston that day (though on different flights), and overnighted there.  The rest of us had to overnight in Panama City.   We ended up at an ordinary, and quite affordable, hotel in Panama City, about 20 minutes away from the airport.   The hotel was within two long blocks of the ocean, and after lunch, in the heat of the afternoon, some went and birded along the seawall that parallels a coastal multi-lane road.  There were many waders and herons, though without scopes the shorebirds remained mostly distant and anonymous, but a White Ibis was added to our trip list.

I was up very early the next morning as I had been placed on the first of the two flights to Newark (everyone else was on a later flight, and ended up having to overnight in Newark - but all had trip insurance, fortunately).  En route to the airport I had the driver stop at a 24-hour supermarket to buy some snacks, and I had my last new Panama life bird for the trip, House Sparrow, a flock of which were twittering from some nearby shrubs. 

My trip home was fairly uneventful, though I was quite astounded when, arriving at Newark airport, I noted there was very little snow to be seen, no concentrations that would have suggested that an airport closure was necessary.  Snow wimps.

Despite the travel disruptions at either end of our trip we all thought the experience had been wonderful, and we recommend Canopy Tower and Lodge to you.


Group Trip Species Lists

Birds
Butterflies
Herptiles
Mammals


Bird Lists   (My Panama bird photos may be viewed here.)

I have prepared three PDF files.  There are two week-long day-by-day comparisons, with estimates of the number of each species encountered (Week one for our Canopy Tower base, Week two for Canopy Lodge), and the third is our complete bird trip list, with scientific names.


Week One Bird Sightings Table
Week Two Bird Sightings Table
Concise Group Bird Trip List


Butterfly List (in alphabetical order)   (My Panama lep photos may be viewed here.)

Banded Peacock (Anartia fatima)       
Black-bordered Crescent (Tegosa anieta anieta)
Brown Longtail (Urbanus procne)
Central American Sootywing (Staphylus ascalaphus)
Clio Crescent (Eresia clio clio)
Common Morpho (Morpho helenor peleides)
Cytherea Sister (Adelpha cytherea daguana)
Doris Longwing (Laparus doris viridus)
Erotia Sister (Adelpha erotia erotia
Gray Cracker (Hamadryas februa)       
Mexican Fritillary (Euptoieta hegesia)
Mimosa Yellow (Pyristia nise nise)    
Orange-patched Crescent (Anthanassa drusilla)
Ruddy Daggerwing (Marpesia petreus)
Togarna Hairstreak (Arawacus togarna)
Tufted-Skipper sp. (Nisoniades sp.)   
Two-barred Flasher (Astraptes fulgerator azul)
White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae luteipicta)
White Yellow (Eurema albula marginella)
Whitened Bluewing (Myscelia cyaniris cyaniris)
Zera Skipper (Zera zera)

Moth (Xylophanes chiron chiron)

Herptile List   (My Panama herptile photos may be viewed here.)

“Fer-de-lance” Pit Viper Snake (Bothrops asper), known locally as Terciopelo
Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator)
Brown Vine Snake (Oxybelis aeneus)
American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
Basilisk Lizard (a.k.a. Jesus Lizard) (Basiliscus sp.)
Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)


Mammal List   (My Panama mammal photos may be viewed here.)

Variegated Squirrel (Sciurus variegatoides)
Red-tailed Squirrel (Sciurus granatensis)
Crab-eating Raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus)
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni)
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)
Derby's (or Central American) Wooly Opossum (Caluromys derbianus)
Water Opossum (Chironectes minimus)
Common Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis)
Kinkajou (Potos flavus)
Bushy-tailed Olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii)
Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana)
White-headed (or White-faced) Capuchins (Cebus capucinus)
Ecuadorian Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata aequatorialis)
Geoffroy's Tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi)
Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu)
White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica)
Central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata)

Good birding and safe travels,


Blake Maybank
White’s Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada




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