I've got a few firsthand sightings to share from recent weeks, as I have been living in Panamá since the end of May. I stopped by the Canopy Tower on May 30th, and José Perez and I saw a trio of Cypseloides swifts passing over the Tower. We tentatively identified them as Black Swifts, as their tails appeared to be notched, which would eliminate White-chinned Swift. This species was considered hypothetical in Panamá until a few years ago, but may be recorded more frequently as observer alertness increases; Carlos Bethancourt reports a couple of solid sightings of this species during the month of May. Later the same day I watched a Crested Caracara soar past the water tower at the entrance of Old Gamboa Road; this is a rare sighting of this species for the area, but perhaps unsurprising given the disturbance of habitat accompanying the Canal expansion.
From the El Valle area, perhaps the most interesting news is the sudden appearance of Slate-colored Seedeaters in La Mesa. If well-documented
this would represent the first record of this very local species from Coclé Province. I observed a male briefly on June 4th; Tino Sanchez
tells me that the seedeaters have been present for about a month. Eye-ringed Flatbill has been found on La Zamia Trail (6/3), at Cerro Gaital (6/5),
and on the road near the Canopy Lodge (6/10); this species was not known from the region until a decade or so ago. I enjoyed a brief but
solid view of a Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch at the top of the Cara Iguana trail on 6/7; Tino Sanchez, Armodio Rodriguez
and I found this species at the same spot about a year ago. The only reason it has not been seen since is that this rugged road is barely passable for even
4-wheel drive vehicles, and it's one tough hike! On 6/10 I had a great look at a Slaty-capped Flycatcher on one of the high
trails above the Canopy Lodge; this is the second time that I have found this species at nearly the same spot. Danilo Rodriguez
says that he has yet to see this rare bird, but I think I've been lucky in that I am one of the few people who has hiked these trails
with any regularity. Single males of Green Honeycreeper and White-shouldered Tanager were also seen this day, at 2613' a high elevation for both species,
especially the latter.
Also from La Mesa and Cerro Gaital: Petra Hockey (from Texas) and I had a spot-on look at a male Blue Seedeater just below Estacion #2 on 6/9. This species was unknown in the area
until two years ago. I observed a singing Black-faced Grosbeak in La Mesa on the same day, another good record of this "Caribbean slope" species from the Pacific side of Coclé.
An Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush heard on Cerro Gaital on 6/8 was unusual for the area. Birds of Panama did not note this species'
presence in El Valle, but it has proven to be common around the Canopy Lodge; this was the first time I found one at Cerro Gaital.
But the highlight from this area was the Black Guan I stumbled across at the base of Cerro Gaital on 6/8; I enjoyed my best look ever at a perched bird at the forest edge.
A large group from the Travis (TX) Audubon Society was in the area (chaperoned by Carlos, Danilo, and Armodio), and I scrambled back to bring them to the area.
The guan had disappeared in the interim, but we stayed around for a few minutes, and were rewarded with the sight of two Black Guans flying across
a clearing into a fruiting tree. All members of the group saw the birds, some in the scope. It was the first time more than one
bird had been seen at a time in this area, a good sign of possible breeding. To cap things off, most of the group saw a Bran-colored Flycatcher in La Mesa
on the van ride back to the Lodge. This species is seldom-seen in the foothills anywhere in Panamá.
Sorry for the lack of photos, but I've been concentrating on recording sounds lately; hopefully I'll be able to drum up some business during my time in Panamá, and
I'll brighten this page with the work of more skilled photographers!
