I'd like to share the results of our visit to Tocumen this morning (9 March). The place was Crake City. Our group included Carlos (Bethancourt) and his wife, Rosabel Miró and Karl Kaufmann, Darién and Camilo Montañez, myself, and two other birders who were accompanying Carlos. Most of the rail activity was on the road that leads to the coast, between about 7:30 (when we arrived) and 9:30 a.m..
Spotted Rail: Our party saw at least 10 individuals, and probably more. Quite a few appeared to be juveniles, with dark or dull bills. There were at least one, and probably two, very small downy black chicks seen as well. These are the first records of which I am aware since 1984. Several individuals were photographed.
Paint-billed Crake. We saw at least 4 individuals (2 groups of 2) running repeatedly across a short dike perpendicular to the road. We also saw a Great Egret on the road which had captured one. As we were watching it, it dropped its prey, and I was able to recover it (quite dead). This I believe is the third Panama specimen, and first from Tocumen. These I believe are the first reports from Tocumen since 1982, and the first from anywhere in Panama since 1988. Several photographs.
Sora. Incredibly abundant. At one point at least 10 or 11 were visible at the same time standing on the same dike as the Paint-billed Crake. Many were also seen as they flushed out of the rice as we walked along the road.
Gray-breasted Crake. At least one seen briefly as it alit for a few seconds on the dike, showing its rufous nape. A total of three or more heard. Carlos has been reporting them from this general vicinity for the last year or so.
Yellow-breasted Crake. One seen along a ditch by Darien and Camilo, and one of the other birders.
White-throated Crake: calling in the rice fields.
From Bob and Dodge: I would be interested to learn more about the details of the Colombian Crakes seen at Tocumen in the 1980s. There is an implication that they may not have been of the ssp ripleyi described from a specimen from Achiote Road. Considering how heavily Tocumen has been birded for the past 24 years, it is really extraordinary that these species should suddenly (apparently) turn up again in such numbers.

Please check out the Xenornis website, a fine Panamanian birds website run by Darién Montañez (one of the birders present for today's finds) to see photos and more details regarding these extraordinary finds- I hope to have additional material on hand shortly. It is not every day that one finds two species of birds that have not been recorded in a country for two decades-plus. A bit more perspective; I (Ken Allaire, Proprietor of The Canopy Report) have seen only 3 of the 6 species of rails reported today in Panamá, despite having spent almost a year of my life in Panamá over the course of the last 5 years, many of those days at Tocumen Marsh. Of the remaining 3, I have seen 2 of them only once. The initial discovery of the Spotted Rails seems to have led to a sort of Patagonia Roadside Effect. a phenomenon named for a famous rest stop in southeastern Arizona, whereby the discovery of a unique bird at an odd location leads to intense observation by multiple birders, and even more rarities are subsequently observed. The fact that Dr. Angehr coaxed a Great Egret into releasing a dead Paint-billed Crake, thereby collecting a specimen, is extraordinary. George's written report is excellent, and I can only question his assertion that Tocumen Marsh is "heavily birded"- this may be true by Panamanian standards, but this small country has a small (but dedicated) birding community, and Tocumen Marsh, a large area, is not easily-accessed by random visitors. There may be many surprises in store at this great birding location. One final note; the Paint-billed Crakes were initially identified as Colombian Crakes, an equally-rare and very similar species, and corrections were made when photographic evidence was studied. This identification problem accounts for the final comment in George's note regarding past crake records.

You thought we were finished; guess again! I recieved the following exquisite report from Chris Benesh, a leader for Field Guides Inc., one of the top birding tour companies visiting Panamá:

On March 5, 2008, I was birding at the Metro Park in Panama City with George Armistead, José Perez (of Canopy Tower), and several Field Guides group participants. At one point mid morning, we encountered an active, small empidonax flycatcher calling in a small clearing there. The bird was giving a snappy "whit" note which immediately reminded me of Least Flycatcher. So I said, "oh, it's a Least Flycatcher." Both George and José were surprised and suggested it might be something else, owing to the fact that Least Flycatcher is meant to be rare in Panama. So I simply said, "well, it sure sounds like a Least Flycatcher." We were able to get a quick view of the bird which confirmed in my mind that it was indeed this species. The bird was in tattered, worn plumage, but was distinctively small and drab, lacking any strong greenish or yellowish tones. Even in its worn state, it showed a strong eyering and contrasting wing edgings. I was able to get three call notes on 'tape', before the bird moved off. I played some tape of Least Flycatcher song to it, and it flew right in again over our heads, though it did not continue to call. George Armistead snapped a couple of shots to support the recording data. We decided not to continue to take time to document the bird since it was not a real priority for the group. At any rate, I think that the combination of photos and call notes rules out any other potential empidonax candidates. Attached are a composite shot of two images taken by George Armistead, and the crude recording including three "whit" notes taken by me.

Least Flycatcher is a North American wintering species that has been recorded in Panamá only occasionally, although it may be overlooked due to the extreme difficulty in distinguishing flycatchers in the genus empidonax, especially when they are not calling (as is often the case with wintering, non-breeding birds). The last record of which I am aware of Least Flycatcher in Panamá is almost 50 years old, and involved a specimen collected and subsequently studied. The rough images shared above seem good for Least Flycatcher, as does the modest audio file. An identification of this sort could only have been obtained by the most experienced birders, and those with extensive knowledge regarding North American neotropical migrants. Congrats to Chris and George on their fine work. But this discovery also underscores one of the limitations of collecting information from touring birders; the Field Guides group, probably mostly from the U.S. or Canada, were not interested in studying an empidonax flycatcher, one which they might see easily at home in the boreal breeding season. Regardless of how rare the bird might be in Panamá, they wanted to move on to find more exotic species. This is why the observations of experienced neotropical tour leaders and Panamanian birders are often of greater ornithological interest than those of the one-time visitor (but please keep all reports coming, you might be surprised by the importance of what you have seen!).