• to collect, catalog, and report the sightings of rare and interesting birds sighted by the guides and guests on their regular field trips to various locations in Panamá and Coclé provinces.
• to bring these reports to the attention of the regional editors of North American Birds (NAB), the American Birding Association's quarterly journal detailing noteworthy bird sightings throughout North America.

By the by, the creation of this site was inspired by my relationship with the staff of The Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge, and this deep friendship continues to be the bedrock upon which The Canopy Report is constructed. But in the time since I created this site, I've established a number of lasting relationships with other lodges in central Panamá, and I now receive reports from a variety of sources. While the guides and guests at the Tower and Lodge are my most consistent contributors, one should not infer that this site's scope is limited to their input; I welcome reports from any visitor to or resident of Panamá, as such contributions from a myriad of sources have greatly increased the relevance of this website to the Panamanian birding experience!

• Yellow-collared Chlorophonia is a species restricted to the highest elevations in the eastern/southernmost part of Panamá (a mere dot on the map, really), with larger (but still small, and scattered) populations in adjacent parts of Colombia, and a disjunct population in parts of Ecuador.    Almost nothing in available literature suggests a pattern of vagrancy (see below).
• This discovery extends the range of the species to the west by something along the lines of 300 kilometers; most importantly, it extends the range into the Talamanca Range of western Panamá, a leap that defies credulity.   See below for more on this topic.
• I've asked around, and found no evidence that this species is favored as a cage bird in the region-- nothing in the photo suggests a released captive bird, but it is a question worth asking in such an extraordinary case.   The difficulty of collecting the species argues against a 'captive release' theory, and, while the chlorophonia is visually appealing, it is not much of a singer, usually the main reason a passerine species is placed in a cage.   Check out the distinct, but unremarkable, vocalization, on the link shared below:
  
  Colleagues from Colombia confirm that the chlorophonia is not known to be held in captivity.
  
• The species was first recorded in Panamá in 1983, a blink of the eye in ornithological time-- it was rare enough that it did not merit illustration in Ridgely's A Guide to the Birds of Panama (1989).   Interestingly, Ridgely mentions that the species shows "a propensity towards wandering"-- perhaps this statement was based in part on the (then) new record from Cerro Pirre, which at the time represented a major range expansion for the chlorophonia (it's worth noting that most of the 400km cited by Ridgely as the area of expansion are seldom-birded for a variety of reasons, so the species may occur in the gap).   It is since been found to be a regular, but perhaps seasonal, resident in the extreme southern Darién, but by no means a common bird.   At the end of 2009 I spent the holidays at Cana, part of the time sharing guiding tasks with Kilo Campos, one of Panamás finest birders.    Kilo identified Yellow-collared Chlorophonia as a "nemesis bird", and indeed, we failed to find it during his stay.   But less than a week after his departure I found the species to be conspicuous around the camp at Cerro Pirre, and it remained through the balance of the dry season (Kilo was to conquer this nemesis later in the year, by undertaking the laborious task of scaling the north side of Cerro Pirre, not an endeavor for the faint of heart!).   Field guides that describe the chlorophonia refer to "erratic and seasonal" movements, but without much elaboration-- the presence of fruiting mistletoe seems to be the key factor involved, so maybe to study the bird we need to study the food source.   It would seem that the very scarcity and remoteness of this species has limited our knowledge of its behavior and movements.
• There are few high-foothill/highland species that can be found only in both extremes of western and eastern Panamá: Red-headed Barbet, Rufous-rumped Antwren, and Sharpbill come to mind.   Some species that are usually associated with the Darién have ranges that dip into the Caribbean slope of central-western Panamá, but these are species of lowlands and lower foothills: Barred and Pied Puffbirds, White-headed Wren, Spot-crowned Barbet, Pacific Antwren, etc...   There is also the strange case of Rufous-tailed Jacamar, which resides in lowlands and lower foothills of western Panamá on both slopes. then jumps all the way to the lowlands of the eastern Darién (but not Cana).   Another interesting phenomenon among highland birds is the presence of closely-related species limited to either the east or west, close cousins that diverged genetically after geological forces connected North and South America at the isthmus of Panamá: Black-cheeked/Pirre Warblers; Spangle-cheeked /Green-naped Tanagers; Black-faced/Yellow-green Grosbeaks.   Yellow-collared Chlorophonia fits into the latter category, with a sister species, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, found in the western highlands, the latter with a range that extends all the way to higher elevations above El Copé, spitting distance from Altos del María (if you're a very good spitter, that is).   When first informed of the Yellow-collared Chlorophonia sighting, I asked if it might have been Golden-browed-- the photo makes the i.d. clear, I should have given more credit to the observers, they obviously considered this!
• I can only think of one other recent case when a bird restricted to the Darién range wandered to the Talamancas; a host of sightings of Blue-fronted Parrotlets by Canopy Lodge guides and guests at Altos del María and Cerro Gaital (above El Valle) from 2007-2008.   The finds are similar in that the parrotlet was known only from high elevations in the Darién range, and in that a western sister species, Red-fronted Parrotlet, was known to occur as far east as El Copé.   But they differ in that Blue-fronted Parrotlet had been recorded from as close to the Canal as Cerro Azul, and both parrotlet species have been recorded at low elevations within their respective ranges.    Basically, if there was a pool going as to which Darién highland species would wander so far to the west, I think Yellow-collared Chlorophonia would have had few takers!
• Weather must be considered as a factor in this extra-limital sighting-- west-central Panamá experienced heavy rains for the three days up to and including the day the chlorophonia was found.   I've yet to check the meterological data, but if those storms came from the south and east, perhaps this would have given an extra push to a young bird inclined to wander.

Here are two more looks at the chlorophonia, ciourtesy of Moyo Rodríguez; obviously the best photo (at top of this page) was used to spread the word of the sighting, although either of these would be sufficient to idenitfy the species.   As I study the photos I'm not completely convinced there's enough evidence to determine the gender of the bird, nor is there a suggestion in any of the literature that juvenille males and adult females can be reliably distinguished in the field.   (To clarify: in the first photo it looks like there's a hint of a yellow collar, but I don't see it in the others.   Identification from a single photo can be a tricky business, the apparent collar could just be a trick of the light, or feathers ruffled by a breeze.    I hope to find out from Danilo and Moyo if the collar seemed more prominent in the field.)

In summary, I don't think that it's much of a stretch to declare this "The Bird of the Year" for Panamá.   In 2011 we've had a species added to our checklist (Melodious Blackbird, which was anticipated), a few rare sightings of either irregular migrants or species whose range barely reaches Panamá, and records of some rare pelagic wanderers.   To me, the Yellow-collared Chlorophonia tops them all-- a resticted-range species that is found unexpectedly far afield, something that occurs far more rarely in the study of avian vagrancy.   Congratulations to Danilo and Moyo, two knowledgable and hard-working guides who have found more than their share of rarities over the years.    Part of their success comes from being prepared for the unexpected, but I'll bet that this one took them completely by surprise!

We enjoyed quite a few excellent western highland species on the morning, and, thanks to the paucity of reports from the locale, were credited with several area firsts, including Green-fronted Lancebill, Dark Pewee, Yellow-winged Vireo, and Wrenthrush.    Another new species for the locale was Black-cheeked Warbler, apparently of the little-known bensoni subspecies.   This form, distinguish by the color of its underparts (and possibly by voice), was described from farther east, in Veraguas Province, so with our efforts we may have extended the subspecies' range.

The rest of the trip was an equally smashing success for all participants, but before I summarize our results I'd like to share a brief story of a remarkable experience with two common species that welcomed Alfred and I to El Real on the 6th.   Close to dusk, not long after we arrived, Isaac took us on a short walk around town to get acclimated.    As light was fading we heard alarm calls we associated with Spot-breasted Woodpecker, a common species in the area, but one that is localized in eastern Panamá, and thus a target bird for Alfred.    We located what turned out to be two woodpeckers, one inside a cavity and one outside, and the source of their agitation was a menacing Masked Tityra.    We watched in amazement as the tityra reached into the hole, grabbed the woodpecker with its bill, and forcefully yanked it out of the nest.   Days later the tityra still occupied the cavity; it stands to reason that any cavity-nester that is incapable of excavating its own hole would depend on the work of other species.   But one tends to think of such species peacefully squatting in currently-unoccupied cavities, to witness such naked aggression was quite spectacular!



Among the other highlights of the trip was the Crimson-bellied Woodpecker (above left) found and photographed by Alfred on the 8th near the Rancho Frio camp, after our return from the streamcreeper expedition.   Interestingly, Alfred reported a likely sighting of this species earlier in the year from Altos del Maria, west of the Canal, from which the species was previously unknown.   He did not consider his views to be solid enough to document the woodpecker, but verifiable sightings later in the year proved him to be correct (see future reports).    Other gems found around or above Rancho Frio included Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Wing-banded Antbird, Double-banded Graytail, and Scarlet-browed and Lemon-spectacled Tanagers, a not-too-shabby haul of regional specialties!

We also managed to locate and document two of the most recent additions to the Panamá (and North American) checklist, Large-billed Seed-Finch and Yellow-hooded Blackbird.    The seed-finch came quite easily, as Alfred and I found it quite promptly on the morning of the 7th, and I collected audio recordings , while Alfred captured the nice photo above and at right, among others.   Interestingly, an Audubon Panamá field trip to the area earlier in the year did not find the seed-finch, and Isaac Pizarro did note that our sighting of the species was his first of the year as well.   The blackbird made us sweat a little bit, as it did not appear until Björn and Gonzalo had joined us on the morning of the 10th.    But when it did appear, it did so with a vengeance; multiple individuals were present for the remainder of our visit (a high count of 8 birds), and evidence was obtained of courtship and possible nesting activity.   I collected a few audio recordings , and Alfred captured the spectacular photo that headlines this section of my report.    A couple of weeks after these sightings the newest A.O.U. Checklist Supplement was released, and Yellow-hooded Blackbird was added to the list-- not based on the very real birds found any given day near El Real, but on re-evaluation of a century-old specimen from Barbados.   This sent me into a tizzy, and I picked a fight on the BirdChat Listserve.   This earned some thoughtful (if unsatisfying) responses from members of the Checklist Committee, who explained to me that unequivocal photographic evidence in North American Birds did not constitute "published documentation."   Thankfully, this egregious error was to be rectified later in the year: see future posts for more details on this subject.

El Real seemed to be teeming with "red-letter" birds; on the 10th Björn Amderson adroitly picked out a Brown-chested Martin, an irregular austral migrant, above the airstrip.   Yellow-breasted Flycatcher (pictured below and at left), first recorded in North America less than a decade ago, was conspicuous both near Pirre Uno and on the road to Pirogana.   Prior to our trip, a colleague had informed me that he thought Gray-breasted Crake was the most common rallid in the tall, wet grasses surrounding the airstrip.    This crake's rattling call is quite similar to that of the widespread White-throated Crake (although it can be distinguished with practice, but I heard often the odd tinkling sound that is distinctive for Gray-breasted.   On the 9th I captured a good audio recording, and on the 10th Alfred, Gonzalo and I located a promising cut in the tall grasses, and tried playback.    To our astonishment, the crake responded almost immediately, and wandered into the open for at least 30 seconds, an eternity for the species.   Alfred Raab captured the decent shot at right, and admitted later that the quick appearance of the crake came as a surprise, so he wasn't really ready to do his best work!   Green Ibis is quite rare anywhere in Panamá, even in the Darién, so we were delighted, as a group, to find the species on both the 10th and 11th along the Rio Pirre.   Yellow-headed Vulture and Tropical Mockingbird, two species only recorded in the Darién a couple of years ago, were both represented by multiple individuals.   To cap things off, Alfred, Gonzalo, Isaac and I took a boat ride down the Rio Tuira on the morning of the 11th, and were rewarded with sightings of over a dozen Black-collared Hawks, a species considered rare anywhere in Panamá.   One individual allowed us to drift in very close, allowing Alfred to capture the exquisite image shared below and at right.

Longtime readers of this page will note that my regional emphasis has changed a bit, and I am focusing more on Panamá as a whole. rather than limiting myself to the central region. My reasons for this are many, but first and foremost is that in my new status as a permanent resident of Panamá and a full-time birding guide, my focus has shifted to the entire country. Also, I was hired this year by one of our most respected tour companies, Ancon Expeditions, to lead multiple tours at their amazing camp at Cana, in Darién Province, walking distance from the Colombian border. My experience at this locale has broadened my horizons in many ways (enjoy the handsome image of a Green Manakin at left, courtesy of one of my Cana clients, Stephen J. Davies). Finally, I have found it frustrating to try to gather information from guests and guides at the Canopy Tower and Lodge; it seems that most visiting birders have little interest in recording their sightings for posterity, and the guides are too busy tending to their clients to document and share their records. I remain a huge fan of both eco-lodges, and will continue to share their reports as received, but I must expand my horizons in order for this page to continue to grow.

How does one summarize almost a year's worth of birds in a neotropical locale? Well, let's start with this; a very dry verano and a very wet invierno- the extremes for both our dry and wet seasons probably pushed historic limits (although I admit to lacking data to back this up). The result was some interesting species movement both up and downslope, as birds sought reliable food supplies in both seasons. In the El Valle area, flowering trees in the La Mesa area attracted a bizarre assortment of hummingbirds for most of the dry season, including lowland specialties such as Black-throated Mango, Blue-throated Goldentail and Garden Emerald, and highland/cloud forest species such as Snowcap, Rufous-crested Coquette, and White-tailed Emerald. During my time at Cana I recorded no fewer than twelve species that were not previously listed for the area, most of them species normally associated with lower elevations. A smaller movement of highland species to the low foothills was recorded in both the Darién in the east and Chiriquí in the west. Greater minds will sort out this data, but it seems clear that climate conditions are somewhat affecting avian distribution.

Another factor that contributed towards a monumental year in Panamanian birding was the establishment of The 600 Club- Panama. One of our most articulate and well-studied birders, Jan Axel Cubilla Rodríguez (click here to visit Jan Axel's wonderful blog) stumbled across an old article that suggested that finding 600 species of birds in Panamá within a single year would be a milestone of note. BOOM!- the race was on! Most of Panamá's finest birders soon signed on, and everybody was making the extra effort to find (and in many cases. document) as many birds as possible within the country's limits. The effort got an immediate boost from the extraordinary work of Euclides "Kilo" Campos, another of our finest birders, who shepherded a team of outstanding birders and ornithologists who found almost 600 species in just one month, from late in December of 2009 until January of 2010. I was fortunate to have been with this group for the first part of their trip, in Cana, and am indebted to them for sharing their skills and enthusiasm. More inspiration was provided by a short-term resident of Panamá, Björn Anderson, one of the world's greatest listers (he recorded his 7000th species this year!), and one who was keen on seeing as many Panamanian specialties as possible during his stay here. He spear-headed many excursions to our more remote regions, with excellent results throughout (Björn's beautiful shot of a Lattice-tailed Trogon headlines this post). We here in Panamá are indebted to this world-class birder for his contribution to our humble community! These are but the broad strokes-- details of these efforts will be delivered below, and in future pages.

There is so much to cover, and trying to do so in chronological order would create a massive mess; so let's go by region, more or less, with a few diversions! We'll start with Cana, a birding paradise in extreme eastern Darién Province, where I was privileged to lead 6 tours of varying lengths in the early part of the year. A recent birding-related publication described Cana as a "well-birded locality;" with all due respect, I beg to differ. Aside from the tours I led, there were perhaps 6 other groups of birders who visited Cana in the last year. almost all concentrated in the brief dry season, and almost none of whom contributed their data to the scientific record (Kilo Campos is a noteworthy exception). An average of 5-7 days per month of coverage, unevenly distributed, does not constitute "well-birded" by any measure. Furthermore, the site has been closed entirely this season, due to unusual late season rains in December, which overwhelmed even the excellent drainage system protecting Cana's airstrip. So, unless emergency repairs can be implemented rapidly, this "well-birded" locale may be un-birded for almost a year (sadly, as the unseasonal weather this year might have produced some interesting records)! To illustrate the point that much remains to be discovered at Cana, the following thirteen species were recorded there for the first time this season, based on the rather thorough listing included in A Birdfinding Guide to Panama (if I was not among the original observers, the appropriate discoverer is noted):

• Magnificent Frigatebird: a truly bizarre fly-by from the Cerro Pirre overlook on Feb. 16, presumably one crossing the modest gap between oceans at this point.
• Great Blue Heron: a perched immature bird at the low camp on Feb. 5, terrible photos captured (one of them at left) -- not unexpected.
• Red-tailed Hawk: a soaring bird, apparently of an eastern US race, seen through the 'scope on Feb. 18.
• American Kestrel: an exhausted individual apparently of a migrant Northern race crash-landed near the cabins on Feb. 18, to the delight of me and my 8 Swedish clients (the bird rested for several minutes and moved on). John Rowlett of Field Guides, who has been visiting the Darién since the '70's, said he had never seen this species at Cana!
• Limpkin: This is the only one of the new species that I did not see; I was atop Cerro Pirre with my clients when John Rowlett and his Field Guides tour group saw this species twice on the trails around Cana (on roughly Feb. 19 & 20). A rather remarkable find, this stray bird was no doubt bemoaning the absence of apple snails in the locale!
• Olive-backed Quail-Dove: I saw this species briefly but clearly on Feb. 6th- it had been reported previously from the other side of Cerro Pirre, but not at Cana.
• Black-billed Cuckoo: Stephen Blacklocks originally found this bird on Dec. 24th, I later tracked it down- a rare migrant anywhere in Panamá.
• Red-crowned Woodpecker: seen by several observers around the base camp from Feb. 1-3; within the range of the species, but the habitat is more forested than it usually favors.
• Striped Woodhaunter: Originally found by Frank Rheindt on Jan, 2, rediscovered by Kilo Campos et. al. on the 3rd, and documented by recordings on my part on the 5th. Known from the other side of Cerro Pirre, not previously documented from Cana.
• Fork-tailed Flycatcher: first spotted by Stephen John Davies, this species stuck around for a couple of months- it's a dry-lowland bird, a sure sign that climate conditions were changing.
• Tropical Gnatcatcher: Frank Rheindt and I enjoyed this on the Boca de Cupe Trail on Jan. 2nd- no reason this should not have been seen at Cana before, but it did not make anybody's list!
• Orange-crowned Oriole: Fred Ertl first spotted this bird around the base camp on Jan. 2nd, and it was seen for several months after, eventually two birds present (photo by Stephen J. Davies at right). Another low elevation bird for the area.
• Yellow-crowned Euphonia: seen and heard at the base camp on March 31; a species of disturbed habitat, not expected at Cana

Mind you, several of these species are included on Ancon Expeditions' area list, or on trip reports I unearthed from various tour companies. But none of these companies/individuals saw fit to share their data with the official records-keeping committees, and if you don't tell anyone about a sighting, it officially never happened!

Among the birds found rather routinely at Cana are many species not found anywhere else in the world, but this season also provided a number of sightings that were particularly noteworthy for the locale- birds that were unexpected in a place known for the unexpected.

On January 2nd I enjoyed a fly-by of a pair of Saffron-headed Parrots, a tough find anywhere in Panamá; I heard them coming, and alerted a couple of clients, who observed the birds briefly, only knowing that the parrots were of a species that they had not seen before. (In mid-July of 2010 Venecio (Beny) Wilson, one of Panamá's finest birders/guides, found this species farther west in Darien Province, near Nuevo Vigía.)

On January 3rd, Kilo Campos and a group of experienced observers found an sub-adult Varied Solitaire on the Boca del Cupé Trail at Cana. This near-endemic is normally found at the higher elevations on Cerro Pirre, so it's appearance at roughly 400m was a distinct surprise. But this sighting coincided with a period of un-seasonal cool and wet weather atop the mountain, so perhaps we can add this to the list of weather-related altitudinal movement during this season.

On 1/5 I was with several clients (from North America) on the Boca del Cupé Trail when we spotted an accipiter-type raptor soaring overhead. We all responded instinctively and called "Sharp-shinned Hawk!". This species is quite rare in central and eastern Panamá (although it has been recorded at Cana), but it turned out that our instincts were right!

On February 5th several intrepid clients and I took a night hike towards the summit of Cerro Pirre and, as we approached a spot to which I had been alerted, we spooked a Bare-shanked Screech-Owl, which brushed my face with the tip of its wing as it flew past. I have experienced, and counted, 'heard' birds in my lifetime, but this was one of few 'felt' birds I'd ever known! Fortunately the owl called from its new perch; this species is seen infrequently in Panamá, known only from a very few areas in the highest elevations east and west.

On 2/12, at Cana, I spotted a large oropendola with a blue facial patch in flight, and was able to direct one client to a rare sighting of a Black Oropendola. This lowland species is seldom-recorded at Cana, but given the seasonal trend of altitudinal movement in the region, I'm a bit surprised I only saw it once.

On 2/14 a number of observers watched a Cattle Egret fly over the Cana base camp; this is not unheard of, but still surprising given the absence of agricultural activity and livestock in the area.

On 3/29 multiple observers enjoyed a male Purple-throated Woodstar on flowering bushes near the Cana base camp. This South American species is most-often found near the Cerro Pirre camp at much higher elevations, but is known to stray lower on occasion.

One of Cana's most desired target birds, Choco Tinamou, did not make an appearance at Cana until mid-March, true to form. Björn Anderson informed me, as we crossed paths on the Cana airstrip, that he had seen this scarce regional endemic several times during his tour, and I was fortunate enough to see and record the species on 3/31.

The following reports come from elsehwere in Panamá during the first 4 months of 2010:

I recieved an interesting report from Scottish birders Jarrod Hadfield and Laura Ross, who were visiting El Copé on the weekend of Jan. 30-31 when they found the male Bare-necked Umbrellabird pictured at right, on the new trail across from the ANAM ranger station. Conventional wisdom has it that the umbrellabirds are found in El Copé mainly in the middle of the dry season (August and September), so the timing of this sighting is quite intriguing. Jarrod and Laura also described quite well a Scaled Antpitta they found on the Snowcap Trail-- this species is quite rare in central Panamá, and difficult to see anywhere. This is the first report of which I am aware from the El Copé area.

My lovely wife, Rebeca, spotted a Mangrove Cuckoo at Las Macanas Marsh, Herrera Province, on March 3rd. This species is considered to be a rare breeder in Panamá, only marginally more common during the boreal migration period. But a host of reports this year suggest that increased observer awareness and study of appropriate habitat may find the species to be more common than previously supposed.

On 3/13 Howard and Amy Landers and I were fortunate to find not one but two Plumbeous Hawks in the general vicinity of the Visitors' Center at El Copé (Howard captured photos of one of them devouring a snake). I was credited with having seen the first Plumbeous Hawk at El Copé in 2008, and I have not missed it at the locale since; the species appears to be firmly established in the area. Other rare-uncommon birds seen on that day with the Landers' include Smoky-brown Woodpecker and White-throated Shrike-Tanager.

A sub-adult Fasciated Tiger-Heron that has been seen on and off for the last two dry seasons in El Valle reappeared for me and Curt McCamy on March 19th, on the more remote portions of the Canopy Lodge property. Carlos Bethancourt later informed me that the bird was seen again a few days later, near the same spot.

On February 28th I returned to Panamá from a brief trip to the U.S., and en route from Tocumen Airport to Panamá City I decided to make a brief stop at Costa del Este, an excellent shorebirding spot easily accessible from the Corredor Sur. There I happened to encounter Jan Axel Cubilla R.;, and his wife, Gloriela; this was the first time we'd met, although we knew each other via electronic communicae. Jan invited me to look in his scope, where he had focused on a large, dark-mantled gull on the mudflats. Subsequent study confirmed that it was a Kelp Gull, a very rare species anywhere in North America, vagrant in Panamá. This individual stayed for much of the season, and was enjoyed by many local and visiting birders.

In late February Kilo Campos (who seemed to be a step ahead of everybody in the first half of the year), found two excellent rarities in central Panamá: a Snowy Plover on El Aguallito Beach near Chitré, and a Reddish Egret on nthe Aguadulce salt ponds. I took a short trip to the area with my family just after Kilo's sightings, and managed to relocate both species, the plover on 3/3, the egret on 3/4.

Kilo managed one sighting early in the year that defied subsequent pursuits. On March 31st Kilo, Alex Guevara, and Juan Pablo Rios were led by a native guide to a place called Michilá, somewhere inland on the Caribbean coast in Bocas del Toro Province (Kilo later told me that he wasn't exactly sure where his guide had led them!). There they heard and saw a Gray-headed Piprites, a species previously documented in Panamá only by a specimen collected in 1994. Kilo managed to obtain a few blurry photos of the bird; hopefully we'll soon be able to retrace his tracks, and thoroughly document this species in life, in Panamá.

On 3/23 Peter Robinson and I clearly observed a Merlin in flight above Goofy Lake, downslope from Cerro Azul. This species is rare anywhere in Panamá during either migration or the northern winter months, and to the best of my knowledge was not previously reported from the Cerro Azul area.

On 3/24 I was driving with my family on the road to El Valle, just north of Las Uvas, when my wife spotted a very long-tailed flycatcher flying across the road. She referred to it as "tijeritas" ("little scissors"), a local term for Fork-tailed Flycatcher, but when we pulled over to look at the perched bird we realized it was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. This boreal migrant is rare but regular in western Panamá (which yielded several sightings this year, once by me), but considerably harder to find farther east. But Kilo Campos found one at Punta Chame a week or so before my sighting, and Danilo Rodríguez of the Canopy Lodge found one south of Antón later in the year, suggesting that we saw a modest southward movement this year.

On 3/26 I found a pair of Rusty-margined Flycatchers building a nest in La Mesa, above El Valle. This species has been marching west in the last decade or so, but this is the first time I have documented breeding in the El Valle area. The species was seen many more times around El Valle for the rest of the year, so its move seems to be a permanent one.

On 3/28 I saw a Wandering Tattler along the coast in the Amador section of Panamá City. The only other sightings of this rare migrant for the year came from the extreme Pacific side: Bill and Claudia Ahrens saw one at Playa Venao on the Azuero Peninsula on August 28th, and Kilo Campos and Rafael Luck found (and photographed the species on Isla Coiba in late November of 2009.

Alfred Raab kicked in with some good sightings from his seasonal home in Altos del Maria. He found the Brown Violetear pictured at right on January 10th; this species is rare anywhere in Panamá, but has been seen like clockwork at Altos del Maria during the early dry season for the last 5 years or so (Alfred found one at Altos in December later in the year, and one was also regular for a couple of weeks at Cerro Azul around the same time). Also quite interesting was Alfred's report of Carmiol's Tanager on March 18th; this species is common at El Copé and Cerro Azul, but is seldom noted at Altos del Maria or El Valle in-between, despite the presence of similar elevations and habitat.

Finally, one of the more remarkable sightings of the year occurred during this period, but was not recognized until much later in the year. On January 18 a self-described amateur birder named Suzanne Osier observed and photographed a Myiodynastes-type flycatcher at Fort Sherman, a well-known vagrant trap on the Atlatic coast of Colón Province. When she studied her photos over a year later, she noted features of the bird that were not consistent with the common streaky flycatchers of the area. She posted her photos on the BirdForum chat page, and the consensus was that she had discovered a Variegated Flycatcher Empidonomus varius, a Panamá first! For photos and a full account of this excellent discovery, check out the Xenornis website.

As if to illustrate the avian potential of the area north of Río Indio, Danilo Rodríguez joined Moyo for a return trip two days later and discovered a number of species that are little known from the region, including Violaceous Trogon, White-whiskered Puffbird, Jet Antbird, the Tiny Hawk pictured below this paragraph (with a euphonia in its talons!), and the Sulphur-rumped Tanager pictured at right. The latter is particularly intriguing; Sulphur-rumped Tanager is a sought-after target for many visiting birders, but most people find this species much farther east around Nusagandi. Northern Coclé is indeed part of the species' historical range, but there are few contemporary reports from anywhere nearby. Moyo did a nice job capturing this documentary photo of a fast-moving canopy bird. But even more exciting was Danilo and Moyo's brief sighting of a Band-backed Wren; Danilo told me he thought he'd heard this species a few weeks before, but it was not until the 4th that they laid eyes on it. Band-backed Wren is not an easy find anywhere in Panamá, but is most regular in Bocas del Toro Province, with only occasional sightings farther east above Santa Fe, in Veraguas. If we can document this find it would represent a substantial range extension to the east within Panamá, leapfrogging entirely the province of Coclé, although the species as a whole, after a large range gap, is also found in Colombia and Ecuador. We hope to visit the Jordanal area again this week, with recording devices in hand; stay tuned.

Well, I'm now falling behind by a matter of weeks at a time, rather than months, as has been the case as of late. So here's the latest news for the last part of October and the most of November. We'll lead things off with reports graciously shared by Barry Zimmer, a guide for the esteemed birding tour company VENT (Victor Emanuel Nature Tours). The handsome male Spot-crowned Barbet pictured above left was photographed at Cerro Azul on 10/18; this species is fairly common in parts of eastern Panamá, but is quite local and much sought-after in the central foothills on both sides of the Canal. Above at right is nice documentation of a Long-billed Curlew found at Panama Viejo on 10/23; this species is usually represented in Panamá on an annual basis by a single bird, which has been somewhat predictable during the northern winter at this exact locale. Barry also noted a pair of Collared Plovers on the same date; this species is supposedly not uncommon in Panamá, but as I think about it I hear about very few sightings (Barry and I have each seen it only twice on the Isthmus). An October 25 visit to La Mesa yielded Slaty Antwren and Dull-mantled Antbird, both of which are uncommon in the area, as well as a Black-billed Cuckoo on the Candelario Trail. The latter species is quite rare in Panamá, and I've yet to find it here. The star of the show at Altos del Maria on 10/26 was a small flock of touit parrotlets, presumed to be Blue-fronted Parrotlets, a species of the eastern foothills that was only documented west of the Canal a couple of years ago. As I write this Barry is en route to El Valle with another tour group, and I look forward to more of his excellent reports!

I think this is the first time that a report of a mammal has found its way onto The Canopy Report, but some non-avian creatures simply demand our attention. Barry, Danilo, et. al. found the Silky Anteater pictured at right at Altos del Maria on 10/26, a lifer for almost all of the group, only the second sighting for Danilo. This nocturnal species is exceptionally difficult to find; as Barry pointed out to his group, probably more people have seen a Jaguar than have seen this tiny anteater. In recent years I can recall that once Carlos Bethancourt of the Canopy Tower somehow had one staked out for a visiting film crew, but even Tower and Lodge owner Raul Arias remembers seeing this species only once, almost 50 years ago! This is the kind of sighting that will never be forgetten- many thanks, and congratulations, to Barry and his team! According to Barry, the Silky Anteater was present in the area couple of weeks later- I'm dying to hitch a ride to take a look!

News of an apparent regional explosion of seeding bamboo spread fast, and Darién Montañez, proprietor of the Xenornis website, ventured west into Chiriquí Province to investigate the phenomenon. Björn Anderson also visited Chiriquí in October, and managed to locate a few Slaty Finches above the Los Quetzales cabins, including the female pictured at right. Another bamboo-seed specialist, Slate-colored Seedeater, has been more predictable than the several such species of the western highlands; Björn collected the photo at left at Parque Metropolitano on November 6th- congrats on this life bird, Björn! The remnant bamboo stands on Old Gamboa Road continue to be excellent for this irruptive species; I visited the area on 11/13 with Mario and Rhonda Mugoletti, and we found at least a dozen individuals of this species, of both genders. This seedeater's vocalization is quite unique, including a very solitaire-like song; I collected a couple of recordings at OGR, none of which matched well the publicly-available songs I previously had on my I-Pod. I also mentioned the "remnant bamboo" at Old Gamboa- the Panama Canal Authority has been working in the area recently on the planned expansion of the Canal, and has opened up several access roads to the nearby Gaillard Cut. Unfortunately they decided to cut back the forest on surrounding parts of the road, and the area's bamboo forest is but a shadow of what it once was, Thankfully the locale's breeding Spectacled Owls seem to be hanging on, and birding here is still excellent, albeit quite a different experience than in years past.

A few odds and ends: Carlos Bethancourt found an army ant swarm on 11/20 on Pipeline Road with a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo in attendance. On 10/27 Moyo Rodríguez found ants and two ground-cuckoos near the entrance of the Canopy Adventure, but the next morning it rained steadily and the ants stopped hunting, depriving Barry Zimmer and his VENT group of a fair shot at seeing the birds. This has been a very slow season for ant swarms in general and ground-cuckoos in particular compared to the last couple of years, but historically the rainy season has been a tough time for this enigmatic species, so we can hope for a more fruitful dry season in this regard. On 11/5 Alexis Sanchez enjoyed yet another sighting of an Oilbird on Semaphore Hill, his second sighting of this year, and one of only a handful historically in the Canal area, once again raising specualtion that there might be a roosting colony somewhere relatively nearby. The Mugolettis and I enjoyed a very nice surprise on 11/14, a Rufous-browed Tyrannulet seen at point-blank range on the trails at the Canopy Adventure. This species is now known to be fairly common at Altos del Maria, and is occasionally found near Cerro Gaital, but this is the first record of which I am aware from down in the valley. The next day the same observers found a pair of calling Rusty-margined Flycatchers at the entrance of Las Minas Trail in La Mesa; this species is clearly extending its range west and up into the foothills, but is still quite rare in the El Valle area, and this is the first time I've observed more than one bird here.

Many other sightings from Altos del Maria represent exciting species that have become almost routine in the locale; Black-crowned Antpitta, Snowcap, Brown-billed Scythebill, Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, Red-faced Spinetail, Spotted Barbtail, and Black-and-yellow Tanager were noted on many occasions by multiple observers. Several of these species raised eyebrows only a few years ago, but the bar has been raised thanks to the work of the guides at the Canopy Lodge and many other observers. Of particular interest is that a reliable spot has been found for Black-eared Wood-Quail, a regionally-rare species, which I heard in the company of Dodge and Lorna Engleman on 8/28. On 9/18 Tino Sanchez found both Green Shrike-Vireo and Yellow-eared Toucanet in the western part of the property, both of which are quite uncommon in the area.

Alfred Raab also sent me the photo at left of an American Kestrel found on 8/26 at Chame, a small town along the InterAmericana in western Panamá Province. What is noteworthy about this bird is the almost completely pale breast, a field mark indicating that this bird belongs to one of several South American subspecies. American Kestrel has long been known in Panamá as a migrant during the northern winter months, but it is only in the last 15 years that it has been documented as a breeder in the country, with most of the birds evidently belonging to South American races (Angehr 2006). In fact the species has become common enough year-round that I admit I don't always look too closely at individual birds- kudos to Alfred for taking extra care in this case to collect documentation. It is also interesting that he photographed this male kestrel in the company of a female with the breast streaking typical of a North American bird, suggesting that some over-wintering birds have remained to breed, as has been suggested by other evidence regarding Panama's breeding kestrels. Well done Alfred!

From a little farther afield, Björn Anderson shared the lovely photo below and at right of a stunning Yellow-eared Toucanet found on a Panama Audubon Society trip to El Copé on October 3rd. Also noted were several Yellow-throated Bush-Tanagers and a White-throated Shrike-Tanager, both of which occupy a rather narrow range in Panamá and apparently have not been found farther east than El Copé. A nice account of this field trip can be found on the excellent Xenornis website. Also on Xenornis are a couple of reports of the sometimes-scarce Slate-colored Seedeater, found by Osvaldo Quintero at Parque Metropolitano in late Sept., and Osvaldo and Jan Axel Cubilla on Old Gamboa Road in late Oct.. Further noted as of late were Peg-billed Finch and Slaty Finch at Parque Internacional La Amistad (by Euclides Campos), and I've received secondhand reports of Maroon-chested Ground-Dove from nearby parts of Costa Rica. All of these species are strongly tied to the presence of seeding bamboo, and I can't recall having heard of so many coincidental reports in such a short period of time, so the evidence suggests that some combination of factors has led to a regional explosion of bamboo, good news for birders seeking these elusive species!

Elsewhere around El Valle; the Caribbean slope of Las Minas Trail continues to host a pair of endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpeckers, although breeding has yet to be documented at this site, the western edge of the species' range. Sightings at the same locale of Ocellated Antbird (Tino Sanchez 8/30) and Buff-throated Foliage-Gleaner (José Perez 8/28) were also noteworthy. Slaty Antwren and White-thighed Swallow were widely reported from El Valle proper and La Mesa; the former seems to be increasing in population locally, while the latter is apparently irruptive, and disappears from the area for long periods. As the seasonal wave of northern migrants passes through, an encouraging note has been the number of Cerulean Warblers reported. The first report of which I am aware came from Tino Sanchez in La Mesa on 8/24, followed by 3 separate birds on consecutive days: Dodge & Lorna Engleman, Canopy Lodge 8/27; me, the Englemans, Altos del Maria 8/28; and me, El Valle 8/29. Björn Anderson and I spotted another Cerulean at exactly the same spot at Altos on 9/26; a lingering bird, or sheer coincidence? And Tino reported the species from La Zamia Trail on 9/16 and Cerro Gaital on 9/17. This is an encouraging series of reports of a species that is seemingly on the decline throughout its breeding range. On 8/11 David Bell and I counted at least 30 Blue-footed Boobies feeding offshore at Playa Juan Hombrón, a good number a fair distance from known breeding islands in the Bay of Panama. But probably the most exciting news from west of the Canal has been the discovery, by guides at the Canopy Lodge, of a small population of Grassland Yellow-Finch in the El Chirú area. The first report of which I took note was provided by Tino Sanchez and Michael O'Brien (the latter of VENT) on 8/10, but Lodge guides tell me the species has been fairly reliable at the site for several months. This is encouraging news regarding a species whose population has declined precipitously in Panamá in the last few decades. I've only seen it once, in grasslands south of Penonomé, and subsequent observers failed to relocate those birds. Grassland Yellow-Finch seems to depend on relatively pristine grasslands, the sort which is now almost absent from Panamá, but southern Coclé Province holds enough lightly-used pasture and farmland that the species may still persist in isolated pockets. Also of interest from Tino and Michael's report was that of a Barn Owl, a very localized species on the Isthmus, which has been found as of late with some regularity around Juan Hombrón.

I thought I'd share the interesting photos below, captured by Cedric Kinschots on Pipeline Road in mid-April. At left is a lovely look at a Speckled Mourner, a species that can be quite tough to find and identify. Speckled Mourner and a handful of other mid-sized, mostly brown-colored flycatchers are superficially similar and can be tricky to identify in the field, but Cedric's lovely photo shows some wonderful detail of the mourner's distinctive feather pattern. At right is a form of a bird that you won't find in any field guide; it's a juvenille male Blue-crowned Manakin. The green cap on the bird matches the color of adult females of the species, but this individual has started to attain the mostly black plumage of an adult male. Adding to the bird's unusual appearance is the fact that Cedric managed to catch it mid-blink!



Meanwhile, back in El Valle.... the Rio Indio area, just across the provincial border in the extreme western part of Panamá, continues to yield dividends. On 5/19 Domi Alveo found Long-tailed Tyrant and Emerald Tanager, both of which are rather local in the region, but easily found in Rio Indio. On June 7th Tino Sanchez found a Pacific Antwren in the same locale; this species is a bird of the Caribbean slope, and might have been expected in Rio Indio, but this was the first time it was enjoyed by guests of the Canopy Lodge. On 5/24 Danilo Rodríguez found a Black-crowned Antpitta in La Mesa, particularly tricky to find in this area. Slaty Antwren appears to be a species on the rise in the region, with multiple reports from La Mesa and Cerro Gaital during the period. Moyo Rodríguez enjoyed a fine day at Cerro Gaital on June 4th, highlighted by his sighting of a Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, a species near the eastern edge of its range in El Valle (it is now known to breed a bit farther east at Altos del Maria). Moyo also found a group of four Black Guans, including at least one immature bird. This species was once thought to have been hunted to local near-extinction, but in recent years has shown signs of making a solid recovery.

Also from the El Valle area: sightings of Slaty Antwren continue to be on the rise; once considered rare in the region, the species is, as of late, a relatively easy find. During this period it is reported by Domi Alveo from La Mesa, on 4/27, by Tino Sanchez on Cerro Gaital, on 5/2, and by Domi and Alexis Sanchez at Altos del Maria, on 5/10- these are only the published reports! On 4/27, Domi and his charges also enjoyed nice looks at Black-faced Grosbeak, a perfect example of a species that was little-known from the El Valle area until the Canopy Lodge guides started their careful exploration of the region. On 5/2, Tino's trip to Cerro Gaital also yielded Blue Seedeater and White-throated Spadebill, neither of which is an easy find at the locale. Alexis and Domi's visit to Altos del Maria on 5/10 also included sightings of Orange-bellied Trogon, Ochraceous Wren, and Red-faced Spinetail. All of these species seem rather routine these days, but one should remember that they were all considered scarce in the region only a few years ago. Domi and Alexis also took their NatureTrek group to the Coclé lowlands on 5/9, and enjoyed such species as Aplomado Falcon and Straight-billed Woodcreeper. The former species was not known from this part of Coclé until a few years ago, and the latter was only recently found to populate a small area of rice farms near Juan Hombrón. This striking species was formerly best-sighted, in the region, at the Tocumen Marsh area, but this locale is under development and now closed to the public, so we are delighted to have a new "hotspot", and grateful to the owners of the Juan Hombrón rice fields for their accomodation to birders. Another visit to the El Chirú area, on 5/3, led by Tino Sanchez, yielded the endemic Veraguan Mango, now considered common in the area. Check out Matt Miller's blog regarding the taxonomic issues surrounding Anthracothorax mangos in Panamá; Matt is a researcher with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), and his new blog promises to be an outstanding resource regarding Panamanian birds. On 5/3 Tino found a Black-bellied Wren at Valle Chiquito, south of El Valle. This is a fairly high elevation for the species, but regular visits to this new birding spot have found it to be regular at the locale. Finally, a rather brief report was shared of a possible Fasciated Tiger-Heron spotted by Tino, on 4/22, on the streams around the Canopy Adventure. This would be a new species for the region, but one that was not totally unexpected; this is the tiger-heron most likely to venture into the Panamanian foothills, a habitant of fast-moving streams and rivers, and is known from similar elevations and habitats to the east and west of El Valle, at Nusagandi and El Copé. I hope to be able to present documentation of this sighting in the near future. (ed. note: George Angehr, the current ranking expert on Panamá's birds, visited the area a few days later, relocated the heron, and identified it as a probable immature Fasciated Tiger-Heron).