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Greetings, and welcome to The Canopy Report, home to rare bird reports from the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge,
sister ecolodges located in central Panama. The idea for this site evolved in response to two recent occurrences. First, on a trip to Panama in May of 2006 Raúl Arias de Para,
owner of both the Tower and Lodge, spoke to me of his interest in starting a 'blog' to report on the birds found by his guests. He
has, to some extent, implemented this plan, adding occasional brief notes regarding bird sightings to the websites for both of his properties.
The second occurrence took place when I submitted my sightings from the same trip to the region's ornithological authorities. The
birds that were of most interest to them were species that, while being relatively recent discoveries, are seen on a regular basis
on Canopy field trips. The fact that the keepers of the ornithological record were simply unaware of these sightings led me
to create this site with two essential functions in mind:
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In the waning moments as I prepare to depart for two months in Panamá, the guides at the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge submitted another set of wonderful sightings. Let's start at the Canopy Lodge; Tino Sanchez enjoyed three of the best days one could expect from the El Valle area- when a professional birding guide is blown away by the variety of rare birds located, you know you've had a good week! On June 19th Tino found Blue-fronted Parrotlet, Black Guan, and Green Thorntail on Las Minas Trail near La Mesa. The first of these is of particular interest, as this species was considered to be exclusive to the opposite (eastern) side of the Canal until recently documented sightings from Altos del Maria. On June 20th, at Cerro Gaital, Tino found a pair of male Blue Seedeaters, a Spotted Barbtail, and a Slaty Antwren. The first species was almost unknown from the area until a few years ago, and the latter two are considered quite rare at this locale. Finally, Tino enjoyed a magical day at Altos del Maria on June 21st, finding Black-crowned Anpitta, Snowcap, White-tailed Emerald, Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, Black Guan, and many other fine species. Congratulations to Tino for this excellent run of luck (and demonstration of skill)! From The Canopy Tower, veteran guide José Soto weighed in with another trio of excellent sightings. First, on June 18th José and a group enjoyed outstanding looks at a Yellow-breasted Crake at the Ammo Dump Ponds. This tiny rail is a very difficult find anywhere in Panamá, and at Ammo Dump the reports are few and far between; the only records of which I am aware in recent years are of a family group found by Alexis Sanchez, myself, and others in August of 2003, and another individual located by José Perez in July of last year. José Soto's second A-list sighting of the week came on June 20th, when he found an Olivaceous Piculet near the Chagres River in the town of Gamboa. This tiny woodpecker is a tough find in the area, reported only a few times a year at best, most recently by José Perez earlier this month. Finally, Sr. Soto capped the week off with great looks at a pair of Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos on Pipeline Road; this enigmatic species is the bird-of-the-trip for any visiting birder lucky enough to catch a glimpse. Well done José! |
A mixed bag of reports have come in from the guides at the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge in the last week or so; June is an interesting month in Panamá, as the rainy season gets into full-swing, when adult birds grow suddenly silent, but juvenille birds are a big part of the mix. From the Canopy Tower: on June 12th Carlos Bethancourt found a Least Bittern at Tocumen Marsh, a somewhat rare find anywhere in Panamá. He amusingly noted that they brought home a trifecta of the "Least" birds of Panamá by finding Least Grebe and Least Tern on the same day! On June 13th Carlos found a Black-crowned Tityra at the Ammo Dump Ponds in Gamboa; this very local (and mostly Caribbean-slope) species is most likely, in the area, to be found at the Summit Gardens to the south, so this sighting is noteworthy for its location. Another good find at the Ammo Dump was a Collared Forest-Falcon found on June 13th, reported by Carlos Bethancourt but initially spotted by Sarah Davis of Atlanta, GA. Any daytime sighting of a forest-falcon is a cause for celebration, and finding one away from the deeper forest is quite a novelty indeed. On June 14th Carlos reported a Little Tinamou from the Summit Ponds; this shy species is always much easier to hear than see. From the Canopy Lodge: on June 16th Moyo Rodríguez and a group found a Spot-crowned Barbet on the Chorro El Macho trail; this "Caribbean-slope" species is being seen with increasing regularity on the Pacific slope in El Valle. Also noteworthy was a Rufous-crested Coquette found by Moyo on June 17th (and a few days before), also on the Chorro el Macho trail, and always at the same set of flowers. This is the best time of year for this species in El Valle, but this is a new location for the bird, perhaps explaining its periodic disappearances from its usual haunts in the gardens around the Canopy Lodge itself. Keep your eyes on these pages in the coming months; I'll be in Panamá for July and August, and, besides browbeating the local guides for information, I'll have a lot of firsthand sightings from central Panamá to share. The rainy season can be a fine time for birding in Panamá! |
A handful of interesting reports came in from the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge the last few days, headlined by Carlos Bethancourt's lovely
Green-and-rufous Kingfisher pictured at left. This female bird was found near La Seda Creek on Pipeline Road on May 28th, and
was gracious enough to pose for photos; this shy species usually spooks quite easily, and Carlos says that of the four birds he has found
(in about ten years of birding Pipeline!) this is the first that wasn't flying away from him. By the by, Ridgley's A Guide to the Birds
of Panama does not illustrate the female Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, and fails to mention the white neck collar pictured on the bird at left,
a good field mark for this gender, at least according to most other field guides and other images I've seen.
On May 30th José Soto and a pair of British birders enjoyed crippling views of a Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon on Pipeline; this species is often part of the dawn chorus as heard from atop the Canopy Tower, but is by far the hardest of the region's 3 species of forest-falcons to actually view. On June 1st José Perez found an Olivaceous Piculet at the Ammo Dump Ponds; this is Panamá's smallest woodpecker, and a very rare find in the Canal area, seen perhaps once a year. Congratulations to all the fellows at the Canopy Tower for their A-list finds! At the Canopy Lodge, owner Raúl Arias de Para reports that two male Rufous-crested Coquettes were present in the gardens on May 25th. This stunning hummingbird arrives at the Lodge late in the dry season and leaves early in the rainy season, so should not be expected at the Lodge for much longer. On May 23rd Tino Sanchez found a Slaty Antwren in a mixed flock at Cerro Gaital; this species is quite rare and seldom-seen in the El Valle area, although a pair or two might breed locally. Finally, on May 21st Domi Alveo found a Spot-crowned Barbet on the Chorro Macho Trail near the Lodge; this "Caribbean-slope" species has been advancing farther into El Valle over the course of the last year-plus, to the point that Domi says sightings of this stunning bird on the Lodge grounds are quite regular. |
The fine image above, of a Marbled Wood-Quail on Pipeline Road, was shared with me by Alan Brown of Scotland. The bird was found by Alan, fellow Scotsman Calum Scott, and José Soto of the Canopy Tower on May 10th. This extremely rare bird was found just past the Juan Grande bridge (the first river crossing one encounters on Pipeline, about 2 km in from the entrance), at a spot where the old pipeline first becomes visible. I particularly enjoy the fact that the wood-quail is actually sitting on the pipe in this shot! This photo provides the first documentation of this species on Pipeline Road in almost a decade (José Perez of the Tower first found this individual about a month before, but without photos), and offers hope that a small population of this species persists (or is reestablishing itself) in this heavily-birded area. Thanks to Alan for sharing this image, and congrats on the top-notch discovery! |
After a bit of a dry spell, typical of the very busy end of the dry season, a flurry of interesting reports came in from guides at the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge. Number One on the hit list has to be the Marbled Wood-Quail reported by José Soto, found on Pipeline Road on May 10th. The bird was found about 500 meters past the Juan Grande bridge (the first one), near the first visible piece of the old pipeline, almost exactly where José Perez found this same species on March 19th of this year. Marbled Wood-Quail is extremely rare in the Canal area, known historically from Pipeline Road but with no reports for the last decade or so. Consider that José Soto is one of the senior guides at the Canopy Tower, and has birded Pipeline Road at least a couple of times a week for roughly the last ten years, and this sighting represented a life bird for him. Josés Perez and Soto may have come upon something of a hotspot for Marbled Wood-Quail, and I know exactly what my first stop will be when I return to Panamá in late June! More good stuff came in from the Canal area; José Perez found a Cinnamon Becard on the grounds of the new Rainforest Discovery Center (accessed from Pipeline Road) on May 13th. This species is rather scarce in central Panamá, although Carlos Bethancourt and I heard one calling in the same area in early April; it appears that the grounds of the Discovery Center may provide appropriate habitat for this sought-after species. The day before, May 12th, Sr. Perez found male and female Great Jacamars on Pipeline, near the 2nd bridge (Frijolitos), where he had seen them the week before. This species seems to be declining in the region, but it has reported with increasing frequency in recent months, offering hope that it may be in recovery. Another fine sighting from José was that of a Northern Royal Flycatcher near the south entrance of Old Gamboa Road, also on 5/12. This rare and striking tyrannid is seldom-reported from the Canal area, and the smattering of recent sightings in central Panamá seem to have come from the foothills above El Valle. From the Canopy Lodge very few reports have come in, perhaps in part because the guides and guests there have become accustomed to the unexpected! Danilo Rodríguez submitted two reports of Black-crowned Antpitta from La Mesa, above El Valle, on 5/4 and 5/12. A decade ago this species was considered a novelty in the region, but as of late sightings seem to occur on a rather regular basis. On the 12th Danilo also found an Emerald Tanager, another species that until recent years (months even!), was more associated with the moist Caribbean slope of central Panamá. On May 5th Raúl Arias de Para reported that the Rufous-crested Coquette was now being seen on an almost daily basis in the Lodge's gardens. For the last several years this species has been quite regular towards the end of the dry season, suggesting some manner of post-breeding dispersal. |
The cuckoos(we saw a pair) were seen about a mile into Pipeline Road on a sunny dry day, 4/23, between approx. 11 a.m.
and 12:15 p.m., when I finally got my photos of one of them. It is a long story, but the birds were seen as we prepared
to return to the Tower, by the side of the road foraging- not near any antswarm. They absconded when we saw them from the
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I received the accompanying report and photos from Joel Rosenthal of Miami, FL, who visited the Canopy Tower and Lodge in the last couple of weeks of
April. Joel had a specific wish-list that included Ocellated Antbird, Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, and Rufous-crested Coquette, and was truly fortunate to find all three species.
The Ocellated Antbird pictured at left was found on the Plantation Trail on 4/22. Joel found the Rufous-crested Coquette in the Canopy Lodge's gardens sometime during the last week
of the month- apparently one person or another saw the bird every day, implying that this tiny hummingbird is once again a regular at the Lodge in
the late dry season. The Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo was found on Pipeline Road on 4/23- Joel's account of the sighting is typical of the ground-cuckoo experience, and it is with pleasure that I share the account presented
below (with photos):
truck, and Alexis and I jumped out to give chase- after a fruitless half-an-hour we were walking back to the car,
only to see the two birds cross the road about 5 feet from the vehicle- I felt like I was in a Keystone Cops movie.
Emily, who had wisely remained in the truck, had not seen the birds, and Alexis and I, as much a matter of principle
as anything, headed into the bush to "get" the birds. I am six feet tall, 61 years old, 215 pounds, with a replaced knee,
was carrying my binos and five pounds of camera and 100-400 mm lens and bulky flash attachment. In short, I lumber, and
the vines, thickets, stumps, trees, thorns, and bushes were getting the best of me- additionally, it was 88 degrees,
I sweat in cold weather, and my glasses were so fogged I could barely see through the viewfinder, plus the light was so poor
the camera wouldn't acquire autofocus, so I had to approximate focus by hand. Alexis and I chased/tracked one of the birds
for another 45 minutes- ultimately about a few thousand meters into the jungle- every now and then it would give us a look,
or perch nearby in full view when we weren't looking in the right place--you know the drill. Finally, the bird had pity on
me (and maybe Alexis, who had to put up with my stumbling about), and perched for some photos.
Things have slowed down in the last couple of weeks, but a couple of interesting reports have trickled in. Most exciting is a report on the Xenornis website of an Orange-breasted Falcon found by Advantage Panama guides Kilo Campos and Ariel Tenorio on April 8th at Birder's View in Cerro Azul. Sr. Tenorio even managed to snap off a couple of surprisingly good photos with his cell phone's camera. This species is one of the rarest raptors in Panamá (I would consider this species, Solitary Eagle, Bicolored Hawk, and Black-collared Hawk to be the Top 4 in this category), so much so that I have not included it on this site's Watchlist of potential vagrants to the region. I will remedy this oversight very soon, as there is another credible record from Cerro Azul from 1970, and recent aerial surveys by the Peregrine Fund revealed nesting sites near El Copé, just to the west of the site's coverage area. It is quite difficult to distinguish Orange-breasted Falcon from the common Bat Falcon, and I must admit that, after careful study of Ariel's photos, I cannot conclusively determine the specific identity of this bird (although the impression in the field of the experienced observers is not to be discounted, and certain features do point to the rarer species). It will be interesting to see if any further details regarding this bird are submitted and posted. Danilo Rodríguez of the Canopy Lodge reports that the Rufous-crested Coquette was seen in the Lodge gardens on April 12th; this dry-season visitor to El Valle has been somewhat scarce this year. More intriguing is Danilo's secondhand report of a Black-eared Wood-Quail found by Moyo Rodríguez the week before at La Mesa. This reclusive species of the western highlands has proved to be rare but somewhat regular in recent years at Altos del Maria, but this would be a first sighting for the El Valle area, and an unexpected incursion onto the edge of the Pacific slope. I eagerly await details regarding this exciting find. |
Once again a smattering of reports have come in from various sources. Most exciting is the following report submitted by John Rowlett of Field Guides Inc., accompanied by some fine photos:
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As you’ve heard from Tino, the last visit to Altos was an exciting one, with all the seedeaters and the Touit,—yes,
the Blue-fronted Parrotlet! I was amazed to see it. I heard it, used playback (of Blue-fronted, incidentally; I didn’t
have Red-fronted on my iPod) to turn it around and bring it tearing in. It settled in the canopy for fine viewing, as
they are wont to do once they perch. Characteristically, it sat silently (for the most part) moving about a little on
the limb and very occasionally uttering soft conversational notes. We set about to photograph it
after the group had scoped it nicely, but the area was rather dark and it was late in the afternoon, so Tino and I didn’t
have much light for digiscoping. My two photos aren’t much to look at, but they do confirm the ID. It was nice to be able
to confirm Tino’s sighting of April 24, 2007. He told the group that he was “very happy”—because now I would believe him!
That was cute. I can’t but think that the bird is a vagrant singleton that (like the Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker) somehow
wound up in Altos del Maria. The situation with the parrotlet, however, is somewhat different in that there is another
congener that lives in Altos del Maria with which it could conceivably hook up. We’ll have to watch for that.
Tino saw only one bird the first time as well, so it would appear that it hasn’t joined any flocks of Red-fronteds or
paired up with one (assuming our sighting was of the same bird; it was very close to where Tino saw his in 2007).
So far, the woodpecker has not been seen again. BTW, I also got a fair recording of the Touit’s vocalization as it left
the perch, but I don’t imagine the differences in dilectissimus and costaricencis
are reliable for ID purposes. Playback of Blue-fronted certainly works on Red-fronteds along Fortuna Road.
We spent a good bit of the mid-day with the Slate-colored Seedeaters. I knew we were going to find fruiting bamboo when
we saw the first couple of birds, but then we began hearing and seeing many more than that! A conservative estimate
for the number of males we had (no females were seen) was 30+. There could have been a hundred. They do occupy fairly
large territories for a seedeater, but we had them all along the road during one long stretch. I’ve attached my photo of
a male that had a few mist drops on his back, as we encountered a light mist for perhaps an hour. I also got good
recordings of the entire song, the first part of which, though short, is suggestive of a Catharus (Tino thought Solitaire);
this is delivered before the bird segues into its well-known buzzy series of chugging and sputtering trills.
I’ve never heard this species deliver such a long musical preamble to its insect-like song.
that we saw on the evening of March 28 along Old Gamboa Road (not far from Summit Pond). Carlos Bethancourt had alerted
us to the presence of this bird which his group had seen earlier the same afternoon; but he wasn’t sure of the ID.
He wanted me to check on it, and of course it was a lifer for José, so he was determined we find it.
Carlos had left a nice arrow pointing right at the bird. I believe it was a female, but it could have been a male.
We couldn’t see any white on the tail corners, but that isn’t visible on the closed tail. I have no doubt it was on
and egg or two, or perhaps young chicks. We did not want to flush it to find out, but any time one sees a
Rufous Nightjar on the ground, it is almost inevitably on a nest since these birds roost and sing off the ground.
I haven’t been back in touch with Carlos or José to find out, but presumably they know more of the story by now
since it’s been about two weeks. It’s reasonably clear from this photo (I have a close-up of the head
that shows it clearly) that the rictal bristles are completely free of lateral filaments, meaning that this
bird was no Chuck. Incidentally, the photos of the Nightjar are digiscoped. We didn’t want to get so close
as to put the bird off the ground/nest.
Next up is a report of a Pheasant Cuckoo seen from the Canopy Tower on 4/8 by Carlos Bethancourt et.
al.; this sedentary species is always a tough find, but best found in the Panamanian dry season, the end of which
is rapidly approaching. On 4/5 Carlos and a Birding Ventures group led by Simon Thompson enjoyed a sort of daily double on Pipeline Road, with great looks at an
elusive Little Tinamou, followed by a trio of Great Jacamars, 2 males and a female. The former species is always
present in the area, but really hard to find; the latter is a true rarity anywhere in central Panamá, and I can't recall another
occasion upon which more than two individuals of this species were seen.
Marcus found the Wedge-billed Woodcreeper pictured above at left in La Mesa on 3/29; this species is quite rare
in the area, although sightings seem to have increased in recent months.
On the same day Marcus was fortunate enough to find a Barred Forest-Falcon, a good bird anywhere in Panamá. On the Cara Iguana Trail
outside El Valle on 3/28 Marcus found and photographed a Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, here at the
highest elevation in its range.
Also noteworthy was his sighting of a Rusty-margined Flycatcher (pictured at right) in El Valle; any sighting of this species
west of the Canal area is noteworthy, although it seems to be enjoying a range expansion, as reports from central-western Panamá
have been on the rise in recent years. This photo is not quite conclusive in terms of identifying the species, but the very dark
lores and barely-visible rusty margins of the primaries seem to confirm Marcus' diagnosis.
Scattered reports have come in over the last few days. On April 2nd Tino Sanchez, accompanying a group from Ventures Birding Tours, found a quartet of Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos on La Zamia Trail outside El Valle. He repeated the feat that same afternoon with an ABA Century Club group. Alfred Raab shared a few sightings from a very long trip to Panamá, and the clear highlight was a very belated report of an Elegant (Blue-hooded) Euphonia found at Altos del Maria on January 22nd. This species of the western highlands and foothills has been found at Altos several times in recent years, but I still await photographic documentation. Reports regarding the rails at Tocumen Marsh continue to trickle in, with David Klauber, Karl Kaufmann, Bill Adsett, Jeremiah Trimble, and George Angehr weighing in with reports, commentary, and/or photos in the last week or two. Check out our own Tocumen Rails Page or the informative Xenornis website to see pictures and follow the discussion regarding these amazing discoveries. |
Tino Sanchez of the Canopy Lodge just passed on a couple of excellent reports from Altos del Maria, a couple of great birds seen in the company
of John Rowlett and his Field Guides tour group on March 21st. Tino finally has collected visual confirmation
of the presence of Blue-fronted Parrotlet (photo above) at Altos del Maria, after having reported the species for over a year
without concrete proof. The parrotlet is a species of the foothills and highlands of eastern Panamá, and was not exepcted
to be found at Altos del Maria, where the Talamanca Range winds to a halt just to the west of the Canal. As discussed elsewhere
on these pages, this discovery challenges some basic assumptions regarding species distribution in Panamá. I eagerly await Mr. Rowlett's comments.
The second-best sighting of the day was no slouch, a Slate-colored Seedeater (pictured above), also found at Altos del Maria.
This emberezid occupies a patchy and poorly defined range within Panamá, and the discovery last year of a breeding population
at La Mesa represented the first record of the species from Coclé Province. I've yet to figure out if this sighting at Altos
is a first for western Panamá. The identification of this species is no simple task; the bird pictured above is not as pale
on the belly as illustrated in most field guides, but the bright yellow/orange bill and white epaulet are solid field marks.
Tino has been taking full advantage of his newfound e-mail access; just before uploading this page I received the photo above, of a Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch found on Las Minas Trail on March 28th. This species is extremely local in its Panamanian distribution, but has been found in the El Valle area in recent years on the highest point of the Cara Iguana road and in the grasslands around La India Dormida. Las Minas seems to provide perfect habitat for this species, plenty of grassy areas at relatively high elevations (1000m+); on my last visit to this locale I thought I heard the grass-finch, but could not get a glimpse even after employing playback. Congrats to Tino on this excellent find! |
Marbled Wood-Quail, Spot-crowned Barbet, Tocumen Rails Carlos Bethancourt passed on a report from José Perez of the Canopy Tower of a Marbled Wood-Quail discovered on Pipeline Road on the morning of March 19th. To follow is José's report: David Leaman y Marjory Field fueron las dos personas que estaban conmigo. El lugar en donde vi el quail es mas o menos a unos 500 metros despues del puente Juan Grande (es en donde esta el corutu y exactamente debajo se ve el pipeline muy cerca del road). Nos detuvimos en este lugar porque habian varios Streak-chested Antpittas... alrededor. El Quail era mas o menos del tamañ de un Little Tinamou; pero muy chocolate con rayas amarillas en las alas y en la espalda mostraba una cresta mas negrusca y era bien marcado el "orange eyering". El Señor Leaman lo vio bien porque el busca por su cuenta en el libro y coinsidimos en lo mismo. Tambien lo escuchamos cantando y respondio varias veces a la imitacion. No le pude tomar foto porque en donde se detuvo solo la pudimos ver con los binos! For non-Spanish speakers, José and his two guests, David Leaman and Marjory Field, found
the Marbled Wood-Quail about 500 meters past the bridge at the Quebrada Juan Grande. It was near an area
where the abandoned pipeline comes close to the road, where Streak-chested Antpitta can often be found;
in this case, many were seen. José describes the plumage of the Wood-Quail well, and says that Mr. Leaman
had the best looks, as he was looking at the bird and its picture in the field guide simultaneously! They were unable
to capture photos as the bird was skulking and could only be seen through binoculars. This is a brilliant find,
as Marbled Wood-Quail has not been found on Pipeline Road in years, and perhaps only a small group could be quiet
enough to enjoy the close approach of this quiet and rare species.
Tino Sanchez of the Canopy Lodge sent in the photo above, of a Spot-crowned Barbet enjoying the fruit feeders at the Canopy Lodge on February 21st. This species was not known from the Pacific slope of Coclé until a little more than a year ago. It is now seen with some regularity on the Canopy Lodge grounds, and has been confirmed as a breeder in the area. Tino also reports that a Gray-capped Flycatcher was seen on the grounds on the same day, another excellent find for El Valle. More updates have come in regarding the rail explosion at Tocumen Marsh; Karl Kaufmann sent in excellent reports (and photos) of Spotted Rail, Paint-billed Crake. and Yellow-breasted Crake found on March 15th. Check out the Xenornis website or our own Tocumen Rails Page to track these reports. |
Tocumen Rails, Agami Heron, Much More! Bear with me, as we've got a ton of reports to share.... leading things off is continued news of the extraordinary rails at Tocumen Marsh, with Paint-billed Crakes and Spotted Rails found on several occasions since our last post. As the quantity of information has become too voluminous for this homepage, I have created a special Tocumen Rails Page to track current sightings and to provide some ornithological context regarding these extraordinary finds. Please also keep your eyes on the Xenornis website, which is often much more up-to-date regarding current bird sightings in Panamá, especially when The Canopy Report is out of the country! 
Carlos Bethancourt sent in the beautiful photo above of an Agami Heron, found at the Summit Ponds on March 11th; this bird was found on almost the same date and exactly the same place as last year's dry season Agami Heron. Also noteworthy on the this day was a pair of Brown-throated Parakeets in the same area, a rare species in the Canal area, although abundant elsewhere in the Panamanian lowlands. After much delay, I am finally happy to share my personal sightings, and some secondhand reports, collected on my trip to central Panamá that concluded on March 7th. I accompanied a Field Guides Inc. tour group, led by John Coons and Alexis Sanchez, to Parque Metropolitano on February 27th; among the highlights were great looks at the Panamanian endemic Yellow-green Tyrannulet, and a heard-only Olivaceous Woodcreeper, a good find anywhere in central Panamá. My best find of the day came, unfortunately, after the group had departed; a pair of Pheasant Cuckoos calling along the Cieneguita Trail. This was my second sighting of this reclusive species of the trip, one of four in total, great fortune regarding this rare and sought-after bird.
The El Valle area, home to the Canopy Lodge, has yielded even more great sightings as of late. I shared time, and some great birds, with a VENT group led by Barry Zimmer and a full contingent of the Lodge's expert local bird guides. We started the trip off on March 2nd with a great look at a female Blue Dacnis on the Canopy Lodge grounds, found first by Tino Sanchez; this is the first record of this lowland species from the lower foothills of El Valle. Barry Zimmer, a fine tour leader with extensive experience in Panamá, gave me a short list of birds in the area that he had not yet seen, headed by Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo (a species with which I had enjoyed extraordinary luck last year)- I believe the exact offer was that my libations would be paid for if I found him this bird. I was a bit slow- on March 3rd Canopy Lodge guide Armodio Rodríguez found an army ant swarm at a good patch of forest in La Mesa, and a pair of Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos were present, and calling in a soft, dove-like voice. All of the visiting birders got great looks at the bird, and I collected good audio of the call, although I still had to pay for my wine! Congratulations to Barry and his charges on this great find! After much of the group moved on, Domi Alveo, I, and a couple of intrepid souls enjoyed great looks at a Barred Forest-Falcon that came to visit the swarm, plus a calling Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, a rare species in the region. Another good find was a pair of flying (and calling) Montezuma Oropendolas spotted when I wandered away from my group; Tino Sanchez had seen them earlier in the day, and he says they are showing up with increasing frequency at La Mesa. The oropendola is a bird of the Caribbean-slope lowlands, but it seems to be moving to higher elevations and onto the Pacific slope in recent years; La Mesa is barely on the Pacific side of the Continental Divide. My day was not over; in the late afternoon, birding on the road just above the Canopy Lodge, I found (and filmed).
On March 4th we all piled into 4-wheel drive pickups to visit Altos del Maria, a great birding site that is sadly under assault by massive housing development. The undisturbed areas of the locale yielded some avian gems, including Dull-mantled Antbird, Snowcap, Russet Antshrike, Red-faced Spinetail, Spotted Barbtail, White-throated Spadebill, and a tremendously-accomodating Rufous-browed Tyrannulet (I captured excellent audio). Many of these species were unknown from the region until the Canopy Lodge guides started their explorations of Altos a couple of years ago. The VENT group got a bonus prize when they got back to the Lodge; Tino Sanchez spotted a male Rufous-crested Coquette at the Lodge gardens just before dinner, and those guests who were still birding got a great thrill out of this diminutive hummingbird. The coquette has been a regular dry season visitor to the Lodge in recent years, but had been inexplicably absent in 2007-2008 until this day. Raúl Arias tells me it has been seen irregularly in the last couple of weeks. On March 5th I struck out on my own in La Mesa, taking my first walk up the beautiful Las Minas Trail. The highlight of the day
was a soaring Ornate Hawk-Eagle (also seen by the VENT group, from a different vantage point); this rare species has been
reported a few times from the same location by Canopy Lodge guides, leading me to believe it may be breeding very locally.
Back on the road to Cerro Gaital, almost exactly where the ant swarm had been found the day before, I enjoyed
an extraordinary burst of locally uncommon birds, including
Several more species were seen that are of interest mainly because of the specific location in which they
were found, not because of their general scarcity in the region. On March 4th Domiciano Alveo and two Lodge guests
found a Panama Flycatcher at the head of the Las Minas trail in La Mesa; I saw what was probably the same bird at the same spot the very next day.
This species is known to occasionally range well into the foothills, but this is the first time any of us
can recall seeing it in La Mesa. On March 5th I found an Olivaceous Flatbill outside my cabin at the Canopy Lodge, the first time
I've recorded this species in El Valle. Lodge guides tell me they see this lowland bird every now and then, but Eye-ringed Flatbill
is much more common in the immediate area. On the same day a trio of White-thighed Swallows flew overhead just below the Canopy
Adventure entrance; this species was discovered to be breeding in the area a few years ago, but has since been seldom-reported.
I suspect the swallows are resident in the area and generally occupy a remote area that birders don't visit; reports are scattered
but frequent enough to suggest that the birds are present year-round. On March 6th I heard a Broad-billed Motmot
calling along the Aqueduct Trail in El Valle; west of the Canal area this species is mostly a Caribbean-slope bird, but I have
heard and seen the species at this location on several occasions. On the same trail I enjoyed a great look
at a Wood Thrush, an addition to my Panamá list- this is the least common of the North American migrant thrushes
that winter in Panamá.
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I finally recorded my first Semiplumbeous Hawk on Pipeline Road on February 29th, near the first bridge at the Quebrada Juan
Grande. This small forest raptor can be a tough find, but once spotted it was remarkably accomodating, waddling along nearby branches
in a penguin-like fashion, and seemingly checking me out. Carlos Bethancourt informs me that this bird has
been seen sporadically in the general area for the last few months, accounting for the relative preponderance
of recent reports of this rare species. A bit closer to the entrance, and in the mid-afternoon,
I enjoyed one of the most exciting sightings of my birding life. I found a Pheasant Cuckoo lying in the middle of the road
(see the image at top left below), and at first I thought it was merely a pile of leaves. But as I moved closer I realized it was
a Pheasant Cuckoo, engaged in some sort of unusual display activity. The bird fanned out its huge tail (top right image below)
and its wings, and dragged itself on the road as if dust-bathing. It called several times (photo bottom left) as I videotaped
at close range. I was concerned that the bird might have been injured (a fast-moving truck had rumbled by moments before), and I was creeping closer
to see if the bird needed help. I crouched down low, and the bird miraculously approached me, coming to within a couple of meters, accounting for the
quality of the video stills presented here. It eventually flew into the forest edge, but I could still see it displaying, and emitting a growling sound that
I was able to record. Other birders have reported unusual displays of this sort, but thus far I have not found anybody who can offer an explanation as to why this normally
shy species would be so brazen. By the by, this was one of five Pheasant Cuckoos I spotted in a six-day period at four different locations, a great run of luck with
a species that can be hard to find even in the dry season, when they are vocalizing and therefore more easily found.
an Emerald Tanager (at right) feeding in a fig tree as part of a good mixed-species flock. Emerald Tanager is a bird of the moist
foothills that was only recorded at the higher elevations at La Mesa within the last year or so; its presence near the village of El
Valle was quite unexpected, although Tino Sanchez tells me that it has been seen in the area for the last couple of months.
The species is a tough one to capture on film, as it is small, fast-moving, and a tree-topper, and this individual was framed against a sunny sky to boot!
Nonetheless, my video still of this Emerald Tanager was the best I could glean, and shows enough to document this species' presence in El Valle.
great looks at a male Slaty Antwren, a very rare bird in the area; this was only my second sighting of the species. The
still at left is the best I could get, and is certainly of low quality, but I believe it sufficiently documents the sighting.
An hour spent at this spot yielded four species of antbirds (Spot-crowned and Plain Antvireos, Checker-throated and Slaty Antwrens),
an unusual tally in the lower foothills, and four woodcreepers (Plain-brown, Wedge-billed, Cocoa, and Spotted Woodcreepers),
also close to the maximum for the area. Such avian explosions are part of the joy of the hobby of birding!
l
WOW! A rail bonanza and more! Multiple follow-up reports regarding the extraordinary find of Spotted Rails at Tocumen Marsh have come in. It's all been a bit mind-boggling; the following report from George Angehr, author of multiple books regarding the birds of Panamá, and chair of the Panama Bird Records Committee, sums it up best:
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..
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.
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!). With the high volume of excellent reports in the last 24 hours, I almost forgot to mention that the American Avocet at Punta Chamé, originally discovered by Alfred Raab on March 6th, was rediscovered at that location on March 8th by Darien Montañez and others. See Darién's Xenornis website for photos and more details. The quality photos confirm the identification of Panamá's 4th record of American Avocet. Alfred, newly-resident in Panamá, should be commended for recognizing the significance of his find and getting the word out the only way he knew how; he called me, I called others, and several phone calls later word got to someone actually in a position to chase the bird. This teamwork is what being part of of a birding community is all about! |
I'm back from Panamá for only a few hours now, and I've already received a report that demands immediate attention. José Perez of the Canopy Tower and a group from Field Guides led by Chris Benesh and George Armistead found the Spotted Rail pictured above at Tocumen Marsh, I believe on March 6th, at roughly the same spot where a Gray-breasted Crake was found about a year-and-a-half ago (first by Robert Ridgely, then by me and Carlos Bethancourt). A brief scan of the literature indicates that this is roughly the 4th sighting of this species in Panamá, and the first in over 20 years. José also said that an immature rail was also seen, meaning that the Spotted Rail is breeding at Tocumen; this is only the second report of breeding in Panamá. Chris Benesh apparently also collected audio recordings of the vocalizing rail. This is a sighting of the first order, a bird that is so rare that it was not even on the wish list for any of us in Panamá. Carlos Bethancourt of the Canopy Tower notes that Tocumen may be a great spot for rare rails, and certainly more careful study of the area is needed. 
Above are a couple more good shots from José Perez; at left is a Mangrove Cuckoo found at Ft. Sherman on the Caribbean coast of Panamá on 3/4. This species is a very rare migrant to Panamá in the northern winter season. At right is a nice look at a Speckled Mourner, filmed on Pipeline Road on 3/3- this species is always present in the area in small numbers, but is tough to spot and even tougher to capture on film. Great work José! Another great report comes from Alfred Raab, a Swiss-born Canadian who is buying property in Panamá. Alfred found an American Avocet near Punta Chame, which would represent the 4th record for the country. I spread the word before departing Panamá, and the Xenornis website is tracking reports of this bird. I'm just back from two weeks in Panamá, and I have many good reports to share; work-related considerations demand that I will not have time to share details of my sightings for a few days- stay tuned! |
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