Panama
28 Dec 2010 - 4 Jan 2011
by
Henry Detwiler
Wonderful scenery, great company, and endless birds made this a fine trip to Panama. We covered several bird-rich spots in the western half of the country, from the Canal Zone to the Chiriqui Provence.
206 species seen Click here for bird checklist
Click on
thumbnail pictures for full-sized photos.
We arrived in Panama late on the 27th, picked up our rental, and checked into the Airport Riande Hotel. The next morning in the courtyard we got our first local birds, including a beautiful Orange-headed Oriole. Somehow we made it through town and up to the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal for some sightseeing and lunch.
Agouti
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Slaty-tailed Trogon Following that we drove up to the Summit Zoo, where we saw Collared Aracaris, Keel-billed Toucans, and our first of many Agoutis. We found a small troop of Geoffroy's Tamarins (monkeys) swinging through the bamboos. One of the prizes of the afternoon was this spectacular Trogon. |
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Across from Summit Park we walked a half mile of the old Gamboa Road. Cloudy skies and cool temps made it seem like early morning, and the area was alive with birds. This Violaceous Trogon, both Streaked & Buff-collared Saltators, finches, Lance-tailed Manakins, and various tanagers were but a few of the finds.
Ruddy Ground-Dove
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Violaceous Trogon
At La Estancia B&B one of the most common birds were the Ruddy Ground-Doves, which are a great rarity here in Arizona. The other common birds were the Variable Seedeaters that attacked the hanging feeders.
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On Wednesday we returned to the Summit Park and toured the Harpy Eagle exhibit. Back on Gamboa Road we watched a three-toed sloth. In the Soberania National Park we walked through pristine jungle and found this elegant Broad-billed Motmot and White-whiskered Puffbird.
White-whiskered Puffbird
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Broad-billed Motmot
Other fine birds for the morning included a huge Crimson-crested Woodpecker, woodcreepers, several antbird species, and a host of more familiar neotropical migrants. That afternoon we explored the colonial part of Panama City, called Casco Viejo. Even there we found birds, such as Yellow-crowned Night Herons.
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On Thursday we left early for the eastern province of Chiriqui, and after a few stops, thick fog, and a detour around a washed-out bridge, made it to Los Quetzales Lodge. About seven varieties of beautiful hummingbirds were mobbing the nectar feeders, including this beautiful White-throated Mountain Gem. One of the most common and most aggressive was our friend from SE AZ, the Magnificent Hummingbird. On Friday we took a tractor ride up to Baru National Park, seeing lots more hummers and hiking up a rugged jungle trail to a picturesque waterfall. Our local guide, Abel, picked out Black Guan, Black-cheeked Warblers, a Pygmy Squirrel, and Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch.
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White-throated Mountain Gem
In the afternoon we descended from the mountain tops to bird Volcano Lakes. It was one of the best birding locales we visited, and we added numerous tanagers, an Olivaceous Piculet, two species of Spinetails, Tropical Parula, Slate-colored Redstart, and the giant White-collared Swift. |
Cecropia Tree
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At Las Macanas Marsh we spent only a couple of hours, but saw numerous raptors and three vulture species.
Savanna Hawk
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Aplomado Falcon
Among the excellent birds we saw and heard were Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Savanna Hawk, Roadside Hawk, White-tailed Kite, Crested & Yellow Caracaras, and best of all, an Aplomado Falcon. |
White-lipped Tree Frog |
We spent the night at the Golden Frog B&B, where we were introduced to this large White-lipped Tree Frog. The next morning was beautiful, and we spent a couple of hours exploring the grounds and adding Strong-billed Woodcreeper and our first Oropendolas. After a tasty breakfast we began our exploration of the Anton Valle volcano caldera. Strong rains dampened our efforts in the afternoon, so we drove on to Ivan's B&B in Gamboa.
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The last full day we took a fine boat trip with Gonzolo up the Chagres River on a smooth-riding, canopy-covered flatboat.
Green Iguana
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Purple Gallinule
As we motored along the Chagres, we saw many Purple Gallinules, Wattled Jacanas, and Sandwich Terns.We spied a pair of Green Iguanas which scurried away as soon as they noticed that they'd been spotted. After all, they do grow to six feet in length and are known as bamboo chicken!
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Gonzolo and his boat driver gave us bird's eye views of this gorgeous Ruffescent Tiger-Heron and several Tri-colored Herons.
Tricolored Heron
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Ruffescent Tiger-Heron
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A banded-wing raptor flying overhead had us mystified; it turned out to be a young Hook-billed Kite.
Hook-billed Kite
During an afternoon walk in the forest at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort I heard a manakin snapping. After a bit of searching we saw a golden object hopping on the forest floor. Suzanne thought it was a frog, but our binoculars soon revealed a male Golden-collared Manakin displaying for its mate. Later, walking along the Pipeline Trail, we got excellent looks at this Bicolored Antbird.
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Chagres River Jungle
As we motored along the Chagres, we saw many Purple Gallinules, Wattled Jacanas, and Sandwich Terns. Our final bird for the boat trip was a Black-collared Puffbird perched on a palm tree stump.
Bicolored Antbird
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Vermiculated Screech-Owl
The final morning we once again hiked up the Pipeline Road, hearing and seeing a wide range of birds and a nearby troop of Howler Monkeys. One neat bird we heard and finally saw was a loud Black-collared Forest Falcon. Our week in the tropics ended all too soon--we can't wait to return!
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That evening we took an owl walk with Panama bird guide Ken Allaire, who showed us a beautiful Vermiculated Screech-Owl. We also spotted a number of night creatures, including two-toed & three-toed sloths, a pair of kinkajous, two tamanduas (anteaters), and a tree boa.
Wattled Jacana
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