Bird Banding, Airplanes, and Quetzals

Since my last post, we have been moving around alot! On Sunday, we visited a couple of great birding spots near Gamboa. First to an area near the Canal where we saw and hear the Laughing Falcon. This bird is not only handsome but noisy. Guido got it to respond by actually laughing to it. As soon as I figure out how to post sound files, I'll include my recording here. Not far from the falcons, we saw a gorgeous Spectacled Owl. Our friend Denny took some photos of it - stay tuned for those.

Next we went out to Madden Forest, part of the Chagres National Park. When we drove in, we found several biologists who were mist-netting and banding birds. The first four birds they showed us were Lance-tailed Manakins, but they were especially keeping tracks of Neoptropical Migrants. The birds you see here are resident female and male Lance-tailed Manakins. In the hand, you can actually see the lance-shaped feather in the tail.

When we got into the park headquarters, two young girls walked with us on the tral and were just amazing bird finders. We think we should send them the field guides and binoculars - they show great promise!

That evening, we flew to David, way out to the west of Panama City and Gamboa in the easternmost province of Chiriqui.

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We drove in the dark up to the Dos Rios Hotel in Volcan, a little town about one hour and 4,000 feet up and away from the steamy coast. The weather up there reminded me of a perfect summer in Saranac Lake - cool with some clear days mixed with some rainy spells. Absolutley gorgeous in those volcanic mountains. This province is a the main agricultural area of Panama - many beautiful farms with vegetables, fruit, and cattle. Most of the work appeared to be done by hand. We stopped one day on the road back down the mountains for fresh local strawberries at one of many little stands. Janice loved hers.

The birding there was a mix of relaxing strolls (and sits - see the group the right!!!), drenching rainy hikes between birding from the porches at La Amistad International Park, and cool uphill walks at Volcan National Park through gorgeous forest interspersed with steep terraced small farm fields.

The birding was spectacular in many places, with great sightings of Rufous-faced Spinetail, Elegant Euphonia, Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush, Respendant Quetzal (the name doesn't come CLOSE to describing this bird), the elusive Wren Thrush, and Collared Becard. The list of new birds is getting satisfyingly long, but I especially enjoyed the calls of the Black-faced Solitaire ringing through the forest, while the parrots, wrens, and toucans accompanied it.

At La Amistad International Park, we were served both breakfast and lunch by the women's cooperative - Las Nubes - that runs a restaurant just inside the Chiriqui entrance to the park. There is another entrance to the park from Boca del Toro Province in Panama, as well as entrances from neighboring Costa Rica. It is a huge park that straddles the border and is jointly managed by both countries. It would take years just to explore this area in any satisfying way.







  We flew back to Guido's lodge in Gamboa last night, and this afternoon, we leave for yet another adventure - a trip out to the east to Torti, near the border of Darien Province. There is a whole new set of birds out there, and we will also visit a native Embara village. The heat and mosquitos will be challenging but seeing so many new things is extremely distracting! Tomorow night we will be back in Panama City to see some sights, enjoy a nice dinner, and get some sleep before flying home on Saturday. The wrap-up to this trip and blog will be coming next week once we are home and can add more photos and information. Stay tuned!

Buses, Blue Cotingas, and Yellow-eared Toucanets

Fernando (striped shirt) with his kids, Ron, and Mario at Massiel's Restaurant, owned by the wonderful Fernando and Lula - our primary givers-of-sustenance for 2 weeks.

Last Tuesday (March 16th), a little reluctant to leave lovely El Valle, we took the bus from El Valle to Panama City. What a ride! The bus assistant took quite awhile rounding up passengers at the major stops, then the bus driver floored it to the next stop. For the first third of the trip, popular Panamanian music played with a heavy bass beat as we held tight to our seat backs, then for the last two-thirds we had the opportunity to watch (with a completely-engrossed bus-full of Panamanians) a Jackie Chan movie, dubbed in Spanish. Somehow, we think this made the driver go even faster - so much shooting, yelling, and otherwise crazy stuff.

We made it to Panama City (just called "Panama" here) and disembarked into the deafening bus station, where we waiting successfully for Janice and Guido to pick us up. Then on to the also-busy Toucamen Airport for the rest of our bird tour group from northern Massachusetts.

We landed in Gamboa at the Sobariana Lodge, the outpost owned and operated by Advantage Tours Panama. Guido Berguido is the owner of Advantage Tours Panama, based in Gamboa, a bit east of Panama City. He is a primo bird guide, and along with his full-time guide Rey and the rest of the exxcellent staff, has been taking very good care of our birding and bodily needs.

On Thursday (March 18), we birded the famous Pipeline Road and were not disappointed. Remember the Dot-winged Ant Wren seen near the start of this blog? Great looks, just after seeing the Checkered-throated Ant Wren, Great Tinamou, and Southern Bentbill. We also visited the Discovery Center there for hummingbirds and - later that day - the tower.

Ron, Guido, and Rey on Achiote Road

Yesterday we went to Achiote - what place!!! Toucan, Oropendolas, and Howler Monkeys calling constantly and many new and fabulous birds seen. We also has lunch in Achiote - great little local restaurant with an outdoor wood-fired kitchen.

Today to an area near our Lodge to see Blue Cotinga and other lovely creatures, then to Cerro Azul - a higher altitude park north of Panama City. It was cool and green, a nice change form the heat and humidity in the Canal area. Birds of the Day there: Yellow-eared Toucanet.

So much to see, so little computer time. Denny's turn now. Hasta luego, Friends!

MotMots and Bicycles

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Originally uploaded by nightraincamper

These Blue-crowned Motmots are so obliging AND common! They seem to hang across from the entrance to Cabanas Potosi, and we have seen them on the Cara Iguana Trail as well. This little sketch was done from a digiscope photo I took courtesy of fellow-birder Mark's scope after a morning of birding the mountain at the south side of El Valle village last week. On that same trail we saw Rufous-capped Warbler (common here), Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, White-vented Plumeteer (another hummingbird with a fabulous name), and Yellow-crowned Euphonia, among others. The photo below is a view across the El Valle valley during yet another little shower. Gorgeous.

As usual, the wind was practically violent (since the day we arrived here) and seeing the birds (as well as sleeping through the creaking and whooshing all night) has been challenging. Yesterday it finally subsiding to nice gentle, cooling breeze and it was such a pleasure to see so many birds congregating in the fruit-producing trees this morning when they weren't holding on and sitting tight to the flailing branches (i.e. almost invisible).

On Monday (March 8), we went birding with the infamous Mario Bernal, Panamanian bird guide extraordinaire and a native of El Valle. In fact he lives across the street from our cabanas (brother of the owner) and his property is fantastic for many species we haven't seen elsewhere, such as Collared Aracari, Streaked  Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied and Lesser Elanias, Thick-billed Euphonia, and many Red-legged Honeycreepers.

Anyway, in spite of the incredible wind and some clouds spritzing us, Mark, Ron and I birded up the Cerro Gaital Road with Mario for several hours, after a terrific session right on some back streets in the village. Some village birds include White-lined, Flame-rumped, Crimson-backed, Golden-headed, Blue-gray, Palm, and Plain-colored Tanagers (an amazing group of birds in the tropics - the Plain-colored being a virtual exception to the colorful plumages you would expect from the names). Up on the mountain, we saw some beauties as well, and a trail we traveled up just inside the protected Gailtal area really was mind-boggling for the numbers and varieties of birds we saw there. Some trees was practically swarming with birds of many species and groups. A few tidbits: Little Hermit and Garden Emerald (two hummingbird species), Tawny-Crested amd Dusky-faced tanagers, Plain Xenops (cool bill), Bay Wren, Red-legged Dacnis, and Grey-headed Chachalaca. A good morning with many species for which we plan to return.

The internet store is closing. Adios, Amigos. In my next installment, learn about some fine points of Panamian cuisine, some botany, and the social life in El Valle. Time to pedal back to our little paradise at Cabanas Potosi.

En El Valle - March 5

After a late flight on Tuesday and an overnight at La Estancia B&B in Panama City, we woke up to the songs on so many birds! Our hotel was built on a steep hillside, and the feeders hanging over the cliff were constantly busy. The first Life Bird was the flamboyant Crimson-backed Tanager (coincidentally also the first bird photo, taken by J. Morlan) that I posted on this blog. The banana-bunch feeders (very common in the tropics - nicely low-tech) were constantly busy with Blue-gray Tanagers, Palm Tanagers, Orange-throated Parrot, Crimson-headed Woodpecker, Clay-colored Thrush, and the local squirrels among others. The feeders that we would fill at home with mixed seeds were filled instead with rice for the Variable Seedeaters and Ruddy Ground Doves. We got to enjoy all of this while having a nice breakfast on the balcony.

While we waited for our taxi after breakfast, some of the staff was watching a gorgeous and hefty green snake - a Bejuquilla - while it waited for its own breakfast of fowl fresca while draped over some branches. That was one camoflaged snake - the exact green of the local leaves and with a leaf-shaped-and-patterned head.

Our bus left from the busy Panama City station at about 11:30 AM and we arrived at about 1:45 in El Valle. The owner of our lodgings at Cabañas Potosi was at Massiel´s Restaurant wainting for us, and we had a terrific lunch there while Denny regaled us with El Valle information and lore. It was very warm - over 80 degrees - and we were glad for the shade while we watched the world go by, consisting mostly of pedestrians, buses of all descriptions, bicycles, mopeds, and very few cars. Denny took us to our cabaña next and we settled in. The cabañas are in lovely, lush setting and we started birding immediately! I took this photo to the right during the afternon shower, a regular pattern it seems. It is actually refreshing, coming after the heat of midday when we were wandering up the La India Road. Best bird - although not a life bird - was the Bay-headed Tanager, surely one of the most gorgeous of a gorgeous group of birds. We also saw a Red-thighed Dacnis, Blue-crowned Motmot, and Road-side Hawk and a bunch of others. I´d love to show you more, but here I am sitting in the internet cafe instead of biking down the street to the orchid farm! Ron is up in the mountains with our cabañas neighbors and "El Jaguar" - their local birding guide for the day. Hasta Luego!

Cecropia Leaves and Oropendolas

Yesterday I saw Patricia, a fabulous illustrator and wonderful friend. She has traveled and plied her artist skills many times in Central and South America, and I wish she could come with me to tutor me in observing and drawing it all. Maybe next trip. She keeps dried cecropia leaves on her desk to remind her of the spendors of the tropics. The photo below (read more) is from Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Miami, where - coincidentally - Patricia's brother once worked. These leaves are so distinctive that I imagine every traveler to the tropics would recognize them in some fashion.

By way of a conversation with Nancy and Denny (who we met while birding a year ago in Arizona and who told us about this Panama trip - they are going too), Ron learned about Xeno-Canto, a website that "shares bird songs from around the world." Ron doesn't know how he missed this. I suppose it is just as well - how would he even be ready to leave in morning if he had spent the past who-knows-how-long recording all those bird calls??? So, how about the call of the Chestnut-headed Oropendola? While looking at the photo below, go to this link and play one or more of the calls/songs that has/have a number listed in the "TIME" column. Cool.

The oropendolas are pretty interesting - colorful and conspicuous, and they make amazing pendulous nests in colonies high in the trees. We have frequently found them just by the sounds of their friendly chatter among themselves. The Chestnut-headed Oropendola (one of four Oropendola species in Panama) is common is some of the areas we'll visit.

And actually, we are pretty much ready to go. This is not typical for me. I hate packing, but Ron is a good influence on me. He even printed out a packing list, which has been very helpful. Anyway, we had a laugh tonight when our friend Lynn called about taking us to the airport tomorrow. She thought maybe we would want to load our stuff into the car tonight - ha ha ha!!! She has some impression that we are highly organized. How sweet she is.


So, next post from El Valle on Wednesday, perhaps.