Panama 2009
February 28 - March 8, 2009 - Trip Report
Guides Peg Abbott, Rich Cahill and 6 participants
Early Arrivals in Panama City
Four of our group arrived a day early and it made for a great, relaxing start to the journey. We rested in a hotel close to the airport and then our staff from ANCON, our hosts for this tour, picked us up by 10AM so we had most of the day at leisure at Gamboa Rainforest Lodge. It’s a pampered place where our rooms have porches looking out to huge fruiting trees and a view of the Chagres River where it meets the Panama Canal. Almost immediately we had two Orange-chinned Parakeets fly in and begin to bore into an ant nest hanging from the tree. We thought they had nesting in mind, but if so they lost interest in subsequent days. This same tree remained a magnet for birds throughout, drawing in Thick-billed Euphonias, both Purple and Red-legged Honeycreepers and Streaked Flycatchers.
Feeling a bit languid after our travels we decided to camp out on the deck of the riverfront restaurant of our hotel. Here we could eat and bird with abandon. They have a huge Sunday brunch, buffet style, and between courses we found Bare-necked Tiger Herons, Little Blue Herons, both Snowy and Great Egrets, many Purple Gallinules, Wattled Jacanas and above us, Ospreys. We watched huge container ships, loaded with truck-sized containers four or five rows high pass through the Canal. With all the bad news about the world’s economy we asked, “Where was all this stuff going?”
March 1 Gamboa Rainforest Lodge
The morning chorus starts about an hour before sunrise at a time when Common Paraque calls give way to Clay-colored Robins. Social Flycatchers start to chime in and, when light is visible, Palm Tanagers lumber out of their cozy palm fronds to join in with their endless high pitched chatter. How nice to open your door and take in this tropical symphony of sound. We had hammocks on our porches and coffee makers in the room – ooh la la….
No slouching today though. Rich and our driver Ulrich were here early to greet us as we were bound for a legendary spot of tropical birding – Panama’s Pipeline Road. There is now a fabulous Discovery Center here, built by the Fundacion Avifauna Eugene Eisenmann, accessible to all visitors. We were among the few up early and we found the climb to be quite secure in the Tower’s modern design. Even before ascending we had a great show as two trogons came into easy view – Violaceous (a bright male) and Slaty-tailed (a pair).
There were three gentlemen atop the Tower with scopes already set on a Blue Cotinga – wow! What a great introduction. For the next several hours we took in the beauty of the canopy realm and its brightly-clad components. Several of the large trees near the platform were flowering and we had close visits from Blue Dacnis and White-shouldered Tanagers. In the distance we watched Keel-billed Toucans, Howler Monkeys, beautifully detailed Scaled Pigeons and, in flight, both Mealy and Red-lored Amazons. We had Blue-headed Parrots fly by at close range and enjoyed the rather strange sensation of seeing ships pass through the Canal amidst this vast sea of rainforest. We could only see the tops of the boats, not the water of the Canal so it gave a strange impression. As activity slowed, we descended.
Once down on terra firma, we lingered a bit more at the Discovery Center office where staff at the Discovery Center showed us a nice array of T-shirts and laminated natural history pamphlets. Ralph called out “cuckoo” and we raced over to get good looks at one of the showiest birds of the day – Squirrel Cuckoo. In the understory we had activity of a pair of Fasciated Antshrikes at close range, joined by a pair of Western Slaty Antshrikes. Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds were at the feeders along with White-necked Jacobins, Violet-bellied Hummingbirds and Long-tailed Hermits.
We next walked a piece of the Pipeline road where our best birds were woodpeckers. We had fine looks at a group of three Lineated Woodpeckers which are large like our North American Pileated. They worked a dead snag right over the road and tolerated our close inspection. Walter spotted a Cinnamon Woodpecker, a great find in all its beauty. We found a small flock with Dot-winged Antwrens and a mix of wintering warblers but activity was low, so we decided to move on to Summit Gardens and a visit to the nearby Miraflores Locks.
First we made a stop by a nearby pond where we had super looks at Green Herons, Lesser Kiskadees, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and a pair of Yellow-tailed Orioles.
Sunday of the last free weekend before children start their school year in Panama turned out to be WILD at Summit Gardens, so after seeing the Harpy Eagle and Tapir exhibits we made a dash to find a more private picnic area.
Mon., March 2 Embera Village / Gamboa Rainforest Lodge
This morning we had a more leisurely start, enjoying quite a good breakfast and the bird show from our individual porches. We then drove north to a dock where people from one of the Embera villages were preparing their motorized dugout canoes to transport us up river. We spent the full morning into early afternoon with them and it was delightful. They were such gracious hosts and it was wonderful to see so much positive energy in the young people who presented us with a talk about their culture, a delicious lunch of local foods and handicrafts to browse through and buy if we wished. We slurped down some of the freshest pineapple any of us had ever eaten along with watermelon and juicy oranges.
Lunch was a delicious fish from the river, grilled over an open fire and served on pan-roasted plantains. As we finished lunch, a band started to play music. Three of the six musicians were quite young but contributed with gusto. The young women of the village danced with flowers in their hair and soon young and old were joining in – even a few of the visiting tourists. We met a delightful woman from Chicago who was from the Peace Corps. She was living here through next year and one of her goals was to teach English to those interested. She was happy we had brought school supplies and some children’s books. Inspired by our day, we made plans to send her more in the future. Coming and going to the village along the river we picked up sightings of a Peregrine Falcon, both Ringed and Green Kingfishers, a Peregrine Falcon and Neotropical Cormorants.
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In the afternoon we went for a walk and bird activity was tremendous in the last hours of the day. We worked the edge between forest and lawn-like open areas of the resort. John found a prize – a beautiful and very quiet Gray-headed Kite which really posed for our inspection. Regina loved the color and texture of Crimson-backed Tanagers, saying “We should rename this bird the Red Velvet Tanager”. Keel-billed Toucans were particularly cooperative, moving to prominent bare branched trees to utter their frog-like calls. When a Collared Aracari followed suit, we were able to get some great scope views. On this walk we had plenty of opportunity to sort out flycatchers, a big group in Panama. We found Tropical Kingbirds, Greater Kiskadees, Yellow-bellied Elaenias and finally a sought-after Panama endemic, the Yellow-green. This small bird is much like one of our Empidonax with bold wing markings and a huge bill. Dinner was at the hotel, with a choice of a Panamanian traditional food buffet, or selections from the menu.
Tues., March 3 Panama Canal Birding / Flight to David / Volcan Baru
Rich came early to join us for breakfast and birding on the hotel grounds. We had good looks at several tanagers, a Common Tody Flycatcher building its nest, abundant Short-tailed Swifts harvesting food from the sky and a bright male Violaceous Trogon. We left for the Gamboa marina at 8:00 AM and had a remarkable morning seeing one amazing thing after another.
Tops on the list were close views of two species of monkeys. Two Mantled Howler Monkeys ignored our approach as they gorged on flower buds of a tree hanging low over the water. One went in the water to access a particularly sought after mouthful. Fully protected in forests surrounding the Canal and the Smithsonian Research Station on Barro Colorado Island, they have little fear of man. White-faced Capuchins also came in close, though sadly they were looking for a handout, which our conservation-minded hosts at ANCON do not concede. They had adorable faces and one carried a small baby on its back. The two of them staring into our faces will be forever memorable! Another mammal sighting was a Hoffman’s Three-toed Sloth fairly high in a tree, a male distinguished by the orange stripe down his back.
Much smaller and more social than this treetop loner were the two groups of White-lined Sac-winged Bats we found, one on a tree trunk and the other under the thatch of the boat dock ramp at our lunch spot. We had good looks at several of the stars of the reptilian world here as well. American Crocodiles lounged on muddy shores and one wrestled a large tarpon providing us with quite a show. We found two Basiliscus lizards, often called Jesus lizards for their ability to walk upright on water. One was boldly patterned and the other, much younger, quite cryptic. D-Ann spotted the first of several Green Iguanas, which posed for us on a river beach.
The birds were most cooperative as well. We had a pair of Greater Kiskadees pose at eye-level, likely keen on building a nest. Snail Kites were common and we watched two immature birds successfully catch and peel apart Apple Snails. Ralph found the first of several handsome Anhinga, superb photo subjects. We worked a bit harder to find a Greater Ani but when we did it shone in the sun with its beautiful iridescent plumage. Typical on this part of the trip are Limpkin and Gray-necked Wood Rails but perhaps in response to winds they were not visible for our keen eyes today.
Our driver made some spirited runs back and forth across the Panama Canal, respectfully threading through huge cargo ships from Norway and China and several of the Panama vessels. We saw blasting equipment in use to deepen the existing canal and the famous Titan crane used to service and clean the 96 doors needed for the locks. Rich shared a wealth of information making for a fabulous morning. Four of our seven clicked away so we should have an awesome cumulative set of photographs!
We enjoyed a picnic on an island in the Canal, and then collected our gear to head to the airport. We were dragging a bit in energy so Ralph and Regina’s suggestion of a coffee shop stop was most welcome. We enjoyed coffee from Boquete at a small shop near the airport. Rich took us by his home to meet his three darling children, though one of the year-old twins slept like an angel through our peering. More photos, then off we went to catch our short flight to David, gateway to the mountains.
March 4 Volcan Baru National Park / The Magic Quetzal Tree / Cerro Punta
Today was a marvelous day as we explored the mountain zone near Cerro Punta. Here the volcanic soil is rich and fields of cabbages, onions and potatoes spread forever. We got an early start and headed right up to the edge of Volcan Baru National Park where we knew of a fruiting tree that could be productive for finding Resplendent Quetzals, a species high on everyone’s hoped-for list. And we were richly rewarded with sights of two males with long tail plumes, one immature male with a short tail and at least one female. They made a variety of sounds, including one dove-like mournful sound that Peg had not heard before.
March is mating season and one of the key reasons we schedule this trip as we do – to have a morning like this with male quetzals flying right over our heads! Ralph noted, as he tried to get a photo that would show off their color, that they preferred to sit in the shade. We waited patiently for the perfect sunlight shot which did not happen. But that gave us time to really watch their behavior and to see other spectacular species. Walter and John found Flame-colored Tanagers which gave the quetzal a bit of competition with showing off bright finery. We had a Slaty Flowerpiercer and two species of hummingbird – Green Violetear and White-throated Mountain Gem – work the flowering hedgerow close to where we were standing. An Acorn Woodpecker posed in good sunlight for our photos and good views of a calling Rufous-browed Peppershrike were fine. Mountain Elaenias and Yellow-winged Vireos were new species for our list. We spent an hour or so walking up the rocky road that leads to the park. One of our rewards was a good look at a tiny male Volcano Hummingbird; another occurred just before getting into the bus – a good look at a Large-footed Finch.
We then drove over to the other park entrance, stopping shy of it at a delightful restaurant run by a local woman. She greeted us warmly and gave us hot coffee as we watched birds from her porch. It was cool here, enough to want our sweaters. But the birds came in fast and furiously and we were pleased with great looks at Yellow-thighed Finches, Flame-throated Warblers, Collared Redstarts and Philadelphia Vireos. Lunch was delicious chicken, rice and beans followed by homemade banana cake. We tried local tree tomato juice which was delicious. But somehow all this good food in the cozy atmosphere dampened our enthusiasm for a three kilometer walk in the forest.
We elected instead to spend the afternoon more leisurely at the Finca Dracula Orchid House which we learned has the seventh largest orchid collection in the world. One of the staff, Carlos gave us a tour and it was obvious that he was devoted to the care of this spectacular facility. We saw many of the Dracula variety in bloom, including two of our favorites – the Monkey Face orchid and the Big Mama. We saw brilliant colors, smelled divine scents, petted their dogs who followed us about, happy to be with the pack. Our timing was perfect as by now it was raining hard. We were warm and snug in the warmth of greenhouses and afterward could watch birds at the feeders under a protective overhang. Here we had good looks at Common Bush Tanagers, Silver-throated Tanagers, Slaty Finches, and Stripe-tailed Hummingbirds.
We enjoyed seeing scenery and local agricultural life as we drove back to our lodgings. A thoroughbred horse farm is a centerpiece of the village and is quite an extensive facility. It was harvest time for strawberries so we just had to sample. We celebrated our day with strawberries and cream at a local farm stand before arriving home. Before dinner we tallied up our species, now at about 175 to date. Several enjoyed pizza at dinner, others tried pork or beef and all enjoyed lively conversation.
March 5 Volcan Lakes / Sitio Barriles
Strong winds seemed to rock the hotel as we awoke, wow! Since our last journey the large shade tree of the inner garden had fallen. While walking trails yesterday in the national park we could see damage done from a very intense storm this past November. Luckily the winds seemed to quiet by 8 AM and were fine at our first birding stop, the picturesque Volcan Lakes which are situated under a beautiful view of Baru Volcano. Owned by the Janson family of coffee growers, we drove through large fields of shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee and our stops revealed quite a bit of activity. We found Cherrie’s (Scarlet-rumped) Tanagers to be quite common. A high pitched scream alerted us to to find a perched Roadside Hawk, which soon had its mate arrive and voila – a mating before our eyes, in the scope yet!
At the lake we found Northern Jacana, a pair of Least Grebes, Purple Gallinules, Common Moorhens and American Coots. Three Blue-winged Teals flew off as we arrived, and we were pleased to get scope views of Boat-billed Flycatchers which until now had been on our ‘heard only’ list. We found Red-eyed Vireos and a number of migrant wood-warblers as we walked back to our bus. Black-and-white and Tennessee were the most common species.
Rich talked about the push to build a road across the high cloud forest in an effort to link Cerro Punta and Boquete. This would cut right through the heart of some of the finest wild lands left in the cloudforest realm of Panama which is classified as an Important Bird Area of global importance. Luckily, there was a huge public outcry and one of the strongest environmental protests n Panama’s history. With Resplendent Quetzals as a signature species, many businesses relying on tourism also fought the project and it was defeated. Alas, it was only moved to another birding area we have enjoyed in the past, Tapir Canyon. At least this area is of moderate elevation and has more typical species. Because of construction there we chose to explore Sitio Barriles, which turned out to be one of the highlights of our tour. What a delightful location and one of significant archaeological value. The owner, Mrs. Landau gave us a spirited tour of the site, its numerous fascinating artifacts and the small museum. She has accompanied many renowned archaeologists out in the field over the past 35 years. To our delight she shared quite a few of her stories.
We were equally impressed with her gardens and the birds. There were tropical plants among the oaks and remaining mix of introduced and native forest trees. Many were in bloom. We had superb looks at a Blue-crowned Motmot. A flock of Black-chested Jays came through and we found a Green Hermit feeding on heliconias. There was a marvelous fruiting tree which they locally called ‘cranberry’ and it proved to be a magnet for medium sized fruit-eating birds. Seated comfortably in an hour or so of watching we had visits from Speckled Tanager, Silver-throated, Bay-headed and Cherrie’s Tanagers, both Streaked and Buff-throated Saltators and a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The men of our group got so jazzed they were calling out the bird’s moves as if this was the last minute of a tied ball game. With so many announcers the effect was deafening, yet the birds were oblivious, so delicious to them was this fruit.
On our walk Peg found a Mourning Warbler skulking in the bamboo near a small stream. Wilson’s Warblers were the most plentiful of the warblers but we also found a few Chestnut-sided and Black-and-white. Time passed quickly and soon it was after 1 PM and our stomachs were calling. We had lunch at Restaurant Mary in Volcan which was fun and filling. We were served heaping plates of rice and beans, chicken or fish, yams made up as potato salad with mayonnaise and mustard, and grilled plantains. With a three-starch lunch behind us, and a two hour drive to Boquete ahead of us, it got very quiet in the bus as the race was on for a very sound nap. We woke up with coffee at a cute place overlooking the river in Boquete which had flooded and ripped out much of its banks in that same strong November storm. It had taken out the bridge near the Panamonte hotel – unbelievable! Orange flowers of the Erythrina trees were raining down on the winding mountain road up to our lodge. Finca Lerida, surrounded by a lush coffee farm and native forest was a cozy welcome as we ascended into the mist and rain.
March 6 Finca Lerida
The storm cell around us kept this cloud forest wet today. The forest cover held back some of the strength of intermittent rain, but at times strong winds came in blowing rain sideways. We marveled at the lush greenery and showy blooms of bromeliads as we walked up the mountain trail, but were disappointed that so much of the bird life was suppressed by the storm. We did get good looks at a noisy flock of Sulphur-winged Parakeets and in time had looks at Tufted Flycatcher and Dark Pewee. A Blue-throated Toucanet (formerly Emerald Toucanet) called from high in the canopy and we had two glimpses of Resplendent Quetzals in flight. Rosy-thrush Tanagers taunted us as they skulked between rows of coffee plants. Mostly, we wiped our glasses, binoculars and scopes and eventually gave up taking warmth and refuge in the pretty dining room where we could look out to the forest in comfort.
Lunch featured the national soup, a delicious blend of potatoes, chicken, corn and herbs. That and homemade bread really hit the spot, and fueled us for downtime, naps, reading and a break from the weather. After an hour, several of our die-hard crew ventured out again for a wet afternoon. Walking under the canopy of huge ancient oaks was magical and worth the effort, but frustrating as the bellbirds uttered loud calls above us yet hid out of sight, luckily tucked in better than we were. We heard Rosy Thrush Tanagers in the coffee shrubs, watched a little crowd of Indigo Buntings feed in insect-rich vegetation and had good looks at Yellow-throated Brush Finches. The Three-wattled Bellbird, which we’d seen flying our first afternoon, was for most to be a nemesis bird by denying close inspection. We tried several strategies, but could not find them as they were hunkered down in the wind and storm. We had to settle for enjoying good looks at Scintillent Hummingbirds and Green Violetears which favored the flowering hedgerow close to our rooms.
Rich and Peg arranged for us to enjoy some wine and a nice roaring fire in the community room ahead of dinner. Peg shared some of her images of last November’s trip to India and a sneak preview of some shots from this journey. We made the best of a blustery day and enjoyed good company and food.
March 7 Finca Lerida
We woke to intermittent quiet with only a few blasts of wind and very little rain. Breakfast was a challenge as the power was out due to yesterday’s storm – likely a tree downed the line somewhere below. But the Collins family was well prepared and had delicious coffee and breakfast prepared for us using gas heat. We were soon on our way out in search of Mr. Bellbird, who now was calling in response to a second male – just across the valley. We climbed to the Mirador, a viewpoint with an extensive view of the canopy. We saw Blue-throated Toucanets, White-necked Robins and Mountain Elaenias. Walter spied a Resplendent Quetzal, but the bellbirds stayed just out of site blocked by smaller trees mid-canopy. We had a mid-morning rendezvous planned with Johnnie Collins, owner and coffee grower of this farm, so we packed up the scopes and headed in to join him. He described his operation in detail and everyone enjoyed a cupping to taste the various roasts of coffee.
Soon it was time to head to the airport, and we said good-bye to Boquete as we descended into the hot sun of the lower elevations. Our flight went smoothly and we had time to scope shorebirds in the tidal flats that rim modern and bustling Panama City. We drove past Panama Viejo where pirate Henry Morgan sacked the city before his stint as Governor of Jamaica. We settled into our lodgings with time to repack and regroup, then drove into the historic part of the city for a delightful dinner at a boutique café owned by friends of several of the staff at Ancon. They had a great system for serving – no menu, just course after course of interesting, delicious food. Yum! We enjoyed sharing our highlights of the trip and a few more stories.
March 8 Departures from Panama City / Darien extension
Most of us had to leave quite early to make our flights. Walter stayed on to fly on a charter flight into the Darien with a small group arranged by ANCON. We are anxiously awaiting his report, but know he likely had a grand adventure.
P.S. A note from Walter describes great comrades and birds on this Darien adventure but VERY challenging hiking, both in the steepness of the climb and the rather harrowing return. He warns that while Darien is a fantastic experience and the camp and lodgings are comfortable, it’s an option best chosen by fit and avid birders!
Photo
credits
Blue Gray Tanager, Tony Beck - to see more of his images, go to: www3.sympatico.ca/beck.tony/
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