Masked Booby in Galeta

Matías Díaz forwards this photo taken in Galeta on February 6. The bird in question, a Masked Booby in its third winter plumage (fide Google Images), came in a weakened state in the morning and voraciously ate the sardines it was fed. By the afternoon it was looking better and took off. It hasn't been seen since.

Elegant Terns at Amador, a report by Howard Laidlaw

Peter Boesman and I had 2 Elegant Terns at Amador Causeway late afternoon 24th February. They were on a floating dock at the back of the Mi Ranchito Restaurant.

Masked Booby off Colón, a report by Iván Hoyos

El viernes pasado, 20 de febrero, vi dos Masked Boobies que acompañaron el barco en que estoy trabajando entre la costa arriba de Colón y El Porvenir.  Es primera vez que las veo acompañando a los Brown Boobies y me llamó la atención.

Bicolored Wren update, a report by Les and Cindy Lieurance

A little update on that pair of Bicolored Wrens: On Sunday morning, 22 February 2015, Les and I and our friend Jim Danzenbaker stopped at the Yaviza cemetery on our way out of town. Along with the continuing pair of adult Bicolored Wrens, we saw a dependent chick following them around. It was very cute, with a stubby bill and yellow at the gape.

Here's some video of the birds, shot on January 9.

And some bonus Spectacled Parrotlets, shot on January 8.

Carnavales in Darién

Darién and Camilo Montañez and César Trejos spent a few days of Carnaval birding the Canopy Camp and environs. Highlights follow.

• Feb. 15. A Streaked Xenops was seen calling insistently at the Río Mono bridge, perched suspiciously near a cavity in a dry branch that seemed just right for a nest hole. Also seen was Black Antshrike, plenty of White-eared Conebills, and an eye-level Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher. 
• Later that day we went to the Yaviza Cemetery to try for Bicolored Wren, to no avail. We're blaming the noise from the Domingo de Carnaval festivities. The forest just before town had Barred Puffbirds and lots of Yellow-breasted Flycatchers.
• Just before dusk we stood guard by the right verbena bush and, just as promised, got a Ruby-topaz Hummingbird. Unlike the adult male seen more frequently, this was a young male: generally female-plumaged but with a broad dark stripe down the center of the throat that, when seen from the right angle, glittered a greenish gold. Also present were Pale-bellied Hermit lots of Blue-throated Goldentails.
• Feb. 16. The morning was spent walking up Quebrada Félix, that traverses the pristine forests of Reserva Hidrológica Filo de Tallo. Birds of the day were a female Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, a flock of 4 White-fronted Nunbirds, three Speckled Mourners and a male Royal Flycatcher flashing its crown to a nearby female. A Louisiana Waterthrush was also seen.
• Late in the afternoon we visited El Salto Road, where we saw three Crane Hawks (two calling at dusk from the tops of the trees) and heard Gray-cheeked Nunlet, but the most unexpected finding was a Striped Woodhaunter poking around a dark tangle in the understory.
• Feb. 17. In the morning we walked the Nando Trail through the woods at Canopy Camp and heard (and later saw) Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon and Golden-headed Manakin.

Mixed bag of records, a report by Rosabel Miró

Enero 30, 31 y 1 de febrero

Un macho Lesser Scaup y lo que parece ser una hembra Ring-necked Duck fueron observados en un laguito ubicado en el centro de la isla Contadora, archipiélago de Las Perlas. Durante los 3 días que observamos estos patos, siempre estuvieron juntos, como si fueran parejas (¿será una híbrido?). Eran los únicos patos del lago, donde habían no menos de 30 Least Grebes. Observadores: Rosabel Miró y Karl Kaufmann. En otro lago, en un costado de la pista de aterrizaje, cerca del antiguo hotel Contadora, escuchamos tanto el 31 de enero como el 1 de febrero a los White-throated Crakes, en varias partes de ese lago. (Foto de Rosabel)

Sábado 7 de febrero
Antes del Censo Centroamericano de Aves Acuáticas
Una Whistling Heron en la arrocera de Santa María, Herrera, cerca de la entrada del pueblo de El Rincón. Esta garza estaba junto con otras garzas locales. Observadores: Yenifer Díaz, Alberto Bethancourt, Roxana Alveo y Stephany Carty. (No sacamos fotos).

Durante el Censo Centroamericano de Aves Acuáticas
Un Mangrove Cuckoo observado en la Ciénaga de Las Macanas. Al poco rato de verlo nos sobrevoló un Peregrine Falcon. Ya hemos visto, por amplia evidencia (de picos y alas en sitios de roosting), que su dieta favorita en Panamá son los Yellow-billed Cuckoos. Nos quedamos pensando si ese día este Mangrove sería parte de su dieta diaria. Observadores: Alberto Bethancourt, Yenifer Díaz, Roxana Alveo y Stephany Carty. (Fotos de Rosabel)

Un grupo de 214 Lesser Scaups con una sola Northern Shoveler entre ellos. (No sacamos fotos, el viento fuerte no nos permitió hacerlo).

Luego de terminar el Censo
Fue interesante observar en una de las cercas de Las Macanas un grupo de 6 Barn Swallows mudando su plumaje, no me había tocado ver estas especies así. (Fotos de Rosabel)

Un grupo de 567 Glossy Ibis en el campo de arroz que está a mano izquierda cuando uno sale del pueblo de El Rincón a la vía principal de la carretara que lleva a Chitré. Observadores: Rosabel Miró, Yenifer Díaz, Alberto Bethancourt, Héctor Escudero, Stephany Carty, Roxana Alveo, Karl Kaufmann. (Foto de Rosabel. Algunas no salieron volando, se quedaron en el campo de arroz)

Domingo 8 de febrero
Una Foster’s Tern  y uns Elegant Tern entre Sandwich Terns. Playa de El Retén, Monagrillo, Herrera. Observadores: Rosabel Miró, Yenifer Díaz, Alberto Bethancourt, Héctor Escudero y Stephany Carty. (Foto de Rosabel)

Un Playero Occidental con bandera panameña, código XKV, anillado en febrero de 2014 en las playas de Costa del Este fue observado en la playa de El Retén, Monagrillo, Herrera. Observadores: Yenifer Díaz, Alberto Bethancourt, Roxana Alveo, Stephany Carty, Karl Kaufmann y Rosabel Miró R. (Foto de Karl, video digiscoping alimentándose en You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZfZnOaI2Nk)

Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle at the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center

Not to be outdone, Natalia Sarco photographed this Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle from the tower at Panama Rainforest Discovery Center tower this morning.

Long-winged Harrier at Parque Metropolitano

Osvaldo Quintero photographed this dark-phase Long-winged Harrier at the entrance to Mono Titi Road at Parque Metropolitano, this morning at 7:15.

Peg-billed Finch at El Respingo

Rafael Lau and Genover Santamaría had a Peg-billed Finch at the seeding bamboo along the first part of El Respingo road on February 5. He also filmed it:

On related news, Euclides Campos found Peg-billed Finch and Barred Parakeet on the bamboo at the entrance to Los Quetzales Trail on February 6.

Ruby Topaz and Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker

Ismael "Nando" Quiroz photographed this male Ruby Topaz at the Canopy Camp on January 30 at 5:30 pm.

Also present was a dull-plumaged bird, perhaps a juvenile?



Both birds have been coming to the verbenas around camp for the last few days, always at the same time of day. Also, this female Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker was at the San Francisco Reserve on January 31.