Gray-headed Piprites, a report by Euclides Campos
On Friday, March 26th, on our way to Bocas del Toro, we made a one-day birding stop at Cerro Redondo, a community located near the entrance of La Mesa in Veraguas, and saw the Rufous Nightjar which is common in the area.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElpLVUsdziPDqeLcWTODsGA7nqO0Py4DYv7x92fEozqSNh5x4HvZMNxDcVk9W64Wvexo76Isx21YBd9ExRfuIGQrukOoPHn9JAFG15V-QCPIrGHsmnSs1kXeyEHOJ3SLwspnGU0RmIsRI/s400/Snowy-Cotinga.jpg)
We arrived at Changuinola the following day. On Sunday the 28th we headed to Bongik, located close to Wekso. That afternoon we spotted a Snowy Cotinga and plenty of White-collared Manakins. Next day, we started hiking up the Bongik River and saw a Barred Hawk, three Snowy Cotingas and a Solitary Eagle. This was seen very well against a dark background close to the Rancho Quemado community. It had a very short tail with one tail band and, of course, its slaty gray color. We had a clear sky that day. Further at Rancho Quemado we reached a spectacular forest that yielded Rufous-winged Tanager, Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner (hypophaeus subspecies), a pair of Cerulean Warblers, and a heard Thicket Antpitta.
On Monday 30th, we visited a place called Michilá where we heard the Gray-headed Pipitres. My iPod ran out of battery, so we hiked down to Bongik to recharge it. Birds seen that day included Band-backed Wren, Rufous-winged Woodpecker, Crested Owl and Northern Bentbill.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElpLVUsdziPDqeLcWTODsGA7nqO0Py4DYv7x92fEozqSNh5x4HvZMNxDcVk9W64Wvexo76Isx21YBd9ExRfuIGQrukOoPHn9JAFG15V-QCPIrGHsmnSs1kXeyEHOJ3SLwspnGU0RmIsRI/s400/Snowy-Cotinga.jpg)
We arrived at Changuinola the following day. On Sunday the 28th we headed to Bongik, located close to Wekso. That afternoon we spotted a Snowy Cotinga and plenty of White-collared Manakins. Next day, we started hiking up the Bongik River and saw a Barred Hawk, three Snowy Cotingas and a Solitary Eagle. This was seen very well against a dark background close to the Rancho Quemado community. It had a very short tail with one tail band and, of course, its slaty gray color. We had a clear sky that day. Further at Rancho Quemado we reached a spectacular forest that yielded Rufous-winged Tanager, Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner (hypophaeus subspecies), a pair of Cerulean Warblers, and a heard Thicket Antpitta.
On Monday 30th, we visited a place called Michilá where we heard the Gray-headed Pipitres. My iPod ran out of battery, so we hiked down to Bongik to recharge it. Birds seen that day included Band-backed Wren, Rufous-winged Woodpecker, Crested Owl and Northern Bentbill.
Finally on Tuesday 31th we saw the Gray-headed Pipitres really well, but got no good pictures. The bird started calling around 7:30 a.m. very close to where we were. I called it back and it responded right away, pearching roughly 15 meters above the ground. Alex Guevara and Juan Pablo Rios were with me during the whole trip.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwpigBsDo6lv7peRHODgFitc9Cn3k0DrCYges_uo6YCSIWWwJN_Rgiq-KWfNe-JCL3lSeYyiUndpl1A3QfgNI_5dyP3vrb3wI3rZdSxhNMJ0FNuEj3BBh1Yg5M0byz0ZNxUqMBTNjKGob/s400/gray-3.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1KDSvyLTh_ZzMBYSjX2j8FUUW5dbxR9CsYZbvRE7TWM1BKDVbhtbXFqTfIHEG9NUd265jiq-rimD65eD-yk2Z6tHxLPiIevfQk3L4LHwR2JlxyP8ZGGHRNrHe-s4LmyCjGxKw-UNgXe5/s400/Gray-headed-pipitres-1.jpg)
On April 1st we birded at Guabito (La Mesa area) where we heard Northern Bentbill and saw Grayish Saltator, White-collared Manakin and a Bran-colored Flycatcher (or is it a young, scruffy White-throated Flycatcher?).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwpigBsDo6lv7peRHODgFitc9Cn3k0DrCYges_uo6YCSIWWwJN_Rgiq-KWfNe-JCL3lSeYyiUndpl1A3QfgNI_5dyP3vrb3wI3rZdSxhNMJ0FNuEj3BBh1Yg5M0byz0ZNxUqMBTNjKGob/s400/gray-3.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1KDSvyLTh_ZzMBYSjX2j8FUUW5dbxR9CsYZbvRE7TWM1BKDVbhtbXFqTfIHEG9NUd265jiq-rimD65eD-yk2Z6tHxLPiIevfQk3L4LHwR2JlxyP8ZGGHRNrHe-s4LmyCjGxKw-UNgXe5/s400/Gray-headed-pipitres-1.jpg)
On April 1st we birded at Guabito (La Mesa area) where we heard Northern Bentbill and saw Grayish Saltator, White-collared Manakin and a Bran-colored Flycatcher (or is it a young, scruffy White-throated Flycatcher?).