Xenornis

Feb 17 2013: Alfred Raab and Fritz Furrer and observed a male and a female Elegant Euphonia in Altos del Maria. The male was collecting nesting material and building a nest, elevation approx. 1000m. In the picture, the nest opening can be seen in the moss above the branch, top left corner.

The following miscellaneous observations may be of interest. The first hummingbird I saw using my newly-installed feeder, on 3 September, was a Long-billed Starthroat. It has returned several times since, though Rufous-tailed now dominate. On one occasion the gorget showed clear lateral projections, befitting the name Starthroat better than the illustration in Angehr. On 12 October I saw a male Purple-throated Mountain-gem at Monte Azul, at about 1000m. Blue cap, purple gorget and white post-ocular stripe were all clear in direct sunlight. This extends the range stated by Angehr a little to the east. On 9 October, at Valle Bonito, five small birds foraging on or near the ground took to the trees on my approach, revealing yellow rumps and flanks. I could not get a definitive sighting but Yellow-rumped Warbler would appear to be only possible identification, in which case they were a full month earlier than the period stated by Angehr. Blackburnian Warbler have been more numerou...

On Monday, October 31, two of our top guides, Danilo Rodríguez and Moyo Rodríguez, went to Altos del María for a full day of birding. What Danilo and Moyo did not know is that they would be finding a lifer for both of them: an immature male Yellow-collared Chlorophonia —found by Danilo and photographed by Moyo. The best part is that the only records for this bird in Panama are from Cerro Pirre in Darién at about 4,000 ft. It is now known from Altos del María thanks to our expert guides who are always looking for rarities on the area. 

 On Sunday, March 27 2011 Alfred Raab was leading a group of 15 local and visiting birders up to the higher elevations of Altos del María. At 1000 m elevation we saw a male Elegant Euphonia . We also saw 2 Barred Forest-Falcons and a male Purple-throated Mountain-Gem .

On Feb 24 2011 Robert Furrer (from Switzerland), Euclides Campos, Laura Reyes and Alfred Raab birded the higher altitudes of Altos del Maria and they found two Crimson-bellied Woodpeckers . They were very shy and we could see them only for a very short time in flight and on trees. Back on April 2 2010, I was birding with Mark Hubinger and Joanie Hubinger at the higher elevation of Altos del Maria. We saw a 2 large woodpecker, one of them was a young bird constantly begging for food and always following the adult. We never had a full view of the bird, we saw only bits of the birds. I could see the back, which was all black without any white, then I could see the primaries, which were all black with white or whitish spots, then I could see the head with some red, then parts of the belly which was reddish. We observed the birds for a few minutes. I have never seen this woodpecker before this observation, but I was convinced they were Crimson-bellied Woodpeckers. Seeing only bits and...

Last saturday february 12th, I went to Altos del María with Osvaldo Quintero, Rafael Luck, Alfred Raab and Robert Furrer (visiting from Switzerland). At 950 meters above sea level, at a clearing in the border of the forest, we found a huge mixed flock with (among others) White-throated Thrush (seen only by me), a male Golden-winged Warbler, a male American Redstart, and what we think is an immature Blackpoll Warbler . We noticed its yellowish underparts (with no buffy tones) with faint, but distinctive streaks on the chest and along the sides, and with clearly white undertail coverts. It has a somewhat plain facial pattern, with pale eyebrow and no contrasting cheeks. Also, we noticed in the photo that it has pale and dark legs (we did not notice this in the field). It worked the middle part of the trees, ocassionally moving just under the canopy. No vocalization was heard.  At more or less 1000 meters, now in humid montane forest, Alfred showed us a singing Brown Violetear , in t...

Alfred Raab saw an Ornate Hawk-Eagle in the upper cloud forest of Altos del Maria earlier this evening.

[It has been noted that the tail looks way too long for Solitary Eagle, projecting well beyond the wing tips. We'll have to wait for the recording of its call to confirm the ID] [UPDATE: After hearing the recordings, we're calling these birds Great Black Hawks.] On March 9, 2010 Alfred Raab and Dave Milsom observed 2 Solitary Eagles [sic] at Altos del Maria (close to the same area as my last report from January ). We first heard the bird calling and then saw one flying away and the other landed on a tree top. We observed the bird on the tree top for about 5 min, during this time it was calling continuously. I have attached photos which are of poor quality due to the distance, but are for documentation purposes only. Also I was able to make a sound recording.

Friday, January 22, 2010 - Altos del Maria At mid day (12:00 am) Alfred Raab, my friends Fritz Furrer and Rene Appenzeller were watching for hawks from the most westerly tower above Rioca in Altos del Maria. We then hear a hawk calling like a 'kie kie kie kie kie'. We found the Hawk at or little below eye level circling about 200 to 300m from us in clear view. We noticed its large size with medium to light gray on the upper wings and back. Tail: A very wide, pure white tail band followed with black was very clearly visible, also the white scaling on the tail covers was visible. Bill was yellow, easily noticeable. We watched the bird for about one minute, he then dove straight down into the woods below us. We identified this Hawk as a Solitary Eagle . About 10 minutes later the same hawk was circling again about 300m in front of us at eye level. We clearly saw the gray back and tail pattern again. As it circled higher we saw the undersides which was dark. It then flew away from...

The Canopy Tower's Carlos Bethancourt photographed this male Elegant Euphonia in Altos del María while leading a VENT trip with Jery Langham on Jan 15 at around 10:30 am. This is not apparently the first time they've encountered this species, typically found much further west. Also seen that day were Snowcap, Ochraceous Wren, Tawny-capped Euphonia, Orange-bellied Trogon, Black-and-yellow Tanager, Common Bush-Tanager, Silver-throated Tanager, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Pale-vented Thrush, Green-crowned Brilliant, White-ruffed Manakin and Spotted Barbtail.

Altos del María resident Alfred Raab photographed this Ornate Hawk Eagle this morning, at 1100 m elevation. Also seen in the same area were 2 or more Black Guans and a male Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, both at 1050 m elevation [both at the eastern limit of their ranges.] Earlier in the morning he had a Black-billed Cuckoo at elevation 700 m.

On Wednesday, February 6 at around 10 a.m. John Rowlett (Field Guides Inc.) and Faustino Sánchez (Canopy Lodge) had a Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker at Altos del María, while leading a birding group. This Panama endemic is more frequently reported from the foothills east of the canal, but the British Museum has a 1875 specimen from (possibly) the Caribbean slope of Veraguas. Also, the type specimen was actually collected near the Panama Railroad, on the Atlantic side. Whilst waiting for the full report, here is a photo of the bird in question, taken by Faustino Sánchez.

Michael Gaston Harvey sent in the following report: I'm not sure if anyone still recieves these reports, but I thought some sightings from the last few months in El Valle/Altos del Maria would be of interest. I, along with Danilo Rodriguez and various other people, have found several unexpected species to be present and even common in the right habitat in this area. Barred Hawk, Black Guan, Purplish-backed Quail-Dove, White-tipped Sicklebill, Green Thorntail, Rufous-crested Coquette, White-tailed Emerald, Snowcap, Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, Orange-bellied Trogon, Tody Motmot, Blue-throated Toucanet, Red-faced Spinetail, Spotted Barbtail, White-throated Spadebill, White-thighed Swallow, Ochraceous Wren, Pale-vented Thrush, and Blue Seedeater all seem to be present fairly reliably, many of them in numbers. Other species seen on occasion include Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, Black-crowned Antpitta, and Rufous-browed Tyrannulet. The Mountain-Gem, Snowcap, Spinetail, Barbtail, and Wre...