Xenornis

Charles Davies, Jan Axel Cubilla, Dan Wade and I made a trip to the Cerro Santiago and Cerro Colorado area from August 8 to 11. The road is now asphalted all the way to Entrada de Hacha (correct name for "Acha" in Where to Find Birds in Panamá) on the Continental Divide, ie beyond the area on the flanks of Cerro Santiago commonly—but erroneously—referred to as Cerro Colorado, where sightings have been made in previous years of the two endemics, Yellow-green Finch and Glow-throated Hummingbird.  We continued beyond Entrada de Hacha on the rough track that after a kilometer or so goes over the real Cerro Colorado and thence to the village of Ratón, where it ends. We stayed right on the Continental Divide at a basic cabin we have dubbed the Yellow-green Finch Ecolodge, about 4 km beyond Entrada de Hacha. Accommodation here costs $5.00 per night—great views and great birds! At and near the cabin we had good sightings every day of the finch and other good birds su...

Bill Adsett sent in a report of a scouting trip to Cerro Santiago he and Dave Klauber did on April 3–4. We saw a number of Glow-throated Hummingbirds. There were several on the Continental Divide in bright sunlight at 1618 m altitude UTM 0414657 - 0939884, 39.4 km from the San Felix turn-off on the Panamericana, about 1.5 km beyond the transmission tower. There were female(s), immature(s) and one very beautiful mature male. Terrible things to photograph though. They were feeding at pink and red flowers on small plants and shrubs in open areas along the road. There was another individual (female or immature) in forest close to Ratón UTM 0412085 - 0942967. I got a tape recording of the Yellow-green Finch call which I shall share in due course. The Bare-shanked Screech-Owl in the photo was near Ratón, while the Veraguan Mango was in San Félix. The road from San Félix (Chiriquí) is in good condition, easily passable in dry and wet conditions, as far as Cerro Flores, just above Hato Cha...

From 27th to 31st March Bill Porteous was in Chiriqui and sends the following report: On 27th March there was a lot of activity on the new trail at El Respingo above Cerro Punta, and a pair of Silvery-throated Jays joined a pair of Emerald Toucanets in the same tree, where they were later joined, briefly, by a pair of Black Guans! On the 28th there at least two Masked Ducks, both female-plumaged birds, at Volcan Lakes. In the evening, in the clearing above the first forest patch above Cerro Punta, Dusky Nightjar sang, and then reacted to tape playback by landing on a post in full view where it continued singing. On the old Oleoducto Road in Palo Seco on the 30th there was White-bellied Mountain-Gem at the top, and Lattice-tailed Trogon further down, where the pipeline crosses a small valley. Rufous-breasted Antthrushes were singing on both sides of the road, and a good view was had of one of them. They were singing as well on the Continental Divide Trail, where I was surprised by the n...