Xenornis

Euclides Campos found Gray-throated Leaftosser at two different sites in Fortuna on April 1. This is the easternmost record of this rarely-reported species, which has been previously found at similar elevations further west. Other notable sightings included Black-banded Woodcreeper, Scaly-throated Foliage-Gleaner, Highland Tinamou, Sooty-capped Finch, Chiriqui Quail-Dove, Barred Parakeet and Ruddy Woodcreeper.

Darién Montañez spent most of November 12 walking Los Quetzales Trail from the Boquete side. Bird of the day was a Buff-fronted Foliage-Gleaner seen with a large mixed flock near Quebrada El Silencio, at around 2150 m. The bird was about the size of the Buffy Tuftedcheeks nearby, but was completely unstreaked with a brownish back and ochre underparts, brighter around the throat and chest. The buff forehead and superciliary and gray cap were also very conspicuous. It foraged actively at eye level, sometimes right by the trail, affording for long and conscientious study. Also notable was a pair of Black-banded Woodcreepers , also with a mixed flock, this time at around 2200 m, about halfway from El Silencio to the Respinguito rest area. Conveniently, they also stayed near eye level and near the trail, allowing all the fieldmarks to be noted.

A group of Panama Audubon board members went with a handful of WHSRN conference atendees for a morning of birding on Fortuna's Continental Divide Trail. The highlight was a mixed flock with a Black-banded Woodcreeper, Slaty and Rufous-rumped Antrwens and a Rufous-breasted Antthrush.

On may 04, 2003, the group of Jose Tejada, Ariel Aguirre and Luis Paz saw a Black Banded woodcreeper while walking halfway the gravel road of the continental divide north of Fortuna. I (Jose Tejada) estimate we were already in bocas when we saw the bird. It flew across the road and landed in a low tree about 4 m. from the ground. The bird reminded us a barred woodcreeper but had a lot of buffy streaking in the breast and a light brown lower breast and belly with very distinct black barring. The bird was large size and the bill reminded the cocoa woodcreeper's bill but somewhat heavier. We saw this bird for about 2 minutes with our binoculars (nikon venturer lx 8x42, zeiss victory 10x42, konus 10x42) as the bird climbed the tree inspecting the mosses.

Delicia and Darién Montañez acompannied Bill Porteous on a productive, week-long expedition to the Fortuna area. On Tuesday, July 17th, after a slow day on the Continental Divide and Río Hornito Trails we spent the later part of the afternoon at La Verrugosa Trail, where two Black-headed Nightingale-Thrushes were seen, one in response to a tape of its song and the second one as we climbed up to the cars, singing from the railing on one side of the trail. Also, we saw a female White-crowned Manakin. On the 18th, after being rained on on many different locations, we also spent the late afternoon at La Verrugosa, where we finally had a flock of 3 or 4 Ashy-throated Bush-Tanagers near (but not with) a mixed flock: olive crwons and backs, gray cheeks and throats and lighter gray vents separated by a yellow-olive chest, olive flanks. I managed to catch a glimpse of a Chiriquí Quail-Dove as it walked into the undergrowth and away from the trail. Rosabel and Karl Kaufmann joined us on Thursday...