Xenornis

The highlight of the Audubon Panama fieldtrip to Santa Fe, attended this year by Rosabel and Karl Kaufmann, Vivian Díaz, Olmedo Miró and Darién Montañez, was repeated encounters with flocks of Barred Parakeets , approximately 25 individuals each time. The first sighting was on Saturday, July 17 at about noon, as we began walking the 3 Cascadas Trail. The first section of trail now passes through a grove of young melastome trees that were all loaded with ripe berries and parakeets. After a few seconds they grew nervous and flew into a taller tree, and then flew off into the distance. That afternoon we ran into more (perhaps the same flock), again on berried melastomes on the road to the left past the Alto de Piedra school. On Sunday midmorning the parakeets were again at the beginning of 3 Cascadas Trail. Other notable birds seen included a few Crimson-collared Tanagers , a male Snowcap harassing a Double-toothed Kite, male and female Green Thorntails at blooming Inga trees, Black-he...

I wanted to send in a report for Xenornis of some of the more significant sightings during my visit for the last half of October. On October 17th, Danilo Rodriguez and I heard (only) a pair of Stripe-cheeked Woodpeckers on the Caribbean slope of Las Minas Trail, near El Valle (good audio was captured). These birds have now been present in the area for at least 5 months, and we are on the alert for signs of breeding. Other good finds at Las Minas were a calling Black-headed Antthrush, large numbers of Black-and-yellow Tanagers, a Spot-crowned Barbet, a pair of amorous Ornate Hawk-Eagles, a point-blank Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch, and a flock of at least 10 Yellow-eared Toucanets. A field trip to the western limits of Altos del Maria on 10/19 (also with Danilo) yielded Black-crowned Antpitta, Red-faced Spinetail, Spotted Barbtail, White-tailed Emerald, Snowcap, Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, and Purplish-backed Quail-Dove. On 10/22 I took a trip with Danilo, Eliacer and Rodrick Rodriguez to ...

On March 16 visiting bird tour guides John Coons and John Rowlett birded the Xenornis Trail with Dave Kluber and myself. We saw and/or heard many of the specialities - Brown-billed Scythebill, Black-headed Antthrush, Crimson-bellied Woodpecker, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, Black-eared Wood-quail, Slaty-winged Foliage-Gleaner, Striped Woodhaunter, Plain Antvireo, a very tame Tawny-Throated Leaftosser etc., - but no Xenornis. However, there was a pair of Stripe-throated Wrens. As far as I know, the first record of this species in the area was two years ago on the north side of Cerro Vistamares, in rastrojo. Until then, the species had not been recorded west of Nusagandi. This new record is from the west side of Cerro Vistamares, in heavy forest. The birds were identified both by sight and by voice. There was again no sign of Black-headed Brush-finch. I have come to the reluctant conclusion that if nobody sees it soon in the Cerro Jefe-Cerro Vistamares area, we shall have to assume it has been...