Xenornis

On the early afternoon of June 16, the Panama Audubon team surveying shorebirds in Pacora—including Yenifer Díaz and Rosabel Miró—spotted this Large-billed Tern out on the mudflats. Needless to say, this is the first record of this rare vagrant from South America in forever. Also present were about 50 Common Terns , and a pair of American Oystercatchers with a chick in tow.

Euclides Campos photographed a Forster's Tern in Punta Chame. Can you pick it out? The flock also had a number of Common Terns , of which but a few winter in Panama.

Yesterday afternoon, Rosabel Miró, Yenifer Díaz, Dinora López and Delicia and Darién Montañez ventured out on the mud at Playa El Agallito to get a better look at the flock of terns at the surf's edge. Tern of the day was an adult Forster's Tern in non-breeding plumage, easily told apart from the others by its size and bold black spectacles. Also seen were about five Common Terns and two Caspian Terns . The mudflats were full of shorebirds, including a few Sanderlings and American Oystercatchers. Then this afternoon, Rosabel, Yenifer, Dinora and Alfred Raab returned and saw at least 15 Blue-footed Boobies flying and fishing at the distance. I've never heard of them beeing seen at El Agallito. Is this the beginning of an El Niño invasion? Remember the recent records of large flocks from the upper reaches of the Gulf of Panama. We'll keep you posted.

Delicia and Darién Montañez found small flock of terns at the water's edge at Playa El Agallito, Chitré, with two Elegant Terns, one in breeding plumage, and about two dozen Common Terns in various plumages. On another spot there was a smaller flock of a dozen Least Terns, one of which was in breeding plumage.