Xenornis

José Carlos García and Billy Sandoval sent in a June 2, 2007 report (with photos!) of the endemic Azuero Parakeet from the boundaries of Cerro Hoya National Park, near the town of Cobachón. They saw 3 different flocks of about 12 individuals that were moving back and forth in the more open hilly areas close to forest. Locally this parakeet is known as “guaquita” (i.e. little macaw), because from distance, when perched, it resembles a miniature version of a Great Green Macaw. Lelis Navarete sent in the following highlights from a birding expedition to Panama from March 24 to April 06 2007: Gray-breasted Crake - Heard at the grass field across the road from the San Lorenzo preserve ranger´s headquarters while waiting to pay the entrance fee to the place. This is a species I know very well from the amazonian range in southamerica where a fairly common bird in the right habitat. Heard on March 26/2007. Dunlin - One single bird was seen at the Costa Este in the Panama bay mud flats. The...

Rosabel and Karl Kaufmann spent the afternoon shorebirding at Panamá Viejo. The mudflats between the IPAT building and the old stables had a big flock of shorebirds, and a few gulls and terns. The highlight was a Dunlin, picked out from the nearby Western Sandpipers by its larger size and differently shaped bill. The same mudflat also had a Long-billed Curlew, possibly the same bird seen there on the Christmas Bird Count. There were plenty of Whimbrels nearby for direct comparison, so picking it out was especially easy. There were large numbers of sandpipers, plovers and dowitchers, and a large flock of Surfbirds had a Red Knot molting into breeding plumage. The gulls were mostly Laughing Gulls, but there was one Ring-billed and one Herring Gull.