Xenornis

On the morning of Sunday, September 12, still high on the post-deep-water-pelagic endorphins, Björn Anderson, Ken Allaire, Gonzalo Horna and Darién Montañez headed for El Copé in search of umbrellabird. And find it we did. After walking Sendero Los Helechos Trail, where we got Black-crowned Antpitta and Stripe-breasted Wren, we did Sendero La Rana. While waiting for a mixed flock to approach, a Bare-necked Umbrellabird was spotted sitting quietly on a branch, terribly backlit but at pretty much eye level. This bird had a full hood and some bare skin around the neck. It was soon joined by a second bird, which looked scruffier all over and was probably a younger bird. The flock eventually approached and provided a first-year female Cerulean Warbler . Later on, when we were making our way back to the visitor center, we were trying to lure in a calling White-throated Shrike-Tanager when another pair of umbrellabird showed up, this time two adult-looking birds. Light was better this time,...

El sabado 28 de agosto del 2010, cuatro miembros/colaboradores de Audubon (Kilo Campos, Jan Axel Cubilla, Gloriela Archbold y Rafael Luck) se dirigieron en la acostumbrada 4WD FJ Cruiser hacia El Copé en búsqueda del Umbrellabird y otras aves. Aquí fotos del Bare-necked Umbrellabird y Golden-olive Woodpecker de El Copé. [ Visit Jan Axel's Blog for more details]. Posteriormente visitamos las Salinas de Aguadulce y reportamos entre otros Reddish Egret , Stilt Sandpiper y una bandada de aprox. 150 Black Skimmers .

Rosabel & Karl Kaufmann, Björn Anderson, and Delicia and Darién Montañez spent the weekend at Parque Nacional General de División Omar Torrijos Herrera (née El Copé), hoping against hope to run into an umbrellabird or three. As luck would have it, we saw none, but we did run into a few interesting species. Saturday's birding began as soon as we crossed the park boundaries, with a flock of migratory warblers, including the first of many Blackburnians, a couple American Redstarts and a Canada or two. After settling into the very comfortable cabin (which at $10 a night is a steal) we moved to La Rana trail, which produced Chiriquí Quail-Dove (voice only, alas), a small flock of tanagers and warblers and what looked like the remains of a Black Guan (we'd rather not think that this was our umbrellabird). We then continued along Snowcap (née La Rica) Trail, which also proved quiet at the time (near noon). On our way back we had a small flock at the intersection with La Rana tha...

Complementando el excelente reporte de Jan Axel Cubilla, enviamos pruebas fotográficas de nuestro viaje a Cobachón (Euclides Campos "Kilo" y Rafael Luck, en donde en 24 horas y saliendo desde ciudad de Panama, logramos ver y fotografiar al endemico Perico Pintado siguiendo las instrucciones de Jan Axel y los conocimientos del área de Kilo. También aprovechamos y enviamos fotos adicionales de la visita al Cope ( Ave Sombrilla y Trogones Colirrayado y Ventrinaranja ).

El pasado domingo 16 de agosto, Hildegar Mendoza, Osvaldo Quintero y mi persona nos encontramos con Rafael Luck y Euclides Campos (luego que observaran Azuero Parakeet y Great Green Macaw en una intrépida gira a Cobachón el día anterior) en el Centro de Visitantes de el Parque Nacional GDDOTH (El Copé). Ya Rafael y Euclides habían caminado el sendero de La Rica (Snowcap trail), encontrando varios individuos de Bare-necked Umbrellabirds y un Lattice-tailed Trogon. Siguiendo sus instrucciones logramos observar TRES Umbrellabirds con crestas pequeñas vocalizando... el más grande con piel desnuda roja en el cuello parcialmente oculta (como se aprecia en la foto por Quintero). Había otro individuo (más pequeño y curioso) con algunas plumas blancas en el pecho (probablemente un grupo familiar en su época post-reproductiva?). También logramos observar una bandada mixta compuesta por varias especies de tanagers (Tawny-capped, Speckled, Black-and-yellow), por lo menos tres Yellow-throated ...

José García and Mahelis Rodríguez spent August 26-27 birding La Rana and Los Helechos trails at El Copé. Highlight was this male Bare-necked Umbrellabird, but they also found Plumbeous Hawk, Black Guan, Stripe-breasted Wren and Lineated Foliage-Gleaner.

During a recent assignment with visiting birders between July 15-28th, 2008, Advantage Tour's Euclides "Kilo" Campos reports some interesting bird sightings: While birding some patches of forest around Tortí, eastern Panama Province, they saw Black-crowned Antpitta, Western Syristes, White-eared conebill, White-ringed Flycatcher, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, Great Jacamar, Spot-crowned Barbet (Darien race), Yellow-green tyrannulet, Ocellated Antbird, Red-billed Scythebill, Pacific (Streaked) Antwren, Barred Puffbird, and Brown-chested Martin. Later around Burbayar and Nusagandi they recorded, among others, Sapayoa, Striped-cheeked Woodpecker, Dull-mantled Antbird, Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, Plumbeous Hawk, and Crimson-bellied woodpecker. While birding around Cerro Azul they saw Purplish-backed Quail-Dove, Blue-and-gold Tanager, Black-eared Wood-Quail, Tacarcuna Bush-Tanager, Schiffornis of the foothills form and heard Russet-crowned Quail-Dove. Along Pipeline Road they fou...

Ben Lascelles sent in the highlights of his two-month stay in Panama: 10th June - A Colombian race American Kestrel in Parque Metropolitano. 16th June - At El Copé treated to some fine views of Black-crowned Antpitta, with one by the visitors centre being particularly approachable down to just a couple of metres, wished I'd had some meal worms! Also saw female Snowcap and Spotted Barbtail. 19th June - Spectacled Owl with a large chick at Old Gamboa Road, also 2 Capped Herons on Summit Ponds 28th-30th June - Around Birders' View, Cerro Azul. Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Black-eared Wood-quail and Violaceous Quail-Dove (both heard only.) The Blue-fronted Parrotlet nest fledged the days we were there, with 2 young seen to leave the nest and at least one more heard inside still. 4th July - Rainforest Discovery Centre, Pipeline Road. Great Black Hawk, and male Tiny Hawk. 12th and 13th July - Haven't seen a report from the Panama Audubon Society trip to Santa Fe, so here are a...

Ken Allaire sent in the highlights of his first month in Panama: On July 4th I found a Sapayoa on the upper reaches of the Río Blanco, below Peña Blanca in Omar Torrijos N.P.. I was with a local guide named Santana. The bird called in a very appropriate spot (a lushly-vegetated spot where a wash met the river.) I recognized the call and got a brief but good look at the bird before it flew off. I tried playback, and the Sapayoa responded but did not return. I know this is an unusual locale for the species but I am confident in the i.d.. On July 5th I found a Plumbeous Hawk along La Rana trail. The bird perched several times and was seen quite well. The next day, also on La Rana, I had a mixed flock that included a Lineated Foliage-Gleaner, Spotted Barbtail, and a probable Streak-breasted Treehunter (the last bird was seen briefly and I could not confirm my initial impression.) This is a low elevation for all three species. On July 14th I found a Grassland Yellow-Finch in the grassla...

José Carlos García sent this report of the seldom-photographed Bare-necked Umbrellabird he and Mahelis Rodríguez saw on La Rica Trail, on General de División Omar Torrijos (née El Copé) National Park on October 15. The fully-feathered throat and upper chest show this bird to be a juvenile, if you believe Wetmore; if you believe Ridgeley, this bird could be either a juvenile or a female. This is the second record from the area, which is the eastern limit of its range. José Carlos mentioned that one of the park rangers had also seen a male the day before, right next to the visitor center.

Bill Porteous found no less that three males of White-throated Shrike-Tanager accompanying mixed flocks in El Copé. Both sightings were on the trail that goes down to the right beyond the ANAM refuge. The first was of a single bird which sat quietly on a branch at eye level and in full view, but about 30m distant. It had its back to me at first, and appeared all black with a triangular yellow mantle patch, but it turned to look at me, displaying its white throat and yellow underparts. The second sighting was of two males in the same mixed flock. Both were calling aggressively, and, following tape playback, they came in to about 5m range in the understory providing excellent views.