Xenornis

Durante los días patrios decidí ir con unos amigos a visitar el Real y Rancho Frío. El jueves 5 de noviembre, fui al airstrip en la mañana donde me tropecé con este harrier. Este individuo era bien oscuro con algunas rayas blancas por debajo. De acuerdo a la literatura, el juvenil dark morph Long-winged Harrier es todo dark brown y poseen rufous thighs. En una de las fotos se puede ver algo los rufous thighs. Los juveniles northern harrier son oscuros en el chest y luego twany el resto. En rancho frío vimos Double-banded Graytail, Wing-banded Antbird, Yellow-backed Tanager, Scarlet-browed Tanager, Sapayoa, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Plumbeous Hawk y Tawny-faced Quail.

Durante la gira de la SAP a El Real (Darién oriental), observé la primera tarde que estuvimos ahi (12-jun-09) en el camino del cementerio (aka Mercadeo Road) un individuo macho adulto de Lesser Goldfinch. A pesar que la observación fue sólo unos segundos, sí pude notar todas sus partes ventrales amarillas (incluyendo la garganta) y las partes dorsales negras con puntos blancos en las alas (en las terciarias). Se encontraba a nivel de la vista sobre una espiga a unos 5 m de distancia.  El último día, cuando nos encontrábamos de regreso a desayunar y empacar, escuché el llamado de otro individuo, el cual se posó en un árbol sobre el hospital. Éste era más bien oliva, pero con las alas igual a las del adulto (¿un macho joven?. Llamó un par de veces para luego alejarse con su característico vuelo ondulado en dirección al pueblo. En esta ocasión le pude enseñar el ave a Bill Ahrens quien también la observó. Sólo para el record, cuando paramos al regreso en Metetí para l...

A group of hardy Panama Auduboners spent last weekend braving weather and lodging and birding around El Real, Darién. After waking up at an ungodly hour on June 12 we made a quick stop at the bridge over Río Mono in the Bayano, where we heard a Barred Puffbird and nothing more. The Pan-American Highway is in excellent condition, and most of the 260 km from the Riande Hotel to Yaviza are freshly-asphalted, thus making it a pleasant four-hour drive. A stop at the marsh just out of Yaviza that had Large-billed Seed-Finches last November was also futile. After a quick lunch at the always-sweltering Yaviza we hopped on our boat and headed for El Real under a light drizzle. Ten minutes later we were being pounded by the heaviest of rains, that didn't stop until we walked into our hotel. During a lull in the storm, about halfway from Yaviza to the point where the Chucunaque River meets the Tuira River, Jan Axel Cubilla looked up from under his raincoat and saw a Black-collared Hawk. Not ...

On November 6, Rosabel & Karl Kaufmann and Delicia & Darién Montañez drove out to Yaviza and El Real, Darién, in search of all those potential lifers they had been missing out on. As we approached Yaviza at around noon, we stopped at some promising marshes, about 7.5 km before town. After a few scorching minutes Rosabel spotted a female and young Large-billed Seed-Finches in the brush while a male or two sung from exposed branches nearby. Also heard at the spot was a Little Cuckoo. At El Real, no additional seed-finches were seen at the airstrip, which was also devoid of Yellow-hooded Blackbirds. As dusk approached, and after the rain stopped, a Donacobius scolded us from the grass while a singing Willow Flycatcher made brief appearances. The first of many flocks of Spectacled Parrotlet and Black Oropendola . The next day and a half produced Pale-bellied Hermit, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Red-billed Scythebill, possible first Darién records of Sharp-shinned Hawk, Tropica...

After being in El Real last month, I decided to do some birding in the highlands of eastern Panama, specifically above Rancho Plástico, with Alex Guevara and Ramiro Duque. Our expedition started on September 15th arriving at Rancho Frío late in the afternoon. The following day in the morning Slate-throated Gnatcatchers, Purple Honeycreepers, Scarlet-browed Tanagers, and Western Sirystes were moving around the station. During our hike to Rancho Plástico the same day, Wing-banded Antbirds gave us some great views and a Yellow- browed Shrike Vireo was heard in the distance. In the afternoon at a lookout close to Rancho Plástico, Great Green Macaws and Red-and-green Macaws were flying around, and at dusk a group of Tawny-faced Quails were singing close to our tent. On September 17th we headed further up from our camp site where we saw Black-crowned Antpittas, Immaculate Antbirds, and Dull-mantled Antbirds. A single Green Manakin landed very close to us. In a mixed flock we encountered Red...

During my last trip to Darién on August 4th to 7th, specifically at El Real, I saw the Large-billed Seed-Finch and the Yellow-hooded Blackbird around the airstrip. Both were singing. On the way to the airstrip there are a few patches of heliconia where I saw a female Ruby Topaz for three days in a row. The best fieldmark was its tail, bronzy in the middle tail feathers and rufous on the outer tail feathers with a dark subterminal band and white tips. It was kind of grayish underneath and bronzy on top. I noticed during the third day of observation that she raised her crown feathers and spread her tail and was perched around 3 m above ground. I heard several Gray-breasted Crakes with their peculiar call of 4 notes, te-te-te-te, along the airstrip. Other interesting birds I saw every single day were Spectacled Parrotlet, Agami Heron, immature, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Gray Elaenia, Black Oropendola, Yellow-backed Tanager, Red-billed Scythebill, and a Golden-green Woodpecker was hear...

I visited El Real, Darién from 15-18 June with a party including Robert Dean, Kevin Easley, Dev Joslin, Ron Hoff, and Holly Ann Myers. We found Large-billed Seed-Finch and Yellow-hooded Blackbird at the El Real airport, both evidently established and likely breeding. Photos of both species taken by Kevin Easley are attached. Large-billed Seed-Finch Oryzoborus crassirostris A male was seen on 15 June at about 4 PM at the airport (all party members except Easley). The bird was larger than a Lesser Seed-finch, almost entirely black, with a large whitish bill and a prominent small white speculum on the bend of the wing. It was seen perched from about 10 m away. The following morning the entire party returned to the airport and saw several additional males (at least three), some of them singing. One bird was noted to have white wing linings when it flew. I recorded the song and Easley obtained photographs. I saw a probable female on 17 June on the Pirre Road, but was not certain. A singing...

aúl Arias also forwarded the following report by Allen Chartier. This would be the second Panama sighting of Long-winged Harrier: While waiting for an airplane to arrive from La Palma to take us on a much-delayed flight to Panama City, a largish dark raptor flew low over the canegrass at the north (?) end of the runway about 30 yards away. As viewed through Zeiss 10 x 42 binoculars, the bird had an all-black head and underparts. The upper and under-wing coverts were all black as was the back. The face showed faintly, but clearly, a suggestion of facial disks (characteristic of harriers). The bill was dark and the color of the cere was not determined as it wasn’t particularly conspicuous. The remiges were checkered (or barred) with black and medium gray both above and below. The tail had 5-7 black bars with the same medium gray between. The rump and upper tail coverts were black except for a very narrow white edge on the distal upper tail coverts. The bird was shaped very much like a No...