Xenornis

Consensus is the mystery ducks Jennifer Wolcott has been seeing last week at Farfán pond are indeed Cinnamon Teal , as shown by the ruddy wash throughout, and the underwing pattern and foot color. This afternoon, George Angehr and Darién and Delicia Montañez went and saw them, so drop everything you're doing and go see this rare vagrant to Panama. The instructions are thusly: They were in the Farfan marsh area, near the main road. I climbed the berm to get a better picture. So, park at the Farfan parking area, first walk into the marches (the gate is no longer closed and the grass is overgrown). If they are at the other end, walk down the main road counting telephone poles, then slog (carefully, take a walking stick if you can) up the berm.

This morning (september 27th) I saw an Elegant Tern at the easternmost end of playa Veracruz (by the river). It was alone and stayed only 10 minutes, resting close to a flock of Whimbrels and Willets. Then it flew directly to the sea. Later, I found two American Oystercatchers at Farfan, by the bridge between the former beach and the entrance to Palo Seco Hospital. They were not close to the road, I had to walk a lot through the beach (with rubber boots) in order to find them feeding in a rocky shore. It seems that this is a regular site, since I saw also a pair there during the last Pacific Christmas Bird Count (curiously, I also saw an Elegant Tern in Veracruz during the last Pacific CBC).