Xenornis

Seems the Hook-billed Kite Jorge Herrera photographed last week was not the first Darién record after all, as they've been seeing it since 2014. Debo agregar que esta especie la hemos visto desde el 2014 junto a Karla Aparicio, Carol Gantes, Kenneth Contreras y guías locales de este lado de Garachiné, coordenadas (17P 0783655 UTM089019; 30msnm) en el orden cronológico: 09 agosto 2014 09:03am. 18 marzo 2015 03:09 pm. 11 agosto 2016 08:30 am. 

Adjunto una imagen del Elanio Piquiganchudo ( Chondrohierax uncinatus ), tomada el 11 de agosto en los limites del Parque Nacional Darién, Punta Santa Barbara, Garachiné (17P 0785542/UTM 0895027...30msnm). Estamos monitoreando aves para conocer la conectividad entre parches de bosques caducifolios y semicaducifolios junto al proyecto de Fondo Darién y el Grupo para la educación y el Manejo ambiental sostenible (GEMAS). Nos parece importante reportarlo ya que sería un nuevo registros de ampliación de distribución para el área de Santa Bárbara, Garachiné, es decir, para el suroeste de la provincia de Darién, ya que no se registran en la guía más reciente de las aves de Panamá de Angehr y Dean (2010). 

Oct. 2nd: Hook-billed Kite , soaring at early morning seen by Ariel Aguirre and Dominciano Alveo. Oct 3rd: Veery seen by Ariel Aguirre on the street from Mi Pueblito. The bird was seen again on Oct. 9th on the road leading to the National Police communications antenna in the hill upper section, and for the third time around our station where it was photographed by Ariel Aguirre and Domiciano Alveo. Also Oct. 9th a Black-billed Cuckoo was seen by Ariel Aguirre. Oct. 31st: Great Black Hawk ; two individuals in flight were seen by Ariel Aguirre and Beny Wilson. Nov. 5th: a Gray-cheeked Thrush was seen by Beny Wilson on the stairway next to the security checkpoint at the base of the hill Nov. 8th: Shinning Honeycreeper (female) first sighting ever for Ancón Hill seen by Domiciano Alveo and photographed by Ariel Aguirre.

Sunday's PAS fieldtrip to the Bayano was an utter success by all counts. The crowd amounted to thirty participants, yet we didn't have any casualties. And if that weren't miracle enough, we saw many a good bird, and lifers for everyone. A first stop at the Bayano bridge produced the first of maaaany Cocoi Herons, a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Pied Water-Tyrant and great looks at a pair of Jet Antbirds. But the fun really started at the Río Mono bridge. Not five minutes after our horde arrived, Rosabel Miró spotted a raptor with a bright rufous back perched looking the other way in a distant tree. The head was buffy, whiter on the crown, and if you squinted you could even imagine some black in the chest. The back had sparse black streaking, and there was a slight dark eyeline, reminiscent of Yellow-headed Caracara. Even though the bird flew away before everybody saw it, we had no doubt we had a Black-collared Hawk (especially after seeing the better plate in Garrigues). Lu...

Osvaldo Quintero, in the company of Venicio Wilson and Rafael Luck, photographed this female Hook-billed Kite on the road to La Mesa in El Valle on Sunday, December 7. Hook-billed Kite is a bird of the lowlands, but rarely ventures up into the foothills.

Panama Rainforest Discovery Center's Venicio Wilson reports a pair of Hook-billed Kites seen soaring above their Pipeline Road observation tower: Durante la mañana de hoy, a eso de las 9:00 am avistamos una pareja de Elanios Piquiganchudos, Hook-billed Cites, Chondrohierax uncinatus . Lo interesante de la pareja es que el miembro de mayor tamaño (posiblemente la hembra) era de fase oscura. La mañana estaba soleada, sin brisa y con nubes blancas bien altas. La pareja fue vista por 4 personas, Julia Sarco, Margelys Barría, Marcial Caisamo y mi persona. Julia, Margelys y Marcial son los futuros guías del PRDC, el proyecto de Fundacion Avifauna en Pipeline Road y todos tienen bastante experiencia en campo identificando aves. Todos fueron estudiantes de Darién Montañez. Utilizamos binoculares Bushnell H20 8X42, Bushnell Birding Series 10x42, Nikon Action 7x35 y Leica Trinovid 10x42BN. Las aves fueron observadas por espacio de 3 minutos y sobrevolaban haciendo círculos lentamente. Par...

Ariel Aguirre, Bob & Happy Nettle found a Hook-billed Kite during a Gatún lake tour. The bird was at the radio station entrance by Gamboa.

Darién Montañez took Patrick Homier's group to Pipeline Road. Had a female Great Jacamar about halfway from the gate to Juan Grande, and a male Hook-billed Kite 500 meters beyond Rio Limbo. When I first saw it fly and perch across the road I expected a plumbeous or Semiplumbeous Hawk, based on overall color, but this bird was light gray below, finely barred with white. The legs and cere were yellow, not orange, and the eye was pale gray. The buffy supraloral mark was very conspicuous, as was the heavy hooked bill. The bird stayed on its perch, about four meters above the ground, right next to the road, for about two minutes. When we approached, it turned its back on us and flew up to a tree about 10 meters high, then flew off into the forest. Even though Ii don't know of any other reports of the species from Pipeline, it's found every now and then at Plantation Road.

Lined Seedeater and Pomarine Jaeger at Ft. Sherman (Gilles Seutin), American Pygmy-Kingfisher, Parasitic Jaeger, and Ring-billed and Herring Gulls at Galeta Island (Karla Aparicio), Blackpoll Warbler on the road to the Brazos Golf Club and Black-throated Green Warbler at Skunk Hollow (Darién Montañez), Hooded Warbler at Rancho Ramos (Jan Axel Cubilla), Agami Heron, Hook-billed Kite, Barrred Hawk, Rufous-crested Coquette and Bare-crowned Antbird at Achiote Road (José Tejada), Montezuma Oropendola and Yellow-faced Grassquit also at Achiote (Loyda Sánchez)...

Loyda Sánchez et al report a Hook-billed Kite on one of the Madden Road trails, Soberania National Park. On one of the Madden Road trails, Soberania National Park (close to tower #12), a male Hook-billed Kite was seen through a Leica APO Televid scope (Eyepiece B 20x to 60x) on Sunday, August 2, 1998 by Judith Anguizola, Carmen Martino, Jose Tejada and Loyda Sanchez. The bird was first inside the forest, it was disturbed by our presence and when we approached went flying just below canopy. It then perched on a horizontal branch. It was observed for about 15 minutes, distance was about 50 meters. Its upperparts were slaty gray, plain gray below (no barring observed), we were all able to see its small yellowish spot in front of whitish eye.