Xenornis

Olmedo Miró forwarded these three photos of the South Polar Skua that has apparently taken residence at Isla Colón. These were taken by Pat Wade, perhaps today.

George Angehr forwarded Andrew Kratter's report of South Polar Skua seen June 2 on Isla Colón: South Polar Skua (Stercorarius mackormickii) 3 June 2008 Panama: prov. Bocas del Toro; Isla Colon; Bocas town & STRI dock Observer: Andrew Kratter Florida Museum of Natural History Box 117800 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 kratter@flmnh.ufl.edu This bird was first seen flying low over the water at 0900 off the STRI facility in Bahia Almirante. I did not have binoculars at the time, and I blew it off as a dark juvenile Pomarine Jaeger (S. pomarinus), not really considering a skua (South Polar Skua or Great Skua, S. skua) see below for discussion of species). The bird was dark, very bulky, with a short tail and no tail projections. It flew toward us, then right overhead, but right into the sun. It had heavy and deep wing beats, slower than typical for pomarines (or other jaegers). At 1430h I was in Bocas town and my wife (Mary Hart) said she saw a jaeger, seeing t...

Rosabel Miró and Karl Kaufmann heard, recorded and flushed a Gray-headed Dove while birding the woods around the STRI field station at Isla Colón, Bocas del Toro. To those with access privileges, this is probably the most accessible place to see this bird.