Xenornis

MacGillivray's Warbler and Ruby-throated Hummingbird seen at Raton Comunity (Comarca Gnabe) on January 18. I saw two other MacGillivray's at Volcan Lakes and Hotel Dos Rios on February 10 and 11. Bonaparte's Gull seen at Panama Viejo on February 10 and April 7 at Panama Viejo Mudflats. A big group of Violet-green Swallows (over 50) were seen at Volcan Lakes on February 10. They were flying really low close to the water, field marks were really evident with its unique rump and face pattern. Some individual were seen through the scopes. Melodious Blackbirds are around Hotel Dos Rios (Volcán) where two were seen on February 11. Crimson-bellied Woodpecker showed up around the ground of Sierra Llorona Lodge on April 6. I think this is the second report of this rare woodpecker close to The Panama Canal, the first report is from Pipeline Road. Next day was even better around the hotel grounds at Sierra Llorona, with a Crested Eagle perched on the top of a tree for more ...

The MacGillivray's Warbler discovered by Osvaldo Quintero last weekend and re-photographed on Friday is still in the Metropolitan Park pond area. Jan Axel Cubilla found it again on Sunday afternoon : I took advantage of a tiny gap in my agenda and went to the park around 1:00 pm. In spite of the hour and the heat of our dry season, the place was alive with tons of birds attending a flowering Erythrina tree. [...] Then, I saw a bird skulking in the understore exactly where Osvaldo described. Soon I noticed it was a female Geothlypis (formerly Oporornis ) warbler, but most importantly, in the dark of the forest, the broken arcs above and below the eyes were quite conspicuous. The call was different to the sweet chip note I'm used to for Mourning Warbler: it was harsher and rougher, but still a chip note. The yellowish throat made me doubt... but then I saw that this is quite variable (and some photos in the web show this feature in immature males MacGillivray's W...

Osvaldo Quintero photographed this MacGillivray's Warbler on Sunday, February 2 near the pond at Metropolitan Nature Park. He returned to the site this morning and may have photographed it again. More details to come.

Jay Carlisle, Sarah Hamilton, Larry Barnes and Robin Garwood found a first-winter Bonaparte's Gull flying over the Matasnillo River at Paitilla. Here is the information on the Bonaparte's Gull seen in Panama City on Dec. 23: Observers: Jay Carlisle, Sarah Hamilton, Larry Barnes, Robin Garwood Location: at water outflow near intersection of Via Italia and Ave Balboa (Punta Patilla area) All four of us have seen hundreds and/or thousands of Bonaparte's Gulls in the United States in all plumages and are also experienced at differentiating them from other of the "Black-headed gulls" that could potentially occur. We saw the bird at approximately 1400 (2pm) and observed it clearly in good light at a distance of 50-400 feet for about ten minutes (it was still present when we left for the airport). It was flying up and down stream on the south side of Balboa Ave among numerous laughing gulls. It was in first-winter plumage and we clearly observed the black bill, fleshy le...