Xenornis

Hoy domingo 5 de septiembre, junto a Euclides Campos y Rafael Luck, fui a Nusagandi y Bayano. En Nusagandi vimos Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle sobre la carretera principal después del Mirador y varias bandadas mixtas con Sulphur-rumped y Rufous-winged Tanagers a lo largo de la carretera. En Igar Nusagandi escuchamos Black-eared Wood-Quail, Stripe-throated Wren y vimos Russet Antshrike y una pareja de Speckled Antshrikes . En Bayano encontramos una hembra de Golden-green Woodpecker con una bandada mixta que también incluía Cinnamon y One-colored Becards, Orange-crowned Oriole y Black Antshrikes . En el puente sólo escuchamos Rufous-winged Antwren y vimos dos Barred Puffbirds .

Following the previous report of The Montañez and Kaufmann, and with the objective of getting some nice photos, Dr. Osvaldo Quintero, Euclides Campos and Rafael Luck visited the Nusagandi area last saturday. We found lots of Brown-hooded Parrots, like 7 Syristes , 5 or 6 Slate-throated Gnatcatcher , Plumbeous Kite, White Hawk, Crested Guan and an unidentified (and unphotographed) large raptor that could have been a Crested Eagle. On the way back, we stopped at Tocumen Airport to look for the Cattle Tyrant and fortunately we found the bird right away [on the front lawn of the main terminal, between the parking lot and the access road].

Rosabel and Karl Kaufmann and Delicia and Darién Montañez spent their Sunday checking just how good the new and renewed El Llano-Cartí road was. And it was very good: all asphalt all the way to the Caribbean (except for the still unfinished bridge over the Cartí River, which should be done by August) The birding was good, too, as long as you don't mind no shoulders and cars zipping by at breakneck speed—but then we've all birded Achiote Road, right? The first stop, well before Burbayar, produced a few Sulphur-rumped Tanagers in the first of many tanager flocks, mostly of the Tawny-crested denomination. At Ina Igar we saw Striped Woodhaunter and an Olive-backed Quail Dove before being rained out. Back on the road, a culvert a few kilometers beyond the trailhead had an adult Fasciated Tiger-Heron, seen both on our way to Cartí and on our way back. Well in the lowlands we found plenty Blue Cotingas, a pair of calling Jet Antbirds and a fruiting shrub with four female Scarlet-...

Björn Anderson photographed a pair of Speckled Antshrikes at Nusagandi today.

Björn Anderson photographed this Green Manakin at Nusagandi last weekend. Another highlight was a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo at Cerro Azul.

A week ago, José Carlos García photographed this dark phase Crested Eagle near the old Cabañas El Jaguar site in Nusagandi. Upon reviewing the photo, Panama Records Committee chair George Angehr points out the following diagnostic field marks: Crested Eagle has a rare all-dark morph. This form is not known to occur in Harpy Eagle. A Harpy should also show a distinct contrasting black chest band. Single pointed crest rather than double. Relatively slender legs and feet, much thinner than Harpy. Rounded rather than squarish tail. It's much too bulky and the crest is too long for Black Hawk-Eagle, which would also have feathered legs. José Carlos also reports that the Nusagandi refuge is now cleaner than before, with two showers and two flushing toilets. Food-wise, there is a small fonda before Burbayar that's open for breakfast and lunch.

Björn Anderson sends in these photos of Sapayoa taken in Nusagandi on September 21.

During a recent assignment with visiting birders between July 15-28th, 2008, Advantage Tour's Euclides "Kilo" Campos reports some interesting bird sightings: While birding some patches of forest around Tortí, eastern Panama Province, they saw Black-crowned Antpitta, Western Syristes, White-eared conebill, White-ringed Flycatcher, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, Great Jacamar, Spot-crowned Barbet (Darien race), Yellow-green tyrannulet, Ocellated Antbird, Red-billed Scythebill, Pacific (Streaked) Antwren, Barred Puffbird, and Brown-chested Martin. Later around Burbayar and Nusagandi they recorded, among others, Sapayoa, Striped-cheeked Woodpecker, Dull-mantled Antbird, Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, Plumbeous Hawk, and Crimson-bellied woodpecker. While birding around Cerro Azul they saw Purplish-backed Quail-Dove, Blue-and-gold Tanager, Black-eared Wood-Quail, Tacarcuna Bush-Tanager, Schiffornis of the foothills form and heard Russet-crowned Quail-Dove. Along Pipeline Road they fou...

As reported by Bill Adsett: On March 18th 2008 visitors Janet & Jerry Connolly with Bill and Claudia Ahrens and myself observed a pair of Slate-throated Gnatcatchers with a mixed flock at 4.12 km beyond (and roughly at the same elevation as) the Nusagandi Headquarters. In 2007 we had observed another pair much further down the road, virtually in the lowlands [with Mark Letzer and Dave Klauber, in a mixed flock near a stream 11.8 km beyond Burbaryar—i.e. well down the Atlantic slope.]

We received a second-hand José Tejada report of two Harpy Eagles seen this morning from the mirador beyond Nusagandi.