Xenornis

El fin de semana del 23 de abril estuvimos explorando las cercanias del Darién, Jan Axel Cubilla y Gloriela Archbold, José Carlos García y Mahelis Rodríguez, y Rafael Luck. Nuestro destino final era el poblado de Nuevo Vigía, pero desafortunadamente SENAFRONT no nos autorizo visitar esa zona por razones de seguridad. Una verdadera lástima, ya que personas del pueblo invirtieron tiempo y fondos para transportarnos y alimentarnos sin poder obterner los frutos de nuestra visita. De todas formas hicimos nuestro acostumbrado paseo con algunos de los resultados fotograficos: El Salto : Black-capped Donacobius en abundancia y Spectacled Parrolet Filo del Tallo : Black Antshrike , Cinnamon Woodpecker, Golden-headed Manakin (muchos hermits: long-billed, stripe-throated, pale-bellied , rufous-breasted) Puente del Río Mono : Rufous-winged Antwren, Barred Puffbird, Red-rumped Woodpecker, One-colored Becard .

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 .

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-...

Today, while birding in Bayano Forest, in company of Karalee Patel, Ebrahim Patel and Ariel Tenorio, we found a pair of Golden-green Woodpeckers . I believe is the same pair I found about 5 years ago since there where only 100 meters from the old spot. Both of them where foraging high in the canopy of a Ficus tree next to the first creek. We took these pictures with a Kowa TSN-771 and a little point and shoot Canon camera. Birding was great but the sound of bulldozers and other heavy equipment in the area was not a good sign for the survival of this forest. In the way back to “Bayano Adventure” we stoped at the Río Mono bridge to find a very unusual becard. We belive was a Cinereous Becard since it looked very much like a Rose-throated Becard which I am more familiar with [ later identified as One-colored Becard ]. It had a slaty gray top with pale buff underparts, rufous tail, light brown back with some darker fethers in the nape and neck, like an immature male molting to adult plum...

This morning's Panama Audubon Society fieldtrip to the Bayano was a complete success. Top target Golden-green Woodpecker was seen within the first half hour of walking the trail. Other exciting eastern Panama specialties seen were One-colored Becard (a pair at a nest), a pair of White-eared Conebills, a few Rufous-winged Antwrens, and a male Black Antshrike (all around the bridge over Río Mono.)

On February 27 Mark Letzer and I did some birding beyond the Bayano bridge and on the lake. Amongst the birds seen were One-colored Becard (pair), White-eared Conebill, Black Antshrike and Red-billed Scythebill. The most birdy places were at and around the bridge 3-4 kms beyond the Bayano bridge, and in dried out stream beds which can be entered from the lake (Mateo, who hangs out on the boat ramp next to the Bayano bridge can take you around the lake). On the lake, Anhingas were everywhere. A Rufous-breasted Hermit was nesting in the most precarious circumstances, in a nest suspended from a split heliconia leaf over a trail which was being violently blown around by the wind. There were two white eggs. Contrary to the nesting habits mentioned in the book, this nest appeared to be on its own and not guarded by a male; nor was the nest over a stream. We also saw a group of Variable Seedeaters among which was one individual with a large white spot on the cheek. We are not going to claim i...

Jan Axel Cubilla found a male One-colored Becard scolding from a fruiting tree at the first bridge after the Bayano, on the road to Darién. It was similar to the White-winged Becard, but clearly lacked the white wingbars. The One-colored Becard is usually thought of as a Darién specialty, but actually it is commoner on the Bayano River Valley.