Xenornis

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.

On March 6, Osvaldo Quintero photographed this Worm-eating Warbler at the Metropolitan Nature Park's Mono Tití Road, about halfway up to the first lookout.

To file under suspicious birds: Jan Axel Cubilla and Osvaldo Quintero saw a flock of 20 odd-looking kingbirds at the Metropolitan Nature Park last sunday. Quoth Jan Axel: La verdad es que esos tiranos se ven algo raros. En primer lugar, ya antes habia visto muchos Tropical Kingbirds reunidos en árboles con frutas, pero no tantos (conté 20 por lo menos). Además, todos me parecían pequeños sin excepción, tanto así que la impresión general que me dieron fue la de una bandada de Tiranos Norteños. También me parecieron muy "nítidos", lo cual confirmo en las fotos (casi sin oliva en el pecho, cabeza bastante pálida acentuando la "máscara"). Las fotos sólo están cropeadas, no les he cambiado nada del color, ni contraste ni nitidez. Verifiqué algunas fotos en la web de el Tirano Gorgiblanco (Tyrannus albogularis) de suramérica (el cual es migratorio) y la verdad me han quedado ganas de regresarme a ver si todavía están allí para salir de mis dudas. Creo que voy mañana de...

Yesterday morning's Panama Audubon birdwalk for beginners culminated, as it has for the last couple of months, with a visit to the Common Potoo that's been roosting by the guard booth at the base of La Cienaguita trail. This time, though, the bird was perched over a ball of gray fuzz: a baby potoo. Photo by Les Lieurance .

There is a Common Potoo in the Metropolitan Park, Panama City, very easy to see, it has been there for the last 8 days. From the office drive a few 100m towards the city and park at the guard station. The Potoo is about 30m across the guard station, 10m up on an exposed branch, perfect for a good picture. If you do not find it ask the guard (he showed it to me).

Osvaldo Quintero photographed this Laughing Falcon at Parque Metropolitano's La Cienaguita Trail earlier on Sunday, February 28.

Osvaldo Quintero photographed this female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker today, at the lookout atop Metropolitan Park's Mono Tití trail.

Sólo para reportar que el American Golden-Plover sigue en Veracruz, Osvaldo Quintero y yo lo encontramos junto a los Black-bellied Plovers cerca de río. También observamos un Blue-footed Booby solitario justo en la playa, aliméntandose y sobrevolando incluso sobre los bañistas y, en el extremo de la playa cercano al poblado, un Lesser Yellow-headed Vultur e el cual reporto porque no lo habia visto antes ahí. Por otro lado, esa misma mañana, en el PNM escuchamos el Slate-colored Seedeater en varios lugares (siempre cerca del bambú) y de hecho vimos y fotografiamos uno en el sendero La Cieneguita (de tal forma que persisten en el parque). En la tarde, esta vez junto a Gloriela, en Costa del Este, me llamó la atención la gran cantidad de Franklin's Gulls en el área y también vimos al menos 4 Black Skimmers que me parecen de la raza suramericana (colas grises).

Hoy domingo 25, junto a Osvaldo Quintero, observamos por lo menos dos machos y una hembra de Slate-colored Seedeater mientras cantaban en la sección de bambúes del Old Gamboa road south (aka Summit Ponds). Respondían a las grabaciones y los observamos por espacio de unos 15 minutos antes de partir. Al regreso aún estaban allí. Decidimos ir al Parque Natural Metropolitano a ver si nos encontrábamos con los gavilanes migratorios. Eran como las 10 am y no vimos nada por lo cual nos regresamos por el sendro de la Cienaguita. A mitad de camino (justo donde está el hormiguero gigante de Hormigas Corta-hojas y el Ficus con el letrero de "higuerón") volvimos a escuchar los seedeaters; esta vez observamos dos machos cantando sobre el bambú (como era de esperarse). A éstos no le pudimos tomar fotos. [Full account in english at Jan Axel's blog . —Ed.]

And speaking of seedeaters, Osvaldo Quintero sent in these photos of Slate-colored Seedeater taken yesterday at Parque Metropolitano. The birds, a flock of 10, were in a patch of bamboo by the first mirador on Mono Tití Road, about halfway up to the top. Also photographed was this drab olive bird. We're calling it a juvenile Black-striped Sparrow, but feel free to leave any dissenting opinions in the messages field below. [Update: Bill Adsett another possible identity for this bird is a Orange-billed Sparow of the juvenile denomination.]

Jan Axel Cubilla forwarded a photo of one of the two Tiny Hawks seen by Osvaldo Quintero and Itzel Fong on the stretch of Mono Tití Trail immediately past the turnoff to the construction tower at Parque Natural Metropolitano on June 15. Jan Axel also reports that the Capped Herons are still at Summit Ponds; on June 13 he saw a pair (and photographed one) on the far end of the pond on the left.

Chris Benesh sent in the following report of Least Flycatcher, a rare vagrant to Central Panama: On March 5, 2008, I was birding at the Metro Park in Panama City with George Armistead, José Pérez (of Canopy Tower), and several Field Guides group participants. At one point mid morning, we encountered an active, small empidonax flycatcher calling in a small clearing there. The bird was giving a snappy "whit" note which immediately reminded me of Least Flycatcher. So I said, "oh, it's a Least Flycatcher." Both George and Jose were surprised and suggested it might be something else, owing to the fact that Least Flycatcher is meant to be rare in Panama. So I simply said, "well, it sure sounds like a Least Flycatcher." We were able to get a quick view of the bird which confirmed in my mind that it was indeed this species. The bird was in tattered, worn plumage, but was distinctively small and drab, lacking any strong greenish or yellowish tones. Ev...

Ariel Aguirre sent in some highlights from his recent excursions around the Canal Area: Jan. 15. Mangrove Cuckoo: a single individual seen on the mangroves in front of the STRI Marine Exhibit Center auditorium at Punta Culebra. Jan. 16. Blue-winged Warbler: seen on a mix flock on the lowest section of La Cienaguita Trail about 25 m past the Ranger Checkpoint at Metropolitan Nature Park. Feb. 2. Pheasant Cuckoo: seen at Rancho Ramos in the forest patch on the right side of the road just before the fork.

Bill Adsett sent in the following reports: On December 9 there were two Wood Thrushes at the house in Cerro Azul. They stayed close together while feeding in trees, and were constantly vocalizing. We never used to get woodthrushes up there (let alone singing ones), but last year one turned up and now two! Whats going on? Also, if anyone still needs Yellow-bellied Sapsucker for Panama , there is one in Parque Metropolitano. I saw it today [December 12] close to the crane turnoff on the Mono Tití trail.

José Tejada sent in a photo of a Tricolored Munia seen on February 7 behind the Metropolitan Nature Park visitor center.

On May 1st, 2002, I was birding at the Metropolitan Nature Park. I started my day at the Mono Tití trail and then continued at La Cienaguita trail. At 9:34:07 A.M., at the eleventh station, I saw a bird hanging almost upside down on a branch of a monkey ear tree (Enterolobium cyclocarpum). It was a Crane Hawk. It was slate colored, more grayish than blackish, with thin, long red-orange legs and two white bands on its tail. I stood there watching it for a while, and then another bird flew in and perched on another branch of the same tree, a second Crane Hawk. It was enough for me to see one, but I never thought that I would see two in the same place.

Darién Montañez, Laval Roy and a group of birders from Quebec saw a an adult female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at the base of Mono Tití Road at the Metropolitan Nature Park. The bird was high in a fruiting tree on the left side, across from the 'castillo'. and on the second week of February a VENT group led by David and Mimi Wolf had one from the parking lot of the visitor center.

John Rowlett sent in the following report: On February 24, 2002, I and eight participants in a Field Guides tour group birding Metro Park in Panama City saw a male Hepatic Tanager near the entrance to the park. This bird, with which I am very familiar throughout its range in Latin America, was a representative of the testacea, or highland, group, showing a dark bill and dusky lores. The color was typical of Hepatic plumage, as well—a blood-red with no orange wash or element. Also, in keeping with testacea, our bird did not show any dark auricular patch. It seemed quite sedentary, sitting in one position for perhaps ten minutes. We were able to study it in the Leica scope I was carrying for exceptional viewing by every member of the group. I have seen Hepatic Tanagers many times in Panama, of course: in Chiriqui, in Darien, and on Cerro Jefe and Cerro Azul, the nearest foothill locations where this bird regularly occurs. However, this is the first time I have ever seen it in the ...