Xenornis

El pasado fin de semana fuimos Euclides Campos y Rafael Luck a visitar las Tierra Bajas de Chiriquí, en vista de la lluvia continua en Boquete, que era nuestro destino original. En los potreros camino a  Puerto Armuelles encontramos un    Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.  En la reserva de Petroterminales en Charco Azul (al sur de Puerto Armuelles) reportamos las siguientes aves: Baird's Trogon, Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, Riverside Wren, male and female de Black-hooded Antshrike, Charming Hummingbird, Blue-throated Goldentail, Fiery-billed Aracari, y media docena de Mangrove Cuckoos, entre otras aves. Al dia siguiente, domingo, al grupo se agregaron Olmedo Miró y Milagros Sánchez, con destino a Batipa y en busca particularmente de la Yellow-billed Cotinga , que afortunadamente encontramos. La Cotinga nos llego de sorpresa en unos arboles con frutos al borde de la carretera, antes de la casa del centro de operaciones (frente a un laguito y como a unos 150 metros de...

After my family hopped the bus back to El Valle early last week, I spent a few long days chasing some target birds from the Burica Peninsula through Fortuna to lowland Bocas del Toro. The first major highlight was a male Yellow-billed Cotinga found at the end of the road at Chorcha Abajo on 24-10; the bird was present but distant even for a scope view when I arrived, but I waited almost two hours for it to come in closely enough for a clear i.d. Thank you to Kilo Campos for his reports for this area, which gave me the faith to keep waiting! On the 25th I visited the Burica Peninsula, but bad weather early in the day, combined with confusion as my Charco Azul access, served to limit my success. Nonetheless, the road leading uphill just before the Petroterminales access yielded a male Common Yellowthroat and a female-plumaged Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The water level on the Quebrada Mellicita was very high, so I could walk in for 100 yards or so (even with good boots), but still a...

Euclides Campos and Laura Reyes saw one Snowy Plover amongst a big group of Semipalmated Plovers, Wilson’s Plovers and Western Sandpipers at El Agallito Beach, Chitré, on February 25th. One Forster’s Tern was seen also in the same area. On February 24th, a Reddish Egret at Aguadulce Salt Ponds. This Scissor-tailed Flycatche r at Punta Chame on February 27th.

Durante el Conteo Navideño de Aves del Pacífico (14 de diciembre) observé, junto a Osvaldo Quintero, un grupo de aproximadamente 15 Collared Plovers, junto a poco más de 50 Wilson's en playa Veracruz, en un banco de arena a la salida del río. También en la playa (pero al otro extremo) logré observar un Elegant Tern junto a varias Laughing Gulls, Royal y Sandwich Terns lo cual me permitió hacer comparaciones directas. El Conteo de Aves del Atlántico (28 de diciembre) resultó muy interesante. Rafael Luck y mi persona observamos en el Drop Zone 6 Muscovy Ducks al vuelo, 8 Blue Grosbeaks, 1 hembra de Common Yellowthroat y un Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, el cual observamos por espacio de 30 minutos aproximadamente (Lifer para ambos). En la tarde, observamos una Northern Parula caminando el oleoducto en Rancho Ramos, probablemente una hembra por lo mate del plumaje (aunque aún atractivo, en la foto distante no se aprecia el anillo ocular entrecortado... era muy evidente en el campo...

On December 4, Ancón Expedition's Iván Hoyos found this Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on the fence around Tocumen Airport, across from a gas station on the way to the old airport terminal. Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are rare winter visitors to central Panama, with one being seen every four or five years.

A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was seen on the first tree to the left of the left gravel road at the Farfán Antenna Field. It was with a flock of about ten Fork-tailed Flycatchers. Also seen on the same place were a few Dickcissels and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. On Saturday, December 12th, Karl and Rosabel Kaufmann, Darién Montañez and visiting birders Jay Carlisle and Sarah Hamilton went to the West Bank to stake out birds for the upcoming Pacific Christmas Bird Count. After visiting Farfán Beach, the group went to the Farfán Antenna Field. The gravel road to the right produced almost nothing, but our luck changed when we took the one to the left. On the first small tree on the left side of the road a flock of Fork-tailed Flycatchers had a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in it. It was an adult, clearly different from its companions in its lack of black in the head. Instead, all of its head was light gray, with just a little black on the lores. It was a pale gray overall, darker on the back,with t...