Xenornis

I've been in the Volcan area for the last few days with my family, and have managed to sneak some birding in between the family fun (sometimes the two things go hand-in-hand!). I came here with a few particular target birds among the residents, but North American migrants have stolen the show—a revelation for me, as this is the first time I have spent time in Chiriqui at this time of year. Yesterday, 22/10, we visited Finca Dracula, where I found my number one target, a male Maroon-chested Ground-Dove that revealed itself briefly near the bamboo stands along the entry road. This was topped by a Blue-headed Vireo I found later in the morning in the gardens. I saw the bird well, at eye level and not 3 meters away. I identified it without thinking, as I saw thousands of these in my time in New York. When I thought about it for a minute in the context of Panama I chased the bird, and confirmed my i.d. Also noteworthy was the presence of dozens of Slaty Finches at their seed feed...

Acabamos de llegar luego de pasar cuatro días en Chiriquí. El viernes 12 de marzo, Gloriela y yo manejamos hasta Puerto Armuelles y más allá, pasando las Petroterminales... lo único que tengo que reportar es que los Riverside Wrens fueron muy fáciled de localizar (y ver) justo después de la garita trasera de las Petroterminales ya que llamaban constantemente (a pesar que fue en la tarde, con el sol muy caliente). Ese día nos reunimos con Rafael Luck, Osvaldo Quintero, Osvaldo Quintero hijo, Milagros Sánchez y Olmedo Miró en Boquete con el fin de buscar los Campaneros al día siguiente, los cuales vimos en Alto Chiquero. Ese mismo día, en horas de la tarde (prácticamente 6:00 pm) caminando en el área de Horqueta (1995 msnm) observé por nos segundos una tortolita de contextura robusta y con dos claras barras alares violáceas posada en el borde del camino a medio metro del suelo, cuando voló reveló anchas esquinas blancas en la cola (vistas por Rafael y Osvaldo hijo) confirmando que se...

March 3 : White-crested Coquette at her nest in Cuesta de Piedra. March 6: Golden-naped Woodpecker at Santa Clara. Also Gray-crowned Yellowthroat and White-throated Flycatcher at Volcán Lakes. March 29: Strong-billed Woodcreeper at La Rana Trail in El Copé, with Kereen Álvarez. April 30: Streaked Xenops at Lake Bayano, with Laura Reyes. I used playback and the bird came in right away.

The best find in August was a Grayish Saltator found on the grounds of Villa Marita in Boquete on 8/13. I was hanging out waiting for a ride when I spotted this bird (there may have been two on the grounds) - I was quite surprised, and chased it for well over an hour before I finally collected a little evidence; a still from video is attached. I believe this is a first record for Chiriquí; given the location, I suspect this bird(s) came from the Pacific slope of Costa Rica, rather than crossing the Continental Divide from Bocas. Another highlight of the day was a Pearl Kite seen quite well from the bus on the way in. On 8/9, on the grounds of the Canopy Lodge in El Valle, I found Black-throated Mango (unexpected at the elevation), Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, and Eye-ringed Flatbill. On 8/14 I found Yellow-margined Flycatcher and Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch on private property north of La Estrella, east of Boquete. On 8/16, at Finca Lérida above Boquete, h...

Advantage Tours' Euclides Campos sent in five months worth of notable bird reports: January 7, 2008: Euclides Campos and Dimas Alfonso spotted a Red-tailed hawk on the way to Chucantí [at the border between the provinces of Panamá and Darién] around 400m above sea level. We saw the bird perched on the top of a dead snag 25 m away, from where it flew off and started circling overhead. The red tail and dark mark along the leading edge of the underwing, the patagium mark were conspicuous. It is not the first time that I, Euclides, have seen a Red tailed hawk in Chucantí; I saw one last year. January 18: Yellow-breasted Flycatcher on on the road to Revesa (the turnoff of this road is located at the town of Río Iglesia, on the way to Puerto Quimba, Metetí.) I have also seen this flycatcher at the town of Kintin town (7 km from Setegantí, Darién in 2007.) [Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, a recent addition to Panama's—and A.O.U. North America's—birdlist, has only recently been repo...