Xenornis

Between January 6-9 a party consisting of Bill Adsett, George Angehr, Charlotte Elton. Dave Klauber, and Les and Cindy Lieurance visited Darien, birding mostly around Canglon, and Yaviza. The following are some of the highlights (with photos by Bill Adsett). Pale-bellied Hermit . A few individuals seen on the El Salto Road and north of Yaviza on Jan 7. The hummingbird feeders at the Avicar Restaurant in Meteti on Jan 6 and 9 featured Scaly-breasted Hummingbird , Sapphire-throated Hummingbird , Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, Black-throated Mango, and Long-billed Starthroat. Spot-breasted Woodpecker . Two seen near Rio Iglesias on the afternoon of Jan 6. Barred Puffbird . Several pairs seen a few km north of Yaviza on Jan 8. Blue-and-yellow Macaw . A flyover by three individuals on Jan 6 about 7 km east of Rio Iglesias, on the south side of the Filo de Tallo, in a mostly deforested area. It's good to see the species still persists here. Spectacl...

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...

Sunday's PAS fieldtrip to the Bayano was an utter success by all counts. The crowd amounted to thirty participants, yet we didn't have any casualties. And if that weren't miracle enough, we saw many a good bird, and lifers for everyone. A first stop at the Bayano bridge produced the first of maaaany Cocoi Herons, a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Pied Water-Tyrant and great looks at a pair of Jet Antbirds. But the fun really started at the Río Mono bridge. Not five minutes after our horde arrived, Rosabel Miró spotted a raptor with a bright rufous back perched looking the other way in a distant tree. The head was buffy, whiter on the crown, and if you squinted you could even imagine some black in the chest. The back had sparse black streaking, and there was a slight dark eyeline, reminiscent of Yellow-headed Caracara. Even though the bird flew away before everybody saw it, we had no doubt we had a Black-collared Hawk (especially after seeing the better plate in Garrigues). Lu...

On Dec 28, 2008, I took my friends Debi Shearwater, Don, David, Helen, Cindy and Les, birding to the Bayano Lake, where we got some Darien specialties. Seen that morning were White-eared Conebill (a lifer for me, woooo!), Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Barred Puffbird, White-headed Wren, Red-rumped Woodpecker, Black Antshrike, Crane Hawks and Bare-crowned Antbird, just to mention a few!.... We all had a great time in Bayano plus a lifer for me, not bad... Then on Dec 28th (With Debi Shearwate, Don, Les, Cindy, David and Helen) 2008 and Jan 9, 2009 (with the VENT group, Lifer for my friend Jery Langham) I went up to Cerro Azul and both days I got great views of the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker.

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...