Xenornis

Bill Adsett sent a report of a Scaled Antpitta seen briefly on Xenornis trail at Cerro Vistamares. I have not reported sightings for a while. Some of the following may be of interest. The last one definitely will be! While at Nusagandi on Carnival weekend, ........... reported a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo sitting in a tree just below the kitchen area, moaning! By the time we got there, it had gone (of course). We (Geoff ...., Jim White and myself) also found a male American Kestrel on the last big finca past Nusagandi, and apparently it is of the isabellinus race from Colombia (like the ones on Cerro Azul). We had very few other sightings worth reporting, although we flushed a pair of Great Curassows close to the Headquarters and the male stayed for several minutes in full view in a tree. On the trip to Cana with Donal and Katie O'Brien, Maria Allen and Ida Herrera, on ...........we saw many of the good species one expects there. Its difficult to pick out what might be of interest...

A Laughing Falcon was seen by the PAS fieldtrip to Tocumen Marsh.

The Kaufmanns saw a Capped Heron from parking lot at Summit Gardens, and a Crane Hawk at the Cárdenas Cemetery.

José Tejada had crippling views of a male Townsend's Warbler on the grounds of the Audubon Cabin at Nueva Suiza, Chiriquí.

Dr. Robert Ridgely, in Panama with a VENT group, saw ten Black Swifts flying north from the Canopy Tower.

José Tejada, with Mr and Mrs Victor Czaja, found two Crane Hawks at La Cienaguita Trail at the Metropolitan Nature Park.

Jay Carlisle, Sarah Hamilton, Larry Barnes and Robin Garwood found a first-winter Bonaparte's Gull flying over the Matasnillo River at Paitilla. Here is the information on the Bonaparte's Gull seen in Panama City on Dec. 23: Observers: Jay Carlisle, Sarah Hamilton, Larry Barnes, Robin Garwood Location: at water outflow near intersection of Via Italia and Ave Balboa (Punta Patilla area) All four of us have seen hundreds and/or thousands of Bonaparte's Gulls in the United States in all plumages and are also experienced at differentiating them from other of the "Black-headed gulls" that could potentially occur. We saw the bird at approximately 1400 (2pm) and observed it clearly in good light at a distance of 50-400 feet for about ten minutes (it was still present when we left for the airport). It was flying up and down stream on the south side of Balboa Ave among numerous laughing gulls. It was in first-winter plumage and we clearly observed the black bill, fleshy le...

Jay Carlisle and Sarah Hamilton report a juvenile Blackpoll Warbler seen with a mixed flock on the far end of the parking lot on the entrance to Plantation Road.

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...

The White-tailed Nightjar at Costa del Este was seen again, this time by José Tejada, Darién Montañez, Loyda Sánchez and Karl and Rosabel Kaufmann. José, who has been going there regularly, says he has seen it every time.

An American Coot was discovered by Rosabel on the far end of the lake just before Chiva Chiva Rd yesterday (sat, nov 29th). It was swimming along with a few Moorhens. The white bill was very conspicuous, and with the scope we were able to see the brownish frontal shield, too. Earlier that morning Camilo discovered a male Blue-winged Warblers on the bamboos along South Old Gamboa Rd. Then this morning we found a small group of Mouse-colored Tyrannulets at Parque Omar. Also seen there was a pair of Pearl Kites perched among the Grackles, close to the club house. A Capped Heron was seen on the canal by the mangroves at the far end of Costa del Este this morning, and a Cocoi was inside the Count Circle at Pma Viejo at dusk yesterday. The Ring-billed Gull at Paitilla was seen both saturday and sunday, with other gulls at a sandbank by Río Mataznillo. That's all for now. Make sure you get'em all!

Loyda Sánchez sent a report of the birds seen on the PAS fieldtrip to Boquete, Chiriquí. The bird of the trip was definetly the Yellow-throated Euphonia. The group also visited Cerro Batipa in the lowlands, where they saw many Yellow-billed Cotingas. Hi, good reports from Boquete, Chiriqui. The Thanksgiving dinner at Hotel Panamonte was GREAT!!! The weather was fine except for Saturday (it rained a little), Contingas at Batipa were plentiful on our way back on Sunday. And I had TWO lifers!! Thursday, Nov 26, 1998: Our best bird is the Yellow-throated Euphonia, of which we saw 3 individuals, 2 females, 1 male. At first we though it was the Thick-billed when we saw the male's yellow throat but then we saw the females, whitish underneath and yellow at the flanks. Very small forecrown in the male confirmed our wishes. The yellow throat line at the sides was not straight; it had like a dent in the direction of the nape of the neck. Birds were seen by Judith Anguizola, Abdiel Baules, Wal...