Xenornis

Itzel Fong photographed this flock of eight Wood Storks this morning at Panamá Viejo. Here's hoping they stick around for the Pacific Christmas Bird Count, coming this Sunday, December 14.

Itzel Fong photographed this first-winter Ring-billed Gull taking a dip in one of the puddles by the new visitor center at Panama Viejo. The Southern Lapwings were also at Panama Viejo, but the Black-necked Stilts were at Costa del Este.

Gonzalo Horna photographed this juvenile Ornate Hawk-Eagle at noon on November 22 about 300m from the southern entrance to Old Gamboa Road. The bird flew in and flushed a Collared Forest-Falcon that had flown in in response to tape playback. Ornate Hawk-Eagle is very rare in the Canal area, especially this close to the continental divide, with just a handful reports from Pipeline and Achiote Roads.

On November 6, Rosabel & Karl Kaufmann and Delicia & Darién Montañez drove out to Yaviza and El Real, Darién, in search of all those potential lifers they had been missing out on. As we approached Yaviza at around noon, we stopped at some promising marshes, about 7.5 km before town. After a few scorching minutes Rosabel spotted a female and young Large-billed Seed-Finches in the brush while a male or two sung from exposed branches nearby. Also heard at the spot was a Little Cuckoo. At El Real, no additional seed-finches were seen at the airstrip, which was also devoid of Yellow-hooded Blackbirds. As dusk approached, and after the rain stopped, a Donacobius scolded us from the grass while a singing Willow Flycatcher made brief appearances. The first of many flocks of Spectacled Parrotlet and Black Oropendola . The next day and a half produced Pale-bellied Hermit, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Red-billed Scythebill, possible first Darién records of Sharp-shinned Hawk, Tropica...

El pasado viernes 12 de septiembre del 2007, en la comunidad de El Rincón de Santa María, muy próxima al área protegida conocida como “Área de uso Múltiple Ciénaga Las Macanas” un Pato Enmascarado (Oxyura dominica), ave frecuente, pero local y errático, muy difícil de ver, se chocó con los cables del tendido eléctrico cayendo al suelo con un pequeño golpe en la base de su nariz. El guardaparque Ovidio Pinzón lo rescató y posteriormente el resto del personal del área le brindó los cuidados en la oficina administrativa. Por coincidencia, nos visitaron 2 investigadores del Instituto de Investigaciones Tropicales Smithzonian y le tomaron muestras de heces para estudio de la fiebre aviar. El sábado, fue llevado hasta la ciénaga Las Macanas donde, con mucho regocijo, el siguiente personal acompañó para su reinserción al humedal: Ovidio Pinzón, guardaparque del área; Rosmery Moreno, miembro del grupo GEMA; Marleny Ortega, corregidora de la comunidad; Judith de Gómez, Encargada del área; Jo...

This Long-billed Curlew was photographed on October 5 by Itzel Fong at the usual spot in Panamá Viejo: on the mudflats between the new and old visitor centers.

This flock of Black Skimmers (part of a flock of 12) was photographed by Karl Kaufmann this afternoon, whilst shorebirding Costa del Este with Brian Watts and Bart Paxton from the College of William and Mary, George Angehr, and Rosabel Miró. Also seen in the area was Long-billed Curlew, which seems to be a yearly visitor to the upper bay of Panama.

I wanted to send in a report for Xenornis of some of the more significant sightings during my visit for the last half of October. On October 17th, Danilo Rodriguez and I heard (only) a pair of Stripe-cheeked Woodpeckers on the Caribbean slope of Las Minas Trail, near El Valle (good audio was captured). These birds have now been present in the area for at least 5 months, and we are on the alert for signs of breeding. Other good finds at Las Minas were a calling Black-headed Antthrush, large numbers of Black-and-yellow Tanagers, a Spot-crowned Barbet, a pair of amorous Ornate Hawk-Eagles, a point-blank Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch, and a flock of at least 10 Yellow-eared Toucanets. A field trip to the western limits of Altos del Maria on 10/19 (also with Danilo) yielded Black-crowned Antpitta, Red-faced Spinetail, Spotted Barbtail, White-tailed Emerald, Snowcap, Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, and Purplish-backed Quail-Dove. On 10/22 I took a trip with Danilo, Eliacer and Rodrick Rodriguez to ...

This afternoon (October 27th) around 12:45 pm I found a Curlew Sandpiper near the old city ruins while heading towards Tocumen airport to return my rental car. I stopped about half way between the visitor center and the ruins area, where a road turns to the north and there is a good view of the mudflats. I had good scope views of the bird, which based upon plumage was a juvenile and likely a female based upon bill length. I watched the bird foraging with Willets, Western Sandpipers and dowitchers. Twice it made short flights and I could see the wing and rump pattern clearly. I made notes in the field and will forward those when I get home. I was about to go back to the car to get my digital camera to digiscope the bird when the whole mass of shorebirds took flight for a third time and this time they moved a great distance and I couldnt relocate the Curlew Sandpiper. I decided to move on as my spouse was walking ahead taking photos and a passerby with good English stopped and told me i...

For the fourth year in a row, the Panama Audubon Society is holding its Raptors Ocean to Ocean count from Cerro Ancón. Last Thursday, October 23, they counted 158,766 migratory raptors, of which 106,659 were Swainson's Hawks. It so happens that October 23 seems to always be the date when we get the highest numbers, so mark your calendars for 2009. The results of previous counts are available on the Publications section of the Panama Audubon Society website.

On the morning of October 23, visiting birder Tom Hince found a female Northern Wheatear near the Las Olas resort in Playa La Barqueta, near David Chiriquí. When you leave Los Olas resort heading north on the paved road you go about 2 km and the paved road makes an abrupt right turn in a small hamlet. Instead of following the paved road, turn north (which is straight ahead if leaving Los Olas and heading north). This road is gravel. After leaving the small hamlet and continuing north on the gravel road you come into an area of grassland. The bird was on the left side of the road about a half a km north on the gravel. It was on the fenceline but dropped into the field out of sight. This is the first record of Northern Wheatear, a bird that breeds in the rocky tundra of extreme north Canada and Alaska and winters in Africa. There are records from Yucatán and the Caribbean, but this is the first record this far south in the Americas, and the first for the Pacific slope of the continent...

Migratory raptor counters Jacobo Ortega and Euclides Campos had Veery and a female Cerulean Warbler at Cerro Ancón today.