Xenornis

The Cattle Tyrants at Ciudad del Saber are still around. A few minutes ago, Darién Montañez saw not one or two or three, but four of them happily chirping together from atop a light pole across building 221.

On the early afternoon of June 16, the Panama Audubon team surveying shorebirds in Pacora—including Yenifer Díaz and Rosabel Miró—spotted this Large-billed Tern out on the mudflats. Needless to say, this is the first record of this rare vagrant from South America in forever. Also present were about 50 Common Terns , and a pair of American Oystercatchers with a chick in tow.

Rosabel Miró found not one or two, but three Long-billed Dowitchers at the very dry Aguadulce Salinas on May 20: one molting into breeding plumage and two still in winter plumage.

Gualberto Becerra photographed this Northern Shoveler at Juan Hombrón yesterday afternoon. 

Jacobo Ortega found a photogenic Sora a the Gamboa Ammo Dump pond this morning. 

And like good listers we were at the Gamboa bridge at dawn yesterday, and like a good stakeout the White-faced Ibis was there, too. And it remained for the rest of the day. Birders beware that there is at least one Glossy Ibis present at the nearby Gamboa Marina. That bird, shown in the photo below by Osvaldo Quintero, has a dark eye and dark-blue facial skin. Unofficially, White-faced Ibis is bird species number 1002 for Panama. Stay tuned for the updated list, which will be published by the Panama Records Committee of the Panama Audubon Society. Photo by Rafael Lau.

On the afternoon of February 11, Jenn Sinasac and Domiciano Alveo, together with Field Guides' tour leader Doug Gochfeld, studied this ibis at Gamboa, right after the bridge as one turns right into the Gamboa Resort. After careful scrutiny, they're identifying it as White-faced Ibis , which would be the first record for Panama of this bird that normally winters as far as El Salvador (but of which there's a specimen from Costa Rica and that has been widely expected as a vagrant in Panama [see Ridgely]). The bird was first seen at around 4 pm, and it was still there at dusk. The photo clearly shows the bright red facial skin and red eye of what Sibley calls a drab adult White-faced (which would be bluish and dark in a Glossy), so we tend to cautiously concur with the ID. Either way we plan to be at Gamboa early morning tomorrow to look for it. Join us (and please bring a scope)!

Jacobo Ortega found this young Ornate Hawk-Eagle in Gamboa this morning, near building 183.

At 6:30 am on December 28, I spotted a male Red-breasted Blackbird foraging in front of the gates at Ammo Ponds by Pipeline Road. My clients (Tushar and Jaimin Patel) barely had time to snap a few shots (presented here) before two Buff-throated Saltators chased the blackbird away, flushing it into the vegetation to the north. I birded there at the same time the following day, but did not see it again. 

Este miércoles pasado (el 16 de diciembre), Domiciano Alveo y clientes del Canopy Camp vieron un Red-tailed Hawk volando sobre Aguas Calientes, Aruza Arriba (donde hay los cucus rarísimos).  Adjunto una foto tomada por Fred Dalbey.

Jacobo Ortega, Jay Millar y Karole Erikson found a group of Roseate Spoonbills and Wood Storks at Playa Barqueta on December 18, 2015.

On the 7th of October, walking around Tranquilo Bay ecoadventure lodge, located on the south peninsula of the Bastimentos Island we observed a male  Blue-thoated Goldentail  perched and then fighting a Green-breasted Mango. Fortunately one of the guests, Christopher Ng, had a camera, and got some good pictures for identification.  The following day, in birding excursion to the Snyder canal, at the San San Pond Sak wetland, we observed a Black-collared Hawk. It was not afraid at all with our presence, and gave several opportunities to photograph it.  Also seen was an immature Bare-throated Tiger-Heron . In the same area were several hundreds small dead fishes, all of them where the same species and in a high grade of decomposition.