This is NOT an April fools!

Certainly NOT!  If you still want to see one of the most elusive bird of Panama, now is when!  The Neomorphus Ground-Cuckoos are the jewels of the crown for the neotropical birders.  Rare, localized and definitively impressive ground-dwelling cuckoos of the interior of humid forests, usually associated with antswarms or following herds of peccaries, having a glimpse of them is like touching gold!

Great Potoo

A pair of Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos have been reported at the famous Pipeline Road (north of Gamboa, Colon province, central Panama) since mid-March attending an antswarm.  Pipeline is known for its long list of spectacular bird species, but it happens that the cuckoos (or I may say, the antswarm) have stayed at the same general area since then.  So I took advantage of my break at the office and headed to Pipeline. The staff at the Rainforest Discovery Center were the first to give me the instructions.  I soon find my friend Josanel Sugasti, who had not yet seen the bird today but gave me some tips to find the exact place (after showing to me the roosting Great Potoo over my head!).  The army antswarm is not by the road... you have to walk into the forest some 300 meters along a now-dry creek to find it.  I was not sure of the exact place because I was only hearing Gray-headed Tanagers.  Yes, they DO follow antswarms, but this particular antswarm was supposed to be attracting dozens of other, usually noisy, birds species.

Gray-headed Tanager

Thanks God another friend of mine came to the rescue.  Ismael "Nando" Quiroz (of Tamandúa) was guiding a group of visiting birders.  When I asked if he got THE bird, he said "Yes, only two"... and nope, he was not joking.  Nando pointed me the correct direction.  I followed his detailed instructions and soon started to hear Ocellated, Spotted and Bicolored Antbirds, among others.

Bicolored Antbird

Yes, I was in the middle of a forest at noon, standing on an army antswarm, sweating a lot due to the excitement (and the intense heat and humidity, plus the fact that I was dressed for an air-conditioned office, including shoes, didn't help either).  Just when I started to think that I needed to be on the road back to Panama City in less than an hour, then it happened.  Not one, but two Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos were quietly catching preys that were trying to escape the furious army ants.  It doesn't matter if you had seen them before, they are simply magnificent creatures!

Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo

I'm very grateful with all the friends that helped me today.  Now you know it.  What are you waiting for to look after them?

Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo

More birds at Gamboa

After a very successful twitch, finding the Lesser Scaups at the marina in Gamboa (Colon province, central Panama) this morning,  Osvaldo and I decided to visit the Gamboa Ammo Dump ponds... after all, it was still very early and we expected a great activity, considering the beautiful day.

And we were right!  First of all, this young Broad-winged Hawk welcomed us by perching completely exposed in good light for us.  At the ponds, we found many common species, but I focused at the Mangrove Swallows perched at the barbed wire, shining with the sun... definitively my favorite swallow in Panamá!

The swallows were so pretty and cooperative that none of us noted at first the dull gray bird at the fence facing the opposite side.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize that it was a Gray Catbird, nicely in the open taking a sunbath.  This bird is not only an uncommon migrant in this part of Panama, but also a hard-to-see skulker... but this guy was simply amazing... it responded to Osvaldo's tape and we got great views!

Very happy with our luck, we headed to the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center, were more than 30 (!) White-necked Jacobins, among other hummers, were trying to drink of the many hanging feeders.

However, it was the antswarm passing right behind the building that attracted our attention... most of the regular ant-followers were attending, like Spotted and Ocellated Antbirds, Plain-brown Woodcreeper, Red-throated Ant-Tanagers (weird, in spite of their name) a Greater Ani (weirder) and a gang of Gray-headed Tanagers.

However, the most cooperative followers were the omnipresent Bicolored Antbirds, jumping just feet of us.

Not bad at all for just half day!

Sunday in Pipeline road

Taking advantage of my free day, I went today with Osvaldo (no last name required) to the Gamboa area. Not an early start because we were more interested in photography and the light was not good enough. One thing is for sure... Pipeline road is getting popular among both visitors and locals. The parking lot was full of cars and we crossed many scientists, hikers, joggers, bikers and birders along the way. We drove directly to Juan Grande where we found our big surprise of the day. I saw "something" flying inside some bushes when crossing the bridge. Through a little space in the foliage I distinguished a typical kingfisher silhouette, a little bigger than the usual Green Kingfisher that we are used to see there... but it quickly flew away and perched over the water. Using my binoculars I saw the rufous underparts with no white at all... a Green-and-rufous Kingfisher!!! and it flew again after a short glimpse, and Osvaldo didn't see it. We walked along the muddy riverbank and after a couple of meters I saw the bird again, this time nicely perched behind a bunch of dead leaves. It took some time to place ourselves in order to start shooting our cameras, but at least we got a couple of recognizable pictures. Pretty shy for a kingfisher! Happy with our luck, we continued. The bird activity was low after our first sighting... only few antwrens and antshrikes, but eventually we found an antswarm attended by Bicolored and Spotted Antbirds, Gray-headed Tanagers and a Plain-brown Woodcreeper. An antswarm in the tropics always is a good find... except if you are so amazed enjoying the birds that forget the ants that are going towards you!! This particular antswarm was composed of thousands of little black ants, smaller and faster than the Eciton burchelli that usually we found, and it was not until we feel the bites in our ankles that we realize that we were in the middle of it!!! We stepped aside for a while, but the birds were so tame that I kept shooting. Being a little swarm, it did not have Ocellated Antbirds, always a spectacular guest to see... but the Spotted Antbirds offered a great show, jumping to few feet of us, vocalizing incessantly its buzzing calls that, with those of the Bicolored Antbirds, make unmistakable the sound of an approaching antswarm. Now, more than happy and thirsty, we drove to the Rainforest Discovery Center for a soda or two. Of course I took my time to photograph the hummingbirds, with a cooperative White-vented Plumeleteer being the highlight, gleaming with natural sunlight... but I must admit that those Blue-chested Hummingbirds are really spectacular when facing the sun. Well, a nice day after all, with no rain at all despite the weather forecast.

P.D. : if you have any idea of the identity of this winged friend below, let me know.