Some nemesis bite the dust!!!

Guido, Jan, Noah and Yari

Why so happy?  Well, not everyday you see strange, enigmatic (and nemesis) species accompanied by skilled and famous birders!  On his quest to see 5000+ birds species in one calendar year, Noah Strycker visited Panama for three full days this week (you can track his progress following "Birding without Borders").  He has a quite tight agenda, and of course had to focus on regional specialties of every site he visits, trying to balance quality and quantity of birds observed to reach his goal.  The best way to make this is by birding with the locals.  Noah is not only a lucky guy (as you can read on his blog), he also was wise enough to contact Guido Berguido, and old friend of mine and birder extraordinaire who runs Advantage Tours Panama... as he says: "birding with the local advantage"!  Guido was kind enough to invite me to join them on their trip to Nusagandi, in the wet foothills of Guna Yala in eastern Panama during Noah's second full day in Panama.

Pelican Island, Guna Yala

Guna Yala ("Home of the Gunas") is best known by its paradise islands in the Caribbean Sea and the rich culture of its people.  In fact, just few days before, I visited the archipelago with my family enjoying my last days of vacations... but that is another story!  Of course, we were more interested on the steep-sided valleys and wet ravines of the mostly-undisturbed cloud forest close to the Continental Divide.  This protected area is home of some range-restricted species... and we were after them!

Cloud forest along El Llano-Carti road

As you can see, the El Llano-Cartí road that runs through the area is in very good conditions... the days when powerful 4WD vehicles were required are gone.  So I met with them on Tuesday afternoon at the start of the road in the dry Pacific slope.  They just had an amazing day in eastern Panama province... not only Noah managed to ID his 2000th bird species for the year (Shining Honeycreeper), but also was the biggest day so far regarding birds species recorded (184 when we met... then we added Mottled and Crested Owls after dinner, making it a 186-birds day!).  Impressive, considering that it was not the intention... they started at dawn (not at midnight), birded mostly one site (San Francisco Reserve), took a long nap and Noah even managed to give an interview for a live Colombian radio show!

Noah's 2000th Year Bird (which we found later again in Cerro Azul)

We stayed in Garduk, a known restaurant with modest charming cabins just minutes away from the reserve, popular stop among those seeking the sun and breeze of the Caribbean Sea.  The huge rain storm that hit us during the night worried me... but it stopped right on time before breakfast.

Handcrafts at Garduk restaurant

Yari, our hostess, agreed to join us. According to Guido, she has very good eyes and is like a good luck charm.  I'm absolutely sure it is true!  After a short drive, we started to bird along the main road, finding almost immediately new year-birds like Black-and-Yellow and Sulphur-rumped Tanagers in the same mixed flock, and Brown-hooded Parrots perched quite close.  After a while, we entered one of the forest trails, looking for the great rarities for which this area is famous.  Another mixed flock inside the forest produced Tawny-crested and Carmiol's Tanagers, Spot-crowned Antvireo, Red-capped Manakins and Stripe-throated Wren.  Streak-chested Antpittas and Chestnut-backed Antbirds sounded in the background while we walked along the trail, eventually reaching a clear-water stream.

Crossing the stream

Shortly after our arrival, we started to hear our main target.  As we walked towards the calling bird, I simply could not believe I was about to see one of the most enigmatic species of the New World: the Sapayoa.  The call was louder and louder... then, Guido pointed us THE bird... a lonely Sapayoa was flycatching mere three meters from us!

Sapayoa!

Its latin name says it all: Sapayoa aenigma.  This species is placed in its own monotypic family and genus, with no close relatives in the New World... in fact, it is most closely related to the Old World's Broadbills (Eurylaimidae).  It was a life bird for Noah and for me... very special due to its restricted range and uncertain affinities!  However, it was not over.  While seeing the Sapayoa, Guido told us that a Dull-mantled Antbird was calling behind us.  I replied "WHAT?¿!*`?!!!!... I don't hear it"!  In fact, I was the only one not hearing the bird... I don't know if I was programmed to simply ignore it... after all these years looking for this supposedly common (almost thrash) bird and dipping miserably, I was simply unable to hear it.  Thanks God the Sapayoa flew away after some minutes, so we were able to walk towards the stream... then I started to hear the bird, closer and closer.  Then, my nemesis materialized: a majestic male Dull-mantled Antbird was walking on the banks of the stream.

Dull-mantled Antbird!!

I managed to approach the bird very close, just few feet, to photograph it and to record its call. 
Look at those fiery red eyes... amazing!  That's the way to see a Nemesis!!!  Trust me, I wanted so hard to see this species that all my friends tagged me on their own Dull-mantled Antbird photos (yes Jose Pérez and Rafael Luck, I'm talking about you guys).  But the surprises did not ended yet.  Did you hear my embed recording?  Something else was calling in the background, and Guido recognized it immediately.  While I was admiring my Dull-mantled Antbird, Guido, Noah and Yari found the bird making the call slightly above eye-level few feet from my position.  Eventually, I joined them and was able to take some shots:

Speckled (Spiny-faced) Antshrike!!!

A female Speckled (Spiny-faced) Antshrike!!!  This bird was calling spontaneously (no playback used) and alone, foraging in low and mid-levels of the forest along the stream, sometimes looking like a foliage-gleaner more than an antshrike.  This was probably the rarest of the species seen that day.  Almost endemic to Panama (barely reaching northwestern Colombia), this very range-restricted species also have uncertain affinities.  Its latin name, Xenornis setifrons, literally means spiny-faced strange bird!  This bird was Guido's nemesis... so even Guido managed to get a lifer that day!  Now you can see why the happy faces at the start of this post!  We saw these species in a 10-minutes lapse, saving us hours of search on the trails (especially for the Xenornis).  Without targets to seek, we decided to move.  After saying good-bye to Yari, we headed to the foothills of Cerro Azul, close to Panama City.  It was late in the afternoon, and time was gold, so we checked first a backyard with several feeders attracting 13 different species of hummingbird, including Brown Violetear, Rufous-crested Coquette and the near-endemic Violet-capped Hummingbird, which was a new year bird for Noah.

Brown Violetear

Violet-capped Hummingbird (file photo)

With the last rays of sun we birded Maipo, finding the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker and hearing Black-eared Wood-Quail, both new year birds for Noah too.  We ended at Birders' View hearing again Mottled and Crested Owls in the distance.  Guido and Noah spent the night in the comfortable property while I returned home after a hard day of birding, finding several Common Pauraques at the entrance road.

Common Pauraque

Birding with these two guys was amazing.  And Noah is a great guy... not only smart and lucky, but humble as well, and I wish the best luck on his quest for the rest of the world!  BTW, thanks for the lifers!

Coquettes of Cerro Azul

For most Panamanians, a coquette is a graceful and beautiful girl full of live; therefore, it is not surprising for us that the name is used to designate this group of handsome hummingbirds that delight us.  Along with my friend Osvaldo, I went some days ago with my two coquettes (Gloriela and Gabrielle) to the foothills of Cerro Azul (just to the east of Panama City) to spend the afternoon comfortably seated on the terrace of Birder's View, watching the hummingbird feeders.

Gabrielle and Gloriela at the feeders

A swarm of hummingbirds buzzed around us, with White-necked Jacobins and Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds as the most numerous, but with other five species present too and even some other nectivores taking advantage of a free meal too.

Shining Honeycreeper

Green Honeycreeper

After a while, we noticed a bee-like hummingbird side-by-side at the feeders with the most common (and aggressive) species, standing against the bullying and harassment... a female Rufous-crested Coquette.

female Rufous-crested Coquette

female Rufous-crested Coquette

Notice the orangish face and throat and, specially, the white rump band.  Its paused flight was characteristic too.  Eventually, we saw two female birds at the feeders... but Osvaldo warned us that an adult male was working the flowers in the backyard (not visiting the feeders).  After a while, a beautiful male Rufous-crested Coquette pop-up from behind the flowers.

male Rufous-crested Coquette

male Rufous-crested Coquette

What an amazing day... three Rufous-crested Coquettes in the same backyard!  And what a backyard by the way... you can see hundreds and hundreds of acres of pristine humid forest (part of the Chagres National Park) in the background of the next photo featuring again my two coquettes.

Gloriela and Gabrielle (with Chagres N.P. in the background)

Good birding!

Misty day in Cerro Azul

Last saturday's forecast was clear: cloudy and raining the very first hours of the morning, then sunny all the day... so Osvaldo Quintero, Itzel Fong and your blogger host took our cameras and binoculars and headed to the gated community of Cerro Azul, in the foothills to the east of Panama City, just one hour away at slow pace.  In fact, the site was pretty cloudy, with a light drizzle accompanying us all the way... we waited for the rain to stop... and waited... and waited.

Luckily for us, we were waiting at Birders' View and, in spite of the fog and the rain, the birds were quite active, including the hummingbirds visiting the feeders, like the Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer pictured above.  This is just one of nine species that we saw that day, including beauties like Purple-crowned Fairies and rarities like Brown Violetear... but for me, the most special hummer was the Violet-capped Hummingbird.

The reason is simple: this bird is almost completely restricted to Panama, barely reaching northwestern Colombia (to add this species to your Colombian list would be an almost impossible task), and also the only member of the genus Goldmania.  Its green shine is special, the same as its chestnut tail.

The light was awful to photograph hummingbirds, so we used flash.  Depending of the angle, the final result can vary, as you can see in these photos... anyway, what a beautiful jewel this hummer is!

The Violet-capped Hummingbird is near-endemic to Panamá, but the Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker is a national endemic... and we saw a female close to (but not with) a mixed flock of tanagers.  First, obscure, distant views.

Minutes later, the bird appeared much closer to us, and with better light, so I got at least a decent shot showing most of the distinctive features: the pale stripe through the cheek, pale blue eyes, rufous primaries, and so on...

 

Hey, not every day you see a Panamá endemic!  However, the foggy day still had surprises to us.  In the way out we checked the Altos del Frente circuit, finding nothing more than Clay-colored Thrushes and Mealy Amazons under the drizzle.  Then Osvaldo spotted a raptor perched on a pine tree.  Evidently, the day was not good enough to have this Swallow-tailed Kite furrowing the skies!  To see one perched is quite unusual.

The last bird we enjoyed appeared like a ghost in the middle of a rushing stream.  A rare Fasciated Tiger-Heron barely stayed enough to get this marginal photo.

Curiously, this is only the second time I see this bird in Panama.  The first time was exactly in the same site and under similar weather conditions!  It seems that this bird likes the misty days... as I do now!

Evening escape to Cerro Azul

Cerro Azul, in the foothills east of Panama City, is a popular birding destination due to its large tracks of forests... but more important, the strong community of resident birders always letting us know the last sightings of rare birds up there!  That's why Osvaldo Quintero, Itzel Fong (and her spouse Javier) and I went to Cerro Azul late in the afternoon after the news of Black-eared Wood-Quails showing in the backyard of our friends William and Esther Adsett.  According to them, the birds visited the property almost at dark, so we first checked a fruiting tree right by the front deck attracting many birds.

These Bay-headed, Speckled and Golden-hooded Tanagers were part of a big flock including also Green Honeycreepers, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, Carmiol's Tanagers and many more.  It was very entertaining, and we spend a lot of time trying to get pictures... but it was getting dark, so we moved to the forest, finding many understore dwellers like Scaly-breasted Wren, White-breasted Wood-Wren, both Cocoa and Spooted Woodcreepers, Black-faced Anthrush and a cooperative female Spotted Antbird (but alas, no wood-quails).

Just a couple of hours, but full of birds and friends.  We didn't see the wood-quails... but that is a good reason to return!

Miltoniopsis sp. (roelzii?)

Birds, vanilla and waterfalls

Due to an intense month in the work, I barely had time to update this blog with posts of my last trips, so I'll do so... starting with some photos of a visit to Cerro Azul (foothills to the east of Panama City), accompanied by the photography-contests-winners Osvaldo Quintero, Rafael Luck and Itzel Fong.

We wandered through the gated community, visiting some classic spots... however, the day was cloudy and windy, and the activity -in general- quite low.  Eventually we reached the end of the Chimborazo street... and our luck changed: a mixed flock was taking advantage of a fruiting tree.

Including this male Gartered Trogon (above), many birds were all over the place... specially tanagers: Blue-gray, Palm, Summer, Hepatic, Plain-colored, Golden-hooded, Bay-headed, Speckled and Crimson-backed Tanagers side-by-side!  But, by far, the most cooperative birds were a trio of Masked Tityras.

The female was more confident, but the male is simply shocking: that red mask and pure white body is unique!

Another pair was feeding in the lower branches of a tree apart of the flock, both male and female Tropical Gnatcatchers are smart and active, intensely foraging every leaf, looking for tiny insects.

Another one feeding nearby was this tiny Paltry Tyrannulet; however, not as actively as the gnatcatchers.  You often heard its characteristic pee-yeep! revealing its presence.

After a while, we left the spot (reluctantly), passing by the Ahren's place, where they told us about a wild vanilla blooming in a nearby street... so we headed to that direction.  It was the sweet essence of the flower that finally attracted us, a marvel of nature!

It was around noon, time to have lunch at the club... but first, we decided to visit a popular site frequented by resident and visitors specially during the summer days: El Vigía waterfalls.

Half of the group could not resist the temptation of submerging in the cold (but refreshing) waters.  Can you tell who are these swimmers?

That's the way you should end every birding trip!

At the feeders!

As promised in my last entry, this post is about my birding day, last sunday, at the foothills of Cerro Azul, to the east of Panama City, with Osvaldo Quintero, Osvaldo Quintero Jr and the Cerro Azul's residents Leslie and Cindy Lieurance (The Petrels in Panama) and Claudia Ahrens.  Our intention was to look after a local speciality, the Black-eared Wood-Quail which Leslie videotaped at close range in the Calle Maipo trail entrance one week ago or so.

We walked all the trail, watching some forest interior birds and hearing at least two or three different coveys of wood-quails, but they were reluctant to show off for us... instead, we had a great time birding at the more open areas at the entrance of the trail and the main road, where mixed flocks with tanagers and warblers were the main stars.  The Fulvous-vented Euphonia offered a nice show... two adult males  were engaged in full courtship display.  The one I pictured above perched vertically with wings dropped making lots of noise!  Notice its fulvous vent... the female was more interested in eating juicy berries... she is so different to the male, but still distinctive!

After doing some exercise at the trail, we did what every smart birder would do: sit in front of feeders!  Both the Ahrens and the Lieurance keep feeders at their houses, and the diversity is awesome.  At the Ahrens, we checked a banana feeder where the first visitor was this male Hepatic Tanager.

Notice its dark lores and beak, which separates him of the similar looking Summer Tanager, which is a common winter visitor to Panama... this male was waiting its chance to grab a piece of banana.  Also note that the Summer Tanager is lighter red in general, compared with the Hepatic Tanager.

Soon, the action at the feeder became insane, with Bay-headed, Palm and Plain-colored Tanagers fighting for a space on it against Black-cheeked Woodpeckers, this female Green Honeycreeper and this young male Thick-billed Euphonia.

But the most aggressive bird at the feeder was the Clay-colored Thrush; however, in spite of the size difference, this male Red-legged Honeycreeper was not intimidated and took its part of the prize.  Notice that this male is in non-breeding plumage.

Curiously, at the Lieurance feeders, there were males Red-legged Honeycreepers in full or almost-full breeding plumage... they glow!

The Lieurance also have banana feeders, we checked the hanging feeder during the couple of minutes that we stayed, enjoying their hospitality... it is quite curious to see migrants Tennessee Warblers eating banana in the tropics... though it is not the first time!

Well, perhaps we didn't see the wood-quails... but what a great day we got!  Thank you Claudia, Leslie and Cindy!