At the highlands with family and warblers!

Taking advantage of one of these long weekends, I went with my extended family to spent some time relaxing in the highland town of Paso Ancho, close to Volcán, in Chiriquí province.  Although not a birding trip, I still enjoyed some resident and migrant warblers that call the highlands their home.  We spent most of the days at a comfortable cabin watching the children playing in the garden, grilling on the barbecue or just chatting.

Gabrielle and her cousins, Ana, Givellis and Kevin

Right at the garden, some common species showed up, including Blue-gray and Flame-colored Tanagers, Yellow-billed Siskins and Rufous-collared Sparrows.  However, I was interested in some common migrant warblers.  The first one spotted was the Wilson's Warbler.

A very bad shot of an adult male Flame-colored Tanager... this bird is well-named!

Adult male Wilson's Warbler

This is the most common warbler wintering in the highlands, found essentially everywhere!  The black cap is characteristic of the adult males... but the bright overall yellow coloration is enough to ID this species.  Then, I spied two other migrant species.  These were working the non-native pine trees next to the property.

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler 

As you can see, both the Black-throated Green and the Black-and-white Warblers (both females) were close enough to snap a shot... something quite hard with these restless birds.  We call the latter species the "Creeper Warbler" due to its unique habit of climbing trunks, sometimes upside down, very creeper-like.  The Black-and-white Warbler is very common during the winter through all Panama.  At the other side, the Black-throated Green Warbler is also common during the winter, but only at the highlands; however, it is a frequent passage migrant in the rest of the country.  Both these species are, in fact, more common and widespread than some resident species.  One morning, I went with Gloriela to the Macho de Monte canyon, at the foothills below Volcan... there, we saw one of these resident warblers... the smart Buff-rumped Warbler.

Buff-rumped Warbler

Buff-rumped Warbler

In comparison with the typical and familiar warblers, this species exhibit a different behavior.  It is terrestrial, always found close to water... usually rushing streams, flicking its expressive tail from side to side.  Certainly the Macho de Monte canyon is a great place to find this species... and a nice touristic attraction too!

Macho de Monte canyon

The Buff-rumped Warbler was not the only river-dweller bird we saw that morning.  A Spotted Sandpiper and a pair of Black Phoebes were present too.  In previous visits we had seen Torrent Tyrannulets and American Dippers as well!

Spotted Sandpiper and Black Phoebe

Black Phoebe

Well, a trip to the highlands is always a nice trip.  Of course, we ended it with the traditional stop at the dessert shop to enjoy some sweet strawberries with cream!

Gabrielle, Gloriela and... strawberries!

To the highlands!

After a year without visiting Panamá's westernmost province, Chiriquí, I was finally on my way last month, accompanied by Osvaldo Quintero.  We left Panamá City late in the morning, so we were expecting to reach the highlands late that afternoon (a 6-hours drive).  We were supposed to meet Rafael Luck and Ito Santamaría above Cerro Punta, in the town of Guadalupe, but realizing that we were not going to make it until dark, we decided to stop at the Macho de Monte Canyon, to take advantage of the last lights.  The "beware of dog" sign is simply not enough for the Chiricans.

"WARNING: possible presence of snakes"

The main reason why I like to visit this spot in march is the flowering Inga tree by the gate of the hydro plant.  The first hummingbird species I noted was a Brown Violetear, first time I see that species outside central Panamá (and erratic everywhere in our country).  Another new for this site (for me) was the Charming Hummingbird.  Several individuals were trying to feed, harassed by the abundant Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds.

You'll have to trust me on this one.  Notice the straight, long bill with reddish base to the lower mandible, dark tail with square tip and greenish rump.  However, I was expecting to find the star of the western hummingbirds: the White-crested Coquette... and like other times, a female appeared to take advantage of the flowering tree.  She stayed in the canopy... to far away for photos... so, again, you'll have to trust me!

The hummingbirds are not the only highlight at this site.  We saw a pair of Buff-rumped Warblers feeding at a small short-grass field.  These smarts birds are very active, always fanning the tails, showing the conspicuous buff coloration.  They were a life photo for both of us.

Almost by the time we were leaving, I heard the characteristic call of a regional endemic.  After a while, we located a pair of Spot-crowned Euphonias working the moss-covered trees.

As you can see, the spots of the male's crown are very inconspicuous... the female is similar to the extralimital Tawny-crowned Euphonia.

Almost at dark, we left the site, heading to Guadalupe and joining Rafael and Ito at Los Quetzales lodge to plan the next day.  It was a heavy itinerary... but you'll see that in my next post!