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?
Last weekend I visited the famed Pipeline Road (central Panama) with my friend Osvaldo and the visiting birders from British Columbia: Gary, Mary, Paul and Lucille... I guess the warm weather and the promise of tropical lifers are a good excuse to escape the winter! Our walk started at the first bridge, the Juan Grande creek. We were not after specific rarities... just enjoying the exuberant forest and its inhabitants.
Male Black-throated Trogon (file photo)
Of course, Pipeline Road did not disappoint us... toucans, aracaris, caciques, puffbirds, fruitcrows, four different trogon species (of 5 possible), including a Black-throated Trogon calling just above our heads, and lots of antbirds kept us entertained... a single mixed flock had three antwrens species, plus antshrikes, flycatchers and so on... We also were quite lucky with some hard-to-see species; however, one species in particular stole the show. One guide friend of us (Pipeline was crowded, for Panamanian standards) told us that a Streak-chested Antpitta was displaying in the "open" some meters ahead. The clear and characteristic song was louder and louder... and eventually, the cute ball of feathers materialized in front of us.
Streak-chested Antpitta
What a show! No matter how many times I see it, it is always amazing. My photos doesn't do it justice... you need to see it yourself! After all the excitement, we decided to left the place (reluctantly); however, Osvaldo had a surprise for us. He had booked lunch at the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center... and what a lunch!
What a great way to end a day at Pipeline Road. I have to say that it was weird to enjoy a fresh fried sea bass while hearing Black-striped Woodcreepers and Black-breasted Puffbirds... but I can get used.
Yes, it is time for Christmas Bird Counts in Panama and around the world. This year, we started with the Central CBC last weekend, organized as usual by the Panama Audubon Society (PAS). Eleven groups explored the Gamboa and Pipeline road areas, with some of them using boats along the Chagres river and the Gatun lake and with one group birding in Barro Colorado island as well. I started very early, walking Pipeline road in the dark from the Juan Grande bridge. Walking alone in the forest give you excellent chances to appreciate wildlife, and I saw many species of birds and mammals in the first hour. I heard first most of the birds during the dawn chorus, including a pair of Band-tailed Barbthroats perched at eye-level.
Band-tailed Barbthroat
I used flash with this bird... it was still quite dark inside the forest. The diagnostic tail-pattern is barely visible in this photo. The truth is that this bird is nearly unmistakable in Panama if seen well. Its voice, however, is easy to left unidentified, contrary to what happens with the White-throated Wood-Wren.
White-breasted Wood-Wren
During my walk, I crossed several territories of this species. Its fluid and rich song repeats a phrase several time... then it (or they... usually a pair sings antiphonally) change the phrase and start all over again. Seeing them is difficult... and I barely manage a photo of one of these vigorous singers. After a while, I joined the group of Carlos Bethancourt. Carlos, and old friend of mine and senior bird guide for the world famous Canopy Tower, was heading deep into Pipeline road aboard a modified 4WD vehicle. He was accompanied by Charlotte Elton, Mikko Oivukka, Domiciano (Domi) Alveo (another guide of the Canopy family) and Domi's wife, Angie. Carlos needed all his driving skills to pass some mud pools in order to reach the low hills beyond the Limbo bridge.
Reaching these hills was very important because are continuous with the foothills of eastern Colon province. Our main targets were foothills species found only in these hills in the entire count circle. Both Carlos and Domi are very experienced birders, specially for that site. We reached the Mendoza river and started to bird.
Mendoza river sign
The birding skills of these two guys are kind of legendaries. Soon they started to point out bird calls, adding numbers to our list... many of them specialties for the area: Sulphur-rumped and Carmiol's Tanager, Tawny-faced Gnatwren and Long-tailed Woodcreepers, among others.
Record shot of a Long-tailed Woodcreeper
Of course, we also saw many more common species along the road, including Gray Elaenia, Streak-chested Antpitta, Chestnut-backed, Dusky, Spotted, Bicolored and Ocellated Antbirds, four trogon species, Ruddy-tailed Flycatchers, Blue-crowned Manakins, etc.
Blue-crowned Manakin, female
Pipeline road is a birding hotspot with a bird list of more than 300 species... however, you need several days to make it justice, or to be very lucky. Not only the road conditions prevented us for continue further into the forest, by noon, a torrential rain hit us hard... well, it is a rainforest after all!
My count ended just outside Gamboa, looking for some common species after the rain stops. After 9-hours of continuing birding, I decided to return home in order to make the day list. Now, I'm waiting the next CBC this weekend... see you there!
The definition of "extraordinaire day" is different for each person. For some, a day is extraordinaire if everything goes as planned; for others, you need a special event to occur. For me, ANY day with a GROUND-CUCKOO is an extraordinaire day! And, after hearing that a family group of Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos were attending an antswarm in Pipeline Road (central Panama) allowing nice views for the visitors, I decided to accept the invitation of my friend Osvaldo to bird the area last saturday.
We started at the marina in the town of Gamboa. We were expecting to find some migratory ducks, but it seems that this is not a good year for them. The place was full of Common Gallinules as usual, and Wattled Jacanas (like the one pictured above). After walking along the access road, we found many species of both resident and migrant birds. My favorite was an adult Rufescent Tiger-Heron hunting quietly behind the access gate.
After a while, we decided to move to the famed Pipeline Road. The furious activity at the marina deviated us from our main destination, the same happened in the other stops we made before reaching the entrance to Pipeline Road. For example, this Crimson-crested Woodpecker entertained us at the Ammo dump.
And a mixed group of warblers, antbirds and antwrens did the same right before entering Pipeline. There, two species of antshrikes were inspecting a patch of forest close to the ground. Considering that others birds were in the same area (like Black-bellied and Song Wrens, Dusky Antbirds and Black-faced Antthrush), I suspect that there were some ants or something in the ground. Notice the heavy bill of this male Fasciated Antshrike.
And the black crown of this aptly named Black-crowned Antshrike. This is a male, of course. The female is patterned in brown and buff, with little black. This species used to be called Western Slaty-Antshrike... but it is not closely related to other Slaty Antshrikes in South America.
A little before 11 am, we finally reached the Pipeline Road. One kilometer after the entrance, we noticed a foreign birder standing aside the road. We joined him and immediately heard the Bicolored Antbirds attending an antswarm. The birder quickly showed us a photo in his bridge camera... a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo appeared in the screen. We waited for a while and then, the bird materialized above a log more or less 4 meters from us. What a sight! The long tail and powerful legs, plus the expressive crest is unmistakable.
File photo
Unfortunately, we could not take pictures. I took the above photo five years ago almost exactly in the same site! The Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo is a very rare ground-dwelling species that is found almost exclusively around antswarms. Pipeline Road is, perhaps, the best place to see it, specially during our dry season. So, now you see why that was an extraordinaire day?
It is great how birding can join different nationalities and personalities in a warm environment of fellowship. That's how you bird with a friend which have never seen before (thanks facebook) and to feel that you have done the same thing for years! My good friend Carlos Wagner (a colombian birder) visited Panama, attending a forum on wild cats, and I organized an outing around Panama City to show him some birds... and what a better place than thePanama Rainforest Discovery Centerto show him. We entered early enough to try to call out some owls... and we got some responses by a Vermiculated Screech-Owl and a Spectacled Owl... but only a group of Western (Panamanian) Night-Monkeys show themselves in the night (file photo, but form the same site).
Waiting for sunrise in the middle of a rainforest is an interesting experience... the fresh air full with the sounds of the dawn chorus and the silhouettes of the birds and other animals starting to search for their first meal is simply refreshing!
After a hot cup of coffee, we decided to climb up the world-famous 34 meters-high canopy tower... what a marvelous point of view of all those canopy dwellers. We saw many birds from there, including the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan pictured here, some pigeons, parrots, trogons and puffbirds, and even a flock a noisy Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks in the distance.
We walk the trail leading to the Calamito lake, watching some mixed flocks, mainly with Dot-winged Antwrens, Lesser Greenlets, migrant Black-and-white and Canada Warblers, an impressive male Blue Cotinga, Green Shrike-Vireos, a pair of Fasciated Antshrikes (with nest), among many others.
After watching a flock of antbirds and woodcreepers following an antswarm (including a cooperative Great Tinamou), we decided to left the Center in order to walk the main Pipeline road.
The activity was quite low, we saw more of the same, plus an unidentified snake crossing the road and a troop of Mantled Howler Monkeys. Pipeline road said good-bye to us by showing a beautiful Sunbittern quietly feeding at the Juan Grande creek... spectacular!
The rest of the afternoon we visited some sites along the Pacific coast of Panama City, including Amador, the Casco Viejo, Panama Viejo and Costa del Este, adding more and more species... we finished quite late, and I left him at an hostal in the city. Carlos, it was great having you visiting Panama and hope to see you soon!
Some days ago, I received the nice visit of a great friend of mine from Colombia. Rafael Cortes came attending a seminar, but somehow we organized a short walk along the famous PipelineRoad in central Panama, just to remember old times. The day was particularly dark, and a heavy rainstorm quickly change the original plan of walking deep inside the road. Instead, we waited at the Rainforest Discovery Center, enjoying some cokes and snacks, waiting for the rain to stop, and watching wet Yellow-rumpedCaciques essentially doing the same (waiting). Eventually, the rain stop, and we were able to walk a little. The activity was low, the day dark, and the percentage of humidity in the environment was so high that we almost felt the water in each breath. Most of the birds recorded were by calls, and Rafael recalled very well many of them despite he is now used to a different set of birds in the Colombian Andes. But we did saw some birds! The first of many of them were a flock a Brown-hooded Parrots, with a pair lovely taking care of each other. They are quite colourful if you got close looks as we did, usually you found these parrots flying swiftly above you. At the bridge over the Frijoles river, I spotted a very distant woodpecker, a pair of them actually. Despite the distance (they were VERY far away), we both recognized the parallel white lines in the back, making them a pair of LineatedWoodpeckers because the other possibility, the Crimson-crested, have white lines in the back forming a "V". My photo shows a female, of course is from my files (notice the clear skies and the proximity of the bird). We walked all the way to the Limbo river, and a little beyond... but it was getting late and it was clear that the road deteriorates after that point, becoming really muddy. In the way back, we crossed an antswarm with all the usual ant followers: Spotted, Bicolored and Ocellated Antbirds, Plain-brown and Northern Barred Woodcreepers, Gray-headed Tanagers, and a group of Song Wrens. At this point, we already recorded two species of trogons, including a male Black-throated Trogon calling from an exposed perch. Later, I heard a White-tailed Trogon... three, of five trogon species found along this road. It was a great day, not only had a good walk through the forest, but also the company of a great friend make it unforgettable. Hope to see you soon Rafael!
I'm back from an early visit to Gamboa and Pipelineroad (central Panama) this morning with Osvaldo Quintero. As usual, we started at the Gamboa Ammo Dump, where the activity was great, with lots of common birds in the surroundings. Among the flycatchers, the chachalacas, and the jacanas, we found a cooperative pair of BarredAntshrikes feeding at eye level. Curiously, these are the first individuals of this species that I see this year, despite they are pretty common in the city (and perhaps elsewhere). I really like its call, a ba-ta-ra-ra-rarara-RA! frequently heard, and the origin of the spanish name for the group (Batará). Many people think that the female is prettier than the black-&-white male, what do you think? Close to them, two or probably three Buff-breasted Wrens were skulking, giving loud notes eventually... they were simply too shy for my camera! We left the Ammo Dump and headed to the entrance of Pipeline road, where a huge fallen trunk blocked it. We had to left the car in the entrance and started to walk the first part, which usually we by-pass to go directly to the Juan Grande bridge or to the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center (PRDC). It was a good think actually, because we got some others birds in the short walk, and we also joined Jennifer Wolcott who arrived earlier to the road. We found a group of skulkiers in the undergrowth, including Dusky Antbirds, Dot-winged Antwrens and a Black-belliedWren that I barely captured with my camera... you can have an idea of the tangled and dark habitat this wren prefers by looking at the photo. In an area with tall grass (where we never stop with the car), I detected little activity in some vains, it was a warbler and I managed to take these photos (you can enlarge them):
Not the best photos (Osvaldo's are much better), but at least you can see the mostly bright yellow underparts with white vent and undertail coverts and the narrow black line through the eye of a Blue-winged Warbler, another rare warbler for this season's collection! In the field was very evident its two white wing bars over the blue wings. It was foraging alone, despite there were two SquirrelCuckoos and several Lesser Greenlets close to it. The cuckoos stayed for photos, the warbler did not. It is so nice to have such a gorgeous and big cuckoo as a common species in Panama. We walked beyond the Juan Grande bridge, but we only heard more antwrens, some fruitcrows and a pair of Black-breasted Puffbirds, so we decided to walk to the Rainforest Discovery Center. Good choice because the activity was crazy there, both of birds and people... several birders and non-birders groups were in the Center, even George Angehr (author of the new field guide to the birds of Panama) arrived there later. After saying hello to the staff, and after having some sodas and a snack, we started birding the surroundings. A huge mixed flock was passing by, with Yellow, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided and Golden-winged Warblers, Brown-capped Tyrannulet in a Cecropia tree (usually only heard, this is a canopy-dweller, tiny flycatcher), White-winged Becard, Dot-winged Antwren, another Black-bellied Wren and several Scarlet-rumped Caciques. We heard the characteristic call of a MoustachedAntwren, and after a quick search we found him with the flock high in the canopy.... again, only marginal photos of this tiny, but attractive bird. At the end, it was worth the effort to walk into the road, instead of driving it.
Last saturday, january 22nd, after birding during the first hours of the morning in Campo Chagres, the team formed by Gloriela, Rafael Luck, Osvaldo Quintero, Euclides "Kilo" Campos and your blogger host decided to spent the rest of the morning (and the first hours of the afternoon) in Pipeline Road and the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center (PRDC). At the center, we enjoyed some cold beverages and the company of the center's staff, old friends of us. Of course, we also enjoyed the myriad of hummingbirds that visit the center's feeders. We also saw others birds at the center, including Broad-billed Motmot, Scarlet-rumped Caciques and Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher. In the way out, we stopped at the entrance road to the center right where Osvaldo photographed a tiny Golden-crowned Spadebill the last week, but the bird did not show up. Instead, we found a pair of White-whiskered Puffbirds. The male was looking at us in a curious manner, like asking what's up with us? A little after that, Gloriela detected a noise in the understore... an aptly named Scaly-throated Leaftosser was working very close to us in the forest floor, picking the leaves with its long beak and throwing it apart looking for insects and other critters. These birds are more often heard than seen, and their calls are typical voices of the lowlands rainforests. This is the first one I actually see in many years, and was a lifer for Gloriela. We saw all the diagnostic field marks, including the obvious white scalloping to the throat. While admiring the leaftosser, Kilo heard a mixed flock of antwrens. I saw Checker-throated and Dot-winged Antwrens, but Kilo assured me that he also heard a Moustached Antwren, formerly merged with the Pygmy Antwren, now restricted to South America. This beautiful patterned antwren likes the highest part of the trees, where it moves quickly... and habit that, combined with its tiny size, make it quite difficult to watch... now imagine how difficult it is to photograph. But I tried it anyway, when we finally find it high above us. If you enlarge the image, you will see its characteristic shape (with very short tail), yellow underparts and white throat. We were not tired yet, so we walked beyond the Juan Grande creek to see what can we find. We heard more antwrens and found a group of Scarlet-rumped Caciques and Purple-throated Fruitcrows harrasing a magnificent Gray-headedKite (file photo). Little after that, in a huge Ficus tree, Kilo heard the bird of the day, at least for me: a Gray Elaenia. Its call was confusingly similar to that of the Tropical Gnatcatcher (a pair was present in the same tree), except by the first two or three buzzy notes. When I first saw the bird, it reminded me a becard, due to its gray and black coloration, but its bill shape and habits confirmed the ID. The wing pattern was specially contrasting. I'm pretty sure that most of us overlook this bird due to its call, and the fact that it is a canopy-dweller species (Rafael's photo shows its silhouette high in the canopy against the sky). What a nice surprise, the last of the regular-recorded birds in Pipeline Road that I still was missing, a great life bird to have as first for the year! Well, it seems that I have no more reasons to go back to Pipeline Road (JUST KIDDING!!!, I still need a good photo!).
I'm a birdwatcher since the age of fourteen. With my beloved wife and daughter, I travel all around Panamá, enjoying everything this diverse country has to offer.
Posts
