More and more migrants

I went yesterday to the Metropolitan Natural Park of Panama City, taking advantage of the free day. The two previous day have been amazing due to the thousands of hawks and vultures that flew over the city in their way to the south and yesterday the counters at Ancon Hill (that hill with the panamanian flag covered in migrant Turkey Vultures) that the raptors stayed at the forest surrounding the former Canal Area. So, I was expecting to find many raptors in the park waiting for the day to heat-up to re-start the migration. The same did Osvaldo Quintero and Itzel Fong... they also went to the park looking for sleepy raptors. We hardly saw any migrant raptor in our way to El Mirador, but saw many migrant songbirds, specially tons of Swainson's Thrushes and Eastern Wood-Pewees (both were aboundant). At El Mirador, the activity was low... but after a few minutes we started to see some Turkey Vultures, then other group, and then another! In seconds, we saw tons of Turkey Vultures at the thermal currents gaining altitude from all the surrounding forests! Then we saw some Swainson's Hawks too approaching quite close to us, including one individual that flew so close over our heads that I barely captured part of it in the photo. By that time, the whole city was covered in migrat vultures and hawks, literally!!!

We realized that the main route was following the coast, a little distant of us, so we started to walk the way down to the parking lot at the entrance of the trails. We found a big mixed flock after passing the entrance to La Cieneguita trail with many resident species like Lesser and Golden-fronted Greenlets, White-shouldered Tanagers, one Green Shrike-Vireo and some Red-throated Ant-Tanagers; but also including some migrant warblers. The most common was the Bay-breasted Warbler. We found several individuals with variable amount of chestnut on its flanks. I checked them all very well looking for something rarer... but all seemed to be Bay-breasted Warblers in basic plumage. The other pretty common parulid was the Chestnut-sided Warbler. It is amazing how much they change... the alternate and basic-plumaged birds look like different species! However, it is very distinctive even with its winter dress. You can recognize them (even in my photo) by its bright-green crown and back, the complete white eye-ring and its lemon-yellow wingbars. The flock also included a magnificent male Golden-winged Warbler. It was so active, never stopping its quest for insects high on the trees, so I only got blurry photos. It is a shame because that bird is a real jewel. Other warblers at the park, but not in that particular flock, were the Yellow Warblers and the Blackburnian Warblers (both photos are from Costa del Este recently). The Yellow Warbler is one of the most common migrant songbird in Panama, but not in the forest. We also have a resident population, the "Mangrove" Warbler, distinctive different and considered by many as a good species. About the Blackburnians, they become very common in the park (and around the city) for a short period of time... this time I saw only one probable individual briefly while seeing the raptors from El Mirador (this species was pretty common just a couple of weeks ago). Close to the parking lot (at "El Castillo"), I saw a thrush perched quietly at the border of the trail. A quick look with my binoculars confirmed it to be a Gray-cheeked Thrush instead of the aboundant Swainsons'. Both Itzel and Osvaldo asked me: who??, so I showed them the bird, who stayed enough for some photos. It turned out that it was a lifer for both of them! Curiously, that was the second time this season that I see the bird exactly in the same place... so it was not a new year-bird for me, but an exciting lifer (and life photo) for my companions. We then drove to the Visitors Center of the park to have a well-deserved drink... but Osvaldo had a surprise for us. He took us behind the wildlife rehab facilities and in a matter of seconds, a splendid young Common "Mangrove" Black-Hawk appeared to inspect us, probably waiting for us to feed him. Of course we took tons of photos of the cooperative bird, who stayed in the nearby forest when the park's personnel released him. Great way to end the day!

City black birds

Driving around Panama City (after leaving Gloriela at the airport... she is in Mexico now) gave me some unexpected photographic opportunities, but also I realized that we have many all-black coloured birds in the city. Right at the parking lot of the airport (and perhaps elsewhere in Panama), the Great-tailed Grackles were feeding at the grass, looking for small insects and doing grackles stuff, harassing other smaller, all-black birds (Blue-black Grassquits). A curious young male (still with some brown feathers, dull yellow eyes and molting tail) got very close to me... surely he wanted a close-up photo, and I didn't denied it. The grackles were not the only black birds at the parking lot. In fact, other icterid was the most common one: Shiny Cowbird. A huge flock of more or less 50 birds, most of them adult males, were also at the grass and the fence, very close to the people and the cars. Is the first time I see so many cowbirds in the same place. I suppose that they are doing well considering the big number of individuals, or simply this is a favorite place for them, which is close to some pastures with cattle. Like many icterids, the females are duller, coloured in brown with streaks at the underparts. They are brood parasites of other songbirds, specially flycatchers, which are common too. In other places they are a big problem, reducing the populations of beloved songbirds, but that is not the case in Panama... yet. Anyway, they are expanding their range into the distribution of the ecological similar Bronzed Cowbird and now is not uncommon to see both species at the same sites (around Panama City, Cocle foothills, western Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui highlands, etc...). A third species of these parasites, the Giant Cowbird, is uncommon around the city, but I have seen it at the Summit Gardens, in the way to Gamboa where they laid their eggs at oropendola's hanging-nests. After leaving the airport, I passed through Costa del Este in my way to our apartment, detecting immediately the Smooth-billed Anis at their usual sites (the Groove-billed Ani is very uncommon here)... but what caught my attention was a group of six all-black birds with guttural calls flying from tree to tree in the middle of the main avenue... a flock of Greater Anis! This is the first time I see this species in Costa del Este, and they were not related with water at all. They can be confused with Great-tailed Grackles with a careless observation (similar size with long tail, bright yellow eyes), but note the completely different bill and different behavior (and vocalizations). So it is official, all three anis' species can be found at Costa del Este. The last black bird of this post is the only one called that way, and (ironically) the only one that is not completely black! A Red-breasted Blackbird (file photo) was perched conspicuosly behind the Parque Industrial when I left Costa del Este through the Corridor South highway. A bit of colour to this black-birds gallery!

Blue, red... or iridiscences?

I went to Pipeline road (beyond the town of Gamboa in central Panama) last saturday with Osvaldo Quintero willing to spent half-day there. The activity was very low due to the imminent rain, but before it started we saw two species of manakins in the same tree. Trying to eat some berries, an adult male Blue-crowned Manakin was frequently mobbed by an adult male Red-capped Manakin! What a sight! Two antagonist species side-by-side. The contrasting colours of these birds were simply amazing. Manakins are always funny to see, specially if they are "dancing" or lekking. We enjoyed both birds-in-black with contrasting caps for a while, until it started to rain seriously. We quickly walked to the car and then Osvaldo drove to the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center (PRDC) were we had a hot cup of coffee accompanied by hordes of hummingbirds... as usual! If the black, red and blue of the manakins were impressive, then the iridiscent colours of these tiny birds were spectacular. I always have been astonished by the form in which its feathers reflect the light. If you use the artificial light of your flash to photograph them, the result is a totally different bird! Compare these photos of a Blue-chested Hummingbird and a White-necked Jacobin (in that order) with artificial light

Now, the same species (in the same order) with sunlight:Big difference eh? Of course, I like more the sunlight... they just look superb with it!

P.D.: more photos of the PRDC's hummingbirds at the end of this post.

Tight together by the tide

Last friday 16-feet tide was high enough to push all the shorebirds of Panama Viejo to a tiny piece of beach close to the road. When I got to the place, it was raining so I started to watch them with my binoculars, waiting for the rain to stop. I noticed a plump-shaped shorebird accompanying the flock of peeps, evidently larger than them and looking quite similar to a dowitcher, except for its short bill... it also behaved different. A closer look revealed it to be a basic-plumaged Red Knot, which is not often found there. The rain stopped so I left the car and started to approach the birds. The knot did not stay, but all the others shorebirds did, including the flock of Short-billed Dowitchers. I usually don't have these close encounters with the dowitchers, so I took all the photos I could, including the molting individual that still was exhibiting some juvenal feathers at the coverts and the tail (the third photo).But definitively, the main show was protagonized by the three peeps species. I have to say that in Panama, these birds show their alternate plumage just for a brief period of time. The Least Sandpiper is, perhaps, the most easily identified, with its yellow legs, the thin bill and darker back. The size per se is not a good field mark as you can see in the next photo. Also, they usually like to wander close to the grassy coast and to the mangroves, instead at the extensive tidal flats like the other two species.In basic plumage the Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers are very difficult to distinguish. The main field marks are bill lenght and shape. Other field marks, like body shape, grade of facial contrast and vocalizations are not easy to determine under usual viewing conditions. Even with close and careful observations, many sandpipers will be left unidentified. I can id for sure the extremes... that is, long-billed females Westerns' (almost always with an evident dropped tip of the bill) and short, straight-billed males Semipalmateds'. For example, the next three photos are Western Sandpipers (the last two photos of a juvenile molting into basic-plumaged adult?).And the next ones are of a Semipalmated Sandpiper.Bear in mind that both species can show the rufous tinge to the scapulars, so it is not a good field mark in Panama. That day, it seemed that most of the peeps present were Western Sandpipers.
The peeps were all tight together in the same flock, with the dowitchers and some plovers, specially Wilson's and Semipalmated Plovers, with few basic-plumaged Black-bellied Plovers among the multitudes.

In general, the big shorebirds were apart of the peeps. The exception were the Willets... they looked immense compared to the peeps surrounding them.

But my favorites were the Marbled Godwits. That bubblegum-pink bill is unreal.

Well, a typical day at the Panama Viejo's mudflats!

Happy Birthday PANAMA!!!

Today, all the panamanians celebrate our separation of Colombia, 107 years ago! This is the first of many important days during this month, including our flag's day (tomorrow) and the independence day (november 28th). Like many panamanians, we spent the day at the crowded beach of Santa Clara (central Panama), where we enjoyed the breeze, the sand and the sun with our friends... and I even saw some birds like Laughing Gulls, Neotropic Cormorants, Magnificent Frigatebirds and Royal Terns, a lonely Sanderling, and even a new year-bird for me: Common Tern. Now, I'm at 599 species for this year!

Weekend at the highlands. Part II

Just a quick note about our second day at the Chiriqui highlands (western Panama). You can read my account about the previous day here. In advance, I'm sorry for the lack of photos... we were more interested in actually SEEING the birds because several were lifers for Gloriela and year-birds for me (including a loooooong-desired Panama´s life bird for me) and, again, the light was awful for photographing. The photos I got were not good enough (even for my standards!), but at least the birds are more or less recognizable. We left the car at the Volcan airstrip to walk the entrance road to the Volcan Lakes, a RAMSAR site well-known by birders. Few birds in that open area, but we saw (and heard) both Slaty and Pale-breasted Spinetails, lots of Tennessee Warblers and Rufous-collared Sparrows and even an impressive Lineated Woodpecker. The road was flooded in some parts, so I had to load Gloriela on my back several times because I was the only one wearing rubber boots (the things we do for the birds... but I did not worry at all because she is a light weight birder). At the forest surrounding the lakes, the activity was furious. A huge mixed flock, including residents and migrants, took the place. Just to list a few, we found a trio of Smoky-brown Woodpeckers, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Tennessee, Golden-winged, Black-and-white, Wilson's, Three-striped, Rufous-capped and Golden-crowned Warblers, Philadelphia and Yellow-breasted Vireos, Cherrie's, Summer and Flame-colored Tanagers. The trail to the lakes was completely flooded, so we were unable to check it for ducks or coots (but we heard a pair of Gray-necked Wood-Rails very close to us). But the bird of the day was found in the way out. With a group of Slate-throated Whitestars and Red-faced Spinetails was a beautiful male Red-headed Barbet, my looong-desired Panama's life bird (after seeing it in Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia) and a spectacular lifer for Gloriela! Great way to call it a day at the highlands!

Weekend at the highlands. Part I

Yeap! We saw the chance, and we took it. After attending an appointment in Penonome last friday, we decided to drive farther west to the Chiriqui highlands (western Panama) to see what we can get. After a very early start, and after a quick breakfast at Santiago, we reached the Concepcion - Volcan road around 8:00 am. As usual, I decided to stop at Cuesta de Piedra to have a look at the Macho de Monte river. The day was very cloudy and the light awful for photography, but anyway Gloriela and I managed to find some interesting species, including a new year-bird for me and some lifers for her. Probably the most interesting sight was the ocurrence of all the four resident river-dwellers in the same general area: a Black Phoebe (photo of a previous trip), two Buff-rumped Warblers, four (two pairs) Torrent Tyrannulets and an American Dipper. Not only that, we also found a Northern Waterthrush and a Spotted Sandpiper working at the same rivers... making the place very productive. We saw other species as well, including my year Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (lifer for Gloriela) and a Blue-crowned Motmot of the ssp lessoni. This is the first time I see this form since its recognition as a valid species by the AOU's South America Classification Committee (SACC) under the name of Blue-diademed Motmot... a change not yet recognized by the North America Committee (neither by the Panama Audubon Society -PAS). Anyway, this motmot was very shy. We checked all the distinctive field marks (including its general greener coloration, specially to the underparts) except its vocalization. When I fot closer in order to take a picture, the motmot concealed itself behind the leaves! Well, we left the place and headed to Volcan, where we got a room in town. For the afternoon, we decided to walk the road to El Respingo, above Cerro Punta. The weather did not improve, so we were accompanied by a light rain almost all the way up. By the entrance we found a mixed flock with Sooty-capped Bush-Tanagers, Black-cheecked Warblers and my year Philadelphia Vireo (plus Yellow-winged and Brown-capped Vireos too). Next to them, a Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher was eating some berries, not paying attention to us. Higher on the road, another mixed flock brought to us a cooperative pair of Collared Whitestarts, a Slate-throated Whitestart as well, two Ruddy Treerunners, an Spot-crowned Woodcreeper, a Yellowish Flycatcher, more Black-cheeked Warblers and a beautiful Flame-throated Warbler. Not far from us, at the edge of a big clearing, a handsome Black-capped Flycatcher was quietly perched on some bushes. It was a lifer for Gloriela and only my second time ever (so, it was a year-bird for me). For an Empidonax flycatcher, it is very distinctive! After 1.5 hours climbing, we finally reached the Respingo rangers' station, at 2500 meters above sea level. The smiley park ranger welcomed us and showed us the place, which have all the facilities for staying during a night or more. After paying the entrance fee, we walked a little around the station finding Yellow-thighed Finches, Black-and-yellow Silky-Flycatchers, tons of Band-tailed Pigeons, a flock of Sulphur-winged Parakeets perched (lifer for Gloriela) and a pair of Volcano Hummingbirds doing exhibition flights... amazing how fast and high these little birds get during these flights! After enjoying the magnificent view of the Cerro Punta valley from El Respingo, we went down to Volcan to enjoy a well deserved dinner at the hotel. We scheduled a visit to the Volcan lakes for the next morning, so stay tuned!

Bird of the month: Collared Whitestart

The Collared Whitestart (Myioborus torquatus) is a smart, little warbler endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. Is a common resident of forest edges and second growths where it conspicuously forages at low and middle levels. It has a very attractive pattern which is similar to that of the more widespread Slate-throated Whitestart (Myioborus miniatus), except for the contrasting yellow face and throat, and the black breast band. Like all the other Myioborus whitestarts, it usually is very active and agile when looking for insects, frequently making short sallies and fanning its tail, showing the flashing white feathers. More commonly is seeing in pairs, sometimes accompanying mixed flocks of other highlands denizens, like bush-tanagers and other warblers. About the name whitestart, it is a personal choice, of course, since both committees on bird names classifications (the AOU's North and South America Committees) accept the name redstart for all the Myioborus. There is an ongoing debate about this topic, with heavy arguments in favor to both sides... but by the end it is all about personal preferences. Other thing about this little friend is its curiousity... allowing great shots and beautiful pictures. For these and many other reasons is why we choose the Collared Whitestart as our bird of the month!

Literature consulted:

1. Ridgely RS, Gwynne JA. A guide to the birds of Panama. First spanish edition. 1993.

2. Garrigues R, Dean R. The birds of Costa Rica. First edition. 2007.