More on Coiba's fauna

If you only watch endemic birds during your visit to Coiba Island, off-shore central Panama, then you did it wrong.  Coiba is such an amazing place... rich in wildlife, most of it quite distinctive, reason why it is a national park including the surrounding waters, (rich in wildlife as well).  First of all, the boat ride from mainland is usually enriched with sightings of pelagic birds, whales and dolphins.  One of the most regular species is the Pantropical Spotted Dolphin... we found a pod of these graceful swimmers close to mainland.

Pantropical Spotted Dolphins

As its name suggests, they are widespread in tropic oceans; however, the next species is unique to Coiba.  It is pretty common and used to visitors around the rangers headquarters... in fact, I took the next photography right by the dinner hall.  As many other "endemics", this one looks rather similar to a mainland species; however, the Coiban Agouti differs in some skeletal (craneal) parameters.

Coiban Agouti

During my short visit to Coiba Island a couple of weeks ago, I managed to see many endemic subspecies of birds and mammals, including the agouti.  Curiously, the only mammal we actually targeted in this trip was not seen... but at least we heard it (or them) a couple of times.  For example, one of them vocalized at the beginning of this sound file recorded in Los Monos trail.

Did you hear it?  Listen carefully... just some howls at the very beginning.  Sometimes regarded as a good species, the Coiba Howler Monkey is most often considered a subspecies of the Mantled Howler Monkey.  When treated as full species, usually includes the Azuero Howler Monkey that is restricted (as its name suggest) to the Azuero Peninsula in central Panama... you can check some photos of this howler in this post.  Now another question.  Did you recognize the song in the sound file?  It was a White-throated Thrush, also represented by an endemic subspecies in Coiba.

The howlers were not the only primates recorded in the trip, we also saw a troop of White-faced Capuchins patrolling the beach near the rangers headquarters.  A lonely Bare-throated Tiger-Heron didn't pay too much attention to them, but they were the main starts during our departure of the island.

White-faced Capuchins (Coiba Island) 

White-faced Capuchin and Bare-throated Tiger-Heron

There are many endemic forms of animals and plants in the island... too many to list.  During a previous visit to the island I also saw the endemic subspecies of White-tailed Deer very close to the rangers headquarters... I managed a photo with a point-and-shoot camera... it is the smallest form of this widespread species.

tiny White-tailed Deer, ssp. rothschildi (Coiba Island)

Well, after all it was a great trip... birds, mammals and I not even mention ALL the lifers I got underwater while snorkeling with Kees at the coral reef in Granito de Oro Island... just another world!  

Code 5: Maguari Stork

Yesterday, late in the afternoon, I received a message in my phone with a cropped picture attached.  My friend Venicio "Beny" Wilson send me a picture of a bird that he just saw some minutes before, along with Rosabel Miro and Celeste Paiva (the spotters).  The picture quickly filtered to social networks...  they just found a new species for Panama: Maguari Stork (first report in Xenornis here).  Knowing how huge this was, I planned a trip to Juan Hombron area, where the bird was found.  I knew time was against me... these vagrants don't stay long... but I had to go to work, and could only escape after noon with my friend Rafael Luck.  In the meanwhile, my friend Osvaldo Quintero, along with Rafael Lau and Beny, went to the area this morning... finding not one, but two Maguari Storks!  Osvaldo kindly let me use one of his photos.

Maguari Stork.  Copyright Osvaldo Quintero, used with permission.

This was great!  Two individuals still in the same place where Beny saw it the day before.  Beny waited for us close to the site and showed us the exact place where they saw the birds just some hours before.  Our expectations were high, and we checked every corner of the huge lagoon where they saw the birds.

As you can see, I left without even wasting time changing my outfit!  The excitement of twitching a rarity is enough to left everything behind, even your rubber boots and most of your birding gear!  I'll kill the suspense right now: we do not find the bird.  Big disappointment considering that it would be a lifer for both Rafael and me (as it was for Beny the day before).  Nonetheless, we saw some common inhabitants of these dry pastures, like Mouse-colored Tyrannulet and Straight-billed Woodcreeper (both noticed first by voice).

Mouse-colored Tyrannulet

Straight-billed Woodcreeper

I also managed my first Bare-throated Tiger-Heron for these pastures.  In fact, this bird was showing its bare, yellow throat.

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron

OK, we do not find the bird... but we tried hard... and that's the idea after all.  I hope that it still remains in the area although seems improbable, maybe we can have another chance.  In the meanwhile, I'll try to focus in another code 5 for our area (yes, two code 5 in one month for Panama)... so stay tuned!

Panama's Dry Arc

The coastal area of Panama's central Pacific slope is the driest in the country, receiving less than 1500 mm of annual rainfall.  The area around the Parita gulf is particularly dry, and is the middle point of an area known as the "Dry Arc" due to this condition, its xerofitic vegetation and "deserts", and the prolonged dry season (lasting up to seven months).

Last weekend, I went to this part of the country, accompanied with my pals Osvaldo and Rafael (no last names needed for these two).  After a quick breakfast in the town of Chitre, we headed to our first destination: Sarigua National Park.  This area, known locally as the Sarigua desert, is certainly the driest center of the arc.

Of course, this is not a true "desert", but a man-made one, after the indiscriminate exploitation of the natural resources since pre-Columbian times leaving only barren terrain and scattered bushes.  However, this vegetation is the perfect niche for the most localized ground-dove in Panama: the Common Ground-Dove.  This is the only reliable site to found this species in Panama, the closest population of its congeners is in central and northwestern Costa Rica!

This was one of our main target... but not the MAIN target of our trip to Sarigua.  In fact, we were looking for a rare migrant reported there last year.  We checked the very exact place where it was reported: the water tank behind the rangers' station, where a leak in the tank made a green oasis in the middle of the desert, attracting many common birds.  While waiting, I heard another specialty of the dry arc: White-winged Dove (file photo).

As the ground-dove, the closest population is in Costa Rica, but there is a record from western Panama, probably a vagrant migrant.  Then, I saw a green finch with pale bill... a female Painted Bunting, our main target!  We were not able to photograph it, but we saw it again two more times in the general area and again one more time in the road to the Parita river, certainly a different individual. The rangers advised us to look for the male in the flowering trees along the river.  We didn't find a male bunting, but this Spotted Sandpiper in breeding plumage entertained us (and yes, I took this photo in the "desert").

Other highlights were Bare-throated Tiger-Heron and a Common Nighthawk flying high above.  I only got marginal photos of these two... they are barely recognizable.

We left Sarigua and headed to Las Macanas marsh.  In the dry arc, the water is a precious resource... and any permanent water source is a magnet for wildlife.  This marsh is just that... a protected oasis used by men and animals with multiple purposes (as the sign suggests).

By the time we reached the marsh, it was pretty hot... and the water level low.  Thousands of herons, storks, ibises and jacanas were scattered all over the place.

One of the most numerous was the Glossy Ibis, like the one pictured below.  When I started to birdwatch some years ago, this was a very rare species in Panama.  Now, it is abundant in this part of the country.

By noon, we decided to have lunch in the Aguadulce Salinas (saltflats), 30 minutes from Las Macanas.  We were not expecting huge flocks of waders due to the horrendous heat and the low tide, but we witnessed the traditional salt harvest from the drying pools.

After a delicious fried fish (an entire corvina... our own tradition when visiting this site), we checked the pools again, finding a tiny flock with Black-necked Stilts, Least Sandpipers and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.

Well, a typical day in Panama's Dry Arc!

In search of THE heron. Part II

As I wrote before, a Whistling Heron, the first for Panamá and North America, was reported from the outskirst of the town of Chepo a little more than a week before.  After a first attempt last saturday, I decided to stay in home for the rest of the weekend.  However, Venicio "Beny" Wilson called me the morning of last sunday to see if I was interested in joining him and Christian Gernez in a new search for the heron... my answer: of course!

We saw a nice collection of birds of prey again, including the Roadside Hawk pictured above.  They are simply well-named!  This time, we drove directly to the site of the first sighting... passing first by a this beauty:

WOW!  What you think?  It is not the most gorgeous heron ever?  The Capped Heron is restricted to eastern Panamá, and is quite uncommon.  Also, is kind of related to the Whistling Heron that we were looking for... good sign, eh?

Sorry, I simple had to post another photo of this heron.  In fact, this is another individual.  Notice the slightly duller color of the bare parts of this particular individual.  In spite of that, it is still gorgeous.

In fact, we saw three different birds, including one in the very same place where the Whistling Heron was found.  That bird came flying and landed close to the site, disappearing instantaneously due to the overgrown vegetation.  Might it be possible that the Whistling Heron was still in the site and not to notice it?

While waiting, we saw another interesting heron in the site, a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron working in a ditch.  Depending of the angle, also it was disappearing in the tall grass.  Although not completely unexpected, this was also a nice find for the site!

The same was for this Pearl Kite.  Quite common in the area, we saw a pair vocalizing close to us.  This species also came from South America and now is well established in Panamá... the same as the next species.

Yes, the Cattle Egrets aren't native of Panamá, not even of America!  But, as you can see, they are doing extremely well... this individual is showing the bright bare parts indicative of its breeding season.  The heronry is very close the site of the sighting, surely this individual has its nest there (photos of the heronry here).

Did I mention that we saw all three species of anis, including this Smooth-billed Ani?

Again, we spend a terrific day out in the field looking for THE heron... the total list for the two days ascends to 109 species... not bad for pasture lands and marshes!      

Azuero Parakeets in Flores!

You don't see a panamanian endemic everyday. That is why last sunday was so special. Thanks to an invitation made by Osvaldo Quintero, I went with Gloriela, Rafael Luck and Venicio "Beny" Wilson to the southernmost part of the Veraguas province in the western side of the Azuero Peninsula, to the little town of Flores. Our goal: to relocate the panamanian endemic Azuero Parakeet found for the first time by a birder (that is, not by locals) in that side of the Cerro Hoya mountain range by Beny last april. The only idea of having a chance to watch this bird included mounting an expedition, with lot of hiking and climbing, almost no facilities and really serious logistic headaches (read my journey to Cobachon entry and you'll know what I mean)... until now. We left Panama City during the mid-morning of saturday, june 12th heading west along the Panamerican highway. Osvaldo could not go due to personnal issues, the only negative note about this trip; but under the guiding of Beny we were very confident of our chances (Beny is very modest... he is in fact one of the best guides in Panama). We took the road to Atalaya only a few kilometers before reaching Santiago (Veraguas province's capital city) and then the turn-off to the town of Mariato, which we passed stopping only at the little town of Malena where Beny arranged our rooms and the dinner. Then, we drove to Flores, to the finca of Juan Velásquez, which property includes some forested hills adyacent to the Cerro Hoya National Park. We drove under a heavy rainfall, but somehow we found common species like Great and Cattle Egrets, tons of White Ibises, Red-breasted Blackbirds and Eastern Meadowlarks. A dark bird spotted by Beny turned to be an adult Bare-throated Tiger-Heron. These Tiger-Herons are common along the peninsula's coast, as well in some insular areas (my photo is from El Ciruleo, in the eastern side of the peninsula). The road is very escenic, with impressive beaches and hills. Once at Juan's place, his family welcomed us by saying that the parakeets have been regular during the morning around the house, feeding in fig and nance trees that abound around the property (which have the Playita river and its valley as backyard!). They are present from april to july, the rest of the year they live high in the mountain range according to Juan. The interest of this family in preserving the land for the parakeets (and other wildlife) is admirable. They are constructing a little cabin for the visitors, but until it is finished, Juan is charging $10.00/person for visiting the property, proving to his neighbors that there are others ways to profit that do not involve logging the forest. We spent the night in Malena, after an excellent fish dinner. The next day (sunday, june 13th) we had breakfast at our cabin and started our way to Flores. We drove all the way to the cabin at Juan's property, who accompanied us in our search of the parakeet. The first bird that appeared for photos was a magnificent King Vulture perched atop a tree, having a sunbath. It was a sub-adult because it had some black feathers in the back. That multi-coloured head is something special! We quickly found many birds typical of the pacific slope savanas, like Mouse-colored Tyrannulet, Groove-billed Anis, Bronzed Cowbirds, a pair of Pearl Kites, many Blue Ground-Doves of both sexes and two very special birds: a female Orange-collared Manakin (in a nance tree) and a Black-hooded Antshrike; both of them restricted to the western pacific slope of Panama and southeastern Costa Rica (not exactly in savanas). While admiring the valley of the Playita river and the birds, Juan pointed us a flock of 15 or 16 Azuero Parakeets that flew close to us, passed the car and landed over a fig tree full with fruits (we could have seen the birds from the car!!!). Great! the birds were quietly feeding with the figs, allowing us to take some photos. They stayed for 15 minutes more or less to then fly away inland. We followed Juan while searching the birds, finding them after 15 minutes in a forested area. They were engaged in social activities, as you can see in the short video filmed by Gloriela through Beny's scope with her point-and-shoot camera. Four birds are preening, two of them preening each other intimately! (more and better videos at Beny's YouTube account). We also saw a pair copulating and other ones "kissing" each other.

We enjoyed the birds and its chattering calls, while a Violaceous Trogon was singing nearby. Then, a troop of White-faced Capuchins scared the parakeets, that flew to a nearby nance tree. We relocated again the birds under the vigilance of a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl that acted as a witness of our joy and happiness. It is always nice to find an owl in the day-time, specially one so cute, don't you think? The parakeets were eating nance this time, very low in the tree an allowing extremely close approaching by us. They were very confident of people, and we got excellent shots of them, both with our DSLR's and by digiscoping (Gloriela is much better than me in that technique because she always does "digimicroscoping" at her work). What a glorious moment, and what a cooperative flock of birds. I don't know if they were as curious as we were. The birds flew to another nance tree in a nearby hill. It is a real spectacle to see a flock of these birds flying with their blue flight feathers and red tails and rumps. They looked like tiny Great Green Macaws, that also occur in the area, but not that day. We reluctantly said good-bye to Juan and his family, finding a different flock of 5 or 6 parakeets close to their house (confirming Juan's statement of the coexistence of several flocks in the area). It was a long way to Panama City, again under a heavy rainfall most of the way. Still we are thrilled by the experience! Thank you Beny for showing us the easy way to see one of Panama's most extraordinary endemics. If you still need that bird, or simply want to see it again, don't hesitate to contact Beny, it is a great experience!

The Journey to Cobachon

After saying good bye to our captain in El Ciruelo, we headed west away from Pedasí. The road is in very good condition all the way to Cambutal, except by the stretch between Cañas and Tonosí. The Mourning Doves were abundant along the road, and even we saw a covey of Crested Bobwhites crossing it. We arrived to Cambutal before noon and parked our car where the asphalt road ends. After asking for some directions and tips, we started to walk the dirt road to Cobachon, a little town in the coast 22 km away. The first 10 km were more or less flat, but then it became hilly and gruelling. The rain accompanied us almost all the way and we had little time because it was getting dark. Anyway, we enjoyed the beauty of the landscapes, the furious sea breaking into the rocky coast, the long and desolate beaches meeting the forested hills full of colourful crabs and the chilly streaming rivers along the way. Despite the hurry, we saw some birds on the way. A Bare-throated Tiger-Heron in the Peña Blanca river and a Black-hooded Antshrike close to the Portobelo river were the highlights. After 6.5 hours (and slightly sad, thinking that we wouldn't make it), we reached an open grassy area with a old sign in its far end, close to the beach. Only after checking it with my binoculars I realize that we reached Cobachon!!, but wait a minute... the place seemed as a ghost town... without sign of life. After 10 long minutes, we saw two kids playing in the beach and soon his smiling dad introduced himself as Daniel Saénz. I immediately recognized the name... he is listed in the book Where to find birds in Panama as THE one can guide you around the place. We were lucky to find him in town. Nicely, he offered us his house and a hot dinner, quickly prepared by his wife. We talked that night about a lot of things, including the Azuero Parakeet. Soon he was telling me about Francisco Delgado, Robert Ridgely, the Englemans and many others that he guided before to Cerro Hoya. He knows many english names of birds and knows very well the behavioral aspects of the parakeet (where and when it occurs, what it eats, its calls, and so on...), and we agree to work out early the following day to look for the parakeet. The Azuero Parakeet was discovered in 1979 by Francisco Delgado and is endemic of the Cerro Hoya and surroundings in the Azuero peninsula. First described as a subspecies of the south american Painted Parakeet, its differences in plumage and its amazing isolation prove to be a different species. Cerro Hoya itself is an unique ecosystem at the Azuero peninsula and is protected by the national park that bears the same name. In the morning of july 21st, we started hiking along the Cobachon river, entering its valley. After an hour, we started climbing the hills looking for the flocks to appear. Soon, Daniel found the first (of many) pair of Great Green Macaws eating quietly the fruits of a nance tree (Byrsonima crassifolia). When they flew across the valley, we admired theirs long and colourful tails and blue flight feathers, contrasting with the green body... amazing! Then, Daniel saw a group of at least 12 Azuero Parakeets perched on a Higueron (Ficus sp.) that flew directly toward us and perched very close...WOW... the Azueros right in front of us and I was so excited watching them that I did not manage to take photos in that moment. What a beautiful bird, hard to describe... and so unique! We found later a different group eating from the fruiting higuerones and guarumos (Cecropia sp.) and I managed to take some blurry photos, but at least the bird is recognizable. The experience revived us since, in spite of our weariness, we descended from the hill, packed our things, say goodbye to the Saénz family and tackled the return, arriving to Cambutal at 7 p.m. That night we got some analgesic and antiinflamatory pills... every single muscle fiber was hurting. I still have a swollen ankle and Gloriela barely moves... but we are happy with the experience. After all, no pain no birds.

Well, are you ready to look for the Azuero Parakeet at Cobachon? Here are some tips:

1. Announce that you are going: Cobachon only has three families, and maybe only Daniel can guide you around, so it is better to count with him. Leave a message with Radio Peninsula (995-4214).

2. Hire a boat in Cambutal: the ride is more or less one hour and they charge you around a hundred dollars the round trip. Ask for the service in the Casa González (where the asphalt road ends).

3. If you want to take the scenic road, then plan it with time: the topography is difficult and the road does not have any sign. The locals will tell you that it can be walked in 5 hours, but they are used to walk long distances and they know shortcuts through the beaches to skip the hills. The road climbs eight hills, the third one being specially demanding. Ask everyone you cross in the way for directions, because you have to turn aside of the road while climbing the sixth hill (be kept to the coast)

4. Read all you can about the road and the place (Where to find birds in Panama, Almanaque Azul -spanish only-, the web, and so on...).

Happy birding!

And The Action Continues...

That's right. We didn't stop after the Santa Fe fieldtrip. Instead, we headed south to the Azuero Peninsula and stayed in the town of Pedasí (hometown of the first woman president of Panama). We wake up early on monday morning and meet our captain at El Ciruelo port (with an adult Bare-throated Tiger-Heron close to the beach). Our destination: the Frailes islands and its colony of seabirds. The last time I visited the islands, there were no terns on it (you can read a narrative of that trip here). The only other occasion I visited the islands was more than ten years ago and back then I did not notice any Sooty Tern, despite the fact that the islands were full of breeding birds (maybe simply I was unable to separate them from the Bridled Terns). This time I was prepared and, after reading some fieldguides and seeing many plates, I printed in my mind the following differences to look in the Sooties:

1. Heavier look with broader wings

2. Less white in the underwing
3. Less contrast between crown and mantle

4. Lack of complete white nape collar

5. Bigger white forehead patch not extending behind the eye

Maybe you can pick apart the Sooty Tern from these pics:

As you can see, we saw both of them, the Bridleds being commoner, and the Sooties restricted to south Frailes Islands, where we noticed another thing: the low pitched voice of the Sooties, quite different from the high nasal calls of the Bridleds. Other birds seen breeding in the islands were the Brown Noddies (the commonest) and the Brown and Blue-footed Boobies. There were also Brown Pelicans and Magnificent Frigatebirds, but none seemed to be breeding in the islands. On the way back, between Frailes north and south, we saw a lonely Galapagos Shearwater close to the boat. The sea and the clouds cooperated and gave us a calm return to mainland, where we prepared ourselves for the next journey.