August 2011 images from Panama:
Updated: Monday August 29, 2011
On August 3rd, five Texas birders ventured south of the border to spend
twelve days at the famous
Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge
birding centers in central Panama.
Canopy Tower is a converted three-story
RADAR Facility
located in the rainforest of
Soberanía National Park near the town of Gamboa.
It sits atop the highest point, Semaphore Hill.
The roof is an observation deck, which offers panoramic views of the sky
and surrounding hills.
The other floors of the structure offer views of the rainforest from
the canopy, understory, and ground levels.
Canopy Tower is a good location for exploring the
lowland habitats
around the Panama Canal.
Canopy Lodge is located in the hills just north of El Valle de Antón.
This eco-lodge combines rainforest, a rushing stream, and beautiful gardens
in a villa-like setting.
(El Valle and the surrounding area is also known as Crater Valley,
because it is actually the caldera of a huge ancient volcano!)
Canopy Lodge is a good location for exploring the
mountain habitats
of central Panama.
Both locations provide day trips to other locations and habitats, including:
- the internationally famous Pipeline Road and Discovery Center,
- Caribbean Slope habitat along Achiote Road,
- Panamá Canal wetlands (and the train ride back!),
- mountain cloud forests and meadows,
- Pacific Slope lowland fields, woods, and wetlands,
- Pacific Ocean mangroves and beaches,
- local trails and parks,
- marketplaces and historic locations.
I saw a total of 237 birds (a small number were "heard only").
156 were new. Talk about information overload!
I took over 3,400 photographs of 109 bird species during the trip.
Rain forest habitat is very dark even on a sunny day,
and August is in the "rainy season", so we had lots of cloudy days with
afternoon rain showers.
I prefer not to use flash, so I was often shooting at ISO 3200 or even 6400!
As a result some of the photos are grainy due to the digital "noise"
associated with very high ISO settings.
The rest of this web page has location descriptions and lists of birds that
I saw at each major location.
Some of the names can be "clicked" to view photo(s) of that particular bird
taken at that location on that date.
And be sure to "click" on the other links throughout the text to see photos
of scenery, signs, people, and other non-avian "critters"!
Due to the high number of images, I have made a separate page just for
butterflies and other insects.
The itinerary descriptions included below are paraphrased from a detailed
customized itinerary provided by Canopy Tower for our trip.
I did not take all of the outings and trips, so only those I actually took
are included.
Additional details and comments about the trip are also included.
Enjoy the birds and photos below...I certainly did while I was taking them!
Erik Breden
Harlingen, Texas
erik.breden@otterside.com
Canopy Tower Birding Locations (Gamboa, Colon, Panamá City):
Canopy Lodge Birding Locations (El Valle, Juan Hombron, Santa Clara):
Canopy Tower - August 3rd - 8th:
Wednesday, August 3rd:
- AM: Flights to Panama
- PM: Van to Canopy Tower, Arrival, Orientation
- Canopy Tower Observation Deck - Many birds, including toucans, parrots,
tanagers of various types, hawks, and dozens of others, as well as 2 species
of sloths (Two-toed and
Three-toed
), monkeys (
Howler Monkey
, White-faced Capuchin, and
Geoffroy's Tamarin
), and other mammals are commonly seen.
Note how long the prehensile tail of the
Geoffrroy's Tamarin
is!
- Also from this vantage point you can see ships transiting the Panama Canal,
the majestic Centennial Bridge, and miles of rainforest!
- Dinner at CANOPY TOWER
- Brown Pelican
- Magnificent Frigatebird
- Great Egret
- Black Vulture
- Turkey Vulture
- King Vulture
- Yellow-headed Caracara
- Bat Falcon
- Laughing Gull
- Rock Pigeon
- Scaled Pigeon
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- Cocoa Woodcreeper
-
Western Slaty-Antshrike
- Dusky-capped Flycatcher
- Tropical Kingbird
- Blue Cotinga
- Palm Tanager
- Green Honeycreeper
- Great-tailed Grackle
- Scarlet-rumped Cacique
|
Semaphore Hill Road - August 4th:
Thursday, August 4th:
- AM: Canopy Tower & Semaphore Hill Road
- At the Observation Deck for early morning birding, enjoy hot coffee,
tea and orange juice.
- After breakfast start exploring Soberanía National Park by taking a
pleasant walk down Semaphore Hill Road.
This winding, shady, paved road, is festooned on the shoulders by
delicate plants,
colorful wildflowers
of many types, and
delicate fungi.
It is a little more than a mile long and crosses a large creek
about half-way down, where
White-lined Bats
sleep under the bridge.
The bird list here is extensive, and includes birds from the forest interior
as well as edge-dwellers.
- Lunch at the CANOPY TOWER
Ammo Dump Ponds - August 4th:
Thursday, August 4th:
- PM: Ammo Dump Ponds & Environs (15 min. from Canopy Tower)
- The Ammo Dump Ponds are located just past Gamboa on the way to
Pipeline Road.
It is the best place to see the elusive White-throated Crake, as well as a
host of other waterbirds. Your
experienced and knowledgeable guide
will make every effort to find these birds.
- Dinner at CANOPY TOWER
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-
Gray-breasted Martin
- Mangrove Swallow
- Southern Rough-winged Swallow
- Barn Swallow
- Blue-gray Tanager
- Blue-black Grassquit
- Variable Seedeater
- Ruddy-breasted Seedeater
- Thick-billed Seed-Finch
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Achiote Road / Providencia / Fort San Lorenzo Park / Panama Canal - August 5th:
Friday, August 5th:
- Achiote Road / Providencia / Fort San Lorenzo Park / Panama Canal
(2 hrs. from Canopy Tower; Panamá Canal Railroad) FULL DAY
- Achiote Road provides the best of Caribbean slope birding and is the site
of the famous Christmas Bird Count record held by the Panamá Audubon Society.
The species total in this area can exceed 340 in a 24-hour period, making
it among the top locations worldwide. Habitats here are more open than other
forested locations.
- Visit
San Lorenzo National Park,
and bird, as this
sign
suggests.
Another
sign
ensures that visitors stay on the roads and marked trails!
- The park includes the old Spanish fortress of
San Lorenzo,
a World Heritage Site.
Built on a promontory at the entrance of the Chagres River,
it is a perfect defensive position.
Fort San Lorenzo was the last bastion of the Spanish Empire on the mainland
of the Americas.
The fort was captured in 1671 by the infamous Pirate Henry Morgan who later
sacked and burned Panama City.
- While searching the Mangroves for birds, keep an eye out for the beautiful
Jack-o-Lantern Crab,
which often rests on the exposed roots.
- Have a
picnic lunch
under a
Strangler Fig Tree
along the banks of the Chargres River, and later check out a known
Golden-collared Manakin lek.
- After
additional birding,
drive along the Panama Canal, observing
shipping traffic
while waiting for
"one-lane" bridges
to clear.
Take note of infrastructure benefits of the "Big Ditch", such as this
hydroelectric plant.
- Finally, return by train in a luxury, air-conditioned
railway car on the historic Panamá Canal Railroad.
This was the first "transcontinental" railroad in the Western Hemisphere
when it opened in 1855.
- Dinner at CANOPY TOWER
Metropolitan Natural Park - August 6th:
Saturday, August 6th:
- AM: Metropolitan Natural Park, Panama City - The Metropolitan Natural
Park is is the only wildlife refuge located within Panama City boundaries.
It is part of the Biological Corridor located along the east shore of the
Panama Canal, the Camino de Cruces and Soberanía National Park.
The existence of this extensive protected area along with others ensures
the efficiency of the Panama Canal, which requires large quantities of water.
It also protects a large area of rainforest, creating the perfect habitat
for species that requires large forest areas.
- The wet nature of the forest supports many colorful
mushrooms and fungi,
as well as the somewhat enigmatic
Leaf Frog.
which has developed different
colorations
to help it
blend into its environment.
- Picnic lunch in the Park amid a field of
flowering grasses.
- PM: Chagres River North / Gamboa Grounds
- Bird along the river banks and in the accompanying forest edges.
- Dinner at CANOPY TOWER
- Little Tinamou
- Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
- Great Egret
- Black Vulture
- Turkey Vulture
- Short-tailed Hawk
- Rock Pigeon
- Gray-chested Dove
- Red-lored Parrot
-
Squirrel Cuckoo
-
Common Potoo
- Violet-bellied Hummingbird
- White-vented Plumeleteer
-
Black-throated Trogon
- Slaty-tailed Trogon
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-
Broad-billed Motmot
- Collared Araçari
- Keel-billed Toucan
- Plain Xenops
- Cocoa Woodcreeper
-
Fasciated Antshrike
- Western Slaty-Antshrike
-
Dot-winged Antwren
- Dusky Antbird
- White-bellied Antbird
- Brown-capped Tyrannulet
- Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet
- Southern Bentbill
- Common Tody-Flycatcher
- Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher
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- Lesser Greenlet
- Rufous-breasted Wren
- Rufous-and-white Wren
- Song Wren
- Long-billed Gnatwren
- Rosy Thrush-Tanager
- White-shouldered Tanager
- Red-throated Ant-Tanager
- Blue-gray Tanager
- Palm Tanager
- Blue Dacnis
- Green Honeycreeper
- Variable Seedeater
- Great-tailed Grackle
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Pipeline Road - August 7th:
Sunday, August 7th:
- World Famous Pipeline Road (20 min. from Canopy Tower) FULL DAY
- After a brief stop at Ammo Dump Ponds (at the public access beginning of
Pipeline Road), continue along Pipeline Road to the "official" gated entrance
station.
- Pipeline Road
("Camino del Oleoducto" in Spanish),
is named because it runs alongside, and provides access to,
an oil pipeline built as an emergency backup if the Panama Canal was ever
closed or destroyed by an attack or natural disaster.
The pipeline was never used, and is now in a state of disrepair.
Indeed, small sections of the pipeline are damaged or missing completely.
- But, the road provides some of the best birding in Panama!
Eight species of wrens, 5 trogons, 4 puffbirds, 3 motmots, and many tanagers
and flycatchers are often found.
Army ant swarms are found occasionally, attended by a host of birds.
The road crosses several rivers, providing opportunities for kingfishers
and other "water" birds.
- Enjoy a nice picnic lunch along Pipeline Road
- After continuing further along Pipeline Road, return to the entrance
station and visit the Discovery Center, which has interpretive exhibits,
a small gift/snack shop, and hummingbird feeders.
- Dinner at CANOPY TOWER
- Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
- Anhinga
- Rufescent Tiger-Heron
- Tiny Hawk
- Yellow-headed Caracara
- White-throated Crake
- Laughing Gull
- White-tipped Dove
- Smooth-billed Ani
- Great Potoo
- Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
-
Long-billed Hermit
-
Stripe-throated Hermit
-
Violet-bellied Hummingbird
- Blue-chested Hummingbird
-
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
- White-vented Plumeleteer
- Slaty-tailed Trogon
- Broad-billed Motmot
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- Black-breasted Puffbird
- Keel-billed Toucan
- Lineated Woodpecker
- Crimson-crested Woodpecker
- Cocoa Woodcreeper
-
Black-striped Woodcreeper
- Fasciated Antshrike
- Western Slaty-Antshrike
- Spot-crowned Antvireo
- Checker-throated Antwren
- White-flanked Antwren
- Chestnut-backed Antbird
- Spotted Antbird
- Black-faced Antthrush
- Streak-chested Antpitta
- Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant
- Southern Bentbill
- Common Tody-Flycatcher
- Brownish Twistwing
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- Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher
- Social Flycatcher
- Tropical Kingbird
- Purple-throated Fruitcrow
- Gray-breasted Martin
- Mangrove Swallow
- Bay Wren
- Clay-colored Thrush
- Tropical Mockingbird
- White-shouldered Tanager
- Blue-gray Tanager
- Palm Tanager
- Green Honeycreeper
- Variable Seedeater
- Great-tailed Grackle
- Yellow-tailed Oriole
-
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
-
Chestnut-headed Oropendola - Nests
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Canopy Lodge - August 8th - 14th:
Monday, August 8th:
- AM: Canopy Tower / Departure to Canopy Lodge
- After a leisurely breakfast and a last look at the birds from the
Observation Deck, board a comfortable air-conditioned van for the 2-hour
ride to El Valle de Antón, also known as Crater Valley.
- This lovely village is nestled in the crater of a long dormant volcano that
last erupted 5 million years ago.
Note that this is only the "second" largest extinct volcano in the world!
The resultant scenery is quite unique: a steep valley surrounded by jagged
peaks and filled with flowers, streams and verdant forests.
- Arrive in time for lunch at CANOPY LODGE
- The Canopy Lodge, sister lodge of the Canopy Tower, is a charming eco-lodge
built next to a bubbling mountain stream and adjacent to the protected area
of Cerro Gaital National Monument.
At 2,400 feet in elevation, it is noticeably cooler and less humid than
Canopy Tower!
- Many species of tanagers and Thick-billed Euphonia are common at the
feeders, along with the occasional
Agouti
(a large member of the Rodent Family), and
Red-tailed Squirrel.
- The other "guests" at the lodge include the fierce-looking, pre-historic
Basilisk Lizard,
best known for its ability to "run" on top of water, and
other lizards
which scurry about looking for an easy meal.
- Dinner at CANOPY LODGE
Las Minas Trail - August 9th:
Tuesday, August 9th:
- AM: Las Minas Trail (20 min. from Canopy Lodge)
- The Las Minas Trail road follows the ridge line, with sweeping vistas of
forested mountains, speckled with grasslands and small fincas.
The views from here are fantastic, and, on a clear day near the summit,
both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans can be seen!
- Lunch at CANOPY LODGE
- PM: Birding and photography at Canopy Lodge
- Dinner at CANOPY LODGE
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- Tropical Kingbird
- Bay Wren
- Rufous-breasted Wren
- Plain Wren
- Southern House Wren
- White-breasted Wood-Wren
-
Tawny-faced Gnatwren
- Bananaquit
- Common Bush-Tanager
- Flame-(Lemon-)rumped Tanager
- Palm Tanager
- Variable Seedeater
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- Yellow-bellied Seedeater
- Yellow-faced Grassquit
- Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch
- Black-striped Sparrow
- Buff-throated Saltator
- Eastern Meadowlark
- Orchard Oriole
- Chestnut-headed Oropendola
-
Tawny-capped Euphonia
-
Tawny-capped Euphonia
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Altos del Maria - August 11th:
Thursday, August 11th:
- Altos del Maria (1 hr. from Canopy Lodge) FULL DAY
- Depart early in the morning after breakfast.
Drive from El Valle in air conditioned 4x4 SUVs back along the Pan-American
Highway and then up into the mountains.
As the sun rises over the highlands ahead,
spectacular mountains,
vast valleys and towering cliffs come into view!
Set in the mountains on the continental divide east of El Valle, Altos del
Maria provides spectacular additional birding opportunities.
Ascend an excellent paved road, and climb a ridge to an expansive area of
cloud forest at 3,600 feet.
This area harbors an exciting variety of highland forest birds.
- After a picnic lunch in the field, drop down into a valley and climb to the
ridge on the opposite side.
Amid large swaths of mature humid forest along this ridge, explore some
trails and roadside spots in search of even more forest birds.
- Dinner at CANOPY LODGE
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- Spotted Barbtail
- Spotted Woodcreeper
- Black-crowned Antpitta
- Yellow-bellied Elaenia
- Rufous-browed Tyrannulet
- Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant
- Tufted Flycatcher
- Olive-sided Flycatcher
- Western Wood-Pewee
- Long-tailed Tyrant
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- Social Flycatcher
- Bananaquit
- Common Bush-Tanager
- Hepatic Tanager
- Silver-throated Tanager
- Variable Seedeater
- Yellow-faced Grassquit
- White-vented Euphonia
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Cerro Gaital - August 12th:
Friday, August 12th:
- AM: Cerro Gaital (20 min. from Canopy Lodge)
- Travel to Cerro Gaital, a steep, forested, mist-shrouded mountain that is
visible from the lodge!
Cerro Gaital (3,500 feet) is the namesake of Cerro Gaital National Monument,
which protects more than 335 hectares of mature cloud forest.
- Lunch at CANOPY LODGE
- PM: Birding and photography at Canopy Lodge
- Dinner at CANOPY LODGE
- Black Vulture
- Turkey Vulture
- Bat Falcon
- Southern Lapwing
- White-tipped Dove
- Red-lored Parrot
- Band-rumped Swift
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- Band-tailed Barbthroat
- Violet-crowned Woodnymph
- Blue-throated (Emerald) Toucanet
- Red-crowned Woodpecker
- Social Flycatcher
- Black-chested Jay
- Common Bush-Tanager
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Juan Hombron Rice Fields / Playa Santa Clara / El Chiru - August 13th:
Saturday, August 13th:
- Juan Hombron Rice Fields / Playa Santa Clara / El Chiru (45 min. from Canopy Lodge) FULL DAY
- A full day of birding in more Dry Pacific Forest
- Juan Hombron rice fields
- Enjoy a picnic lunch at a popular beach at Playa Santa Clara
- El Chiru
- Dinner at CANOPY LODGE
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- Aplomado Falcon
- Southern Lapwing
- Wattled Jacana
- Willet
- Laughing Gull
- Rock Pigeon
- Ruddy Ground-Dove
- White-tipped Dove
-
Brown-throated Parakeet
- Squirrel Cuckoo
- Groove-billed Ani
- Barn Owl
- Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
- Veraguan Mango
- Garden Emerald
- Sapphire-throated Hummingbird
- Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
-
Whooping Motmot
-
Red-crowned Woodpecker
- Pale-breasted Spinetail
- Straight-billed Woodcreeper
- Barred Antshrike
- Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet
- Mouse-colored Tyrannulet
- Yellow Tyrannulet
- Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant
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- Common Tody-Flycatcher
- Panama Flycatcher
- Great Kiskadee
-
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
- Social Flycatcher
- Tropical Kingbird
- Fork-tailed Flycatcher
- Golden-collared Manakin
-
Lance-tailed Manakin
- Yellow-green Vireo
- Scrub Greenlet
- Gray-breasted Martin
- Clay-colored Thrush
- Tropical Mockingbird
- Blue-gray Tanager
- Blue-black Grassquit
- Variable Seedeater
- Ruddy-breasted Seedeater
- Red-breasted Blackbird
- Eastern Meadowlark
- Great-tailed Grackle
- Orchard Oriole
- Crested Oropendola
- Lesser Goldfinch
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