Panama: Chiriqui Highlands Jan 26—Feb 01, 2009
Posted by Kevin Zimmer
Kevin Zimmer
Kevin Zimmer has authored three books and numerous papers dealing with field identification and bird-finding in North America. His book, Birding in the American West: A Han...Related Trips
Once again, the highlands of Chiriquí, Panama dished up a wonderful mix of great birds, pleasant weather, lovely accommodations, and good food, made all the better by the superb hospitality of Carlos and his staff at Los Quetzales. We ended up with 238 species in just five days of birding, tying last year's list, and a higher species total than previous tours with the same itinerary. More important, we encountered nearly 40 species of regional endemics, the vast majority of which are found only in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama.
After a one-hour flight from Panama City to David, we hit the ground running. Open country near David yielded the near-endemic Veraguan Mango, perched Brown-throated Parakeets, exceptional views of Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures, and a responsive pair of Striped Cuckoos, among others. A stop in the foothills near San Vicente really paid off, with great views of Olivaceous Piculet, Orange-billed Sparrow, Buff-rumped Warbler, and several regional endemics, including Riverside Wren, eye level studies of a pair of Spot-crowned Euphonias, a dazzling male Orange-collared Manakin, and an inquisitive group of Fiery-billed Aracaris. Clyde turned up the rarest bird of the bunch, a Fasciated Tiger-Heron, which disappeared downstream before most people could get a look.
We awoke to a steady drizzle of rain the next morning, which definitely inhibited both the usual dawn chorus and overall activity at the upper cabins above Los Quetzales. In spite of the rain, birding from the cabin decks was most enjoyable, and the opportunity to duck inside for some coffee/hot chocolate or to warm our hands at the fire was also welcome—it may be Panama, but the mornings are chilly in those mountains! Yellow-thighed Finches with their comical pantaloons and hulking Large-footed Finches (a.k.a. "Sasquatch Finch") were frequent visitors to the deck, as was a female Slaty Finch. Animated Collared Redstarts, restless bands of Black-cheeked Warblers, and noisy Sooty-capped Bush-Tanagers also made several passes, and a responsive pair of Prong-billed Barbets was particularly noteworthy. Most of our attention was aimed at the constant parade of flashy hummingbirds at the feeders, which were dominated by hordes of Magnificent Hummingbirds, while even flashier Violet Sabrewings, White-throated Mountain-gems, Green-crowned Brilliants, Green Violetears, and Stripe-tailed Hummingbirds were regular infiltrators. We watched in vain for the Fiery-throated Hummingbirds that had performed so well for our 2008 group, but received some compensation from the Green-fronted Lancebill that was nesting on the façade of the upper deck of the upper cabin. The forest above the cabins was much quieter than usual (the intermittent rain didn't help), but still produced mixed-species flocks replete with such treats as Spot-crowned Woodcreeper, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Ruddy Treerunner, Black-cheeked Warbler, and Flame-throated Warbler. The singular highlight of the morning came when we found a Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl that sat patiently for prolonged scope studies.
The next morning found us in position at Bajo Grande before dawn, hoping to score a nightbird or two before our early morning quetzal vigil. We scored big with an extremely cooperative Mottled Owl (voted favorite bird of the trip), and just missed on a Dusky Nightjar that was singing loudly from beside the road. Dawn arrived shortly thereafter, and our fruiting trees soon yielded nice looks at multiple Resplendent Quetzals, including two adult males with fabulous trains, and at least 6–8 females. Between scope studies of these spectacular birds, we managed superb views of a pair of Flame-colored Tanagers, a Flame-throated Warbler, and both Brown-capped and Yellow-winged vireos. Less colorful, but equally special, was the Zeledon's Tyrannulet that taped down out of the canopy to the midstory, providing better than average looks at this seldom-seen species. The remainder of the morning was spent in pursuit of more montane birds, netting such prizes as Volcano Hummingbird, Lineated Foliage-gleaner, and Barred Becard. But the biggest treat came at La Amistad International Park, where we taped in a cooperative pair of Wrenthrushes. This unique little bird (also known as the "Zeledonia") is a real phantom of the forest floor—much more often heard than seen—and is endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. This particular pair made several passes, showing off their orange crowns and serenading us with their piercingly thin songs.
The afternoon found us at Finca Dracula where, in addition to a fabulous collection of endemic orchids, we were treated to excellent views of a rarely seen Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, a male Slaty Finch, and multiple Yellow-bellied Siskins feeding at eye level.
Finca Hartmann provided us with a somewhat different assemblage of foothill birds, along with a fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes operation of a shade-coffee plantation. The hospitality of Aliss and the rest of the Hartmann family, and their efforts to produce environmentally friendly coffee while retaining as much remnant foothill forest as possible were especially heartwarming. As always, the main clearing treated us to a continuous procession of new birds, from mixed-species flocks with colorful Bay-headed and Speckled tanagers, to familiar Neotropical migrants from home (e.g. Golden-winged Warblers and Yellow-throated Vireos), to flashy Blue-crowned Motmots and Cherrie's Tanagers snatching bananas from the feeder, to a perched dark-morph Short-tailed Hawk, and a most cooperative pair of White-tailed Emeralds. The forest trail yielded White-ruffed Manakins, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, and a Green Hermit on a song perch. After lunch and our tour of the coffee operation, we moved up to the higher parts of the finca, where we were treated to nice scope studies of Sulphur-winged Parakeets, Emerald (= Blue-throated) Toucanet, Golden-olive Woodpecker, and Dark Pewee. For all of this, the highlight of the day had to be the Spotted Wood-Quail that eventually taped in to view. We were able to watch this lone bird belting out his rollicking song, with head tilted back and crest flared—a really dynamic performance! We ended our day with nice scope studies of a male Dusky Nightjar less than 300 meters from our hotel.
This year we made two different visits to Lagunas de Volcan, which yielded a number of goodies, foremost among them three rare Masked Ducks, and scope-filling views of a most cooperative Pale-billed Woodpecker. Several among us elected to spend our afternoon breaks birding the grounds of our lovely hotel, and in the process turned up avian treats ranging from Scintillant Hummingbird to Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, not to mention point-blank views of such dazzling birds as Violet Sabrewing and Silver-throated Tanager.
All in all, it was a great few days of highland birding, and leaves me eagerly anticipating my return to the land of Resplendent Quetzals, great coffee, and loads of highland endemics.