Panama: Fall at Canopy Tower - October 2026
Dates: October 17 - 24, 2026
Leader: Barry Zimmer
E-bird
Total Species: 240 birds
Click Here to view list.
Overall Summary
Once again, this year’s Canopy Tower tour was a huge success. We enjoyed superb birding from the Tower itself, with spectacular species such as Black-breasted and White-necked Puffbirds, Common Squirrel-Cuckoo, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Green Shrike-Vireo, Golden-hooded Tanager, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, Blue Dacnis, and Green Honeycreeper at or below eye level. Rivers of migrating raptors poured overhead on a couple of days.
Nearby Semaphore Hill yielded such goodies as roosting Crested and Black-and-white Owls and Great Potoo. World-famous Pipeline Road lived up to its reputation. Most memorable was a large ant swarm one afternoon that dazzled us with Ocellated, Spotted, Bicolored, and Chestnut-backed Antbirds; Northern Barred and Plain-brown Woodcreepers; Bright-rumped Attila; and numerous Gray-headed Tanagers, all almost at arm’s length!
The foothills of Cerro Jefe and Cerro Azul yielded a whole different group of birds, including such stunners as Rufous-winged and Bay-headed Tanagers, Shining Honeycreeper, and the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker. The hummingbird show at Jerry & Linda’s may be the best of its kind anywhere in the tropics. We had eleven species (and well over a hundred individuals) within feet of us, including such gems as Violet-capped Hummingbird, Crowned Woodnymph, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, and Green and Long-billed Hermits.
Great Tinamou, Capped and Cocoi Herons, American Pygmy Kingfisher, a pair of Collared Forest-Falcons, fourteen species of antbirds, Streak-chested Antpitta, five species of manakins, and Blue Cotinga—the highlights on our tour were nonstop. Additionally, we had fourteen species of mammals, including Panamanian Night Monkey, Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Mantled Howler Monkey, White-throated Capuchin, and two species of sloth.
Simply put, this was an amazing week in Panama that none of us will soon forget!
Day-by-Day Summary
October 17 – Arrival at the Canopy Tower in the evening
October 18 – Observation deck of tower until 9:45 AM, hummingbird feeders, Semaphore Hill; afternoon to Gamboa (Canopy B & B) & Ammo Dump ponds (85 species; 85 species total)---great success from the tower itself with puffbirds, cuckoos, tanagers and honeycreepers at or below eye level
October 19 – Semaphore Hill & Ammo Dump Ponds briefly, Pipeline Road to the Juan Grande bridge; late afternoon tower watch (104 species; 143 total)----roosting Crested Owl; fruiting tree with nearly 50 species at one spot; antbird swarm
October 20 – Pipeline Road to Panama Rainforest Discovery Center (PRDC), including the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center itself & tower, Pipeline Road to Frijolito bridge, Ammo Dump ponds briefly, Semaphore Hill (77 species; 156 total)---Blue Cotingas, pair of Collared Forest Falcons, roosting Black-and-white Owl
October 21 – Canopy Tower observation deck, Semaphore Hill, Old Gamboa road, Summit Ponds; afternoon to Gamboa Rainforest reserve and marina (129 species; 196 total)----four species of kingfishers, lots of Neotropical migrants
October 22 – Gas stop in Tocumen, Cerro Azul (including the “hummingbird house” of Jerry & Linda Harrison) and Cerro Jefe (81 species; 226 total)---great foothill species, including Rufous-winged tanager and stripe-cheeked woodpecker, eleven species of hummingbirds
October 23 – Metropolitan Park; optional visit to Miraflores Locks in the afternoon for some, tower watch for others (84 species; 238 total)---Lance-tailed Manakin, Black-chested Jay Long-billed Gnatwren and more
October 24 – Departures for home or on to the Canopy Lodge tour
Wildlife Seen:
MAMMALS:
Derby’s (Central American)
Wooly Opossum (Caluromys derbianus)---one on the first night from the dining room at dinner
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)---several great studies (especially of a male from the Tower over three days); six total
Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni)---one on night drive, mother with baby at Metro Park were the best ones; generally, much less common than the preceding species, but we had five total
Geoffroy’s Tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi)---adorable or menacing depending on your viewpoint; great looks from the Tower & Cerro Azul (attacking the banana offerings) almost at arm’s length
White-throated Capuchin (Cebus capuchinus)---maternity group on Pipeline Road one afternoon
Panamanian Night Monkey (Aotus zonalis)---three in a day roost cavity along the highway; uncommon
Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata)----seen & heard on five days, including one from the tower with a baby
Red-tailed Squirrel (Sciurus granatensis)---five total
Variegated Squirrel (Sciurus variegatoides)---one only
Central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata)---many great, close studies; seen every day, with up to fourteen in a day; dreams of “Agouti World”
Brazilian Rabbit (Forest Rabbit) (Sylvilagus brasilensis)---one on night drive bat species
White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica)---twenty one total; many close sightings (especially of “Eduardo”)
Kinkajou (Potos flavus)---fairly regular visitor to tower banana feeding station at night
Total species – 14
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS:
Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)
Brown (Striped) Basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus)
Comon Basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus)
Panama City Anole (Anolis apletophallus)
Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)
Tungara Frog (Engystomops pustulosus)---heard only
Savage’s Thin-toed Frog (Leptodactylus savagei)---a huge beast of a frog; formerly part of the Smoky Jungle Frog complex
Forest Toad (Rhinella alata)---great dead leaf mimic
Mesoamerican Slider (Trachemys venusta)
American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
Total species - 10
BUTTERFLIES:
Thoas Swallowtail (Papilio thoas)
Cattleheart species (Parides sp.)
Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)
Regal Greatstreak (Evenus regalis)
Erato Heliconian (Heliconius erato)
Blue-winged Eurybia Butterfly (Eurybia lycisca)
Orion Cecropian (Historus odius)
Malachite (Siproeta stelenes)
Sister species (Adelpha sp.)
Tropical Buckeye (Junonia evarete)
Orange Banner (Temenis laothoe)
Two-eyed Eight-eight (Callicore pitheas)
Common Morpho (Morpho helenor)
Amathonte Morpho (Morpho amathonte)
Banded Owl Butterfly (Caligo atreus)
Unidentified dark skipper with orange head
Marshall’s Ghost Skipper (Phanus marshalli)
Various other species left unidentified
Total species – 17+
***some of the butterfly identifications were somewhat speculative, but were based on A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico and Central America (Glassberg). This book does not include ranges for Panama making identifications that much more difficult. In some cases, I have listed a species which looks very similar not really knowing if it even occurs in Panama. Many more that were seen, were left unidentified (whites, sulphurs, skippers, etc.). I have tried to include a common name when known.
SIGNIFICANT OTHERS:
Leafcutter ants
Army ants
Geometer Moth
Feigeria herilia
Pachylia moth species
Alheitini moth species
Blue-eyed Setwing
Blue-winged Helicopter
Damselfly (Megaloprepus caerulatus)---(very large damselfly)
Yellow Dobson Fly
Flat-banded Millipede
Robber fly species
Praying mantis species
Walking stick species