 |
| Fiery-billed Aracari |
A
series
of seven illustrated posts from the trip have been published on my
blog (search “Panama” on
http://sunshinecoastbirds.blogspot.com.au/
).
We
visited major sites in the Darien in the east of the country near the
Colombia border; in central Panama; and in the Chiriqui highlands in
the west near the Costa Rica border. Trails
were muddy and steep in places. Trips
of this nature are not
easy, especially
with a large group.
However
we
were
fortunate with the weather, losing very little birding time to rain,
and frequently overcast conditions kept
temperatures
in check to
some extent.
We
had no mechanical difficulties although the bus could have been more
comfortable.
 |
| The group and support staff, Rancho Frio |
The
biggest challenge of the trip was always going to be the assault on
Cerro Pirre in the Darien – a key and difficult-to-access site for
many regional endemics
and specialties. We had three full days in this area in addition to
two travel days so hard
decisions had to be made about how the time should best be utilised.
Our base for this part of
the trip was Rancho Frio, the headquarters of Darien National Park.
We had three
nights at Rancho Frio and two
nights camping
on Cerro Pirre, with our gear being transported up steep tracks by
Isaac's excellent team of porters
and other workers.
 |
| Porters on Cerro Pirre |
We
spent
the first of the three days in the lowland forests around Rancho
Frio. This
was a good move because we cleaned up most of the lowland and lower
foothill specialties, allowing more time to look for mid-elevation
species on our way up Cerro Pirre on
the second day. The first
camping night
was
at mid-elevation (640m) at camp
site called Rancho Plastico.
The group split for the second night, with some again camping at
Plastico and others ascending to a ridge camp at 1100m.
Some specialties
are found only on the higher slopes but not everybody could camp
up there, in part because of the physical challenges involved in the
very steep climb and also
because provisions for a second camping party were limited. With the
benefit of hindsight, I believe it would have been better for the
whole group to have camped both nights at Plastico, with those
wishing to go up to the
ridge leaving early in the
morning and returning in the
afternoon.
It
would have made operations
much easier logistically and
prevented tensions that can arise when guides and other resources
are split. While
formidable and challenging, the climb to the top was
not as dire as some reports suggest and
can be done quite easily in a full day if participants are reasonably
fit.
 |
| Plastico Camp - Cerro Pirre |
With the benefit of hindsight, I believe it would have been better for the whole group to have camped both nights at Plastico, with those wishing to go up to the ridge leaving early in the morning and returning in the afternoon. It would have made operations much easier logistically and prevented tensions that can arise when guides and other resources are split. While formidable and challenging, the climb to the top was not as dire as some reports suggest and can be done quite easily in a full day if participants are reasonably fit.
 |
| Isaac Pizaro on Rio Chucumaque |
PARTICIPANTS Greg
Roberts (leader, Australia), Euclides Campos (guide, Panama), Ketil
Knudsen (Norway), Niels Poul
Dreyer (Denmark), Taus Rasmussen
(Denmark), Jeff Skevington (Canada), Jonathan Newman (United
Kingdom), Bill Watson (Australia), Barbara De Witt (United States).
 |
| Cerro Pirre |
DIARY
September 29. I
arrived in Panama City following a 27-hour sojourn from Brisbane via
Los Angeles. Overnight in the very nice and birdy Radisson
Summit Hotel.
September 30.
Birding in the forest which surrounds the hotel.
 |
| Radisson Summit Hotel |
October 1. The
first day of the 21-day tour
but the day before our
travelling
began. Some
of us who arrived early
hired Kilo for a morning
excursion to Chagres National Park,
a nice area of lowland
rainforest not far from the
hotel. Good sightings
included exceptionally close-up views of the endemic Yellow-green
Tyrannulet. Blue Cotinga,
Connecticut Warbler and White-whiskered Puffbird were seen.
October 2.
Today we visited the famed Pipeline Road
in Soberania National Park, also not far from the hotel. We spent the
day walking the shaded road, scoring nicely with Spotted Antbird,
Russet-winged Shiffornis and Streak-breasted Antpitta. An
Agami Heron close to the track was an unexpected bonus.
 |
| Birding Pipeline Road |
October 3.
We left the hotel early,
crossing the Panama Canal and heading east along the Pan-American
Road to the Bayano lowlands,
where we had Black Antshrike in scrub
by the Rio Mono.
We birded some more scrub
near Torti along the
Rio Torti, finding
Pacific Antwren and Double-banded Greytail. Lunch was at the Hotel
Torti where we were entertained by an abundance of hummers at the
feeders including Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Snowy-bellied
Hummingbird and Long-billed Starthroat. We packed small bags for our
foray into the Darien and left our main luggage cases, laptops and
the like in storage at the hotel to pick up on the way back; this was
necessary because the travel arrangements for
the Darien are
not adequate to handle large bags. We headed further to east to
Meteti, overnighting
in the basic but pleasant Meteti Hotel.
 |
| Guide Euclides (Kilo) Campos |
October 4.
We checked out some
secondary scrub and grassland east of Metiti early in the morning,
then had some very good
birding at the eastern end of the Pan-American Road, especially
roadside in forest patches within
15km of Yaviza,
the busy port
town where the road terminates. Here we saw Grey-cheeked Nunlet,
Barred Puffbird, Spot-crowned Barbet and Black Oropendola, along with
Geoffrey's Tamarin. We met Isaac Pizaro and loaded ourselves into a
large motorised canoe for a
1.5-hour journey up the Rio
Chucumaque to the town of El
Real. After lunch we crowded
into an ancient truck for a 10km drive to the edge of the forest. We
then hiked
6km through
the forest to Rancho
Frio, the national park
headquarters. Our trek was interrupted by the sight of an imposing
and much-wanted dark phase
Crested Eagle – one of the
most difficult neotropical raptors to see - perched high in a tree
above the track. This was near the spot where a pair of Harpy Eagles
had for several years nested successfully until earlier this year,
when one of the adults was shot by locals; the people
evidently were angry that their demands for money from visiting
birders in a national park buffer zone were refused. After a long and
eventful day, we arrived in the late afternoon at Rancho Frio,
pleasantly located in a clearing in the forest beside a fast-running
stream, ideal for bathing. Our
baggage arrived
on the backs of three horses. Accommodation
was in a shared dormitory.
 |
| Yaviza |
October 5.
A day on the lowland and lower foothill forest trails around Rancho
Frio. It started well with Viridian Dacnis and Choco Sirystes near
the buildings. Soon after we had a pair of Sapayoa – the only one
of the world's 234 bird
families that I had not seen. In
the same area we saw Slaty-winged Foliage-gleaner and
Lemon-spectacled Tanager. A Speckled Mourner foraging mid-canopy was
another species that is difficult to find elsewhere.
Late in the day, when we
thought it couldn't get much better, Kilo was alarmed when he heard,
close to the track, the sound of what he thought was the gnashing of
tusks of potentially dangerous White-lipped Peccaries. Instead, out
of the thick ground cover popped a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, which
perched briefly on a log before fluttering into the undergrowth;
unfortunately half the group missed the bird.
October
6. The
porters had gone up the steep slopes of Cerro
Pirre yesterday
to set up our mid-elevation camp at Plastico.
Early on our
hike up the mountain we
scored with Plumbeous Hawk - another difficult neotropical raptor.
Then came a suite of highly desirable mid-elevation birds: Tody
Motmot, Yellow-eared Toucanet, Dull-mantled Antbird, Black-and-yellow
Tanager, White-ruffed Manakin and best of all, Wing-banded Antbird.
This is probably the best place to see Wing-banded Antbird and our
excellent
views
of 2 birds on the slopes below the trail were among the trip
highlights.
The
camp at Plastico was basic with small tents under the cover of a
large plastic sheet. Unfortunately, sleeping mats we thought would be
provided did not materialise, evidently
due to a misunderstanding. Most
of us were content enough to put up with the discomforts in the
knowledge that getting a large group up this mountain was never going
to be a fairy tale logistically.
Kilo
and the guys went the extra mile to meet
various requests, to
the point of compromising their own comfort.
In
the late afternoon during a steep walk down to a stream, we saw more
Sapayoas.
 |
| Snowy-bellied Hummingbird |
October
7.
This
day presented new challenges because the group divided, with most
heading uphill to another camp on the ridge at 1100m. Not everybody
could or was able to go up
to the ridge
for various reasons (see
discussion above)
so some
remained
at
Plastico for
the second camping night.
Those who ascended
further
were rewarded with the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker not far from
camp, and further up with
a feeding flock of Blue-fronted Parrotlets - a species normally seen
only as a quick fly-by, if at all. Brown-billed Scythebill was
another welcome addition to the list.
Higher up still, Cerro Pirre's
specialties emerged in the form of Varied Solitaire and Pirre
Hemispingus, while Tooth-billed Hummingbird and Violet-throated
(Emerald) Toucanet put in appearances. At the summit, Pirre
Hummingbird and Sooty-headed Wren showed nicely, while most of the
group saw Pirre Warbler and Choco Tapaculo. Late in the day, some of
us had crippling views of a nicely co-operative Black-crowned
Antpitta – another species high on our wishlists - close to
Plastico camp.
October 8. The good
fortune of those at the top continued in the form of Black-eared
Woodquail, Russet-crowned Quail-Dove and Beautiful Treerunner. Those
who remained at Plastico made do with great views of Central American
Pygmy-Owl, Ornate Hawk-Eagle and another Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker.
All us eventually made our way slowly back down the steep trail to
Rancho Frio in the afternoon. Not long before sunset, a fledgling
Crested Eagle close to camp made quite a din as it begged for food
from parents unseen. Around the camp, Crested Owl and Choco
Screech-Owl were heard but not seen.
 |
| The boat at El Real |
October 9. Our journey
to Rancho Frio in reverse: hiking back through the forest, a truck
ride to El Real, then the boat back to Yaviza, this time at low tide
with good numbers of waterbirds feeding along the shores. We headed
west to fetch our luggage at the Hotel Torti then moved on to our
next destination: Burbayar Lodge in the Caribbean foothills of
central-east Panama. This lodge had long been a primary destination
for birders in Panama but in recent years, many have reported
problems with booking accommodation.
October 10. We walked
some of steep and muddy trails a few kilometres from the lodge in
Nusagandi – a large forest reserve owned by local Indian
communities. We saw Crimson-bellied Woodpecker, Tawny-capped
Euphonia and Striped (Western) Woodhaunter along with our only large
ant swarm of the trip, with attendants including several obliging
Ocellated Antbirds.
 |
| Burbayar Lodge |
October 11. Early in
the morning we scoped a Plumbeous Hawk from the lodge on a slope
across a valley. We visited a forested gully in another area near the
lodge, seeing yet more Sapayoas (a total of 12-14 were seen during
the trip) and Sulphur-rumped Tanager. Some of the group in the
afternoon visited another site to connect with Speckled Antshrike.
October 12. A day
largely in transit, heading west back across the Panama Canal to the
resort town of El Valle, located in a volcanic crater in
Panama's central highlands, where we stayed in the Anton Valley
Hotel.
October 13. We visited
some nice forest patches around Cerro Gaital and second-growth scrub
near El Valle, seeing Pale-vented Thrush, Garden Emerald and Northern
Schiffornis. With the benefit of hindsight we did not need to visit
this site, but it was intended as back-up for key targets such as
Black-crowned Antpitta and Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, which we
unexpectedly cleaned up in the Darien.
 |
| Las Lajas |
October 14. We
continued west on a long drive to Las Lajas, a coastal site in
north-west Panama, where after some effort along the main road to the
beach we spotted the local specialty – a male Veraguan mango,
another Panama endemic. We moved on through the city of David to the
Chiriqui Highlands town of Volcan, where we booked into the
delightful Hotel Dos Rio.
 |
| Volcan Hotel Dos Rio |
October 15. This
morning early we headed to the Volcan foothills site of Cuesta de
Piedra, a 30-minute drive from the hotel, where we ticked off
regional specialties including Cherrie's Tanager and Costa Rica
Brushfinch. Eye-ringed Flatbill, seen by some on Cerro Pirre, was
present. We moved on to Volcan Lakes, seeing Orange-collared Manakin
in remnant scrub and the distinctive Chiriqui race of Masked
Yellowthroat.
 |
| Volcan Lakes |
October 16. We had the
whole day on the upper slopes (between 1800 and 2500m) of Volcan
Buru National Park along the Los Quetzales Trail. Here in the
beautiful cloud forest we had a feast of specialties shared with
neighbouring Costa Rica, where many are more difficult to find than
in Panama. Early in the morning we had mixed flocks lower down
including Scintillant Hummingbird, Black-cheeked Warbler and
White-throated Mountain-Gem. Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher was in the
mix along with Volcano Hummingbird and Resplendent Quetzal higher up.
 |
| Volcan Baru National Park |
At the highest point of our
walk we connected nicely with a Zeledonia, or Wrenthrush – likely
to eventually have a family of its own – in the undergrowth; we
were to snatch glimpses of a couple more as the day progressed.
Silvery-fronted Tapaculo was another skulker that showed briefly at
first, then very well on the track. Then came two much-wanted
specialties in quick succession - a flock of 8-10 Silvery-throated
Jays and an Ochraceous Peewee; both species are challenging to find
elsewhere. The day was capped off by a vocal Costa Rica Pygmy-Owl
tracked down after some effort.
October 17. We checked
out of the hotel and moved to another scenic highlands tourist town –
Boquete, where we booked into Boquete Tree-trek at 1400m.
Along the road in the afternoon we saw several Dark Peewees and a
flock of Sulphur-winged Parakeets, while a probable Maroon-chested
Ground-Dove flew across the road, not to be found again.
 |
| Boquete Tree-trek |
October 18. We had a
long (2.5 hours) drive to Fortuna Reserve on the Continental
Divide that separates the Pacific and Caribbean slopes of western
Panama. We began on the Pacific side at about 1000m with good numbers
of hummingbirds including White-bellied Mountain-Gem, Snowcap and
Black-bellied Hummingbird; the latter two were unexpected but most
welcome. Another vocal Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl attracted large numbers
of hummers and other birds. Blue-and-gold Tanager, a Panama endemic,
showed nicely and was not uncommon along the road. On the Caribbean
side, we headed down a forest trail and scored stunning views of two
highly desirable birds: Lattice-tailed Trogon and Ochre-breasted
Antpitta. On another trail from where the Caribbean Sea glistened in
the distance, a Black-headed Ant-thrush showed nicely.
 |
| Continental Divide at Fortuna |
October 19. In the
morning, we birded the road close to the hotel, adding Philadelphia
Vireo to the list, before moving on to David and east to the town of
San Felix, where we booked into a basic hotel.
October 20. We were up
early for a 1.5-hour drive northwards to the cloud forest of Cerro
Santiago. It was dark when we arrived to the loud calling of a
Dusky Nightjar by the road. We saw 1 or 2 birds fly by closely and
Ketil managed to photograph one with the improbable aid of a
smartphone torch. As dawn broke, we had several Streak-breasted
Treehunters about along with our main target – Yellow-green Finch,
another Panama endemic. Our birding success was followed by a long
drive back to Panama City, where we again booked into the Radisson
Summit.
 |
| Ochraceous Peewee |
October 21. A day of
rest and contemplation. With the benefit of hindsight, I would not
have organised things much differently. If we had known we were going
to do so well in the Darien, we would not have gone to El Valle; we
could have done with an extra night on Cerro Pirre, but the
logistical challenges were substantial. Nor do I think we should have
split the overnight camping into two groups for the second night on
Cerro Pirre.
Unfortunately it happens
sometimes with large group excursions that an individual may be more
concerned with his or her personal comforts than with the interests
of the group; that adds to the challenges of running an already
difficult operation. However, we had outstanding success birdwise,
making up for the relatively minor pitfalls and annoyances. Most of
these were outside the control of what for the most part was an
excellent and highly motivated group of experienced and enthusiastic
birders. And many thanks to Kilo and Jose Carlos again for their
wonderful work.
October 22. A dude
visit to Panama Canal. Birding over, for the time being.
October 23. Another
dude visit – to Casco Viejo, the Old City of Panama.
October 24. Depart
Panama City.
See the full report on Surfbirds for the annotated list of species:
http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=2628
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