Cerro Pirre in Panama's Darien Province

Ornate Hawk-Eagle 

With the challenge of getting to Rancho Frio (see following post) in Panama's Darien province overcome, the business of birding was seriously underway. The setting for our base looked good: the park ranger station pleasantly located in the midst of the rainforest by a lovely stream. Our first morning saw us in a forest clearing a short distance from the station. We were happy to see Viridian Dacnis, Slaty-throated Gnatcatcher and Choco Sirystes here. We walked various trails in the vicinity of Rancho Frio that day with some memorable ornithological encounters.

Sapayoa was the last of the 234 bird families of the world that I had not seen so I was pleased indeed to finally connect with a pair of these enigmatic birds in a gully not far from the station. Slaty-winged Foliage-gleaner and Lemon-spectacled Tanager were  wanted additions to the list, and we were pleasantly surprised to find a Speckled Mourner – a difficult species anywhere.

Then, late in the afternoon, we heard what at first was thought to be the menacing noise of the grating tusks of angry White-lipped Peccaries. As we were wondering whether we should take to the trees (these animals can be quite aggressive) a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo appeared and perched on a log briefly before fluttering through the dense vegetation for a few metres and disappearing. The noise had been its bill clapping. Unfortunately it was not seen by all, but this is a megatick by any standard and one we were very fortunate to connect with. Our guide Euclides (Kilo) Campos was excellent: attentive, patient and very good at his job. 

Guide Euclides (Kilo) Campos

After two nights at Rancho Frio, we began our trek up the lower slopes of Cerro Pirre to our camp, Plastico, at an elevation of 600 metres. Porters had gone ahead earlier to set up tents, cooking facilities and other camping provisions.

Pit-Viper

It took us 5 hours to get up to Plastico, birding along the way.  Birds were not the only things on our minds. Some of us walked over a venomous Pit-Viper (Porthidium lansbergi) before it was spotted.

Harlequin Frog

A green-and-gold Harlequin Frog (Atelopus glyphus) was one of several delightful amphibians in the leaf litter.

White Hawk

We weren’t too far up the trail before we encountered a Plumbeous Hawk – one of the more difficult neotropical raptors. White Hawk was another nice raptor spotted along the trail.

White-ruffed Manakin

Sapayoa was again encountered while White-ruffed Manakin – the first of quite a few to be seen – showed well. A much desired Wing-banded Antbird was tracked down, this being one of the best sites for this tricky species; 3 or 4 more were to be seen on the mountain. Tody Motmot was other highly desirable target that showed nicely near the sometimes steep and trying trail. 

Plastico camp Cerro Pirre mid-elevation

We arrived at our camp perched on a saddle in the mid-elevation foothills of Cerro Pirre in the early afternoon to find that all had been set up nicely by the hard-working porters and our cook.  That afternoon we walked down a steep slope to a stream, seeing yet another Sapayoa along with a couple of Dull-mantled Antbirds.  Birds seen around the camp and along the nearby ridge included Yellow-eared Toucanet and Black-and-yellow Tanager, while in the early evening, Tawny-faced Quail was heard.

Porters heading to the summit of Cerro Pirre

The next day the group split, with some folk either unwilling or unable to tackle the very steep climb to the ridge camp atop Cerro Pirre at 1150 metres. Half the group camped the second night up on the ridge while the others remained at Plastico camp. I hiked to the summit but returned the same day because logistical difficulties (even water had to be carried up) limited the number of people who could stay at the top. I had heard nightmarish stories about how difficult this climb to the summit was, but in fact it was not nearly as bad as I expected. I was up there in about 4 hours, with some birding along the way.

Endemic-rich high ridges of Cerro Pirre

Not far from Plastico on the way up we encountered a feeding flock that included a much wanted Panamanian endemic - Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker. Further on, a highlight of the ascent was a small group of Blue-fronted Parrotlets feeding near the trail; this species normally is a quick fly-over. A Brown-billed Scythebill showed among another feeding flock while a Violet-throated (Emerald) Toucanet was seen closer towards the summit. Tooth-billed Hummingbird put in a couple of brief appearances.

My time at the top was limited but I saw Varied Solitaire, Pirre Bush-Tanager and Pirre Hummingbird. Birds seen by those who camped included Beautiful Treerunner and Green-naped Tanager. A highlight of the trip came during my descent with Kilo, not long before Plastico camp, when a Black-crowned Antpitta performed magnificently, perched on a limb over the trail as it called and displayed vigorously.

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

After a second night at Plastico, we found a Central American Pygmy Owl calling above the camp in the early morning. As we descended slowly from the camp, a second Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker showed, then a magnificent Ornate Hawk-Eagle was spotted perched above the track.

Fulvous-vented Euphonia

Fulvous-vented Euphonia also showed nicely near the track.  We took our time getting back, arriving back at Rancho Frio in the late afternoon to enjoy the luxury of a cool bath in the stream.  We heard Crested Owl, Choco Screech-Owl and Spectacled Owl about Rancho Frio but failed to see any of them. We did see a most impressive Smoky Jungle Frog (Lepidodactylus pentadactylus) during our final evening at the station. Late in the afternoon of our last day we had a second Crested Eagle – a begging juvenile a short way from Rancho Frio.

Group pic before departing Rancho Frio

Our five-day stay in the area ended with us retracing our steps: hiking back to the forest edge; back in the truck for the drive to El Real; then the boat ride back to Yaviza, where we arrived at lunch-time. This time the tide was low, with numerous waterbirds showing nicely including Grey-necked Wood-Rail and Capped Heron.

Boarding the boat at El Real

Unfortunately I had dropped my camera in a creek on the way out so the boat ride was photo-free (birdwise) for me. The afternoon was occupied with the long drive west to our next destination – Burbayar Lodge; on the way we called in at Torti to pick up the bulk of our luggage.

Free beer on the Pan-American Highway

A lorry had overturned on the road, spilling hundreds of cans of beer, which were quick to be picked up by opportunistic passers-by.  

Entering Panama’s Darien - Torti to Rancho Frio

Crested Eagle

After leaving Panama City (see following post) we headed east, crossing the Panama Canal and along the Pan American Highway.  In the lowlands of the Bayano area, our first stop was in riparian forest along the Rio Mono, where we had nice looks at Black Ant-shrike, a species some of us had missed in Colombia.

Double-toothed Kite

We moved on to the town of Torti, checking out some patches of scrub along the Rio Torti near the town where the much-wanted Double-banded Greytail  and Pacific Antwren showed nicely.  A Double-toothed Kite here was suitably co-operative.

Snowy-bellied Hummingbird

The hummingbird feeders at the Torti Hotel were buzzing with activity. Snowy-bellied Hummingbird and Scaly-breasted Hummingbird were lifers for most.

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

Sapphire-throated Emerald and Long-billed Starthroat added to the colourful display while Rufous-tailed Hummingbird was common.

Long-billed Starthroat

Sapphire-throated Hummingbird

 At Torti we had to made our first preparations for the trip to Darien National Park in the province's lowlands and Cerro Pirre. We left most of our gear in suitcases in the hotel  for security reasons before continuing east, crossing the state border and entering the birding mecca province of Darien. We overnighted in the basic but adequate hotel in the town of Metiti.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

The next morning saw us in some open country near the highway south of Metiti where common and widespread species such as Striped Cuckoo, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Pied Water-Tyrant and Ruddy-breasted Seedeater were added to the list.  Grey-headed and White-throated Crakes were heard.

Striped Cuckoo

Spot-breasted Woodpecker

Ruddy-breasted Seedeater

Further east we checked roadside forest within a few kilometres of the town of Yaviza, where the Pan-American Highway terminates. Here we enjoyed the antics of a couple of groups of Geoffroy’s Tamarin by the road.

Geoffroy's Tamarin

A huge butterfly of the genus Caligo feeding on bananas was a brief distraction from the birds.

Caligo Butterfly

Black Oropendola and Barred Puffbird were welcome additions to the list. Grey-cheeked Nunlet was elusive until we eventually nailed one bird and then another.

Black Oropondola

 Spot-crowned Barbet was another nice find while Greater Anis put on a show.

Greater Anis

At the bustling port of Yaviza on the Rio Chucumaque, our gear, safely secured in waterproof bags, was loaded into our boat for the next leg of the journey into the heart of the Darien lowlands.

Yaviza, Rio Chucumaque

 We were met at the port by our local guide for the Darien trip, Isaac Pizaro, from the Guna Indian tribe.

Isaac Pizaro

We had a pleasant journey of about an hour up the river to the town of El Real, seeing huge numbers of Broad-winged Hawkes on their southward migration.

Migrating Broad-winged Hawks

After lunch at El Real, we loaded our gear and ourselves into a truck for a bumpy 30-minute drive to the edge of the forest. Here, our gear was loaded onto horses while we headed off along a 5km trek to Rancho Frio – the Darien National Park headquarters  where we would spend the next two nights in a basic dormitory.

About half-way along the hike to Rancho Frio we were thrilled to encounter a dark phase Crested Eagle perched above the path high in the trees (see first image). This was at or close to the top of the wishlists of everyone; a spectacular bird indeed.

Deserted Harpy Eagle nest

Nearby was the now deserted nest of a pair of Harpy Eagles that had raised chicks for several years in succession until one of the adults was shot earlier this year - apparently by locals who believed they were not getting enough money from visiting birders. Similar problems have been encountered overseas, highlighting the point that the economic benefits from ecotourism can sometimes be a double-edged sword.

Our stuff arrives on horseback at Rancho Frio

We were suitably tired by the time we reached Rancho Frio in the late afternoon, and pleased that all our stuff had arrived safely aboard the horses.

Panama: Chagres National Park - Pipeline Road

Brown Three-toed Sloth

With most of the group assembled in various stages of jet lag, we headed off in the early morning of the first day of the tour to Chagres National Park, a rainforest reserve not far from our hotel. We were particularly keen to see Yellow-green Tyrannulet here as we knew it would be difficult elsewhere. We were not to be disappointed, with our guide Kilo (Euclides Campos) declaring that an encounter we had with 3 birds was the best he'd experienced with this often difficult species.

Mammals showed with a Central American Agouti on the road and a Brown Three-toed Sloth in a tree above the road spotted by our driver, Francisco.  A Snowy-bellied Hummingbird was nice to see on a roadside wire.  Violet-bellied and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds were added to the hummingbird tally. Slaty-tailed, Gartered and Black-throated Trogons made it a trifecta of three trogon species found in the region.

Slaty-tailed Trogon

On a track inside the forest, a female Rosy Thrush-Tanager showed well. We then a Whooping Motmot and White-whiskered Puffbird showing simultaneously. Slate-coloured Grosbeak was nice to see. Back at the hotel, a Connecticut Warbler was skulking on ground at the edge of shrubby vegetation outside the restaurant. A pair of Bat Falcolns seem to have made their home on the hotel roof.

Slate-coloured Grosbeak

Out on the golf course in drizzling rain, a Nine-banded Armadillo foraged in the open.

Nine-banded Armadillo

While Solitary Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper were out and about.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Our second day of the trip saw us early in the morning on the famed Pipeline Road in Soberania National Park, reached after crossing the Panama Canal where huge ships are incongruously negotiating the roadside canal.

More mammals were added to the list with White-faced Cappuchin, White-tailed Deer and good views of Mantled Howler monkeys.

Mantled Howler 

Woodpeckers put on a bit of a show with Crimson-crested, Lineated and Cinnamon appearing.

Crimson-crested Woodpecker

Cinnamon Woodpecker

Antbirds are exceptionally appealing and along the Pipeline Road we saw Dusky and Spotted /Antbirtds, Fasciated and Western Slaty-Antshrike, and Checker-throated, Moustached, White-flanked and Dot-winged Antwrens.

Western Slaty-antshrike

A Black-breasted Puffbird was a nice find.

Black-breasted Puffbird

Another classic neotripical family was well-represented by Chesnut-mandibled and Keel-billed Toucans and Collared Aracari.

Collared Aracari

Trogons were also about in good numbers. We added White-tailed Trogon for a total of 4 trogon species for the trip.

White-tailed Trogon

Rufous Mourner was another nice find, as was Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon and Brownish Twistwing. We managed brief flyover views only of Russet-winged Schiffornis.

Rufous Mourner

And Purple-throated Fruitcrows put on a show. A highlight of the morning was a Streak-breasted Antpitta which showed well after a bit of coaxing.

Purple-throated Fruitcrow

Other nice birds along the Pipeline Road included Great Tinamou and Agami Heron,