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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Slate-coloured Grosbeak |
Out on the golf course in drizzling rain, a Nine-banded Armadillo foraged in the open.
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| Nine-banded Armadillo |
While Solitary Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper were out and about.
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| Pectoral Sandpiper |
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| 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.
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| Mantled Howler |
Woodpeckers put on a bit of a show with Crimson-crested, Lineated and Cinnamon appearing.
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| Crimson-crested Woodpecker |
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| 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.
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| Western Slaty-antshrike |
A Black-breasted Puffbird was a nice find.
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| Black-breasted Puffbird |
Another classic neotripical family was well-represented by Chesnut-mandibled and Keel-billed Toucans and Collared Aracari.
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| Collared Aracari |
Trogons were also about in good numbers. We added White-tailed Trogon for a total of 4 trogon species for the trip.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Purple-throated Fruitcrow |
Other nice birds along the Pipeline Road included Great Tinamou and Agami Heron,
