A couple of weeks ago I posted about the Canopy Tower Stimulus Plan, a superb cut-price offer on visits to the Canopy Tower (a converted ex-military radar station which gives breathtaking views at canopy level across Panama’s forests from the top of Semaphore Hill) and Canopy Lodge in Panama. The CTSP is the brainchild of the urbane and very charming Raul Arias de Para, who runs both the world-famous Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge. I also said in that post that Raul had invited one of us 10,000 birders along to see for ourselves just how fantastic the birding (and the hospitality) is around both the Tower and the Lodge - and hats off to Sharon Stiteler for passing our names onto him in the first place (I owe you!) - and that I’d been fortunate enough out of the three of us to be able to go.

And now I’ve just spent my first day here…and the birding is indeed fantastic, the hospitality warm, organised, and plentiful, and the guides are world-class (genuinely). Offer or not, this is one amazing place to visit…

I should be in bed asleep after a very long day in the field, but I promised Raul over lunch that I’d try and get something online before I passed out in a deep coma with a broad smile on my face, so here I am, tapping away late at night having started on the open roof of the Canopy Tower at dawn as the Black Vultures started soaring, hundreds of Barn Swallows headed up the isthmus towards North America, a Green Shrike-vireo and loads of other things I didn’t recognise called from the canopy nearby, and now finally not long come in from a night-drive where we spotlighted a Choco/Vermiculated Screech-owl, several Pauraques, a Common Potoo, both Two-toed and Three-toed Sloths, and shamelessly lit up a pair of mating Kinkajous who probably were not best pleased at being gawped at from the road below while they did their best to ensure the survival of the species.

It has been a long but very exciting day, folks, and the birding has been superb. I’ve not been to Central America before so I’m not in a position to say how good it is in Meso-American terms, but I have birded in Henri Pittier (Venezuala) and at Itatiaia (southeastern Brazil), and though the avifauna is very different I’d say that the quality at all three places is comparable.

I’m not going to attempt a full list as it’s very late and I’m getting up very early, so what follows is a highlight selection only - but I have to say, WHAT a selection…

Carlos Bethancourt

Away from the Tower we began the birding at the famous Pipeline Road, a narrow 32km concrete road that goes deep into the rainforest of the Soberanía National Park, guided by the very likeable Carlos Bethancourt a local birder who’s worked for Raul for nine years, is now in charge of guiding operations and has radar for eyes and an encyclopaedic knowledge of bird calls.

Our first stop brought us right by a calling Golden-collared Manakin (one of the region’s most beautiful birds), a pair of White-bellied Antbirds, Southern Beardless and Yellow Tyrannulets, Panama and Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Crimson-backed, Golden-headed, and Rosy Thrush Tanagers, a pair of Western Slaty Antshrikes, two Cinnamon Woodpeckers, Red-lored Amazon and Orange-chinned Parakeets, and a Black-tailed Trogon (the first of four species of trogon).

Male Golden-collared Manakin Manacus vitellinus

 

Male Western Slaty-Antshrike Thamnophilus atrinucha

 

White-bellied Antbird Myrmeciza longipes

 

Yellow Tyrannulet Capsiempis flaveola

Somewhat surprisingly (I wasn’t expecting them anyway) flocks (and, yes, I mean flocks) of Eastern Kingbirds flew over (we must have seen two or three hundred), and we also picked up other North American migrants including Bay-breasted, Tennessee, and Yellow Warblers, Northern Waterthrush, and two or three Red-eyed Vireos. Quite amazing stuff really, and not a full list by any means (I’ll get a Day List sorted and online when I can…)

Our next stop about a mile further on brought us Black-breasted Puffbird (sat right over the road as we drove under it and then reversed quickly), good views of Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, White-vented Plumeleteer, Grey-breasted Dove, Black-tailed and Violaceous Trogons, Blue-crowned Motmots, Black-striped Woodcreeper (which has to be the best-looking woodcreeper going), Black-capped Pygmy-tyrant (a bird so vanishingly small I’m amazed I got any photos at all), good views of Pheasant Cuckoo (a major rarity here), and a superb Double-toothed Kite which was following a small troupe of Capuchin Monkeys in much the same way that a Cattle Egret follows cows, swooping onto whatever is flushed…

Black-breasted Puffbird Notharchus pectoralis

 

Male Black-tailed Trogon Trogon melanurus

 

Violaceous Trogon Trogon violaceus

 

Double-toothed Kite Harpagus bidentatus

 

Black-capped Pygmy-tyrant Myiornis atricapillus

 

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan Ramphastos swainsonii

 

Pheasant Cuckoo Dromococcyx phasianellus

Around this point a break for lunch was called as the forest was quietening down, and the group was feeling a little bit weary (despite the coffee-cake and trail mix which Carlos brought)…

After a superb lunch (at which even us veggies were catered for handsomely) followed by time to digest and look at the hummingbirds coming to the Tower’s feeders, we headed back out - this time to a dry forest area known as Summit Ponds (which is no more than a five minute drive away - the Canopy Tower really is very centrally located).

Violet-bellied Hummingbird Damophila julie

The birding here was very different in terms of species, and - perhaps because I was just getting my eye in and felt more relaxed or because the birding was so excellent - was even more enjoyable than the morning at Pipeline.

Highlights began almost immediately with views of Collared Aracari, Variable and Ruddy-breasted Seedeaters, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Lance-tailed Manakin, Pale-vented Pigeons, and a range of flycatchers including Common Tody-flycatcher, Tropical and (more) Eastern Kingbirds, Forest Elaenia, and Tropical Peewee.

As the lack of photos ably demonstrates the views were good but not always close or for long: the same went for cracking birds we saw that I’d have loved to photograph like Orange-billed and Black-striped Sparrows, Great and Barred Antshrikes, Black-breasted Wren, White-shouldered and Plain-brown Tanagers, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, and Olivaceous Woodcreeper.

The ‘ponds’ themselves were also good, with Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Green and Ringed Kingfishers, Great Ani, Boat-billed Heron, Grey-necked Wood Rail, Mangrove Swallows, another Northern Waterthrush, Greater and Lesser Kiskadees, Grey-headed Tanager, and a pair of Slaty-tailed Trogon which refused to pose for the camera despite showing fairly well…

Which hardly describes the last - and perhaps the best - bird of the afternoon which Carlos had up his sleeve: a staked out Rufous Nightjar with two young. Take a look at the two photos below. They were taken at the same spot, one at 100mm to give an idea of how beautifully camouflaged this superb nightjar is, the second at 400mm and cropped a little to give you (and me) the kind of look a bird this good deserves…

Rufous Nightjar Caprimulgus rufus

Just how utterly beautifully adapted and patterned is that? And a perfectly fitting place to end this post really. Its now after midnight (06:00 in the UK!) and I expect I’ll add a few more photos and birds at a later date. In the meantime I feel a little overwhelmed, very tired, and already looking forward to more of the same tomorrow! I hope wherever you are the birding’s good - but you’ll have to go somewhat to beat this place frankly…

The Canopy Tower’s Stimulus Plan for The International Birder is valid from June 01 to Sept 15, 2009. Details can be found on the Canopy Tower website

*Update: I’ve now posted a full Trip List (listing 214 species) at Panama Trip April 17-21.

All photographs copyright Charlie Moores