A Birding Tour
in 
Panama

August 21-28, 2004

(tour: FON/PN-2, '04)

Itinerary & price follows.

A week with some fine birding,
with visits to bird-rich locales in the Canal Basin 
in the area of Gamboa, 
including Pipeline Road & Barro Colorado Island,
and some fine forested areas near the Caribbean. 

Tour to be led by Armas Hill,
well-experienced in Central American birding since 1978.

Sat. Aug 21:  Arrival in Panama. From the airport, transfer to Gamboa, where (for those arriving early in the afternoon), the birding will begin. Overnight at Gamboa.

Sun. Aug 22:    A full-day of fine birding at Gamboa, where during our previous tours in 2002, highlights included: Blue Cotinga, Green Shrike-Vireo, Crimson-backed Tanager, Lemon-rumped Tanager, and birds accompanying a swarm of ants. Among those birds were Ocellated and Bicolored Antbirds, and Greater Ani. 
In the afternoon, we'll bird along the nearby Plantation Road, which can be a good place for Great Jacamar, in addition to an assortment of forest birds, such as motmots, puffbirds, and flycatchers including a bentbill, spadebill, and flatbill. Overnight again at Gamboa.

       
Purple Gallinule (left & right photos) and Wattled Jacana (left photo)
at Gamboa.  (Photos by Marie Z. Gardner, during FONT tour - © all rights reserved)

Mon. Aug 23:  After breakfast, a guided excursion to the Barro Colorado Natural Monument. This full-day venture has been acclaimed by naturalists, journalists, and scientists as one of the best experiences in Panama.
Barro Colorado became an island when the Chagres River basin was flooded to create Lake Gatun during the construction of the Panama Canal. It was made a Biological Reserve in 1923, and since 1946 the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has administered the island. Departure from Gamboa (the mid-point of the Panama Canal) onboard a boat for a 45-minute trip through Gatun Lake to Barro Colorado. Once on the island, we'll explore the flora and fauna (and particularly the birds). Lunch will be at the research station on the island. In the afternoon, we'll return to Gamboa, where again we'll spend the night.    

Tue. Aug 24:  An early breakfast and much of the day birding at the renowned Pipeline Road (one of the best birding localities anywhere in the world) in the Sobernia National Park, not far from Gamboa. Antbirds, antthrushes, antshrikes, and antwrens are among the many birds to be found. Others can include the Black-breasted Puffbird, motmots (last March, for us, Rufous, Broad-billed, and Blue-crowned), and trogons (with the Slaty-tailed a favorite). The Cinnamon Woodpecker has been another favorite. And, during our most-recent tour here, the favorite of all the birds of the tour was a Semiplumbeous Hawk tamely perched on a tree-limb just above us. Good birding can always be had along Pipeline Road. Our last overnight at Gamboa.    

   
The Chagres River (left), and the villas where we stay at the Gamboa Resort (right). 
 (Photos by Marie Z. Gardner, during FONT tour - © all rights reserved)

Wed. Aug 25:  After some morning birding and breakfast at Gamboa (our last), we'll travel toward Colon and the Caribbean coast. The vegetation there differs from previous places during the tour, and so it will be a birdy area with different birds. Some birds we'll only see in this area, near the north end of the Panama Canal. Among them could be a number of raptors, and various birds such as the Pied Puffbird, Spot-crowned Barbet, White-headed Wren, among others. Overnight at a nice new hotel, by a lake, near Colon.    

Thu. Aug 26:  Birding continues, this day, with a visit to Fort Sherman, a former U.S. military base, where we should see some birds not easily found elsewhere in the Canal Area lowlands. Among the birds, a variety of: tinamous, tanagers, trogons, and toucans, along with forest-falcons,  flycatchers, motmots, manakins, and more. A second overnight near Colon. 

Fri. Aug 27:  After breakfast, another morning of birding. After lunch, travel back toward Panama City, with some afternoon birding at the Tocumen Marshes. This wetland is located east of the city. Now largely converted to rice fields, the area contains a number of ponds good for freshwater birds such as rails, herons, other waterbirds, and some shorebirds. Birds typical of Pacific savannas can also be found here, including a variety of raptors (including the Savanna Hawk). Our last overnight of the tour in Panama City.  

Sat. Aug 28: (For those not on an early departing flight), some final morning birding, at an excellent place for it, in the dry-forest of the Metropolitan Park. Then, transfer to the International Airport for flights home from Panama. 

Price: $US 1,975 per person, based upon double occupancy:

Single supplement: $195

"Focus on Nature Tours" can arrange air travel, seeking the best possible air fare.

A deposit of US$ 400, per person, will assure a place on the tour.

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