The following account written by Armas Hill, leader of the tour:

"Anis, Aracaris, Anhinga, & also an Agami"

Panama is an isthmus, that is a "land bridge" between two major continents. Birds, mammals, butterflies, and plants of those two continents, South and North America, mesh together in the relatively small, and certainly narrow country of Panama. 
During our tour, February 3-9, 2006, we traveled from the link between the two oceans, the Panama Canal, east into Darien Province. As we went east along the Pan American Highway, toward and in Darien, we were going closer to South America. The birds we saw reflected that. 

(By the way, one can not drive on the Pan American Highway, or any road, from Central America into South America. There's quite a gap in the highway in the region where Panama and Colombia meet. As one drives eastward in Panama, the Pan American highway dead-ends.)

Among the South American birds that reach their usual northern limit in Panama are the Wattled Jacana, Southern Lapwing, Black-chested Jay, and Greater Ani. These species, and some others, are routinely seen as far north as (or west, depending how one views Panama) to the Canal Basin. 
Some other South American species are more likely to be seen in eastern Panama province and in that of Darien, including these: 
Cocoi and Capped Herons, Red-and-green Macaw, Golden-green Woodpecker, One-colored Becard, Pied Water-Tyrant, and Orange-crowned Oriole. 

Some of the birds that we saw in eastern Panama in February '06 are restricted, with a limited range, to only eastern Panama and adjacent Colombia. Birds in this grouping included:  
Double-banded Graytail, Black Antshrike, White-headed Wren, Black Oropendola, and White-eared Conebill. 
The last of these was one of our favorites. The species was in a small flock, active in the trees, rather reminiscent of chickadees. Their plumage was also somewhat similar, with their black-caps. Nearby on a treetop branch, a black-and-white Pied Puffbird sat, as still as it could be.      

One of the unique features of the Darien landscape, along the Pan American Highway, are the large Cuipo Trees. Easily distinguished, and with huge trunks, they are spread out across the countryside. Not only is there that big tree in Darien, there are some big birds too, including these that we saw:  
Wood Stork, Red-and-Green Macaw, King Vulture, and an assortment of other raptors, including: Gray-headed Kite, Hook-billed Kite, Pearl Kite, Great Black Hawk, Gray (-lined) Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, Crane Hawk, Yellow-headed Caracara, American Kestrel, and one particular raptor that's quite rare in Panama, the Bay-winged Hawk (known as the Harris' Hawk in North America). We saw one, and had a good look at it, perched in a tree quite close to the road. 
In the book "A Guide to the Birds of Panama" by Robert Ridgely, it's noted that the Bay-winged Hawk in Panama is "apparently rare", and that there have been 3 "old specimens", one of which, incidentally, was taken years ago near where we saw ours in February 2006.

Surely the best raptor (and one of the best birds) of our Feb '06 Panama Tour was the Red-throated Caracara. That species probably has the unfortunate distinction of the being the Central American bird that has declined the most in recent years. It's been in all of the Central American bird books, including those for Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama. But sightings in countries north of Panama in recent years have either been very rare (in maybe Costa Rica), or non-existent (north or west of there). 

In "A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America" by Steve Howell & Sophie Webb, published in 1995, it's written that there have been "no reports (of the Red-throated Caracara) in over 20 years west of the Sula Valley (in Honduras)". That goes back to the early 1970s.
In the "Birds of Guatemala", Hugh Land, published in 1970, it was written that the bird was rare in the Pacific lowland of that country. Since that time, suitable forest habitat there for the species has nearly completely disappeared. Also, in that book, it's noted that the subspecies from Mexico to Panama was Daptrius americanus guatemalensis. 
More recent taxonomy (in "The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World") is different. The only species still in the genus Daptrius is the Black Caracara of the Amazonian region of South America. The Red-throated Caracara is now the only member of its own genus. It is Ibycter americanus, and, according to the recent literature, there are no subspecies. If that subspecies guatemalensis were still valid, it would be close to extinction.
In "A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica" by F. Gary Stiles & Alexander Skutch, published in 1989, it was written that the Red-throated Caracara "is only in that country where forest remains intact in the Golfo Dulce lowlands (of southwestern Costa Rica)". It had been, according to that book, at one time, "widespread and fairly common in moist and wet forests of both slopes from sea level locally up to 4,000 feet".   
In "A Guide to the Birds of Panama" by Robert Ridgley, published in 1989, it's said that the Red-throated Caracara only "seems to remain in Panama in any numbers in part of the eastern Panama province and in Darien". It's also stated that the bird "disappeared from the Canal Zone area during the 1950s and 1960s" and that it "was formerly known to occur in the Chiriqui province of western Panama".   
In South America, the Red-throated Caracara occurs where forest continues in the Amazonian region.  

Where there are Red-throated Caracaras (and they're normally in groups), they're often heard before they're seen. They are loud and raucous. At a distance its call can be similar to that of a macaw. The most common call of the bird is a trumpeting and hoarse "khaaow", that is sometimes varied to "ca-ca'-o". That's what Stiles & Skutch wrote. Land wrote "the loud and harsh call sounds like the Spanish word 'cacao' with the first syllable repeated several times".       

During the FONT Feb '06 tour in Darien, as we were in a boat traveling down a remote river, it was first the loud call of the Red-throated Caracara that caught our attention (as noted, at first sounding rather like a macaw). We continued further along the river, and then we both heard and saw the birds (a few of them) in trees on the west bank. At first, not everyone had the clear view that they wanted of the species in the foliage. But it seemed as if the birds themselves wanted to be better seen, as they stayed there, still in the trees, even as our guide and boatman cleared away some of the lower branches that impeded the view. After a few moments of that "clearing away" activity, a wonderful view was miraculously had by all of that very-desired bird.              

The Crane Hawks during that boat-ride, on the other hand,  were seen very easily, as they were down low on the dirt banks of the river, probing for food. That unique hawk (the single member of its genus), with its long body and red legs, was, of course, a treat for us to see as closely as we saw it.     

Among other birds that we saw during that river boat-ride in Darien, there was an Agami Heron (that one is always a treat to see!), both the Green-and-rufous and the American Pygmy Kingfishers, Blue Ground Doves, a group of Purple-throated Fruitcrows, Cinnamon Woodpecker, White-headed Wren, and both Yellow-backed and Yellow-tailed Orioles. 
In the lower foliage, Greater Anis were by the river. 
In the upper branches of the trees, there were Collared Aracaris. 
On branches out over the river, and in the river itself, there were Anhingas. 

All 3 of the birds just mentioned, are with names (as you may have noticed) beginning with the letter "a", (ani, aracari, and anhinga). All of those names are from the language of the Tupi tribe of indigenous people in Brazil. Our boatmen, along the remote river in Darien, were indigenous people, not Tupi of course but the Embara tribe. It was all really quite an experience for us in such a wild area - and the "good birds" of course enhanced it
.        
That Agami Heron, during our ride, that was stalking along the riverbank, could not in any way ever be mistaken for an Anhinga, but it's true that the long neck and the slender and angled head of the bird does bear a resemblance. 
One can also wonder if the derivation of the name "Agami" for that bird along the forest river is, like the Anhinga (and the Aracari & Ani), from the Tupi tribe of Brazil, in the area of the biggest of American rivers, the Amazon.                      

Yes, the Darien province of Panama is "wild", and seems to be just about "everywhere". As one travels about, a good barometer of that is when the constant calls of Tinamous (both Little and Great) are heard, Generally, throughout Central America, it's been that as the "wildness" of an area diminishes, those melodic calls of tinamous decrease.

After nightfall, in the Darien countryside, there were the calls of many Pauraques. As we went along a dirt road after dark, there were both Barn and Striped Owls. The stars and planets shined brightly in the ever-so-clear sky overhead. 
Even though we had driven from Panama City, the noisy and bright accompaniment of the city seemed (and really was) so very far away!

Back when we were in Panama City, by the way, earlier during the tour, we saw two rarities for Panama: a Long-billed Curlew and a Ring-billed Gull.

Also earlier in the tour, when we in the Canal Basin, among the many birds there, maybe our best sight was that of the strikingly attractive male Golden-collared Manakin, as it was perched close to us. There are good birds to see and enjoy just about anywhere in Panama!

But back again in Darien, this narrative now concludes in a small town, where twice we spent the night. 
By the road into that town, in a field,  there was a Crested Bobwhite, and in a marsh, there were Purple Gallinules. Further along the road, in large trees, there were Black-chested Jays. 
In the town, itself, in trees near the streets and houses, there always seemed to be birds present. A number of them were common, yes, but it was nice to have that number of them. 
As we had breakfast, on a table outside by the sidewalk, among birds in view there were:
Black-throated Mango, Streaked Flycatcher, other more-common flycatchers, Tropical Mockingbird and Tropical Gnatcatcher, Bananaquits, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, and an assortment of Tanagers including Blue-gray, Palm, Plain-colored, Crimson-backed, and Lemon-rumped. 
And don't let that name "Plain-colored" fool you. They're nice to have, too, as all the other birds were. 
Also, as we were having breakfast by the sidewalk in that town that morning, with the birds about, people of the indigenous Kuna tribe "somehow happened to came along"  (after they learned that we were there). They were in their colorful attire, selling some also-colorful small sculptures of the more dramatic, big birds that occur in that region of eastern Panama, away of course from the small town. Their ceramic sculptures were of birds such as the Harpy Eagle, and toucans, and parrots and macaws.
When we were there, in that small town, we didn't have to pinch ourselves to realize that we were somewhere, very much away from what it is in our "normal lives" - as we were in the remote countryside of wild Panama, in Darien.
 

Links:

Western Panama & Southern Costa Rica
February 2006

The FONT birding & nature tour, February 10-18, 2006, included portions of two Central American countries. 
In southern Costa Rica, we were in the highlands and on the Pacific slope and in the nearby Pacific lowlands.  
In adjacent Panama, we were in the highlands and lowlands of the Chiriqui Province, the westernmost province in that country. All of these areas were not only enjoyable places in which to be, but also great places in which to see Neotropical birds.

Of the 267 species of birds found during this tour, 238 were in Costa Rica. 
107 species were in Panama during the 2 days that were were there. 
78 of the 267 bird species were found in both countries, while 29 species were found in Panama alone. 
In that last category were:
the Veragua Parakeet (an isolated population that has been considered a subspecies of the Brown-throated Parakeet of northern South America),
the Veraguan Mango (which was considered part of the Green-breasted Mango); we saw a female on a nest,
and the White-throated Mountain-gem (closely related to other mountain-gems, particularly the Gray-tailed Mountain-gem that we also saw - in Costa Rica).

Other birds during this tour that we found only in Panama included:
Pied-billed Grebe
Least Grebe
Anhinga
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Snail Kite  (this species is rare in Panama)
Mangrove (or Pacific) Black Hawk
Great Black Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
American Oystercatcher
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
Whimbrel
Sanderling
Groove-billed Ani  (in the Chiriqui highlands)
White-tailed Nightjar  (a wonderful find, seen at rest during the day)
Violet Sabrewing
Brown Violetear
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  (a rarity in Panama; more common further north in Central America)
Red-faced Spinetail  (in the Chiriqui highlands)
Barred Antshrike
Red-capped Manakin  (a gem to see - in a forest by the Pacific beach)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher  (in the Chiriqui highlands)  
Barn Swallow  (how was it that there were none of these during our 5 days in Costa Rica?)  
Cliff Swallow  (a few with the Barn Swallows)
Eastern Meadowlark

With the likes of Black-bellied Plover, Whimbrel, and Sanderling, you can see that we were at a beach in Chiriqui. It was a beautiful one, with surf and sand that went for miles, without many people and with many birds. It's interesting that of the species just-listed above, and seen along that beach, there was one that was "new" for FONT in Central America: the American Oystercatcher.
That's not an easy feat, as there have been numerous FONT tours in Central America, in Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. And our cumulative list is not short. The American Oystercatcher in Panama became our Central American bird # 931.       

This was our 27th birding & nature tour in Costa Rica. Prior to it, our cumulative total of birds for the country was 684. 
During this February '06 tour, one new species was added to that cumulative CR list: the Southern Lapwing. 
Two of them were seen in a pasture south of Golfito. They appeared to be on territory, and it certainly appeared to us that the Southern Lapwing had become a nesting bird in Costa Rica. 
The Southern Lapwing is not in the book "A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica" by F. Gary Stiles & Alexander Skutch, that was published in 1989. The species, common to abundant in much of South America, has been spreading north. In Panama, it has been of regular occurrence north to the Canal Basin. We've seen it, in recent years, in Panama as far west (or north) as the Chiriqui lowlands. 
Where it occurs in the Panama Canal Basin, it's often with Wattled Jacanas. In the Chiriqui lowlands, it was with Northern Jacanas, as it also was in the partially wet Costa Rican pasture, where we saw it, south of Golfito. Another bird from the south that's been spreading north, was also in that pasture, the Red-breasted Blackbird. 

That's part of the fun of birding in southern Costa Rica. There's the chance to see something a bit unexpected, as more-southerly birds are moving in. During other tours in that southern region of the country, we've seen Savanna Hawk and Pearl Kite, two other species that have been expanding northward. 
Years ago, it was in that region where the Yellow-headed Caracara was first seen in Costa Rica. Now that bird is seen in open, deforested areas throughout the country, north to Nicaragua.   

Another "part of the fun" of birding in southern Costa Rica is that it is a bit of "the way it was". 
For those of us who have birded in Costa Rica for years (I have since 1978), we've seen a lot of changes. 
Notable among them are changes of habitats, and that there are now many more people (ecotourists and others) who visit. 
Costa Rica is, for a few reasons, a great place to visit for nature. Varied habitats are close to each other. There are good accommodations. But there's also a price in that it's now a special treat to find a place that's not, as it were, "on the beaten path". 
In southern Costa Rica, that can more readily be done. For example, we traveled, during our Feb '06 tour, along a dirt road, that's not often traveled, into the northern Osa Peninsula, where among the birds that we encountered, there were Scarlet Macaws in flocks, King Vultures soaring over a ridge, and both Great and Little Tinamous calling a dusk in the woods. 
Earlier, along that road in the morning, Three-wattled Bellbirds were giving their loud calls in the trees.   

Yet another "good part" of birding in southern Costa Rica is that there are a number of bird species that are only to be found there, with restricted ranges in that portion of Costa Rica and in adjacent Panama. 
They include: 
Chiriqui (or Rufous-breasted) Quail-Dove
Costa Rican Swift (that has been considered part of the Band-rumped Swift that's common further south in Panama)
Charming Hummingbird (also called the Beryl-crowned Hummingbird, and closely related to the Blue-chested Hummingbird of Costa Rica's Caribbean slope and further south in Panama)
Garden Emerald (that was part of the former Fork-tailed Emerald that's been "split" into 4 or 5 species)  
Baird's Trogon
Golden-naped Woodpecker
Black-hooded Antshrike
Riverside Wren
Chiriqui Yellowthroat (that was considered part of what has been the Masked Yellowthroat of South America)
and the Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager, which is even more localized than the others noted here, as it is restricted to a part of the region by the Golfo Dulce ("Sweet Gulf") in Costa Rica. The species is one of the handful of species (4) endemic to Costa Rica.
All of the birds just noted in this paragraph were found during our February '06 tour in Southern Costa Rica & adjacent Panama.

A group of birds that has become easier to observe during recent years in Costa Rica & Panama has been the hummingbirds. To a large extent that's due to there now being more hummingbird feeders, particularly at lodges, where they can be readily observed. 
During our Feb '06 tour in southern Costa Rica and Panama, 22 species of hummingbirds were seen. Some were at feeders and others were in their natural settings, usually feeding a flowering bushes or trees. 
Our hummingbirds found during the tour are listed below  (noting the country where seen, Costa Rica (CR), Panama (PN) and if naturally (n) or at feeders (f)):

Band-tailed Barbthroat   (CR) (n)
Bronzy Hermit   (CR) (n)
Western Long-tailed (or Long-billed) Hermit   (CR) (n)
Scaly-breasted (or Cuvier's) Hummingbird   (CR) (n)
Violet Sabrewing   (PN) (f)
Brown Violetear   (PN) (n)
Green Violetear  (the southern population of that species)   (CR,PN) (f,n)
Veraguan Mango   (formerly part of the Green-breasted Mango)  (PN) (n)
Garden Emerald  (CR) (n)   (was part of the Fork-tailed Emerald, that has been already noted as "split" into 4 or 5 species throughout Central America; this is the southernmost of the "splits".) 
Fiery-throated Hummingbird   (CR) (f,n) (in the high mountains, restricted to southern Costa Rica & western Panama) (This extraordinarily beautiful hummingbird has been said to be declining in recent years, possibly, it's said, due to global warming.)
Blue-throated Goldentail  (also called Blue-throated Sapphire)   (CR) (n)
Charming Hummingbird (also called the Beryl-crowned Hummingbird)  (CR) (n)
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird   (CR,PN) (f,n)  (This species is more common in Panama.)
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird   (CR) (n)
White-throated Mountain-gem   (PN) (f)
Gray-tailed Mountain-gem   (CR) (f)
Green-crowned Brilliant   (CR) (f,n)   
Magnificent Hummingbird   (CR) (f,n)
Magenta-throated Woodstar   (CR) (f)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   (PN) (n) (as already noted, rare in Panama)
Scintillent Hummingbird   (CR) (f)  (This is Costa Rica's smallest bird.)
Volcano Hummingbird   (CR) (f)  (On different mountains in Costa Rica, subspecies of this bird have different colored gorgets. The male of the subspecies we saw in southern Costa Rica, has one that's purplish-gray, rather like flowing lava from a volcano.)   

Green Violet-ear 
(Photograph taken during the FONT tour in Costa Rica, 
in February 2006, by Rosemary Lloyd)

During previous FONT tours in southern Costa Rica there have been some other hummingbirds, such as the White-tipped Sicklebill and the White-crested Coquette. 
In all, in Costa Rica, there are 45 species of hummingbirds. All of these have been found during FONT Costa Rica tours over the years. Some are only in the northern part of the country. Others are most common on the Caribbean side. 
Two species of hummingbirds endemic to Costa Rica are the Coppery-headed Emerald and the Mangrove Hummingbird. 
If one takes the time to sit for a while and watch hummingbirds feed and fly, it's a really a pleasure. How such fascinating little birds can have, in good light, such spectacular colors, is nearly unbelievable.             

A number of the hummingbirds just mentioned occur in the mountains of southern Costa Rica. Those high mountains when there's good weather (as we had in February '06) can be a beautiful place to be, with some nice birds to see. 
Among those seen during our tour were:  Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Blue-and-gold Tanager, Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, many Ruddy Treerunners, the Wrenthrush (that's also been called the Zeledonia, and now is considered an aberrant warbler), and another warbler that's truly a wonderful bird to see, the dapper Collared Redstart, called the "amigo de hombre" (or "friend of man") due to its tameness.

Collared Redstart

In addition to the colorful Fiery-throated Hummingbird, already referred to, we also saw in the highlands the Flame-throated Warbler, another attractive bird. 
And we saw 2 species of Silky-Flycatchers (not true flycatchers, but more closely related to waxwings), the Black-and-Yellow and the Long-tailed. 
Also nice to see in the high country was the Barred Hawk, and flocks of Sulphur-winged Parakeets. 
At about our highest point (and in fact by the highest point along the entire Pan American Highway) we saw Volcano Juncos, and we enjoyed a trio of Finches: the Peg-footed, the Large-footed, and the Yellow-thighed.    

Tanagers, and some of their close relatives, are a colorful lot. During the days we were based in the Coto Brus Valley we saw some of their best colors in a nice cast of those birds, including: 
Silver-throated, Golden-hooded, Bay-headed, and Speckled Tanagers, in addition to the more-widespread Cherrie's (formerly Scarlet-rumped) Tanager. 
It's a common bird, the Cherrie's Tanager, in southern Costa Rica on the Pacific side. But it's not so, oddly, in western Panama. 
Also in the colorful cast of birds in Coto Brus were: Thick-billed Euphonia, Red-legged and Green Honeycreepers, and the Lance-tailed Manakin. 
Some visitors from the north also added color, notably Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Western and Summer Tanagers, and various Warblers such as: Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Bay-breasted, Canada, and Mourning.                

One of our favorite places that we visited during the Feb '06 tour in southern Costa Rica was the La Amistad National Park, a large wild area along the Continental Divide in both Costa Rica and Panama. That park can be difficult to enter, as the dirt roads ascending into the mountains are rough. We did so on a 4-wheel drive truck, with an incredible driver. The forest was magnificent. Given more time, more birds and animals can be found, but we did see, in addition to a number of birds already mentioned (in the last paragraph), some "good ones", including:  the Pale-billed Woodpecker  (in the same genus as the Ivory-billed Woodpecker), 
the Black-banded Woodcreeper  (only the 3rd time for us in 27 Costa Rica tours),  
and the White-whiskered Puffbird (also called the White-whiskered Softwing). Whatever it's called, it sits still. 
High in the trees was the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan. That large bird is closely related to the Black-mandibled Toucan of South America. 
In a rock in a rushing stream there was a marvelous Sunbittern. That bird is not conspecific with anything. It's unique, in its own family. 
Earlier in the day, in a pond, we saw some Masked Ducks. Yes, we had a good day.  

A Kinkajou photographed in the forested mountains of southern Costa Rica 
during the FONT tour in February 2006.
(Photo by Rosemary Lloyd)  

Mammals that we saw at La Amistad National Park included the White-faced Capuchin Monkey and the Kinkajou. The latter, normally nocturnal, was seen high in a tree during the day, as it was apparently feeding.

Other wildlife during our tour included the Morelet's Crocodile, Spectacled Caiman, and Green Iguana. 
And we saw a wonderful assortment of butterflies and moths (photographs of some taken during the tour are in our Central America Butterfly List, elsewhere in this website). 

Yes, we had a very good tour, during a week in southern Costa Rica and adjacent western Panama in February 2006.
                              

         
Links:

Panama
March 2004

"Panamanian Birds: Some Greater, Some Lesser, One Resplendent"

The following account written by Armas Hill, leader of the tour.

Panama may well be considered a "lesser" country in terms of size, but certainly it's a "greater" one in relation to birds. In it, over 900 species have been recorded. A few of them have been so labeled (in their English names) as "lesser" or "greater". Comments about some of these birds, as well as others, will follow in this narrative about our March 22-30, 2004 FONT birding tour in Panama.

Panama
October-November 2002

The following account written by Armas Hill, leader of the tour. 

This was our third FONT birding tour in Panama this year. The others were in March and August. In March, we visited the Chiriqui Highlands and the Lowlands of the Canal Basin. In August, we were only in the Canal Basin. We spent a fine day in the rainforest on the Island of Barro Colorado. In the Gatun Lake, created when the Panama Canal was made. Later, the island was the subject of a book written in 1929, by the ornithologist, Frank Chapman, entitled "The Tropical Air Castle". To this day, it's a most interesting place to visit. And, we did so, again, during our October-November Panama tour, again only in the Canal Basin.

Once again, on Barro Colorado, we enjoyed some fine encounters with antbirds, and other birds, attracted to an ant swarm. No matter how often we see the dapper, Little Spotted Antbird, it's a fine sight, particularly when it and other antbirds and woodcreepers were so close to us, only concerned about the ants.

Barro Colorado Island is also a good place to see mammals. Ocelots and pumas, there, we did not see (not surprisingly), but we did have fine looks at 3 species of monkeys (including the nicely-patterned Geoffrey's Tamarin), numerous coatis and agoutis, and even a White-tailed Deer, running away from us in the forest.

Some aspects of the bird-life during our October-November Panama Tour were rather different than those earlier in the year. One, particularly so, was a large, dramatic overhead migration of Turkey Vultures one morning. Thousands and thousands flew over us, kettle after kettle, and in line after line. 300 were tallied going past a certain point during a minute, and the same pace continued for 3 to 4 hours. There were an estimated 80 to 100 thousand Turkey Vultures journeying south, from central and western North America to South America. Among them there was a smathering of Swainson's Hawks, and a few Broad-winged Hawks.

Among the smaller landbirds we found in Panama, in late October and early November, having migrated from North America, notably evident were Eastern Wood-Pewees. Their calls, throughout the tour, reminded us of their being about.

Near the Caribbean Coast, we found Prothonotary Warblers very numerous. In mangroves and nearby forests, we saw, at least, a few hundred of them. Ten or so, at one time was not unusual. One one occasion, as many as 7 were in a binocular-field at once.

Among the neotropical resident birds we found to be particularly numerous were Collared Aracaris (with many seen each day) and Purple-throated Fruitcrows in feeding flocks. Also, toucans (Keel-billed and Chestnut-mandibled) were enjoyed, as were Yellow-backed Orioles and Red-breasted Blackbirds. We had some close looks at trogons, motmots, and puffbirds (including Black-breasted and White-whiskered), and Spot-crowned Barbets.

During our previous tour in August, no Chestnut-headed Oropendolas or Yellow-rumped Caciques were to be seen. But, in October-November, both species were conspicuous. One day, late in the afternoon, we saw a flock of at least a couple hundred Yellow-rumped Caciques going to roost. That species, by the way, has been "split" now into 2, with the Western Yellow-rumped Cacique being the bird in Panama.

Probably the "favorite bird" of our tour was a tame, and beautiful, adult Semiplumbeous Hawk, sitting on a tree-limb close to us, along a forest road. With its white breast and bright orange bill, yes, the bird is a beauty. As we watched it, the yellow eyes of the hawk were watching us.

During our last morning of the tour, it was a mammal, not a bird, that put on the "final show". A Two-toed Sloth was seen close to us, in a tree. It was a mother hanging on the tree, with a young hanging on her. Often sloths don't move much, but this one, as maybe because we were so close, moved down and then back up the tree. Then, we had to move, ourselves, to the airport, for home.

In all, a fine tour, with lots of birds, and again some wonderful experiences in Panama.

Our tour in Panama, in the summer of '02, was designed as a "get-away", with as much fine tropical birding as possible, for those without much time. Just shy of a week, the tour was scheduled when teachers and those who otherwise might not have been able to, could go. It was the plan to have a tour without much travel at the destination, but yet with a large number of birds. And that's what happened. About 200 species were found in just one area in the former Canal Zone. Some were as bright as the Blue Cotinga and the Green Shrike-Vireo. Some were as gaudy as the toucans. Others were as colorful as trogons and tanagers. Conversely, some "just blended in" with their backgrounds, such as the Broad-billed Sapayoa, while others, such as the male Red-capped Manakin, were like a beacon one moment, to be gone the next. 
What virtually all of the birds we saw had in common was that they were "tropical". In mid-August, there were only very few migrants: a Spotted Sandpiper or two, and a couple Orchard Orioles. 

Keel-billed Toucan,
one of the most tropical of birds during 
our August 2002 Panamanian Tour.

One of the highlights of the tour was the visit to Barro Colorado Island, with its wonderful neotropical forest. Now in the middle of a large lake, the former hilltop became an island when the Panama Canal was made. The island has been under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution for years. Walking there, in the forest, and around the research facilities, one's mind can drift back through ornithological history. In the "Tropical Air Castle", names are remembered of those who studied birds there years ago, Frank Chapman and Alexander Wetmore. 
But one's mind can't drift very long when in that forest. There's too much to experience. There's too much to see, and to hear. One must be continually looking and listening. And then wonderful things are seen. 

That's what happened for us when we came upon a swarm of ants that was on the ground, in the leaf litter, and on nearby roots and limbs. It was a swarm with a tremendous accompaniment of birds. We stood ever so still (but smartly not atop the ants!) The dapper Spotted Antbirds on twigs just a few feet from us were so involved with the ants as to be oblivious to us. As were the Bicolored Antbirds and Western Slaty-Antshrikes. Not only antbirds, but also woodcreepers and flycatchers were attracted to the insectivorous gathering.

Some White-whiskered Puffbirds were also drawn to the fray. They perch ever so still, that is when they're not feeding on insects. Another name for the brown, streaked bird is the White-whiskered Softwing. It's a nice name. One can remember a nice essay by Alexander Skutch about the bird.

Another bird that's brown, in the forest with us at Barro Colorado was a bird that's been called the Brownish Flycatcher. It doesn't sound like much, but a "new" name for the bird that's more intriguing is the Brownish Twistwing. During a walk along one trail at Barro Colorado we were treated to both twistwings and softwings.    

Along another portion of trail, we stood still again, to watch a Great Tinamou, itself still, on the ground, before it walked slowly away. Elsewhere, on a limb above us a Crested Guan eyed us as we eyed it. 

But certainly among our best Panamanian forest experiences, during the tour, were those with the Song Wren. We had some nice encounters with the bird, seeing it well a few times. The species is normally a skulker, more readily heard than seen. At one particular place and time, we were lucky to see 4 Song Wrens in front of us at once, walking slowly about on the ground, and then up onto on arching twigs. And then one of Song Wrens even sang. It was one of the thrills of the tour. The sound is beautiful. The bird, when seen, resembles one or two of the antbirds, with rufous and brown coloration, and a blue ring around the eye. Its bill appears longer than its tail. It may not be. But the tail is short.

Seeing the birds referred to here (and others) in that "Tropical Air Castle", the neotropical forest, enabled us to take home, even after a relatively short visit, some wonderful memories.

Not only birds did we see during our week or so in Panama. We also saw a number of animals: capuchins and howler monkeys, tamarins, tamanduas, a tayra, sloths, capybaras, coatimundis, agoutis, raccoon, armadillo, opossum, squirrels, and bats. Along with huge numbers of leaf-cutting ants, beautiful butterflies, frogs, and even a snake or two.

Not bad for just shy of a week. See our list of birds we've found in Panama.

Upcoming tours in Panama      

   
In the Chiriqui Highlands, some of the FONT tour group looking at hummingbirds at a coffee finca (left), and a view of the town of Boquete in a valley surrounded by mountains. 
(Photos by Marie Z. Gardner, during FONT tour. - © all rights reserved)

Later in the day, along a rushing stream, there were Sunbittern, Dipper, and Torrent Tyrannulets. The last of these we observed during the final moments of daylight as a pair tucked in to spend the night in a cluster of foliage hanging above the water. As the tyrannulets' day ended, so did our series of fine encounters with birds of the Panamanian highlands. Or nearly so. A Tropical Screech-Owl called in a tree outside our windows after dark.

   
Views from the tower a Gamboa. The Panama Canal (left) and the 
Gamboa Lodge (right). (Photos by Marie Z. Gardner, during FONT tour - © all rights reserved)

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

Rufous Nightjar on the ground during the day.
(Photo by Marie Z. Gardner, during FONT March 2002 Panama Tour -© all rights reserved)

The following e-mails were received by FONT after the March 2002 Panama tour:

From participant, Decie Autin, of Houston, Texas, USA:
Dear Armas:     Just a note to say how much I enjoyed the Panama tour! We had so much fun at Gamboa and the Canopy Tower!     Thanks for all your help.

From participant, Linda Smith, of Annapolis, Maryland, USA:
Had a great time, Armas, (during the tour), and thanks again for your good humor, expertise, and patience. 

Itineraries for upcoming Panama tours.

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