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A pair of Dusky-backed Jacamars hunting flying protein above the Rio Chucunaque, Darien (photo by guides John & Nando)

What a wonderful holiday week in Panama! Our tour to Canopy Camp, Darien was a fitting capstone to my 40 years of guiding advertised birding tours. From a Panama “accidental” (Bicolored Wren) and a Panama endemic (Yellow-green Tyrannulet) to a range-restricted specialty (Dusky-backed Jacamar) and one of the most highly sought species in all of Tropical America (Harpy Eagle), our seven days were full of these splendid surprises and other exciting species like Ruby-topaz and Black Oropendola. And I must say, I could not have had a finer group with whom to share that final tour.

We headed off for the Camp from the Hotel Riande in Tocumen, with a two-hour or so digression along the Llano-Carti Road near Nusagandi, where, birding along the road only, we picked up some nice foothill birds we wouldn’t see elsewhere on the tour: stellar looks at highly responsive Black-and-yellow Tanagers, Tawny-crested Tanagers, Sulphur-rumped Tanagers, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, Stripe-throated Wren (which sat motionless for five minutes in response to brief playback), and Shining Honeycreeper. From here we returned to the Pan American Highway and proceeded to the Restaurant Avicar in Torti for lunch. The food is good here and the hummer birding is rich, with five or so feeders and seven species of hummers (potential for more), including great studies of Scaly-breasted, Sapphire-throated, Snowy-bellied, Long-billed Starthroat, Pale-bellied Hermit, and Black-breasted Mango. We got into Camp about 4:30 and enjoyed getting into our tents (which are extraordinarily pleasant) and settling in for some light birding around the clearing before dinner. We had five full days and a morning to bird the area. Piratic Flycatchers were back but other austral migrants, like Plumbeous Kite, hadn’t returned. My guess is that the species richness is a little better in late January through February (as it has been at Cana).

A bit ironically, the best accessible forest of the areas visited is not in Darien but in eastern Panama Province on the San Francisco Reserve (near Torti), where we had a fine Harpy Eagle hunting Howler and Spider monkeys on our last day of birding (returning to Tocumen). It was so thrilling to see one hunting monkeys rather than pore over a nestling at a staked-out nest! There we also had Black Hawk-Eagle settled and close, three Yellow-green Tyrannulets, Royal Flycatcher, Russet-winged Schiffornis, Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, Gray-lined Hawk, White-eared Conebill, and Boat-billed Heron (heard only). The owner, one Padre Pablo, is a Franciscan whose parish grows rice and other crops for the local populace. He is a glad-handing, native Wisconsan, from Ripon, who has been living in Panama for the past 29 years. He was given an honorary doctorate by Bill Stott, at the time president of Ripon! He told me he was looking for a good drone that would allow him to blow to bits the poachers who illegally hunt on his reserve ;-) What a man of the cloth!

One day we devoted to birding near and visiting an indigenous Embera community, a fascinating event. To reach the village we took two dugout canoes upriver, then put in to a gravel beach and walked the rest of the way birding. At the landing we had the pair of Dusky-backed Jacamars (across the river) that Nando had found in the same spot last year, as well as many other species here on the river. Gray-capped Flycatcher, One-colored Becard, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, and Gray-cheeked Nunlet were seen thereabouts. We also had a hard-to-see Golden-green Woodpecker here. Along the trail our best birds were two male Black Oropendolas traveling with a big-bird flock (Black-chested Jays, other oropendolas, fruitcrows, toucans, etc.). At the village we were the center of attention as Embera artisans eagerly provided us with an opportunity to appreciate and purchase their wares as we ate our picnic lunch. Nancy won the award, hands down, as champion shopper.

Along Nando’s Trail, the only trail currently on the property itself, we had a few species like Slaty Antwren, Black-striped Woodcreeper, and Speckled Mourner that we didn’t have elsewhere on the tour. This trail is excellent for both Golden-headed and Golden-collared manakins! Birds are active and about at the clearing, at the feeders, and in the verbena, where we had a glorious adult male Ruby-topaz and some great studies of Blue-throated Goldentail. Pale-bellied Hermits are regular at the feeders. Double-banded Graytails are fairly common at Camp and in most of the second-growth forest, as are White-eared Conebills. We had both on most days (heard, if not always seen) at the Camp itself. Sooty-headed and Brown-capped tyrannulets are regular, the latter almost constant, as are Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher and Yellow-breasted Flycatcher. Barred Puffbirds are regular in the yard, and Great Crested Flycatchers are everywhere (Darien is at the center of their wintering grounds). Every morning Bright-rumped Attilas wake those who have not already been awakened by the soft notes of Mottled Owls and Whooping Motmots.

The marshy area we visited produced Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, Pied Water-tyrant, etc. This area is almost to Yaviza, where we birded on one occasion to look for the Bicolored Wrens that had taken up residency there in the cemetery. Whereas there they were buried from our ken, we had one lively bird beautifully at the beginning of the El Salto Road (though along the Pan American Highway) at a small residence where the owner said it sang every morning between 6 and 7. And so it did!

The El Salto Road was quite good but rather cut over. We had graytails, conebills, Golden-green and Red-rumped woodpeckers, and the nest of Blue Cotinga (current residents not home). A young Harpy had been seen there two weeks or so before our visit, but we had no sign of any continuance. Seems White-bellied Antbirds and Dusky Antbirds are everywhere along the road, as are quite a few Black Antshrikes. At the end of the road, at the Chucunaque River (longest in Panama), we birded a trail that was good for antbirds, including Bare-crowned. We heard Black Oropendolas from there and had another Golden-green Woodpecker. We birded a rice field one afternoon, a good distance from Camp. There we had an Aplomado Falcon and several Kestrels, a few Red-breasted Blackbirds, a big flock of Muscovy Ducks (18-20) and not much else of note. No Little Cuckoo, no Dwarf Cuckoo.

One of the areas we visited is known as Santa Rosa, a new area developed by Nando via his connection with local folk. Here we had Black Antshrike, Golden-crowned Spadebill, and Dull-mantled Antbird. This trail lies at the base of great hill forest that looks about as good as San Francisco. However, to date there is only the one trail. Another forested area we birded was Las Donsallas Ranch where we had Graytails, a pair of Crane Hawks, a nesting pair of Pearl Kites, Northern Barred Woodcreeper, White Hawk, King Vultures (not uncommon throughout the region), etc. Orange-crowned Orioles are scattered about, but here and at the Torti restaurant are where we had our best looks. Near Yaviza is an excellent area for Spectacled Parrotlet and Black Oropendola, both of which we saw handsomely. Six of the former flew down into a cecropia at eye level for all to goggle at. What a fine little bird! Hadn’t seen one for years—since I was last in El Real, I think. (And nobody remembers when that was.)

I know everyone joins me in thanking Nando for his great leadership on the tour and his arranging our transport and felicities in the field. It was wonderful to meet much of his family and to have the Camp to ourselves. We applaud Raul's vision and commitment. I also want to thank Nancy Hoffman for the photos I’ve used in the triplist; I hope the annotations bring back good memories. Finally, I must thank all of you for making our tour such a pleasure to guide, reminding me of the immense joy that has been mine guiding tours and making me at once regret stepping aside. I genuinely look forward to birding with you somewhere, sometime, even if on an unadvertised tour!

--John

KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

A few more, non-avian creatures to mention: We had a couple of tree boas during our night drive (hanging overhead!); a very large scorpion; a fascinating leaf-frog; and quite a few "Jesu-Cristo," or Basilisk, lizards.

Totals for the tour: 246 bird taxa and 9 mammal taxa