Panama Birding Tour - V2: The Canal Zone and The Darian.

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Trip Report details

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Narrative

Ten days exploring the forests of Panama, from the excellent urban Metropolitano Park in Panama City, to the wilds of the El Salto Road in the Darien.

https://www.eagle-eye.com/tour/panama-canal-birding-tour/

Reports of rather drought-like conditions were definitely not an exaggeration. On our drive from Panama City to Torti we had to select our main roadside viewing spot based on the extent of intact blacktop - or else suffer major dust-storms every time a vehicle blew past!

The real impact of the “drought” (perhaps just a slightly more intense dry season than usual) was evident on our penultimate day. We’d planned a boat trip on The Canal at Gamboa and 1/2 hr before we embarked on the voyage the skies opened! Once the rain had eased we continued with the voyage into dusk. The next morning we walked a small trail near our hotel and sure enough the forest was alive with small birds - and dozens and dozens of tiny toads, pretty much the first anuran (frogs ‘n’ toads) we’d encountered in the area! What a difference.

Prior to this refreshing downpour, small ground-floor dwelling birds had been pretty tough to find, but this was compensated by the seemingly unusually cooperative larger arboreal species - motmots, trogons, puffbirds and toucans. On top of this, the nesting season was in full swing, and the group were lucky enough to happen upon several active nests - including a Blue Cotinga attending to nestlings. A real treat.

All in all, a really wonderful array of species (313 all told! though this includes a number of birds that preferred to stay out of sight - heard only). The group was led by Alexander Alvarado, his first Eagle Eye tour, and he definitely embodied the company name with his astonishing ability to spot the most invisible of birds lurking in the shadowy canopy and understory. A pleasure to work with Alex, and a real pleasure to travel with our dozen diligent birders. Looking forward to more of the same down the line.

In addition to all the birds there were also a few mammals and herps seen, some of the latter still to be identified:
Red-tailed Squirrel (4 dates)
Variegated Squirrel (3 dates)
Hoffman's Brown-throated Sloth (4 dates)
Geoffroy's Tamarin Monkey (2 dates)
White-faced Capuchin (2 dates)
Mantled Howler monkey (7 dates)
Central American Agouti (4 dates)
White-nosed Coati (1 date)
Capybara (2 dates)
Kinkajou (1 date, 2 individuals)
Woolly Opossum (1 date)
Greater Sac-winged Bat (1 date)
Nine-banded Armadillo (1 date, 2 individuals)

Mesoamerican Slider (3 dates)
Panama City Anole (Anolis apletophallus, 2 dates)
Central American Ameiva (1 date)
Green Iguana (4 dates)
Lepidoblepharis sanctaemartae (1 date - the tiny lizard on the El Salto Road)
Yellow-headed Gecko (1 date)
Spectacled Caiman (4 dates)
Common Basilisk (4 dates)
Asian House Gecko species (4 dates)
Puffing Snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus - lone observer)
Rainforest Rocket Frog (1 date)
Gliding Leaf Frog (2 dates)
Dwarf Glass Frog (Teratohyla spinosa)? (1 date)
Tink Frog (2 dates)
Forest Toad (Rhinella alata, scores on the forest floor after the rain)

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