WINGS Birding ToursField Reports

April 20: Gavin reports from Panama

Our recently completed spring week at Panama's famous Canopy Tower was followed by a 5-day extension to the Canopy Lodge. It is always a pleasure to return to these fantastic and unique lodges, surrounded by an excellent mix of habitats and a great diversity of birds. Some of the highlights this year around the tower included an amazing array of tanagers including Emerald, Bay-headed and Rufous-winged and excellent views of the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker on Cerro Azul, close encounters with birds such as Gartered Trogon, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Masked Tityra and Black-and-White Owl around the tower and snazzy Pacific Antwrens along Achiote Road.

Around the more montane forests surrounding the lodge we added nearly 100 more species to the triplist, with a few of the highlights being lengthy views of a pair of Crested Bobwhite, a cooperative Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant and a handsome Lesser Yellow-headed Caracara in the lowlands, daily visits by Rufous Motmot and Orange-billed Sparrows at the lodge feeders, and highland species such as Tufted Flycatcher, White Hawk and Rufous Mourner up on Altos de Maria.

In all we tallied just shy of 370 species of birds, including an amazing 47 species of flycatchers and 32 tanagers, as well as a nice array of mammals, reptiles and amphibians (and even a few fish) in 10 days in the field! This tour continues to impress me, as the diversity and richness of the region, paired with ease of access and the comforts of the lodge make for a truly wonderful experience.