Birdwatching In Panama

Related Books: Living in Panama

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:15:18 +0000

Panama recently has assumed a new identity-destination for retirees and snowbirds looking for an interesting place to relocate. Expats coming to Panama is nothing new. Whether for business or pleasure, they have been arriving here for the 100 plus years of Panama’s existence. They encounter a new country, new language and new culture. And, now they find Panama a dynamic country that is continually growing and changing which is both exciting and stressful. Living in Panama, the totally new, updated and expanded Second Edition is designed to add to the interest and reduce the stress while helping newcomers of all kinds settle in Panama. Over 340 pages of valuable information including guides to obtaining your driver’s license, opening a bank account, paying utility bills, shopping, and just blending in. The expanded Panama-on-Line sections provide additional resources through web sites for everything from social clubs to wifi locations, from government offices to repair resources for everything from shoes to silver, from professional associations to social clubs. There is up-to-date information on newspapers, including several new ones in English, to radio stations, also in English, and new live theaters. As always, this new version provides answers to those often asked questions like, “why do Panamanians drive they way they do?”; “where are the schools for children?; the churches?; the shopping?. Whether you live in Panama City, Boquete, Volcan, or Coronado the answers are in this book. As Panama’s desirable communities for new comers have developed and expanded so has the resource material in Living in Panama. Sandra T. Snyder continues to be the person to call when you want to know where to go to get the answers, ask where to find something, or who to contact, or how to solve a problem. An expatriate herself, she and her husband have lived in Panama for over twelve yeas and belongs to many of the clubs and organizations that make Panama a delightful place to live. She has had the same questions that others ask every day. The difference is, she has the answers and in Living in Panama, she shares her wealth of information. Living in Panama is an invaluable guide to anyone just arriving, relocating for business or a local looking for insider information.

Squirrel Cuckoo

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:03:08 +0000

Squirrel Cuckoo

This Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) image was taken in Panama City along the Panama Canal. They feed on large insects such as cicadas, wasps and caterpillars (including those with stinging hairs or spines), and occasionally spiders and small lizards, rarely taking fruit.

Woodcreeper

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:59:28 +0000

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The woodcreepers (Dendrocolaptinae) comprise a subfamily of sub-oscine passerine birds endemic to the Neotropics. They were formerly considered a distinct family Dendrocolaptidae, but are now placed as a subfamily of the ovenbirds (Furnariidae). They superficially resemble the Old World treecreepers, but they are unrelated and the similarities are due to convergent evolution. The subfamily contains around 57 species in 15 to 20 genera.

Woodcreepers range from 14 to 35 centimetres in length. Generally brownish birds, the true woodcreepers maintain an upright vertical posture, supported by their stiff tail vanes.

They feed mainly on insects taken from tree trunks. However, woodcreepers often form part of the core group at the center of flocks attending army ant swarms. Woodcreepers are arboreal cavity-nesting birds; 2-3 white eggs are laid and incubated for about 15 to 21 days.

These birds can be difficult to identify in that they tend to have similar brown upperparts, and the more distinctive underparts are hard to see on a bird pressed against a trunk in deep forest shade. The bill shape, extend/shape of spots/streaks, and call are useful aids to determining species.

Image of this Woodcreeper was taken along the Pipeline Road in the Soberania National Park in Panama.

Woodcreeper

Slaty tailed Trogon

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:02:26 +0000

The Slaty-tailed Trogon, Trogon massena, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. Slaty-tailed Trogons feed on insects and fruit, and their broad bills and weak legs reflect their diet and arboreal habits. The attached images where taken not long ago in the Soberania National Park in Panama along the Pipeline Road where you can see them often.

Pipeline Road Hike

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:10:14 +0000

I always enjoy the early morning hikes along the Pipeline Road, its a great escape from the city noise and traffic, the fresh air with the thousand different smells and the chirping sound of the cicada remarkable acoustic talents mixed with bird songs. Plus of course not to forget the Howler monkeys that are considered the loudest land animal, they have an enlarged basihyal or hyoid bone which helps them make their loud sound. Besides the birds I also enjoy the endless seaming biodiversity that the rain forest has on display like the many butterfly along the way like the Blue Morpho and that brown butterfly seen in the attached gallery to a leaf still rolled up and ready to process some sunlight soon. Sometimes you can spot many birds and sometimes they are hard to see, like that Rufous Motmot that showed me his teeth behind some bushes, a flock of Great Ani’s, some Collared Aracari’s, a Rainbow Billed Toucan and down at the Calamito Lake near the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center a flock of Whistling Ducks that made their appearance that morning. So all in all another good day in Paradise!

Hermit Hummingbird – Panama

admin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:25:21 +0000

The Hermits are tropical and subtropical hummingbirds in the subfamily Phaethornithinae, comprising 30–40 species in six genera. They occur from southern Mexico, through Central America, to South America as far south as northern Argentina. Their plumage typically involves greens, browns, rufous or grey. Most hermits are restricted to the edge and undergrowth of forest, woodland and second growth, the photos shown here where taken along the Pipeline Road in the Soberania National Park in Panama. Please see also this page here for more photos of Hummingbirds from Panama. Stripe-throated Hermit (Phaethornis striigularis):

The Capped Heron

admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:41:43 +0000

Capped-Heron

This image of a Capped Heron was taken at the Summit Garden, first time I seen this one anywhere in Panama. Description from Wikipedia: The Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) is a species of heron in the Ardeidae family. It is in the monotypic genus Pilherodius. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are rivers, swamps, and freshwater lakes.It feeds on frogs,lizards,fish,insects,crabs,small mammals,and young birds.

Parque Natural Metropolitano

admin — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:01:10 +0000

From their brochure: “At only 10 minutes from downtown the Parque Natural Metropolitano is one of the most accessible tropical forests in the world.” Yes and im amazed that not more folks take advantage of this jewel within the city limits (or maybe thats a good thing, who knows). There are a few nice a easy trails, great for some bird watching or just to enjoy the nature and do some exercise plus some great views from top of the hill over parts of the city. The park is open daily from 6 AM to 5PM and you need to pay a small fee at the Administration office. See any city map for the exact location on de Ave Juan Pablo II. The parks brochure mentions that there are 227 species of birds living here and you surley will see many of them including some Toucans. The parks office also features a small store where you may buy some birding books or t-shirts and other souvenirs. Well worth a visit any time!! You can find some photos from the Parque Natural Metropolitano here.

Santa Clara Beach, Panama

admin — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:26:09 +0000

Got myself a nice little sunburn while visiting the Santa Clara Beach last weekend, so next time I will take some stronger sun protecting lotion along, almost forgot how strong the sun is around there, and while that great ocean breeze cools you off you don’t feel the sun as much until its to late. Santa Clara Beach is about 110 kilometers from Panama City on the Pacific Coast, its a great place to relax, to enjoy the beach, go for a swim but also to watch the great variety of birds around the area. From the always present pelicans to the majestic flight of the frigate birds and many wading bird species to the king fisher and some hawks, plus many herons. I have seen even some blue crowned motmots in the area in the past aldo not this time. Attached are a few images from last weekend.

Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoo

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 04:05:42 +0000

Another good day along the Pipeline Road, on the way back we came along an Army Ants Swarm and those are always followed by many hungry birds feeding on the insects that are in the way of those huge ants swarms. Today among many other birds there was a a rare Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus geoffroyi), a large terrestrial species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family, see attached images.