birding never sleeps: PANAMA 2024: Arrival, Guadalupe and Cerro Colorado (01-04 February 2024)

Introduction. One of the birds that really stood out for me in Costa Rica and Panama Field Guides in the 1980s was the Black-crowned Antpitta. In those days it seemed fairly mythical and not something I ever expected to see. That proved to be the case during an extended trip with Nick Preston and Colin Winyard in Summer 1985 (see here). Seeing the closely related Rufous-crowned Pittasoma (as they were now called) in Ecuador in February 2018 brought Black-crowned very much back to prominence on my wanted list (see here). Black-crowned Pittasoma was being seen regularly in Panama and Nick Preston contacted highly recommended local guide Euclides "Kilo" Campos to arrange a trip for us, Paul Noakes and Barry Wright in April 2020. Covid scuppered that and we postponed it to 2021. It was postponed again when it became clear that if we did go we would have to quarantine on returning the UK. We couldn’t commit for 2022 for the same reason and by the time quarantine restrictions had been lifted Kilo was booked with another group. At short notice Paul sorted out a private trip to Costa Rica in February 2022 with Nick and me, it was very good (see here) but we failed to find Black-crowned Pittasoma. Panama was put back to 2023, until nearer the time Kilo realized he was double booked. We finally for to go in 2024. Photos are mine (taken with a Sony RX10 I was just getting used to) or where credited Paul’s (Canon R5/100-400mm) or Barry’s (Olympus OM1/300mm). The difference in kit and photographic competence is usually obvious! New birds for me are shown in red.

Black-crowned Antpitta in Vallely & Dyer's Birds of Central America (Princetown 2018)

Wednesday 31 January. Megan dropped me at Grange Road, Southwick at 20:20 and the 700 arrived 2 minutes later (although was actually an earlier bus which was late). I arrived at the Old Steine bus stop in Brighton just under an hour before my National Express bus to Heathrow to find the earlier bus was still there but just about to leave. I quickly boarded and was the only passenger, at least as far as Gatwick. Being an hour ahead of schedule was a bonus as my original bus was due at the Central Bus Station around midnight and any delays to have made it harder to transfer to Terminal 4. That in itself was another story as until a week before we were due to go I was under the mistaken assumption that I was flying from Terminal 3! I arrived at Heathrow Central Bus Station at 22:50 and took the free tube to Terminal 4 where at 23:45 I found the Assistance Area relatively quiet with moderately comfortable seats to sleep on.

Thursday 01 February. I was up at 04:00 after a fairly disturbed sleep and while sorting out my bags received a message from Nick to say he and Barry were already at check-in. It was an hour flight to Paris (06:20-07:20) followed by a 5 hour wait during which time Paul arrived from Norwich. It was a 10 hour flight to Panama City during which I watched Oppenheimer and two enjoyable French films (Green Tide and Margurite’s Theorem). We arrived at Tucumen about 30 minutes late and it was slow getting through immigration but at least our bags were waiting. Our guide Kilo was at the exit and took us a short way to a minibus driven by Marvin. We headed around Panama City to the Albrook Inn arriving at 21:30 just after their restaurant had closed, not that I was particularly hungry.

Friday 02 February. We birded the grounds of Albrook Inn from 06:20-07:00, had breakfast and left at 08:00 for the short drive to the Biomuseo in Amador, on the Eastern side of the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. A pleasant hour there provided an easy introduction to some commoner Panamanian birds including a rather smart Golden-fronted Greenlet and Isthmian Wren. We returned to the minibus and were driven west for over three hours to Santiago for a quick lunch stop before continuing for almost another 2 hours to Los Lajas where we birded from 14:25-16:25 mainly looking for Veraguan Mango which we eventually saw - a male (hybrids with Green-breasted having been recorded there in the past putting a female Veraguan type we’d seen earlier not quite good enough). From there it was another 2.5 hours to the Tamandua Bungalows in Guadalupe on the slopes of Cerro Punta. A comfortable place although I bashed my shins walking into a platform at the entrance to our bungalow when returning after a meal in a restaurant further down the road. I’d not noticed it in the dark. Other birds seen included 3 Garden Emeralds, King Vulture, 7 Keel-billed Toucans, 4 Barred Antshrikes, 2 Northern Scrub Flycatchers, 2 Fork-tailed Flycatchers, Yellow-throated and Yellow-winged Vireoa, 2 Bay-breasted and a Chestnut-sided Warbler, 2 Golden-hooded Tanagers and 2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.

Grey-headed Chachalaca at the Biomuseo, Panama City

Red-lored Amazon at the Biomuseo (photo: Paul Noakes)

Golden-fronted Greenlet at the Biomuseo (photo: Paul Noakes)

Pale-vented Pigeon at the Biomueso

Northern Mouse-coloured Tyrannulet at the Biomuseo (photo: Paul Noakes)

Northern Scrub Flycatcher at the Biomuseo

Tropical Mockingbird at the Biomuseo

Garden Emerald at the Biomuseo (photo: Paul Noakes)

Brown Pelican at the Biomuseo

Isthmian Wren at the Biomuseo

Orchard Oriole at the Biomuseo (photo: Paul Noakes)

Bridge of the Americans - the Pan-American Highway crossing the Panama Canal

Spotted Sandpiper near the Biomuseo

Great-tailed Grackle near the Biomuseo

Cabot's Tern near the Biomuseo

Panama Canal meets the Pacific Ocean

Rose-breasted Grosbeak at Las Lajas

Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet at Las Lajas (photo: Paul Noakes)

male Veraguan Mango at Las Lajas

Vergauan Mango at Las Lajas (photo: Paul Noakes)

Saturday 03 February. Up at 05:10, went for breakfast at the restaurant a little way down the road at 05:30 and we left at 06:00 driving the short distance up to the Tamandua Reserve where we arrived at 06:30 just as it was starting to get light. Sitting in a hide overlooking a white sheet covered with many moths we were soon watching a Streaked Treehunter treating it as a breakfast bar and picking off 2 Atlas Moths, the largest of the moths there. It was an excellent area with Black-billed and 2 Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrushes hopping around in front of us and nearby hummingbird feeders attracting 5 White-throated Mountaingems, our main target. We wandered along a nearby trail to 09:45 seeing 4 Wrenthrushes and 3 Silver-fronted Tapaculos amongst others. We returned to Guadalupe for breakfast and a quick look at some hummingbirds in the Verbena nearby which included Scintillant and Snowy-bellied, both favourites from Costa Rica two years earlier. We drove up to Volcan Baru and from 11:10-14:40 birded around the top and back down the road where 2 Hermit and 3 Black-throated Green Warblers impressed. We returned to Tamandua Bungalows at 15:00 and had a pleasant hour watching their feeders and Verbena. We left at 16:00 to drive to Las Lajas, arriving at the Magic Mountain Lodge at 18:40. Other birds seen during a brilliant day included 12 Talamanca, 6 Fiery-throated, 4 Volcano and 3 Stripe-tailed Hummingbirds, 3 Violet Sabrewings, Collared Trogon, Prong-billed Barbet, Buffy Tuftedcheek, 2 Ruddy Treerunners, Tufted and Yellowish Flycatchers, Barred Becard, 2 Black & Yellow Silky Flycatchers, Ochraceous Wren, 2 Black-faced Solitaires, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Black-striped Sparrow, Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch, 2 Large-footed Finches, 4 Yellow-thighed Brushfinches, Black & White, 3 Flame-throated and 2 Black-cheeked Warblers, Slate-throated and 4 Collared Whitestarts and 3 Flame-coloured, 3 Spangle-cheeked and a Silver-throated Tanager.

'moth wall' at the Tamandua Reserve above Guadalupe

Giant Silk Moth above Guadalupe

Streak-breasted Treehunter above Guadalupe (photos: Paul Noakes)

Streak-breasted Treehunter above Guadalupe

Black-billed Nightingale Thrush above Guadalupe

Tufted Flycatcher above Guadalupe

Tufted Flycatcher as a sensible shutter speed (photo: Paul Noakes)

Yellowish Flycatcher above Guadalupe (photo: Paul Noakes)

Spot-crowned Woodcreeper above Guadalupe (photo: Paul Noakes)

Ochraceous Wren above Guadalupe

Collared Whitestart above Guadalupe

Collared Whitestart above Guadalupe (photo: Paul Noakes)

Yellow-thighed Brushfinches above Guadalupe

Large-footed Finch above Guadalupe

Prong-billed Barbet above Guadalupe (photo: Paul Noakes)

Wrenthrush above Guadalupe (photo: Paul Noakes)

Wrenthrush above Guadalupe (photo: Barry Wright)

Slaty Flowerpiercer above Guadalupe

White-throated Mountaingem on feeders above Guadalupe

White-throated Mountaingem above Guadalupe (photos: Paul Noakes)

Talamanca Hummingbirds above Guadalupe

Talamanca Humingbird catching the light

Fiery-throated Hummingbirds above Guadalupe

Scintillant Hummingbird at Guadalupe

Scintillant Hummingbird at Guadalupe (photo: Paul Noakes)

Vulcan Baru

Volcano Hummingbird at Vulcan Baru

female Stripe-tailed Hummingbird at Vulcan Baru

male Stripe-tailed Hummingbird at Vulcan Baru (photo: Paul Noakes)

Wilson's Warbler at Vulcan Baru (photo: Paul Noakes)

Silvery-fronted Tapaculo at Vulcan Baru

Silvery-fronted Tapaculo at Vulcan Baru (photos: Paul Noakes)

Hermit Warbler at Vulcan Baru

Hermit Warbler at Vulcan Baru (photo: Paul Noakes)

Black-throated Green Warbler at Vulcan Baru (photo: Paul Noakes)

Flame-coloured Tanager at Vulcan Baru (photo: Paul Noakes)

Clay-coloured Thrush at Tamandua Bungalows

Violet Sabrewing at Tamandua Bungalows

Palm Tanagers at Tamandura Bungalows

Acorn Woodpecker at Tamandura Bungalows

Baltimore Oriole at Tamandua Bungalows

Chestnut-capped Brushfinch at Tamandura Bungalows

Tropical Mockingbird at Tamandura Bungalows

Shiny Cowbird at Tamandura Bungalows

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at Tamandura Bungalows

Silver-throated Tanager at Tamandura Bungalows

Snowy-bellied Hummingbird at Guadalupe

Snowy-bellied Hummingbird at Guadalupe (photo: Paul Noakes)

Tamandua Bungalows, Guadalupe

Sunday 04 February. An early start, leaving the lodge at 03:30 to drive up to Cerro Colorado. The usual road had been taken out by a landslide several months earlier making the journey much longer than previously. At about 05:00 we transferred into a 4WD truck, me being next to the driver with the others in the back. The road deteriorated into a series of very steep ups and downs although it remained metaled for the most part. It was still dark and we were mostly in low cloud with very poor visibility. Often all I could see ahead was a white line painted down the middle of the road which had me singing to myself “That old white line is friend of mine and it's good time we've been making, right now I'm rollin' down the open road and the daylight will soon be breaking”, an old Neil Young and Crazy Horse song from Ragged Glory about cocaine and/or touring. We stopped for breakfast on the edge of the first of several patches of forest at 06:30, it was soon after dawn not that much was visible in the low cloud. It eventually cleared at 09:45 but as we returned to the original patch an hour later visibility closed in again, perhaps it had never cleared there. It finally cleared at 11:30 and we saw a few nice birds - 4 Purple-throated Mountaingems, Northern Emerald Toucanet, Spotted Barbtail, male Golden-winged Warbler and 2 Black-thighed Grosbeaks - but although we stayed until 13:00 we could not find our target, the endemic Yellow-green Brushfinch. It was the first time Kilo had failed to see them in about 20 visits leaving us pretty gutted. We returned to the main road at 14:45, me in the back this time realizing how uncomfortable it was hanging onto the covered frame while sitting on lightly padded benches. Marvin was waiting and we transferred into our comfortable minibus, arriving at Heliconias Lodge, Malena at 17:30. A very nice lodge run by Dutch birder Kees, his wife and daughter on rewilded farmland and our jumping off point for Coiba Island. A quick walk around the grounds produced excellent views of a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. Other birds seen during the day included Crested Guan, 2 Stripe-tailed Hummingbirds, 2 Prong-billed Barbets, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Red-faced Spinetail, Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant, 3 Yellowish Flycatchers, 2 Black & Yellow Silky Flycatchers, 3 Ochraceous Wrens, Black-faced Solitaire and 6 Collared Whitestarts.