birding never sleeps: PANAMA 2024 part 3: Rio Torti, Chucanti and Metiti (10-14 February)

PANAMA February 2024 part 3: Rio Torti, Chucanti and Metiti (10-14 February)

Saturday 10 February. Breakfast at 06:15 followed by a short drive to an area or open fields and hedges next to Rio Torti, which was more of a large stream than a small river at this point. We birded from 07:45-10:45 and it was excellent seeing a pair of Black Antshrikes, Rufescent Tiger Heron, 3 Whooping Motmots, Pied Puffbird, a superb Grey-cheeked Nunlet, 2 Collared Aracaris, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, a pair of Pacific Antwrens, a pair of Jet Antbirds, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flatbill, 2 Black-bellied and a Buff-breasted Wren, Orange-crowned Oriole, Prothonotary and Mourning Warblers and a female White-eared Conebill (although the views weren’t much of an improvement on yesterday’s male). We sorted out gear not needed for our three day visit to Cerro Chucanti and after lunch loaded the rest into a 4WD pickup driven by Guido Berguido who ran the reserve and lodge. Marvin had taken the minibus back to Panama City. The reserve was supported by several charities including, I was pleased to learn, the World Land Trust which I regularly donate to. We departed at 14:00, somewhat delayed, and continued SE down the Pan American Highway to a track off west and up into the hills. Half way there we needed a lengthy stop for the engine to cool down, even 4WDs found this terrain challenging and in the wet season it is only accessible by horse. The last section was up a very steep narrow dirt track and into forest. The track was the steepest I can remember ever being on, but probably wasn’t. Meeting another vehicle coming down and us having to reverse 100m or so to a passing place didn’t help. We arrived at our destination, a very small clearing a few hundred metres below Chucanti Lodge that served as a visitors car park. Our bags were loaded onto waiting horses while we walked up a very steep narrow dirt track to the lodge seeing Golden-crowned Spadebill. It had generators which powered a battery and, despite its remoteness, excellent wi-fi thanks to Elon Musk’s Starlink. Of more interest to us was our first Violet-capped Hummingbird on their feeders, a very localized endemic found here, as well as 2 White-vented Plumeleteers and a Blue-throated Goldentail. The lodge was basic but in a superb setting. Barry and Paul chased a large cockroach out of their room which then appear in ours. We also had bats under my bed, not that they were any trouble.

birding near Rio Torti

Geoffrey's Tamarin at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes), nice tail!

Pied Puffbird at Rio Torti

male Pacific Antwren at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Grey-cheeked Nunlet at Rio Torti

Nunlets are amongst my favourite Neotropical birds

Grey-cheeked Nunlet at Rio Torti (photos: Paul Noakes)

male Black Antshrike at Rio Torti

male Black Antshrike at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

female Black Antshrike at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

male Jet Antbird at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Black-bellied Wren at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Rufescent Tiger-Heron at Rio Torti

Yellow Tyrannulet at Rio Torti

Yellow Tyrannulet at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Whooping Motmot at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Plain-coloured Tanager at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Mourning Warbler at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Forest Elaenia at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Black-throated Mango at the Hotel Portal Avicar in Rio Torti

White-necked Jacobins at Rio Torti

female Violet-capped Hummingbird at Chucanti Lodge

unwanted guest

Sunday 11 February. We had breakfast, saw 2 Violet-capped Hummingbirds on the feeders and left the lodge soon after 07:00 to climb slowly but almost continuously up to the ridge arriving at the Ridge Camp at about 11:00. Not far short of the ridge were the remains of two crashed helicopters, the wreckage making headlines in April 2023 (The United States government is looking into the discovery in the jungles of Panama of the wreckage of two helicopters that appear to belong to the Pentagon) although they had been found at least 30 years earlier. As yet they’ve not been claimed leading to suggestions straight out of thriller fiction ranging from drug running to CIA Black Ops. We dumped our bags and while camp was being set up birded along the ridge to 15:00 seeing Russet-crowned Quail-Dove, 2 Northern Emerald Toucanets, Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, 2 Beautiful Treerunners, Golden-headed Manakin, Varied Solitaire, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush (a potential split), 12 Tacarcuna Chlorospinguses, Golden-winged Warbler and Black and Yellow Tanager. We returned for a late lunch before going back out in different directions. I wandered back towards the crashed helicopters but saw very little. Soon after dark we taped in a Choco Screech-Owl that was calling from just below the camp. A brief walk after dinner walk along the ridge trail hoping to thermal roosting birds produced nothing.

Chucanti Lodge, Nick and my room was up the big step

the eating area

Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker above Chucanti Lodge

Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker above Chucanti Lodge (photo: Paul Noakes)

Little Long-tailed Woodcreeper above Chucanti Lodge (photo: Paul Noakes)

Black-headed Spider Monkey at Cerro Chucanti

Varied Solitaire at Cerro Chucanti

Varied Solitaire at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Barry Wright)

Barry at the crashed helicopters

Barry at Chucanti Ridge camp

Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush at Cerro Chucanti (my best effort, 1/10, must do better)

Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush (photo: Barry Wright)

Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush (photo: Paul Noakes)

Russet-crowned Quail-Dove at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Barry Wright)

Tacarcuna Chlorospingus at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Barry Wright)

Beautiful Treerunner at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Beautiful Treerunner at Cerro Chucanti (photos: Barry Wright)

Choco Screech-Owl at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Monday 12 February. After a surprisingly hot night we were up at 05:45, packed our bags and had breakfast. We birded along the ridge for two hours before returning to a dismantled camp where we took another trail down to the river. We were back at the lodge at 13:45 for a late lunch having seen Crested Owl, Tody Motmot, 2 Black-breasted Puffbirds, 2 Yellow-eared Toucanets, Scaly-throated Leaftosser, 2 Ruddy Woodcreepers, Golden-crowned Spadebill, Speckled Mourner, Rufous-breasted and Scaly-breasted Wrens, 4 Varied Solitaires, 7 Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrushes and 6 Tacarcuna Chlorospinguses. At 15:00 we walked down below the lodge and in the clearing there repeatedly played a Central American Pygmy-Owl ‘mobbing’ tape. It attracted 30 species including several on the tape (but not the owl which we’d yet to see). We were back at the lodge at 18:00. No sign of the cockroach tonight but spotlighting around the lodge revealed a Choco Screech-Owl and roosting Swainson’s Thrush. Other birds seen included 4 Violet-capped, Snowy-bellied and Violet-bellied Hummingbirds, Blue-throated Goldentail, Golden-winged, male American Redstart, 6 Bay-breasted and a Canada Warbler.

Varied Solitaire at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Tacarcuna Chlorospingus at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Golden-crowned Spadebill at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Crested Owl at Cerro Chucanti

Crested Owl at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Crested Owl at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Barry Wright)

Scaly-breasted Wren at Cerro Chucanti

Scaly-breasted Wren at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Scaly-breasted Wren at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Barry Wright)

Tody Motmot at Cerro Chucanti

Tody Motmot at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Barry Wright)

Tody Motmot at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Scaly-throated Leaftosser at Cerro Chucanti

Scaly-throated Leaftosser at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Bicoloured Antbird at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Black-cheeked Woodpecker at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Black-striped Woodcreeper at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Plain-brown Woodcreeper at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Ruddy Woodcreeper at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Ruddy Woodcreeper at Cerro Chucanti (photo: Barry Wright)

Speckled Mourner near Chucanti Lodge

Speckled Mourner near Chucanti Lodge (photos: Paul Noakes)

Black-breasted Puffbird near Chucanti Lodge

Black-breasted Puffbird near Chucanti Lodge (photos: Paul Noakes)

Long-billed Hermit near Chucanti Lodge (photo: Paul Noakes)

Bay-breasted Warbler near Chucanti Lodge (photo: Paul Noakes)

Philadelphia Vireo near Chucanti Lodge (photo: Paul Noakes)

Cerro Chucanti from Chucanti Lodge

Swainson's Thrush found with thermal imager at Chucanti Lodge (photo: Paul Noakes)

Choco Screech-Owl at Chucanti Lodge (photo: Paul Noakes)

Tuesday 13 February. I was woken by impressive Howler Monkeys just before dawn. We had breakfast at 06:15 as it was getting light and left Chucanti Lodge at 07:00, our main bags ready to be transported down to the vehicle by horse. We walked down to the clearing by a rather circuitous route to the ‘car park’. There the Central American Pygmy-Owl tape wasn’t so successful but we tried lower down, near the forest edge and attracted some different species. We waited by the track there for the vehicle which arrived at 11:30. We were back on the main road at about 12:00, said goodbye to Guido and transferred to a minibus (rather clapped out compared to Marvin’s) and returned to the Avicar in Rio Torti for lunch. At 15:00 we returned to the open area by the river that we’d visited on 10^th and were back at the hotel at 18:00. Nothing new today but a nice variety of habitats and birds including 2 White Hawks, Barred Puffbird, Merlin, Spotted Antbird, a pair of Barred Antshrikes, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, 4 Fork-tailed Flycatchers, Rufous Piha, 2 White-ruffed, 2 Golden-collared and a Red-capped Manakin, 2 Green Shrike-Vireos, Yellow-throated Vireo, Orange-billed Sparrow, Northern Waterthrush, 2 Prothonotary Warblers and better views of a male White-eared Conebill.

White Hawk at Chucanti

White Hawk at Chucanti (photos: Paul Noakes)

Northern Barred Woodcreeper at Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Green Shrike-Vireo at Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

White-ruffed Manakin at Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Grey-headed Tanager at Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

forest at Chucanti

Golden-collared Manakin at Chucanti

Golden-collared Manakin at Chucanti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Cerro Chucanti

leaving Chucanti

Crowned Woodnymph at Rio Torti

Olivaceous Piculet at Rio Torti

Olivaceous Piculet at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Southern Lapwing at Rio Torti

Mantled Howler Monkey at Rio Torti

One-coloured Becard at Rio Torti

One-coloured Becard at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Barred Puffbird at Rio Torti

Barred Puffbird at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Rusty-margined Flycatcher at Rio Torti

Pale-bellied Hermit at Rio Torti

Pale-bellied Hermit at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Striped Cuckoo at Rio Torti

Striped Cuckoo at Rio Torti (photo: Paul Noakes)

Striated Heron at Rio Torti

Solitary Sandpiper at Rio Torti

male Barred Antshrike at Rio Torti

Wednesday 14 February. An early start, leaving Rio Torti at 04:00 to drive to Metiti. It was my only chance of Striped Owl, something I’d missed on several previous trips, but before I knew it we were stopping for breakfast on the outskirts of Metiti. Very disappointing as I’d hoped we’d at least try a few back roads on the way. Kilo had arranged for a dugout canoe to take us downstream from the Rio Metiti jetty and 2 Double-banded Greytails showed briefly as we were about to board at 07:30, a decent start although the dugout was quite unstable due to the high plastic chairs we were sitting on. A quick stop on the way replaced these with wooden recliners that lowered our centre of gravity and made the journey much more enjoyable. We joined the Chucanaque River continuing downstream to Nueva Vigula where we arrived at 09:00. We spent two hours looking for Dusky-backed Jacamar and were just about to give up when our local guide heard one near our landing spot. Nick soon saw a jacamar but it was the wrong one (Rufous-tailed) although very fortunately we soon found a pair of Dusky-backed Jacamars, at one stage passing an insect between them. We were back at Metiti at 12:00, a rather quicker return despite it being upstream, and were soon driving south reaching the end of the Pan American highway at Yaviza at 12:45. We had lunch then at 13:40 took a boat downriver, the Chucanaque again although much larger, to El Real where we disembarked half an hour later and transferred into a clapped out 4WD. This took us to an office on the edge of town where Kilo presented our permits. About half way to the entrance track to Darien National Park we stopped briefly at a Black Oropendola colony, seeing several nest but only 4 individuals. At the entrance track our bags were loaded onto a quad-bike while we walked the 3.2 kms to Rancho Frio, Paul hearing an unusual raptor call on the way picked out an adult Crested Eagle high in a tree. It flew a short distance and briefly landed in view before flying deeper into the forest. We arrived at the Rio Frio headquarters, a few run down buildings in a clearing beside an attractive river, to find our tents already set up. We birded in and around the clearing and at dusk Kilo climbed about 500m up the ridge trail to get a phone signal and while up there heard Marbled Wood-Quail calling. After dinner we went up with him hoping to thermal one. He played a short burst of tape which elicited a response and Paul located a roosting bird with his thermal camera. Everybody except me could see the bird in torch light but despite being repeatedly directed to the same two leaves it took me ages to realise that the brown bits either side were it. Paul carefully closed in revealing more of the bird in his torch’s beam as he did so - finally a decent view of Marbled Wood-Quail! Many thanks to everyone’s perseverance in getting me onto this bird. My eyesight is sadly deteriorating in poor light conditions. Spotlighting around the clearing on our return we heard Great Potoo and later saw a Fasciated Tiger-Heron feeding in the river, no problems for me seeing that one. Other birds seen during the day included Solitary Sandpiper, Anhinga, Capped Heron, Black-tailed Trogon, Keel-billed and Yellow-throated Toucans, 4 Red-throated Caracaras, Red & Green Macaw, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Choco Elaenia, Western Olivaceous Flatbill, 2 Purple-throated Fruitcrows, 2 male Blue Cotingas and Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher.