2018 Panama Journal - Day 3 - Part 3

Monday 2/12/18 Continued.

After a short siesta after lunch we all climbed into the vans and drove a few miles to the Pan-American Highway. 

We’re only a few kilometers away so it didn’t take us long to get there.  We parked and walked to a bridge overlooking some wetlands.  

The Pan-American Highway through the Darien
is a very nice, new road.

Visiting a wetland habitat gave us a chance to see some new birds. A target bird for the visit was the Pied Water-Tyrant which is another bird found in northern South America, but occurring only in this small area of Central America.

Pied Water-Tyrant

Pied Water-Tyrant

Another interesting wetland bird is the Wattled Jacana. The "wattled" label comes from the bright red flesh surrounding the bill of the adult. Adults are black while juveniles are brown and white.

Wattled Jacana

Wattled Jacana adult and juvenile

Wood Storks circled overhead, but decided not to land.

Wood Storks

We enjoyed good views of the curious looking Smooth-billed Ani.

Smooth-billed Ani

After an hour or so we drove to Javiva Road to look for yet another species that can only be found in this region of Central America, the Black Oropendola. Like other Oropendolas they nest communally in hanging woven nests. The Black Oropendola has a more colorful face than the Chestnut-headed Oropendolas nesting back at our camp.

Black Oropendula

Black Oropendola

Flyover

We got back to Camp in time for dinner at 7:00 pm.  It was another wonderful meal of salmon with pasta, carrots & cauliflower, rolls and salad.

Bird list for day 3:

Gray-headed Chachalaca, Pale-vented Pigeon, Ruddy Ground-Dove, White-tipped Dove, Striped Cuckoo (H), Smooth-billed Ani, Common Pauraque, White-necked Jacobin, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Black-throated Mango, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Blue-chested Hummingbird, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, Blue-throated Goldentail, Wattled Jacana, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Wood Stork, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Black Vulture, Turken Vulture, King Vulture, Swallow-tailed Kite, Double-toothed Kite, Roadside Hawk, White Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, Black Hawk-Eagle (H), Mottled Owl (H), Slaty-tailed Trogon, Black-tailed Trogon (H), White-tailed Trogon (H), Gartered Trogon (H), Whooping Motmot (H), Ringed Kingfisher, Rufous-tailed Jacamar (H), Spot-crowned Barbet, Keel-billed Toucan, Yellow-throated Toucan, Olivaceous piculet, Black-cheeked Woodpecker (H), Red-rumped Woodpecker, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Lineated Woodpeckeer, Red-throated Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, American Kestrel, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Red-lored Parrot, Mealy Parrot, White-bellied Antbird (H), Black-faced Antthrush, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Cocoa Woodcreeper (H), Brown-capped Tyrannulet (H), Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet (H), Yellow-bellied Elaenia (H), Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Southern Bentbill (H), Common Tody-Flycatcher (H), Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Pied Water-Tyrant, Long-tailed Tyrant (H), Bright-rumped Attila, Great Crested Flycatcher (H), Lesser Kiskadee, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher (H), Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Streaked Flycatcher, Piratic Flycatcher (H), Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Masked Tityra, Brack-crowned Tityra, Cinnamon Becard, White-winged Becard (H), Purple-throated Fruitcrow (H), Golden-collared Manakin, Golden-headed Manakin, Black-chested Jay, Gray-breasted Martin, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Scaly-breasted Wren, House Wren, Black-bellied Wren (H), Buff-breasted Wren, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, thick-billed Euphonia, Northern Waterthrush, Bay-breasted Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Blu-gray Tanager, Palm tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, Plain-colored tanager, Blue-black Grassquit, Gray-headed tanager, Crimson-backed Tanager,  Bananaquit, Summer Tanager (H), Great-tailed Grackle, Shiny Cowbird, Giant Cowbird, Orange-crowned Oriole, Yellow-rumped Oriole, Crested Oropendola, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Black Oropendola.

Next time:  Day 4 - birds, monkeys, and sloths.  Another great day in the Darien.