FIELD REPORT – Panama: Bocas del Toro Archipelago March 22 – April 6, 2019 Blue Dacnis © Linda Pittman Red-billed Tropicbird © Liz West Dull-mantled Antbird © Liz Strawberry Poison Dart Frog © Linda Pittman Keel-billed Toucan © Frances West Oliver Prepared by Jeri M. Langham VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DR., AUSTIN, TX 78746 Phone: 512-328-5221 or 800-328-8368 / Fax: 512-328-2919 [email protected] / www.ventbird.com Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge was built on Bastimentos Island adjacent to the large Parque Nacional Isla Bastimentos in Panama’s Bocas del Toro Archipelago. I scouted this location in January 2011 and immediately knew it was a fantastic location for VENT tours. Participants also have opportunities to snorkel, kayak, visit the bat cave, paddleboard, fish and/or swim in the warm Caribbean waters. An enticing example of what awaits visitors to this marvelous birding paradise can be found in excerpts taken from the daily Journal I write during every tour and later e-mail to all participants. These are from my 11-page Journal for the March 2019 tour. After a 45-minute Air Panama flight from Panama City, we were met in Bocas del Toro by Jay Viola who is one of the three owners of Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge. Soon we were loaded on their boat and headed toward Bastimentos Island. On the way we picked up Magnificent Frigatebirds and, at the dock, Green Ibises. From the ! ! Magnificent Frigatebirds © Linda Pittman! Rufous-tailed Hummingbird © Linda Pittman! dock we strolled up the wooden boardwalk through the mangroves to the lodge's main building. Here we met Jim and Renée Kimball who are co-owners with Jay Viola. Their four kids live here as well. From the porch we saw Common Black Hawk, Prothonotary Warbler, and Rufous-tailed Hummingbird while drinking coffee or tea and waiting for our breakfast orders to be served. We met for our first walk around part of the property after settling into our luxury cabanas, but first we saw some Greater Sac-winged Bats on the wall of the first cabana. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird was the most common hummingbird but we also added male and female Golden-collared Manakins, Blue-throated Goldentail (only seen once in previous 10 tours), two Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths, Gray-capped Flycatcher, Red-lored Parrots, Blue-black Grosbeaks, both male and female Masked Tityras, Montezuma Oropendola and Black-cowled Oriole. ! Red-lored Parrots © Liz West Masked Tityra © Liz West In the afternoon, we headed up the main concrete sidewalk, stopping for some birding at the fruit-covered Miconia shrubs and picking up migrants like Red-eyed Vireo, Tennessee Warbler and male Summer Tanager and residents like Blue Dacnis, Green Honeycreeper, Red-capped Manakins, Golden-collared Manakins and more. ! Female Blue Dacnis © Linda Pittman Male Golden-collared Manakin © Liz West The winding, gravel rainforest trail takes us to "pineapple hill" and the bathing pools. We picked up White-flanked Antwren and Long-billed Gnatwren, and we actually got to see one of the tiny Talamanca Rocket Frogs that were actively calling everywhere. ! ! Talamanca Rocket Frog © Liz West Green Ibis © Linda Pittman After breakfast, we zoomed to Punta Róbalo under dark skies and skimpy drizzle that soon stopped for the rest of the day. On arrival we saw Royal Terns and a Mangrove Swallow, but then a perched Bat Falcon stole the show. We picked up Black- bellied Whistling-Ducks, Northern Jaçanas, Green Ibises, lots of Turkey Vultures dotting many trees as a stopover on their migration north, Muscovy Ducks, White-tailed Kite, Melodious Blackbird whose range is expanding, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Brown Jays and more before reaching La Carretera. Behind the Texaco Station and restaurant buildings, we saw our first Boat-billed Herons and Cattle Egrets on their nests. We also ! Boat-billed Heron © Jeri Langham Cinnamon Becard at nest © Liz West picked up Cinnamon Becard and Purple Gallinules. Further up the hill at a favorite stop of mine called Bosque Protector Palo Seco, we had a wonderful flock that produced nine species of tanager, with Speckled, Emerald, Bay-headed and Silver-throated being favorites, and only the second Russet Antshrike after 10 previous tours. ! ! Speckled Tanager © Liz West Bay-headed Tanager © Linda Pittman Big surprise was tonight when Central American Wooly Opossum, Gray Four- eyed Opossum and Panamanian Night Monkeys were seen from the porch. The big target bird on the Soropta Canal today was the difficult-to-find-elsewhere Nicaraguan Seed-Finch, and we managed to see a close male just after entering the canal. We cruised up the 7-mile long canal to the mouth of the Changuinola River identifying 64 species, including my first Great Potoo in 11 tours here. What we did not know was that it was incubating a chick photographed a week later by Stacey Hollis. ! Nicaraguan Seed-Finch © Bill Fraser Great Potoo © Stacey Hollis There were over 100 Eastern Kingbirds among three flocks that flew over us as we moved up the canal. We saw several Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths (one with a baby) and only my second Neotropical River Otter. After exiting the canal, we headed for our visit to Swan's Cay where Red-billed Tropicbirds and Brown Boobies nest. Once we were 30 yards from Swan’s Cay, we spent about 35 minutes just floating with incredibly beautiful, elegant birds flying around us. Watching those gorgeous birds gliding by with their long tail feathers swaying in the wind, sometimes so close we could almost touch them, was simply fantastic. Some even landed on their nest cavities. ! Red-billed Tropicbird © Linda Pittman At 6:30 a.m. we met at the six-story high observation tower where birding is always a treat because we get very close looks at many species. White-crowned, Pale- vented and Short-billed pigeons put on a show along with Montezuma Oropendolas, Red-lored Parrots, Boat-billed Flycatchers, Great Kiskadees, male Scarlet and Summer tanagers, White-vented Euphonia, Black-cowled Oriole, various warblers and more. Highlight for me was spotting a male Golden-winged Warbler that most participants saw, and it turned out to be a new species for the Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure yard list. Great Kiskadee © Liz West Snowy Cotinga © Natalia Decastro The seas were like glass so we were at Isla Popa in no time. This is THE place for our target Snowy Cotinga but today it did not cooperate right away. Finally, Natalia spotted the drab, grayish female (great spotting!) and we had great looks. We continued birding the area trying for the next important target, Mangrove Cuckoo. There was no response to my tape at the usual mangrove patches as we slowly cruised this area, but finally one answered and we even were able to get some photos. I had been trolling the Pale-billed Woodpecker call since we had heard it do the “rap,” but interest in that was aborted immediately when a male Snowy Cotinga was spotted in flight and then watched as it eventually flew to the same tree in which we had seen the female. I again started to call the Pale-billed Woodpecker as we began to depart the area when suddenly the male flew to a large tree where we could easily see it. At a stop where a huge fig tree was loaded with ripe small grape-sized fruit, we spent a fabulous hour and 18 minutes enjoying Northern Emerald-Toucanets, White- throated Thrushes, Golden-browed Chlorophonias, Flame-colored Tanager, a male Hepatic Tanager, ten Scarlet-thighed Dacnises and dozens of Bay-headed Tanagers and Silver-throated Tanagers. Flame-colored Tanager © Linda Pittman White-throated Thrush © Jeri Langham We were zooming back to Punta Róbalo when we spotted the raptor migration. What a sight to see! Hundreds and hundreds of mostly Swainson’s Hawks were heading back north after spending the winter in Argentina! Among them we spotted a few Broad-winged Hawks and a tiny group of 13 Plumbeous Kites…a spectacle that all birders should experience and one reason I lead this tour at this time of year. Soon after we turned down the road to Valle Risco, we encountered a tree-lined open field with so many birds that we identified 50 species in an hour. Some of the best were Mississippi Kite, Broad-winged and Short-tailed hawks (in the start of today’s migration), Red-breasted Meadowlark, a male Lineated Woodpecker, a rare Crimson- fronted Parakeet, Long-tailed Tyrant, a male Snowy Cotinga, only my second Yellow- tailed Oriole in all tours here, a gorgeous male Bay-breasted Warbler, and an out of place Black-faced Grosbeak that is usually only in the highlands. Our unpaved road down to Valle Risco has little to no traffic and descends slowly down the side of the mountain offering many views of the valley floor below. While we identified about 44 species in the 2.4-hours of walking, much of that time was spent gawking up at the incredible migration passing over us. We estimated 4,500 Broad-winged Hawks, 3,000 Turkey Vultures, 2,000 Swainson’s Hawks, 25 Short-tailed Hawks and 20 Plumbeous Kites. Big surprise was seeing two Wood Storks with them…my first in 11 tours here. Some other special birds were Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant (the second smallest passerine in the Americas that is normally high up in the tallest trees), Blue Ground- Doves, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, Piratic Flycatcher, and Crimson-collared Tanager. We also had great looks at Blue Jeans Poison Dart Frog and three colors of Cracker Butterflies.