They are here to stay!

And that is for sure!  I'm talking about the Carib Grackles.  For some reason, this species colonized Panama unnoticed more than one and a half year ago from Colombia, where it showed an explosive expansion of its natural range.  In fact, the first record was mere 40 kms to the east of Panama City.  

Back then, I noticed this rather small adult male grackle with a huge group of normal-sized Great-tailed Grackle... nothing rare, just unusual... until I heard it!  This small grackle had a different voice!

Carib Grackle.  Finca Bayano, Panama.  August 15th, 2017

I hurried to take photos of this grackle, and managed some (like the one above)... but soon concluded that it had to be some dwarf or anomalous individual or something like that.  After all, there were no previous records in eastern Panama of this conspicuous species, which I already knew from South America.  But for some reason, I did not erase those photos.  Just a few weeks later, while birding some fields close to the town of Chepo with some fellow birders including Venicio "Beny" Wilson and Rolando Jordan, I noticed again these small grackles accompanying normal-looking Great-tailed Grackles... but this time there were no doubts... those were Carib Grackles!

Carib Grackles.  Near Chepo, Panama.  September 9th, 2017

Since then, the grackles were recorded in several hotspots to the east of the first records and into Darien province.  In fact, there are some regular spots where the birds are almost guaranteed, like the river near the town of Torti in eastern Panama province.  There have been reports of juveniles birds there, although we have not yet found a nest so far.  I went to this site in my way back from Finca Los Lagos after my twitch for the Bare-faced Ibis.  As soon as I got there, I noticed the Carib Grackles at the bank of the river.  They were vocalizing and I managed photos and sound recordings this time, that I included in my eBird checklist for the site.

Carib Grackles. Torti, Panama. February 3rd, 2019

Carib Grackle. Torti, Panama. February 3rd, 2019

Its similarity to the ubiquitous Great-tailed Grackles certainly had something to do with its "sorpresive" colonization... simply no one cared to check the grackles before!  Several reports have been of birds in association with Great-tailed Grackles, and almost all the birds have been found associated with water.  I wonder how far will they reach into western Panama, but something seems sure... they are here to stay!

To twitch, or not to twitch

Different birders watch birds in different ways.  Some of them like to spend the afternoon relaxing in the porch, watching the birds at the feeders in the middle of the backyard while others chase all the species possible within a region... some keep watching birds everywhere, anytime while other only birdwatch during the weekend.  I do a little bit of everything, depending on time of course.  However, sometimes a little extra effort is necessary if you want to add new birds to your life list.

Large-billed Tern at Gamboa

This year have been exceptional regarding occurrence of local rarities.  And so far, I have managed to cross the country several times searching for them... successfully!  Alone, with my family or with friends, chasing a rarity is always exciting, specially if you manage to successfully locate the bird you were looking for.  For example, the day after the first report of a vagrant Large-billed Tern in the town of Gamboa (central Panama) I decided to pay a visit in my lunch break... actually it was my only chance because I was about to leave the city later that day and for more than a week.  Gamboa is mere 30 minutes or less from Panama City, so the decision was straightforward.  After 10 minutes of my arrival, the Large-billed Tern circled above the public dock (right where it was reported) showing its spectacular flight pattern and allowing nice photos (above) and even better views.  I probably stayed only 20 minutes... yes, I saw it and that was all... back to work!

Twitching a Dwarf Cuckoo

Time is important... you better try to find your desired birds as soon as you get the news of its occurrence.  Some vagrants stay for long periods of time while others are seen only once or twice.  When the very rare (for Panama) Dwarf Cuckoo appeared in Tortí (one and a half hours to the east of Panama City) one week ago, I lost the chance to chase it... when I finally went to the site four days later, the bird was not there.  The birders that went the next day of the initial report found it by the way.  A Little Cuckoo at the site was a great consolation prize, but having a twitching trip with good friends always worth it... with or without Dwarf Cuckoo!

Little Cuckoo at Torti

But some times you get lucky... when my friend Rafael Lau published the photos of a very rare (for Panama) Hermit Warbler in Bambito (western highlands of Chiriqui province), I was in the middle of a trip with my family, thousands of kilometers away of Panama.  When I finally was able to twitch the bird, I drove more than 700 kms back and forth in the same day with my wife Gloriela and my daughter Gabrielle.  At the site, I started to search for the vagrant warbler.  It took me a while before an adult male Hermit Warbler decided to materialize in front of me, allowing some shots, like the one posted below... amazing!  We were in a rush, and only had time for another specialty of the Chiriqui highlands: strawberries with cream!

Hermit Warbler at Bambito

Strawberries & cream!

And then, just few weeks after my life Hermit Warbler, I went back to the Chiriqui highlands, again in a long twitch from Panama City with my wife.  My objective, a relative common, but secretive, inhabitant of montane forests.  Some friends of mine repeatedly reported a Buff-fronted Quail-Dove in the trails above the town of Guadalupe, within La Amistad International Park.  But a very early drive in the dark through a really bad road was necessary in order to be at the trail on time to watch the bird... and that was exactly what we did.  After spending the night at town (just after watching, for the first time, a Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl), I drove the road in complete darkness.  The road looks like a dry river bed... quite bumpy and scary... but we made it.  At first light, we were at the start of the trail.  Soon, I saw a plump figure walking toward us... I barely trusted my eyes because a Buff-fronted Quail-Dove was in collision trajectory!  When the quail-dove noticed our presence (mere five meters from us), it turned around, walking up-trail.  Then, I remembered that I was carrying my heavy camera and tried some shots... just this came out:

What a great experience!  Finding your desired bird is magical, specially after investing time and effort on it.  The above picture probably doesn't show the quail-dove in all its splendor, but I kind of like it... I can almost feel the chilly air in the morning under the canopy of the montane forest while seeing this photo!  For me, the answer to the question is TO TWITCH!

Looking for lifers in Darien province. Part I

Inspired by the recent reports of rarities showing up in eastern Panama, I decided to drive more than 250 km last weekend through pot-holed roads into central Darien province with my family.  After literally "escaping" Panama City's traffic jam, we drove all the way non-stop except in the little town of Tortí to have dinner.  Our surprise was that the restaurant we chose had hummingbird feeders!

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

It was late and the light was fading; however, we saw six different species of hummingbirds attending the feeders, including the Scaly-breasted Hummingbird pictured above.  It was my first for the year.  After our tasty dinner, we reached the town of Metetí at night.  After checking in at our modest hotel, we went to sleep without setbacks.  Early the next day, we ate our breakfast preparing for the long drive to the town of Yaviza.  I only recorded common species in Metetí, with this leucistic House Sparrow as the highlight.

leucistic House Sparrow

The deteriorated road made the drive to Yaviza a 1-hour trip.  At this town is where the PanAmerican Highway ends... literally (the only gap along this route from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego!), and is the entrance gate to emblematic towns in eastern Darien (like El Real, Pirre, Boca de Cupe, Paya, Pucuru, etc...) and to Darien National Park through pangas and little canoes, using the mighty Chucunaque and Tuira rivers.

Following some published reports, we walked directly to the cemetery at the entrance of the town.  It was quite hot and sunny and I wondered if I had enough information to find my goal.  However, it only took a moment before we noticed a movement halfway up a Corotú tree (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) near the entrance of the place... somehow, Gloriela managed to took a photo of that moment:

Wait!... is that a....

Yes!  I was seeing a Bicolored Wren working the medium level of that tree!  Why so excited?  The Bicolored Wren is a recent colonizer of eastern Panama from Colombia... and Yaviza is, so far, the extreme western part of its expanded range... and a lifer for me and Gloriela!  I got some photos too!

Bicolored Wren

The bird searched carefully every loose piece of bark and each epiphyte quietly, resting just for a couple of seconds before resuming its task.  We only saw this individual... previously,  a pair with a begging young was recorded in that same site.

Bicolored Wren

Bicolored Wren

With our main target in the bag, we drove back to Metetí in order to prepare for our next adventure.  However, we stopped at a forest patch near Yaviza for a while.  Almost immediately we noticed some kettles of Broad-winged and Swainson's Hawks plus many Mississippi Kites migrating.  Then, I heard a familiar call... a little bit of search produced this magnificent Rufous-tailed Jacamar by the road.

Rufous-tailed Jacamar, female

Not only that... some other eastern Panama specialties showed up as well, like Black Antshrike, Double-banded Graytail and Yellow-breasted Flycatchers.  What a great day... but was not over.  After collecting our stuff in the room, we left Metetí and headed to the renowned Canopy Camp, where we booked one night with the intention of observing another rarity... so stay tuned!

In search of Darien's specialties

The Darien province, in eastern Panama, holds a myriad of south american birds not found in any other site in North America (OK, that is using the boundaries of the AOU's North American Classification Committee).  And... it is not necessary to mount an expedition to see some of these birds, as we prove it last month.  The group of birders including me, Euclides Campos, Osvaldo Quintero and Rafael Luck, were ready to obtain some lifers in spite of the short time available.

We stayed at Meteti, from where we headed very early in the morning (having breakfast on route) to the wet pastures east to the town of Betzaida.  At a marshy patch with long reeds, we found one of the targets of our trip: the Yellow-hooded Blackbird... and not only one, but many singing males, displaying in a courtship behavior.

The female is duller (considerably), but distinctive as well.  We saw both males and females flying outside the reeds to a nearby farm and vice versa.  The resident status of this species was confirmed some years ago in Darien (and North America), and is expanding westward.

At the same patch, we saw a singing adult male Large-billed Seed-Finch.  Also a south american "invader", this male was feeding a young partially hidden inside the reeds.  The young had a normal-sized bill.

This bird has been found westward into Panama province (once), but the Darien is still the only regular region for it in North America, the same as the next species: the Spot-breated Woodpecker, that we found next to the road.  The lack of red malar make this a female.

We moved to the east, closer to the town of Yaviza, to a patch of tall forest remaining along the mighty Chucunaque river.  The avifauna changed rapidly, with many species typical of humid forests present, like Barred and Black-breasted Puffbirds, Black-bellied Wren, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, both Crested and Black Oropendolas and even a noisy Red-throated Caracara that perched high above a fig tree.

After a while, we started our way to the road of El Salto, which crosses a nice forest, part of it protected by the Vida Nueva Foundation... however, we stopped on route in order to watch a Limpkin atop a tree.  They are not uncommon in this part of the country, but it is always great to have sights like this!

At the road to El Salto, we crossed several mixed flocks.  The biggest one included Yellow-margined and Yellow-breasted Flycatchers, White-flanked and Moustached Antwrens, White-shouldered and Plain-colored Tanagers, Tropical Gnatcatchers and more.  Then Euclides heard the call of one of my main targets: the Double-banded Graytail.  Soon, we were seeing three individuals (including one immature) of this Darien specialty... a life bird for me!!!

What a great trip... and we only spend half-day birding!  In the return journey, we made a short stop at the Elementary School in the town of Torti (eastern Panama province) where Euclides identified a group of 30+ Brown-chested Martins perched on a wire.  This austral migrant is seldom reported despite it is quite regular in this part of Panama.  Great way to end the trip!