Travis Audubon Birding Panamá's Canopy Tower and Darien Camp with Laurie Foss

Transcription

1 Travis Audubon Birding Panamá's Canopy Tower and Darien Camp with Laurie Foss February 13 21, 2016 February 13, Day 1 Arrival, Orientation to the Canopy Tower and Semaphore Hill Road Our United Airlines group flight is scheduled to arrive into Panamá City at 2:19 p.m. (*See Flight Information) Upon arrival at Panamá's Tocumen airport, we will be met and transferred to the Canopy Tower, located at the top of Semaphore Hill in the rainforest of Soberanía National Park. A staff member will greet us and provide an orientation on the use of the facilities. The Canopy Tower is located in impressive rainforest atop Semaphore Hill within Soberanía National Park, 35 miles north of Panamá City. The tower was built by the United States Air Force to house powerful radar used in the defense of the Panamá Canal. In 1996 the tower and its 35 acres of rainforest were transferred to Panamá in compliance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaty. A local businessman and conservationist, Raúl Arias de Parra, transformed the radar tower into an exclusive ecolodge. The Canopy Tower has five levels that offer different views of the forest around it. The flat roof is a great place to watch the canopy, as well as the Panamá Canal and, in the distance, the skyline of the city. The top floor, covered by a 30 foot high geo-tangent dome (a variation of Buckminster Fuller's famous geodesic dome), is used as the main dining area, and is completely surrounded by panoramic windows. The floors below house the bedrooms. Below the rooms, a mezzanine with more windows

2 adds viewing opportunities of the lower levels of the forest canopy. Finally, the ground floor houses exhibits about the environment and the surrounding forest and the animals that live in it. Guest rooms at the Tower are simple but very comfortable. All of the double rooms have 2 twin beds, a small desk and chair, private bath with hot water, hairdryers, and environmentally safe soaps and shampoos. A limited number of guaranteed single rooms are available and they share one bathroom. Our local guide will be waiting for us to start a brief exploration of Soberanía National Park by taking a pleasant walk down Semaphore Hill Road. This winding, shady paved road, festooned on the shoulders by wildflowers of many types, is a little more than a mile long and crosses a large creek about half-way down. The bird list here is extensive, and includes birds from the forest interior as well as edge-dwellers. Olivaceous Flatbill, Plain Xenops, Lesser Greenlet, Black-breasted & White-whiskered puffbirds, Fasciated & Blackcrowned (formerly Western Slaty) antshrikes, Slate-colored Grosbeak, Bay-headed & Whiteshouldered tanagers, Black-throated Trogon, Broad-billed & Rufous motmots and Great Jacamar may be found. Great Tinamou is often heard, but harder to find. This road is also great for raptors White, Tiny & Great Black hawks have been seen. As the sun sets, we return to the Tower to prepare for dinner. It is highly recommend that you spend some time on the Observation Deck. The view from the platform is incredible! Here, you get a unique eye-level perspective of the rainforest canopy. Many birds, including toucans, parrots, tanagers of various types, hawks, and dozens of others, as well as 2 species of sloths, monkeys and other mammals are commonly seen. From this vantage point you can also see ships transiting the Panamá Canal, the majestic Centennial Bridge and miles of rainforest! You may also want to watch the hummingbird feeders at the base of the Tower for Long-billed Hermit, Whitenecked Jacobin, Violet-bellied & Blue-chested hummingbirds and White-vented Plumeleteer. Occasionally, a Snowy-bellied Hummingbird is spotted! (D) Night : Canopy Tower February 14, Day 2 Pipeline Road Entrance, Summit Ponds and Old Gamboa Road This morning you ll be up with the birds for the morning chorus! Although you can see lots of wildlife from your bedroom window, the roof of the tower is the place with incredible views of not only birds, monkeys and other wildlife, but also the surrounding forest canopy. Your morning coffee time will never be the same! After breakfast we board the Birdmobile or the Rainfomobile, both open-air vehicles, that take us to Pipeline Road, the best place in Central Panamá to find forest birds, and one of the premier birding

3 spots in the world! This morning we concentrate our efforts at the beginning of Pipeline, where we will look for Greater Ani, Gray-necked Wood-Rail, Yellow-tailed Oriole, Masked Tityra, Rosy Thrush- Tanager, Plain Wren, Streaked Flycatcher, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Squirrel Cuckoo, Gray-headed Chachalaca, Southern Bentbill, Forest Elaenia, Panamá Flycatcher, Blue Ground-Dove and Little Tinamou. Other birds recorded here are Black-bellied & Buff-breasted wrens, Golden-collared Manakin, White-necked Puffbird, Gartered, Slaty-tailed, Black-throated, White-tailed & Black-tailed trogons, Purple-crowned Fairy, Yellow Tyrannulet, White-bellied & Dusky antbirds, Fasciated & Black-crowned antshrikes. During migration this entrance road is excellent for migrant warblers, flycatchers, grosbeaks and tanagers. After lunch, we'll head out for Old Gamboa Road and the associated ponds at Summit; great places to find Canal Zone birds of many types. At Summit Ponds we will scan for Green, Striated, Capped & Boat-billed herons as well as Green, Ringed, Amazon, Green-and-rufous (rare) & American Pygmy kingfishers, which are all resident here! Also we seek out Rusty-margined & Streaked flycatchers, Mangrove Swallow, Bat Falcon, Cocoa Woodcreeper and Lineated & Crimson-crested woodpeckers. Going straight past the two ponds you'll be on Old Gamboa Road, one of the birdiest spots around. This road passes through a variety of habitats and has plenty of specialties, including Blue Ground- Dove, Great Antshrike, Jet Antbird, Black-tailed & Royal flycatchers, Lance-tailed & Golden-collared manakins and the delightful Rosy Thrush-Tanager! We also will find species like White-bellied Antbird, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Yellow-backed Oriole, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Yellow-headed Caracara and more. Also resident are Gray-headed Chachalaca, with Spectacled Owl a real possibility, too, as the guides know where they often roost. (B,L,D) Night : Canopy Tower February 15, Day 3 En-route to the Darien We'll rise early this morning to depart for the Darien. Darién, as this entire eastern-most region of Panamá is called, is perhaps the most diverse and speciesrich region of Central America. Long coveted by avid birders as an impenetrable haven for rare species, this region is now readily accessible by a highway extending through the spine of Panamá right into the heart of this bird-rich land. We will spend five nights at the Canopy Camp Darien, where we will enjoy comfortable, large, safaristyle tent accommodations, each with full-size beds, private bathroom facilities with refreshing showers, flush toilets, electricity from solar panels, and fans. The protected forests of the Filo del Tallo Hydrological Reserve surround the camp. In the vicinity of the camp itself we will enjoy such regional specialties as Gray-cheeked Nunlet, White-headed Wren, Rufous-tailed Jacamar and Pale-bellied Hermit right in the gardens! This tour offers other surprises, such as Spectacled Parrotlet,

4 Golden-green Woodpecker, Double-banded Graytail, King Vulture and the spectacular Great Curassow! You are sure to have the birding adventure of a lifetime! As we drive east along the Pan-American Highway, we will scan for roadside birds and open-field raptors including Savanna Hawk and Crested Caracara. Our first scheduled stop will be in the Nusagandi area, off the highway into the foothills of the Caribbean Slope. As we follow the El Llano- Carti Road north, we will cross the Continental Divide and reach the Comarca (reserve) of Guna Yala. Here we will explore the trails through the pristine forest of the Nusagandi Forest Reserve in search of rarities, including Sapayoa, Speckled Antshrike, Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, Sulphur-rumped, Rufouswinged and Black-and-yellow tanagers, Yellow-eared Toucanet, the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Swallow-tailed Kite, Black Hawk-Eagle, Blue-fronted Parrotlet, Streak-chested Antpitta, Tawny-capped Euphonia and more. While enjoying a lovely Panamánian lunch, the hummingbirds at the feeders will no doubt capture our attention, as Long-billed Starthroat, Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Black-throated Mango and more take their lunch as well; great hummingbird photo opportunities here! We will carry on from here to Canopy Camp Darien, and arrive before daylight fades so we can settle into our tents and get acquainted with the setting. After a delicious dinner of fresh American and Panamánian fare, we will gather to have a meeting about the days to come, and settle into our tents for the night. (B,L,D) Night : Canopy Camp February 16, Day 4 Canopy Camp Trails and Panamerican Highway We will meet before sunrise for a hot drink and to enjoy the sounds of the birds. Black-mandibled and Keel-billed toucans call from the towering Cuipo trees; Red-lored and Mealy parrots fly overhead; White-bellied Antbird, Bright-rumped Attila, White-headed Wren and Golden-headed Manakin sing from the surrounding forests; while Pale-bellied Hermit and Sapphire-throated Hummingbird visit the flowers around camp. Rufous-tailed Jacamar and Barred Puffbird are also seen frequently around the campsite. We will be served a hearty breakfast at 7:30 am. After breakfast we will work our way into the forest on Nando s Trail, in hopes of finding Tiny Hawk, Black Antshrike, Great Antshrike, Olive-

5 backed Quail-Dove, Cinnamon Becard, Black-tailed Trogon, Double-banded Graytail, Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Royal Flycatcher and Russet-winged Schiffornis. We will also be looking for groups of Red-throated Caracara, King Vulture and Short-tailed Hawk overhead in the clearings. Ornate Hawk- Eagle, Plumbeous and Zonetailed hawks are also possible. After lunch we can enjoy the hummingbirds and other species around the camp, dip our feet in the rocky stream or have a siesta. Then we will head southeast and will bird the forests and swampy meadows along the road toward Yaviza, to the end of the Pan-American Highway! Black-billed Flycatcher, Sooty-headed Tyrannulet, Jet Antbird, Black Oropendola, Pied Water-Tyrant, Bicolored Hawk, Black-collared Hawk, Pearl Kite, White-tailed Kite, Limpkin, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, Yellowhooded Blackbird, Black-capped Donacobius and Red-breasted Blackbird can all be found as we head farther into Darién today. We will return to camp in time to freshen up for dinner. After dinner we will gather to look for owls, including Striped, Crested, Barn, Black-and-white and Mottled owls, as well as Common and Great potoos and likely some nocturnal mammals. We will end the day with our checklist, tallying our sightings for our first full day at the Canopy Camp! (B,L,D) Night : Canopy Camp February 17, Day 5 El Salto Road, Las Lagunas Road and Aruza We will meet for an early breakfast, then head to El Salto Road for the morning. El Salto Road extends 6 km north from the Pan-American Highway and ends at the mighty Río Chucunaque. This open road and surrounding dry forest is a great place to search for regional specialties including Golden-green Woodpecker, Double-banded Graytail, Blue-and-gold and Chestnut-fronted macaws, Black and Crested oropendolas, Blue Cotinga, White-eared Conebill, Black-breasted Puffbird, Orangecrowned Oriole and the majestic King Vulture.

6 A trail at the end of the road will take us into low-canopy forest, where we hope to find Bare-crowned Antbird, Pale-bellied Hermit, Olivaceous Piculet, Streak-headed Woodcreeper and Forest Elaenia. This afternoon we will bird along the road to Las Lagunas. This road extends 12 km south off the Pan- American Highway through open farmland, dry scrub and roadside habitat. The road eventually crosses a small stream and ends at small ponds. Along the roadsides, we hope to find Red-breasted Blackbird, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, White-headed Wren, Smooth-billed and Greater Ani, Muscovy Duck, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Southern Lapwing, Blue-headed Parrot, Striped Cuckoo, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Ringed and Amazon kingfishers, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Buff-breasted Wren, Bananaquit, Giant and Shiny cowbirds, Crested Oropendola, Laughing Falcon and Aplomado Falcon. If we re lucky, we may get a glimpse of a Chestnut-fronted Macaw or a shy Little Cuckoo, both having been seen along this road. At the lagoons, we hope to find Pied Water-Tyrant, Capped Heron, the beautiful Yellow-hooded Blackbird and the extraordinary Black-capped Donacobius, a great habitat for all these wonderful species! (B,L,D) Night : Canopy Camp February 18, Day 6 Serranía Filo del Tallo Reserve and Tierra Nueva Foundation We will meet for an early breakfast, then head into the Serranía Filo del Tallo Reserve. Serranía Filo del Tallo is a designated Hydrological Reserve that protects a small mountain range west of the Pan- American Highway. The Canopy Camp borders this reserve, which protects an area of 300 km2 (74,000 acres). We will access the reserve via a trail located at the northern end of the range. The trail crosses a small creek and passes through part of the reserve, then climbs upward to a plateau where there is a teak plantation. Here we hope to have great looks at Olivaceous Piculet, Golden-headed Manakin, Royal Flycatcher, Dull-mantled Antbird, Buff-rumped Warbler, Great Curassow, Whitebellied Antbird, Red-throated Caracara and Black-tailed Trogon, to name a few.

7 After some relaxation time during the hottest part of the day, we will visit the property of the Tierra Nueva Foundation. Fundación Tierra Nueva is a non-profit organization whose main mission is working towards the sustainable development of people of the Darién Rainforest. The property is the home of a technical school focusing on applications in agriculture. We will explore the trails of this large property, in hopes of finding Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Yellow-breasted and Black-billed flycatchers, Red-rumped Woodpecker, Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon, Cinnamon, Cinereous and Onecolored becards, White-eared Conebill, White-headed Wren and the magnificent Great Curassow. We will also search for the eastern race of the Chestnut-backed Antbird, which shows white spots on the wings. (B,L,D) Night: Canopy Camp February 19, Day 7 Tupisa Road, Marranganti and Rio Tuquesa We have an exciting full day of birding ahead of us today! Our adventure will take us back toward Nuevo Vigia, to continue to explore the matrix of roads and trails that access so much of this area of Darién! Full of good secondary growth forest, ponds, and as well get further into the area, mature secondary forest, where there is the possibility to find macaws, large forest eagles and other regional specialties. As we head east from Nuevo Vigia along Tupisa Road, we will stop at a small pond, where Capped Heron, Wood Stork and Green-andrufous Kingfisher are often found. As we continue birding along the road, we hope to find Double-banded Graytail, Moustached Antwren, Rufous-winged Antwren, Onecolored Becard, Orange-crowned Oriole, Great Jacamar, Yellow-backed Tanager, Goldengreen Woodpecker, Stripe-throated Wren and Buff-throated Foliage-Gleaner and Ornate Hawk-Eagle. As we approach mid-day, we will stop for a picnic lunch in a shady area to cool off during the hottest part of the day. After lunch, we will continue birding along this fantastic road! Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Black Antshrike, Bare-crowned Antbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird (eastern race) and Red-throated Caracara are all possibilities. As we work our way back toward camp, we will explore the road to the village of Marraganti, where a colony of Black Oropendola can be found along with Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Blue Cotinga, Black Hawk-Eagle, Double-toothed Kite and a mix of forest and open area birds. If time permits, a stop at Rio Tuquesa will give us the opportunity to explore the more open habitat, in search of water birds, shorebirds, raptors, puffbirds, flycatchers and other open area species. Later in the afternoon we will head back to the Canopy Camp, with time to get in some final birding as

8 the sun sets for the day. We will enjoy a final dinner together to wrap up the tour, and once again listen for the calls of owls and night birds around the camp after dark. (B,L,D) Night: Canopy Camp February 20, Day 8 San Francisco Nature Reserve, Bayano Lake and Return to Panamá City We will wake before dawn to pack and have an early breakfast, say our goodbyes to the Canopy Camp, and start our journey back to Panamá City. We will stop at San Francisco Nature Reserve, a private forest reserve owned and managed by the St. Francis Foundation, covering 1,300 acres in eastern Panamá Province, and we will spend the morning birding at this fantastic site. The San Francisco Reserve was established in 2001 by Father Pablo Kasuboski, an American priest from Wisconsin who came to Panamá in The reserve serves as a wildlife refuge and protects the headwaters of the main rivers of the area. The foundation created by Padre Pablo, as Father Kasuboski is called, also works on infrastructure development in the area by building and maintaining aqueducts, roads, schools and churches. In fact, the St. Francis Foundation built and maintains the largest private rural aqueduct in all of Panamá and Central America. The reserve has a variety of habitats including primary, secondary and riparian forests, forest edge, fields, farmland, ponds and wetlands. During our morning here, we will explore the some of the different habitats along the short road that enters the reserve. We will hope to find Great Jacamar, Broad-billed Motmot, Collared Aracari, Russet-winged Schiffornis, Royal Flycatcher, White-fronted Nunbird, Brownish Twistwing, Yellow-green Tyrannulet, Central American Pygmy-Owl, Blue and Plain-breasted ground-doves, and if we re very lucky, a Black-andwhite Hawk-Eagle soaring overhead or a Wing-banded Antbird along the trails! After our lunch, we will stop at the bridge at Lake Bayano, Panamá s second largest lake. This reservoir supports great amounts of water birds, including a large colony of Neotropic Cormorants, as well as Anhinga, Cocoi Heron and the rare Bare-throated Tiger-Heron. We will scan the water s edge for Purple Gallinule, Pied Water-Tyrant, Smooth-billed Ani and Ruddy-breasted Seedeater. A short trail leading from the water s edge is a great place to search for Black Antshrike, Bare-crowned Antbird, Rufous-winged Antwren and Golden-collared Manakin. At another great place stop along the way, Río Mono Bridge, the surrounding forest is home to One-colored Becard, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Blue Cotinga, Pied Puffbird, Orange-crowned Oriole, Blue Ground-Dove and more. We will also scan

9 the river below for Green-and-rufous Kingfisher and the elusive Fasciated Tiger-Heron. We will end our tour at the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel. (B,L,D) Night: Riande Airport Hotel The Riande Aeropuerto Hotel is located just three minutes away from Tocumen International Airport. Amenities include restaurants, lounge and bar, casino, outdoor swimming pool, massage cabana and Paddle Tennis courts. February 21, Day 9 Optional Panamá Canal Miraflores Locks Visit and Departure This morning you can choose to join an optional excursion to the Miraflores Visitor Center. The Miraflores Visitor Center is the perfect place to witness how the Panamá Canal works. From the observation decks, visitors may watch the lock gates open and close as vessels begin or end their transit. Four exhibition halls, organized by theme, are the heart of the Miraflores Visitor Center. Through these exhibitions, you can learn about the Panamá Canal s history, its impact on international trade, how it works, its close relationship with nature and the Canal Expansion. A 3D movie portrays the story of the waterway. Entrance to the museum is $15 per person, plus the cost of transportation from/to the hotel which will vary with the number of participants. Our United Airlines group flight is scheduled to depart Panamá City at 3:30 p.m. (*See Flight Information) We will take the hotel shuttle to the airport in order to arrive there at 1:30 p.m. (B)

10 Details $3800 per person in double room, $4550 per single. Based on 8 paying passengers $3600 per person in double room, $4245 per single. Based on 10 paying passengers Accommodations: 2 nights Canopy Tower (single at Canopy Tower is a small room and shared bath), 5 nights tented camp in Darien, private bath, hot water, all very comfortable, 1 night Riande Airport Hotel Included: 8 nights lodging, all transportation, all meals from dinner on February 13 through breakfast on February 21, basic tips for lodge staff, services of local bilingual bird guide, escorted by Laurie Foss of JB Journeys, a donation to Travis Audubon Society Not included: International airfare to Panamá City, alcoholic beverages, gratuities for bird guides (Laurie Foss and Panamánian guides), gratuities at Riande (meals, maid, driver) Note: Schedule is subject change due to weather, roads, or other conditions beyond our control. *United Airlines Group Flight Flights are already limited for our travel dates, so we are holding group space on United Airlines in order to guarantee a good schedule at a reasonable fare. We must have 10 participants to purchase tickets for this offer, and must ticket by December /13/16 UA 1966 AUSTIN 07:00:00 AM HOUSTON 07:55:00 AM /13/16 UA 1032 HOUSTON 09:09:00 AM Panamá CITY 02:19:00 PM /21/16 UA 1033 Panamá CITY 03:30:00 PM HOUSTON 06:50:00 PM /21/16 UA 1234 HOUSTON, 09:10:00 PM AUSTIN 10:03:00 PM Estimated total ticket price: $ Current government imposed international taxes, federal excise tax, passenger facility charges, surcharges, or fees are not guaranteed and are subject to change; those in effect at the time of ticketing will be applicable. Group fares are non-refundable once ticketed. jbjourneys@yahoo.com /