ITINERARY Panama At Road s End Harpy Eagles in the Darién Days 1 - Arrival and Orientation Bienvenidos a Panamá! You will be met at the airport by one of our drivers from Canopy Tower and will be shuttled across Panama City to the nearby Canopy Tower Eco-lodge, in the lush lowlands along the banks of the Panama Canal! As your bags are being delivered to your rooms, Raymond and the friendly staff will greet you with a refreshing drink and give you a little tour of the impressive building which was built in 1965 by the United States Air Force. At that time this oddly shaped building housed a powerful radar system that was used in the defense of the Panamá Canal, later it was used to to detect aircrafts trafficking illegal drugs from South America. Once you re all settled-in you will likely want to head up to the observation deck overlooking miles of Soberania National Park! Here, in the rainforest canopy, watch for Keel-billed Toucan, Blue Cotinga, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Black-breasted Puffbird, Green Honeycreeper, Brown-capped Tyrannulet and Bat Falcon, amongst many others. At cocktail hour, we will convene as a group in the lounge where your guides will organize an orientation and give you more information for our days of birding to come! A delicious dinner of Panamanian and American fare will follow. Night at Canopy Tower Day 2 - Canopy Tower Semaphore Hill Road This morning we ll be up with the birds! Before breakfast we will start the morning with coffee and tea on the observation deck, where an incredible 360 view of the forest canopy will provide the opportunity to see many great hard-to-see species at eye-level. As the sun rises further, Green Shrike-Vireos begin to sing, groups of Red-lored and Mealy Parrots fly by overhead, while Scaled Pigeons and Keel-billed Toucans bask in the morning sunlight. The cecropia trees beside the deck host myriad canopy species including Golden-hooded, Plain-colored and Palm Tanagers, Blue Dacnis, Shining Honeycreeper, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, Thick-billed and Fulvous-vented Euphonias, and many more. Many raptor species, including Crane Hawk and Collared Forest-Falcon, may also be seen in the early morning hours. Last year s trip had marvelous views of a female Harpy Eagle from the tower, so keep your eyes and ears open!
Following breakfast, we will meet downstairs at the hummingbird feeders to prepare for our morning walk down Semaphore Hill Road. As the group is getting organized you can enjoy watching the Long-billed Hermits, Violet-bellied and Blue-chested Hummingbirds, and White-necked Jacobins as they whiz by at impressive speeds moving between feeders. A slow walk downhill through lush lowland forest, should uncover dozens of understory bird species. White-shouldered Tanager, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Black-crowned Antshrike, and Checker-throated, White-flanked and Dot-winged Antwrens all feed in mixed flocks along the road. Blue-crowned and Red-capped manakins, Fasciated Antshrike, Dusky and Spotted Antbirds, Black-faced Antthrush, Cocoa and Plain-brown Woodcreepers, White-whiskered Puffbird, Broad-billed and Rufous Motmots and several species of wrens, including Black-bellied, Song and White-breasted Wood-Wrens are all possibilities for this morning. Semaphore Hill Road is a great road for raptors including Black Hawk-Eagle, Gray-headed and Double-toothed Kites, and Semiplumbeous Hawk, the latter is often seen following troops of White-faced Capuchins (that s a monkey not a foamy cup of coffee) in search of lizards and other small food items scared out by all of their monkeying around! At the end of our walk we will be shuttled back up the road in the truck to the Canopy Tower in time for lunch. After lunch and some rest, we will board the Bird Mobile, one of the Canopy Tower s specialized open-air birding vehicles, and head out for afternoon birding. Afternoon showers are certainly possible at this time of the year but we won t let them rain on our parade. Rain showers here are often very localized so if we find ourselves rained-out at one spot we ll just head to another nearby location. One spot we plan to check is the Ammo Dump Ponds. Here, along the banks of the Panama Canal, we ll scan for Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Little Blue Heron, Wattled Jacana, Amazon and Green Kingfishers, Snail Kite, Purple Gallinule, Greater Ani and Lesser Kiskadee. We will try calling for White-throated and Yellow-breasted Crakes. Around the scrubby edges, we ll watch for Gray-headed Chachalaca, Smooth-billed Ani, Black-striped Sparrow, Crimson-backed and Blue-gray tanagers, Boat-billed and Streaked flycatchers, and three species of seedeaters! The nearby Summit Ponds and Old Gamboa Road also offer premier birding opportunities. The ponds consist of two forest lagoons nestled along the old road; here we will watch for two unique residents, Boat-billed and Capped Herons. Lesser Kiskadee, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Greater Ani, Gray-necked Wood-Rail, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck and four species of kingfisher Ringed, Amazon, Green and American Pygmy are all common here! If we re lucky, we may even see an Agami Heron lurking in the shadows at the back of the pond. We will continue down to Old Gamboa Road, a grassy trail where we will explore our first tracts of Pacific dry forest. Rufous-breasted Wren, Yellow-billed Cacique, Lance-tailed Manakin, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Blue Cotinga, Black Hawk-Eagle, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Lineated Woodpecker, White-winged Becard, Streaked Saltator and Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet are just some of the species we hope to see here this afternoon. We may also check a known spot for Spectacled Owl.
As dusk approaches, we will head back to the Canopy Tower to review our checklist for the first full day of birding in Panama, followed by a satisfying dinner. Night at Canopy Tower. Day 3 - World Famous Pipeline Road After an early breakfast at the Tower, we will waste no time and head to the world famous Pipeline Road! This old road, built to service a pipeline installed along the Canal during WWII, is now overgrown by protected mature secondary forest. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded on Pipeline Road, and this site held the record for most birds seen on a Christmas Bird Count for 17 years in a row! With our 4x4 Bird Mobile, we will venture deep into the dense forest of the Caribbean slope in search of central Panama s endearing target birds. Moustached Antwren, Spot-crowned Antvireo, Tiny Hawk, Streak-chested Antpitta, Russet-winged Schiffornis, Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon, Black and Ornate Hawk-Eagles, White-tailed Trogon, Rufous and Speckled Mourners, Great Jacamar, Pheasant Cuckoo, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Brown-hooded Parrot, Short-billed Pigeon and Black-mandibled Toucan are just some of the birds we will hope to see at Pipeline Road today. If we are lucky, we may encounter an army ant swarm, where it is possible to see Spotted, Bicolored, White-bellied and Ocellated Antbirds, Gray-headed Tanager, Northern Barred-Woodcreeper, Rufous Motmot, Song Wren and many others as they dash about for insects, spiders and lizards disturbed by the swarming ants. Keep a close watch in the shadows as Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos sometimes attend such gatherings. We will rest during the heat of the day and enjoy a lovely picnic lunch in the forest. In the afternoon we can continue to check the jungle streams for Agami Heron, Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher, Green Kingfisher, Spectacled Caiman, Black River Turtle, and other forest wildlife. After a full day of birding we ll head back to the Tower for a showers, cocktails and checklists. Night at Canopy Tower. Day 4 - Cerro Azul Today we have another exciting full day excursion to the foothills of Chagres National Park! The mountains of Cerro Azul (2,500 ft.) and Cerro Jefe (3,300 ft.) host an exquisite suite of birds, and the cool temperatures are delightful after a warm day on Pipeline Rd. the day before! We will spend the morning birding along the various roads winding through these pine-covered mountains, in search of some of Cerro Azul s avian specialties! Black-faced Wood-Quail, Yellow-eared Toucanet, the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, King Vulture, Spotted Woodcreeper, White-ruffed Manakin, White-vented Euphonia and a lovely array of tanagers including Bay-headed, Black-and-yellow, Emerald, Speckled, Hepatic, Rufous-winged and Silver-throated. We will stop for lunch at a local residence to enjoy their hummingbird feeders, where we hope to see up to 16 species of hummingbirds all at VERY close range including Rufous-crested Coquette, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Purple-crowned Fairy, Crowned Woodnymph, Violet-headed and Violet-capped Hummingbirds, the latter being a regional endemic! In the afternoon we will continue to search for mixed flocks of tanagers and any other bird species we missed in the morning hours as we drive the roads at Cerro Jefe! On the way back to the Canopy Tower, we will make a quick stop at the mangroves and mudflats
of Panama Bay, just east of Panama City. This globally significant Important Bird Area (IBA) provides stopover habitat for over 2 million migrating shorebirds every year. Given the time of year we should be greeted by impressive numbers of migrating shorebirds and waders. Western Sandpipers amass in the thousands on the mud while the deeper water provides great feeding habitat for Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Short-billed Dowitcher, Black-necked Stilt, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, Southern Lapwing and many other shorebirds. Keep an eye on the Great Blue Heron flocks for their larger whiter cousin, the Cocoi Heron. We will return to the Tower in time for dinner, to reminisce about today s glorious birds and prepare for tomorrow s drive to the Darién! Night at Canopy Tower. Day 5 - Nusagandi Forest Reserve This morning we will say our good-byes to the Canopy Tower and the wonderful staff as we embark on the second part of our adventure, into the wilds of Darién! Eastern Panama is well known for its exquisite bird life, Darién s matrix of rivers, agricultural lands, extensive mature secondary forest and pristine primary forest in Darién National Park, provide habitat for an incredibly diverse variety of wildlife. We will reach our destination at the Canopy Camp late this afternoon but we will make a couple stops at some excellent birding areas along the way. We will roll out at dawn, crossing Panama City and head due east on the Pan-American Highway. As the sun rises over eastern Panama, we will watch the roadsides for Pearl Kite, Savanna Hawk, Crested Caracara and Southern Lapwing. Our morning destination is the Nusagandi Forest Reserve on the eastern Caribbean slope. As we follow the El Llano-Carti Road north we will cross the Continental Divide and reach the Comarca of Guna Yala. Here we will explore the forest trails and open areas of the reserve in search of rarities, including Sapayoa, Speckled Antshrike, Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, Sulphur-rumped, Rufous-winged, Emerald and Blackand-yellow Tanagers, Yellow-eared Toucanet, the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Swallow-tailed Kite, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Blue-fronted Parrotlet, Streak-chested Antpitta, Tawny-capped Euphonia and more. As mid-day approaches, we will continue east towards Darién, and stop in the town of Torti in eastern Panama province for lunch. At the restaurant, we will be sure to sit by their hummingbird feeders, as Scaly-breasted and Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds, Black-throated Mango and Long-billed Starthroat visit frequently. Lunch in Torti. With full stomachs we will carry on with our journey, and enter into Darién province! In recent years the road system has improved tremendously and though we may hit a few bumps we ll plan to arrive in the late afternoon. The excitement builds as we move further into Darién, passing by indigenous villages, small roadside communities and lots of open habitat, as this is one of the least inhabited places in Latin America. Upon our arrival at the Camp, we will take in the sights and sounds of the area and get settled in our comfortable accommodations. We will meet in the lounge to review our checklist for the day with our guides, followed by cocktails and dinner. Night at Canopy Camp Darien. Day 6 - Canopy Camp Trails At dawn we will awake to the chorus of birds in the surrounding forest! We will meet in the open area outside the tents at dawn to do some morning birding before breakfast. Spot-
crowned Barbet, Barred Puffbird, Olivaceous Piculet, Black-tailed Trogon, White-headed Wren, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Sooty-capped Tyrannulet, Ruddy Pigeon, Black-crowned Tityra, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Pale-bellied Hermit and others can be seen right beside the tents. We will be served a delicious breakfast, and then as eager as ever, head out onto Nando s Trail, our signature trail that loops through mature secondary forest, passing bases of towering Cuipo trees. These trails offer front row seats to the stage where Golden-collared and Golden-headed Manakins dance their amazing dances. In addition to the colorful displays of the manakins keep an eye out for Royal Flycatcher, Black Antshrike, White-fronted Nunbird, Semiplumbeous Hawk, Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Double-banded Graytail, Olive-backed Quail- Dove and so many more! We will return to the Camp for lunch and an afternoon siesta (nap). Lunch at Canopy Camp. During the hottest part of the afternoon, you may want to take advantage of your private outdoor shower where you can watch for King Vultures and Zone-tailed Hawks circling overhead (not bad for your shower list). If a shower isn t what you re looking for you can relax in a hammock in the lounge area where you can watch hummers buzzing about. Stay on the lookout for Red-throated Caracaras as they often crash through Camp in the afternoon breaking the afternoon silence with their loud raucous contact calls! We will meet once again at mid-afternoon to walk the entrance road to the Canopy Camp. Along the road we will scan for Striped Cuckoo, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Red-rumped Woodpecker, Great Antshrike, Plain-breasted Ground-Dove, Giant Cowbird and other open area birds. We will be sure to spend some time at the large patch of verbena shrubs and watch for hummingbirds Blue-throated Goldentail, Black-throated Mango, Crowned Woodnymph, Blue-chested and Violet-bellied hummingbirds, even Ruby Topaz has been seen feeding here! We will be back to the Camp in plenty of time to freshen up before cocktails, appetizers and dinner. Night at Canopy Camp. Day 7 - Nuevo Vigia We will awake once again to the sun rising over the Darién jungle and the energetic dawn chorus of oropendolas, wrens, antbirds, manakins, parrots and toucans. After a satisfying breakfast, we will leave the Canopy Camp for a morning filled with great birds and a fascinating look into the lives of the local indigenous people of this region! This morning we are off to Nuevo Vigia, an Embera village nestled north of the Pan-American Highway, surrounded by great secondary growth dry forest and two small lakes. At this time of year we will have to reach the village via dugout canoe - and thankfully so - as the birding from the boat is phenomenal! Black and Crested Oropendolas, Black-collared Hawk, Orange-crowned Oriole, and Purple-throated Fruitcrow can be found in the treetops while Green Ibis, Capped Heron, and Green-and-rufous Kingfisher can be found closer to the water s edge. In recent years the locals have been keeping track of the local and incredibly range-restricted Dusky-backed Jacamar, a species occupying only a small region between here and the remote jungles of northwest Colombia. With the luck of the locals we hope to find these beautiful butterfly-lovers up close and personal! The rest of the birding for the morning will be in the dense forest near Nuevo Vigia, where Barecrowned and White-bellied Antbirds, Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Spectacled Parrotlet, Black-tailed Trogon, and sometime Agami Herons hang out! For the butterfly enthusiasts this area offers
the chance for many species found nowhere else in Central America, including the ravishing Scarlet Peacock. In the nearby village of Nuevo Vigia, local artisans weave colorful decorative masks and plates out of palm fronds, color them with natural dye made from forest plant and carve cocobolo wood and tagua nuts into animals and plants. We will have the opportunity to meet some of the community members and admire (and purchase) some of their beautiful handmade products. After our visit at the village, we will return to the camp for a delicious lunch. Lunch at Canopy Camp. After a lovely lunch and our normal post-lunch nap at the Camp, we will spend the afternoon birding along the very end of the Pan-American Highway! At road s end is the bustling town of Yaviza, the main cultural center of Darién. We will keep our eyes out on along the roadsides for any species we may have missed thus far Pearl Kite, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Black-capped Donacobius, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, Long-tailed Tyrant, Pied Water-Tyrant, Large-billed Seed-Finch (found nowhere else in Central America). Recently we ve been finding Bicolored Hawk in the Yaviza area as well. And remember, this area of Central America is incredibly under-birded and you never know what you re going to find last year Raymond photographed the first Black Swift for eastern Panama and we were all blown away by the numbers of neotropical migrants (400+ Dickcissels in a single flock, for example). After a spectacular day of birding we will arrive back at the Camp with time to enjoy the sunset and freshen up before cocktails and dinner. Night at Canopy Camp. Day 8 - El Salto Road Another exciting day of birding is ahead of us as we continue our quest for eastern Panama specialties! After an early breakfast, we will board the Canopy Camp s rugged Bird Mobile and spend the morning at one of the best birding areas around! El Salto Road extends 4 miles north off the Pan-American Highway; the first part of this road is bordered by mature secondary forest, where we will search for Double-banded Graytail, Blue Cotinga, Orange-crowned Oriole, Crane Hawk, Blue-and-gold and Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Black Oropendola, Golden-green Woodpecker and White-eared Conebill. The majestic Harpy Eagle has been spotted here many times in the past! At road s end, a short trail heads out through a low canopy thicket where we ll watch for Pale-bellied Hermit, Bare-crowned Antbird, Olivaceous Piculet, Red-rumped Woodpecker and other specialties. Lunch at Canopy Camp. This afternoon we will bird along Las Lagunas Road to where it dead ends at the Aruza Lagoons. This road extends 12 km south off the Pan-American Highway through open farmland, dry scrub and roadside habitat. 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, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Crested Oropendola, Laughing Falcon and Aplomado Falcon. With a little luck, we may catch a glimpse of a Chestnut-fronted Macaw or the ever-shy Little Cuckoo, both having been seen along this road. At the lagoons, we hope to find Pied Water-Tyrant, the beautiful Yel-
low-hooded Blackbird and the extraordinary Black-capped Donacobius, a great habitat for all these wonderful species! We will return back to the Camp just in time for appetizers, cocktails, and dinner. Night at Canopy Camp. Day 9 - El Real & Rancho Frio Today we ll we make like the explorers we are and head deep into the heart of Darien, in search of Harpy and Crested Eagles and other Darién specialties that can be found nowhere else in Panama. We will leave the Camp very early to make it to Yaviza by dawn where we will board a boat to El Real. As the sun rises over the Chucunaque River, we will venture further into Darién. The Chucunaque and Tuira rivers are bordered by extensive lowland forest that holds high biological diversity. After an hour-long boat ride (depending on how many birds we spot along the way), we will arrive to the community of El Real. From here we will head south out of El Real down a dirt road by truck, until we reach the trailhead to Rancho Frio and Darién National Park. Along the roadsides we will scan for Black Oropendola, Gray-capped Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tyrant, Chestnut-fronted Macaw and other open area birds. From the trailhead, we will hike at a comfortable pace along the wide trail to the Rancho Frio ANAM station, located inside the vast Darién National Park! It is here that the holy grail bird haunts the forest canopy! We will walk right up to a Harpy Eagle nest that was active at the end of 2016, by this time the youngster should be out of the nest and bouncing around the treetops within about 100 meters of the nest. We have a very good chance of seeing this bird as the fledglings usually stay within about 100 meters of the nest for 12 months after jumping from the nest, during this time their parents continue to make regular visits to offer sloths, monkeys and other prey items. Crested Eagle has also nested in the area, and this is one of the best places on earth to see these two spectacular species in close proximity! In addition to eagles, we hope to see Scarlet-browed Tanager, Gray Elaenia, Red-throated Caracara, Saffron-headed Parrot, Buff-rumped Warbler, Bay Wren (eastern Panama race shows barred undersides), Great Green Macaw, and many other Darién specialities. Don t forget, this area is a treasure trove of ornithological mystery and you never know what unexpected feathered creature might make an appearance. After a day full of birding in one of the most bio-diverse regions of Central America, we will retrace our steps and start our journey back to the Canopy Camp, arriving by dinnertime. The boat ride on the river at sunset will be particularly spectacular and the creatures will be out and about! Dinner at Canopy Camp. Day 10 - San Francisco Reserve We will wake at dawn to pack and have an early breakfast, We ll fit in some final morning birding here and say our goodbyes to the Canopy Camp, and start our journey back to Panama City. We will stop at San Francisco Nature Reserve, a private forest reserve covering 1,300 acres in eastern Panama Province, and we will spend the morning birding at this diverse site. The reserve serves as a wildlife refuge and protects the headwaters of the main rivers of the area. The foundation created by Padre Pablo (an American priest who came to Panama in 1988) does important work in local infrastructure development in the form of building and maintaining aqueducts, roads, schools and churches. 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 ll plan to focus our time on searching for Wing-banded Antbird along the trails and in the process
of finding lots of other great birds including Great Jacamar, Sirystes, Black-throated Trogon, Boat-billed Heron, 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-and-White Hawk-Eagle soaring overhead. Lunch in Torti With full stomachs, we will make the most of our trip back to Panama City with a stop at Rio Mono Bridge, a wonderful site for birding along the Pan-American Highway. Here, mixed flocks gather and feed along the roadside forest Rufous-winged Antwren, Blue Cotinga, Orange-crowned Oriole, Bare-crowned Antbird, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, One-colored Becard, Pied Puffbird and many others are possibilities. In the river below, we hope to find Fasciated Tiger-Heron and Green-and-rufous Kingfisher! We ll also check the shores of Bayano Lake, Panama s second-largest lake, for any surprise waterbirds. We will finish our tour at the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel in Panama City, where we will gather for checklists and our final night together. Night in Panama City.. Day 10 - Adios Muchachos After a great breakfast at the hotel and our final good-byes we will shuttle people to the airport (about 5 mins away) for their return flights home. If there are very early flights we will arrange for those folks to leave the hotel earlier than the others. BrantTours.com facebook.com/branttours