In September 2009, my girlfriend Debbie and I (Brandon) spent ten days visiting western Panama, splitting our time between the Chiriqui Highlands and the Caribbean Bocas del Toro islands. This was our second visit to Panama, the first being in September 2007 at the wonder Canopy Tower in central Panama. Our time in the highlands was focused almost completely on birding, while our time in Bocas del Toro was focused on birding and more conventional relaxed vacationing. We were completely self-guided, except for one day with a hired guide, and encountered problems only on the day with the guide!
Photos of birds seen on the trip can be viewed here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/574911981GWaTuk
Itinerary
12 Sep- late flight from Atlanta to Panama City, night at Hotel Riande
13 Sep- morning flight to David, taxi ride to Finca Lerida, afternoon at Finca Lerida
14 Sep- at Finca Lerida
15 Sep- at Finca Lerida
16 Sep- early morning Finca Lerida, remainder of day in Boquete, night in Hotel Panamonte
17 Sep- drive from Boquete across continental divide to Almirante, birding along the way with hired guide. Water taxi to Bocas del Toro town, and then to Isla Bastimentos.
18 Sep- at Eclypse de Mar, Isla Bastimentos
19 Sep- at Eclypse de Mar, Isla Bastimentos
20 Sep- morning flight to Panama City, remainder of day at Hotel Riande.
21 Sep- early morning flight from Panama City to Atlanta
Getting there and around
Delta offers a daily direct flight between Atlanta and Panama City. There are flights available from other cities in the US and Canada. These all land at Tocumen International Airport.
There are flights to many locations within Panama via the two domestic airlines, Aeroperlas and Air Panama. We used Aeroperlas twice, and found the flights to be affordable, safe, comfortable, and fast. Aeroperlas states that weight limits for the flights are 9 pounds for carryon and 25 pounds for checked bags (30 pounds for David flights) If you exceed these weights, they assess an additional fee for every pound over. In reality, we saw customers in front of us assessed fees for being overweight. On the other hand, we were not charged, despite being nine pounds over on one bag on the flight from Bocas del Toro. When we flew from PC to David, they made us get on the scale, but we did not have to do that in Bocas del Toro. And at no point did they weigh our carryon bags, on either flight. As with all travel in Central America, take a grain of salt with you.
Domestic flights depart from Albrook Airport, which is known by everyone as aeropuerto domestico. Getting there from Tocumen Airport involves a taxi ride across Panama City, which can be an interesting prospect, to say the least.
In even the smallest of towns, taxis are readily available and generally pretty cheap. We were able to hire a ride to everywhere we wanted to go with few issues.
Communication
It seemed that almost everyone we encountered spoke at least a little English, and we found that many people (especially those involved in the tourism industry) were fluent in English. I have a decent grip on Spanish and we managed to get through everything with few problems. If you travel on your own in Panama, speaking at least rudimentary Spanish (being able to order food, ask for directions, etc) would make your trip much smoother.
Our cell phones worked pretty well everywhere in Panama, coverage was widespread. We use AT&T in the US. Debbie called ahead of time and arranged for international calling, so she thought, and I did not. Both our phones worked making calls back home, and we were charged the same rate of $2.29/minute. Expensive, so talk quickly! Text messages were 50 cents each.
Weather
In both the highlands and in Bocas del Toro, September and October are the driest months of the year. Indeed, in ten days we encountered rain only once, a thirty minute storm at Finca Lerida one afternoon. We chose to go this time of year for that specific reason. This also happens to be the slow season, so prices were reduced, another reason we chose to go then. Unfortunately, this is not the best time of year for birds, especially in the highlands. In talking with the guide at Finca Lerida, November thru January is the best time to visit.
Health & Safety
Tropical diseases aren’t much of an issue in Panama. We did not take any vaccinations. My travel guide did state that malaria can be a problem in Bocas del Toro (note- Bocas del Toro can refer to a western province, an archipelago, and the main town in the islands). However, we encountered few mosquitoes while visiting the islands. Mosquitoes weren’t much of an issue in the highlands either. Chitras (sand flies) were an annoying issue in Bocas del Toro, but we were both pretty careful to use Off everywhere we went. We also sprayed our socks and pants legs while out hiking to keep chiggers at bay. It seemed to work. If you don’t take enough repellant with you, it is widely available at pharmacies and grocery stores.
We drank the water everywhere we went with no issues. One advantage for Eclypse de Mar, they have a small “nature reserve” with a natural spring from which they draw their water. On our visit to Bocas del Toro town, we did not drink any unpurified water there. As always, if in doubt even slightly, go with bottled water, a soda, or beer.
Resources
I took “A Guide to the Birds of Panama” by Ridgely and Gwynne, though getting dated is still very useful. Too heavy though, Panama really needs a true portable field guide. I also made heavy use of “A Bird Finding Guide to Panama” by Angehr, Engleman & Engleman, lots of good information there. Finally, for general travel information, I used the Moon Handbooks guide to Panama. I read several reviews that bombed the Lonely Planet book but praised Moon. The Moon book worked well for me. While we were there, I learned that Lonely Planet is working on a new guide to Panama, perhaps it will garner better reviews than the current edition.
Day 1 (12 Sept)
We took Delta’s direct flight from Atlanta to Panama City, landing at Tocumen International Airport. Things went smoothly, the only down side is this flight lands rather late at night. By the time we cleared customs, it was after 10 pm. We had arranged to stay at Hotel Riande Aeropuerto. This is not the cheapest or best option in Panama City necessarily, but it is very close by and they have a free shuttle to the hotel. These conveniences sealed the deal for us. The bed was also the softest we found the whole trip.
Day 2 (13 Sept)
We got up early and took advantage of the hotel’s free breakfast at their restaurant. We had arranged the night before for a taxi to pick us up and transport us to the domestic airport on the other side of Panama City. This was a harrowing ride to say the least.
Once at the airport, things went pretty smoothly. The process for getting from the front door to your seat on the plane was basically the same as you would get in the US though on a smaller and more relaxed scale. Aeroperlas and Air Panama both fly small prop jets. The flight to David took about an hour. Once there, we were met by a driver named Cesar, who was arranged for us by Finca Lerida. He speaks pretty decent English, and gave us a bit of running commentary about western Panama as he drove us to the Finca. During the drive, I saw several anis and Tropical Kingbirds perched on power lines.
We passed through Boquete and finally we arrived at Finca Lerida, where we would stay for the next three nights. We were ferried up to the ecolodge, a fairly new one-story building with 11 rooms, with a two-story common room in the middle. The rooms are appointed simply, with nice artwork and rustic furniture. We had a king-sized bed, but they also had rooms with two doubles and three single beds, so sleeping 3 individuals to a room is possible. All rooms face east, and each has a porch with two chairs and a table. The bathrooms are tiny, one person at a time, but functional. One word of warning, they did not have hot water, showers were not fun at all. It is cool enough there, especially after the sun sets, that hot water would have been a much appreciated amenity. Perhaps in the high season they do provide hot water? In the future, it would be a pointed question I would ask before making reservations.
When they say low season, they aren’t kidding! In three nights, we were the only people to stay at the Finca, and only a few other people showed up to eat at the restaurant. We ate at the restaurant all three meals each day during our stay. They have a one page menu, the food was good though not great but reasonably priced. The coffee was of course very good, it was neat to look out the window and see the very plants that produced the coffee I was drinking.
One last thing, and then some birding. The grounds themselves were stunning. Between the rich volcanic soils and perfect spring-like conditions year round with ample rainfall, flowering plants are simply overpowering here. There were many things we have in the US, like azaleas, hydrangeas and roses, and a lot of things we do not have here. There were two men who spent their days working on the hotel grounds, and their efforts were as good as anything you would see at a five-star resort.
The grounds were attractive to a number of bird species. Hummingbirds were the most common, Green Violet-ear, Scintillant Hummingbird, and Snowy-bellied were everywhere, always present. Seen only a few times were Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and Violet Sabrewing (I never got a great look at these guys). Slaty Flowerpiercer and Rufous-collared Sparrows were also a constant, the latter fed in the grass in front of the rooms. At least two juveniles were present and being fed by parents. One wandered up onto the porch for several minutes one afternoon at Debbie’s feet, much to her enjoyment.
We went to lunch and they were able to provide me a map of the property. I asked the waitress in Spanish if she knew where I could find quetzals. She pointed to the spot on the map where the forest begins and several trails branch off and said aqui mas o menos (here more or less).
After lunch, we loaded up and headed up the hill. As soon as we crossed out of the open and under the trees, I saw a large bird take a short flight. It turned out to be a female Resplendent Quetzal! That was the main reason I wanted to visit the highlands, and while it wasn’t a male, its always nice to hit your goal right out of the gate. We continued up the hill until the trail hit a T. Debbie suggested we should walk back down the hill because we could see into the trees better. Turned out to be a great idea, I looked up and saw an immature male Quetzal! There were also two more females nearby. I was able to snap several photos of him. These turned out to be very lucky sightings indeed, they were the only quetzals we saw the whole time at Lerida, despite hours of hiking the trails on my part. We did not get onto an adult male with the full train, but I’m not a greedy birder.
Days 3 & 4 (14 & 15 Sept)
The next two days, full ones at Lerida, were mirror images of each other. Bird the hotel grounds a little before breakfast, have breakfast, head up the hill into the cloud forest, come down for lunch, back up for the afternoon, come back for supper and then retire for the evening. The finca has coffee fields over most of the lower and middle portions of the property, while the upper reaches of the property have been left as cloud forest. The most bird activity was of course found here, but not all. In the course of things, I covered all of the trails on the property, most of them twice. I found new birds every time I went out, practically up to the moment we left the finca. All of them will be detailed at the end of this report, but I’ll just touch on a few of the highlights.
On the trail that runs along the creek and then climbs and ends at the adjacent finca, I flushed a Mottled Owl in a large stand of bamboo and was able to get a decent photo of it. Along the same trail but very close to the coffee fields, I had two encounters with Chiriqui Quail-dove, enough to get bad photos. Along the trail that ends at the very large waterfall, Debbie and I flushed a single Emerald Toucanet, the only one of the trip. A solo hike along the Mirador Trail produced a pair of Yellow-thighed Finches briefly.
While I found lots of great birds, and had a lot of others get away from me without ID, it seems that I visited at not the best time of year. As mentioned above, apparently November thru January is the best time of year to visit for birds.
Day 5 (16 Sept)
We departed Finca Lerida on this day. I stayed around the hotel grounds. While waiting for breakfast, we sat on the side of the restaurant which faces towards the finca’s entrance. We heard a bird singing which we’d been hearing every dawn and dusk, a beautiful and loud song. Any time I had tried to track the singer down, total silence ensued without so much as a wisp of movement, to my frustration. Debbie spotted a bird in a sparse bush which turned out to be a stunning Rosy Thrush-tanager! They are apparently pretty common around the finca, but good luck seeing one, it took great luck for us to get on one! After breakfast, I was able to photograph at close range a female Yellow-bellied Siskin.
We arranged for a taxi which for five bucks took us to Hotel Panamonte. Since this was a vacation, we decided to mix in a little luxury, and this hotel indeed fit the bill. It is quite old, a little quaint, and very nice. One of the co-owners, Charlie Collins is a professionally trained chef. The meal we had for supper was as good as anything you could get at a fine restaurant in the US. Panamonte also had hot water! After three days without it, this was highly enjoyable for us.
The remainder of our day was spent doing the tourist thing. Boquete is a nice little town. Lunch was at Subway, which is near the south end of town. We visited Mi Jardin Es Su Jardin, which is an easy walk from the north end of town. It is a quirky place, free of charge and worth the visit. I had a few nice birds there.
Day 6 (17 Sept)
This was a travel day for us. The plan was to travel by car from Boquete to the port town of Almirante, and then travel by water taxi to Bocas del Toro town and then by another taxi to Isla Bastimentos where our hotel was located.
We were picked up at 6:30 by Terry van der Vooren, who with her husband runs Coffee Adventures (http://coffeeadventures.net/). They are both Dutch expatriates who have lived near Boquete for 11 years. We were to bird in the Fortuna area and then go on to Almirante.
Our first stop was at a bridge crossing over the Rio Caldera, where we had a number of species. Along the way, we had a pair of Crested Oropendalas flying over the road. Best find for me at the river was a Yellow Tyrannulet. There we also had a Squirrel Cuckoo, a pair of Red-legged Honeycreepers, and a heard-only Collared Forest-Falcon.
Our next stop was at the footbridge which again crosses over the Rio Caldera and goes back to the village of Paja de Sombrero. Along the way to this stop, we had a nice pair of Roadside Hawks, a Panama Flycatcher on a fence, and a pair of Gray-necked Wood-Rails. A highlight for all of us a was a displaying Blue-black Grassquit, jumping about a foot in the air each time it would call, it got high scores on the cuteness scale. At the footbridge itself, we had a few Neotropic Cormorants, a trio of Spotted Sandpipers, and a Belted Kingfisher. Beyond the bridge, we had enjoyable birds like Rufous-and-White Wren, Lance-tailed Manakins and Tropical Gnatcatcher.
It had been recommended to me to stop at Rancho Ecologico Willy Mazu. However, this was not to be. In winter of 2008-09, torrential rains caused a landslide that wiped out Willy’s place. The house was spared, but everything between the house and road looked like a big rock quarry. It is hard to imagine the place will be restored, but who knows.
A mile or so west of Willy’s place, there is an ANAM ranger station. There are a couple of very nice trails here which were well worth spending some time at.
We crossed over the continental divide, not really stopping many places along the way and made our way to the village of Punta Pena. We passed a footbridge that Terry suggested we should look at. The bridge had historical significance as it was a crossing place for people during the California Gold Rush in the mid-1800s, when they hiked across Panama in the effort to get from the US east coast to the west coast. We spent about five minutes here, which turned out to be highly critical.
Because had we not made this stop, we would have missed the civil protest. Instead, we were the fourth car in line when the human & cable barricade formed in the road. And we got to sit there for four hours. I’ll spare the details, but mine and Debbie’s opinion of the protest was pretty negative by the time it ended. Their presentation of their plight didn’t look like much of a plight at all. So it goes, and it could have been much worse, have no doubt.
Once the protest ended, we finished the drive to Almirante. We were able to quickly catch a water taxi to Bocas del Toro town via Bocas Marine & Tours ($4pp). We got to Bocas town at 5:30. Our hotel had instructed us to use another taxi company to get there, but of course it was closed. We were solicited by a man on a bicycle who promised he could get us there. With few options, we took up his overpriced offer, and sure enough we did finally get to our hotel on Isla Bastimentos- Eclypse de Mar and brought an end to a rather long day.
Day 7 & 8 (18 & 19 Sept)
The next three days of the trip were spent at Eclypse de Mar. We had decided early on we wanted to spend some time on the Caribbean coast and Bocas del Toro looked like the ideal place. I had read some promising things about Al Natural, a remote ecolodge on the far side of Bastimentos. However, they never replied to my emails! So with time starting to run out, we searched around and found Eclypse de Mar. This hotel had a very nice website, seemed to offer what we were wanting, and reviews I read on the place were all very positive except for one. The advantage for the birder is they have a private six acre reserve which contains the spring from which they draw their drinking water. The “hotel” is a series of bungalows built on stilts over the water, connected by boardwalks, on the leeward side of the island, amidst mangroves. The main building/ restaurant is on solid ground. They run on solar power and generator, but only provide electricity from about 6:00 pm to about 9:00 am. Hot water is available at all times by way of propane powered instant water heaters outside each bungalow.
I walked the reserve at least half a dozen times, the trails could be covered in a half-hour or so, though I often stretched it out! Golden-collared Manakins were pretty easily observed, we got to observe some immature males pratice-lekking with wing snaps and such. The birds here are plumaged like the nominate race illustrated in Ridgely, not the Almirante Manakins which are found nearby on the mainland? I also easily observed Montezuma Oropendalas and Passerini’s Tanagers. There were a number of seed eating birds present for study, including Thick-billed Seed-finch, White-collared Seedeater, and Variable Seedeater. Red-Lored Amazons (parrots) were seen in flight constantly, and a couple of times I got quite close to them while perched. A bird that had been high on my list was Green Ibis. On the second day, I had three fly over and land high up in a tree allowing me great study but poor photo opportunities. I also came across a single red poison-dart frog, a species which is apparently particular to Isla Bastimentos.
Day 9 (20 Sept)
We departed from Bocas del Toro this day. We caught a water taxi to Bocas town and then a car taxi to the airport. Let me mention time at this point as regards Bocas del Toro, and really Central America in general. Most everything happens at a given time, plus or minus thirty minutes. Or an hour. Maybe. Our flight was scheduled to take off at 9:40 am. We arrived at the airport at 8:50. We had to wait a few minutes to get checked in because of the customer in front of us having issues with tickets or overweight bags or something. Once we did get checked in (about 9:00 or so), we proceeded to security, where we were told to move to the front of the line because our plane was about to take off! We got through that in a flash, and had no idea if our luggage was going to make the plane or not! I did take the time to verify that the plane we were boarding was in fact going to Panama City (I did NOT want to go to Costa Rica or some other unplanned destination!). So thirty minutes ahead of schedule, we took off in a light rain storm and returned to Panama City. With our luggage, to our great relief.
We caught another taxi to Hotel Riande again, this time I told the driver to go slow, and boy did I get what I wanted, he went a little too slow but it was an enjoyable ride. This time we went via Avenida Balboa, with its miles and miles of mudflats along the Gulf of Panama.
The remainder of our day was spent at Hotel Riande. Unfortunately I had developed a sinus infection at Finca Lerida and by this point it was trying to squeeze the life out of my inner ears, so I wasn’t up for doing much. We did walk around the hotel a couple of times. I was able to add a pair of Tropical Mockingbirds to the trip list.
Day 10 (21 Sept)
We caught a very early shuttle over to Tocumen Airport where we caught our flight back to Atlanta. The final bird added to the trip list was a Great Egret, seen in a puddle while we were taxiing out to the runway. Never stop looking!
The flight back was uneventuful, but once on the ground getting back into the US is a trial in patience in this day and age.
Annotated bird list:
After the bird’s name, the first number listed is the number of days that species was recorded (out of 8 days max) and the second number is the maximum number seen in one day.
FLF = Finca Lerida, forest and fields above the hotel.
FLH = Finca Lerida, around the hotel grounds
EM= Eclypse de Mar, Isla Bastimentos
Brown Pelican- 3/5 EM and Red Frog Beach
Spotted Wood-Quail 1/1 FLF
Neotropic Cormorant 1/4 at the river near Paja de Sombrero, Pacific Slope
Magnificent Frigatebird 3/6 EM, seen easily during all daylight hours.
Great Egret 1/1 at the runway of Tocumen airport as we were departing
Cattle Egret 1/10 seen flying over the road between Boquete and Cont. Divide
Green Heron 2/2 EM, all solid Greens, no hint of Striated that I could see
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 2/3 EM, while kayaking along the mangroves
Green Ibis 1/5 EM
Black Vulture 8/ very common, seen everywhere.
Turkey Vulture 8/ very common, seen everywhere
Osprey 1/1 while driving along Avenida Balboa, Panama City
Plumbeous Kite 1/1 EM
Common Black-Hawk 2/1 one at Rio Caldera bridge & one at EM
Roadside Hawk 1/2 drive from Boquete to Cont. Divide
Short-tailed Hawk 1/1 EM
Swainson's Hawk 2/1 an adult over Boquete and imm. over EM.
Red-tailed Hawk 3/1 an adult seen daily over FLH, apparently ssp. coastaricensis
Crested Caracara 1/2 Boquete to Cont. Divide.
Yellow-headed Caracara 1/3 Boquete to Cont. Divide
Gray-necked Wood-Rail 1/2 Boquete to Cont. Divide
Spotted Sandpiper 1/3 on river near Paja de Sombrero, Pacific Slope
Pale-vented Pigeon 3/6 seen daily at EM.
Band-tailed Pigeon 4/20 seen daily in highlands, flying high overhead.
Ruddy Ground-Dove 3/8 Hotel Panamonte, Boquete to Cont. Divide, and Hotel Riande
White-tipped Dove 3/2 FLH
Chiriqui Quail-Dove 2/ 1 FLF
Sulphur-winged Parakeet 4/20 FLF always seen at a distance
Orange-chinned Parakeet 1/10+ Hotel Riande, flying over at dusk
Red-lored Parrot 3/20+ EM, mostly in flight, some perched up close.
Squirrel Cuckoo 1/1 at bridge over Rio Caldera
Ani spp. 1/10+ seen along road from David to Finca Lerida
Groove-billed Ani 3/4 EM
Mottled Owl 1/1 FLF
Nighthawk spp. 1/20+ EM, seen the first night we got there.
White-collared Swift 3/20+ FLF and at Fortuna Reservoir.
Vaux's Swift 3/10+ daily over FL
Bronzy Hermit 2/1 EM
Violet Sabrewing 2/2 FLH & FLF
Green Violet-ear 4/15+ abundant around FLH
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird 4/8+ FLH
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird 2/1 FLH
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird 3/2 FLF
White-throated Mountain-gem 3/1 FLF, one male seen w/ purple throat.
Magnificent Hummingbird 1/1 FLF
Scintillant Hummingbird 4/15+ FLH, abundant
Resplendent Quetzal 1/ 4 FLF
Ringed Kingfisher 2/3 EM
Belted Kingfisher 1/1 river near Paja de Sombrero, Pacific Slope
Green Kingfisher 2/1 EM
Emerald Toucanet 1/1 FLF
Acorn Woodpecker 1/1 FLF
Red-crowned Woodpecker 4/2 FLF, Rio Caldera Bridge, Hotel Riande
Lineated Woodpecker 1/1 EM
Red-faced Spinetail 2/2 FLF
Ruddy Treerunner 1/2 FLF
Streak-breasted Treehunter 1/1 FLF
Cocoa Woodcreeper 1/2 FLF
Spot-crowned Woodcreeper 1/1 FLF
Chestnut-backed Antbird 1/2 EM
Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet 1/1 Boquete to Cont. Divide
Yellow Tyrannulet 1/1 Rio Caldera Bridge
Mountain Elaenia 1/1 FLH
Rough-legged Tyrannulet 1/1 Boquete to Cont. Divide
Common Tody-Flycatcher 1/5 Boquete to Cont. Divide.
White-throated Spadebill 1/2 FLF
Tufted Flycatcher 1/1 FLF
Dark Pewee 3/10+ FLF
Wood-Pewee spp. 2/1 EM
Tropical Pewee 1/1 EM
Yellowish Flycatcher 1/3 FLF
Black Phoebe 4/3 FLH
Dusky-capped Flycatcher 1/4 EM
Panama Flycatcher 1/2 Boquete to Almirante, both sides of Cont. Divide
Great Kiskadee 2/2 FLF & Hotel Panamonte
Social Flycatcher 1/2 EM
Streaked Flycatcher 1/2 near Paja de Sombrero
Tropical Kingbird 3/5 Hotel Panamonte & Hotel Riande
Eastern Kingbird 3/32+ flocks moving through EM
Fork-tailed Flycatcher 2/1 Albrook airport & Boquete to Cont. Divide.
Golden-collared Manakin 3/6 EM
Lance-tailed Manakin 1/3 near Paja de Sombrero
Masked Tityra 2/2 EM
Yellow-winged Vireo 2/1 FLF
Red-eyed Vireo 4/9 FLF & EM
Black-chested Jay 1/6 near Paja de Sombrero
Blue-and-white Swallow 4/20+ FLH, common
Southern Rough-winged Swallow 1/2 FLF
Gray-breasted Martin 1/8 Boquete to Cont. Divide.
Barn Swallow 1/20 Boquete to Cont. Divide
Rufous-and-white Wren 1/2 near Paja de Sombrero
Plain Wren 1/1 Boquete to Cont. Divide
House Wren (Southern) 2/1 FLH & EM
Ochraceous Wren 3/2 FLF
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren 1/2 FLF
Long-billed Gnatwren 1/1 FLF
Tropical Gnatcatcher 2/1 near Paja de Sombrero & EM
Black-faced Solitaire 2/1 FLF, heard frequently
Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush 2/2 FLF
Mountain Thrush 1/1 FLF
Clay-colored Thrush 5/10 FLF & EM
White-throated Thrush 1/1 FLF
Tropical Mockingbird 1/2 Hotel Riande
Flame-throated Warbler 2/3 FLF
Yellow Warbler 3/3 EM, all Northern (aestiva) birds, no Mangrove Warblers detected.
Magnolia Warbler 2/3 FLF
Blackburnian Warbler 1/2 EM
Black-and-white Warbler 4/1 all across the highlands
American Redstart 1/1 Mi Jardin es Su Jardin, adult male
Northern Waterthrush 1/1 near Paja de Sombrero
Olive-crowned Yellowthroat 1/1 immature male at EM
Wilson's Warbler 2/2 FLF
Slate-throated Redstart 3/5+ FLF, common and easily seen
Rufous-capped Warbler 1/1 near Paja de Sombrero
Black-cheeked Warbler 2/5 FLF
Bananaquit 3/8+ EM
Common Bush-Tanager 3/5 FLF
Rosy Thrush-Tanager 1/1 FLH, heard daily at dusk and dawn
Flame-colored Tanager 3/2 FLH
White-winged Tanager 1/2 FLH
Crimson-backed Tanager 2/4 Boquete & Hotel Riande
Passerini's Tanager 2/6+ EM
Blue-gray Tanager 6/4 widespread
Palm Tanager 1/1 EM
Silver-throated Tanager 3/3 FLH
Bay-headed Tanager 1/1 imm. Cont. Divide to Almirante
Scarlet-thighed Dacnis 1/1 FLH
Red-legged Honeycreeper 1/2 Rio Caldera Bridge
Blue-black Grassquit 2/1 Boquete to Cont. Divide & EM
Variable Seedeater 1/1 EM
White-collared Seedeater 1/2 EM
Thick-billed Seed-Finch 2/3 EM
Yellow-faced Grassquit 4/10 FLF & FLF & Hotel Panamonte
Slaty Flowerpiercer 4/5+ FLH, common
Yellow-thighed Finch 1/2 FLF
White-naped (Yellow-throated) Brush-Finch 3/6 FLF, some around FLH
Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch 3/8 mostly FLF, some around FLH
Black-striped Sparrow 3/1 widespread in highlands
Rufous-collared Sparrow 4/10+ FLH
Buff-throated Saltator 4/6 Rio Caldera Bridge & EM
Eastern Meadowlark 1/1 Boquete to Rio Caldera Bridge
Great-tailed Grackle 3/100s Panama City, EM
Yellow-billed Cacique 1/2 Continental Divide to Almirante
Crested Oropendola 1/2 Boquete to Cont. Divide.
Montezuma Oropendola 1/12+ EM
Spot-crowned Euphonia 1/1 Cont. Divide to Almirante
Yellow-bellied Siskin 1/1 FLH
Lesser Goldfinch 2/3 FLH