Panama: Fall at El Valle's Canopy Lodge Nov 15—20, 2006
Posted by Barry Lyon
Barry Lyon
Barry Lyon's passion for the outdoors and birding has its roots in his childhood where he grew up in southern California. Through his early years his developing interes...Related Trips
Following our Fall in Central Panama tour, this extension to El Valle’s Canopy Lodge proved an enchanting ending to our time in Panama. Few other places in Central America have the ability to provide such a perfect combination of outstanding birding, beautiful natural surroundings, and terrific accommodations. Though our time here was short, we visited nearly all of the major birding areas of El Valle, including ample time in the lovely gardens of the Canopy Lodge.
The remarkable feeding stations adorning the front “yard” are surely the most instantly recognizable feature of the Canopy Lodge. Each morning we looked on in complete wonder as hundreds of beautiful tropical birds descended on fruit-laden feeding trays. While birds seemed to be everywhere, it was the tanagers that were so riveting. Velvety Crimson-backed and Flame-rumped tanagers appeared only feet away, like oil paintings come to life. Immaculate White-lined and Blue-gray tanagers were seen with ease, and even the raucous, peculiarly colored olive and black Dusky-faced Tanager was seen daily.
Beside tanagers, the procession of birds was literally a sensual onslaught. Thick-billed Euphonias and Red-legged Honeycreepers pranced about the feeding platforms like little living jewels, Streaked and Buff-throated saltators put in regular appearances, and Black-chested Jays looked on from the treetops surrounding the grounds.
Surely one of the most beautiful birds in Central America is the Rufous Motmot. With its burnt-orange chest and varying combinations of blue and green wings and tail, this exquisite bird represents the allure of tropical birding. It too visited the feeders each morning, much to our delight.
While repeatedly working through the lush grounds of the lodge and surrounding property, we encountered a mesmerizing suite of hummingbirds. We would ultimately record 15 species, among them some of the most beautiful and sought-after hummers in Central America. All around us danced a profusion of hummingbirds, sporting such names as Green Thorntail, White-vented Plumeleteer, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Garden Emerald, and Green-crowned Brilliant. For good measure, we recorded the White-tailed Emerald, a highland hummingbird only rarely found this low. Despite all these wonderful birds, the prized sighting was the Rufous-crested Coquette, a dazzling little sprite found?among all VENT tours?exclusively at El Valle.
Part of our group was lucky enough to spot a Black-billed Cuckoo, an uncommon migrant in Panama and a first for the Canopy Lodge!
Another great aspect of El Valle is that birds are generally easy to see here. Side trips to Cerro Gaital Natural Monument and a forest patch known as Cara Iguana produced waves of new species. Noteworthy were the tremendous numbers of Silver-throated Tanagers, in addition to such target species as Lineated Woodpecker, Spotted Woodcreeper, White-bellied Antbird, Yellow Tyrannulet, and Yellow-crowned Euphonia. From both of these locations came some of the most special sightings of the trip. Below Cerro Gaital, Patricia Davidson came through in a big way, spotting a roosting Common Potoo by day, while at Cara Iguana Tino put us onto a roosting Tropical Screech-Owl, also by day and certainly a new bird for everyone on the tour. And at least as exciting were our scope views of the always-desired Tody Motmot, perched quietly back in the forest.
An all-day trip to Altos de Maria in 4 × 4 vehicles provided more memorable experiences. Perhaps it was the effort required to get there, but we had an especially satisfying day of birding across the mountains. Our first stop netted us several area specialties, including a glowing male Orange-bellied Trogon, Brown-billed Scythebill, and Dull-mantled Antbird. From there the birding proved steady, with each ensuing stop resulting in more special sightings. Over the course of the day we would go on to record such interesting species as the nearly endemic Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, Olive-striped and Bran-colored flycatchers, Tawny-capped Euphonia, two spectacular soaring White Hawks, and dynamite studies of Spotted Woodcreeper. Just before lunch Martin raised the excitement level with his keen-eyed observation of a White-throated Crake foraging in the open only 30 feet away! This was the most exciting moment of the trip for many.
Perhaps most remarkable of all, however, was the discovery of a single Panamanian golden frog in a roadside stream. Undeniably beautiful, this incredible little amphibian is perched on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss, the spread of a lethal fungus infection, and over-collecting.
Before returning to the lodge, a stop at a roadside pasture produced a final flurry of activity, with many more species new for the trip, including a calling Crested Bobwhite, Fork-tailed Flycatchers by the bushel, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, and Red-breasted Blackbird.
Aside from the birding, the butterflying was spectacular. Without trying we came across multitudes of morphos, sulfurs, skippers, longwings, and many others at flowering trees and bushes throughout.
Our final morning was equally memorable, as an exploration of the lodge grounds produced a fine variety of new birds, with Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Black-Striped Sparrow, and Scrub Greenlet among the more memorable sightings. Before returning to the lodge for lunch, Tino led us to a site where we enjoyed scope views of a Mottled Owl, spending his day in a dark, forested recess.
On our final evening in Panama City we ate on the Balboa Peninsula, enjoying the pleasures of delicious local cuisine on a warm Panamanian evening.