Panama: Fall at El Valle's Canopy Lodge Extension Oct 27—Nov 01, 2007
Posted by Barry Zimmer
Barry Zimmer
Barry Zimmer has been birding since the age of eight. His main areas of expertise lie in North and Central America, but his travels have taken him throughout much of the wo...Related Trips
“What’s everyone looking at?” I asked, as I approached most of the group from behind on the Rana Trail at El Cope. I had hung back briefly to record a Stripe-breasted Wren that we had just seen a few meters back on the trail. The vast majority of the group, and our local leader Danilo, were ahead of me clustered together and looking down into the forest to the left of the trail. “Umbrellabird,” came the whispered answer. I was certain that I had misheard; to begin with, umbrellabirds are extremely rare in this area (only three known records in the past 11 years), and in addition, everyone seemed to be looking down below eye level and close (when they are seen, umbrellabirds are typically at canopy level). I quickly approached the end of the line and looked down, expecting to clear up the mystery of what I thought I had heard. There, not 20 feet away and slightly below the level of the trail as we looked downhill, was an adult male Bare-necked Umbrellabird sitting in a small sapling. I nearly fell off the trail and over the embankment! This crow-sized black bird sat for almost five minutes looking back at us with its bizarre umbrella-like tuft of head feathers and its bare red throat. We were collectively stunned. It was a life bird for everyone, including both Danilo (who has lived in this region of Panama his entire life) and myself. This species has a tiny world range (only in Costa Rica and Panama), and is thought to be declining rapidly due to deforestation. The last sighting at this locale was over eight years ago and it was of a female. This was certainly one of my greatest birding experiences ever!
While without doubt the umbrellabird was the most extraordinary sighting of our Canopy Lodge tour extension, there were countless other highlights as well. The foothill forests of the region around El Valle and the Canopy Lodge host a number of stunning and highly sought species. Tanagers, seemingly of every color of the rainbow, are numerous here. We tallied 23 species including such gems as Black-and-yellow, Emerald, Crimson-backed, Flame-rumped, Bay-headed, Golden-hooded, Silver-throated, and the incomparable Rosy Thrush-Tanager. We had superb views of three species of motmots, most notably the tiny and localized Tody Motmot (right outside our rooms). The stunning Rufous Motmot was a regular visitor to the feeders just off the dining area! Raptors put in a good showing with the likes of the tiny Pearl Kite, brilliant White Hawks (one perched just above the lodge), a Black Hawk-Eagle overhead at El Cope, and an Aplomado Falcon near El Chiru. A Striped Cuckoo in the open along the roadside was a highlight for many, as were the superb daytime views of a roosting Mottled Owl. Hummingbirds are always attention getters; Violet-crowned Woodnymphs and Bronze-tailed Plumeleteers were constant visitors to the lodge feeders, while Rufous-taileds, Snowy-bellieds, Violet-headed, Garden Emeralds, and Stripe-throated Hermits patrolled the garden flowers. Foothill species such as Orange-bellied Trogon, Spotted Woodcreeper, Blue-throated Toucanet, Spotted Barbtail, White-ruffed Manakin, and Tawny-capped Euphonia were all seen well. Other noteworthy species included Crested Bobwhite in the scope at El Chiru, Gray-necked Wood-Rail below the lodge feeders, prolonged scope views of Brown-throated Parakeet and Brown-hooded Parrot, numerous Squirrel Cuckoos, incomparable Purple-crowned Fairies, a pair of Smoky-brown Woodpeckers (perhaps a first for the state of Cocle), great studies of Spot-crowned and Plain antvireos, a displaying pair of Dull-mantled Antbirds, and a family group of Yellow-throated Bush-Tanagers.
The Canopy Lodge offers fantastic accommodations in a glorious setting, and has arguably some of the best feeder-watching anywhere in the world. A dazzling variety of species regularly visit the tray feeders in the garden, with tanagers, honeycreepers, euphonias, motmots, woodpeckers, saltators, etc. all in the mix. This destination is simply a must for any birder interested in tropical birds.