Panama: Fall at El Valle's Canopy Lodge Extension Oct 24—29, 2009
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
Our Canopy Lodge extension provides the perfect complement to our Canopy Tower tour. Nestled in the caldera of an ancient volcano and sitting above 2,000 feet elevation, the Canopy Lodge yields an entirely different cluster of birds, not to mention cooler temperatures than the Canal Zone. This year's extension added an impressive 67 new species to the overall trip list (371 species in combination with the Canopy Tower) in just four days. Many of the foothills species found in this region are highly sought and difficult to locate elsewhere.
No discussion of the Canopy Lodge should start in any other way, however, than with the amazing birding right on the grounds of the lodge. We began with about an hour of feeder-watching before lunch. Tray feeders visible from the deck and dining room produced a stunning kaleidoscope of colors. Common species attending the feeders included Rufous Motmot (!); Red-crowned Woodpecker; Clay-colored Thrush; Crimson-backed, Flame-rumped, Blue-gray, Palm, and Dusky-faced tanagers; Red-crowned Ant-Tanager; Bananaquit; Red-legged Honeycreeper; Buff-throated Saltator; and Thick-billed Euphonia. Less frequent, but still daily visitors were Green Honeycreeper, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, and Black-striped and Orange-billed sparrows. Snowy-bellied and Rufous-tailed hummingbirds flitted about the garden. Black-chested Jays and a Squirrel Cuckoo were seen from the table while we were eating! A fabulous Purple-crowned Fairy danced in a nearby Erythrina tree, while a Lineated Woodpecker and a Keel-billed Toucan posed in the scope. The parade of birds right around the rooms was virtually nonstop!
Afternoon found us walking the road above the lodge. A Mottled Owl on a day roost, a male Garden Emerald, a flock of Tawny-crested Tanagers, quick looks at a Tody Motmot, and a sleeping three-toed sloth were among the highlights.
The next day we headed up to an area above the lodge known locally as "La Mesa." At our first stop we tallied an impressive list with Spotted Woodcreeper, Dull-mantled Antbird (from ten feet!), Chestnut-backed Antbird, Plain and Spot-crowned antvireos, Bay Wren, Tawny-faced Gnatwren, and Silvery-throated Tanager, among others. Southern Lapwing, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Slaty and White-flanked antwrens, a rare Black-billed Cuckoo, and a group of Black-faced Grosbeaks rounded out the morning. In the afternoon we chose to visit a drier and lower forest near the edge of the town of El Valle. Here we had fantastic views of the highly sought Tody Motmot, in addition to a roosting Common Potoo, a male Long-billed Starthroat, and a group of Yellow-backed Orioles.
The third day found us heading even higher to Los Altos del Maria, topping out over 3,000 feet in elevation. After some effort we all had good views of one of the real prizes of this area, the Black-crowned Antpitta! Other good foothill species were recorded at a rapid pace: Emerald (Blue-throated) Toucanet, Ochraceous Wren, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Spotted Barbtail, Red-faced Spinetail, Orange-bellied Trogon, the always spectacular Black-and-yellow Tanager, and White-ruffed Manakin. A pair of Long-tailed Tyrants at a nest tree was a surprise, but not nearly so much as a flock of rarely seen Blue-fronted Parrotlets overhead (a lifer even for me!). However, the real star of the day was the amazing discovery of a silky anteater by our local guide Danilo. This rarely seen mammal was coiled up in a small ball about 15 feet off the ground and under a broad leaf. Occasionally he would lift up his head briefly to see what all the fuss was about. Few people have ever seen this species anywhere in the Tropics.
The next day we staked out a blooming Inga tree above El Campestre. After some waiting we had wonderful views of the truly spectacular Snowcap (adult male) and the equally impressive Green Thorntail (male and female). A return visit to the drier forest near town resulted in great views of a roosting Tropical Screech-Owl, a couple of Blue-crowned Motmots, and a cooperative Long-billed Gnatwren. In the afternoon, we just missed a pair of the mythical Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos at an ant swarm above the lodge, but as consolation, we enjoyed wonderful studies of Plain-brown and Northern Barred woodcreepers attending the swarm.
On our last morning we headed down to the dry Pacific lowlands and were met by a different group of birds altogether. Savannah Hawk, Aplomado Falcon, Crested and Yellow-headed caracaras, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Brown-throated Parakeet, Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, Barred Antshrike, and Rufous-browed Peppershrike were all seen well. In all we tallied 214 species just on the extension, reveled in the comforts of the luxurious Canopy Lodge, and marveled at the amazing array of feeder birds present on the grounds.