Panama, Advice Please (1 Viewer)

Greetings,

I am planning a birding trip to Panama for a couple of weeks over the coming Christmas period.

Q: Do I need to hire an SUV or can I get away with a normal car.

Q: Apart from canopy tower there must be other accommodations that are nice and near the main birding areas. However I can't find many places.

Q: I am also looking for a reasonably priced bird guide(s), at least for part of the time.

Anyway, any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks

Firstly, look at the several recent threads on Panama in this forum, such as the one on Gamboa. Secondly, look at the threads in the vacation reports forum that you find with search term Panama, including my report from last christmas (this link may work but probably only for a couple of days: http://www.birdforum.net/search.php?searchid=5541282).

Thirdly, potholes are big and deep, and one of them cost me a double flat (two flat tires, in other words). I was sure happy we had a SUV, but you might have been able to go most places in a regular car if you used a lot of caution. On the other hand, there were definitely places we did not want to go in our "civilized" SUV, where you would need something stronger.

Niels

Neils, thanks for the reply,

great detailed report (and links within)

I can't google map the san francisco reserve you mentioned in your trip report;

I am also looking for Harpy eagle (how many birders visiting panama dont have this one on their target list, however difficult??); I guess I would need a specialist guide to have a good chance. Anyway, if anyone can suggest an area with a good chance (outside of the darien) I would welcome your feedback!!!!

By the way at the moment the places I now have listed as 'reccomended' places to stay (with their own websites) are:

http://www.canopylodge.com/lodging.php
http://www.fincalerida.com/index.php?set_language=en&cccpage=tarifas_listado
http://www.cielitosur.com/
http://www.kenallaire.com/links/reviews/ivansbnbpanama.html
http://www.hotelresidencialelvalle.com/
http://www.trail2.com/devine/area.htm

I welcome any other reccomendations

cassowary said:

I can't google map the san francisco reserve you mentioned in your trip report;

Click to expand...

http://www.advantagepanama.com/ is the company that has the connections for the San Francisco Reserve, and it is probably necessary to go through them to get access to this private area (it is mentioned under day 10 on this page: http://www.advantagepanama.com/birdwatchers-paradise-itinerary.html#darien). They also have a couple of longer trips into Darien that looks really exciting, but which we did not do.

I am also looking for Harpy eagle (how many birders visiting panama dont have this one on their target list, however difficult??); I guess I would need a specialist guide to have a good chance. Anyway, if anyone can suggest an area with a good chance (outside of the darien) I would welcome your feedback!!!!

Click to expand...

These are found in the canal zone, but the chance of seeing one away from the nesting area is minuscule. In other words, you have to be with a guide who knows where to go. I did not see one in the wild (only the one in the zoo )

Niels

Hi Mike,

I can really recommend Cielito Sur. It's a lovely place with cozy rooms and guest lounge, lots of birds and orchids in the garden, delicious breakfasts, cool hummingbird feeders,...
Glenn and Janet can arrange any kind of excursion you'd like to do in the area. I would certainly recommend hiking the Sendero Los Quetzales from Cerro Punta to Boquete. If you have a car, however, you'll have to return to Cerro Punta to pick it up. Check out the website, you'll also see some pictures I took there. If you do end up going, make sure to give my best to Glenn and Janet.

Cedric

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=123082 is a new vacation thread from a place that also sounds pretty good.

Niels

Niels; Cedric, thanks for your replys/links.
Anyway, I am looking through the Book titled 'A Bird-Finding guide to Panama' which i'm sure you are familiar - nice book. I also bought the book 'A Guide to the Birds of Panama' - I was disappointed that it lacks distribution maps; I guess at some point a smaller field guide similar to the new Costa Rican one will be published.

Anyway I use sound recordings quite alot but it looks like I am going to have to put some work in to get a good set of recordings.

'Voices of Costa Rican Birds, Caribbean Slope' I guess will go along way.

I currently own venezuela birds (sound recordings) which will have a fair bit of overlap ( I know there is some variation in calls from a few species within venezuela, however I dont know how much disparity there is going to be with the same species in panama).

I know there are a couple of sites where I can download individual species recordings but I have lost the links.

If you own the Costa Rica guide and will go to western Panama, then it could come in handy. Otherwise you will have to live with the old Ridgely guide for a while longer, even though the rumor has it that the same guy making the drawings to the new Costa Rica guide has started on a Panama guide.

http://www.xeno-canto.org/ Is this the link you were missing?

Niels

Neils,
Just touching base to say thanks for the info and link.

Birding Panama and Harpy Eagles in Darien

Hola Mike,

Glad to learn about your interest in Panama and Harpy Eagles.

"Unfortunately" I have been out of touch for a while mostly in the field scouting new birding sites.....

Happy to report that yesterday some folks staying at our field station in Darien visited an active Harpy Eagle nest, and were very excited to see the female Harpy Eagle.
http://www.advantagepanama.com/lamareadarien

The Darien has the highest density of Harpy Eagles in Panama.
Your best bet at seeing one would be there.
Most of the security concerns about the Darien are limited to very specific sites, where we don't take our guests of course....

Let me know if we can be of any further assistance.

Cheers,
Guido

**************************************
Guido C. Berguido
Biologist - Operations Manager
Advantage Tours Panama
"Adventures in nature with the local Advantage"

P.O. Box 0801-00051
Republic of Panama
Tel. 011-507-232-6944
Cel. 011-507-6676-2466
Fax: 011-507-232-7517
e.mail: [email protected]
web: www.advantagepanama.com
**************************************

cassowary said:

Neils,
Just touching base to say thanks for the info and link.

Click to expand...

Greetings,
Anyway for people trying to compile song playlists for central/NW Panama, without spending too much time - I used Bosmans - venezuela, costarican birds carribean slope, stokes e/w usa and approx 130 from the xeno-canto website; however This will (currently) leave the following bird calls still missing:

Mangrove Black-Hawk
Crested Eagle
Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle
Black Guan
Maroon-chested Ground-Dove
Olive-backed Quail-Dove
Chiriqui Quail-Dove
Buff-fronted Quail-Dove
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
Veraguan Mango
Garden Emerald
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
Sapphire-throated Hummingbird
Charming Hummingbird
White-tailed Emerald
White-bellied Mountain-gem
Purple-throated Mountain-gem
White-throated Mountain-gem
Purple-crowned Fairy
Magenta-throated Woodstar
Scintillant Hummingbird
Baird’s Trogon
Spot-crowned Barbet
Ruddy Treerunner
Spectacled Foliage-gleaner
Spectacled Antpitta
Fulvous bellied Antpitta
Torrent Tyrannulet
White-throated Flycatcher
Panama Flycatcher
Turquoise Cotinga
Blue Cotinga
Broad-billed Sapayoa
Orange-collared Manakin
Mangrove Swallow
Timberline Wren
Sooty Thrush
Black-and yellow Silky-flycatcher
Collared Redstart
Spangle-cheeked Tanager
Shining Honeycreeper
Spot-crowned Euphonia
Sulphur-rumped Tanager
Volcano Junco

Obviously having the call for mangrove black hawk isn't vital; I hope that there isn't too much disparity in calls from venezuela (particularly for the more sedentary species) -

Anyway, Capito, Neils & Cedric, thanks for your feedback/PMs/advice

I have various harpy eagle calls - hmmmmm - though I think the chances of calling in one of these in the canal zone are pretty slim

Just dropping a few quick notes on the trip (as I don't have time at the moment to write a trip report)

Positives:
All accomodation was nice; particularly Ivans bed and breakfast (Gamboa). Also cielto sur in volcan, tinamou cottage in boquete and a finca la suiza (near the oleoducto road).

I had to work for alot of the birds on pipeline road - alot of secretive birds- however many responded to calls (fortunately). The discovery tower (on pipeline road) was excellent for canopy species. (surprisingly lightly used).

I found the targets in the achiote area much easier - I was pretty sucessful using calls - even a pair of white hawks came fairly close using one of their calls.

Old gamboa road was good too. eg: Jet antbird responded well to its call at the golf course end of the road (this was also the only place I saw the tamarin) many other bird species here eg spectacled owl; capped heron, kingfishers etc.

Birding Cerro Azul/Jefe I found hard work; but still picked up a few.

Birding the oleoducto road was difficult as it rained the whole time (this is apparently common for this road).

Boquete, volcan and finca hartmann all good birding.

Negatives:
If you intend to drive around I recommend a high clearance 4x4 - you don't need this for gamboa or achiote but you will for tocumen marsh, cerro azul, the upper reaches of finca hartmann, various parts of boquete and volcan and preferable for the oleoducto road (depending on conditions).

Panama needs a decent map - major highways near panama city weren't even on the current standard map and sign posts were often abysmal