Panama - January 2011 - Jan. 18 - Pipeline Road
Day 7 - January 18 - Pipeline Road
We headed back to the Pipeline Road, this time for the Full Monty treatment, aboard 4WD vehicles, which were required to tackle the untamed muddy road. With Alexis’s advice we walked certain stretches of the road, and we were then driven further along to the next likely portion.
But wait: what is this Pipeline Road of which I speak? A quick orientation. The road was built by the U.S. military in W.W.II to aid in the construction and maintenance of an oil pipeline, to be use in the event that the canal became inoperational. But it was never used, and since W.W.II the road has been more or less left to its own devices. The road now lies completely with Soberanía National Park, and while there has been intermittent grading and clearing of the road, it has become a rougher and rougher ride, now requiring 4WD vehicles in all seasons. Progress along the road is measured by the crossing of small rivers, and the bridges are also becomming increasingly dubious. How long is the road? I’ve read a reference to it being 17+ km, but from the map it looks to be longer.
I have prepared an orientation map, included with this post as one of the photos. It was based on a map at the Plantation Trailhead parking lot, but I’ve jazzed it up. And along the Pipeline Road I’ve indicated a “Wash-Out”, at roughly KM 9.2. This occurred last December during a period of extremely heavy rains, that caused much disruption across the country, and even caused the Canal to be closed for a period of time. Will the national park (or the national government) repair or rebuild the road at the wash-out? I deem it unlikely which, if my prediction holds, means that half the Pipeline Road will no longer be of practical access, save for those will to undertake a long hike.
To further complete your orientation of the Pipeline Road I took a hand-held video of the rougher sections of the road from the perspective of the 4WD truck, which followed the 4WD “Birdmobile”. Thrills, chills, but no spills. The video (13 minutes long, an eternity) is on-line on Youtube. There is no narration, but it will at least impart a sense of what driving the road is like. The video is
here.
One of the day’s highlights came early on, with the sighting of a
Northern Tamandua (
Tamandua mexicana) , munching its way through an ant nest (it looked as if it were eating a cob of corn). This was a fine addition to our mammal list, as were the
White-headed (or White-faced)
Capuchins (
Cebus capucinus) we saw soon after. There were many new birds: we added two more manakins (
Blue-crowned and Red-capped) to our trip list, and the
Great Jacamar, which unfortunately was heard only. Alexis continued to show his mettle as our leader, and despite us birding within a jungle he never stopped looking up, and he thereby alerted us to
King Vulture and
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts.
The activity was neither constant nor frenetic, but there were many birds and other diversions, such that before we knew it (notwithstanding the mid-morning snack and the wonderful picnic lunch), it was mid-afternoon, and time to drive back. In any case we could go no further along the Pipeline Road, for we had reached the Wash-Out. And we were perhaps tired of all the various incarnations of "ant-thingys", with 13 species recorded for the day.
So we slithered and slipped and slogged our way back the way we’d come, but our day was not over. Alexis, who needed no further excuse to demonstrate his superb birding and leadership qualities, did something quite remarkable. Despite driving the Birdmobile, and keeping one eye always on the road, he noted something off the road down a shrubby, shaded slope, a grayish lump that aroused his curiosity. The vehicles stopped, and he proudly pointed out a
Great Tinamou which, confident of its camouflage, remained still (or nearly so) for quite a while, allowing everyone extended views of this secretive (usually “heard-only”) species, and despite the low light level I snapped a record shot or two.
This was a most satisfying end to a memorable day of birding.
Bird List - 19 January 2011 - The Pipeline Road - 69 species
Panama Life Birds are in
Boldface.
World Life Birds are in
Orange.
Great Tinamou
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
King Vulture
Black Hawk-Eagle
Gray-chested Dove
Brown-hooded Parrot
Red-lored Parrot
Band-rumped Swift
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
Long-billed Hermit
Stripe-throated Hermit
Slaty-tailed Trogon
Black-throated Trogon
Rufous Motmot
Broad-billed Motmot
Green Kingfisher
Pied Puffbird
White-whiskered Puffbird
Great Jacamar
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Keel-billed Toucan
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Cinnamon Woodpecker
Crimson-crested Woodpecker
Plain Xenops
Plain-brown Woodcreeper
Black-striped Woodcreeper
Fasciated Antshrike
Western Slaty-Antshrike
Spot-crowned Antvireo
Checker-throated Antwren
Moustached Antwren
White-flanked Antwren
Dot-winged Antwren
Dusky Antbird
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Bicolored Antbird
Spotted Antbird
Black-faced Antthrush
Streak-chested Antpitta
Brown-capped Tyrannulet
Forest Elaenia
Gray Elaenia
Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant
Yellow-margined Flycatcher
Golden-crowned Spadebill
Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Purple-throated Fruitcrow
Blue-crowned Manakin
Red-capped Manakin
Green Shrike-Vireo
Bay Wren
White-breasted Wood-Wren
Song Wren
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Tennessee Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Gray-headed Tanager
White-shouldered Tanager
Flame-rumped Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Green Honeycreeper
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Chestnut-headed Oropendola
Some orientation and landscape photos are attached. I'll place some wildlife photos next.