Cana and Cerro Pirre-Darien (1 Viewer)

Hi folks,
I´m back from an exciting birding trip to Cana area in Panama. Weather was excellent all the time (!). We flied to Cana Dec 1st and were back to Panama city on the fifth. All arrangements were made easily with Ancon Expeditions. As said no rain at all, quite sunny and not strong winds, amazing. We birded all the trails in the area and managed to see or at least hear 230 species including some amazing ones. On the trails from the station or the airstrip birding was excellent, Boca de Cupe trail probably the best of all. That means all the lower area of Cana, from 540m above sea level to around 650m. We also birded the cloud forest of Cerro Pirre and the forest on the way up and down to the cerro at 1600m. A long uphill 14kms trail takes you to the cloud forest of Pirre, an excellent birding area with many endemics or near so. There is a tented camp at 1350m where you sleep overnight and get all meals.
I had 46 firsts, some of them after many dips, those were great!
Here´s the list of what we found, hope you´ll enjoy it

H only heard * first

1 Great Tinamou H Cana station trails
2 Little Tinamou H Cana trails
3 Turkey Vulture a few at Cana Station, not common
4 King Vulture 1 juvenile Cana
5 Semiplumbeous Hawk 1 Boca de Cupe trail
6 *Black and White Hawk-Eagle 1 Cana
7 Black Hawk-Eagle 1 pair at Boca de Cupe
8 Ornate Hawk-Eagle H a lot at 1000m
9 Red throated Caracara a few Cana
10 Laughing Falcon 1 1400m
11 Barred Forest Falcon H Cana
12 Collared Forest Falcon H Cana
13 Grey-headed Chachalaca Boca de Cupe
14 Crested Guan Cana, also uphill
15 Marbled Wood-Quail H Cana
16 White-throated Crake H Boca de Cupe
17 * Plumbeous Pigeon 2 Cloud Forest 1500m
18 Ruddy Pigeon a few Cana
19 White-tipped Dove very common Cana
20 Grey-chested Dove common Cana
21 * Blue and yellow Macaw common Cana
22 * Red and Green Macaw a few Cana
23 *Chestnut-fronted Macaw common Cana
24 Orange-chinned Parakeet common Cana
25 *Blue-fronted Parrotlet 3 at 1450m
26 Blue-headed Parrot common Cana
27 Mealy Amazon a few pairs Cana and uphill
28 Squirrel Cuckoo common Cana and uphill
29 * Little Cuckoo a few Cana and Boca de Cupe
30 Smooth-billed Ani common Cana
31 Pauraque common Cana
32 White-tailed Nightjar 1 Cana also H
33 Common Potoo H Cana
34 White-collared Swift common Cana
35 Band-rumped Swift common Cana
36 *Rufous-breasted Hermit 1 Boca de Cupe
37 Band-tailed Barbthroat 1 Boca de Cupe
38 Green Hermit 2 Cloud Forest
39 Western Long-tailed Hermit common Boca de Cupe lek
40 Stripe-throated Hermit lek uphill
41 White-necked Jacobin a few Cana
42 Rufous-crested Coquette 1 male Cana 1 female Boca de Cupe
43 *Green crowned Woodnymph a few uphill
44 Violet-bellied Hummingbird a few Cana
45 *Pirre Hummingbird a few from the tented camp up to the cloud forest
46 Blue-chested Hummingbird common Cana
47 Rufous-tailed Hummingbird common Cana
48 White-vented Plumeleteer common Cana
49 Green-crowned Brilliant a few cloud forest
50 *Greenish Puffleg common cloud forest
51 Purple-crowned Fairy 2 Cana
52 White-tailed Trogon 2 uphill
53 Violaceous Trogon common Cana and uphill
54 Collared Trogon 1 male 1200m
55 Black-throated Trogon 1 male 1000m
56 Slaty-tailed Trogon 1 Boca de Cupe
57 Golden-headed Quetzal H 1350m
58 Tody Motmot 1 uphill 1200m
59 Rufous Motmot 1 Cana
60 *Barred Puffbird a few Cana
61 White-whiskered Puffbird a few Cana and uphill
62 *Grey-cheeked Nunlet 1 Cana 1 Boca de Cupe
63 White-fronted Nunbird a group of 6 Cana
64 *Dusky-backed Jacamar common Cana
65 *Great Jacamar fairly common Cana
66 Spot-crowned Barbet a few Cana and uphill, ssp rubrilateralis
67 Red-headed Barbet a few uphill
68 Emerald Toucanet H 1400m
69 Collared Araçari common Cana
70 Yellow-eared Toucanet H 1200m
71 Keel-billed Toucan fairly common Cana
72 Chestnut-mandibled Toucan common Cana
73 Olivaceous Piculet a few Cana and Boca de Cupe
74 Black-cheeked Woodpecker common Cana
75 Red-rumped Woodpecker 1 Boca de Cupe
76 *Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker a few Cana and uphill
77 Cinnamon Woodpecker a few Cana and uphill
78 Lineated Woodpecker 1 Cana
79 Crimson-bellied Woodpecker 2 Cloud Forest 1600m
80 Crimson-crested Woodpecker a few Cana and uphill

Tomorrow passeriformes

Sounds like a great trip. I'm very envious, especially of Crimson-bellied Woodpecker and Tody Motmot. Tell me - are there any safety concerns at Cana? My understanding is that there are guerrillas in the Darién.

Yowza, what a list, and you're not even done yet! I'd've had 79 lifers from this portion alone! Can't wait to see the rest of it.

mattpau said:

Sounds like a great trip. I'm very envious, especially of Crimson-bellied Woodpecker and Tody Motmot. Tell me - are there any safety concerns at Cana? My understanding is that there are guerrillas in the Darién.

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Hi Paul, the area is perfectly safe, so remote usually nobody gets there without an airplane. There´re also border policemen patrolling the area just in case some baddies might arrive. Birdtours companies routinely visit the area so I guess there are no guerrilla problems in Cana.

Motmot said:

Hi Paul, the area is perfectly safe, so remote usually nobody gets there without an airplane. There´re also border policemen patrolling the area just in case some baddies might arrive. Birdtours companies routinely visit the area so I guess there are no guerrilla problems in Cana.

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That's reassuring. I'll have to get there someday. I have birded Panama but didn't get to the Darién. While I'm being envious I might as well mention Rufous-crested Coquette, Semiplumbeous Hawk and the Hawk-Eagle sweep. Very very nice. Can't wait to see the passerine list - I can be even more envious!

Katy Penland said:

Yowza, what a list, and you're not even done yet! I'd've had 79 lifers from this portion alone! Can't wait to see the rest of it.

Click to expand...

There you go!

81 Slaty Spinetail
82 *Beautiful Treerunner 2 Cloud Forest 1600m
83 Lineated Foliage-gleaner a few from 1400m up to the cloud forest
84 *Slaty-winged Foliage-gleaner fairly common Cana and uphill
85 Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner 1 at 1000m
86 Plain Xenops fairly common Cana and uphill
87 Streaked Xenops 1 Cana 1 uphill
88 Plain-brown Woodcreeper common mainly with army ants
89 Olivaceous Woodcreeper 2 uphill
90 Northern Barred Woodcreeper a few with army ants
91 Cocoa Woodcreeper fairly common Cana and uphill
92 Black-striped Woodcreeper 3 uphill
93 Streak-headed Woodcreeper common Cana
94 *Red-billed Scythebill 2 Cana
95 Brown-billed Scythebill 1 Boca de Cupe
96 Fasciated Antshrike fairly common Cana and uphill
97 Great Antshrike 1 pair Cana
98 Western Slaty Antshrike fairly common Cana and uphill
99 Plain Antvireo fairly common uphill from 1000m
100 *Grisson´s (Pygmy) Antwren 1 900m
101 *Pacific Antwren fairly common Cana and uphill
102 Checker-throated Antwren common Cana and uphill
103 White-flanked Antwren fairly common Cana and uphill
104 *Rufous-winged Antwren 1 seen many H Cana and uphill
105 Dot-winged Antwren fairly common Cana and uphill
106 Dusky Antbird fairly common Cana
107 Jet Antbird 2 Cana
108 Chestnut-backed Antbird 2 Boca de Cupe
109 Immaculate Antbird 1 uphill 1400m
110 Spotted Antbird fairly common, usually with army ants
111 Bicolored Antbird common with army ants
112 Ocellated Antbird fairly common with army ants
113 Black-faced Antthrush common Cana
114 Rufous-breasted Antthrush 1 seen(!), more H from 1400 to cloud forest
115 *Thicket Antpitta 1 seen(!!), more H Cana and uphill, my nemesis bird
116 Choco Tapaculo H cloud forest
117 *Sooty-headed Tyrannulet 1 Cana
118 Paltry Tyrannulet fairly common Cana
119 Brown-capped Tyrannulet H Cana and uphill fairly common
120 Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet 2 Cana
121 *Gray Elaenia 1 male Boca de Cupe
122 Yellow-bellied Elaenia a few Cana
123 Olive-striped Flycatcher 1 Cana
124 Ochre-bellied Flycatcher 1 Cana
125 Slaty-capped Flycatcher 1 uphill
126 Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant 1 pair Cana
127 Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant common uphill and cloud forest
128 Southern Bentbill a few Boca de Cupe
129 Common Tody-Flycatcher common Cana
130 Eye-ringed Flatbill a few uphill
131 Olivaceous Flatbill 2 Boca de Cupe
132 Yellow-margined Flycatcher 2 Boca de Cupe
133 White-throated Spadebill 1 cloud forest
134 Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher fairly common Cana and uphill
135 Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher common Cana and uphill
136 Black-tailed Flycatcher 1 Boca de Cupe
137 Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 Cana
138 Willow Flycatcher 1 Cana
139 Long-tailed Tyrant common Cana and uphill
140 Bright-rumped Attila H Cana and uphill
141 *Speckled Mourner 1 Boca de Cupe
142 Rufous Mourner 1 Cana
143 Dusky-capped Flycatcher common Cana and uphill
144 Great-crested Flycatcher a few Boca de Cupe
145 Rusty-margined Flycatcher common Cana
146 Social Flycatcher a few Cana
147 Gray-capped Flycatcher common Cana
148 White-ringed Flycatcher 1 Cana
149 * Black-billed Flycatcher 1 Cana
150 Tropical Kingbird a few Cana
151 Cinnamon Becard common Cana and uphill
152 *One-colored Becard 1 male Boca de Cupe 1 male Cana
153 Masked Tityra fairly common Cana
154 Black-crowned Tityra 1 male Cana
155 Rufous Piha 2 uphill
156 *Black-tipped Cotinga 2males 1 female Cana
157 Purple-throated Fruitcrow fairly common Cana
158 Golden-collared Manakin fairly common Cana
159 White-ruffed Manakin fairly common Cana and uphill
160 Blue-crowned Manakin fairly common Cana
161 *Golden-headed Manakin common Cana and uphill
162 Sharpbill H a few times at 1000-800m
163 White-thighed Swallow two groups seen, surprisingly new for the Cana full bird list.
164 Southern Rough-winged Swallow common Cana
165 Barn Swallow a few Cana
166 Black-chested Jay common Cana
167 *White-headed Wren common Cana and campsite
168 *Sooty-headed Wren 2 at 1350m
169 Black-bellied Wren fairly common Boca de Cupe
170 Bay Wren 2 Cana ssp schotti
171 *Stripe-throated Wren 1 Boca de Cupe
172 Ochraceous Wren 1 uphill
173 White-breasted Wood-Wren fairly common Cana
174 Gray-breasted Wood-Wren fairly common uphill and cloud forest
175 Southern Nightingale-Wren H Cana
176 *Slate-throated Gnatcatcher 3 uphill
177 *Varied Solitaire fairly common cloud forest
178 Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush a few around the campsite
179 Dagua (White-throated) Thrush 1 Cana
180 Lesser Greenlet fairly common Cana and uphill
181 *Yellow-browed Shrike-Vireo 1 seen, many more heard at 1000m
182 Golden-winged Warbler 1 female uphill
183 Tennessee Warbler fairly common Cana
184 Tropical Parula 1 Cana
185 Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 Boca de Cupe
186 Blackburnian Warbler 2 cloud forest
187 Bay-breasted Warbler fairly common Cana and uphill
188 Black and white Warbler a few Cana up to the cloud forest
189 American Redstart fairly common Cana and uphill
190 Mourning Warbler common Cana
191 Slate-throated Redstart fairly common from 1300m to cloud forest
192 *Pirre Warbler 2 seen cloud forest
193 Buff-rumped Warbler 1 Cana
194 Bananaquit common Cana and uphill
195 *White-eared Conebill a few Cana and Boca de Cupe
196 Emerald Tanager 1 Cana
197 Silver-throated Tanager a few uphill and cloud forest
198 Speckled Tanager fairly common Cana up to cloud forest
199 Bay-headed Tanager 1 Cana
200 Golden-hooded Tanager common Cana and uphill
201 *Green-naped Tanager common cloud forest
202 Blue Dacnis a few Cana
203 Green Honeycreeper a few Cana and uphill
204 * Blue-naped Chlorophonia 1 at 1200m, may well be a first for Panama, (scary). Being a female looking bird we´ll leave it as an unidentified bird.
205 Orange-bellied Euphonia fairly common from 1200 up to cloud forest
206 Blue-gray Tanager fairly common Cana
207 Palm Tanager common Cana
208 *Lemon-spectacled Tanager fairly common Cana and uphill
209 *Scarlet-browed Tanager 2 males Boca de Cupe
210 White-shouldered Tanager fairly common Boca de Cupe
211 Summer Tanager a few Cana up to campsite
212 Crimson-backed Tanager fairly common Cana
213 Flame-rumped Tanager common Cana
214 *Pirre Bush-Tanager common from 1400m up to cloud forest
215 *Yellow-backed Tanager 1 pair Boca de Cupe
216 Black and yellow Tanager fairly common from 1200 to cloud forest
217 Buff-throated Saltator fairly common Cana
218 Slate-colored Grosbeak 1 Boca de Cupe
219 Blue-black Grosbeak 1 Boca de Cupe
220 Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch common from campsite up to cloud forest
221 Orange-billed Sparrow a few Boca de Cupe
222 Variable Seedeater 1 male Cana
223 Giant Cowbird 1 male Cana
224 Yellow-backed Oriole 1 Boca de Cupe
225 Yellow-tailed Oriole 2 Cana
226 Yellow-billed Cacique 1 Boca de Cupe
227 Yellow-rumped Cacique fairly common Cana
228 Chestnut-headed Oropendola common Cana
229 Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant 1 1400m
230 Spectacled Antpitta H Cana

We missed some of the wanted birds (Viridian Dacnis, Double-banded Graytail, Crested Eagle, Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, Sapayoa and more) but in four days you can´t get them all!
All birds where seen or heard by at least one of the observers, Robert or me, usually by both. Other birds seen by another team while we were there include Black-crowned Antpitta, Choco Toucan and very few more.
Anyone wanting more info pm me.
Saludos