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2005 PANAMA CONFERENCE REPORT

24-30 September 2005

¡Viva Panamá! Atop Panama's Canopy Tower, a small kettle of 80 Mississippi Kites could be seen spiraling lazily upwards, the flock drifting slowly towards us on their southbound migration. What a place to watch birds! Nearby, Canopy Tower guide Carlos Bethancourt had spotted a male Blue Cotinga perched on a snag, its glowing blue iridescence lighting up a darkening sky. Closer, a fruiting tree had a mixed-species canopy flock with a Tennessee Warbler, Slate-colored Grosbeak, and a Tropical Gnatcatcher, while behind us was a flock of Scarlet-rumped Caciques passing through the canopy trees. High overhead an Ornate Hawk-Eagle and a Black Swift were spotted among the many Black and Turkey Vultures. Suddenly there were birds everywhere. This was the excitement of birding in Panama.

Panamanian guide, José Taejada, points to a Bay-headed Tanager in the El Valle area. Photo by Bill Maynard.

Not since the 1999 Costa Rica Conference had ABA held an international conference outside of Canada or the U.S. The occasion was the ABA Panama International Conference, 24-30 September, 2005. The place was the 6-year old 5-star Gamboa Rainforest Resort, a combination of historic villa apartments and spacious luxury rooms facing the Chagres River near its confluence with the Panama Canal. The purpose was to watch and study birds in a Neotropical setting.

At the same time Neotropical migrants were arriving to set up territories in their lowland rainforest wintering grounds, ninety ABA participants assembled with local Panamanian guides, to scour five choice field trip destinations. ABA participants came from 29 states and provinces plus four local Panamanians created a diverse group of birders. Field trip coordinator, Raúl Arias de Para, hand-picked the best of the good bilingual Panamanian bird guides divided us into four separate birding groups, armed with binoculars and spotting scopes, and we set off to collectively tally a whopping list of 230 bird species, only five of which were heard-only. There were enough life birds for everyone; 18-year old Robert Darby saw the most with 170. The first day of birding the 330 acres hotel grounds produced an incredible list of 160 species, and in one of the groups, all twenty participants saw a Streak-chested Antpitta, a new family for most.

A specialty of the area, a Pied Puffbird, was one of the avian highlights of Achiote Road. Photo by Bill Maynard.

Avian highlights were abundant. Some of the group favorites included the big, bright, and colorful, Chestnut-mandibled and Keel-billed Toucans, Great Jacamar, and the very common Crimson-backed Tanager. But the dull, difficult, and retiring such as White-throated Crake, Paltry Tyrannulet, and the endemic Yellow-green Tyrannulet were equally exciting finds. While searching for birds, each group added its own list of non-avian highlights. Only in the tropics could one hope for such a list that included ants— Azteca, leaf-cutting, and army; butterflies—blue morpho, “88s”, and Heliconiids; reptiles—spectacled caiman, long-nosed crocodile, basilisk lizard, fer-de-lance, rainbow boa, tiger rat snake, and black-and-green poison dart frog; simians—white-faced capuchin, mantled howler monkey, and Geoffrey's tamarin; and other assorted mammals—white-nosed coatimundi, capybara, agouti, pale-throated three-toed and Hoffman's two-toed sloths, variegated and red-tailed squirrels, and the beautiful tamandua anteater.

Each evening's dinner offered a buffet cornucopia of scrumptious Panamanian dishes presenting imaginative and delicious ways to serve beef, peacock bass, chicken, and pork. Dinner speaker Raúl Arias de Para educated us on Panamanian birds, habitats, and our birding destinations. Hernan Aráuz and Ivan Hoyos from the oldest and largest Panamanian tour company taught us how to separate the percha amarillos (yellow perching birds that look the same many) and other difficult to separate groups including four trogon species that occurred in the area. Dr. George Angher from the Smithsonian Institution and Panama Audubon Society reviewed all of Panama's Important Bird Areas, and a humorous keynote talk by ABA's own, director John Kricher, in his inimitable manner, told us why the tropics support so many birds. Proving Yogi Berra's mantra, “it ain't over until it's over” to be true, all who gathered at the departing gate for Saturday's flight to Houston, added a life bird from the airport terminal boundary fence, a Savanna Hawk.

A male Barred Antshrike at a feeder at Canopy Lodge, El Valle de Anton. Photo by Bill Maynard.

All groups were surprised that our Panamanian guides had staked out some nocturnal birds. A juvenile Spectacled Owl was seen by all on a day roost as was a juvenile Great Potoo, exhibiting a classic example of Batesian symmetry or camouflage.

In a demonstration that few will forget, local guide, Hernán Aráuz, placed his hand on a large colony of Azteca ants. As the tiny ants swarmed over his hand and started to bite, he rubbed them off, leaving behind the strong odor of formic acid. Hernán explained that formic acid is a natural insecticide and insects and other animals will stay clear of the smell. We also were shown three Panamanian trees that helped the US and allies win World War II. Rubber tree, balsa, and Ceiba or silk cotton (fibers used in life preservers) are the trees. The group who saw the dart arrow frog were told that indigenous groups use parts of the frog as a poison to coat the tip of their arrows for hunting.

No one will soon forget the brilliant flash of the wings of blue morpho butterflies, the brilliance so bright, as to be reported to be seen by astronauts in space. A few lucky participants got to see the basilisk or “Jesus Christo” lizard run across water, the lizard demonstrating the reason for its common name.

Green Honeycreeper male – Canopy Tower. Photo by Bill Maynard.

For half of the group, this was their first experience birding outside the US. Three birding buddies, first time attendees from Michigan, Steve Rosenberg, Mark Kotancheck, and Larry Hyman were all smiles every day. Words frequently heard while birding near the guys were “amazing”, “beautiful”, and “wow!” Other first timers were equally enthusiastic and even common birds like Blue-gray Tanager and Crimson-backed Tanager were dazzling in the eyes of these those new to the tropics. Like most people who view the tropics for the first time, most feel a need to come back. ABA will be looking for more tropical conference destinations for the future.

Download the complete list of birds seen on the ABA Panama Conference here.

– Bill Maynard