March 10: Fly intoTocumen International Airport (PTY), shuttle to Canopy Lodge at 9:30am (2.5 hour drive)

ARRIVAL, ORIENTATION, CANOPY LODGE GROUNDS/FEEDERS:

Upon arrival at the airport, we will be met by our driver who will transfer us to the Canopy Lodge, located in the mountains of El Valle de Antón, nestled in the cloud forests of Cerro Gaital Natural Monument.  At 2,400-feet in elevation, you will immediately appreciate the noticeably cooler temperatures here!  A member of the Canopy Lodge staff will greet us as we arrive at the Lodge, and we will be provided with an orientation on the use of the facilities.  As your luggage is being ferried to your room, or after you get settled in, you may visit the dining area and enjoy a refreshing drink and snack. You will immediately want to scan the fruit feeders and grounds for birding opportunities! 

Crimson-backed, Blue-gray, White-lined, Flame-rumped, Dusky-faced & Plain-colored Tanagers are likely, as are Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, Thick-billed Euphonia, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Streaked & Buff-throated Saltators, Lineated & Red-crowned Woodpeckers, Red-legged Honeycreepers, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Social Flycatcher, Ruddy Ground Dove, Barred Antshrike, Clay-colored Thrush, Rufous Motmot, Rufous-tailed, Snowy-bellied & Violet-headed Hummingbirds, White-vented Plumeleteer, and Garden Emerald!

Dinner & night at CANOPY LODGE.

March 11:

AM: LAS MINAS TRAIL (20 MIN. FROM CANOPY LODGE)

PM: CARA IGUANA (15 MIN. FROM CANOPY LODGE)

After breakfast (during which we watch for Orange-billed Sparrow and Bay Wren calling just around the dining area), we head to Las Minas, an excellent trail for Panamanian bird watching. The road follows the ridge line, with sweeping vistas of forested mountains, speckled with grasslands and small fincas.  The views from here are fantastic, as on a clear day near the summit both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans can be seen! Specialties of the region include Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch, Black-and-yellow, Bay-headed & Emerald Tanagers, Tawny-capped Euphonia, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Spot-crowned Antvireo, Gray-headed Kite, Barred Hawk, Bat Falcon, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Swallow-tailed Kite, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, White-tipped Sicklebill, Green Thorntail, Orange-bellied & Black-throated Trogons, Tawny-faced Gnatwren, Plain Antvireo, the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Spotted Woodcreeper, Red-capped & White-ruffed Manakins, Band-rumped Swift, and Black Guan.  A forested slope here is also our best chance for Black-crowned Antpitta and Black-headed Antthrush! After this birding excursion, we get back in time for lunch at the CANOPY LODGE.

With a full stomach and some rest, we head to Cara Iguana Trail, where we enjoy outstanding foothill birding in some of the last remaining stands of quality Pacific dry forest. Exclusive Panamanian birding opportunities in this area include Panama Flycatcher, Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Lance-tailed Manakin, Rufous-breasted & Rufous-and-white Wrens, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Tody & Lesson’s Motmots, and Long-billed Gnatwren. Also resident are Striped Cuckoo, Little Tinamou, Common Potoo, Dusky & White-bellied Antbirds, Barred Antshrike, White-winged Becard, Tropical Screech-Owl and Bat Falcon. Hummers to watch for in particular are Garden Emerald, Long-billed Starthroat and White-vented Plumeleteer.  During migration we look for Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green & Worm-eating Warblers - NYC birds in a different setting!

Dinner & night at CANOPY LODGE.

March 12:

PACIFIC DRY FOREST & SANTA CLARA BEACH (45 MIN. FROM CANOPY LODGE) FULL DAY

After breakfast we are off for a full day of Panama bird watching in the Pacific dry forest, with its unique cast of birds! Among the species we will be seeking out today are Yellow-headed Caracara, Roadside, Gray-lined, Zone-tailed, Savanna & Short-tailed Hawks, Peregrine & Aplomado Falcons, White-tailed Kite, and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl.  We will also search for Crested Bobwhite, Golden-fronted Greenlet, Grassland Yellow-Finch, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Brown-throated Parakeet, Blue Ground Dove, Red-breasted Meadowlark, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, and Crested Oropendola.  We stop at a spot where we sometimes find Common Potoo. Hummers to be on the watch for in this unique scrubby area are the near-endemic Veraguan Mango and Garden Emerald. We enjoy a picnic lunch at a popular beach at Santa Clara where we hope to spot Sapphire-throated Hummingbird working the coastal shrubbery. You may want to bring your bathing suits to take a dip in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean (83F/28C).  On the beach or flying by may be Least, Western & Spotted Sandpipers, Sanderling, Blue-footed & Brown Boobies, Sandwich, Royal & Elegant Terns, Willet, Whimbrel, and Franklin’s & Laughing Gulls.  At the Juan Hombron rice fields we hope to find Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Crested Caracara, Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Northern Scrub-Flycatcher, Southern Lapwing, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Pale-breasted Spinetail, Plain-breasted Ground Dove, Mouse-colored Tyrannulet, Common (or Mangrove) Black Hawk, and Pearl Kite.  

Dinner & night at CANOPY LODGE.

March 13:

TRANSFER TO CANOPY TOWER AFTER BREAKFAST (ABOUT 3 HRS. FROM CANOPY LODGE)

PM: ARRIVAL, ORIENTATION & CANOPY TOWER OBSERVATION DECK + SEMAPHORE HILL ROAD

After breakfast our driver will transfer us to the Canopy Tower, about a 3-hour drive from Canopy Lodge. Located at the top of Semaphore Hill in the rainforest of Soberanía National Park, the tower has stunning views and wildlife.  A member of the staff will greet us as we arrive at the Tower, and we will be provided with an orientation on the use of the facilities. As your luggage is being ferried to your room, we will have lunch at the Tower.  We will also spend some time on the stunning Observation Deck. The view from the platform provides some incredible Panamanian birding opportunities! Here, you get a unique eye-level perspective of the rainforest canopy. Many birds in the rainforest, including toucans, parrots, tanagers of various species, hawks, and dozens of others, as well as monkeys, two species of sloth, and other mammals are commonly seen. From this vantage point you can also see ships transiting the Panama Canal, the majestic Centennial Bridge, and miles of rainforest!  You may also want to watch the hummingbird feeders at the base of the Tower for Long-billed Hermit, White-necked Jacobin, Violet-bellied & Blue-chested Hummingbirds and White-vented Plumeleteer.  Occasionally, a Snowy-bellied Hummingbird is spotted! 

After lunch we’ll start exploring Soberanía National Park by taking a pleasant walk down Semaphore Hill Road.  This winding, shady paved road, festooned on its shoulders by wildflowers of many types, is a little more than a mile long and crosses a large creek about half-way down. There are some incredible Panama birding opportunities here, including birds from the forest interior as well as edge-dwellers. Olivaceous Flatbill, Plain Xenops, Black-breasted & White-whiskered Puffbirds, Fasciated & Black-crowned Antshrikes, Slate-colored Grosbeak, Bay-headed & White-shouldered Tanagers, Black-throated & Slaty-tailed Trogons, Broad-billed & Rufous Motmots and even Great Jacamar may be found. Great Tinamou is often heard but harder to see.  This road is also great for raptors, such as White, Tiny & Great Black Hawks. During migration it’s easy to see more than 10 species of warbler in one morning. Afterwards we will return to enjoy a delicious dinner and night at the CANOPY TOWER.

March 14:

AM: PIPELINE ROAD ENTRANCE (20 MIN. FROM CANOPY TOWER)

PM: AMMO DUMP PONDS & ENVIRONS (15 MIN. FROM CANOPY TOWER)

After breakfast we board the Birdmobile or El Tinamu, both open-air vehicles, that take you to the Pipeline Road, the best place in Central Panama to find forest birds and one of the premier birding spots in the world!  This morning we will concentrate our efforts at the beginning of Pipeline, where we will look for Greater Ani, Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Yellow-tailed Oriole, Masked Tityra, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Isthmian (formerly Plain) Wren, Streaked Flycatcher, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Squirrel Cuckoo, Gray-headed Chachalaca, Southern Bentbill, Forest Elaenia, Panama Flycatcher, Blue Ground Dove and Little Tinamou. Other birds recorded here are Black-bellied & Buff-breasted Wrens, Golden-collared Manakin, White-necked Puffbird, Gartered, Slaty-tailed, Black-throated, White-tailed & Black-tailed Trogons, Purple-crowned Fairy, Yellow Tyrannulet, White-bellied & Dusky Antbirds, Fasciated & Black-crowned Antshrikes, and many more.  During migration this entrance road is excellent for migrant warblers, flycatchers, grosbeaks and tanagers. Lunch at CANOPY TOWER.

After lunch we head to the Ammo Dump Ponds; they are located just past Gamboa on the way to the Pipeline Road. It is the best place to see the elusive White-throated Crake, as well as a host of other waterbirds. Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Wattled Jacana, and Purple Gallinule are common, and Least Grebe and American Pygmy-Kingfisher are also resident. In this area we also may find Greater Ani, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Whooping Motmot (recent split from Blue-crowned), Southern Lapwing, Anhinga, Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet, Scrub Greenlet, Lesser Kiskadee, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Panama, Social & Rusty-margined Flycatchers, and even Olivaceous Piculet! Panama birding is excellent here, and you’ll definitely add to your impressive list of birds!

Dinner and night at CANOPY TOWER.

March 15:

AM: SUMMIT PONDS /OLD GAMBOA ROAD (10 MIN. FROM CANOPY TOWER)

PM: CHAGRES RIVER N./GAMBOA GROUNDS (15 MIN. FROM CANOPY TOWER)

Old Gamboa Road and the associated ponds at Summit are great places to find Canal Zone birds. At Summit Ponds we will scan for Green, Striated, Capped & Boat-billed Herons as well as Green, Ringed, Amazon, Green-and-rufous (rare) & American Pygmy Kingfishers, which are all resident here!  We also seek out Rusty-margined & Streaked Flycatchers, Mangrove Swallow, Bat Falcon, Cocoa Woodcreeper and Lineated & Crimson-crested Woodpeckers.  Going straight past the two ponds you’ll be on Old Gamboa Road, one of the birdiest spots around. This road passes through a variety of habitats and has plenty of specialties, including Blue Ground Dove, Great Antshrike, Jet Antbird, Black-tailed & Royal Flycatchers, Lance-tailed & Golden-collared Manakins and the delightful Rosy Thrush-Tanager! We also will find species like White-bellied Antbird, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Yellow-backed Oriole, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Yellow-headed Caracara and more.  Also resident are Gray-headed Chachalaca, with Spectacled Owl a real possibility too, as the guides know where they often roost.  

Lunch at CANOPY TOWER.

After lunch we will explore the Chagres River. Here, along the banks and in the accompanying forest edges, Amazon, Green & American Pygmy Kingfishers, as well as Whooping Motmot, Cinnamon Woodpecker, and Cinnamon & White-winged Becards, are resident.  We could also see species like Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Green & Striated Herons, Black-tailed Flycatcher, Wattled Jacana, White-throated Crake and Anhinga.  There have been good sightings of Rosy Thrush-Tanager here recently as well. Indigenous Embera trails lead from the river, and we often see Embera villagers fishing from their canoes. In the river we search for Least Grebe, Muscovy Duck, and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and along their trails we sometimes find Little Tinamou, Scarlet-rumped & Yellow-billed Caciques, Yellow-tailed Oriole and even Blue Cotinga!

Night & dinner at CANOPY TOWER.

March 16:

DEPARTURE

If time permits, after breakfast we  may have one last look from the Observation Deck. Then our shuttle will take us to the airport (less than an hour from the Canopy Tower) for return flights home, with awesome memories of birds, mammals, wildflowers, butterflies and everything else we experienced while birding in Panama!

Please note that this itinerary may change without prior notice due to weather, alterations in habitat or other conditions.