Back in the summer of 2019 Laura and I quit our jobs to fulfill a long-held dream of ours. We wanted to spend around 2 years traveling in Latin America. I have always loved Central and South America for a number of reasons, not least of all being the incredible biodiversity that can be found in this part of the world. We managed six months of travel in Ecuador, Colombia and Costa until COVID-19 put our travel plans indefinitely on hold. Finally, 18 months later, we resumed, and on September 22, 2021 we landed in Panama City. A blast of tropical air met us at the airport - it was good to be back!
This was my third trip to Panama and so I had only a few bird targets. However, it was the first time that Laura had visited this country, though of course she had seen many of Panama's birds during previous adventures in South America and Costa Rica. I had never mothed in Panama before, and the herping possibilities are endless, so we were quite excited for those activities as well.
We spent the first week or so in the Canal Zone, borrowing our friend Carlos's truck and checking out one of his company's lodges, the Canopy Tower, as well as spending some time in the town of Gamboa.
From there we picked up a rental vehicle in Panama City and headed westwards to complete a big loop. We spent time in the western highland towns of Cerro Punta and Boquete, crossed the continental divide into Bocas del Toro, and targeted a few endemic bird species like Yellow-green Brushfinch and Coiba Spinetail.
Upon our return to Panama City, we met up with local guide extraordinaire Kilo Campos for nine days in Darién Province. I had previously done the trek deep into the rainforest and up onto Pirre Ridge on a previous Panama visit in 2014. However, that trip was rushed and I still "needed" a few Darién birds like Green-naped Tanager and Beautiful Treerunner. A trek into the Darién is always a bit of a slog, doubly so this time around because it was the rainy season. But forgoing personal hygiene, sleeping in hammocks and dealing with the biting insects was worth it since we saw nearly every target bird of ours as well as some awesome herps. Mothing on Pirre ridge was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had. Without further ado, here are some highlights from our six weeks in Panama, in chronological order.
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| Mississippi Kites flying past Panama City, Panama |
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| White-nosed Coatimundi - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Cinnamon Woodpecker - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Blue-chested Hummingbird - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Mastigodryas alternatus - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Mantled Howler Monkey - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Sylvia's Tree Frog (Cruziohyla sylviae) - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Unidentified assassin bug - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Mealy Parrots - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Streak-chested Antpitta - Pipeline Road, Panama |
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| Keel-billed Toucan - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Panama Spotted Night Snake (Siphlophis cervinus) - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Viviennea sp. - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Common Morpho (Morpho helenor) - Pipeline Road, Panama |
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| Spotted Antbird - Pipeline Road, Panama |
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| Cycloglypha sp. - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Unidentified leafhoppers - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Hemeroblemma acron - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Blue-crowned Manakin - Pipeline Road, Panama |
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| Rosenberg's Gladiator Frog (Boana rosenbergi) - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Barred Forest Racer (Dendrophidion percarinatum) - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Unidentified Longhorn Beetle - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Unidentified Window-winged Moth (Thyrididae) - Canopy Tower, Panama |
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| Speckled Mourner - Pipeline Road, Panama |
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| Golden-hooded Tanager - Gamboa, Panama |
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| Red-crowned Woodpecker - Ciénaga de las Macanas, Herrera, Panama |
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| American Dipper - Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Scintillant Hummingbird - Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Streak-breasted Treehunter - Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Fiery-billed Aracari - Paraíso Birding Paradise, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Scarlet-rumped Tanager - Paraíso Birding Paradise, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Fiery-billed Aracari - Paraíso Birding Paradise, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Bicolored Hawk - Lagunas de Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Roadside Hawk - Lagunas de Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Mesosemia grandis - Lagunas de Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Pseudatteria sp. - Lagunas de Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Widespread Eighty-eight (Diaethria clymena) - Lagunas de Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl - Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Slaty Flowerpiercer - Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Violet Sabrewing - Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Dwarf Squirrel sp. (Microsciurus sp.) - La Fortuna area, Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama |
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| Chestnut-backed Antbird baby - Charagre, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Enchophora sanguinea - Charagre, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Prothysana felderi - Charagre, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Ringed Snail Sucker (Sibon annulatus) - Charagre, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Helmeted Iguana (Corytophanes cristatus) - Charagre, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Trosia sp. - Charagre, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Ruddy Turn-banana - Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Harlequin Treefrog (Dendropsophus ebraccatus) - Charagre, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Masked Treefrog (Smilisca phaeota) - Charagre, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Purple-throated Mountain-gems - La Fortuna area, Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama |
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| Dusky Antbird - Lost and Found Hostel, Chiriquí, Panama |
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| Yellow-green Brushfinch - Cerro Colorado area, Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama |
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| Synchlora gerularia - Hotel Heliconia, Veraguas, Panama |
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| Coiba Spinetail - Coiba Island, Veraguas, Panama |
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| Lance-tailed Manakin - Coiba Island, Veraguas, Panama |
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| Coiba Agouti - Coiba Island, Veraguas, Panama |
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| Red-billed Tropicbird - waters near Coiba Island, Veraguas, Panama |
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| Green Sea Turtle - Coiba Island, Veraguas, Panama |
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| Proboscis Bats (Rhynchonycteris naso) - Hotel Heliconia, Veraguas, Panama |
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| Collared Plover - Salinas de Aguadulce, Coclé, Panama |
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| Anticla antica - Canopy Lodge, El Valle de Antón, Panama |
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| Macunolla ventralis - Canopy Lodge, El Valle de Antón, Panama |
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| Degenhardt's Scorpion-eating Snake (Stenorrhina degenhardtii) - El Valle de Antón, Panama |
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| Ethmia adrianforsythi - Canopy Lodge, El Valle de Antón, Panama |
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| Eucereon sp. - Canopy Lodge, El Valle de Antón, Panama |
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| Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer - El Valle de Antón, Panama |
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| Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch - El Valle de Anton, Panama |
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| Carmine Skimmer (Orthemis discolor) - El Valle de Anton, Panama |
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| Blue Seedeater - El Valle de Anton, Panama |
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| Crowned Woodnymph - El Valle de Anton, Panama |
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| Spot-crowned Antvireo - El Valle de Anton, Panama |
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| Barred Puffbird - Río Tortí, Panama, Panama |
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| Jabiru (second record for Darién province) - Yaviza forest, Darién, Panama |
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| Dusky-backed Jacamar - Nuevo Vigía Emberá, Emberá, Panama |
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| Phoneutria depilata - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Hyperphrona sp. - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper) - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Watsonidia sp. - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Semiplumbeous Hawk - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Great Green Macaw - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Chinaia sp. - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Golden-crowned Spadebill - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Talima aurora - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Neotropical Green Anole (Anolis biporcatus) |
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| Violaceous Quail-Dove - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Wing-banded Antbird - Rancho Plastico, Darién, Panama |
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| Tody Motmot - between Rancho Plastico and Pirre Ridge, Darién, Panama |
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| Ornate Hawk-Eagle - Pirre Ridge, Darién, Panama |
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| Green-naped Tanager - Pirre Ridge, Darién, Panama |
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| Eulepidotis viridissima - Pirre Ridge, Darién, Panama |
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| Argyrosticta aurifundens - Pirre Ridge, Darién, Panama |
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| Idalus sublineata - Pirre Ridge, Darién, Panama |
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| Pirre Hummingbird - Pirre Ridge, Darién, Panama |
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| Black-crowned Antpitta - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Urania fulgens - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Cookeina speciosa - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Central American Coralsnake (Micrurus nigrocinctus) - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Sosxetra sp. - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Fasciated Tiger-Herons - Rancho Frio, Darién, Panama |
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| Crimson Patch (Chlosyne janais) - Yaviza forest, Darién, Panama |
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| Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth () - Yaviza forest, Darién, Panama |
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| Collared Aracari - Canopy Camp, Darién, Panama |
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| Geoffroy's Tamarin - Canopy Camp, Darién, Panama |
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| Long-billed Starthroat - Canopy Camp, Darién, Panama |
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| Black-and-yellow Tanager - Nusagandi, Kuna Yala, Panama |
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| Scarlet-thighed Dacnis - Nusagandi, Kuna Yala, Panama |
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| Emerald Tanager - Nusagandi, Kuna Yala, Panama |
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| Sulphur-rumped Tanager - Nusagandi, Kuna Yala, Panama |
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| Broad-billed Motmot - Canopy Tower, Panama, Panama |
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| Dithecodes distracta - Altos del Maria, Panama, Panama |
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| Swainson's Thrush - Altos del Maria, Panama, Panama |
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| Tersa Sphinx (Xylophanes tersa) - Altos del Maria, Panama, Panama |
