Xenornis

A Sepia-capped Flycatcher was seen at its usual haunts around the entrance of the trail behind the bonsai shop at the Metropolitan Nature Park.

Danny George reports three Cattle Tyrants from the area behind the old navy building at Amador. Just in time for the Christmas Bird Counts!

Danny George discovered a Fulvous Whistling-Duck roosting with a small flock of the common Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at Rodman Spoil Ponds at dusk (around 5 p.m.), October 22, 1998. After learning about this, Rosabel & Karl Kaufmann and Darién & Camilo Montañez planned a quick visit to the ponds the next morning. We got there at approximately 6:15 a.m, and very soon found the bird, roosting in the small pond by the locked gate to the larger set of ponds. It was standing in the water rather away from the other ducks, preening with its back to our group. As there were many Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks of all ages present, it was easy to notice the rather evident differences between the two species. Most noticeable of all was the rich rusty cinnamon color of the bird, and the buffy-white streaks on the flanks. As it stood with its tail in our direction, it was easy to notice that the uppertail coverts were white, and the tail itself was black.The bill and legs were dark gray,...

Danny George discovered a Fulvous Whistling-Duck at Rodman Ponds. It was mixed with a flock of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks that roosts there at around 5 p.m. On Thursday, October 22, 1998, Susanne Follett and myself went to the Cocoli spoil pond (actually Velasquez dump) to complete our survey in that area for the NTT bird count. We had been there previously on Tuesday, October 20, 1998, and were returning to see if any more migrants had arrived or if we could find a few more resident species. A little before 5:00 P.M., we stopped midway along the berm on the canal side of the spoil pond, focusing our attention on a group of about 30 tree-ducks and assorted peeps, stilts, and yellowlegs. Water depth in this area was variable, but not deeper than about six inches where the wood ducks were located. After several minutes of observation, I noticed that one of the tree-ducks looked different. It was about the same size as the Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, but apart from the main group, o...

The PAS fieldtrip to Costa del Este could not locate any Long-billed Curlews, but had a Lesser Black-backed Gull, most likely the same individual that was seen the previous thursday at Paitilla. Also seen were Upland and Stilt Sandpipers, Least and Caspian Terns, and small flocks of migrating Mississippi Kites.

The Long-billed Curlew was seen early in the morning in the same ponds at Costa del Este.

An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen among the gulls at the mouth of the Matasnillo River, Paitilla. Later that day, two Long-billed Curlews were seen in the ponds by the sea at Costa del Este. A larger gull was seen among the Laughing Gulls on the sand by the mouth of the Matasnillo River, Paitilla, on high tide, october 8. Its head was white with buffy speckles, showing it was an adult in winter plumage. The speckling was especially evident in the area around the eye, the iris was pale yellow. Its bill was bright yellow with an evident red spot in the lower mandible. Its back and wings were slaty-gray, much darker than those of a (typical) Ring-billed or Herring Gull. We were not able to distinguish any white mirrors on the tips of the primaries. Then, at 5:30 P.M. at Costa del Este, Rosabel noticed a huge Whimbrel in a large flock of migratory shorebirds on one of the ponds by the seashore. The bird and another one like it took flight but landed nearby. After that only one cou...

A Veery was seen in the bamboo by the south entrance to Old Gamboa Road. The grass fields were full of Yellow Tyrannulets, and one Bran-colored Flycatcher was glimpsed as it flew over the road.

The PAS fieldtrip to El Copé, Coclé, had some good reports. Slaty-capped Flycatchers and Stripe-breasted Wrens were encountered frequently and where seen (or heard) by most of the group. Hummingbirds included White-tipped Sicklebill, Purple-throated Mountain-Gem and a possible Snowcap. But the best bird of the trip was a female White-throated Shrike-Tanager seen by María Allen and Hildegar Mendoza on the new trail.