Xenornis

While birding at the Aguadulce Salinas, Bill Porteous saw a flock of around 50 Black Skimmers come in at high tide and land in a shallow pool.

Rosabel and Karl Kaufmann visited Costa del Este hoping for gulls but had to settle for a few Pectoral Sandpipers, a Black Tern, a Merlin and a Long-billed Curlew. The Curlew was on the mudflats by the Escuela Interamericana (everything else was on the grass between the escuela and the mudflat, btw).

Then at Punta Chame, Bill Porteous found a single Roseate Spoonbill in a group of egrets and White Ibis. The bird was feeding actively with a side-to-side motion and the other birds appeared fascinated by the spectacle.

Bill Porteous found a pair of Spot-crowned Barbets in a mixed flock in the pines round the old park buildings at Cerro Campana,foraging at middle levels. The birds were nominate maculicoronatus with yellow flank patches. The male, identified by his yellow chest band, was seen singing a rapid "poop-poop-poop-poop" song not mentioned in the literature.

Bill Porteous stopped at Costa del Este this morning. Since the tide was only 12 ft, all the peeps stayed on the beach, but there were five Wilson's Phalaropes, four Stilt Sandpipers and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper by the pools at the Escuela Interamericana, and a Long-billed Curlew with the Whimbrels on the beach at the same spot.

Cagan Sekercioglu, in Panama for the Mesoamerican Conservation Biology Conference, found a Crane Hawk at La Cienaguita Trail, Metropolitan Nature Park.

The PAS fieldtrip to Los Frailes was a success. While waiting for the boats to come pick us up, Bill Porteous spotted a group of Humpback Whales among the fishing boats around Las Monjas (a.k.a. Frailes del Norte). A few Killer Whales were also seen jumping out of the water by part of the group. Bird-wise, we also had interesting sightings. Las Monjas was full of Bridled Terns and Brown Noddies, one of which was chasing an Audubon's Shearwater which circled our boat a few times. A few juvenile Bridled Terns were flying around, and an unfledged chick seen standing near a cairn on top of the rock was probably also a Bridled. Los Frailes (a.k.a. Frailes del Sur) had Brown and Blue-footed Boobies, and was full of Sooty Terns: a flock of about a thousand birds (including a few birds in juvenile plumage) took flight at once as we were approaching the island. While watching the terns, what was probably the same Audubon's Shearwater circled our boat a few more times. We were not able t

On their way to Pedasí for the Islas Frailes fieldtrip, Bill Porteous, Indra Candanedo, Rosabel & Karl Kaufmann and Vivian Diaz stopped at la Ciénaga de las Macanas and managed to get distant views of a few Fulvous Whistling-Ducks from the area around the observation tower. It's great knowing that a few are still there. Get them while supplies last.