Mixed Bag, from Ben Lascelles

Ben Lascelles sent in the highlights of his two-month stay in Panama:

10th June - A Colombian race American Kestrel in Parque Metropolitano.

16th June - At El Copé treated to some fine views of Black-crowned Antpitta, with one by the visitors centre being particularly approachable down to just a couple of metres, wished I'd had some meal worms! Also saw female Snowcap and Spotted Barbtail.

19th June - Spectacled Owl with a large chick at Old Gamboa Road, also 2 Capped Herons on Summit Ponds

28th-30th June - Around Birders' View, Cerro Azul. Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Black-eared Wood-quail and Violaceous Quail-Dove (both heard only.) The Blue-fronted Parrotlet nest fledged the days we were there, with 2 young seen to leave the nest and at least one more heard inside still.

4th July - Rainforest Discovery Centre, Pipeline Road. Great Black Hawk, and male Tiny Hawk.

12th and 13th July - Haven't seen a report from the Panama Audubon Society trip to Santa Fe, so here are a few of my highlights. Crimson-collared Tanager, Smoky-brown and Golden-olive Woodpecker, 3 male Snowcap, Green Thorntail, Russet Antshrike, Barred and White Hawk, and a tiger rat snake being mobbed by 5 male crowned woodnymphs! I saw what I believe was a female White-throated Shrike-Tanager in a mixed flock on day 2, but no one else got on it and the views were brief. Attach a couple of photos from Santa Fe of a distant raptor at lunch on day one that to my eyes looks like an Ornate Hawk-Eagle and a mystery hummer....Long-billed Starthroat or White-bellied Mountain Gem? [I think it could be a young male White-necked Jacobin, fide bill shape, purple throat and chest and all-white belly and undertail. —Ed.]


16th July - Volcan Lakes. The attached photo of what appears to be an albino Rufous-collared [perhaps Black-striped?] Sparrow.


19th July - Frailes del Sur. Attach a couple of photos of the Galapagos Shearwaters, I think we must have seen close to 80 in all? Also noted down c.50 Bridled, 50+ Sooty Tern, 2 Black Tern, around 500 pairs Brown Noddy (I took photos of all the birds on the rocks so will try to do a proper count at some point), and 3 possible Sooty Shearwaters. I have also done a bit of reading and would be pretty confident that it was a Wandering Tattler that I saw flying onto the first of the Frailes islands, nothing else seems to fit.