Xenornis

The Pipeline Trail is on the edge of Volcan Baru National Park just a few miles above Boquete. Yesterday (May 21) I had an unmistakable Highland Tinamou walk across the trail about 25 feet in front of me. Elevation where observed is approximately 6000 feet. In addition I viewed my first Silvery-fronted Tapaculo near the end of the trail just below the waterfall in bamboo habitat along the creek. This bird had an interesting marking—the white superciliary didn't begin at the lores but just behind the eye, flaring slightly toward the back of head. Other uncommon observations included Golden-crowned Warbler and Stripe-tailed Hummingbird .

A Rose-throated Becard nest was discovered by Peter Sterling and Lloyd Cripe while birding in the Caldera area along the Chiriquí River April 27th. Lloyd photographed the pair that day. Subsequent to this sighting several Boquete Birders have visited the nest site. The nest is being constructed in the same tree and directly under approximately 9 hanging Crested Oropendola nests. Yesterday, May 13th, several BB’s watched the Becard pair carrying nesting material, some of which came from an abandoned nest in the immediate vicinity. The Brown Violetear currently visiting our terrace here in Boquete appears to be an immature. The bird originally showed up here May 6th and is still visiting regularly.

El fin de semana del 23 de abril estuvimos explorando las cercanias del Darién, Jan Axel Cubilla y Gloriela Archbold, José Carlos García y Mahelis Rodríguez, y Rafael Luck. Nuestro destino final era el poblado de Nuevo Vigía, pero desafortunadamente SENAFRONT no nos autorizo visitar esa zona por razones de seguridad. Una verdadera lástima, ya que personas del pueblo invirtieron tiempo y fondos para transportarnos y alimentarnos sin poder obterner los frutos de nuestra visita. De todas formas hicimos nuestro acostumbrado paseo con algunos de los resultados fotograficos: El Salto : Black-capped Donacobius en abundancia y Spectacled Parrolet Filo del Tallo : Black Antshrike , Cinnamon Woodpecker, Golden-headed Manakin (muchos hermits: long-billed, stripe-throated, pale-bellied , rufous-breasted) Puente del Río Mono : Rufous-winged Antwren, Barred Puffbird, Red-rumped Woodpecker, One-colored Becard .

The ongoing Audubon Panama/Boquete Birders fieldtrip to Boquete has been very productive so far. Yesterday we got 2 Quetzals, 2 Costa Rican Pygmy-Owls (one rufous, one brown), one Black-billed Cuckoo (very good sighting, they are VERY rare...) and several Elegant Euphonias , among other birds. We had a very nice weather, with some migrants (lots of Swainson's Thrushes, many Wilson's Warblers). We also had two sightings of Maroon-chested Ground-Dove . All these on the road up Volcan Barú.