Synopsis

Work took me to Panama for two weeks at the end of April. We were stationed outside of the small (and I do mean small) town of Pedasi located on the Azeuro Peninsula. The area where we stayed was one of the driest areas of Panama. Less rain meant less diversity in wildlife, plants, and birds. Except for a few large natural parks, the peninsula was largely ruralized with cow pastures, sugar cane fields, houses, and towns. In other words, it was largely disturbed and clear cut. There were a few patches of forest that were allowed to reestablish themselves. Thankfully, where we were stationed there was a somewhat large area of dry forest that was allowed to reestablish itself. Despite the challenges of the environment, there were still a good amount of birds and wildlife to be seen. The great thing about being in an exotic environment was everything I saw was unfamiliar and exciting.

A nice thing about this area was that we weren't constantly attacked by mosquitos. In fact I think, I only got one mosquito bite during my stay that is a miracle considering how much they seem to like biting me. The no-see-ums were pretty bad though, especially in the dining areas where we would sit for extending periods and the flies seemed to know where an easy meal could be found.

I spent 98% of my time on location at my work site (the other 2% was the treat of going into town or going out to dinner). The meals were prepared onsite by two local cooks. I'm not sure how representative it is of Panamanian cuisine, but the two cooks there cooked pretty much the same thing everyday. Lunches and dinners consisted primarily of rice and beans - probably the staple of most Central and South American cuisines. Along with the rice, we were served either pork or chicken (once we had beef) that is often cooked in a greasy chili sauce. The meal would have been OK if the meat weren't constantly overcooked to the point of being jerky and a tough jaw workout. If we were lucky, we were served a side of salad. After a week of eating this, it got pretty monotonous and tiring. But perhaps breakfast was the worse for me. The first breakfast I had wasn't too bad - scrambled eggs with ham chunks and a pancake. Then it changed to what I now know is called hojaldres and salchichas guisadas. The first is basically a dough that is flattened and fried. It didn't have much flavor, but wasn't awful. The salchicha guisadas (sausage stew) was cut up hot dog in a tomato sauce with some onion and green pepper. I'm not really a fan of hot dogs to begin with so having them for first thing in the morning was hard to stomach. Panamanian breakfast was definitely something I wasn't too keen on. After a few meals of that I decided to skip breakfast and just keep birding in the mornings. It was more rewarding even if I got hungry.

I had not spent much time in a dry forest before. I was more used to the typical rainforest everyone thinks about when they think of the tropics. The recovering dry forest was relatively open, both on the ground and in the canopy. The canopy was only 50 feet up at the highest point, but on average was around 30 feet. Trunks were not thick, as trees grew more slowly compared to those located in wetter locations. Thin vines were strung from the forest floor up to the branches and epiphites grew on the bark of trees. Despite the relative openness of the forest floor, it was difficult to navigate without a path and I imagine it would be pretty easy to get disorientated and lost. Barbed scrubs and prickly grasses made walking along the fence and cow paths the better choice for birding. A plant related to the acacia had large intimidating thorns on every branch, but that wasn't the more intimidating thing about them. The acacia had developed a symbiotic relationship with ants - the plant provided housing in the thorns and aphids for the ants to ranch. In return, whenever anything would brush up against the acacia plant the ants would swarm and bite, thus protecting the plant. Those acacia plants were everywhere in the undergrowth.

In the early morning hours, I went on walks along a barbed wire fence that separated the forested property on one side and the heavily grazed and cleared area on the other. The nice thing about birding the dry forest at the end of the dry season was that the canopy was relatively open, so birds were somewhat easier to locate and observe. If I was lucky an overcast day would keep the day slightly cooler and I could stay out longer. But more often, the sun would come out and by 8AM, I would quickly become drenched in my sweat. On the other side of clear cuts and the dry season was the scarcity of shade.

On the ground, land crabs would creep along in the leaf litter. It was distracting to hear them moving leaves around, because I wasn't sure if it was a crab or something more interesting like an anole or snake. But they were entertaining to watch as they would run when approached. If they couldn't get away quick enough, they would take the defensive stance by facing their approacher and raising their back legs and their pinchers. Hermit crabs were also numerous on the ground. When approached they would retreat into their shells and lose their grip on the ground, sometimes this would send them tumbling down rocks, tree trunks and hills. Both of these arthropods were numerous, but seemed more active during the night after a rain and during the day when it got warmer. These times seem rather counter to each other, but it was when I noticed more of their numbers.

During the heat of the day, if I had time I would walk on the rocky beach. There were a lot of sally-go-lightlys that would scuttle and practically throw themselves out of the way whenever someone would approach. The beach had large pockets of dead coral that washed up from the nearby reef. On the sandy part of the beach dozens and dozens of ghost crabs ran sideways either finding shelter in a burrow or using their lightening speeds to get away.

Around the worksite, I found a few herps and amphibians, but not large numbers of them. I'm not sure if this was because of the dry season or because there isn't much diversity in the area. Perhaps the most exciting encounter with a reptile was when I was sitting outside staring out into the bay. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a quick bought of thrashing in the leaves. I turned my full attention to the movement and then saw a snake use it coils to sort of bounce away into deeper leaf litter. I got up and looked around where the snake escaped to, then I saw the snake coiled up and flipping its tail around. Upon closer inspection I noticed it had a lizard in it's mouth. Before I could get a better look it bounced away again, this time deeper into the woods. When I first noticed it, the snake (a Yellowbelly Snake) must have pounced upon and caught the lizard.

The most common mammals around the worksite were the Howler Monkeys and White-faced Capuchins. In the mornings and sometimes at night, the howlers often call. They also called during the start of downpours, perhaps they weren't happy about being caught in the rain. The White-faced Capuchins were quieter and didn't like the looks of me when I would walk around. They'd watch me cautiously from the branches.

The bird life wasn't too disappointing; it definitely wasn't a constant whirl wind of activity, but there were still good moments. The most challenging birds were the flycatchers. There were a number of those yellowish flycatchers with and without wingbars or eye stripes or pale eyes or streaks. Still I managed to identify a fair number of them as they were the most numerous species on my list. My favorite bird was the Striped Cuckoo - a small cuckoo with a loud two-toned call. It took me a while to track down the caller, but once I did I began to notice how common they were in the area. Still they were fun to watch when they weren't calling. They would walk in the underbrush, pause and constantly raise and lower their rufous crown feathers. I also enjoyed the more colorful birds like the euphonias that would fly in small flocks and feed in fruiting trees. The common Barred Antshrike was entertaining to listen to and to watch as they would call. With every note their tail would pump up and down with their crowns fully erect. I was somewhat disappointed in the number of hummingbird species though. Perhaps it was the season, but I only saw a couple of species of hummingbirds. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to see a Laughing Falcon, which was slightly out of the area according to The Birds of Panama by Angehr and Dean. In fact this was true of several species that I saw in the area. Perhaps the regrowth of the forest at the work site brought them back to their historic ranges. I hope that more species would find the regrowing forest suitable once again.

This was my first trip to Panama. Even though it was for work, it was a good easy and brief introduction to the culture. There's definitely a lot that I missed during my narrow and brief visit, but I would absolutely go back to Panama - and look forward to seeing different parts of the country.

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Pictures (click on thumbnail)

Bird List

Gray-headed Chachalaca	Ortalis cinereiceps	Azeuro Pen, flock of 3
Wood Stork	Mycteria americana	roadside
Magnificent Frigatebird	Fregata magnificens	Panama City, Azeuro Pen
Neotropic Cormorant	Phalacrocorax brasilianus	Azeuro Pen and Panama City
Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Panama City, Azeuro Pen
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Achontines Lab, Azeuro Pen
Great Egret	Ardea alba	roadside
Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	roadside, Herrera
Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	roadside, Herrera
Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis	roadside
Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Azeuro Pen, 1
Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus	roadside, Herrera, large group
Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	roadside
Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	roadside
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture	Cathartes burrovianus	roadside, 1
Common Black-Hawk	Buteogallus anthracinus	Azeuro Pen, 1
Savanna Hawk	Buteogallus meridionalis	near Las Tablas
Gray Hawk	Buteo nitidus	Azeuro Pen, 1
Yellow-headed Caracara	Milvago chimachima	Azeuro Pen, family
Laughing Falcon	Herpetotheres cachinnans	Azeuro Pen, 1
Gray-necked Wood-Rail	Aramides cajanea	Azeuro Pen, 3
American Oystercatcher	Haematopus palliatus	Azeuro Pen, 2
Wattled Jacana	Jacana jacana	roadside, in pond
Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	Azeuro Pen
Gull sp.		Panama City, many flying over water
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia	roadside
Pale-vented Pigeon	Patagioenas cayennensis	Azeuro Pen
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Azeuro Pen, heard
Ruddy Ground-Dove	Columbina talpacoti	Panama City
White-tipped Dove	Leptotila verreauxi	Azeuro Pen, many
Aracari sp.		roadside near Panama City
Orange-chinned Parakeet	Brotogeris jugularis	Azeuro Pen
Red-lored Parrot	Amazona autumnalis	Azeuro Pen
Squirrel Cuckoo	Piaya cayana	Azeuro Pen
Mangrove Cuckoo	Coccyzus minor	Azeuro Pen
Striped Cuckoo	Tapera naevia	Azeuro Pen
Groove-billed Ani	Crotophaga sulcirostris	Azureo Pen, family in nest
Common Pauraque	Nyctidromus albicollis	Azeuro Pen, 1 flushed off ground
Garden Emerald	Chlorostilbon assimilis	Azeuro Pen
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird	Amazilia tzacatl	Azureo Pen
Sapphire-throated Hummingbird	Lepidopyga coeruleogularis	Azureo Pen
Ringed Kingfisher	Megaceryle torquata	roadside, 1
Green Kingfisher	Chloroceryle americana	Azeuro Pen, 1
Red-crowned Woodpecker	Melanerpes rubricapillus	Azeuro Pen
Crimson-crested Woodpecker	Campephilus melanoleucos	Azeuro Pen
Cocoa Woodcreeper	Xiphorhynchus susurrans	Azeuro Pen
Barred Antshrike	Thamnophilus doliatus	Azeuro Pen
Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet	Camptostoma obsoletum	Azeuro Pen
Yellow Tyrannulet	Capsiempis flaveola	Azeuro Pen
Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet	Tyrannulus elatus	Azeuro Pen
Yellow-bellied Elaenia	Elaenia flavogaster	Azeuro Pen
Lesser Elaenia	Elaenia chiriquensis	Azeuro Pen
Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant	Atalotriccus pilaris	Azeuro Pen
Olive-sided Flycatcher	Contopus cooperi	Azeuro Pen, 1
Panama Flycatcher	Myiarchus panamensis	Azeuro Pen
Great Kiskadee	Pitangus sulphuratus	Azeuro Pen
Boat-billed Flycatcher	Megarynchus pitangua	Azeuro Pen
Social Flycatcher	Myiozetetes similis	Azeuro Pen
Streaked Flycatcher	Myiodynastes maculatus	Azeuro Pen
Tropical Kingbird	Tyrannus melancholicus	roadside
Fork-tailed Flycatcher	Tyrannus savana	Azeuro Pen
Lance-tailed Manakin	Chiroxiphia lanceolata	Azeuro Pen, 3
Masked Tityra	Tityra semifasciata	Azeuro Pen
White-winged Becard	Pachyramphus polychopterus	Azeuro Pen, 2
Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Azeuro Pen
Yellow-green Vireo	Vireo flavoviridis	Azeuro Pen, many sing throughout day
Scrub Greenlet	Hylophilus flavipes	Azeuro Pen
Black-chested Jay	Cyanocorax affinis	Azeuro Pen, group of 3
Southern Rough-winged Swallow	Stelgidopteryx ruficollis	roadside
Gray-breasted Martin	Progne chalybea	Azeuro Pen
Rufous-and-white Wren	Thryophilus rufalbus	Azeuro Pen
House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Azeuro Pen
Tropical Gnatcatcher	Polioptila plumbea	Azeuro Pen
Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	Azeuro Pen, 1
Clay-colored Thrush	Turdus grayi	Panama City
Northern Waterthrush	Parkesia noveboracensis	Azeuro Pen, 1
Blackburnian Warbler	Setophaga fusca	Azeuro Pen, 1 male
Yellow Warbler	Setophaga petechia	Azeuro Pen, 1 female
Blue-gray Tanager	Thraupis episcopus	Azeuro Pen
Palm Tanager	Thraupis palmarum	Azeuro Pen, pair nesting in eaves
Blue-black Grassquit	Volatinia jacarina	Azeuro Pen
Great-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus mexicanus	Panama City
Bronzed Cowbird	Molothrus aeneus	Azeuro Pen, 1
Giant Cowbird	Molothrus oryzivorus	Azeuro Pen, 1 male
Yellow-backed Oriole	Icterus chrysater	Azeuro Pen, family of 3
Crested Oropendola	Psarocolius decumanus	Azeuro Pen
Yellow-crowned Euphonia	Euphonia luteicapilla	Azeuro Pen
Thick-billed Euphonia	Euphonia laniirostris	Azeuro Pen
Lesser Goldfinch	Spinus psaltria	Azeuro Pen
Critters
Coyote
Howler Monkey
White-faced Capuchin
Coatimundi
Varigated Squirrel
large bat sp.
American Crocodile
Tree Boa
Yellowbelly Snake
Green Iguana
iguana
Central American Whiptail
Anole sp.
House Gecko
Dwarf Gecko
Yellow-headed Gecko
Marine Toad
frog

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