Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, Inc.
Fall at El Valle Pre-Trip

Leaders: Barry Zimmer & Victor Emanuel (with much help from Tino Sanchez, Danilo Rodriguez & Jose Perez)

Compiled by: Barry Zimmer

• October 18 - arrival in Panama City
• October 19 - transfer from Panama City to El Valle, birding around Canopy Lodge, El Campestre Trail (71 species)
• October 20 - La Mesa, Cerro Gaital, Cariguana Trail, El Chorro area (101 species; 120 total)
• October 21 - Altos de Maria, afternoon around Canopy Lodge and El Chorro; evening owling (95 species; 149 total)
• October 22 - Raul?s house and lodge area, El Campestre & Zamia trails; drive to Canopy Tower in afternoon (85 species; 160 total)

• bold-faced species indicate birds of rare, casual, or accidental occurrence
• underlined species indicate birds of very uncommon occurrence or species that occur regularly but in such low densities as to be easily missed

This was our inaugural trip to the newly built Canopy Lodge and it exceeded all expectations. The lodge itself is beautifully done with large, comfortable rooms each with a spacious patio. Everything is first class. Outside a variety of feeders are present with such regulars as Rufous Motmot, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Bananaquit, Blue-gray, Palm, Crimson-backed, Flame-rumped, White-lined, and Dusky-faced tanagers, Buff-throated Saltator, and Orange-billed and Black-striped sparrows among others. Just finishing a meal was a challenge with all the birds visible from the dining area! We birded several nearby foothill areas over the course of our three and a half days and tallied an impressive list of uncommon to rarely seen birds. Among the top highlights were prolonged views of a Barred Forest-Falcon, a roosting Mottled Owl, thirteen species of hummingbirds including such gems as Snowcap, Green Thorntail, and Rufous-crested Coquette, Orange-bellied Trogon, four species of motmots(!), Blue-throated Toucanet, Spotted Woodcreeper, Dull-mantled Antbird, the incomparable Black-crowned Antpitta from just a few feet away, Lance-tailed & Golden-collared manakins, numerous Black-chested Jays, and twenty one species of tanagers. The birding was superb and there were numerous habitats to visit very near the lodge. This should be our first of many trips to this destination.

Birds:

Barry and Victor on la Zamia Trail

Leader only birds: Blue-winged warbler -- by Victor above El Chorro; rare Bay-breasted Warbler Canada Warbler Buff-rumped Warbler -- along stream at El Chorro White-shouldered Tanager Thick-billed Seed-Finch Mammals: Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth -- a few seen including a mother with a baby White-nosed Coatimundi -- numerous Red-tailed Squirrel Variegated Squirrel total species: 4

• Striped Basilisk
• Central American Whiptail Lizard
• Talamanca Rocket Frog
• Rain Frog species
• Eyelash Viper -- up close and personal on Altos de Maria!

1. Barred Forest-Falcon
2. (three way tie)
   Lance-tailed Manakin
   Rufous-crested Coquette
   Black-crowned Antpitta

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