| Begins in Panama City Sunday evening |
 |
$1835 |
Feb 21-27, 2010 (7 days, 6 nights)
Single Supplement = $275
May be combined with Panama Canal Zone Birding Tour |
Our birding tour to western Panama covers famed Fortuna Road on both sides of the Continental Divide, the southern extent of the Talamanca Mountains, and the slopes of Volcan Baru. Highlights include 31 regional specialty birds sometimes referred to as Talamanca endemics and a cross-section of western Panama specialties across the Continental divide. We can expect to see about 200 species during the tour. This tour can be combined with part of all of our Panama Canal Zone tour.
DAY 1 - PANAMA CITY
International flights of those not with us during our Panama Canal Zone tour arrive in the evening. Participants gather at the comfortable Balboa Inn, reached by a 45-minute taxi ride from the airport. Everyone is met at the hotel by our tour leader. Those arriving a day early have free time to explore the city or relax at the lodge.
DAY 2 - FORTUNA ROAD
After an early morning flight from Panama City to David, we'll drive to Fortuna Road, which crosses the Continental Divide, connecting the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. The road traverses Fortuna and Palo Seco Forest Reserves and offers fantastic birding. This day we'll concentrate on the Caribbean slope, birding several roadside and forest locales including Willie Mazoo's Camp. We'll bird a few easy trails and along the road.
Birds of particular interest found along forest trails and forest edge are Immaculate Antbird, Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, Ashy-throated Bush-Tanager, and Olive-backed Euphonia. Other notable forest birds found along the road and at Willie Mazoo's include Orange-bellied and Lattice-tailed Trogons, 
Tody Motmot, Red-headed and Prong-billed Barbets, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Spotted Woodcreeper, Lineated Foliage-gleaner, Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Rufous Mourner, Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Three-striped Warbler, Buff-rumped Warbler, and White-naped Brush-Finch. We hope to see Red-fronted Parrotlet along the road. This is a rare, very range-restricted species that is regularly seen along Fortuna Road but hardly anywhere else. Numerous tanagers are present along the Fortuna Road, including several western specialties not normally seen in the Canal Zone such as Black-and-yellow, Dusky-faced, Flame-colored, and Crimson-collared, Silver-throated, Speckled, Bay-headed, and Golden-hooded Tanagers, and Golden-browed Chlorophonia. Several highland hummingbirds visit feeders at Willie Mazoo's or can be found along the roadincluding White-tipped Sicklebill, Green Hermit, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Green Thorntail, Black-bellied Hummingbird, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, White-bellied Mountain-gem, Purple-crowned Fairy, and Long-billed Starthroat.
Other sites we'll visit include Mali Marsh downslope from Willie Mazoo's and the Caribbean lowlands near Chiriqui Grande. At Mali Marsh we can expect to find various waterbirds, Green-breasted Mango, Olive-crowned Yellowthroat, White-collared Seedeater, and Red-breasted Blackbird. We'll also look for the uncommon and localized Sooty-faced Finch, often found near there. A remnant forest next to the Oil Terminal Company near Chiriqui Grande is a good place for Gray-headed Kite, Green Ibis, White-crowned Parrot, Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Pale-billed Woodpecker, Great Antshrike, Lovely Cotinga, Black-chested Jay, and Olive-crowned Yellowthroat.
DAY 3 - FORTUNA ROAD
Following an early breakfast, we'll drive to the crest of the Continental Divide where a gravel side road offers excellent birding along the boundary between the Fortuna Forest and Bocas del Toro Forest Reserves. A fairly steep but not long trail going off that road is a excellent place to find Three-wattled Bellbird, an amazing bird whose calls reverberate across the valley during nesting season. There we may also find Black Guan, White-bellied and Purple-throated Mountain-gems, and Golden-olive Woodpecker, Lineated Foliage-gleaner, Rufous-rumped Antwren, Rufous-breasted Antthrush, Three-striped Warbler, Blue-and-gold Tanager, Golden-browed Chlorophonia. The prized Bare-necked Umbrellabird can sometimes also be found. Farther along the gravel road we may find Barred Hawk, Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Silver-throated Tanager, and Tawny-capped Euphonia. We'll have the remainder of the day to look for any birds we may have missed the preceding day along the Fortuna Road or visit lower elevation sites on the Pacific slope.
DAY 3 - CHIRIQUI HIGHLANDS
We'll depart after an early breakfast for the highlands on the western slope of Volcan Baru. Our likely first stop will be a side road leading towards Chorro Macho de Monte where we may find Lesser Elaenia, Bay-headed Tanager, Fulvous-vented Euphonia, Thick-billed Seed-Finch, Crested Oropendola, a variety of flycatchers, and other lower elevation species. We'll then continue on to Finca Hartmann, where we'll have lunch and spend the afternoon. Finca Hartmann specializes in growing shade-grown coffee and hosts many birding groups. It's the best place to find Turquoise Cotinga and is a good place for Talamanca endemics such as Sulphur-winged Parakeet and Fiery-billed Aracari. It's often a good place to find the extraordinary Resplendent Quetzal as well. Other birds we may see include Scaled Pigeon, Garden Emerald, Western Slaty-Antwren, Slaty-capped Flycatcher, White-ruffed Manakin, Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Buff-rumped Warbler, White-winged, Flame-colored, Cherrie's, and Bay-headed Tanagers, and Elegant Euphonia. We should arrive at Hotel Dos Rios by late afternoon, where we'll spend the next 2 nights.
DAY 4 - VOLCAN BARU
After an early breakfast, we'll drive upslope to the village of Guadalupe. From there we'll go up a rough road by 4-wheel-drive vehicle to La Amistad Heritage Park where Los Quetzales Inn has several cabins. This area is perhaps the best place to find Resplendent Quetzal. Many other highland specialties can also be found, including Black Guan, Prong-billed and Red-headed Barbets, Buffy Tuftedcheek, White-fronted Tyrannulet, Tufted Flycatcher, Barred Becard, Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, Black-faced Solitaire, Flame-throated Warbler, Collared Whitestart, Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Yellow-thighed Finch, and Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch.
At mid-day we'll enjoy a superb, full course lunch at Los Quetzales Inn and view hummingbirds coming in to the feeders. After lunch, we'll walk a different trail into La Amistad Park. The trail is uphill at the beginning but then narrows and follows the contour of the hillside. Birding is usually excellent. Among the many species we hope to see are Spotted Barbtail, Ruddy Treerunner, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Black-and-yellow Silky-Flycatcher, Black-cheeked Warbler, Yellow-thighed Finch, and Large-footed Finch. Sometimes we've had superb views of Resplendent Quetzal along this trail as well.
DAY 5 - RESPINGA AREA
On our last morning we'll go up the road beyond Guadalupe to the beginning of the Sendero Los Quetzales. This steep and fairly rugged trail descends all the way to Boquete, and we won't be hiking much of the trail. Instead, we we'll bird around El Respingo Ranger Station at the trailhead and perhaps a short distance down the trail itself. This area is very good for several specialty birds, especially Chiriqui Quail-Dove, Orange-bellied Trogon, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Ochraceous Pewee, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Silvery-throated Jay, Large-footed Finch, and White-naped Brush-Finch.
At mid-day we'll stop for lunch at nearby Cielito Sur B&B, where we'll relax and enjoy as many as 10 species of hummingbirds coming in to the feeders. Possibilities include Violet Sabrewing, Green Violetear, White-bellied Mountain-gem, Magnificent Hummingbird, and Scintillant Hummingbird. Then we'll descend to David to catch our late afternoon flight back to Panama City.
DAY 6 - END OF TOUR
Tour ends with breakfast at the hotel. International flights home.
For more information on the places we stay, please click on the ACCOMMODATIONS tab above. Feel free to call us any time at 877-247-3371 (inside US) or 303-325-5188 (outside US) with any questions you may have or to register for this memorable tour.
