Cerro Gaital Ssssurprises

Last weekend I visited El Valle de Anton, a picturesque town situated in the crater of an extinct volcano, 2 hours west of Panama City.  El Valle is a popular tourist destination for many reasons; there is plenty there to do!  Birding, hiking, buy local products at the artisan markets, take a dip in the hot springs or visit the zoo & amphibian rescue centre, among many other things.  

Cerro Gaital Trail

Whenever I am in El Valle, I always enjoy the fresh air, the breeze and the birds, as it is one of Panama's top birding destinations.  Located in the western foothills of Panama at an elevation of approximately 650 meters, there are birds teeming from just about everywhere and plenty of birding hotspots in the area.  This past weekend, among some work and time to enjoy the surroundings, we ventured up to the top of Cerro Gaital.  We took a bus from the Canopy Lodge up the road leading to the top, past La Mesa and hopped off at the trail head.  From here, we hiked up the trail and entered into foothills cloud forest, with its typical abundance of lush mossy trees, bromeliads and plants.  Just 50 meters from the road, we could hear the distinct sound of a Green Hermit lek, where several males were displaying.  As we headed along the trail, we found some nice foothills and higher-elevation species, including Plain Antvireo, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Common Bush-Tanager and Gray-breasted Wood-Wren.  

Our highlight of the morning, however, was not a bird.  As we walked up the trail, I spotted a small snake coiled up on the handrail along a section of the path.  Immediately I knew it was a viper and within seconds I realized I was looking at a beautiful Eyelash Pit Viper!  I had been wanting to see this species for years, and finally there was one in front of me.  

Eyelash Pit Viper, Bothriechis schlegelii

Eyelash Pit Vipers are a small to medium-sized snake of the humid forests of the Neotropics.  They get their name from the enlarged scales above their eyes, which are thought to aid in camouflage, to break up the snake's profile among the vegetation.  Eyelash Pit Vipers are quite variable in their appearance and can have a variety of colours and patterns - brown, banana yellow, and mottled green and red.  They are arboreal and have a strong prehensile tail.  Eyelash Pit Vipers are typical ambush predators; they sit and wait quietly, well-camouflaged, for their prey to be in close range and strike, impaling prey with large, needle-like fangs.  They prey on small rodents, frogs, lizards and birds.  They often sit at eye level, in palm trees and heliconia flowers, to sit and wait for birds and other visiting animals.  They are even known to return to their favourite specific sites to sit and wait for migrating birds each spring.  

Eyelash Pit Viper showing its "eyelashes"

El Valle de Anton, from Cerro Gaital

After grabbing some photos of the viper, we carried on up to the top of Cerro Gaital, where we had great views of El Valle de Anton from above.  On our way back down, we continued to find nice birds including Blue-throated Toucanet, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis and my lifer Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch.  It was nice to do some exploring on Cerro Gaital again, it had been a few years since I had been there, and even though I enjoy every walk I take no matter what I see, this trip turned up some rewarding sightings!

~ Jenn 

The Meeting Place

I've been in Gamboa just over a week now, and its been a great week to say the least.  I got settled in Gamboa as soon as I arrived, living right beside the tienda in town and only a short walk from one of central America's greatest birding destinations, Pipeline Road.   In fact, I couldn't wait to head out to Pipeline Road the next morning, to re-familiarize myself with the birds of the area and their songs & calls.  

Fasciated Antshrike (Cymbilaimus lineatus), Gamboa Rainforest Resort

While out on Pipeline Road Saturday morning, I enjoyed great looks at Chestnut-backed Antbird, Spotted Antbird, Broad-billed Motmot, Slaty-tailed Trogon and so much more while showing a couple nice Dutch ladies the wildlife in the area.  I also spotted some familiar faces - my hawk-banding mentors Dorothy and Gary Balkwill, whom I met years and years ago while visiting Holiday Beach Conservation area back at home during my childhood.  We were so surprised and happy to see each other, we quickly made plans to meet up later as they were staying at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort in town for a couple weeks.  

A Tawny-capped Euphonia (Euphonia anneae), gulping down a large berry in El Valle de Anton

Over the last couple days, Dorothy, Gary and I visited some great places outside of Gamboa.  Eager to see something new yet never anticipated it happening on this vacation, we decided to go to El Valle de Anton, a picturesque town located in the crater of an extinct volcano 2 hours west of Panama City.  We rented a car and we were off!  We spent our morning in El Valle birding along the road up to La Mesa and Cerro Gaital, and even though it was later in the morning, we had great views of Tawny-capped Euphonia, Silver-throated Tanager, Black-faced Grosbeak, Tawny-crested Tanager and much more.  The rest of the day was more laid-back, we ate at Ty's Canadian Bar & Grill in El Valle (owned by a couple from Chatham, Ontario!) and drove around the area before heading back to Gamboa for the night.  

The next day we birded Metropolitan Park in Panama City, a great location for dry forest specialists and a great diversity of species right in the city.  We walked the Roble trail and were delighted to see mixed flocks and a nice abundance of birds, despite a late start because of a flat tire that needed to be changed.  While on the trail in Metro Park, we met up with fellow birder and friend of mine Adam Timpf, who had just arrived in Panama City the previous day and will be around for the next 6 weeks or so.  You can check out Adam's blog here, I'm sure he'll be making updates from Panama and his birding adventures as well.  After our morning of birding, the four of us enjoyed a delicious lunch at my favourite Panamanian restaurant, El Trapiche, which now has a new location in Albrook Mall!  So convenient... 

In my first week here I have met up with a lot of friends, old and new, some expected and some surprises, and many more to come, as well as re-acquainting myself with the resident (and migratory) birds, Gamboa seems like the place to be!  This coming week I am off to El Real and Rancho Frio in the Darien with my good friend Jose Perez!  Cerro Pirre specialties, Black Oropendola, and .... fingers & toes crossed... Harpy Eagle!  

Much more to come from Panama!  

~ Jenn 

P.S. Gamboa has beautiful sunsets, I took this photo at dusk the other night while on one of my walks through town.