El Real, Darien

Long-tailed Tyrant, Colonia colona, at nest

I have to admit, I was sad to leave Rancho Frio a little earlier than expected, it was such a special place!  But that passed as we arrived at Pirre Uno and the road that would take us back to El Real.  Before even getting in the truck, we spotted a pair of nesting Long-tailed Tyrants.  These cavity-nesting flycatchers were perched outside of their nest hole on a thin dead trunk.  Ok, I was feeling better about this already.  One bird I hadn't seen yet that I was really hoping for was the Black Oropendola.  This large icterid is similar in appearance to the Montezuma Oropendola of Costa Rica and western Panama, and is rather distinguishable from the Crested Oropendola which is also found commonly in this area.  As we made our way back to El Real in the open back of the pick-up truck (great for birding), I saw a large black bird fly over the road ahead.  Quickly getting my binoculars on it I saw its big blue cheek patch and realized yes, this is our Black Oropendola!  There's just something about these birds, their social community structure, their subtle yet striking plumage and rather outrageous calls, I can't help but love oropendolas! 

Can you find the Potoo??

As we arrived in El Real, Isaac spotted a well-hidden Great Potoo on a pale branch beside the road.  It is amazing how well these birds can camouflage while sitting overly exposed on an open limb!  We stopped at a good spot to see a couple more target species, the tiny Spectacled Parrotlet and Rufous-tailed Jacamar.  Within minutes, Isaac had found us both, very impressive indeed!  We carried on through El Real, passing the primitive airstrip and eventually making it to our overnight destination.  There are apparently a couple hotel/hostels in El Real, but we had a better option.  Jose has connections in El Real through his wife, Yissel, who's family is from El Real.  Everyone was so friendly and I was convinced that anyone would have invited us to stay the night in this little jungle town.  We stayed with a lovely woman whom Jose knew - his wife's uncle's mother (how's that for connections!).  She seemed prepared for our arrival as if she knew we were coming back a day early, as was waiting for us.  She insisted on making us a lovely dinner and breakfast the next morning as well.  The hospitality I have experienced through travels in Latin America has been incredible, and again, I felt very welcome here.  

Cerro Pirre in the distance

El Real Airstrip

That evening, we met again with Isaac and went on a walk through the town to look for night life (animals, not parties, although El Real is known for its fiestas and was already preparing for upcoming carnaval festivities this weekend!).  Our night walk turned up a number of Common Pauraques, a Tropical Screech-Owl, Common Potoo eyeshine in the distance near the airstrip and a Common Opossum.  There were also large insectivorous bats flying around light posts, their size rather striking and I've been told they were probably Eumops spp. (Molossidae - the mastiff or bonneted bats - cool!).  

Sunrise in the Darien

Tired from another long day, I went to bed early and slept very well in a comfortable bed in Ana Mu's house.  The next morning, we met Isaac at 6:30 in the plaza to start our journey back to Panama City.  The piragua ride on the river was very peaceful at this time in the morning, as we watched the sun rise over the forest canopy.  I spent most of my time snapping photos of the scenery.  Before I knew it we were back in Yaviza, our gateway to the Darien, this time to say adios to this incredible part of Panama.  After checking in with SENAFRONT in Yaviza to let them know I was departing the area, we grabbed a direct bus to Panama City, said our good byes to Isaac, and headed home.  

My experience in the Darien was memorable to say the least.  I already cannot wait to go back! Thanks to Jose Perez and Isaac Pizarro for a great experience in the wilds of the Darien! 

~ Jenn   

Highlights from Pico Bonito

I think it goes unsaid that I love to travel, especially in Latin America.  I recently had the opportunity to visit Honduras, a spectacular and rather under-traveled country in Central America.  Honduras has a lot to offer - beautiful island paradise off a biologically and culturally diverse mainland that is bordered by Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and the Caribbean Sea.  So in late November, Kristen Martyn and I headed down for a short visit and we could not wait to set foot and start exploring.

Our "home" for our stay in Honduras was at The Lodge at Pico Bonito - this ultra-luxurious eco-lodge sits at the base of the impressive Nombre de Dios mountain range in Pico Bonito National Park. This area is home to a great diversity of wildlife, including cats (there has been a Margay spotted at the lodge in recent weeks as well as Puma and Jaguar in camera traps along the trails) and great bird life. 

Lovely Cotinga (Cotinga amabilis)

On our first full day of birding, our fantastic guide, Elmer, took us around the lower property of the lodge.  We walked to the toucan tower with a beautiful vista of the Coloradito River, only minutes away from the lodge.  Within seconds it seemed he had the scope on a stunning Lovely Cotinga in the distance - spectacular!  I'm sure the sight of any cotinga, let alone this one, would awe even the least enthused individual.  The Lodge at Pico Bonito is the best place to see this species.  We had quite the cotinga day, with the mistletoe fruits just turning ripe, we saw close to 2 dozen of them!  In addition to the cotingas, we also were delighted to see Gray Hawk, Red-billed Pigeon, White-crowned Parrot, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Purple-crowned Fairy, Collared Aracari, Keel-billed Toucan, Black-cheeked & Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Pale-billed Woodpecker, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flycatcher, Masked Tityra, White-eyed Vireo, Brown Jay (the "bush policemen" as they are called by the locals), Melodious Blackbird and a plethora of migratory warblers.  We were also thrilled to see a Royal Flycatcher, a rather uncommon and exciting bird!

Great Potoo (Nyctibius grandis)

Another highlight for us was a roosting Great Potoo.  The Great Potoo is a relative of the nightjars & nighthawks that is best known for its outrageous bellowing call.  They are fairly common and quite widespread throughout central and south America, but its that call and its impressive size that keep people in awe.  I have heard and seen this species in other countries, but they never cease to impress me.  It was roosting in a large-branched tree so we could see it clear as day.  This one in particular seemed quite rufous compared to others I have seen.  

The Lodge at Pico Bonito does a wonderful job at keeping the local hummingbirds happy.  In addition to beautiful gardens full of tropical heliconia flowers (among others) perfect for hummers, the lodge has a dozen feeders that attract them close.  At night, when the hummingbirds retreated to their roosts, nectar-feeding bats buzzed around and fed from the hummingbird feeders.  Kristen got some great video!  Twice we spotted a Mottled Owl on the beam at the conference centre when the bats were feeding, I can only imagine that owl has a taste for bats!

Vermiculated Screech-Owl (Megascops guatemalae)

On our last night, Elmer took us out on a night walk to find some owls.  From the first night on, we had heard both Mottled and Black-and-white Owls around our cabins.  The Mottled Owl made regular appearances, but it was the Black-and-white Owl that I really wanted to see.  Almost every night I woke to the call of the owl, and looked around outside my cabin without luck.  Even on our night walk, which turned up nice views of a Pauraque & Vermiculated Screech-Owl, we were teased by the Black-and-White Owl as it called and flew around us but never gave us a view.  That night, around 4:40 am, I woke up and heard it calling outside the cabins again.  I got up and stepped outside to find Kristen searching for it as well.  After about half an hour we finally got a good look at this beautiful owl.  A nice treat before saying goodbye to Honduras! 

More to come from Honduras...

~ Jenn