MALE BAY-HEADED TANAGER, LA MESA RD,EL VALLE DE ANTON,COCLE PROVINCE,PANAMA, 5/24/2019

PIRATIC FLYCATCHER, LA MESA RD.,EL VALLE DE ANTON,COCLE PROVINCE,PANAMA, 5/24/2019

RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER (BASILEUTERUS RUFIFRONS), LA MESA RD.,EL VALLE DE ANTON,COCLE PROVINCE,PANAMA, 5/24/2019

      This warbler was at quite a distance and the photo is out-of-focus, but we can ID it as Ruffous-capped Warbler as follows:

• Very prominent and large white superciliary
• Yellow throat and chest
• Stout bill for a warbler
• Olive upperparts
• The cap can not be made out, but the cheek is dark and is the correct pattern

 The Ruffous-capped Warbler is a new species to our Photographic Life List,which now stands at 856.     

HOUSE WREN (TROGLODYTES AEDON), LA MESA RD., EL VALLE DE ANTON,COCLE PROVINCE,PANAMA, 5/24/2019

      Even though the photo is out-of-focus, can ID this bird as a House Wren as follows:

• Very nondescript
• Brownish upperparts
• Whitish underparts
• Short, cocked tail

      The House Wren occurs from Canada to southernmost South America.  It is the most common wren.

      The House Wren is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 855.

YELLOW-FACED GRASSQUIT (TIARIS OLIVACEUS), LA MESA RD., EL VALLE DE ANTON,COCLE PROVINCE,PANAMA, 5/24/2019

      We can ID this bird as a male Yellow-faced Grassquit as follows:

• Bright yellow superciliary and throat
• Olive-green back
• Black face and breast
• Greyish-olive underparts
• Dark bill and eyes
• Grey legs

      The Yellow-faced Grassquit is one of the tholospizan "finches", which are specialized Tanagers (Thraupidae).  As such, they are closely related to the famous Darwin's finches.

      The Yellow-faced Grassquit is a new species to our Photographic Life List,which now stands at 854.

CLAY-COLORED THRUSH, LA MESA RD., EL VALLE DE ANTON, COCLE PROVINCE, PANAMA, 5/24/2019

BIRDING IN PANAMA WITH JOSANEL SUGASTI-LA MESA RD., JUAN HOMBRON RD. & PIPELINE RD., 5/24/2019 & 5/26/2019

   Sharon and I took a week's vacation n Panama at the Riu Playa Blanca.  We arrived on Thursday, 5/23 and stayed until Thursday, 5/30.   On Friday, 5/24 and on Sunday, 5/26, we went birding with a great birding guide, Josanel Sugasti.  He really knows his stuff. Joe, as he is called, knows where the birds are, he knows them by sight and sound and how to attract them.  He has very keen sight and hearing for birds.  He spotted birds in the forest that we didn't even know were there.
   On Friday, 5/24 he picked us up at our hotel at 5 am and we drove to La Mesa Rd. in El Valle de Anton, stopping for breakfast on the way.  We birded the road from the vicinity of the store shown in the first photo to the entrance to Monumento Natural Cerro Gaital, a national park and then birded the park, mainly looking for the Squirrel Cuckoo, which we found.

   After leaving the park and La Mesa Rd. we stopped for lunch on the way to Juan Hombron Rd. and adjacent rice fields.  Again the birding was great.  We arrived back at the hotel just about 5 pm.
   On Sunday, 5/26, Joe picked us up at 6:30 am for the two hour drive to Pipeline Rd.  On the way we stopped for breakfast and also passed and drove alongside the Panama Canal.  It's quite a site to see the huge ships pass through the canal.  On the way to Pipeline Rd. we stopped at Ammo Pond, which is right across from the canal and then continued on to Pipeline Rd.  The birding was great and Joe knew where all the hotspots were and how to help us see and photograph the birds.
   Joe is a photographer himself so he was very patient with a fellow photographer and did everything he could to help me get good shots of the birds.