Photo by Cedric Ng
			Bird of the Month
			Semiplumbeous Hawk (Leucopternis semiplumbeus)
			By: Jose Soto
			The Semiplumbeous Hawk is a medium-sized raptor about 15 to 16 inches tall. Its back is uniformly dark grey or “plumbeous,” meaning lead colored. The throat, chest & belly are pure white on adult birds but, on immatures, the chest shows very fine grey streaking. The relatively short, dark tail has two white bands, one at mid-tail which is quite conspicuous and another at the base which is often concealed. The legs, cere and the base of the bill are orange. The underside of the wings is whitish. This Hawk may easily be mistaken for other raptors, especially “light phase” Short-tailed Hawks (Buteo brachyurus), which have yellow ceres (not orange) and does not show the broad white tail band, and Forest Falcons, like the “Slaty-backed” (Micrastur mirandollei) and “Collared” (M. semitorquatus), both having long tails. The Semiplumbeous Hawk uses the “sit-and-wait” hunting technique, whereby it patiently perches quietly about 20 feet high and slowly scans for prey. Another interesting hunting technique employed by this clever hawk is to follow troops of White-faced Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus capucinus). While the frolicking monkeys forage through the forest canopy, they disturb other creatures, including lizards, which are then caught by the ever-vigilant hawk. A rather sneaky technique indeed! Small reptiles are on the menu, including Whiptail Lizards (Ameiva spp.), Giant Geckoes, Anoles and small Snakes. This raptor prefers the interior humid forests of eastern Panama and the Caribbean slope of the Canal. Interestingly, they are seldom seen soaring high like other hawks, but are often spotted streaking across the forest just above the canopy layer. They may be observed perched up on the canopy or lower on an exposed perch. This resident and spectacular hawk is often found along Pipeline Rd., where this photo was taken last month by our guest from Singapore, Cedric Ng. It is also seen in Semaphore Hill Rd, Plantation Rd or from the Canopy Tower observation deck, usually early in the morning. From the observation deck, if you are quiet, it is possible to get very close to this confiding hawk and possibly steal not only an awesome view but also a drop-dead gorgeous photo! Good luck and happy birding!

Dear friends,

Many visitors ask, “How did you become a birder, Raúl?” It is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive, followed closely by how did I get the idea to build the Canopy Tower or where in the world did I get that red/pink/brownish Tilley hat!

One day in 1990, I read an ad in a local newspaper in which the Panama Audubon Society (PAS) was offering a course on birdwatching. I have always been interested in the natural world, so the ad caught my attention immediately. I mentioned it to my wife, Denise, and we agreed it would be fun to take the class, so we enrolled. Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that attending that course would change our lives completely--and forever!

The instructors were Lorna Engleman and Loyda Sanchez, two of the top birders in Panama, and the course consisted of lectures on Wednesdays and field trips on Saturdays. Lorna and Loyda were superb instructors and were able to motivate us right away. We attended all the lectures religiously and completed all the homework assignments. However, on Saturdays instead of going on the field trip with the rest of the group, I would go to El Valle and share what I had learned from that Wednesday’s lecture with Danilo Rodriguez, who at that time was in charge of the Canopy Adventure, the zip-line operation I have over there. (Danilo is now the Senior Bird Guide at the Canopy Lodge). I bought him a pair of binoculars and Ridgely’s book, and he became my “birding buddie.” We would go birding from dawn to dusk practically every weekend. We soon started seeing “interesting” birds, mainly foothill species, like the Dull-mantled Antbird and the White-tipped Sicklebill and, lo and behold, we also spotted the Holy Grail of neotropical birding, the Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo! Every Wednesday I returned to the class with news of the birds I had seen over the weekend and, not surprisingly, my remarkable accounts were received with raised eyebrows and noticeable skepticism. Then, some months elapsed and the Panama Audubon Society finally decided to take a field trip to El Valle to check out the reports of this neophyte birder and his unknown buddie, Danilo.

Enter Dodge. One of the participants on the field trip who came to El Valle in 1990 was the famous birder, Dr. Dodge Engleman, M.D., Lorna’s husband. Dodge then had a life list of over 6,000 species and was the most experienced birder in Panama. He now lives in San Diego, Texas. We did not see the Ground Cuckoo that time but we did see some other foothill rarities I had been reporting for several months. Yes! I had been vindicated! Later, Dodge and I became good friends, and he took me under his wing. We went out birding often, and he answered all my questions with the patience of a saint. In fact, he became my birding mentor and he did such a good job that I eventually decided to build a birding lodge (Canopy Tower) right smack in the middle of a bird-filled rainforest! I now had the perfect excuse to be out in the field each and every day. I still do!

Best,

Contact Raul: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

P.S.
Last weeked Dodge and Lorna came to El Valle, and we all went birding once again. You too can come to Panama and go birding with us. The birds are all over the place!

From left to right: Danilo, Lorna, Dodge, Raul & Denise

The Canopy Tower Stimulus Plan

Book three nights and get one free

$190 per night /total Price $ 571

 

Book five nights and get two free

$182 per night /total price $911

 

Book ten nights and get four free

$175 per night /total price $1,750

Migrating Season Special

 

Join us for the migration season. The fall migration is a fantastic natural phenomenon, when hundreds of thousands of raptors fly over the Tower on the way to their southern wintering grounds. This is one of the most impressive natural spectacles of neotropical birding. Don't miss it!

 

 

Ten happy photographers joined Linda Robbins, our assistant Rich Garrett, and me for a great trip to Panama. We spent our first three nights at Canopy Tower and our last four at Canopy Lodge.

We spent a good deal of time working at Linda’s killer hummingbird set-ups and a good deal more working with a local reptile and amphibian wrangler do macro at set-ups. In addition, we did have some success photographing perched tropical bird species.

You can get a pretty good idea of the fun that was had by reading the e-mails below.

"Hi Arthur: I hope you are home by now and have had the chance to get a well deserved rest after 2 back to back trips. For me Panama completely surpassed my expectations. After 10 continuous hours of editing together with Linda on the last day, I was left with a large number of pictures that have really pleased me as well as people that have had a chance to review them. Many thanks for a great trip, and if you have a chance, please convey my thanks to Linda and Rich for all of their efforts and positive energy."

Read More >

Arthur Morris
He is a free-lance nature photographer and writer specializing in birds. With more than 20,000 of his stunning images published in books, magazines, and calendars all over the globe, Arthur Morris is widely recognized as the world's premier bird photographer.

Filming crew of Weird & Wonderful Hotels
Weird & Wonderful Hotels is an intrepid new television series that ventures off the beaten track to unearth the craziest, unusual but wonderful places in which to spend a night. The series will be aired in the National Geographic Channel throughout the world beginning sometime in 2010. The Canopy Tower was the only lodge in Latin America featured in the series which includes 40 hotels around the world. The crew of this show spent two days in the Canopy Tower filming our lodge, indeed a unique, extraordinary place to spend a night.


Raul Arias with the filming crew of Weird & Wonderful Hotels