Itinerary
Panama's Hawk Migration Spectacular
Day 1
PM: Arrival, Orientation & Canopy Tower Observation Deck
Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met by our driver who will transfer you to the Canopy Tower, located at the top of Semaphore Hill in the rainforest of Soberanía National Park. We enjoy seven nights at this highly-acclaimed eco-lodge. A member of our staff will greet you as you arrive at the Tower, and you will be provided with an orientation on the use of the facilities. At this time we will answer any questions you may have. As your luggage is being ferried to your room, you may visit the dining/bar area and enjoy a refreshing drink. We highly recommend that you spend some time on the Observation Deck. The view from the platform is incredible! Here, you get a unique eye-level perspective of the rainforest canopy. Many birds, including toucans, parrots, tanagers of various types, hawks, and dozens of others, as well as 2 species of sloths, 2 species of monkeys, large basking green iguanas and other animals are commonly seen. This will be your first opportunity to see huge kettles of hawks and other raptors swirling overhead! From this vantage point you can also see ships transiting the Panama Canal, the majestic Centennial Bridge and miles of rainforest! You may also want to visit the hummingbird feeders at the base of the Tower for Long-billed Hermit, White-necked Jacobin, Violet-bellied & Blue-chested Hummingbirds and White-vented Plumeleteer. Occasionally, a Snowy-bellied Hummingbird is spotted! Dinner at CANOPY TOWER.
Day 2
AM: Canopy Tower Observation Deck Raptor Watch & Semaphore Hill Road
Your guide will be waiting for you at the Observation Deck to watch for the migrating hawks, but also to help you sort out the birds that woke you up this morning! While looking for birds, you can enjoy hot coffee, tea and orange juice. Some of the bird species we hope to see from the observation deck are Green & Red-legged Honeycreepers, Green Shrike-Vireo, Blue Cotinga, Scaled Pigeon, Mealy & Red-lored Parrots, Keel-billed Toucan, Collared Araçari, flycatchers of various kinds and raptors, including King Vulture and Ornate Hawk-Eagle! After breakfast, at mid-morning, you’ll start exploring Soberanía National Park by taking a pleasant walk down Semaphore Hill Road. This winding, shady paved road, festooned on the shoulders by wildflowers of many types, is a little more than a mile long and crosses a large creek near the bottom. The bird list here is extensive, and includes birds from the forest interior as well as edge-dwellers. Olivaceous Flatbill, Plain Xenops, Lesser Greenlet, Black-breasted & White-whiskered Puffbirds, Fasciated & Western Slaty Antshrikes, Slate-colored Grosbeak, Bay-headed & White-shouldered Tanagers, Black-throated Trogon, Broad-billed & Rufous Motmots and Great Jacamar may be found. Great Tinamou is often heard, but harder to find. This road is also great for raptors. White, Tiny & Great Black Hawks have been seen, and during migration, it's easy to see more than 10 species of warblers and other songbirds in one morning. Your morning bird list will be impressive, as we catch a ride back just in time to enjoy a delicious lunch at the CANOPY TOWER.
PM: Ammo Dump Ponds & Environs (15 min. from Canopy Tower)
The Ammo Dump Ponds are located just past Gamboa on the way to Pipeline Road. It is the best place to see the elusive White-throated Crake, as well as a host of other waterbirds. Least Grebes and Purple Gallinules are common, and Rufescent Tiger-Heron and American Pygmy-Kingfisher are also resident. Here, we often find Greater Ani, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Whooping Motmot (recent split from Blue-crowned), Yellow-tailed Oriole, Southern Lapwing, Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet, Tropical Kingbird, Scrub Greenlet, Lesser Kiskadee, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck and Panama, Social & Rusty-margined Flycatchers and even an Olivaceous Piculet! Birding here will be excellent, as we add to our impressive list of birds! Dinner at CANOPY TOWER.
Day 3
World Famous Pipeline Road/Panamá Rainforest Discovery Center/picnic lunch (20 min. from Canopy Tower) FULL DAY
After breakfast you board the Birdmobile or the Rainfomobile, both open-air vehicles, that take you to Pipeline Road, the best place in Central Panama to find forest birds, and one of the premier birding spots in the world! Eight species of wrens, 5 trogons, 4 puffbirds, 3 motmots, several tanagers, Great Jacamar, Common Potoo, Pheasant Cuckoo; Greater Ani, Gray-necked Wood-Rail and Gray-headed Chachalaca (near the entrance); Forest Elaenia, Panama Flycatcher, Blue Ground-Dove, Little Tinamou and many other birds have been recorded here, including the elusive Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo and the majestic Harpy Eagle! And if its 17 km. are not enough, there's plenty of side trails, plus 11 creeks and rivers that can be followed into the forest. We will also search for Streak-chested Antpitta and Black-faced Antthrush. Army ant swarms are found frequently, attended by a host of birds including, Bicolored, Ocellated & Spotted Antbirds. Plus, we will look for Golden-collared, Red-capped & Blue-crowned Manakins, always enjoyed by birders. Pipeline Road is also a great place for raptors. Three Forest-Falcons are resident and Tiny Hawk, Semiplumbeous Hawk, Ornate & Black Hawk-Eagles (soaring overhead), as well as Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Black-crowned & Masked Tityras, Cinnamon & Crimson-crested Woodpeckers, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, Red-lored & Brown-hooded Parrots, Collard Araçari, Chestnut-mandibled & Keel-billed Toucans, Black-striped, Northern Barred & Plain Brown Woodcreepers may be found to name a few! We will enjoy a picnic lunch in the forest. Another place we visit will be the Panamá Rainforest Discovery Center right off Pipeline Road. We will explore its well-maintained trails and climb the new, well-constructed, spiral metal tower, which takes you above the rainforest canopy (and another chance to see the migration from a great perspective). At the covered pavilion, we watch hummers feeding at point-blank range and other birds in the surrounding shrubbery and trees; here, a small gift shop with snacks and restroom are available. Dinner at CANOPY TOWER.
Day 4
AM: Metropolitan Natural Park/Cerro Ancón & Lunch at Niko's Café (25 min. from Canopy Tower)
"Metro Park," encompassing 265 hectares, has the distinction of being the only large forested park within a metropolitan capital in Latin America. More importantly, it protects 192 hectares of Dry Lowland Pacific Forest, yielding bird species that are difficult to find elsewhere. The beautiful Rosy Thrush-Tanager is here, as is the striking Lance-tailed Manakin. It's also a good place to find Southern Bentbill, Rufous-and-white, Plain & Rufous-breasted Wrens, Dusky Antbird, Crimson-crested, Lineated & Red-crowned Woodpeckers. Plain, Palm, Blue-gray & Golden-hooded Tanagers are common; Red-legged & Green Honeycreepers, Whooping Motmot (recent split from Blue-crowned), Keel-billed Toucan, Collared Araçari and the endemic Yellow-green Tyrannulet are resident along with Forest & Greenish Elaenias. The rainforest rodent, the Central American Agouti is often seen here, too. A mirador along Mono Titi trail is a good spot to witness the mass migration of thousands of Turkey Vultures, Swainson's & Broad-winged Hawks as they fly over Panamá City toward their wintering grounds in South America. Another excellent location to watch the hawk migration and to get an excellent view of the city is from atop Cerro Ancón. Several overlooks from this promontory yield excellent views of the city, as well as the hawk migration! You will enjoy lunch at Niko's Café at the base of Ancón Hill, where Keel-billed Toucans sometimes frequent!
PM:
Summit Ponds & Old Gamboa Road (10 minutes from Canopy Tower)
Old Gamboa Road and the associated ponds at Summit are great places to find Canal Zone birds of many types. At Summit Ponds we will scan for Green, Striated, Capped & Boat-billed Herons as well as Green, Ringed, Amazon, Green-and-rufous (rare) & American Pygmy Kingfishers, which are all resident here! Also we seek out Rusty-margined & Streaked Flycatchers, Lesser & Great Kiskadees, Greater Ani, Mangrove Swallow, Bat Falcon, Cocoa Woodcreeper and Lineated Woodpecker. Going straight past the two ponds you'll be on Old Gamboa Road, one of the birdiest spots around. This road passes through a variety of habitats and has plenty of specialties, including Blue Ground-Dove, Great Antshrike, Jet Antbird, Black-tailed, Bran-colored & Royal Flycatchers, Lance-tailed & Golden-collared Manakins and the delightful Rosy Thrush-Tanager! We also will find species like White-bellied Antbird, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Yellow-backed Oriole, Boat-billed & Fork-tailed Flycatchers, Yellow-headed Caracara, Crane Hawk, Black-chested Jays and more. Also resident are Gray-headed Chachalaca, with Spectacled Owl a real possibility, too, as the guides know where they often roost. Dinner at CANOPY TOWER.
Day 5
Achiote Road/Fort San Lorenzo; Picnic Lunch; Panamá Canal Railroad Return FULL DAY
Achiote Road provides the best of Caribbean slope birding and is the site of the famous Christmas Bird Count record held by the Panamá Audubon Society. The species total in this area can exceed 340 in a 24-hour period, making it among the top locations worldwide. Habitats are more open, but the birding is nonetheless fantastic! White Hawk, Gray Hawk, Mealy Parrot, Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, Black-throated & White-tailed Trogons, Black-breasted & Pied Puffbirds, Spot-crowned Barbet, White-winged & Cinnamon Becards, Pacific Antwren, Black-throated Mango, Montezuma & Crested Oropendolas, Fasciated Antshrike, Bare-crowned & Bicolored Antbirds, White-headed & Song Wrens, Red-breasted Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Tanager and Black-headed Saltator are all regularly seen here along with many others. We will also visit and bird around the old Spanish fortress of San Lorenzo, a World Heritage Site, built on a promontory at the entrance of the Chagres River, a perfect defensive position. Fort San Lorenzo was the last bastion of the Spanish Empire on the mainland of the Americas. The fort was captured in 1671 by the infamous Pirate Henry Morgan who later sacked and burned Panama City. Crested Oropendola and Saffron Finch may be found within the vicinity of the fort. We have a picnic lunch at a ranger station and later check out a known Golden-collared Manakin lek. We also stop at a creek where we search for Black-tailed Trogon and both Green & Green-and-rufous Kingfishers. After additional birding, we return by train on the historic Panamá Canal Railroad, the first "transcontinental" railroad in the Western Hemisphere when it opened in 1855. During our 47-mile
1-hour return, we look for Snail Kites (often 10 or more!), Limpkins & others from our luxury, air-conditioned railway car. Dinner at CANOPY TOWER.
Day 6
AM: Plantation Trail (5 min. from Canopy Tower) or Summit Gardens/Harpy Exhibits Option (10 minutes from Canopy Tower)
After breakfast, we will go to another great birding spot that begins right by the entrance to the Canopy Tower! The trail is an old dirt road that passes through a mature forest for about four miles. The road follows a small creek, Río Chico Masambi. In most places the forest is clear of undergrowth, which makes it especially suited for observing shy, interior forest birds, such as tinamous and leaftossers. Golden-crowned Spadebills are regular around the creek, and White-breasted Wood-Wrens are very easy to find. When visiting Plantation Road you also have a good chance to find an army ant swarm and many of the birds that follow these swarms as they follow the swarm. Spotted, Bicolored and Ocellated Antbirds, Gray-headed Tanagers, and Plain-brown, Northern Barred and (if you're lucky) Ruddy Woodcreepers. And if you're really lucky you may even find a Hook-billed Kite. You can spend the whole day birding here and still not reach the end of the trail. Summit Gardens is a park managed by the Office of the Mayor of Panamá City. There is a small zoo where you can get a better look at King Vulture, Harpy Eagle, Great Curassow and four species of macaws, as well as Jaguar, Spider Monkeys, and a host of other mammals. The botanical gardens are great for migratory warblers and other forest-edge species, and Blue Cotingas are seen occasionally. Lunch at CANOPY TOWER.
PM: Chagres River/Gamboa Feeders (15 min. from Canopy Tower)
After lunch, we take a short drive to Chagres River and the accompanying fields & forest. First, we must stop at Carmen Martino's house, in the picturesque village of Gamboa, to look at her bird feeders! Carmen is a great friend of the Canopy Tower who used to do some guiding for us. At Carmen’s feeders, we are likely to see Red-legged, Shining & Green Honeycreepers, Lemon-rumped, Crimson-backed & Blue-gray Tanagers, Thick-billed Euphonia, Yellow-bellied & Variable Seedeaters, Whooping Motmot and Gray-headed Chachalaca. Next, we're off to other area feeders, then to Chagres River, the main tributary for the Panama Canal. The birding along the river banks and the forest edges of Gamboa Resort can be spectacular! Here, we search for Amazon, Green & American Pygmy Kingfishers, as well as Whooping Motmot and Cinnamon Woodpecker. We could also see Gray-Necked Wood-Rail, Cocoi, Green & Striated Herons, Wattled Jacana, Pied-billed Grebe, Anhinga, Royal & Sandwich Terns, Brown Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant, Tricolored & Little Blue Herons, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Mangrove Swallow, Black-chested Jay, Lesser Kiskadee, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Cacique, Black-bellied & Buff-breasted Wrens, Fasciated & Barred Antshrikes, Cinnamon Becard, Slaty-tailed Trogon, White-bellied Antbird, and even Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon and Blue Cotinga at times! After first taking a last look for raptors from the Observation Deck, we enjoy dinner at the CANOPY TOWER.
Day 7
Cerro Azul/Cerro Jefe; Scenic Overlook Picnic Lunch (1 hr. from Canopy Tower) FULL DAY
After an early breakfast we depart toward the hills above Tocumen where a completely different climate and, more importantly, a different suite of birds awaits! The weather will be much cooler & breezier as we ascend the foothills of the San Blas Mountains toward Cerro Azul (2,500 ft.) and Cerro Jefe (3,300 ft.), named after the two tall peaks in the area. Major targets in these cloud-forested hills with peaks of elfin forest will include Yellow-eared Toucanet, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Spot-crowned Barbet, Black-eared Wood-Quail, and a nice mix of tanagers, including Silver-throated, Emerald, Speckled, Rufous-winged, Bay-headed, Black-and-yellow, Golden-hooded and Hepatic. We can also search for the specialty hummers, including Rufous-crested Coquette, White-tipped Sicklebill, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Green Thorntail, as well as Violet-capped, Violet-headed & Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds! We should also find the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, along with Lineated Woodpecker, Black-striped & Spotted Woodcreepers, Red-capped & White-ruffed Manakins, Russet Antshrike, and White-vented & Tawny-capped Euphonias. Oftentimes, we find flocks of Swallow-tailed Kites! We have lunch at a picturesque residence overlooking miles of Chagres National Park's impressive rainforest! Later, while enjoying dinner at the CANOPY TOWER, we all will reminisce on the day's glorious birds!
Day 8
Canopy Tower/Departure to Canopy Lodge
Canopy Lodge Grounds & Feeders FULL DAY
No need to wake up early today. After a leisurely breakfast and a last look for hawks from the Observation Deck, we'll board a comfortable air-conditioned van for the 2-hour ride to El Valle de Antón, also known as Crater Valley. This lovely village, nestled in the crater of a long dormant volcano, that last erupted million years ago. The resultant scenery is quite unique: a steep valley surrounded by jagged peaks and filled with flowers, streams and verdant forests. We arrive in time for lunch. Our home for the next three nights will be the Canopy Lodge, sister lodge of the Canopy Tower, a charming eco-lodge built next to a bubbling mountain stream and adjacent to the protected area of Cerro Gaital Natural Monument. At 2,400-feet in elevation, you will immediately appreciate the noticeably cooler temperatures here! A member of our staff will greet you as you arrive at the Lodge, and you will be provided with an orientation on the use of the facilities. At this time we will answer any questions you may have. As your luggage is being ferried to your room, or after you get settled in, you may visit the dining area and enjoy a refreshing drink and snack. You will immediately want to scan the bird feeders and grounds! Crimson-backed, Blue-gray, White-lined, Lemon-rumped, Dusky-faced & Plain-colored Tanagers, along with Red-crowned Ant-Tanager are about, as are Thick-billed Euphonia, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Streaked & Buff-throated Saltators, Lineated & Red-crowned Woodpeckers, Red-legged Honeycreepers, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Social Flycatcher, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Barred Antshrike, Clay-colored Robin, Rufous Motmot; Rufous-tailed, Snowy-bellied & Violet-headed Hummingbirds and Garden Emerald! Lunch and Dinner at CANOPY LODGE.
Day 9
AM: Cerro Gaital (20 min. from Canopy Lodge)
Today after breakfast, we proceed to Cerro Gaital, a steep, forested, mist-shrouded mountain that you see from the lodge! Cerro Gaital (3,500’) is the namesake of Cerro Gaital Natural Monument, which protects more than 335 hectares of mature cloud forest. This area offers sightings of Black Guan, Blue-throated Toucanet, Orange-bellied Trogon, Spotted Barbtail, Common Bush-Tanager, Silver-throated Tanager, Black-headed Antthrush, Slaty Antwren, Spot-crowned & Plain Antvireos, Black-faced Grosbeak, Blue Seedeater, Rufous-capped Warbler, Gray-headed Kite, White Hawk, Tawny-capped Euphonia, Pale-vented Thrush, Thrush-like Schiffornis, White-tailed Emerald, Green-crowned Brilliant, Violet-headed Hummingbird and Violet-crowned Woodnymph. Scaled Antpitta and Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo have been recorded here! From a mirador on Gaital we watch for migrating raptors and other resident hawks! Back for lunch at the CANOPY LODGE.
PM: Las Minas Trail (20 min. from Canopy Lodge)
After lunch (during which we watch for Orange-billed Sparrow off the end of the dining area), we head to Las Minas, an excellent place to get a wide variety of birds. The road follows the ridge line, with sweeping vistas of forested mountains, speckled with grasslands and small fincas. The views from here are fantastic, as on a clear day near the summit, both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans can be seen! Plus, it is a great place to view the hawk migration! Specialties of the region include Black-and-yellow, Bay-headed & Emerald Tanagers, Tawny-capped Euphonia, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Spot-crowned Antvireo, Gray-headed Kite, Barred Hawk, Bat Falcon, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Swallow-tailed Kite, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, White-tipped Sicklebill, Green Thorntail, Orange-bellied & Black-throated Trogons, Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch, Tawny-faced Gnatwren, Plain Antvireo, the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Spotted Woodcreeper, Red-capped & White-ruffed Manakins, Band-rumped Swift and Black Guan have all been recorded here! A forested slope here is also our best chance for Black-headed Antthrush! We get back in time for dinner at CANOPY LODGE.
Day 10
Altos del Maria; Picnic Lunch in the cloudforest (1 hr. from Canopy Lodge) FULL DAY
Departing early in the morning after breakfast, we drive from El Valle in air conditioned 4x4 SUVs back along the Pan-American Highway and then up into the mountains. As the sun rises over the highlands ahead of us, spectacular mountains, vast valleys and towering cliffs come into view! Set in the mountains on the continental divide east of El Valle, Altos del Maria provides an outstanding addition to our Panamá's Hawk Migration Spectacular Tour. Ascending an excellent paved road, we will climb a ridge to our destination, an expansive area of cloudforest at 3,600 ft. This area harbors an exciting variety of highland forest birds. Some of the characteristic species of this cloud forest include Black-crowned Antpitta, Black-headed Saltator, White Hawk, Barred Forest-Falcon, Orange-bellied Trogon, Spotted Woodcreeper, Red-faced Spinetail, Spotted Barbtail, Russet & Great Antshrikes, Tufted & Sulphur-rumped Flycatchers, Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, White-ruffed Manakin, Ochraceous Wren, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Pale-vented Thrush, Green Shrike-Vireo, Yellow-billed Cacique; Black-and-yellow, Bay-headed, Dusky-faced & Tawny-crested Tanagers; White-vented Euphonia, Slate-colored Grosbeak and Yellow-eared Toucanet. Even the bizarre Brown-billed Scythebill is seen here regularly. Hummers we may spot include Band-tailed Barbthroat, the exquisite Snowcap, Garden & White-tailed Emeralds, Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, White-tipped Sicklebill and Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer. After a picnic lunch in the forest, we will drop down into a valley and climb to the ridge on the opposite side. Reaching some large swaths of mature humid forest along this ridge, we will explore some trails and roadside spots in search of even more forest birds. Around mid-afternoon, we will head back into El Valle for some relaxation time prior to dinner at CANOPY LODGE.
Day 11
Departure to International Airport (about 3 hrs. from Canopy Lodge)
After a leisurely breakfast and some last-minute-birding in the gardens surrounding the lodge, we will drive back to Panamá City and catch our return flights home!
