Panama

Panama Raptor Tour

And Optional Extension to Darien

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Few places in the world are so privileged a raptor destination as this relatively small country. Just a tad smaller than North Carolina, Panama boasts an impressive 55 species of diurnal birds of prey, and about 90% of them can be observed within a couple of hours’ drive from Panama City!

Sitting between two major land mases—North, and South America—Panama receives faunal influences from both. Northern Harriers and Sharp-shinned Hawks from North America regularly reach central Panama on their yearly southward migration; and both Gray-bellied Goshawk and Long-winged Harrier, formerly thought to occur only in South America, have been recently reported in the country.

Panama’s raptorial highlights include sought-after non-migratory Neotropical specialties including Tiny, Plumbeous, and Semiplumbeous Hawks, and near-threatened Crested, and Harpy Eagles.

Three-toed Sloth, Panama, by Sergio Seipke — **Three-toed Sloths** are unbiquitous in many areas we will bird.

A World-Significant Migration Corridor

The Isthmus of Panama is the narrowest point of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, a natural land bridge for migratory species on their yearly roundtrip journey between North, and South America. Raptor migration through Panama is one of the greatest wildlife spectacles of the Americas. Every autumn millions of Turkey Vultures, Swainson’s Hawks and Broad-winged Hawks, are funneled into this narrow pass on their intercontinental migration. Broadwings migrate earlier, and Swainson’s, later. Fairly large numbers of Mississippi Kites are also seen.

Sunrise over the forest at the Canopy Tower, by Carlos Bethancourt — Watching the sun rise at the observation deck of the Canopy Tower as you listen to the morning chorus of tropical birds, while sipping a cup of coffee, is just something you’ll remember for years to come!

Great General Birding

In addition to being one of the finest hawk-watching destinations on Earth, Panama also features great general birding. Therefore, a dedicated and experienced local birding guide will be with us at all times to help us find and identify non-raptorial birds as well. When raptors are not being watched we may also enjoy a variety of tropical birds including tinamous; ducks; guans and chachalacas; herons and egrets; wood-rails; jacanas; doves, ground-doves, and pigeons; parrots and parakeets; cuckoos and anis; owls; hermits, sicklebills, jacobins, mangos, plumeteers, and hummingbirds; trogons; motmots; kingfishers; puffbirds; jacamars; barbets, aracaris, toucanets, and toucans; woodpeckers; spinetails and woodcreepers; antshrikes, antvireos, and antbirds; tyrant flycatchers of various sorts, habits and sizes; becards and tityras; colorful cotingas; manakins; vireos, greenlets, shrike-vireos, and peppershrikes; swallows; wrens; thrushes; warblers; stunning tanagers and allies; seedeaters and finches; grosbeaks and ant-tanagers; icterids large and small; and euphonias, of course. See individual days in the itinerary below for more details on where to expect what and when.

White-necked Jacobin, Panama, by Sergio Seipke — Expect to encounter a fair share of colorful birds such as this **White-necked Jacobin.**

Some History and Culture Too

Panama has a rich history and we will experience some of it ourselves on our visits to the ruins of Panama Viejo, founded in 1519 by Pedro Arias Davila and destroyed in 1671 by pirate Henry Morgan, the Miraflores Locks Museum, located on the canal itself, and a visit to an aboriginal village.

Raptors of Mexico and Central America, by Wiliam S. Clark & N. John Smith — William S. Clark & N. John Smith’s ***Raptors of Mexico and Central America*** (2017) is the definitive raptor guide for the region.

Get up to speed before you leave home!

Featuring 32 color plates and 213 color photographs, the hot-off-the-press Raptors of Mexico and Central America is the the first illustrated guide to the region’s 69 species of raptors, including vagrants. Sign up for this tour and get a free copy delivered directly to your home so you can get up to speed with the bewildering variability of plumage, flight silhouettes, and behavior of Panamanian raptors even before you check your bags! Kindle and Hardcover Editions available. (Offer valid for continental US customers only.)

Make A Difference!

Raptours®, L.L.C. makes a financial contribution to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary for every member that signs up for this tour. Join us on this tour and make a lasting contribution to raptor conservation!

Main Tour Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival at Tocumen International Airport (IATA code PTY), where you will be met by a Raptours representative, and transfer to the Holiday Inn Panama Canal either individually or in small groups, depending on arrival times. Plan to arrive before 3 pm. 5:30 pm, icebreaker cocktails at the hotel bar and introductions. 6:30 pm, dinner. 7:30-7:45 pm, optional evening presentation by Sergio Seipke: An Introduction to the Raptors of Panama: Nearctic Migrants. Overnight at the Holiday Inn Panama Canal.

Day 2

6:30 am, meet by pool to bird the hotel grounds. 7:30 am, breakfast. 8:30 am – 1:00 pm, watch the migration over the city. Depending on the flight path taken by the migrants we will watch raptors from the Metropolitan Park, the hotel grounds, the Canal Admistration Building, Clayton or any other convenient location. We expect to see many some serious numbers of Turkey Vulture, Swainson’s Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, and some Mississippi Kites. Non-migratory raptors frequently seen in the area include Short-tailed Hawk, and Black Hawk-Eagle. We may also see Black Vulture, Zone-tailed Hawk and Yellow-headed Caracara. 1:00 pm, lunch at Manolo’s, a local restaurant by the Albrook airport. 2:30-4:30 pm, visit Panama Viejo (with a cultural guide) and explore the ruins of the first foundation of the city. Gray-lined Hawk, Crested Caracara, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcons may be seen here, also many shore birds. 5:30-6:30 pm, relax at the hotel. 6:30 pm, dinner. Overnight at the Holiday Inn Panama Canal.

Broad-winged Hawk, Panama, by Sergio Seipke — Migratory flight will likely be dominated by **Broad-winged Hawks** at the beginning of the trip. Sometimes you can find them perched early in the morning.

Day 3

Morning with the same plan as yesterday. 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm, lunch and self-guided visit to the Miraflores Lock Museum to learn about the history of the Canal. Ships crossing the Canal can be seen up close here, and raptor watching is good from the observation deck on the 4th floor. The usual migrants plus Common Black Hawk, Shor-tailed Hawk, and King Vulture are possible here. In the afternoon, drive to El Valle de Anton and check-in at the Canopy Lodge, relax and bird the grounds and gardens. 6:30 pm, dinner. 7:30-7:45 pm, optional evening presentation by Sergio Seipke: An Introduction to the Raptors of Panama: Highland Species. Overnight at the Canopy Lodge.

In addition to our raptor target species today we may encounter Ruddy Ground-Dove; Rufous-tailed, Snowy-bellied, and Violet-headed Hummingbirds, and Garden Emerald; Rufous Motmot; Lineated, and Red-crowned Woodpeckers; Barred Antshrike; Clay-colored Thrush; Crimson-backed, Blue-gray, White-lined, Flame-rumped, Dusky-faced, and Plain-colored Tanagers; plus Red-legged Honeycreepers; Streaked, and Buff-throated Saltators; Yellow-faced Grassquit; Red-crowned Ant-Tanager; Chestnut-headed Oropendola; and Thick-billed Euphonia, among others.

Day 4

6:00 am, meet to bird the garden. 6:30 am, breakfast. 7:30 am-12:00 pm, Road to Altos del Maria, and Cerro Gaital to target Swallow-tailed Kite, White Hawk, Barred Hawk, and Bat Falcon. Watch migrants from Cerro Gaital. 1:00 pm, back at the lodge for lunch. Relax in the afternoon or visit the handicraft market in El Valle. 6:30 pm, dinner. 7:30-8:00 pm, optional owling on the lodge trails. Overnight at the Canopy Lodge.

Hotel room at the Canopy Lodge, Panama — Rooms at the Canopy Lodge are comfortable and most have a view to the garden, where many birds can be seen.

Other birds present in the areas visited today include Black Guan; White-tipped Sicklebill, Rufous-crested Coquette, Crowned Woodnymph, and Black-throated Mango, White-tailed Emerald, Green-crowned Brilliant, Violet-headed Hummingbird; Orange-bellied Trogon; Spot-crowned Barbet, and Blue-throated Toucanet; Spotted Barbtail, and Spotted Woodcreeper; Spot-crowned Antvireo, and Slaty Antwren; Black-headed Antthrush; Bran-colored Flycatcher, and Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant; Cinnamon Becard; Pale-vented Thrush; Rufous-capped Warbler; Common Bush-Tanager, plus Silver-throated, Golden-hooded, Tawny-crested, and Bay-headed Tanagers; and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis; Blue Seedeater; Black-faced Grosbeak; and Tawny-capped Euphonia.

Day 5

5:30 am, breakfast, then all-day excursion to coastal Pacific dry forest and rice fields to target Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Pearl Kite, White-tailed Kite, Roadside Hawk (petulans), Gray-lined Hawk, Savanna Hawk, Common Black Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, and with a bit of luck, Aplomado, and Peregrine Falcons. Also, to watch the raptor migration. Picnic lunch at Santa Clara. 4:00 pm, back at the lodge. 6:30 pm, dinner. 7:30-7:45 pm, optional evening presentation by Sergio Seipke: Introduction to the Raptors of Panama: Non-migratory Soaring Species. Overnight at the Canopy Lodge. Overnight at the Canopy Lodge.

Other birds we may see today include Crested Bobwhite; Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and Black-crowned Night-Heron; Glossy Ibis; Gray-necked Wood-Rail; Southern Lapwing; Blue, and Plain-breasted Ground-Doves; Brown-throated Parakeet; Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl; Common Potoo; near-endemic Veraguan Mango, and Sapphire-throated Hummingbird; Pale-breasted Spinetail, and Straight-billed Woodcreeper; Mouse-colored Tyrannulet, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Northern Scrub-Flycatcher, and Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant; Golden-fronted Greenlet, and Rufous-browed Peppershrike; Grassland Yellow-Finch; and Red-breasted Blackbird, and Crested Oropendola.

Day 6

Breakfast at the Canopy Lodge and checkout. Drive to the Canopy Tower to watch some migration and local soaring raptors before lunch. In addition to the Nearctic migrants, we may see King Vulture, Short-tailed, and Zone-tailed Hawks, and Black Hawk-Eagle. 12:30 pm, lunch. Siesta break. 3:00-6:00 pm, visit Quebrada Juan Grande and Pipeline Rd. to target Slaty-backed Forest Falcon, Tiny Hawk, Double-toothed Kites, and other raptor specialties. 6:30 pm, dinner at the Canopy Tower. 7:30-7:45 pm, optional evening presentation by Sergio Seipke: Introduction to the Raptors of Panama: Non-migratory Soaring Species. Overnight at the Canopy Tower.

Turkey Vulture, adult, Panama, by Sergio Seipke — How to differentiate local **Turkey Vultures** in Panama from northern migrants? Optional evening presentations by tour leader Zach Smith will include raptor identification fine points.

Other birds usually seen either at the tower or at the entrance of Pipeline Rd. include Little Tinamou; Gray-headed Chachalaca; Gray-necked Wood-Rail; Blue Ground-Dove; Greater Ani, and Squirrel Cuckoo; Purple-crowned Fairy; Gartered, Slaty-tailed, Black-throated, White-tailed, and Black-tailed Trogons; White-necked Puffbird; Fasciated, and Black-crowned Antshrikes, plus White-bellied, and Dusky Antbirds; Yellow Tyrannulet, Forest Elaenia, Southern Bentbill, plus Panama, and Streaked Flycatchers; Masked Tityra; Blue Cotinga; Golden-collared Manakin; Green Shrike-Vireo; Plain, Black-bellied, and Buff-breasted Wrens; Rosy Thrush-Tanager; Red-throated Ant-Tanager; and Yellow-tailed Oriole, among others.

Day 7

5:30 am, meet at the parking lot deck and target Barred, and Collared Forest Falcons. 6:30 am, breakfast. 7:00-9:00 am, look for perched raptors including Double-toothed Kite, Gray-headed Kite, Gray-lined Hawk, Crane Hawk, or Semiplumbeous Hawk from tower observation deck. Non-raptorial highlights at the tower include Blue Cotinga, and Green Shrike-Vireo, toucans, and a wide array of tanagers, and mammals like three-toed sloth, Geoffroy’s tamarins, Black Howler Monkeys, and Coatimundi. Later in the morning, the migration will pick up (weather conditions permitting), and we may also start seeing some resident soaring species such as White Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, or Black Hawk-Eagle. 12:30 pm, lunch. Optional siesta time after lunch, or back to the observation deck to watch more raptors, and other birds and mammals. 4:00-6:00 pm, visit Summit Ponds and the Old Gamboa Road to target Collared Forest Falcon, and Great Black Hawk. Great Antshrike, Jet Antbird, Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant, and Bran-colored Flycatcher are all realistic possibilities. Lucky birders get their Boat-billed Heron here. 6:30 pm, dinner at the Canopy Lodge. 7:30-7:45 pm, optional evening presentation by Sergio Seipke: An Introduction to the Raptors of Panama: Those Secretive Species! Overnight at the Canopy Tower.

Double room at Canopy Tower, Panama. © Sergio Seipke — Rooms at the Canopy Tower do not have AC, but temperature is quite pleasant during the night, and all have fans and private bathrooms. Single rooms are usually not available.

In addition to the birds you have seen on the previous days, also keep an eye out for Gray-headed Chachalaca; Green, Striated, Capped, and Boat-billed Herons; Spectacled Owl; Green, Ringed, Amazon Kingfishers, and American Pygmy Kingfisher; Crimson-crested Woodpecker; Cocoa Woodcreeper; Great Antshrike, and Jet, and White-bellied Antbird; Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Royal, Black-tailed, Boat-billed, Rusty-margined, and Streaked Flycatchers; Golden-collared, and Lance-tailed Manakins; plus Mangrove Swallow; and Yellow-backed Oriole.

Day 8

5:00 am, breakfast. 6:00-9:30 am, Quebrada Juan Grande and Pipeline Road to target Semiplumbeous Hawk, Tiny Hawk, and (early in the morning) Slaty-backed Forest Falcon. Other raptors likely to be seen here include Double-toothed Kite, and with a bit of luck, Gray-headed Kite and Crane Hawk. Agami Heron, Sunbittern, Dull-mantled Antbird, and Sapayoa are sometimes seen along the streams intersected along the road. Others include Slaty-tailed Trogon, and Cocoa Woodcreeper. 10:00 am through noon, watch the migration and resident raptors from the tower at the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center where Tiny, and Semiplumbeous Hawks have been seen regularly. 12:30 pm, box lunch at the Visitor Center where we can probably see Golden-collared Manakin, Long-billed Hermit, White-necked Jacobin, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, and up to ten species of hummers. 2:00-5:00 pm, boat ride on the Chagres river to improve our chances with raptors such as Osprey, Snail Kite, and Great Black Hawk, and visit either San Antonio or Ella Puru, Wounaan and Embera indigenous villages. 5:30 pm, back at the Canopy Tower to wind down for a while before dinner. 6:30 pm, dinner and main tour wrap-up. Overnight at the Canopy Tower.

Osprey with fish, Panama, by Sergio Seipke — A boat ride on the Chagres river will offer an excellent oportunity to watch **Ospreys** fishing!

Day 9

Watch the sun rise from the tower observation deck. 7:30 am, breakfast. Then checkout and transfer to Tocumen Int’l Airport, where the tour ends… or continue onto the Extension to the Darien to target Harpy, and Crested Eagles, and other raptor specialties.

Tour Extension Day-by-Day Itinerary

The main goals of this extension are to watch Harpy, and Crested Eagles, and target Plumbeous, and Semiplumbeous Hawk, plus Red-throated Caracara. Success with the first two will largely depend on the status of known nesting sites at the time the tour is conducted. Please note that predation or other disruptive events can happen suddenly and without warning, causing nest failure, and sometimes, desertion of territories by breeding adults. Only participants of the main tour can signup for the extension.

The **Harpy Eagle** is the most powerful raptor on the planet, and to see it in the wild is every birder’s dream!