Panama: Chiriqui

I can’t possibly exaggerate how much I enjoyed our time at Los Quetzales Lodge; but another fine breakfast and we were already on our way again. It took us the entire day to make the trip back to David and the airport: the birding was that good!

A Yellow-headed Caracara started us off, flapping low over our heads as we watched Yellow-faced Grassquits and Green Violet-ears in the parking lot. Then it was on to a river crossing known to be frequented by a Torrent Tyrannulet; that bird made us wait a little while, ‘forcing’ us to enjoy White-throated Thrush and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis before it appeared to glean insects from the roof of a roadside vegetable stand.

But the highest of a day filled with lights was on a wire on our way down to Volcan. Gray-breasted Martin, Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher… Pearl Kite!! This dainty little raptor sat stolid on the wire as the martins dive-bombed it, finally seeming to have had enough harrassment and dropping into the sugar cane. I walked down the road to photograph the martins, only to have the kite fly out of the field and land above my head, a bright green lizard dangling from its elegant feet. Incredible! And even more incredible: we saw two more before the afternoon was out.