BIRDING IN PANAMA
Panama is a birder’s heaven. This tiny isthmus is a nestled between two oceans, serving as a land bridge for birds migrating between two continents. Panama has more species of birds than any other Central American nation including Costa Rica, which has built a reputation as an eco-tourism center. With a land mass approximately equal to that of S. Carolina (and a much smaller human population), Panama is home to roughly 1000 species of birds including 150 migratory species, 50 species of raptors, 18 species of parrots, and 12 species found nowhere else in the world.
Where else will birders find, in a very small area, a dozen species of tanagers and trogons, the giant blue-and-gold macaw, keel-billed toucans (pictured here), and unique species such as ant birds, umbrella birds, harpy eagles, and quetzals? With such a dizzying array of opportunities, where should birders new to Panama begin?
Birding near Panama City
Surprisingly, one of the best birding spots on the isthmus is a day trip from the cosmopolitan capital, Panama City. The Canopy Tower at Parque Nacional Soberania is a logical starting point. Where have ornithologists found more birds from their ‘life-lists’ in a single day than anywhere else on the planet? Soberania’s pipeline trail holds the title. Many of the bird species residing in the park’s 55,000 acres can be seen on this 10-mile hike. There are too many species to list here! There are also medium and short birding hikes featuring ant birds and waterfalls.
Leaving Panama City, there is a Canopy Lodge at El Valle de Anton that specializes in birding that provides an excellent stop over location in route the Azuero Peninsula.
Birding from the Azuero Peninsula
The remote Azuero is Panama’s heartland and home to another of the country’s top birding spots. Playa El Agallito near the town of Chitre exposes mud flats at low tide. Here you will find birds migrating between Alaska and Argentina. Birders can contact Biologist Francisco Delgado at (507) 996-1725 for a guided tour to see spoonbills, terns, egrets, pharalopes, stilts, and thousand-member flocks of many shorebird species.
More than 160 migratory species can be found in Paque Nacional Sarigua, a 20,000 acre park with mangroves, lagoons, and ranger station with an excellent perch. Visitors to the Azuero will also stop at Bahia de Parita and many refuges, islands, and reserves with freshwater wetlands and marshes that are home to fulvous whistling ducks, limpkins, glossy ibis, black-crowned night herons, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, and white ibises. Visit www.anam.gob.pa for links to the Azuero’s many excellent birding sites.
If you visit the Azuero during Carnaval, visit Las Tablas where you’ll find another elegant ‘bird’. Graceful beauty queens parade in costumed bikinis and extravagant polleras. Don’t try to arrive the week of Ash Wednesday without confirming lodging reservations well in advance.
This author’s favorite beach hideaway on the Azuero is Playa Venado. Here there is excellent lodging on a pristine shore, a Smithsonian outpost, and day trips to islands that are home to herons, terns, noddies, and boobies.
Birding in Panama’s Northern Highlands
Boquete is the Valley of Eternal Spring. Here you’ll find harpy eagles, violet-eared hummingbirds, three-wattled bellbirds, yellow-thighed finches, black-chested warblers, and many birders favorite trogan – quetzals – abound in the shadow of Volcan Baru, Panama’s highest elevation. Boquete was settled by European immigrants and maintains the largest population of indigenous Ngobe peoples and expatriates living side-by-side. Flower fincas and coffee plantations line this picturesque valley.
From Cerra Punta you’ll find the easiest access to the magnificent Parque Internacional La Amistad, 1,500 square miles that his home to 225 bird species, including the largest concentration of quetzals in C. America.
In both of these locations, you can stay in birder-friendly lodging with nature trails onsite and balcony views of quetzals. There are also many bird-rich, cloud forest hikes in the area, including the hike to summit the volcano and a hike to an eco-lodge with outstanding wildlife viewing.
Birding on Isla Coiba
Scarlet macaws make their home in this marine park comprised of 39-islands surrounding Panama’s largest island. Mostly virgin rainforest, you’ll find 147 species of birds on Isla Coiba, including 21 that are native to the island. The Coiba spinetail, crested eagles, white-faced monkeys, crocodiles, snakes, and whales are the scarlet macaw’s neighbors. It is best to visit by private charter flights or charter boats which can be arranged from Chiriqui. Boaters often choose to fish their way back to the mainland.
Birding in Bocas del Toro
There are many parks in this province but the best birding is in the transition zone between Parque Internacional La Amistad and the tourist-friend islands on the coast. The options are Bosque Protector Palo Seco and Reserva Forestal Fortuna. There are several ecological projects in this transition zone where reforestation is being implemented to mediate the effects of slash-and-burn agriculture, cattle-ranching, and illegal logging. Contact a destination expert to arrange guided excursions into the best birding areas which are near Altos de Valle’s or check in at the area’s ANAM ranger station on the Fortuna highway.
Birding in the Darien
One of the most remote places on the planet, Parque Nacional Darien is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Biosphere Reserve, and Panama’s birding mecca. The Darien is home to 450 bird species including 6 species of macaws, parrots, ibises, and harpy eagles. There are also poisonous dart frogs, crocodiles, big cats, and snakes. Guides are required and access is limited, which is fortunate for endangered species. Journeys require registration with the police prior to departure, due to the presence of smugglers in this border area between S. America and the Panama Canal.
Sailing or kayaking the San Blas Islands provides birding along with glimpses into the indigenous Kuna Yale culture. Perhaps the best option for birding in the Darien is the Kuna-run Burbayar Eco-lodge where the elevation is favorable and there are six trails on the lodge’s private reserve. River journeys to the Darien should be booked with a destination expert.
Timing Your Birding Visit
Despite Panama’s modest size, it is impossible to enjoy all the places listed here in less than three weeks time without feeling rushed. Birders with one or two weeks can prioritize their destinations according to their other interests because each of these destinations offers world-class birding opportunities. The rugged Darien is in stark contrast to the many first-world comforts to be discovered in Panama. The best time to visit is between Christmas and Easter.
