Celebrating Panama Audubon Society's 50 years!

That's right, Panama Audubon Society (PAS) turns 50!  And for the occasion they have organized a series of activities to share with members and general public, celebrating our birds.  We started last weekend with the first of a series of Sunday trips.  Many members of the board of directors (including me) accompanied our guide for the day, my friend Justo Camargo, very early at the Metropolitan Natural Park, where we met the participants.  Former PAS president, Darien Montañez, opened the event before heading to the trails.

However, I decided to accompany Rosabel Miró (PAS Executive Director), Yenifer Díaz (and his mom) and Celeste Paiva, who expected a very special group of participants to the event: a group of 16 fifth-grade kids and teachers of one of the Elementary Schools where PAS conducts its environmental education program "Aulas Verdes" (Green Classrooms).

Rosabel and Yenifer in front of the group!

Rosabel gave them commemorative t-shirts as a gift, and lent them binoculars.  After a little introduction to birdwatching, we walked slowly around the installations, bordering the forest. The experience of sharing your love for nature and birds with those kids is amazing.  They were curious and interested in everything I was saying...

And everything we were showing...  thanks God the birds were particularly cooperative, allowing great scoped views... like this day-roosting Chuck-will's-widow.

Or this Common Potoo at the little park by the gate of the main trails.

The event was a great success, and we will repeat the experience every sunday of this month... here is the schedule for the trips to come: 

1.  Sunday, october 13th: Parque Municipal Summit (7:00 am - 9:30 am)

2.  Sunday, october 20th: Cerro Ancon (8:00 am - 12:00 pm)

3.  Sunday, october 27th: Panama Viejo (7:30 am - 11:00 am)

Join us and celebrate with us our 50 years!

Migrants through the city

October is the peak of the migration season through Panama, time to have your binoculars handy because you never know what to expect.  This last week has been very productive in terms of new species seen from my balcony.  Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, Black-and-white, Yellow and Blackburnian Warblers, Red-eyed Vireo, Summer Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Common Nighthawk, Osprey and Broad-winged Hawk were all new for the balcony list (we moved in july to our apartment).

I also saw a flock of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers in the hill facing the frontal balcony... can you see how many are in the next photo?

They were a little bit far for photos... but are still recognizable.  Seeing this species surrounded by towers and skyscrapers was special.

Migration can give you a lifer in or near your home... at least that is what I'm hoping for.  One of those long expected lifers, the Black-billed Cuckoo, was seen in the Metropolitan Natural Park last weekend by my good friend Osvaldo Quintero, who kindly shared this photo with me:

Copyright Osvaldo Quintero, used with permission

This park is just 10 minutes away of my apartment... in fact, I can see it from the window!  I'll try this next sunday, who knows, maybe this is THE year!

Starting a new balcony list

I don't know if I invented this, but a balcony list includes all the birds species you're able to see or hear from your balcony.  It's different to a backyard list because is not limited by the size of your garden; instead, it depends of how good your field of view is from your balcony.  My former balcony list reached 53 species... amazing considering that this was my former balcony view:

I say "former", because since two weeks ago, this is our new balcony view:

Yes, after more than five years, we moved to a new apartment in a newer and safer area of Panamá City, with many parks and recreative areas, wide avenues and many facilities... also it is larger than our former apartment... and did I mention that we also have a closer view of the Metropolitan Natural Park?

So far, I have recorded 36 species (plus an unidentified hummingbird... probably Sapphire-throated, but not sure).  Curiously, the last bird we saw in our former apartment was the first we saw in our new apartment: Gray-breasted Martins.

I don't know how many years are we going to live at our new place, but something is for sure... I'll try to exceed my former balcony list!