In a message dated 96-01-15 23:23:57 EST, Stan Ray writes:

>Any hot tips for good birding spots in and around Panama City? Is it safe on
>the streets during the day? Are Panamanians friendly toward USA tourists?
>Thanks, Stan Ray

I highly reccommend Robert Ridgley's *Birds of Panama*. There is an
excellent section in the back on where to find birds in Panama, including
Panama City, and lists everything you need to know, including telephone
numbers, addresses, maps, and much more. It is the best, most complete, and
most useful field guide I have ever used! Wish they could ALL be like that.
The premier spot as you may already know, is Pipeline Road, only 45 minutes
drive from Panama City. However, the gate is usually locked. Arrangements
can be made through the Panama Audubon Society, P.O. Box 2026, Balboa,
Republic of Panama.

Actually I don't really know how it works if you don't know someone. I knew
someone who had a key and he just loaned it to me everytime I visited Panama
and wanted to go birding there for a few days. I camped back in there two
and three days at a time. Unfortunately, this person is no longer there and
I was last in Panama 3 years ago.

You could walk it, or at least part of it. It's 17.5 km to the end (Agua
Salud) but birding is often best in the latter half. During the heat of the
day, walking in the stream beds is where you'll find most of the activity,
it's a little cooler there, and you can pause to go skinny dipping along the
way. I remember running into a sunbittern in full display one hot afternoon
downstream in Agua Salud which I thought was one of the most dazzling birds
I'd ever seen. Watch out for those pesky monkeys. They like to poop on you
if you are standing under a group of them feeding in a tree. It's no
accident either; they do it deliberately! Driving the road at night can be
rewarding for the mammals and assorted night birds like owls, nightjars
including potoos, and boat-billed heron. A powerful spotlight helps -- one
you can plug into the cigarette lighter.

Ridgley has been my bible. He lists and describes how to get to the best
birding sites in exact detail. On my last trip, I rented a brand new Toyota
4-Runner and spent a month birding all parts of the country that I could get
to. Alone. No serious problems with people. I was there before and after
Noriega, and my month long solo expedition was a few weeks after the
invasion. The Toyota didn't fare so well, and I had to pay about $1200.00 in
damages from having run it in the ditch and to replace both mirrors and radio
antenna which were broken by vandals at the snowcap site and figured I got
off lucky. Best and most economical vehicle I've ever driven though, 40 mpg
diesel. It would go everywhere including to the top of 3,000 m. Volcan Baru
(no small feat for the faint of heart, but oh! what outrageous birding on the
way up!! -- especially those awesome fiery-throated hummingbirds!!). Too bad
it was trashed when I returned it.

A lot of people seem to think when they are in Panama, they have to go to
Barro Colorado Island. Well, locals recommended that it wasn't really worth
it unless you can make arrangements to stay for a few days. As it is, a one
day trip doesn't get you there until late morning, after the bird activity
has died down. It is utterly imperative to be ON SITE and start birding at
the crack of dawn. It's wild for those first few hours, but by 10am or so,
it get's pretty quiet and hot, and birds are much harder to find. Don't
neglect the evening for birding, especially the last 2 hours of daylight,
there can be quite an impressive surge of activity before dark.

On the Caribbean side, and not far from Panama City, Achiote Road is a good
spot as are some others listed in Ridgley, across the Gatun Locks from Colon.
About Colon: WARNING!! Don't mess around there at all. This place IS
dangerous! Robbery and Murder is standard fare and people there don't even
blink. Don't stop for anything and keep your doors locked. Even the locals
from Panama City wouldn't have anything to do with it. I never had any
problems, but could have, and I have heard way too many horror stories. The
slums there are really photogenic.

Another great spot, and one of my favorites is Nusagandi, a 2-hour (took me
6) drive east of Panama City. I had a hair raising experience getting there,
driving it at night, in an all night pounding rain and lightning storm with
the cloud bases hugging the tree and ridge tops. The constant severe
lightning was terrifying, and I thought that I had finally done it, taken
that one chance too many, and probably was going to die. I didn't.

The fantastic thing about Nusagandi is it's location on the Continental
Divide, and the great accomodations provided. You can just sit on the
veranda in the evening writing up your notes by lantern light while listening
to all those strange noises in the rain forest, be lulled to sleep by them,
and wake up in the morning to an incredible wealth of birdsong. The antbirds
were a riot up there. BTW, when the army ants are swarming, treat them with
respect! Otherwise, you'll be sorry.

You probably should make arrangements in advance. I had no problem by just
dropping in at 3am in the morning during the monsoons. As it was, I was the
first person to have been there in over a month. A normal person wouldn't go
there in the wet, and would make arrangements before hand. You shouldn't
have any problem in the dry although I'd still go in a 4WD.

I've been to every site and sub-site listed in Ridgley's finding birds in
Panama section, except for the more remote Darien Country, to which a rather
major and expensive expedition has to be arranged well in advance.

Go get the book. If you still have some questions after that, then don't
hesitate to contact me directly. Maybe someone else will have a better
update about the mood there now and how Americans are treated. When I was
last there, there was pretty high euphoria running through the country
following the ousting of Noriega. Perhaps some sense of reality and
frustration has returned and it may be less so now.

As for the streets of Panama City being safe in the day; well, I hope so.
Still the usual common sense rules apply. Maintain self confidence without
appearing hostile and try not to look like a tourist. Pickpockets would be
the most likely concern on crowded streets. Parks and local birding spots
described by Ridgely should be safe. I never lug a camera around; binoculars
are enough, and have never felt threatened there. I'd stay out of some parts
at night though, but you probably aren't going to those sailor hangouts in
the bombed out zone anyway.

Personally, I like Panama better than Costa Rica because there are fewer
tourists (NONE in the immediate wake of Noriega) and everywhere I went, the
locals all seemed to love just having one, an American, come around. Most
Costa Rican species can be seen in Panama plus many more with affinities to
South America which don't occur in Costa Rica. Good Luck, Have Fun! :)

Now Stan, you're probably going to tell me this is just a business trip, with
maybe a little birding on the side. :) Get the book anyway.

Richard Rowlett <pagodroma at aol.com>
Bellevue, WA, USA