RESERVA FORESTAL EL MONTUOSO 
PANAMA

CHEPO near CHITRE (Compass)

Lat:00^o00´S/00^o00´W ha topography msl 
Protected/registered status 
Best Time for visit (7-8th March, 2005)

Birding Site Guide

This site is easily reached by walking from the small town of Chepo (with very friendly people). Chepo has a hotel ($5 per person) and also possibly a cabaña for rent. Ask at a shop after the church on the left with a sign (Ab. Jose y Joel). There are several shops and a restaurant in town. Chepo is 17km from the larger town of Las Minas where there are also apparently rooms for rent (ask locally). Las Minas is reached easily by hourly minibuses ($2) from Chitre bus terminal. The journey takes 1 hour. The first bus leaves at 6am and the las bus back from Las Minas leaves at 6pm. Transport from Las Minas to Chepo is more troublesome. There are several 'transportes' (pick-up trucks) every day but the times vary and they can be so crowded as to refuse to pick up further passengers. We got stuck in Chepo for the night despite waiting from 2:30pm. Trucks usually leave Las Minas at about 6, 7, 8 and 10am and the last one returns from Chepo at about 4. It is difficult to bird Montuoso on a day trip from Chitre and is better to stay. From the centre of Chepo follow the road along past a tiny church on the left and after a while take a left turn down the hill where the road splits. Follow this road along to a school and turn left down to a stream. Cross this and follow the road up right and into the forest. Brown-backed Dove is easily heard sounding very similar to the call of White-tipped Dove. I also got a good view of it. The forest has good birding and is definitely worth spending at least a couple of days birding here. I saw 55 species including 7 lifers. 

Species seen

• Little Tinamou h Crypturellus soui
• Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
• Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
• Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus
• Gray Hawk Asturina nitida
• Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris
• Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
• Black Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus tyrannus
• Black-breasted Wood-Quail h Odontophorus leucolaemus
• Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
• Ruddy Pigeon ? Patagioenas subvinacea
• White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
• Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana
• Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani
• Striped Cuckoo h Tapera naevia
• Pauraque Nyctidromus albicollis
• White-collared Swift Streptoprocne zonaris
• Green Violet-ear Colibri thalassinus
• Violet-headed Hummingbird ? Klais guimeti
• Garden Emerald Chlorostilbon assimilis
• White-tailed Emerald Elvira chionura
• Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Amazilia tzacatl
• Snowy-bellied Hummingbird Saucerottia edward
• Purple-throated Mountain-gem Lampornis calolaema
• Magenta-throated Woodstar Calliphlox bryantae
• Scintillant Hummingbird Selasphorus scintilla
• Glow-throated Hummingbird Selasphorus ardens Endemic Vulnerable
• Blue-crowned Motmot Momotus momota
• Prong-billed Barbet h Semnornis frantzii
• Red-crowned Woodpecker Melanerpes rubricapillus
• Barred Antshrike h Thamnophilus doliatus
• Yellow-bellied Elaenia Elaenia flavogaster
• Lesser Elaenia ? Elaenia chiriquensis
• Mountain Elaenia Elaenia frantzii
• Yellowish Flycatcher Empidonax flavescens
• Dusky-capped Flycatcher Myiarchus tuberculifer
• Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
• Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus Seen San Felix to Hato Chami
• Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Rare/Accidental
• Blue-and-white Swallow Pygochelidon cyanoleuca
• Rufous-and-white Wren Thryothorus rufalbus
• Plain Wren ? Thryothorus modestus
• House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• Gray-breasted Wood-Wren Henicorhina leucophrys
• Black-faced Solitaire Myadestes melanops
• Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush Catharus aurantiirostris
• Clay-colored Robin Turdus grayi
• White-throated Thrush Turdus assimilis
• Black-chested Jay Cyanocorax affinis
• Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
• Tennessee Warbler Vermivora peregrina
• Collared Redstart Myioborus torquatus
• Rufous-capped Warbler Basileuterus rufifrons
• Common Bush-Tanager Chlorospingus ophthalmicus
• Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager Chlorospingus pileatus
• Rosy Thrush-Tanager Rhodinocichla rosea
• Flame-colored Tanager Piranga bidentata
• Crimson-backed Tanager Ramphocelus dimidiatus
• Blue-gray Tanager Thraupis episcopus
• Palm Tanager Thraupis palmarum
• Thick-billed Euphonia Euphonia laniirostris
• Elegant Euphonia Euphonia elegantissima
• Bay-headed Tanager Tangara gyrola
• Scarlet-thighed Dacnis Dacnis venusta
• Red-legged Honeycreeper Cyanerpes cyaneus
• Yellow-faced Grassquit Tiaris olivacea
• Slaty Flowerpiercer Diglossa plumbea
• Yellow-green Finch Pselliophorus luteoviridis Endemic Vulnerable
• Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis
• Buff-throated Saltator Saltator maximus
• Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus

Other Fauna 
A total of -- species of mammals. 

There are -- recorded species of amphibians and reptiles. 

Flora 

Author: Charles Hesse

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