RANCHO FRIO STATION, DARIEN NATIONAL PARK 
PANAMA

EL REAL (near) (Compass)

Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl 
Protected/registered status 
Best Time for visit (24-28th March, 2005)

 

Birding Site Guide

This was an excellent but difficult site for us to access cheaply. Although there are flights ($50 one-way) we took a bus from the main terminal in Panama City to Meteti ($9, 6 hours) and from there a pick-up to Yaviza ($5, 2 and a half hours). There were many police check points along the way where we had to show passports and were asked questions. There are some direct buses from Panama City to Yaviza. From Yaviza we took a small boat to El Real ($3, 1 hour) which had quite good birding on the way (I saw Viridian Dacnis ?). There is a hotel ($7 for a double) and restaurant ($2 a meal) in town and a lady called Jessica living next to the hotel will organize guides, park entrance and accomodation fees. A guide in costs $10 in and $10 out. Entrance to the park $3 per person and accommodation $10 per person per night. All food needs to be taken in although the river water in the park is drinkable. El real only has a limited food shopping and it would be better bought in Yaviza which is cheaper anyway. There is a fire where cooking can be done and a few pots, pans and dishes that can be used. We also received some free cooked food. It is a 4 hour hike to the Rancho Frio (Pirre) station in the park. This passes through open, secondary and good forest and the birding is excellent. There are bunks at Rancho Frio but no sheets. A mosquito net is also a good idea although mosquitos were few when we were there and the guide in residence claimed there was no malaria in the area. The guide (Henry) is knowledgeable about birds and very keen but speaks no English. There are several trails from the camp. One carries on to an Antenna where there is a police post, 3 and half hours from the camp. I didn't walk this far but higher elevation endemics may be found here and Harpy Eagle has also been seen. I did see Great Currasow along the first part of this trail. Great Green Macaws can be seen flying over the camp in the mornings and evenings. Grey fox can be seen scavenging at the garbage dump nearby and agoutis are common in the forest. I saw 150 species including 28 lifers. 


Species seen

  • Great Tinamou Tinamus major
  • Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus
  • Capped Heron Pilherodius pileatus
  • Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
  • Cocoi Heron Ardea cocoi
  • Great Egret Ardea alba
  • Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
  • Snowy Egret Egretta thula
  • Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
  • Striated Heron Butorides striata
  • Rufescent Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma lineatum
  • White Ibis Eudocimus albus
  • Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
  • Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
  • King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa
  • Osprey Pandion haliaetus
  • Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus
  • Plumbeous Kite Ictinia plumbea
  • Crane Hawk Geranospiza caerulescens
  • White Hawk Leucopternis albicollis
  • Mangrove Black-Hawk Buteogallus subtilis
  • Great Black-Hawk Buteogallus urubitinga
  • Black-collared Hawk Busarellus nigricollis
  • Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris
  • Black Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus tyrannus
  • American Kestrel Falco sparverius
  • Gray-headed Chachalaca Ortalis cinereiceps
  • Great Curassow Crax rubra Near-threatened
  • Marbled Wood-Quail h Odontophorus gujanensis
  • White-throated Crake h Laterallus albigularis
  • Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica
  • Wattled Jacana Jacana jacana
  • Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia
  • Pale-vented Pigeon Patagioenas cayennensis
  • Short-billed Pigeon h Patagioenas nigrirostris
  • Ruddy Ground-Dove Columbina talpacoti
  • White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
  • Ruddy Quail-Dove h? Geotrygon montana
  • Great Green Macaw Ara ambigua Vulnerable
  • Spectacled Parrotlet Forpus conspicillatus
  • Orange-chinned Parakeet Brotogeris jugularis
  • Brown-hooded Parrot Pionopsitta haematotis
  • Blue-headed Parrot Pionus menstruus
  • Red-lored Parrot Amazona autumnalis
  • Mealy Parrot Amazona farinosa
  • Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana
  • Greater Ani Crotophaga major
  • Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani
  • Crested Owl h Lophostrix cristata
  • Short-tailed Nighthawk Lurocalis semitorquatus
  • White-collared Swift ? Streptoprocne zonaris
  • Rufous-breasted Hermit Glaucis hirsuta
  • Western Long-tailed Hermit Phaethornis longirostris
  • Little Hermit
  • Pale-bellied Hermit Phaethornis anthophilus
  • White-necked Jacobin Florisuga mellivora
  • Black-throated Mango Anthracothorax nigricollis
  • Green-crowned Woodnymph Thalurania fannyi
  • Sapphire-throated Hummingbird Lepidopyga coeruleogularis
  • Blue-throated Goldentail Hylocharis eliciae
  • White-tailed Trogon Trogon viridis
  • Black-throated Trogon Trogon rufus
  • Black-tailed Trogon Trogon melanurus
  • Slaty-tailed Trogon Trogon massena
  • Ringed Kingfisher Ceryle torquata
  • Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana
  • Blue-crowned Motmot Momotus momota
  • Rufous Motmot h Baryphthengus martii
  • Broad-billed Motmot h Electron platyrhynchum
  • White-whiskered Puffbird Malacoptila panamensis
  • White-fronted Nunbird Monasa morphoeus
  • Fiery-billed Aracari Pteroglossus frantzii
  • Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus
  • Black-mandibled Toucan Ramphastos ambiguus
  • Red-crowned Woodpecker Melanerpes rubricapillus
  • Cinnamon Woodpecker Celeus loricatus
  • Lineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus
  • Crimson-crested Woodpecker Campephilus melanoleucos
  • Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner Automolus ochrolaemus
  • Ruddy Woodcreeper Dendrocincla homochroa
  • Wedge-billed Woodcreeper Glyphorynchus spirurus
  • Northern Barred-Woodcreeper Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae
  • Buff-throated Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus guttatus
  • Black-striped Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus lachrymosus
  • Western Slaty-Antshrike Thamnophilus atrinucha
  • Checker-throated Antwren Myrmotherula fulviventris
  • White-flanked Antwren Myrmotherula axillaris
  • Chestnut-backed Antbird Myrmeciza exsul
  • Dull-mantled Antbird ? Myrmeciza laemosticta
  • Wing-banded Antbird Myrmornis torquata
  • Spotted Antbird Hylophylax naevioides
  • Black-faced Antthrush h Formicarius analis
  • Streak-chested Antpitta h Hylopezus perspicillatus
  • Purple-throated Fruitcrow Querula purpurata
  • Green Manakin ? Chloropipo holochlora
  • Golden-collared Manakin Manacus vitellinus
  • Blue-crowned Manakin Pipra coronata
  • Golden-headed Manakin Pipra erythrocephala
  • Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet ? Tyrannulus elatus
  • Forest Elaenia ? Myiopagis gaimardii
  • Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum nigriceps
  • Golden-crowned Spadebill Platyrinchus coronatus
  • Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher Terenotriccus erythrurus
  • Black-tailed Flycatcher Myiobius atricaudus
  • Tropical Pewee Contopus cinereus
  • Pied Water-Tyrant Fluvicola pica
  • Bright-rumped Attila Attila spadiceus
  • Dusky-capped Flycatcher Myiarchus tuberculifer
  • Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
  • Lesser Kiskadee ? Philohydor lictor
  • Boat-billed Flycatcher Megarynchus pitangua
  • Rusty-margined Flycatcher ? Myiozetetes cayanensis
  • Gray-capped Flycatcher Myiozetetes granadensis
  • Streaked Flycatcher Myiodynastes maculatus
  • Piratic Flycatcher h Legatus leucophaius
  • Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
  • Cinnamon Becard Pachyramphus cinnamomeus
  • Masked Tityra Tityra semifasciata
  • Black-crowned Tityra Tityra inquisitor
  • Gray-breasted Martin Progne chalybea
  • Mangrove Swallow Tachycineta albilinea
  • Southern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx ruficollis
  • House Wren Troglodytes aedon
  • White-breasted Wood-Wren Henicorhina leucosticta
  • Tropical Gnatcatcher Polioptila plumbea
  • Northern Waterthrush h Seiurus noveboracensis
  • Gray-headed Tanager Eucometis penicillata
  • Scarlet-browed Tanager Heterospingus xanthopygius
  • White-shouldered Tanager Tachyphonus luctuosus
  • Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
  • Crimson-backed Tanager Ramphocelus dimidiatus
  • Flame-rumped Tanager Ramphocelus flammigerus
  • Blue-gray Tanager Thraupis episcopus
  • Palm Tanager Thraupis palmarum
  • Golden-hooded Tanager Tangara larvata
  • Viridian Dacnis ? Dacnis viguieri Near-threatened
  • Purple Honeycreeper Cyanerpes caeruleus
  • Blue-black Grassquit Volatinia jacarina
  • Variable Seedeater Sporophila corvina
  • Yellow-bellied Seedeater ? Sporophila nigricollis
  • Thick-billed Seed-Finch Oryzoborus funereus
  • Buff-throated Saltator Saltator maximus
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
  • Blue Grosbeak Passerina caerulea
  • Giant Cowbird Molothrus oryzivorus
  • Orange-crowned Oriole Icterus auricapillus
  • Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
  • Yellow-rumped Cacique Cacicus cela
  • Crested Oropendola Psarocolius decumanus
  • Black Oropendola Psarocolius guatimozinus


Other Fauna 
A total of -- species of mammals. 

There are -- recorded species of amphibians and reptiles. 

Flora 

Author: Charles Hesse 

 

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