panama, day 2: “there’s a cracker on your pants”

An exhausting day yesterday, full of birds and bugs on only the first mile of Pipeline Road. The coolest life bird was a White-whiskered Puffbird sitting, still-life, by the side of the road. Like all other puffbirds I’ve ever seen, it didn’t move more than an inch. Kingfisher took this photo with his point-and-shoot:

Other memorable moments:

• Watching a female Fasciated Antshrike a few yards away seemingly trying to pick up a 6-inch branch. It turned out to be an enormous grasshopper. She’s still digesting.
• Finding three army ant swarms and their attending birds. I was studying where Sam Britton, our guide, was trying to get me on a Chestnut-backed Antbird, and instead saw a gray- and pigeon-headed fat bird with yellow legs strolling by — Little Tinamou. A bird most often heard than seen, and less common than Great Tinamou.
• Watching one of many Bicolored Antbirds hunt in an ant swarm right at our feet, intent on finding lunch. Amazing.
• Seeing at least four species of crackers, noise-making Neotropical butterflies I’ve written about before, one of which landed on my leg.
• Sam taking to a location where he found a jaguar track in the mud, which was still recognizable as one big cat print.
• Last lifer of the day, a gorgeous Green-and-rufous Kingfisher at Summit Ponds.
• Hiking up to the new Pipeline Road visitors center (below) which is opening later this month. It’s about 2 km from the first gate at the beginning of the road, near the first stream crossing (Juan Grande).

We are picking up our rental car today, and I think we’re going back to Pipeline. More later