Bonus Pipeline morning

On the final day of the Panama trip most of the group had morning flights.  A couple of us however didn't leave until the late afternoon so I arranged a driver to take us back to Pipeline Road, one of the highlights of last year's Canal Zone trip.

The bird of the day was straight out of the gate displaying practically at the trail head.  We heard an odd rattling growl and I saw a medium-sized creature that I expected to be a young Coati.  It wasn't.

It's a Pheasant Cuckoo.  This fat road-runner like bird spent the entire day there.  It was still there when we left in the early afternoon.

Pipeline Road is just about the best place I've ever been for antbirds.  On this day there were no antswarms, but the birds appeared steadily, first Checker-throated Antwren,

 next Chestnut-backed Antbird,

 and finally Fasciated Antshrike

Flycatchers were common as well.  Southern Bentbill was my 1000th life bird at this location a year prior, it was fun to get a better look at one.

Along with my closest looks at Olivaceous Flatbill

 and Yellow-margined Flycatcher.

Of course there were many more birds, this is the always in motion Long-billed Gnatwren,

 and finally a considerably more sedate Broad-billed Motmot.

I couldn't have been more pleased with this trip overall, and this hike through the jungle sprawling densely beneath the towering Ceiba trees couldn't have been a better way to end it.