P. 3 - LA PLAYA
JULY / JULIO 2014
Birding Panama’s
Pipeline Road
(Continued from P.2)
Continuing
past
the
BCI/Smithsonian docks, we take a
hard right turn down a dirt road in a
very unassuming area; this is
Pipeline Road! There is only a
small, old, and ill-maintained sign
which seems to whisper to you,
“You are here, you have arrived”.
This is a good place to park and
walk, although many prefer, as I do
on this day, to drive to the entrance
of the trail section of Pipeline Road
just a few kilometers down this
forested road. The palms, underbrush, and trees shield you like a
safety blanket.
Birds are easy and plentiful here at
Pipeline Road, they come and go
quickly, often there are so many of
them its hard to concentrate on just
one. However, the nature of birding
is unpredictable. You could have a
day where the birds seem to perch
and model, while on another day
you have great views of tail feathers
as they fly away from you. Birding is
like that.
Then there is the problem of identification! Many look alike. Patience,
meticulous
observation,
a
handbook and birding guide can get
you well on your way to enjoying
and cataloguing Pipeline Road.
Preparing to Bird
If you are ready to take the plunge in
to the abundant world of birding in
Panama, Pipeline Road is great
place to visit. The first thing on your
list should be a “to-go” birding pack
that is packed and ready to roll on a
moment’s notice. Here are some
things to put in the pack that would
serve an on-trail birding day trip.
1.) Binoculars. A good pair of
binoculars is a must. You must have
your own pair. Sharing does not
work in birding. Sometimes one will
see a bird for 1-5 seconds and it’s
gone. A typical birder uses any of
the following combinations: 7x40,
8x42, 10x42, and 10x50. Most
birders use binoculars with at least
7x magnification but no more than
10x. I personally use the 8x42
combination.
Smaller binoculars, or what are
called “compacts”, are easier to
carry around but rarely have an
objective lens larger than 30mm.
The significance of this is less light
reaches your eye which equates to
less detail. In the end, detail is one
of the most important aspects to
birding and identification.
2.) Field Guide. A good field guide
is very important. Often, after we
finish watching a bird in the field
there is a great desire to identify the
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bird. This is part of the fun in birding.
To carry a field compatible and
instructive book is essential. For
Panama birding I use two on and
off. Robert Ridgely`s Field guide to
the birds of Panama is extraordinary
and packed full of detailed information. It is a larger tome than most
people like to carry to the field, but
it’s much more complete than the
smaller George Angehr & Robert
Dean “Field Guides to the Birds of
Panama”. I find both useful in
different situations and find myself
carrying each of them about equally.
3.) Notebook and Pencil. Birders
are meticulous creatures. We like to
keep track of what we see, where
we see it and generally enjoy taking
notes about these observations. It is
not only important for our own
purposes but the scientific community often uses bird watchers field
checklists for research. See Cornell
University’s
eBird
site
www.ebird.org. Sign up and participate!
Sometimes we find birds that should
not be where they are. This occurrence is actually fairly common. In
these cases it’s important to take
notes about the birds physical
appearance, behaviour, location,
and conditions surrounding the
observation. Much research has
shown that humans have a very
poor ability to recall facts within
hours after an observation. Field
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notes are the best way to keep clear
data.
4.) Sketchbook. Some birders, like
me, are budding artists. If you enjoy
drawing, sketching, watercolors or
some other form of art, it is common
in the birding world to keep sketch
journals or watercolors of your
observations in the field. I personally carry a small Winsor &
Newtown field watercolor set with
me at all times so I can sketch and
color bird observations in the field.
Safety Necessities.
2 x 1000mL water bottles, filled
(minimum for tropics),
1 x packed snacks and lunch
(consists usually of power bars,
granola
bars,
peanut
butter
sandwiches and other high energy
foods),
1 x headlamp (I use Petzl
headlamps) in case you get caught
on a trail in the dark, always carry
extra set of batteries,
1 x multi tool (I have a Swiss Army
Champ),
1 x rain gear (I carry both a rain
poncho and a sturdy packable
umbrella),
1 x cell phone for emergencies,
1 x packable first aid kit,
1 x sunscreen,
1 x hat, wide-brimmed ( I love Tilly’s
but also use Panamanian campasino hats often)
5.) COMFORT. For long trips, I find
that a foldable tripod-like chair is
great for the field. You can get a $4
trifold seat at DO-IT Center.
6.) Insect Spray is not usually
needed on small trail trips. But if you
are susceptible to bites, its handy t