Panama Shorebirds Starring Southern Lapwing Plus Common Tanagers

[Playa Bonita, Panama. Dec 2017]

In the neotropics, even the shorebirds are flamboyant! Take the Southern Lapwing: a plover that is both colorful and crested! How many shorebirds in the US have a crest? If you answered "none", you are correct!

The Southern Lapwing is not uncommon in the neotropics and in Playa Bonita it was observed in appropriate habitat quite frequently.

Besides the Lapwing, other shorebirds were decidedly familiar: 

A Spotted Sandpiper in its bronzed winter avatar:

An assortment of plovers, an oystercatcher and a whimbrel on some rocky outcrops:

The ever familiar Willet:

And everyone's favorite orange-billed Shorebird:

But at the hotel grounds, it was the tanagers that stole the show:

The ubiquitous Palm Tanager:

And, the irresistible Blue-grey Tanager:

While our tanagers (Scarlet, Summer, Hepatic, etc) are not "real" tanagers, the warblers seen on hotel property were real American Wood Warblers:

A Tennessee:

A Myrtle:

A Prothonotary that still shines:

The Tennessee again:

And, a faded Yellow Warbler:

Any American who travels to the Neotropics will be struck with wonder with a cornucopia of new species; yet comforted in the presence of the familiar. And, as a first foray into extending our birding frontier, Panama presents an enticing opportunity to the intrepid birder.