I enjoyed Panama so much on my spring break in 2024 that I decided to do it again in 2025. Currently, I am at 55 countries and trying to see as many as possible, so for me to duplicate a country just shows how much I enjoyed Panama. The number one draw for me in Panama was the birds. Las Nubes Panama bird feeders proved that I made a great decision returning to this country.
Blue-gray tanager with a crimson-backed tanager at Las Nubes Panama.
Arrival in Panama and immediately seeing birds
My flight arrived late, so I got a room at the Tocumen Aeropuerto Hotel and Casino right near the airport. This was a great decision as this was a wonderful hotel. I awoke next morning to the sounds of birds out my window. I immediately got some lifers with a caribe and great-tailed grackle. After a workout in their gym, I hit their incredible pool. Birds were everywhere, and I saw some favorites from last year like blue-gray and palm tanagers, and a common tody flycatcher. I then went out for a walk and saw a few other favorites from last year. The highlight being a male and female barred antshrike on the row of trees at the edge of the hotel.
Related: Pipeline Road birding with Whitehawk birding
Caribe grackle near the Tocumen Airport.
Male barred antshrike working the foliage at the edge of the hotel.
Female barred antshrike – Where there is a male, there is a female.
Early morning pickup for Cerro Azul with Whitehawk birding
As much as I would have liked to have stayed at the airport hotel, I moved to the Casco Viejo neighborhood for three days and stayed at the American Trade Hotel. After my second night in Panama, I booked a full day of guiding with Whitehawk Birding in Cerro Azul. I used them for a day last year on Pipeline Road. Although their fee is rather pricey, the guide was excellent as was the birding. I hoped for a similar experience in Cerro Azul.
Brown-headed parrot on the way to Cerro Azul. The first pictures of the morning always foggy as lens glass impacted by hotel air-conditioning.
Brown-hooded parrot breakfast on the way to Cerro Azul
No, I did not eat a brown-hooded parrot for breakfast, but I did see one, and I did have breakfast in the same area. Cerro Azul is located in the hills about 25 miles northeast of Panama City. On the way there, we stopped to take some pictures of brown-headed parrots feeding on the trees along the side of the road. We then stopped at a hopping local place for a wonderful breakfast. Not sure the name of the restaurant, it could have been Fonda El Chorro, but at any rate, below is a picture of my breakfast.
Panama breakfast with a delicious horchata flavored drink.
Next Stop Las Nubes Panama feeders
We arrived at Las Nubes feeders and were welcomed by two people who worked there. There is an extra $50.00 fee to visit Las Nubes on top of the daily guiding fee I paid. If you are coming on your own, I assume it is the same price. Here is a link to their instagram that has their WhatsApp number. Reservations are required as noted in caps on their Instagram page. There was a nice couple there who had used my guide a couple of days previously. They were here independently and staying nearby. I hung out with them for the rest of the morning and we compared birding notes.
Stripe-cheecked woodpecker just outside Las Nubes.
The endemic stripe-cheecked woodpecker.
Even before entering the premises, we saw several interesting birds and two lifers for me. We saw a pair of rufous-and-white wrens and a stripe-cheeked woodpecker. The stripe-checked woodpecker is a local specialty, so you definitely want to check them off your list in Cerro Azul. They are endemic to Panama. They are found elsewhere in the country, but Cerro Azul is the best place to see them. I was fortunate to see two on this day as we saw another at forest feeding station as well.
Rufous-and-white wren across the street from Las Nubes.
Entering bird photography heaven at Las Nubes Panama bird feeders
The staff at Las Nubes gave me a strip of stickers showing some of the beautiful birds that frequent their feeders with the phrase “bird photography heaven” noted in the middle of each sticker. I was about to find out the truth of this statement. After you enter, guests are greeted with a wonderful and serene setting with chairs and tables set up in front of and in the middle of hummingbird and fruit feeders. Several species and colors of hummingbirds are swarming the feeders while tanagers, honeycreepers, and euphorias are active on the fruit feeders. All of this is mere feet away from the viewing area.
Red-legged honeycreeper hitting a banana at Las Nubes Panama.
One after another lifer to check off at Las Nubes Panama bird feeders
Las Nubes Panama and Cerro Azul in general are noted for its wide variety of tanagers. This was immediately evident as several species I have seen before like blue-gray, palm, crimson-backed, golden-hooded, and plain-colored tanager. These were mixed in with new ones like the hepatic and the beautiful bay-headed tanager. The same could be said for the humming birds. Birds I have seen before like the rufous-tailed hummingbird and the white-necked Jacobin frolicked with snowy-bellied hummingbirds, white-vented plumeteer, and crowned woodnymphs.
Hepatic tanager at bird photography heaven.
Bay-headed tanager makes an appearance.
White-vented plumeteer – Las Nubes Panama bird feeders.
Crowned woodnymph taking a rest.
Crowned woodnymph back at it.
Couples day for honeycreepers
Honeycreepers are beautiful colored birds that are actually part of the tanager family. We saw three species of honeycreepers at Las Nubes. Shining honeycreepers, red-legged, and green were all in attendance at the fruit feeders. In fact, I was able to get a male-female picture of all three species. Love was in the air at Las Nubes.
Green honeycreeper couple at Las Nubes Panama.
Red-legged honeycreeper couple.
Beautiful shining honeycreeper couple.
Great view of a Tennessee warbler
I went to college at the University of Tennessee, so the Tennessee warbler is one of my favorites. Tennessee warblers are very common in Illinois during the spring migration, so I usually see them every spring. They are somewhat elusive and usually hang out in thick foliage, so I do not have many good pictures of them. At Las Nubes, the Tennessee warbler was the only migratory bird that I see in North America that I saw here, and it was super up close. I did not actually see a Tennessee warbler this spring, although I heard several, so I was glad to see one in Panama.
Tennessee warbler.
Las Nubes Panama bird feeders part II – The grub eaters
After getting our fill of tanagers and hummingbirds, we were brought down the hill into the forest for another treat. They set up another feeding area, but instead of fruit, they set up a station for birds that eat grubs in the forest, and this brought a whole new array of characters. Immediately, we saw a spotted antbird and a white-whiskered puffbird. I saw one of these at an ant swarm on Pipeline Road last year, but this was a much easier place to take their photograph. There was better lighting and no foliage obstructions. A black-faced antthrush also skulked in the background. We took a group picture before heading down.
Las Nubes Panama group photo with guide and other couple.
Beautiful view of a spotted antbird.
Hard to get any closer than this to a white-whiskered puffbird.
White-whiskered puffbird eating a grub.
The couple theme continues with white-whiskered puffbird male and female.
This feeder was not as active as the fruit feeders, but all the birds that showed up here were new birds for me except for the puffbird. We soon saw a bigger bird fly towards us, and it was a rufous motmot. We got some great view of the motmot. A black-capped antshrike showed up and joined the puffbird. We also saw three varieties of wren here. We saw rufous-and-white wrens, song wrens, and white-breasted wood-wrens.
Challenge to get a good shot as this black-faced antthrush lurked in the shadows.
Song wren with a blurred black-faced antthrush in the background.
Rufous motmot joined the bird photography heaven party.
On our way back we ran into another rufous motmot.
Return to the car and goodby Las Nubes Panama bird feeders
On the way back up to the car, we saw another stripe-cheecked woodpecker, another brown-headed parrot, and a pair of broad-billed motmots at close range that were looking for handouts. This was only half day of my guiding experience in Cerro Azul, so I looked forward to more tanagers and flycatchers in the afternoon.
Ended the morning session just like we started with a brown-headed parrot.
Although I enjoyed my experiences with Whitehawk Birding, I think it is not necessary to have a guide at Las Nubes. I would recommend paying the $50.00 and coming here yourself. If you do not have a car in Panama, then it would be helpful to hire a guide to take you here. Either way, I highly recommend a morning or afternoon at bird photography heaven. If you are interested in booking with Whitehawk Birding, check out their website.
Adventure on!
