WESTERNTANAGER

Volume 61 Number 5 January/February 1995 Los Angeles Audubon Society

Planning for Park)in the

Panama Canal Watershed

Rainforest Protection and Visitor Use

I n 1993-94, at the requestof the Government of theRepublic of Panama, a

team of planners from the U.S. Na-tional Park Service (NPS) was tem-porarily assigned to the NPS Officeof International Affairs to provideplanning assistance to the Panama-nian National Institute for Renew-able Natural Resources(INRENARE) for the four nationalparks and one recreation areawithin the watershed of thePanama Canal. During the plan-ning process a methodology wasadopted that answered resourceprotection issues first by quicklyproducing an action plan that dealtwith boundary demarcation, re-source protection patrols and pro-tection staff, support facilities andequipment for each unit. Followup

by Larry L. Norrisplanning was conducted that pro-duced a master plan for each of thefive protected areas. The masterplans were based on each area's le-gal foundation and were concernedwith the issues of resource manage-ment programs, management zon-ing, visitor experience, interpretivethemes, appropriate facilities andsustainable strategies for dealingwith the many external threats thatsurround these wonderful parks.

The Parks

The Republic of Panama has animpressive national system of pro-tected wild areas which includesthirteen national parks, six wildliferefuges, six forest reserves (man-aged for multiple use), two pro-tected forests (no logging), three wa-

tershed reserves, one natural monu-ment (the famous Barro ColoradoIsland), one natural park (like a re-gional park) and one recreationarea. Some of these protected wildareas are rather large; when com-bined, the area of the entire systemequals 20% of the land base of thecountry.

Panama's national system of pro-tected wild areas affords some de-gree of protection and managementfor every major habitat in the coun-try, from coral reefs and mangrovecovered tidal zones up through thevarious types of rainforest associa-tions to the high cloud forestsperched on the shoulders of massivevolcanos, and on up to the wind-swept, barren lava summits abovetimberline.

It is a wonderful system that hasbeen quietly expanded (in the senseof international attention) over thelast two decades and is now poisedon the threshold of discovery by theglobal ecological tourism market.Within the topographic watershedthat supplies the Panama Canal areportions of four national parks andone recreation area. These five pro-tected areas received the initial fo-cus of NPS planning assistance inPanama.

The premiere park in the water-shed is Soberania National Parkwhich was established in 1980. Thepark is the showcase of the system,and its very name Soberania (trans-lated Sovereignty) attests to thePanamanian's pride in their naturaland cultural heritage. The park en-

Pipeline Road, PN Soberania

compasses 22,000 hectares (ha.), or54,363 acres (ac), and is said to bethe most accessible tropicalrainforest in the world. An esti-mated 1,500 plant species and 650animal species are thought to occurwithin the boundaries of the park.The Audubon Christmas Bird CountCircle that holds the world recordfor the most species is centered inSoberania National Park.

Camino deCruces NationalPark is the new-est park in thesystem, estab-lished in Decem-ber 1992. It isthe largest re-maining openspace (4,000 ha.or 9,876 ac.) nearPanama City andis equivalent toour SantaMonica NationalRecreation Areain its open spacefunction.

The park commemorates itsnamesake preserving the historicconquistador's road that crossed theisthmus of Panama. Inca gold wastaken east on this road to theChagres River where it was loadedon boats and taken down to the At-lantic Coast for shipment to Spain.The park also preserves a large low-land tropical forest that is becomingincreasingly significant as a refugefor wildlife as Panama City contin-ues to expand.

Ruins, PN Camino de Cruces

Chagres National Park was es-tablished in 1984 with a primarymission to protect the major portionof the watershed providing water tothe Panama Canal. The watershed,which includes the Chagres Riverdrainage, is globally significant inthis role and nationally importantas the supplier of domestic water tomore than half of the country'spopulation. The 129,000 ha.

Typical pirogue, PN Chagres

(318,518 ac.) park is a biologicallydiverse resource area that coversfour life zones and provides habitatfor at least ten endangered species.Its function is very similar to ourlarge Sierran parks that have hugebackcountry areas that are in pris-tine ecological conditions andfrontcountry areas that interfacewith small towns and rural agricul-tural activities.

Altos de Campana National Parkis Panama's oldest national park,established in 1966. It protects alarge portion (4,816 ha. or11,891 ac.) of a unique mountainousarea that is a zone of overlap forflora and fauna representative ofNorth America, Central Americaand South America. This is an ex-tremely scenic park that is also veryimportant to science. Risingabruptly from the Pacific coastalplain, the intrusive volcanic rocks

Western Tanager

in this park shoulder up, ridge afterridge, to culminate in the high bell-shaped granitic domes and peaks ofthe Continental Divide {campanameans "bell" in Spanish).

The park extends for eight kilo-meters along the Continental Di-vide and protects a segment of theextreme southwestern edge of thePanama Canal watershed. Thepark's vegetation is the most variedin Panama, if not in the world.Three of the four life zones in the

PN Altos de Campana

country of Panama are found in thepark: the humid tropical forest, thehumid premontane forest and thetropical montane forest. All of thisforest is watered by between twoand three meters of rain fall eachyear! Wildlife is common in the un-disturbed core areas of the park.More than 170 species of birds havebeen documented as occurringwithin the park boundaries.

Lago Gatun Recreation Area,which was established in 1985, cov-ers almost 350 ha. (864 ac.) of forestand shoreline on the northeast sideof Lake Gatun, the artificial lakecreated to provide part of the routeof the Panama Canal. Bird life iscommon in the undisturbed forestsand along the shoreline of the recre-ation area. In fact, in the rapidlydeveloping area around Colon,Panama's second largest city, theprotected forest in the recreation

area is becoming more important aswildlife habitat with each passingyear.

The People

At the risk of making a pun, Iwill state that Panama is at a cross-road. Yes, the country is globallyrecognized as the crossroad of theworld in terms of internationalshipping, but the crossroad I am re-ferring to is one of choosing a na-

tional conserva-tion directionthat reversesthe 500-year-oldtrend of defores-tation, or choos-ing to ignore theenvironmentalalarms that arenow beingsounded andcontinue to cutaway at therainforest.

Panama isindeed facedwith a crossroaddecision. In 1993the country's

population was at 2.3 million andwas increasing at 2.3% per year.Good agricultural land is certainlylimited in Panama, and tradition-ally, when land was worn out byfarming, there was always more for-est to clear over in the next drain-age.

This tradition is rapidly chang-ing because deforestation has be-come a grave concern in Panama.The Panama Briefing Packet that Ireceived for this planning project

Trail down to lake

stated that "By 1985, only 40% ofthe original natural forest [inPanama] remained. At current landclearing and wood consumptionrates the majority of Panama's [re-maining] forests will be gone in lessthan 20 years." Make that 19 years,now.

The Packet went on to summa-rize why this is so. "The originalabundance of forests and unoccu-pied land in Panama delayed na-tional recognition of the importanceof conserving natural resources.The occupation of new lands wasencouraged without regard to landcapability or sustained use. Privatesector investment was largely ex-ploitative, stressing short-term in-come generation. It was not untilthe 1970s that a national awarenessof the devastation of natural re-sources began to emerge." Throughthe efforts of governmental andnongovernmental organizations, en-vironmental education and aware-ness is fast taking hold in urbanPanama.

The Panama park superinten-dents and their staffs are a signifi-cant portion of the first generationof Panamanians that have come for-ward in their professional and per-sonal lives to challenge the500-year-old concept that therainforest is only in the way, that itis just something to cut down forwood, that it is useless if not devel-oped in some way. The Panamaparks people that the NPS planningteam worked with were all rela-tively young, dedicated and well-educated managers and supportstaffs. They intend to prove duringtheir careers that the best long-

Swimming area — Lago Gatun

January/February 1995

term benefits for Panama, both eco-nomically and culturally, will comefrom the preservation and con-trolled use of protected areas, andnot from ecological destruction forshort-term economic profits alone.

These professionals are the firstwave in a rising tide that wants thebest opportunities for Panama to bethrough sustainable developmentand ecologically responsible enter-prises. They have huge cultural, so-cial and economic barriers to over-come. It will not be an easy task, butit must be done in this generation. Ifthe rainforests are not protected inthis generation, then in the next allthat will remain will be that which isalready nominally protected in theexisting park system.

The Pressures

The developmental pressuresand environmental issues that con-front the protected areas within thePanama Canal watershed are phe-nomenal. It was not an easy assign-ment to develop conservation strat-egies that would aid park managersand their staffs in protecting theresources for which they were re-sponsible. Each park has multipleresource protection and visitor useproblems, and this article cannotpresent them all. An example of anenvironmental issue facing each ofthe five Panama Canal watershedparks is presented below.

• In Soberania National Parkthe primary environmental issue ispoaching. The wildlife in the park isunder attack from all sides. A hikethrough the rainforest can, in someplaces of the park, be a fairly quiet,somber experience. One wonderswhere all the teeming tropical lifehas gone. Can it all be hiding?Much of it does hide and for goodreason; but a lot of the wildlife hassimply been poached out. Most ofthe poaching is done by campesinoslooking for food, the rest is done tosupply the pet trade.

Either way, many of the largemammal and bird species have beenextirpated from the areas of thepark closest to the surrounding vil-lages. Both the action plan and the

master plan make proposals that,when implemented, would stem thepoaching and reintroduce extir-pated species after appropriatehabitat assessments.

# Chagres National Park has amajor problem with over 4,500people living in 18 named villagesand scattered out on subsistencefarms within the park. They do sounder the establishing legislationthat allowed certain communities toremain in the park after establish-ment in 1984.

About 30% of the land within thepark is private property. A hugesegment of this private land is highin the cloud forest of the ChagresRiver watershed. Over 500 "sum-mer" homes and a score of chickenfarms have been built in the clearedcloud forest. It is great to escape theoppressive heat of the lowlands, andchickens do fare better in the coolclimate, but inside a park (!?), withall the attending erosion and waterpollution from septic systems andrunoff from chicken coops?

These are serious environmentalconcerns for which the plans had toprovide long-term management andresearch direction.

# Because Panama City is nextto Camino de Cruces National Parkmost of the park's environmentalproblems stem from urban land useissues, the most serious of which isthat the Panama City municipallandfill is adjacent to and uphill ofthe park.

About 300 people, called squat-ters, barelysurvive asscavengers atthe landfillcollectingwhatever dis-cards theycan use orrecycle forcash. It is amiserable,pitiful exist-ence. Whenthey are hun-gry, thesquattershunt in thepark.

Efforts have been made to con-tain the polluted runoff from thedump, but a U.S. Department of De-fense water quality monitoring sys-tem set up in Fort Clayton, down-stream of the park and landfill, hasdocumented pollution of the affectedstream courses all the way to thePanama Canal.

The common boundary betweenthe park and the landfill site, 3.5 ki-lometers long, will continue to be alaw enforcement and resource pro-tection "hot spot" as long as thelandfill stays in operation.

Visitor use along the Camino deCruces and on the proposed ridingand hiking trails in the area willalways be at risk if the populationof squatters continues to occupy thearea and poach in the park.

# Altos de Campana NationalPark is a park under siege. The en-tire park is surrounded by small vil-lages and subsistence farm plots.Twenty-four families are currentlypermitted to practice subsistencefarming inside the park boundaries.

Since the slopes are very steep,erosion can be severe on recentlyplanted hillsides. Some subsistenceplots could be impacting the criticalhabitat of the endangered goldenfrog (Atelopus zeteki). Long-termprotection for the golden frog habi-tat and management strategies tocontrol erosion in the park had to beaddressed in the plans for the park.

# Lago Gatun Recreation Areahas had a major government spon-sored low-income housing project

Western Tanager

built on its boundary, and a four-lane highway is planned for con-struction which will "nick" thearea's northern boundary. It is in-credible to think that a housingproject that will hold 500 families(2,000 people) at a minimum wouldbe built on the very edge of the lastremaining wild space nearPanama's second largest city, Colon.

The impacts that such a largegroup of permanent residents willhave on the park is not known. Theteam could find no impact analysisregarding the construction of thehousing area or the new highway.Only a slight increase in the num-ber of visitors who now come to thislittle park would easily overwhelmits minimal visitor facilities, andnow it has 2,000 new neighbors,with no additional staff, facilities orbudget increase in sight.

The Prescriptions

The planning team's task was tocomplete an action plan and a mas-ter plan for each of the protectedareas within the canal watershed.

The action plans were completedfirst and dealt with the immediateprotection needs of the park. Theyproposed short-term actions for im-mediate implementation, such asboundary demarcation, constructionof entrance stations, ranger housingand patrol shelters, numbers of per-sonnel needed for adequate resourceprotection and monitoring, and thekind and number of equipment nec-

essary to protectthe parks.

The masterplans dealt withthe long-termmanagementneeds of theparks such as rec-ommendations forvisitor use, re-source manage-ment programs,management zon-ing, boundaryconcerns and ad-jacent land uses,and park opera-tions.

• The action plan for SoberaniaNational Park calls for a completeboundary demarcation using signsalong the land boundaries and abuoy system on the northern bound-ary which is in Lake Gatun.

Patrol shelters were proposed atstrategic locations around the pe-rimeter of the park. The proposedarrangement of patrol shelterswould allow the edge and interior ofthe park to be patrolled at randomtimes.

Unpredictable patrol patterns —both routes and times — would in-crease resource protection becausepoachers would not know when orwhere they may encounter parkguards. The number of park guardswould be increased and the qualityof their equipment would be sub-stantially improved.

In combination with the in-creased resource protection effortwould be an outreach effort to thesurrounding villages conducted bythe park naturalists and guidesthat would teach the value of long-term protection of natural resourcesand would find ways to economi-cally link the locals to the parkthrough crafts concessions andguide services so that the locals seeit in their best interest to supportthe park.

• The master plan for ChagresNational Park establishes a zone ofregulated multiple use for the popu-lated area of the park. The numberof people allowed to live in the parkwould be limited to the current

4,500 residents. Through attritionand emigration this number shouldstay constant.

However, park management willmonitor the population because theamount of land allowed to becleared for subsistence farming andthe effects on the ecosystem of othersubsistence activities are regulatedon the basis of 4,500 people.

The remainder of the undevel-oped lands (private and public par-cels alike) in the park would be des-ignated as the natural zone whereno development takes place and nonew subsistence farming is allowed.No hunting, no gold mining, nonada.

It is a primitive area, a huge wil-derness where the forces of natureand the wildlife of the forest con-tinue on, as they have for millennia,without the influence of human-kind. This is the only way to ensurethe continued adequate flow of wa-ter to the Panama Canal, by lettingnature do what it does best.

For those areas in the cloud for-est that are already developed pri-vate land, a water quality monitor-ing program would be established.Closed watersheds that are entirelycontained within the park would actas controls for gathering back-ground data on water quality. Thesedata could be compared to informa-tion collected from the affected (pol-luted) drainages.

These comparisons would pro-vide valuable insights into the ef-fects of development on the parkwater supply and would be instru-mental in any long-term manage-ment decisions regarding the qual-ity and quantity of water availablein the park.

# The master plan for Caminode Cruces National Park recom-mends that the landfill adjacent tothe park be relocated. A new loca-tion for solid waste from PanamaCity must be found that is not nearor upstream of a park or suburb, ison an already impacted site, and isclose enough to the city for practicaloperations. A search should be con-ducted by appropriate agency staffto locate several areas near PanamaCity that meet these criteria.

January/February 1995

The population of the country isgrowing faster in the Panama Cityarea than anywhere else. In time,other landfill sites will be needed.These areas should be identifiedand secured now. The landfill at thecurrent site should be closed at theearliest possible time, and the im-pacted area reclaimed and reveg-etated to reduce erosion and pollu-tion. The relocation of the landfillwould not solve the squatter prob-lem; they would quickly relocate tothe new dump site, but at leastpoaching in the park would begreatly reduced.

• The master plan for Altos deCampana National Park calls for areforestation program. The largeforest areas still left around thehigh peaks inside the park are rem-nant forests. Because of this, theirvalue as genetic reserves is veryhigh. All resource management con-cerns about vegetation in this parkshould be focused on the preserva-tion of what still remains and thereforestation of all land in the park.A reforestation program in the parkwould be a component of the overalleffort to reduce soil erosion andsedimentation in the rivers. Theprogram would plant as many treesas possible.

The park needs to collect the fol-lowing baseline data on areas thatrequire reforestation: the type andcondition of soils, the angle and as-pect of the slope, the percentage ofcanopy cover still remaining, andthe presence/percent of cover ofinvasive weed species. All of thesephysical conditions would need tobe quantified to prioritize areas forreforestation action.

Once these data and prioritiesare known, park management canproceed with an adequate reforesta-tion effort and meet the preserva-tion mandates of the park's found-ing legislation.

# Probably the most serious re-source management concern forLago Gatun Recreation Area is theproximity of the new public housingproject and the effect 500 familieswill have on the wildlife that inhab-its the recreation area. How theserelocated urban people will interact

with the recreation area and its re-sources is unknown.

It is reasonable to assume thatwildlife populations will be nega-tively affected by such a large con-centration of people if those people'sattitudes toward wildlife do nothave a preservation basis and theiraccess to the recreation area is un-controlled. Outreach programs em-phasizing the values of the pro-tected area would be central to asuccessful relationship between therecreation area staff and the resi-dents of the public housing project.To help make such programs pos-sible, an environmental educationcenter is proposed to be constructedon a existing building site in therecreation area, and a companionoutreach program to the residentsof the public housing area would bedeveloped.

Success of the program would bemeasured in how well the new resi-dents respond to the purpose of therecreation area, how well they rec-ognize its significance, and ulti-mately how much they value theopen space, the recreational oppor-tunities and the pleasure that canbe derived from an outing in nature.Building another building, or start-ing another program is easy com-pared to changing a neighborhood'sperceptions and values about na-ture. This will be a difficult task.The staff of Lago Gatun RecreationArea have a long road ahead.

Visitor ExperiencePlanning

In each master plan a vision forappropriate visitor use and geo-graphic experience areas was de-tailed. Each park is unique, and thevisitor activities in each of theseparks are necessarily different. Therecommended visitor activities andsupporting facilities in any givenplan support the preservation andeducation goals of the park andPanama protected areas in general.

Some examples of the recom-mended interpretation and environ-mental education themes are: Eco-logical Dynamics of the Rainforest,The Web of Life and Biodiversity,

Watershed Protection, The WaterCycle, Restoration Ecology, History ofthe Road of Crossing (Camino deCruces), Indigenous Peoples, and Na-tive Arts and Crafts Demonstrations.

Visitor experience activities werefashioned to fit the stories that needto be told in each park within thecontext of the physical and biologi-cal geography of each park. For in-stance in Soberania National Park,a river tour would be offered thatwould take visitors by boat up theChagres River into a truly wild areafor a "jungle" experience. Whilethere, the group would learn aboutthe dynamics of the rainforest, itsbiodiversity and about the resourcethreats that are occurring today.

The goal of all this visitor experi-ence and interpretation planning isto create visitor friendly parks, thathave adequate facilities, orientationand activities to provide a good ex-perience to the visiting publicwithout compromising the preserva-tion and protection of the naturaland cultural resources.

The planning team believes thatthe future preservation of Panama'sprotected areas will be dependenton how strong the support is fromthe local public and internationalvisitors. Panama's national parksand other protected areas needfriends from around the world now.By constructing some small scalevisitor facilities and offering visitortours within the parks that focussedon the long-term value (both eco-nomically and culturally) of pro-tected areas and rainforest ecosys-tems to Panama, many supportersof the parks would result world-wide.

The NPS planning team had awonderful year assisting the gov-ernment of Panama in planning forthe preservation, visitation andmanagement of its globally signifi-cant parks. The Panama park su-perintendents and their staffs are agood group of dedicated profession-als spending their lives to ensurethe protection of the rainforests un-der their care, to keep the riversflowing clear and to keep the wildbirds flying. We all wish them wellin the work ahead. »*-

Western Tanager

by Hank Brodkin

J anuary and February are slowmonths for birding, but by theend of January "spring" mi-

gration will start with the firstmovement of some of the humming-birds and swallows. Although theexcitement of the rarities found onChristmas Bird Counts has sub-sided, there is always a chance thata Siberian stray might show up.Keep checking those gull flocks andwaterfowl down at the Salton Seafor the once-in-a-lifetime find thatmakes this pursuit so exciting.

Let me take this opportunity toexplain how folks are credited forbird sightings reported in this col-umn. If the person who discovers anunusual bird does not report it tome or if the sources I use do notgive me the name of the actual dis-coverer, I credit the report to theperson who reports the bird. So, ifyou find a good bird and want to besure you get credit in this columnfor finding it, please let me know.My phone, listed at the end of thiscolumn, has a message machine if Iam unable to answer when a callcomes in. It would also help if youspell your name in the message.

A Horned Grebe, uncommoninland, was on Quail Lake nearGorman on 20 November (NinaMerrill and Cal Yorke). A "Cackling"Canada Goose was found in ApolloPark, Lancaster, on 28 October (CY)where a Wood Duck was seen on29 October (NM); five more "Cack-ling" geese were with a flock of 60Canada and four Snow at HolidayLake in the Antelope Valley on20 November (NM & CY). A Eur-asian Wigeon was seen on a Pasa-dena Audubon field trip to BolsaChica on 23 October (Mickey Long);

two female Oldsquaws in BallonaCreek on 12 November (Bob Pann)were joined by a third bird a week

Northern Wheatear, La Mirada, 11/5/94

later. A Surf Scoter, unusual in-land on fresh water, was found on22 October (CY) at Bouquet CanyonReservoir, and two White-wingedScoters flew by Seal Beach Pier on17 November (Doug Willick). FourCommon Goldeneyes were onQuail Lake on 20 November (NM &CY), and a pair of Hooded Mer-gansers were at Lake Hollywoodon 11 November (Thomas Miko). AZone-tailed Hawk was reportedfrom Upper Newport Bay on 12 No-vember (Sandy Koontz). Merlinswere widespread, including one inRustic Canyon on 9 November (Ber-nard Willits) and three more seenalong Pine Canyon Road south ofthe Antelope Valley on 20 November(NM & CY). Seventy-five SnowyPlovers, a good number for thisat-risk species, were seen at ZumaBeach on 22 October (Bill Principe),and a Ruff was found on the Ox-nard Plain on the LAAS field trip of12 November (Lori Conrad). An An-cient Murrelet, one of our scarcerwinter alcids, was seen off SealBeach Pier on 16 November (DW).

Nine Inca Doves were found atLake Los Angeles in the eastern An-

telope Valley on 12 November(Janet Murphy). A Yellow-belliedSapsucker, thought by some to bea hybrid, was found at Galileo ineastern Kern County on 21 October(Gail Hightower); another Yellow-bellied was at Hansen Dam on4 November (Doug Martin) and onewas in La Crescenta on 5 November(Kimball Garrett). The best bird ofthe fall had to be the NorthernWheatear discovered at Biola Uni-versity in La Mirada on 5 November(Scott Smithson). It was seen allthat afternoon by many luckybirders but missed the next morn-ing by dozens of very frustrated oth-ers. A Brown Thrasher was atGalileo on 21 October (David Blue),and a Red-eyed Vireo was foundat Huntington Beach Central Parkon 22 October (Brian Daniels).

Warbler reports included aLucy's on the LAAS field trip to theOxnard Plain on 12 November(Larry Allen); a Black-throatedBlue at Huntington Beach CentralPark on 21 October (TomNewhouse); a Blackburnian alsoat the park on 5 November (BD); aPalm at Apollo Park, Lancaster, on28 October (CY); a Worm-eating inWestminster on 1 November (RobbHamilton); two Hoodeds were atFurnace Creek, Death Valley, oneon 22 October (Cosmo Bloom) andanother on 6 November (GeoffreyRogers); and a Canada was at theSan Joaquin Marsh on 22 October(BD). A Scarlet Tanager wasfound near Malaga Cove, PalosVerdes Estates, on 6 November(Kevin Larson).

Sparrow reports include anAmerican Tree at Malibu CreekState Park on 22 October (Richard

January/February 1995

Barth); a Grasshopper at Duarteon 29 October (Mike San Miguel); aLe Conte's at Furnace Creek on6 November (GR); a Swamp in BigSanta Anita Canyon on 29 October(MSM); two White-throateds atGalileo on 21 October (DB); and aHarris' at Furnace Creek on 6 No-vember (CB). A McCown's Long-spur was discovered on the OxnardPlain field trip on 12 November(LC). A Rusty Blackbird was atHarbor Park on 18 November (KL),and a Common Grackle, certainlynot common in California, was foundat Galileo (CY).

Have a very happy, prosperousand birdy New Year! -«--

R ecords of rare and unusual birdsightings reported in this column

should be considered tentative pending re-view by the AMERICAN BIRDS Regional Editorsor, if appropriate, by the California BirdRecords Committee. Send your bird observa-tions with as many details as possible to:

Hank Brodkin271/a Mast Street, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292.(310) 827-0407 E-Mail: hankb@kaiwan.comOr call David Koeppel at (818) 784-0425.

Reservation and Pee Events(Limited Participation)Policy and Procedure

Reservations will be accepted ONLYif ALL the following information

is supplied:

1) Trip desired2) Names of people in your party3) Phone numbers (a) usual and (b)evening before event, in case ofemergency cancellation4) Separate check (no cash please) toLAAS for exact amount for each trip5) Self-addressed stamped envelopefor confirmation and associated tripinformation. Send to:

LAAS Reservations7377 Santa Monica Blvd.

West Hollywood, CA 90046-6694.

If there is insufficient response, thetrip will be cancelled two Wednesdaysprior to the scheduled date (fourweeks for pelagics), and you will be sonotified and your fee returned. Yourcancellation after that time will bringa refund only if there is a paidreplacement. Millie Newton isavailable at Audubon House onWednesdays from noon to 4:00 P.M. toanswer questions about field trips.Our office staff is also availableTuesday through Saturday for mostreservation services.

The Birds of South AmericaVolume IIThe Suboscine Passerines

This is the second volume inthe eventual four-volumeseries that will cover all the

birds of South America. I was fortu-nate in leaving for a six-week trip toGuyana and Peru shortly after thesecond volume arrived, which gaveme ample time to study the weightytome carefully during the trip. I sayweighty advisedly since it is a large,826-page work that weighs close tofive pounds. Carry both volumeswith you and you know you've gotsome heavy-duty baggage along!

Unfortunately (or fortunately) itis the only complete work on thebird continent that will satisfy theserious ornithologist. Outside ofVenezuela and Colombia, there isno field guide to most of the impor-tant South American birding desti-nations (particularly Peru, Ecuadorand Brazil), and this book fills thatvoid admirably.

Like the first volume, Guy Tudorhas illustrated at least one of everyspecies in each genus. This is par-ticularly helpful in a guide that cov-ers such nondescript families as theovenbirds and woodcreepers, and inmany instances he illustrates manyof the confusing congeners. The vol-ume also includes the antbirds,gnateaters, tapaculos, manakins,cotingas and that most frustratingof all neotropical families—the ty-rant flycatchers! The 52 color platesare superbly reproduced, and Ifound the printing superior to vol-ume one, where the ink density onmany of the illustrations seemedwashed out.

Each species' account deals ex-tensively with its description, simi-lar species, habitat and behavior,and range. This is accompanied by arange map which, in all but a fewcases, is easily read. I would liked

by Robert S. Ridgely and Guy TudorReviewed by James F. Clements

to have seen the bird's range in acolor, since many birds with pin-point ranges are difficult to spot—especially where the range comesclose to a boundary line and is bro-ken up by the printer's screen(Restinga Tyrannulet, Eye-ringedFlatbill and Buff-cheeked Tody-Flycatcher).

The book is virtually free of typo-graphic errors. I was unable to findthe reference to Narosky andYzurieta (1987) in the index, whichI assume is a rare error of omission.Elaenia modesta is on page 436, not536 as listed in the index. Theplacement of Gyalophylax hellmayribetween Synallaxis cinnamomeaand Synallaxis stictothorax wasparticularly confusing. I don't everrecall seeing a monotypic genusstuck in the middle of another ge-nus before.

I question the wisdom of thechange from volume one, where theheaders gave the family names(wrens, vireos, tanagers, etc.), to theformat in volume two that lists thegenera occurring on the spread.(This may have been caused by theerror in volume one whereBananaquit appeared on the headeron 46 pages and Plushcap on 66pages). I think most of the readersof this volume would find it easierbrowsing through a header thatreads "Antbirds" rather than onethat reads "Hypocnemoides;Sclateria; Percnostola."

There are a number of splits andlumps that I hesitate to accept atthis point until the book is reviewedin the scientific literature. I find itdifficult to believe that all of thesewill stand up under the intensescrutiny of the authors' peers. Onecomment that I found particularlyinteresting regards the Narino

Western Tanager

Tapaculo. "The tapaculo found onCerro Pirre in e. Panama, thoughpreviously identified as S. vicinior,cannot be that species, based on itsdifferent voice; the Pirre birds evi-dently have no valid name." This isa surprising statement for someonewho wrote The Birds of Panamaand doesn't hesitate to name (orchange the name of) anything thatsings!

My main concern with this vol-ume is the authors' predilection forchanging English names at will.The change from White-napedXenopsaris to simply Xenopsaris isexplained as an unnecessary modi-fier since there is only oneXenopsaris. To be consistent, whynot drop the modifiers for the Spot-ted Bamboowren, KingletCalyptura, Lark-like Brushrunner,Crag Chilia, Short-tailed Field-Tyrant, Canebrake Groundcreeper,Chestnut-winged Hookbill, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, ad inftnitum.

I counted a total of 32 Englishname changes, most of them with adifferent rationale. The change fromIquico Canastero to MaquisCanastero was particularly confus-ing, since I doubt if many SouthAmerican birders are familiar withthe Mediterranean maquis. Betterto have called it the ChaparralCanastero, which most of uswould have identified with. Andthe name change of the AlagoasAntwren to Orange-belliedAntwren seemed particularlypointless, since only the femaleof the species has an orangebelly and the bird is endemicto Alagoas. This is surprisingsince many of the namechanges are based on en-demic localities.

One of the more confus-ing changes to longtimeneotropical birders is thechange from Thrush-likeSchiffornis to Thrush-likeMourner. This bird wasformerly known as theThrush-like Manakinand, while not a truemanakin, its taxonomicstatus is still uncertain. Ithas come full circle and is now in-

cluded in the subfamily Piprinae(Manakins). This is equally confus-ing since the Rufous, Grayish andPale-bellied Mourners are still re-tained in the Tyrant Flycatchers.

B\it the ultimate disregard forhistorical precedent is the namechange of the recently describedSuch's Antthrush to CrypticAntthrush. The noted neotropicalornithologist Edwin O. Willisnamed this species after the collec-tor, Dr. George Such, and the pub-lished paper appeared in theCondor in February 1992.

Aside from these minor irrita-tions on my part, the two volumesare indispensable for the birdertraveling to South America. Whilethe two volumes present a formi-dable transportation problem, oncein the hotel or car, they are wellworth the effort when strugglingthrough a mystifying array of over300 tyrannids or 200 skulkingantbirds.

Anyone with any interest at allin the world's greatest birding areawill find The Birds of SouthAmerica a must. Until some distanttime in the future when each of themajor South American countrieshas its own field guide, you simplycan't leave home without these twomajor works on the passerines. -**-

WESTERN TANAGER

Published 10 times a year byLos Angeles Audubon Society,

a chapter of National Audubon Society.

EDITOR: Jean BrandtCONSERVATION: Sandy Wohlgemuth

ORNITHOLOGY CONSULTANT:Kimball Garrett

FIELD TRIPS: Nick FreemanPROGRAMS: Cosmo Bloom

PELAGIC TRIPS: Phil SayreDESKTOP PUBLISHING: WP Plus

PRINTING: CP Graphics

Opinions expressed in articles or lettersherein do not necessarily express the

position of this publication or of LAAS.

PRESIDENT: Fred Heath1st VICE PRESIDENT: Pat Little

2nd VICE PRESIDENT: Catherine RichEXECUTIVE SECRETARY:

Mildred NewtonRECORDING SECRETARY:

Pat NelsonTREASURER: Richard Epps

Annual membership in both societies is$35 per year and $20 for new members fortheir first year. Members receive the West-ern Tanager newsletter and Audubonmagazine, a national publication. Renew-als of membership are computerized byNational Audubon and should not be sentto LAAS; however, new memberships maybe sent directly to LAAS. Make checkspayable to the National Audubon Society.

Western Tanager subscription rates fornonmembers are: $15 per year for thirdclass delivery or $22 per year for first classdelivery. LAAS members may receive firstclass delivery by paying an additional $7.Make checks payable to Los Angeles Au-dubon Society.

Los Angeles Audubon SocietyHeadquarters, Library

and Bookstore are open to the publicTuesday-Saturday10:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M.

213 876-0202 — office213 876-7609 — fax

Printed on Recycled Paper

January/February 1995

F I E L D T R I P SContinued from page 12

Sunday, January 8 — QuailLake Vicinity. Leader LouisTucker. Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks, Prairie Falcon, Mer-lin, Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk colormorphs, both eagles, Common Gold-eneye, Mountain Bluebird and long-spurs all possible. Bring lunch andvery warm clothes. Leave promptlyfrom Carl's Jr. in Gorman at 8:00 A.M.

Sunday, January 15 — Lake viewArea. Leaders Gilbert Herreraand Howard King will show usaround this excellent winter birdingarea in search of buteos, PrairieFalcon, Golden Eagle, longspurs,owls and myriad waterfowl. Takethe 60 Fwy E past the 215 Fwy.Exit S on Gilman Springs Rd. andcontinue about 6 miles to the BridgeSt. intersection. Meet at 8:00 A.M. atthe intersection. Bring lunch,scopes, warm clothing and footwearfor possible mud. Entrance fee of $2or less. Bring change.

Saturday, January 21 — PointMugu. A base field biologist and anLAAS expert will lead in this lim-ited access area. Peregrine Falconand White-winged Scoter possible.Signup by January 10 required.Must be 16 years old. No cameras,please. Include one SASE and, foreach person in your request, name,citizenship status, phone number,social security number and a $5 de-posit to be refunded at the gate.Take the 101 Fwy W to Las PosasRd. S, to PCH N onto Wood Rd. W.Head S on the frontage road to thelot at the main (#2) gate. Meet at8:00 A.M.

Monday, January 23 — VanNorman Reservoir. LeaderDustin Alcala. Riparian and grass-land habitat surround the reservoirand adjacent ponds. Good forCanada Geese, Merlin and otherwintering birds. Take the 405 FwyN to the Rinaldi offramp just S ofthe 5 Fwy interchange. Go W onRinaldi about a mile to the front

gate on the right (N) side. Meet at7:30 A.M. in the lot inside the gateon the left. We will carpool fromthere and finish about 1:00 P.M.Restrooms on-site.

Sunday, January 29 — FranklinCanyon. Leader Steven Saffier.Franklin Canyon is located betweenSherman Oaks and Beverly Hills.Over 100 species of birds have beendocumented in the chaparral,lakeside and oak/pine woodlandhabitats of the canyon. Wood Duckswinter here. From the 101 Fwy,take Coldwater Canyon S into thehills. Immediately after MulhollandDr. merges from the W withColdwater Canyon, make a 90°right turn onto Franklin Canyonand continue on to the Nature Cen-ter. Meet at 7:30 A.M. in the parkinglot past a gated drive on the left.

O Friday Night, February 3 —Vl/30-hour trip departs 10:00 P.M.Friday; returns 4:00 A.M. Sunday.From Ventura on Island Packer'sM.V. Vanguard, NW past Point Con-ception to Arquello Canyon and Wto the California continental shelfwith several daylight hours alongthe shelf. $250/double bunk,$145/single bunk (meals included).

Sunday, February 5 — TopangaState Park. Leader Gerry Haigh.Meet at 8:00 A.M. See January 1write-up for details.

Friday, February 10 — GullIdentification Workshop. LarryAllen will band together with Nedand Linda Harris to make thisyear's treatment of gulls seen inCalifornia a fairly comprehensiveone. The important skill of ageing agull will be covered. ID marks ofcommon, less common and sporadi-cally appearing gulls of the westcoast, from Western to Thayer's andLittle to Glaucous, will be reviewedwith slides (when possible) in theirvarious plumages. Meet at 7:30 P.M.in the LAAS General Meeting Roomat Plummer Park. Fees: $4 for lec-ture, $3 for field trip. Reserve byphone and pay at the door or re-serve in writing (with appropriate

fee enclosed) for either event.Signup by February 5 for field trippriority. See field trip listing below.

Sunday, February 12 — GullIdentification Field Trip. Larry,Ned and Linda will make stopsfrom Malibu Lagoon to McGrathState Beach looking for gulls todemonstrate points made duringtheir Friday lecture (see above).Thayer's Gull likely. We will meet at8:00 A.M. at the Malibu Lagoonparking lot kiosk. Free parking onCross Creek Rd. located just W oflagoon bridge. Trip will finish atMcGrath State Park in Oxnard. 25participants maximum. Reservationfee $3. Lecture participants reserv-ing before February 5 will have pri-ority. Bring lunch, an NGS fieldguide and scopes for a full day.

Sunday, February 12 — WhittierNarrows. Leader Ray Jillson.Meet at 8:00 A.M. See January 8write-up for details.

Saturday, February 18 — "Ven-tura County Game Preserve.Leader Doug Martin. This duckclub is an excellent spot to observewintering birds. We have seen Soraand Virginia rails well here, as wellas bittern, Eurasian Wigeon, darkRed-tails and Snow Geese — all dueto the sheer numbers of birds on theproperty. Get to the preserve by tak-ing the 101 W to Las Posas Rd. S,then take Hueneme Rd. W toCasper Rd. We will meet at 8:00 A.M.at the corner of Casper andHueneme Roads. Limited phonesignup with LAAS.

Monday, February 20 —Chatsworth Reservoir. LeaderDustin Alcala. Wintering birds in-cluding raptors will augment theresident birds in this grassland /oak scrub habitat surrounding thesump. Take the 405 Fwy N toRoscoe Blvd. Head W to FallbrookAve. Take this N to the DWP en-trance at the end. Meet at 7:30 A.M.and finish up early afternoon. Bringlunch and water. No restrooms.

10 Western Tanager

Saturday and Sunday, February25 and 26 — Salton Sea. LeaderNick Freeman. For SandhillCranes and White-faced Ibis, meetat Cattle Call Park south ofBrawley to depart at 3:30 P.M. onSaturday. Take Hwy 111 S toBrawley. Head W thru town onMain St., then continue S onHwy 86 to a fairly quick right onCattle Call Dr. Continue to thefenced grassy area by the arena.Sunday morning we will regroup(and welcome latecomers) at Carl'sJr. at Main and First Streets inBrawley, leaving there at7:00 A.M. A good trip for Canada,Snow and Ross' Geese, BurrowingOwl, Gila Woodpecker, Great-tailedGrackle and Yellow-footed Gull. An-ticipate mud. Bring lunch, scopes,warm clothes. Large group may besplit. Registration fee $5. No limit.Leader stays at El Centro Motel 6.

O Sunday, February 26 —Vi/8-hour trip on the R.V. Vantunaout of San Pedro to the Palos VerdesEscarpment and Redondo Canyon.$25.

Sunday, March 5 — TopangaState Park. Leader Gerry Haigh.Meet at 8:00 A.M. See January 1write-up for details.

Sunday, March 12 — WhittierNarrows. Leader Ray Jillson.Meet at 8:00 A.M. See January 8write-up for details.

Saturday and Sunday, April 1and 2 — Owens Valley GrouseTrip. Mary Carmona leads. Lim-ited to 20. Meet in Big Pine Satur-day. Fee $10. For more details, checkMarch trip listing and include SASE.

0 Friday Night, April 21—Vl/30-hour trip departs 10:00 P.M.Friday; returns 4:00 A.M. Sunday.From Ventura on Island Packer'sM.V. Vanguard, NW past Point Con-ception to Arquello Canyon and Wto the California continental shelfwith several daylight hours alongthe shelf. $250/double bunk, $145/single bunk (meals included). -•*-

The Los Angeles Audubon SocietyField List of the Birds of Los Angeles County:

An Update to the Checklist

I n March 1994, the Los AngelesAudubon Society published anupdated checklist of the birds

of Los Angeles County.A phenomenal birding year in

Los Angeles County has added sixspecies since the publication of thischecklist, along with new breedingevidence for several species.

To update your checklists, addthe following species. The five spe-cies marked with a double asterisk(**) are included on the list pendingacceptance by the California BirdRecords Committee.

Masked Booby**(Insert before Blue-footed Booby)

An immature bird was well stud-ied and photographed off the PalosVerdes Peninsula on 30 April 1994.

Curlew Sandpiper**(Insert between Dunlin and StiltSandpiper)

An adult was at Piute Pondsnear Lancaster on 23-24 July 1994.

Thick-billed Murre**(Insert between Common Murreand Pigeon Guillemot)

An alternate plumaged bird wasseen and photographed on an LAASpelagic trip off the Palos VerdesPeninsula on 21 May 1994.

Inca Dove (B?)(Insert between Mourning Dove andCommon Ground-Dove)

A small population is residentand presumably breeding in LakeLos Angeles in the eastern AntelopeValley. Two birds were first noted bya local resident in 1991, and at leastnine birds were present in Novem-ber, 1994.

by Kimball L. Garrett

Northern Wheatear**(Insert between California Gnat-catcher and Western Bluebird)

One was seen and photographedin La Mirada on 5 November 1994.

Yellow-green Vireo**(Insert after Red-eyed Vireo)

One was in Banning Park inWilmington on 16-17 October 1994.

Definite breeding evidence wasobtained for the following spe-

cies, so their listing on the checklistshould be amended as follows:

Northern Shoveler (B):Bred at Piute Ponds in May

1994. There are also breedingrecords for around the turn of thecentury.

Black Oystercatcher (B):Bred in 1994 on the Long Beach

Harbor breakwater; possibly alsobreeds on the Marina del Reybreakwater.

Vermilion Flycatcher (B):A pair bred in the Leona Valley

near Palmdale in 1994.

One correction should be madeon the March 1994 checklist: In-sert SHRIKES between Phaino-peplaand Northern Shrike. The familyname for shrikes was accidentallyremoved in the layout process,leaving the mistaken impressionthat shrikes and Phainopeplas allbelong to the "Silky-Flycatcher"family. ••*»•-

January/February 1995 11

EVENING MEETINGMeet at 8:00 P.M. in Plummer Park.

ID Workshop precedes the meeting at 7:30 P.M.Call the Bird Tape for possible information on ID Workshops.

January 10, 1995 Beginning Butterflying

Fred Heath, beginning butterflyer, will introduce the new sport of butter-fly watching which is becoming increasingly popular among birders.

This illustrated talk provides tips, ID help and the general idea of how toget started in this fascinating vocation.

February 14, 1995 Members' Annual Photo Contest

There are four judging categories. Photographs taken 1) within the ABANorth American birding area; 2) outside the ABA North American

birding area; 3) within Los Angeles County and 4) humorous photos takenanywhere.

Photos must be of wild, unrestrained birds only. Submit up to five (5)35mm slides per photographer. Place a dot in the upper-right corner of eachslide as you would insert the slide in a slide tray (when the slide is upsidedown and backwards). Write your name and phone number on each slide.All participants must be present at the show to accept their honors and di-vulge their winning technique (or good fortune). Bookstore gift certificates toall winners. Photo contest participants: please be present with your submis-sions no later than 7:45 P.M.

F I E L D T R I P S

B efore setting out on anyfield trip, please call theAudubon bird tape at

(213) 874-1318 for special instruc-tions or possible cancellations thatmay have occurred by the Thursdaybefore the trip.

& Denotes Pelagic Trips

Sunday, January 1 — TopangaState Park. Gerry Haigh willlead participants through this di-verse coastal mountain area. Anideal trip for a beginning birder orsomeone new in the area. A bota-nist is usually present. From To-panga Canyon Blvd. heading SW

Los Angeles Audubon Society DATED MATERIAL7377 Santa Monica Boulevard Please ExpediteWest Hollywood, CA 90046-6694

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPERMIT NO. 276

Glendale, CA

from the Valley, turn E (uphill) onEntrada Rd. (7 miles S of VenturaBlvd., 1 mile N of Topanga Village).Follow the signs and make a leftinto the park. Meet at 8:00 A.M. inthe parking lot of Trippet Ranch. $5parking fee.

Sunday, January 8 — WhittierNarrows Regional Park. Joinranger Ray Jillson to see winter-ing raptors, songbirds and othersaugment resident and breeding spe-cies. Meet at 8:00 A.M. at the NatureCenter, 1000 Durfee Ave. Take thePeck Dr. exit S off the 60 Fwy inSouth El Monte (just W of the 605Fwy). Take the offramp onto DurfeeAve. heading W (right), and turnleft into the Nature Center.

Continued on page 10

12 Western Tanager