And if the resident birds are not enough, each September the birdlist of the park grows substatially with the arrival of two dozen species of warblers and other migratory birds. Finally, the lookout at the end of Mono Tit Road is one of the best places to witness the rivers of migrating Turkey Vultures and Swainson's and Broad-winged Hawks that fly right over downtown Panama City in October and November during the fall migration of raptors. The flow reverses direction in April and May when these birds return to their breeding grounds in North America. This is the site of the famous Atlantic Christmas Bird Count held by the Panama Audubon Society every year. The number of species in this area consistently exceeds 340 in a 24-hour period, the No. 1 or No. 2 spot worldwide.
Habitats are a bit more open but the birding nonetheless can be wonderful.
There is also the added benefit of visiting the old Spanish fortress of San Lorenzo, a World Heritage Site, built on a promontory at the entrance of the Chagres River. In addition, to get to this area we have to cross the Panama Canal which gives us a unique view of the locks from below. El Valle is a picturesque little town located 3,000 ft above sea level in the crater of a gigantic extinct volcano. It is the largest inhabited volcano in the Western Hemisphere and the second largest in the World, after the Ngoro-Ngoro in Africa. Here we will look for foothill birds in the private reserve of the Arias de Para family.