BIRDWATCHING IN PANAMÁ! Resplendent Quetzal, Chestnut-mandibiled Toucan, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Three-wattled Bellbird, maybe even Bare-necked Umbrellabird. Intrigued? Mystified? Envious? Don't be. Join us! Where? Panama, at the tropical junction between North and South America. When? February 28 - March 9, 1999. Who? You, along with Panamanian bird expert Dr. Lorna Engleman as our guide and Altacal Audubon Society member (and Golden Gate Audubon Society past president) Steve Margolin, who will escort the group from San Francisco. The first part of the trip will focus on the central lowland rainforest around the Panama Canal. Our base for birding there will be the Canopy Tower, a new lodge in a former military radar tower on Semaphore Hill (http://canopy.mit.edu/Tower/article.html), overlooking the forest canopy. We will explore the famous Pipeline Road in Soberanía National Park, the Ammo Ponds and Plantation Road, hoping to see such species as Slaty-tailed Trogon, Broad-billed Motmot, Grey Potoo, Keel-billed Toucan and Purple-throated Fruitcrow, plus Antbirds, Hummingbirds and much more. On the Atlantic side, we will stay at the Sierra Llorona lodge and bird the Achiote Road, Crested Eagle Road and the areas near Fort Sherman. Here we may see Spot-crowned Barbet, Pied Puffbird, Jet Antbird and Blue Cotinga. The second part of the trip will take us to the mountainous western region near the border with Costa Rica, including two nights at Los Quetzales, to see Resplendent Quetzal, Yellow-billed and Snowy Cotingas, Black-bellied Hummingbird, Violet Sabrewing, Fiery-billed Araçari and, with luck, Bare-necked Umbrellabird. Noted birding areas in Western Panama include El Respingo Trail, Batipa, Fortuna and Las Lagunas de Chiriquí. The trip is sponsored by Golden Gate Audubon Society and has been planned in conjunction with Panama Audubon Society. Cost (land and air), double occupancy, approximately $2,525. For a detailed itinerary and trip application, please contact Steve Margolin at 530-342-6476.

The Second Central Valley Birding Symposium will be held in Stockton on November 19-22, 1988. Speakers include Pete Dunne, Arnold Small, John Dunn, Bill Grenfell, Micheal Bradbury, Jim Gain, Joe Morlan, Edward Rooks, and Dan Taylor. There will be panels on bird identification, Gulls & Terns, Seabirds nesting in the Central Valley, Conservation, Photography, Optics, and many other subjects. Field trips include the Cosumnes River Preserve, Yolo County, Salt Springs Reservoir, Modesto Sewage Treatment Plant & Caswell State Park, and O'Niel Forebay & Merced Refuges. The event headquarters is the Stockton Radisson, which has a limited number of rooms at $70/night. Call 209-957-9090 for reservations; mention the Symposium for the discount price. The event registration fee is $75 per adult, $145/couple, or $30 per person per day. For further details and registration information, see the CVBC website.