Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Some North American Birds in Panama

1913; Oxford University Press; Volume: 30; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/4071673

1938-4254

Species Distribution and Climate Change

During the greater part of 1911 and up to September, 1912, the author lived at Gattin, Canal Zone, and nearly all Sundays and holidays during this period were spent in collecting and studying native birds.Naturally, many birds of the A. O. U. Check-List were observed, some resident in Panama and some transients or winter visitors.After July, 1911, records of the occurrence of such have been kept as completely as available time would allow.In many cases specimens were taken as recorded in the annotated list following.Gattin is situated seven miles inland and directly south of Colén, at the beginning of what are practically the first foot hills of the Isthmus.The coast-line swings so far in just west of Colén, however, that only three or four miles of low flat land -some of it very marshy -separates Gattin from the bay.Indeed, salt water now comes up the old French canal, the East Diversion and the new American canal, to the very door of Gattn.The valley of the Rio Chagres is here about a mile and a half wide and is now, of course, filled across by the Gatitin locks, dam and spillway.This construction work has destroyed much cover, but on the other hand, the clearings made in and about the town of Gattin and the partial filling of Gattin lake have perhaps made the locality more attractive to certain migrant birds from the north.To the south of Gattin the ridges diverge rapidly with miles of the Black Swamp country stretching between them and only a few thickly grown knolls less than one hundred feet high scattered here and there.Practically all of these will be submerged when the lake is altogether filled.The higher hills on either side of the valley at Gattin, are about : two hundred and fifty feet above sea level, with a few points reaching to twice that elevation.Just three miles south of Gattn on the old Jine of the Panama Railroad, and in the heart of the Black Swamp country is, or rather was, Loma de Leon, or Lion Hill.It is now accessible only by