Prothonotary Warblers, aka Golden Swamp Warblers to us southerners, like these photographed in Bocas del Toro, Panama 11/01-02/24, are starting to head back to the swamps of the Southeast & waterways of the mid-west. They have been ‘wintering’ during the rainy season (our fall & winter months) in the tropical rainforests and mangroves of Central and northern South America.
How well they do over the winter directly impacts their overall population numbers. As is the case for all of their seasonal residencies and migration stopovers, wintering habitat availability and quality is a critical factor in conservation status. Fortunately, for Golden Swamp Warblers and the 971 other bird species that are year-round or winter residents in Panama, much of Panama remains pristine (for now). One-third of the country is protected, including 13 national and marine parks, and one international park.
This is due, in no small part, to revenues from the Panama Canal. There is less economic pressure to deforest the rainforest or cut back mangroves for other uses as there is in neighboring countries. It is estimated that 40% of Panama’s rainforests are intact. Except for Costa Rica, this is not true of Panama’s neighbors.
In the last week of February, first week of March, they will make their way to the Yucatan Peninsula. Then cross the Gulf of Mexico at night and start ‘falling out’ over the Gulf coast states in mid to late March.
They will rest & refuel for a couple of days before continuing farther north each night. By late April some have reached the most northern breeding sites in the upper mid-west.
This is when they begin to encounter significant setbacks. Loss of wetland breeding habitat, the impact of widespread insecticide use, and channeling and polluting of the remaining potential breeding sites has taken a toll. Golden Swamp Warbler (Prothonotary Warbler) population numbers have declined 0.7%\year, cumulatively 31% from 1966 to 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates a breeding population of 2.1 million and because of declining numbers considers them a high conservation concern.
In a classic example of the connections of nature, the future of the Panama Canal directly impacts the fate of millions of neotropical birds that spend their summers in North America. I hope this is understood my all claiming ‘ownership’ of the canal. But I highly doubt it.