Sadly, I had to leave Panama and scrap my field season due to the pandemic. BUT I still have some awesome videos from manakin leks that I can share. For example, here's a male display--dancing with a female.

Manakins clear these courts on the forest floor through persistence. Here's a male dislodging a leaf from a tough spot, then removing.

Here's what it looks like when all that persistence pays off.

I also got some cool bycatch on camera. This was my favorite: a jaguarundi. The first (non-domestic) cat I've ever gotten on a camera trap!

More bycatch: this tamandua (a species of anteater).

Also this tamandua.

And this tayra. It's in the weasel family.

But it wasn't all mammals! There was also this group of gorgeous Olive-backed Quail-doves. A species I never saw except on camera.

And plenty of these Black-faced Antthrushes. A species I often heard but never saw.

I did see plenty of Gray-headed Chachalacas, but it was always fun to get them on camera.

This is one video I selected out of the ~1 billion I got of Little Tinamous. I caught a tiny glimpse of one the whole month I was in Panama, but they were abundant on camera.

OK, one more mammal. A northern naked-tailed armadillo!!! I was super excited to see this guy on camera.

I saved the best (in my opinion) for last. This was from a series of videos of an army ant swarm surging past one of the manakin courts. A Red-throated Ant-tanager grabs a meal by watching for insects scared up by the swarm. A Chestnut-backed Antbird also makes an appearance.

It was hard to leave less than halfway through my season, but I've got lots of video to go through, and I'll be back next year! (Bonus image: Northern Bentbill)