What is your favorite bird species?
Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Spizaetus Ornatus
What is your name, and where do you live?
Jason Lara – I live in the Boquete district, Chiriquí province in the Republic of Panamá.
What are the main regions or locations you cover as a bird guide?
Western Panamá Highlands, especially around Volcán Baru and Talamanca Mountain Range in the Panamá side, the Pacific lowlands, and a bit of the Caribbean side in Bocas del Toro.
Wrenthrush
How long have you been a bird guide?
I have been a bird guide since 2012, approximately.
Unspotted Saw-whet Owl
How did you get into bird guiding?
I always loved nature and being outdoors, and I got into bird guiding when I used to guide in general and noticed that many birdwatchers visit my country and especially the Western Panamá Highlands, because of the amount of regional endemic species of birds we have. And I even more the first time I got to see a bird through the spotting scope. I felt like I was part of one of those documentaries on National Geographic or so. Then I thought: this is what I want to do from now, so that started the whole learning process, started getting my own gear, and the passion for the bird watching activity.
Three-wattled Bellbird
What are the aspects of being a bird guide that you like best? Which aspects do you dislike most?
I am a people person, so meeting people from all over the world is one the the aspects that I love about bird guiding. I love the fact that bird watching promotes conservation of nature in general, and that is very important for the future of the planet. I also like the fact that birding is my hobby, passion, and business at the same time. I enjoy the challenge of finding target birds for customers, especially when the birds cooperate.
What I don’t like about being a bird guide is when customers don’t care about birds that show u,p and all they care about is their personal “list”, and sometimes they don’t even see the birds properly, and for them it counts enough for their list. I also don’t like it when I am guiding, and sometimes peopl,e especially hikers, depending on trails or areas, become loud, or they play music or sometimes don’t even have binoculars and they want to get a view or photo of the birds with their cell phone and they try to get too close to a bird and they scare it.
Resplendent Quetzal
What are the top 5-10 birds in your region that are the most interesting for visiting birders?
- Resplendent Quetzal
- Three-wattled Bellbird
- Wrenthrush
- American Dipper
- Magenta-throated Woodstar
- Volcano Junco
- Unspotted Saw-whet Owl
- Bare-shanked Screech-owl
- Ornate Hawk-Eagle
- Fiery-billed Aracari
White-throated Mountain Gem
Can you outline at least one typical birdwatching trip in your area? Please briefly describe the locations, the key birds, and the approximate duration of such a trip
I offer customized private tours: half day, 4-5 hours, full day, 8-9 hours, and up to 5 days covering as much as possible of Western Panamá, especially looking for endemics or specialities. But for those more casual birders, I offer what I call the Boquete general bird tour that includes 2-3 different birding spots to try to see as many species as possible – normally we see around 40-60 bird species and get a lot of good opportunities for taking photos.
At the end of the tour, normally we celebrate the birds with some snacks and a nice cup of coffee or other drink included as part of the tour.
Magenta-throated Woodstar
What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in your area?
Birding is good here year-round, but the best season can be from December, as it is the beginning of our dry season, and all the way to May when the rainy season starts again, but it can be very good and predictable weather until September, when even though it is rainy season, we usually have nice mornings. Not the best time because of rainy conditions are October and early November.
We recommend always bringing rain gear and sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent, hats or caps, sneakers or hiking boots, and don’t forget binoculars.
Fiery-billed Aracari
If any readers of 10,000 Birds are interested in birding with you, how can they best contact you?
- People can contact me at this email: jasonlaratours@gmail.com
- By phone and WhatsApp +507 6718 6279.
- They can find my information on Instagram and Facebook @jasonlaratours
- On TripAdvisor as Jason Lara Tours
- Webpage www.jasonlaratours.com
Jason is an excellent birding guide. On my first trip with him in Boquete, he helped me find around 18 lifers, including the elusive Wrenthrush, an unforgettable experience. His knowledge and sharp eye in the field are truly impressive. And he is such a nice, friendly fellow to work with.
I hired Jason for a half day tour in February 2025.
Jason is a great birding guide and provides top-notch service.
Pre-trip communication via email was excellent. He arrived on time for the pickup in Boquete and was well equipped for the day ahead. His English is very good.
We went to two locations where Jason was able to locate by sight or by sound many, many birds. He was able to easily direct me on how to “get on the bird” with my binoculars, or to quickly set his scope on the bird for closer views. He was also able to tell me the field marks and behaviours to look for, and the differences between similar species. I’m not a novice birder, nor am I an expert and he quickly picked up on my style and what I needed to know to see the birds.
He asked me up front if I had any target birds I really wanted to see, and made sure that we had the best opportunities to see them (we did!).
Jason is a naturally friendly person and we had a great non-bird conversation about life in Panama and the local area. Being a local resident, he was able to add some great colour to my experience.
Also, Jason is an absolute master at taking cell phone photos through his telescope (“digiscoping”). Much better than I could do.
All in all, I had a great experience with a great guide and genuinely nice person.
5 out of 5, would recommend, would hire again.