The Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) is one of the most abundant over-wintering birds in South America, where it occurs primarily at mid-elevations in the tropical Andes. Unlike the Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson’s are not known for making long haul flights, instead opting for making a series of stopovers in Central America when en route to North America and vice-versa. Initial analyses and survey results point to the importance of mid-elevation forests in north-western Colombia and the discovery of remarkable concentrations of birds in the Serranía de Talamanca either side of the Panama-Costa Rica border on spring migration.