There were other good folks around; Matt & Marilyn, and their son Aaron, were from New York- he was particularly knowledgeable about frogs, and they generally enjoyed learning about anything they could. The breath of New York air was also fun. After my serious birding companions departed, a family from southern California showed up: an 8 year-old boy named Eamon, his mother, Allyn, and her parents, Bill and Pam. It was so delightful to see three generations of nature lovers travelling together, and they were just the loveliest people. Eamon and I, predictably, took a shine to each other, and I delighted in sharing my pictures and knowledge with this bright and sweet young person. His Mom said he was very sad when I was leaving. The birding became more low-key when they were around, which was a welcome breather, but I still saw some new stuff, and enjoyed some more general study of the plants and non-avian wildlife in the area. Since they'd run out of healthy or waking guides, they hired a local pro, Jaco, to join us for a day, and he found several lifers for me. I did feel like the BMOC for a while, as I was able to find some flashy and beautiful birds for the group before the guides. Another guide was a lovely woman named Carmen Martinez, a bit older than me, and not a high-octane birder, but very knowledgable about every natural feature of the region. She was a perfect companion for the mixed-interest groups of the later days. And I must not forget Raúl himself; he is a well-spoken, cultured, and intelligent man, and makes every visitor feel like a member of the family. He would pop by for dinner or just to say hello as often as possible. His wife, Denise, also came for dinner one night; she is a charming, lovely, and soft-spoken woman, and a delight to spend time with. They are the kind of people one wants to see often, and get to know well. A testimony Raúl's class is this; a few days ago, he set up an espresso machine in the dining area, and delighted in serving us from it, making the Tower probably the only eco-lodge with a fancy espresso machine in the world. In Raúl's honor, we've decided that the White-throated Capuchin, a local monkey (pictured here), should be renamed "White-throated Espresso". A more fitting tribute I could not imagine.
BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS
It is hard to even begin to describe the sheer volume and variety of the birdlife here. From the viewing platform on the Tower itself, one could easily see a number of toucans, honeycreepers, and various birds of prey, mostly vultures, but including various kites and hawks. A real thrill was, for me, Bill, and Jesse, when we heard a Black Hawk-Eagle calling in the distnace one afternoon. We gave up on spotting it, and watched a troupe of Geoffrey's Tamarins in a nearby tree. All of a sudden, the eagle swooped in behind them (the bird is large, and the monkey small enough to be potential prey), and, as if propelled by jets, soared right past us, and banked left down into the valley (the Tamarins scattered). An easy bird to see here is the stunning Blue Cotinga (I was able to find it for Allyn on my last morning), a striking, fluorescentbird, an odd, dove-like member of a neotropical family. Another Tower favorite is the Collared Aracari, a member of the toucan family, which comes in to feed in a cecropia tree behind the tower every day. Watching any toucan feed is a treat- they grab a fruit or nut off a tree, and shift the food about in their long bill to set it longways, so it can rear back and toss it down their throat- sometimes they drop it, and have to repeat the process. There are also all sorts of smaller birds present, such as the tiny Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Bright-rumped Attila, Paltry Tyrannulet, and six species of hummingbirds regular at the feeders downstairs. The birding outside the Tower is even more spectacular- my 900th life bird is a Great Jacamar, a striking, huge, and very cooperative bird that perches at length along Pipeline Road. In all, I see 236 species of birds on the trip; only one is on the "heard only" list: a Streak-chested Antpitta, a very secretive bird, one that is invisible to us at less than 20 feet away (birders have their own personal ethics about listing heard birds- mine is that I have to i.d. it on my own, and it has to be a species that is traditionally hard to see, like an owl or antpitta). A personal highlight came from the Ammo Dump Ponds; after Carlos' snakebite, we checked out the marsh, and I spotted a bird that behaved like a crake. Crakes and Rails are a family of birds that are generally small and secretive, feeding in the depths of marshes, more often heard than seen, and notorious for their difficulty. Jesse was the only one I could get on the bird, and he and I disagreed as to its identity, due to the brief nature of the views. The next morning, I found the bird again, and everybody viewed it well; it was a Yellow-breasted Crake, my first guess, two adults and three downy black chicks. It was the bird of the trip for me. Later, Alexis found another crake, White-throated, in the area, and a large and stunning gray-necked Wood-Rail, for a clean sweep or the rails of the area. Near the Summit Ponds Jose found a perched Spectacled Owl, new to most of us. This owl is almost two feet high, with massive white talons, and a boldly patterned face. This is unusual for owls, as they are generally plumaged to provide good camouflage during daylight hours. This was certainly the most spectacular owl we will ever see! Some more common and typical birds of the region were good numbers of trogons and motmots, both large, handsome families of birds that play well to the tourists. I've become something of an expert Motmot spotter, and find these birds for myself and a lot of visitors. The trip up the canal provided some specialities, themost obvious being hundreds of Snail Kites, which is endangered in the United States, but quite common here. The boat captain also detours to show me a juveille Bare-throated Tiger-Heron , which roosts in the same spot habitually. Some of the most remarkable birds of the trip are the most plain- within a 24 hour period, we see Buffy Foliage-Gleaner, Thrush-like Shiffornis, and Rufous Mourner, 3 very plain, brown birds that are best distinguished by habits and song- birds only a birder could love. A good number of the birds we see are new to the region's lists- this is clearly tabula rasa to an extent, and it's nice to be contributing to the knowledge of the region. Click here for a list of birds sighted on this trip. (An "F" before the species name indicates that this was the first time I'd seen this bird.)
Critters Galore
The mammal life in the area was spectacular- besides the White-throated Capuchins pictured above, there were three other species of monkeys present. On the boat ride up the canal, we fed bananas to Spider Monkeys and White-throated Capuchins- they were clearly acclimated to people, and would come in with babies on their backs. But the big highlight was the Howler Monkeys- they roared every morning, the unearthly sound making one feel as though there were lions present in the forest. I had a number of close encounters with troupes of Howlers, and they were quite cooperative for filming purposes. The fourth primate was Geoffrey's Tamarin, an adorable, small monkey, which moved through the trees too quickly for me to videotape, but it passed right by the Tower platform a couple of times. Also easy to see were two kinds of sloths, Two-toed (seen occasionally) and Three-toed (seen every day). The Three-toed Sloth was often seen very close to the Tower, and was, of course, easy to film. It was fascinating to watch them slowly feeding on leaves, and almost constantly scratching themselves when they picked up ants from the treetops. We also saw lots of Agoutis, Coatis, Red-tailed Squirrels, and one Tamandua (an anteater) foraging high in a tree along Pipeline Road. A Manatee surfaced briefly in front of the boat on Gatún Lake, and a couple of enormous Capybaras (the largest rodent in the world, the size of baby hippos) were sighted across the Ammo Dump ponds. Non-mammal critters were abundant, only a handful of which I was able to identify, mostly thanks to Joe's knowledge and skills. Lizards, anoles, grasshoppers, spiders, walking-sticks, beetles, and dragonflies provided constant diversions. Particularly fascinating were the huge number of butterflies, in every color and shape imaginable. Bright, huge, fluorescent blue morphos were everywhere- when they landed, the underside of their wings often showed a pattern that looked like an owl's face and eye, a mimic adaptation meant to discourage predators. Other mimics looked for all the world like dead leaves when closed up. Another "wow" critter is a damselfly we refer to as a "helicopter"; it has four badminton-racquet-shaped wings, which, in flight, do make it look for all the world like a helicopter in action. I'll have a page online soon with more photos of an assortment of odd creatures- can anybody help me put a name to some of them?
Hasta Luego, Panama!
The morning before my departure provided one last thrill- at the first light of dawn, I stood in the parking lot and listened to the lingering sounds of night. All of a sudden, a bird of prey shot out of the forest and swooped over ny head, and then, remarkably, came back for another pass. Even in the dim light, it's unique size and shape identified it as a Collared Forest-Falcon, a very secretive species of the eep forest, which we had heard but not seen in the area before. A final gift of the Tower! After breakfast, I settled up my bill, and thankfully, Carmen was present for translation, as Alexis and I reached the limits of our language skills at a point. At the airport, my flight is full, and I have to squawk a bit to even get a seat, although another night in Panama wouldn't have been the end of the world. The plane is jammed with some large Panamanian families, some of whom have never been on a plane before. It is a chore to get them in their seats so we can depart- what part of "Sienta te!" don't you understand?!? But the kids in the group are delightful, and the load round of applause upon our successful landing in Newark was a kick. There are many places in the world left for me to visit (and bird), but I know I will be back to the Canopy Tower soon. Raúl and Denise have a daughter beginning school in NYC this year, and we hope to get together when they visit. I have also decided to work on creating an audio guide to the birds of central Panama; the only commercial products available only extend as close as Costa Rica, and a more complete local resource would be of considerable use to Tower guests. The literature on the wildlife of the region is quite limited, so there is much work than can be done. Joe is updating the bird species list for the region, and we suggested to Aaron, the frog-loving young man from New York, that he should get cracking on a guide to reptiles and amphibians of Panama. This country is really just blossoming as a tourist (and birder's) destination, and part of the enchantment of the visit is the feeling that something new could be discovered at any moment. I highly recommend a visit to the Canopy Tower; the off-season package is an excellent bargain, and the sheer volume and beauty of the local wildlife, and the ease with which it is sighted, makes it a perfect location for anybody who likes nature in the slightest way, and unforgettable for the hard-core birder like myself.