Change is good
Unsure that we’d actually see the Resplendent Quetzal, I tell Bob we should take a tour at Finca Lerida, just in case the guide can help us find one. After breakfast, we meet up with our guide, Alberto. Alberto, it turns out, is quite knowledgeable about Finca Lerida operations and growing coffee, but less about birds.
From him, I learn that coffee trees can last up to 25 years, but if they start to look diseased, they plant a new tree beside and cut it down. Finca Lerida uses very few chemicals if none—I think they might use an anti-nematode chemical, otherwise nothing. The coffee plants sometimes get nematodes or another insect. To grow the new plants, they take a seed, plant it, when it sprouts, they move it to another container for 7 months, then transfer it into the ground. The coffee is picked and packed in 30lb bags by the pickers (mostly indigenous), who are paid a minimum of $425 for the season, $3 for each 30lb bag, and all of their housing and food supplied. Panama has a state medical insurance. The Panamanian President’s family owned Finca Lerida, but it was sold and placed under a non-profit management. The hotel was built in 2004, but an addition is being built now. At one time, Finca Lerida had a dairy operation, but apparently it couldn’t compete against Netherland butter (a possible exchange for all the Chiquita bananas we see shipped back?) and the area has been replanted. No more trees are cut on the property. The coffee is sort of shade grown—some large trees within the coffee plants provide shade to many plants, and the hedge row/forest fringe provides more. They often sees a light mist of rain.
After wandering past many coffee and other trees and a vine called “kill tree” that will cover a tree and kill it within 1-2 years, we reach forested area. We take a walk (missing most birds but surprisingly see the nightingale out in the open and then although we hear the song many more times, never see it again) up to several lookouts where we can see the Pacific Ocean and the farm operations on Finca Lerida and a neighbor that has truck farm operations—this is where the irrigation water flowing down the property in pipes goes partially.
Then we head down the Cascades path—which is rocky and has some difficult places on the trail where one can slip. The trail leads eventually to a lookout of another waterfall. Then we start hearing the Resplendant Quetzal. We see three different males—what a treat. The blue tail looks turquoise against the native greenery, the red bright, the tail curls on the end. He’s simply stunning while his mate is just prettier than a Trogan. We hear the Bell birds and others see it, but not us.
After our return along the Cascades path, we take the el Roble trail which is much narrower and follows a huge number of old trees down to the coffee trees. The hike is a delight and we find others staying at the hotel sign up for a coffee tour.
After a good lunch, we return up to where we hiked in the morning with Alberto and bird the forest fringe in search of all the birds we heard and missed and find quite a few, but it rains, then gets chilly so we wear our ponchos. When Bob’s feet start hurting, we head back, finding the Acorn Woodpecker as a surprising close to the day—the picture in the bird guide is far too white compared to the yellowish faces we see.
Chestnut-capped Brush Finch, Ruddy-capped Nightingale Thrush, Black Vulture, Resplendent Quetzals (male), Yellowish Flycatcher, Green Violetear (hummingbird), Slaty Flower-Piercer, Rufous-collared Sparrow, White-naped Brush Finch, Yellow-bellied Siskin, Yellow-faced Grassquit (in nest), Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Slate-throated Redstart, Flame-colored Tanager, Black-cheeked Warbler, White-tipped Dove, Acorn Woodpecker, Clay-colored Thrush, Blue-gray Tanager
We woke up excited to look for Quetzals, not our first try by any means. We’ve looked for Quetzals in Mexico and Costa Rica and Peru, but they like mountains with cool tropical rainforest and apparently according to one of our fellow travelers, specific trees in flower.
We ask if it is safe to park at the trailhead next to the bus stop, but the office manager is unwilling to commit to potential liability and suggests we walk or take the local bus. We drive down (4km from the hotel) and pull into the trailhead, finding a place to turn around and park. The caretaker for the trailhead has us sign in and pay $3 each.
I didn’t believe that we would see a Quetzal—the trail starts through agriculture land, but slowly it begins to rise. Luckily, most of the trail is rocky so the continual rain hasn’t left the trail very muddy or wet. Soon we start spotting birds we found at Finca Lerida, then new ones—mostly warblers or warbler look-alikes by size. We miss one small bird again and again. Worse, while documenting a bird we’re viewing, people come up and start asking questions—a sure guarantee of failure. Then while we’re looking at a warbler, a group of three young guys approach and ask us about our birding—they tell us they’ve just seen the Resplendent Quetzal 100 meters up the trail. We decide to pay attention to the possibility we might actually see a Quetzal. We start hearing two voices calling back and forth but can’t find either bird. Finally, we pause and stand quietly a few places.
A female Resplendent Quetzal swoops up and lands on a tree branch above my head. I tell Bob, quick, get the picture.
He does so, approaching nearer while I stand back. I don’t realize he has seen the male until he’s taken several pictures then mouths to me, quick, he’s about to leave. Both birds swoop 100 meters away into the forest and I never do see the male, although Bob spots it twice more.
We continue to get what birds we can, telling others where to look and at what height. Most of the people we run into are hiking fast and hard. We spend 6 hours doing the trail up to the waterfall and then slowly back. What a delight to see the environment—so many old trees and blossoms and ferns and so much water as the trail follows the creek. Bob’s eyes get tired and he starts only wearing his glasses when I find a bird.
We return back to Finca Lerida well pleased at our day. But I have a headache from lack of food and someone sends me a message about a blog that had nasty things to say about me, but no way to contact him, so I quit following this person. What a mean thing to do.
Sendero des Quetzales
Birds:
Silver-throated Tanager, White-throated Mountain Gem (hummingbird), Flame-throated Warbler, Yellowish Flycatcher, Resplendent Quetzals (male/female), Three-striped Warbler, Slate-throated Redstart, Long-tailed Woodcreeper, Chestnut-capped Brush Finch, Common Bush Tanager
Yesterday’s storm continued today. We woke in not so bad drizzle, went to breakfast—continental with cereal, Passion Fruit juice, plate of fruit and homemade bread toast and jelly and coffee and tea for me. After breakfast, we decided to skip our tours due to the rain and try for Volcan Baru. The office gave us a map. We followed the road up as far as we could go, but the graveled part of the road looked washed out with huge boulders making it difficult to head straight up. So we continued on to Volcancito (the town) on the return loop to town.
Once in town, I asked that we head back to Finca Lerida via the road to San Ramon where there is rock climbing (in good weather).
The road there follows the river, shows many geologic formations—sediment layers uptilted I think. They look like hexagonal rods piled on top of each other with a bit of a twist upward. The river, too, is scenic, with many waterfalls. Lots of flowers in bloom now, but the birds are uncooperative disliking the rain.
We return to Finca Lerida for a late lunch (and beers for Bob although I have one two). We split chicken fingers and fries and Lerida Decadence – a mocha brownie served with carmelized bananas and cashews and a dish of rum raisin ice cream. Delicious all. We meet Dave and Dave the boatmen traveling from Costa Rica south who are hanging in the region. Dave is from Princeton and the other Dave is from New York. Then we meet Woody who is beside himself and traveling from San Francisco area. We tell everyone we have been promised a bar with a wood fire tonight.
We take a nap while the rain falls, but as soon as it lets up, I urge Bob out to do the Misterio Falls road. Five minutes down the road, the next cloud hits and the rain is once more torrential. By the time we get to the Sendero de la Quetzales, we find too much rain but a Black Guan under the canopy posing for us. Great way to end the day.
Birds:
Silver-throated Tanager, White-Naped Brush-Finch, Flame-Colored Tanager, Rufous-Collared Sparrow, Panama Flycatcher, Common Black Hawk (Immature), Blue-Gray Tanager, Buff-throated Saltator, Clay-colored Thrush, Tennessee Warbler, Slaty-Flowerpiercer, Black Guan, Cattle Egret, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Violet Sabrewing, Green Violet-Ear, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird
Today was a laundry day—everything we have is dirty. We wake up late, have breakfast, shower and head to Panama City. Bob skips any side trip. Instead we go to Amador Causeway and try the Buffalo Steak House. It’s okay—my fish comes with tasty stir fry but no garlic. Even the garlic bread has little garlic. Bob’s Brochette’s of filet, chicken and prawns is cooked just done, the meat tender, and he eats it with the grilled onion and is happy. We skip dessert until later.
We find that we can check in early by an hour and immediately set to work sorting laundry. Bob finishes all the loads while I work on this week’s essay—it doesn’t fit the assignment. I expect they will shoot me, just kidding.
(Gorgeous trees and views along the Amador causeway offer shelter from the intense heat, protection from the rain, introduction to unusual trees, and places to rest, fun.)
After the laundry is finished I cheat with peanut butter cookies, Bob with chocolate chip and then go for a walk up the waterfront and back. I write some more (mostly planning i.e. seeing how many word on how many scenes and adding scenes).
Then Bob is ready for drinks—I cheat and have the Ultimate Mud Slide, Bob is defeated by the bar being out of limon, so he settles for gin with a jigger of margarita juice.
Easy day, quick night to go to bed, we have a flight in the morning.
Birds: Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Little Blue Heron, Great Kiskadee, Rock Pigeon
Today was a transition day, move out of one hotel, move into the next. We wake late (8:30) and head for breakfast. On our return, I shower while Bob futzes with the bags. We check out fairly early and decided to just head to Colon area and try out the famed Achiote Road that a birder we ran into told us was the hot spot of the San Lorenzo National Park. We quickly found the right road and then saw a lavanderia which we are getting close to being desperate to have, but decided to wait for our next stop at the Country Inn and Suites.
After filling gasoline and buying water at McDonald’s we soon found a sign pointing to the Melia Panama Canal, our hotel for the next two nights. They kindly let us check in, so we dumped our bags and went to lunch. Meals at the Melia are all buffet—breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have a small candy, snack and gift shop. I had garlic Sea Bass, noodles, vegetables and salad, Bob the same, except he ate the mussels off my SeaBass and had the three cheese chicken. We were amused by the people who quietly accepted their Atlas beer—Bob told them it wasn’t real beer and could he please have a Panama or Sabal or Heineken—they caved. The servers made sure the label of the other beer drinkers wasn’t visible to us.
Then we were off down the road, past the Gatun Locks which look delightedly stair stepped and complete with several large container ships enclosed. On past the Gatun Locks (the traffic waits on either side for their turn to go on the one lane drawbridge. The dam was impressive even though the water wasn’t being allowed out. Then the road passed alongside Gatun Lake which is eerily turquoise and sets well above the seashore seen across the road. Achiote Road may be a good birding road, but there is precious few places to pull off and most of these we found trashed and or burned out. At the turnoff onto Achiote Road, the roadside was onfire. Most people continued past since only the dried out vegetation seems to burn. It doesn’t take long to get to Achiote Road and once there you find the Toucan Center which seems to be a campground/place to get a guide and someone’s private home. We skipped it and continued on to Pina which is the small seaside town at the end of the Achiote Road. Round trip took about 3 hours and we only stopped to id a few birds. The area from Achiote to Pina is private farmland, low grazing fields for cattle with rivers running through separated by native treed areas. The stench of smoke was overpowering and even miles away, I still smell it on me.
One the way back we got to witness some local culture. Ladies had set up a roadside stand selling drinks and sandwiches. Stopped at Gatun Locks, the men on their way home, one by one caved to the temptation and went over and bought sandwiches, which they immediately began to devour. Also, the small Mitsibuishi truck (front seat with two men, back hole with a couple more, and tailbed with two benches made from wood planks housed another five men. After one of the buses (not the one with a line of shark fins down the top) crossed the Gatun Locks, the driver pulled over and a mother was allowed to place her son at trees edge to empty his bladder, then all drove away. The doorman at the Melia wanted to know why the Toucan was yelling his head off, it took him awhile to translate my English “he’s saying hey ladies, look at me, I got the fruit” before he smiled. Many of the people we are running into are speaking Spanish as a second language.
(The Panamanian buses known as the Red Devils for their wild ways and fun decorations were due to be replaced in just 15 days, however, even the Taxis drivers--like this one-- have caught on to the fun of making their home away from home fun to visit.)
We returned to the hotel to find a Toucan yelling his head off, and for drinks—Bob bought snacks, just in case he got hungry. I’m still eating less than normal, hopefully it will take a pound or two off before I return home. Tonight we plan to swim in the glorious pools that are open 24 hours a day, no restrictions. The hotel itself is almost deserted except during lunch when the buffet attracted busloads of people.
We got drinks and now Bob amused himself watching a young lady remove her bra and put on her swimsuit top without revealing anything. Her babies were then encased in floating swim suits, one, the youngest was held with his toes touching and he immediately took up kicking. Once both were in floating swim suits, they also got to have a floating ring. The eldest cries if mom pays attention to the younger or leaves him alone. The Melia property is surrounded on about 270 degrees by river/lake.
Birds:
Blue-Crowned Motmot, Summer Tanager, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Magnificent Frigatebird, Cattle Egret, Woodstork, Smooth-billed Ani, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, Great-tailed Grackle, Crimson-backed Tanager, Panama Flycatcher, Thick-billed Seed Finch, Yellow-headed Caracara, Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan, Palm Tanager, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Blue-Gray Tanager, S. Roughwinged Swallows
Slow up for breakfast at 7:30. Then I worked on my grammar lesson until I couldn’t sit any longer, my cold makes my back ache. After lunch, Bob and I wandered the property, visiting many of the little nooks and crannies and finding the Toucans fun to watch.
Then we went on our tour. The guide took us up a back road along the edge of the crater where we picked up whichever bird happened to be in the area. When we returned, I took pictures of some of the many pleasant surprises on the property. Bob learned a bit about the Aristide family that owns the property and when the children quit using it, they turned it into a really excellent little resort. We had drinks then joined a new couple from Toronto and the New York couple for dinner and shared stories about whatever.
Birds:
Keel-billed Toucan, Collared Aricari, Violet-crowned Wood Nymph, Clay-colored Thrush, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Common Tody Flycatcher, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Garden Emerald Hummingbird, Long-billed Starthroat, Black-chested Jay, Lineated Woodpecker, Rufous and White Wren, Rufous-breasted Wren, Rufous-crowned Warbler, Squirrel Cuckoo, White-winged Becard, Bat Falcon, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Tennessee Warbler, Blue-crowned MotMot now called a Whooping Motmot, Thick-billed Euphonia, Cattle Egret
We wake, watch the birds at the feeder and rush down for breakfast at 7:30. Then we while away time writing and with my grammar class assignment. Bob showers and fights the cold water—I skip. We make it to the church in time for the 9:00 service. The music is provided by a band of guitars, drummer and acoustics, the singer sounded very pleasant. The service was entirely in Spanish. I could tell where we were based on our service at home but couldn’t understand much. I understood the priest’s sermon related to our chosen paths in life. I’m not really used to God being called Senor, but it is nice. The church was opened on the sides and back to let in the winds. The church grounds were planted with flowers and quite attractive. We realized too late we could have picked up the words to the service at the front door; we came in the side door.
After mass, we waited in line at their very popular banos, then found the youngsters buying ice cream bars and flavored ice cones instead of our more typical donuts.
Afterwards we parked across from the market and wandered through. There was a huge section devoted to plants for sale, another for vegetables for purchase, and a final section filled with artisan crafts. I bought a dolphin bracelet and a woven medallion.
At lunch, we shared our table from the two guides from the large group of I think New Zealanders who were here birding and had a nice chat. They let us talk primarily. After lunch, with an offering of chicken, vegetables and rice served in a soup, we passed time typing up our notes and writing. The afternoon was spent on our free guided tour –it was a real delight. We went to a side road and the guide called in a Tody Motmot. Then we moved down the road and wandered up and down spotting birds. The guide was very helpful, often putting the bird we were identifying in his scope for a closer look.
Dense forest found near Canopy Lodge, El Valle, Panama
Dinner found us sharing our table with a young couple from New York.
Birds:
Clay-colored Thrush, Chestnut-headed Oropendula, Blue-gray Tanager, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Palm Tanager, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Thick-billed Euphonia, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Crimson-backed Tanager, Great-tailed Grackle, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Lesser Goldfinch (f), Cocoa Woodcreeper, Tody Motmot, Long-billed Starthroat, Squirrel Cuckoo, Orange-chinned Parakeet, S. Roughwinged Swallow, Turkey Vulture, Gray-capped Flycatcher, Western Wood Pewee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Streaked Saltator, Rufous-capped Warbler
Today was a slow day, wake up, take a swim, eat lunch, then fetch the car at the airport. Turns out that the Hertz people only show up when scheduled so we had to wait fifteen minutes. During that time, the sweet lady from the tourism department offered us directions on how to get out of town and onto the C1 Panamerican Highway. She also told us how to get from Canopy Lodge, bypassing Panama City by taking the Puente Centenial instead of going into town. That sounded good. When we picked up the car, though, I found say a sign for Puente Centenial and directed Bob that way instead of following the buses to the Puente Americana. A quick U-turn provided the fix. The drive to El Valle was simple, only thing to watch for was a liquor store for Bob and the turn-off to El Valle.
We showed up and tried the internet, but found it only worked in the lounge area. Meanwhile, I found myself unable to hear anything. I’ve been joining Bob for drinks because lime in water is a sure safe way to have a drink without sugar. The gin acts like cough medicine and helps my achy muscles.
Canopy Lodge is a small place with very zen furnishings. Our room overlooks the bird feeders so we get to see plenty of action. Guides lead trips from the lodge—we received a free trip and will pay for one today. The meals are provided by the staff buffet style and dinner includes some really good wine.
I woke, got dressed and on my way to the pier, I spotted a coati walking up the river. I passed on and sat on the benches on the beach beneath the canopy. Bob soon joined me and we both noticed how the crab walk marks entirely covered the sand, crisscrossing and crossing many times. I was amazed how busy the little creatures were and how much territory they covered in just one night.
Soon, all our luggage was loaded on board and we headed off to El Morro (the snout?) which is a volcanic rock island broken off from the main coastline and which hosts many birding colonies. We didn’t see many birds home for the morning—I assume most were off finding breakfast. We first spotted a Bare-throated Tiger heron, then spotted Magnificent Frigatebirds, some with the red balloon just beginning to show their interest in mating. Around the other side of El Morro, a few blue-footed boobies had just taken up residence. Then we were off on the two hour passage back to El Quimbo, where we picked up the bus after waiting an hour. On the passage, I learned that Punta Patino had been a logging camp that was turned into a nature conservancy and logging banned. Punta Patino is a huge area, we were in just a small at the tip of a cone-shaped wedge of land set aside as protection.
The ride by bus back to Panama City has us all betting on our arrival time. Rachel and Dave kept up nonstop chatter about their visits to many people they knew in many parts of the world, with others interspersing their comments every now and then. I added a few tales with Bob supplying the words I couldn’t remember. We stopped once and tried to buy cachuatches but no one new what they were. We settled for potato chips and peanut M&Ms and Bob had a beer. When we climbed into the bus after using the bano, we found that Juan had pulled rank inside, talked to a manager and managed to buy Minas which is the local name for peanuts.
The Country Inn and Suites Panama Canal looked very safe and quite wonderful and I felt entirely miserable and ready for a steak. We went immediately to dinner and for once, I joined Bob in having several gins—I was never more ready to crash in my entire life. I took more pseudophed and Tylenol and by ten o’clock was dead to the world until morning.
Birds:
Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Smoothed-billed Ani, Laughing Gull, Blue-footed Booby, Sandwich Tern, Royal Tern, Snowy Egret, White Ibis, Tricolored Heron, Neotropical Cormorant, Little Blue Heron, Black Vulture.
Birds:
Clay-colored Thrush, Chestnut-headed Oropendula, Blue-gray Tanager, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Palm Tanager, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Thick-billed Euphonia, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Crimson-backed Tanager, Great-tailed Grackle, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Lesser Goldfinch (f), Cocoa Woodcreeper, Tody Motmot, Long-billed Starthroat, Squirrel Cuckoo, Orange-chinned Parakeet, S. Roughwinged Swallow, Turkey Vulture, Gray-capped Flycatcher, Western Wood Pewee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Streaked Saltator, Rufous-capped Warbler, Yellow-backed Oriole
Insect: Praying Mantis--two leaves connected? One to look up when I get home.
Today was a good day despite missing out on the Harpy Eagle. We woke up late, dressed, ate breakfast leisurely, donned out gear and started out on a slow stroll.
During breakfast, the man of the house cleaned the upstairs, sweeping it thoroughly. When he reached a spot on the floorboards, I heard a clunk and went to look. There was a gecko on the floor—brown and black speckled with cool little buttons on his feet. He climbed up the screen and up headed toward the ceiling and on our return he was just plain gone.
We first checked out the cabins, then the orchards, then the marshes, picking up thirty+ birds, 7-8 which were lifers. Before we took the long walk up the cliff, we rested by the beach to cool off.
Mangrove swamp at Punta Patino
Gyorgy, the cook, corrects Bob’s Spanish upon his request.
Then we went to chicken and rice and pineapple for lunch. Afterwards, the plan was going to be that I would write and Bob shower and write in his journal. Then a beach walk. Discovering his bird book missing, Bob woke me in the hammock and said no more writing, I need my bird book (he was actually going to go off without me). So I got into my swimsuit and said let’s do the beach hike. We walked straight down and found it on the bench where we had left it.
So then we took an hour and a half walk up the coast and back, spotting a few seabirds including a collared plover (potential lifer). The sand is black and slips below your feet if in the water and sticks and clings like weights if up the shore. Too far up the shore, the sand is burning hot from the sun. We sat and watched beach critters—probable crab of some sort, spiral out of their hole and leave tracks in the sand. Other crabs and jumped out of their hole as fast as can be, then spying us, zipped back. The shore was much different from last night when all sorts of hermit crabs littered the shore, all safely protected from predators, supposedly. Instead of the hermit crabs in their snail shells, today we had holes with dirt flung out in a scattering of balls. One species, thin and black felt secure without snail shells but hustled away from us.
On our return, we arrived just in time to see the property’s pet jaguarondi climb down a tree and dash away. What a beautiful black kitty he is, not that I would challenge his claws. Although only about 4’ long (not counting head and tail, and 3’ tall), he seemed more interested in departure then taking on the local dog.
The only bad part of the day will be the return of the crew and the fact I had to take two pseudophed for a clogged nose, and worse, the gunk is sitting at the back of my throat so I worry that I am getting what the woman and her daughter who were coughing and taking medicine at the airport had. I am praying it is allergies from the profusion of blooms, but thinking probably not from the slow way my mind and body are reacting.
Birds spotted: Osprey, Willet, Collared Plover, Common Black Hawk, Northern Waterthrush, Blue-gray Tanager, Solitary Sandpiper, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Palm Tanager, Lance-tailed Manakin, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Lesser Nighthawk, Gray-headed Chachalaca, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Gray-necked Wood-Rail, White Ibis, Tricolored Heron, Brown Pelican, Buff-breasted Wren, White-tipped Dove, Western Slaty-Antshrike, Turkey Vulture, Streaked Flycatcher, Panama Flycatcher, Wood Stork, Humboldt’s Sapphire Hummingbird, Blue-throated Goldentail, Crested Oropendula, Great Kiskadee, Lesser Kiskadee, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Magnificent Frigatebird
Mammals spotted: Variegated Squirrel, Gray-phase Jaguarundi, Red-tail squirrel
Lizards spotted: black monitor with a narrow neck, triangular face, and white stripe down his neck, gecko, Bob spotted a lizard with red head and black body, Caiman
Woke up having forgot my patch; fell asleep trying to write, then tossed-and-turned, hopping twin beds, first Bob’s then mine with the air conditioner turned up. We figured we slept maybe 6 hours, after a 4 hour night, 4 hour night, 4 hour night. But 6 is better. Morning hike until lunch led us down through the woods, especially looking for Manakins. The guide was always well off in front talking with several of the people who really knew the birds of the area. I got irritated since the one’s up front hogged the front of the birding and then talked loudly and scared off the bird and wouldn’t allow anyone in for a view. If I spotted anything, they’d come crashing over pushing us out of the way. I hate competitive birding—it’s not good for the birds. The Anton Expedition Guide did point out a few birds with his laser pointer—this is a cool tool for telling people where to look. Deep in the forest, sometimes the only view was about a foot wide.
The Anton Expedition Guide then started up about how impossible it was to see the Harpy Eagle and then telling us how fast he planned to walk, up and down ten+ 300 foot hills, over ten miles to and from, and how there would be no waiting or taking pictures or taking a breather. He made me feel extremely unwelcome. We decided to skip the Harpy Eagle outing for the next day.
I couldn’t help feeling cheated by the whole place—they promised a beach side cabin, we’re up 300 ft through grounds that require protection against ticks—not exactly the walk out your cabin door to a stroll on the beach promised. Then they cancelled our night in Mogrebe and the outing to see the seabird colony (now rescheduled to make the day away from here longer).
Hard to believe anyone can be crabby with Trogon's following you around the property at Punta Patino.
So as usual, I am anti-social and took a nap which made me far less crabby. Later, Bob and I walked down to the beach and shed about 20 degrees of heat and found company with the crabs who are cute as can be.
Birding
Black-chested Jay, Black-and-White Warbler, White-whiskered Puffbird, Thick-billed Euphonia, Red-Throated Caracara, Linneated Woodpecker, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Acadian Flycatcher, Blacktailed Trogon, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Lesser Kiskadee, Panama Flycatcher, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, Turkey Vulture, Grey-cheeked Nunlet, Crested Oropendula, Orange-crowned Oriole, Red-capped Woodpecker, Wood Stork, Smooth-billed Ani, Palm Tanager, White Ibis, Brown Pelican, Black Vulture
Wake up at 4:00 was painful since even though we tried to go to bed early, we were both up at midnight. Bob gave me plenty of time to do my yoga exercises and finally my body seems to be settling outPacking was easily accomplished. Our pickup by Ancon expeditions was timely, our driver Eric was good-humored, helpful, and got us all the way to the boat with no problems. In our group is Juan, Issa, Carlos, Rachel, Dave and us. We’re a friendly bunch dedicated to birding.
Breakfast was a trial to me, I didn’t expect to have to order food and not really hungry then rejected the meal I ordered because I asked for tortilla and got corn cakes instead of the tortilla look alike which is more like fry bread and called olhabra by sound but maybe not spelled right. It is dough made of flour, salt, water and deep fried. I tried for agua but was offered unasked for coffee, then when asked again, received tea. Luckily, Bob order botille de agua, and that was delivered. Good thing because I finished it all. And my water bottle full, and some of Bob’s.
The drive through Darien was mostly agricultural land with many inspection stops. The cattle rangers have a breed obviously with some sort of mix with Brahmin beef. The fencing is done in a cool manner—live trees with barb wire stapled to them. Many places, even small towns, a show of firecrackers has declared this still to be Carnivale. Music is played from speakers to keep areas bopping.
The drive was almost interminable and I found myself catnapping occasionally since the scenery was mostly unchanging. The Panamanians build in odd places and don’t seem to have a planning grid which they use. Sometimes homes are built with squared off houses, mostly modern places, but many are build following the line of coast, gully or hillside. Hunks of gravel from the roadside get dug up, with no sign of ownership but there are commercial gravel pits. The homes have the Spanish style with wrought iron over doors and or windows, red tiled roofs or metal, and cement block construction in many places. In some town, one guy is in charge of being the housing goods distributor. Many people seem unsure which style home they like, some with three on the same property, one built with thatched roof, one build modern and cinderblock and one built with sheet metal roofs. Most people look like they prefer sleeping in hammocks out of doors and cooking on outside barbecues. The people have all been very friendly. Grocery stores are widely used. Garbage is trouble.
Our boat trip goes down a large mangrove-fronted river to the ocean then in and around a bunch of islands until we reach Punta Patino.
Our Cottages at Punta Patino
Deibyus is our guide here at Punta Patino.
Birds:
Yellow-crowned Euphonia, Osprey, Blue Gray Tanager, Broad-winged Hawk, Black-tailed Trogon, Band-rumped Swift, Keel-billed Toucan, Crested Oropendula, Chestnut-headed Oropendula, Lesser-swallow-tailed Swift, Prothonotary Warbler, Great Kiskadee, Spotted Sandpiper, Greyheaded Chachalaca, Cattle Egret, Yellow-headed Caracara, Great-tailed Grackle, Black Vulture, Smooth-billed Ani, Tropical Kingbird, Tropical Mockingbird, Turkey Vulture, Magnificent Frigatebird, Great Egret, Brown Pelican, White Ibis, Red Crowned Woodpecker, Black-chested Jay
Chicken, goat, cow, dog, horse, and I saw many White Muscovy Domestic Ducks
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