The Panama Naturalist by Ivan Hoyos

cassowary

2011-06-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

koala

2011-06-14T09:41:00.001-07:00

wombat--not panama, of course, but funny!!!!!!

2011-06-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Gatun Lake and The Rainforest of the Panama Canal

2008-05-10T13:20:00.001-07:00

If you visit Panama and do not have sufficient time to explore beyond the Panama City area, may I strongly suggest visiting Gatun Lake. There is simply no better wildlife viewing tour out of Panama City and it will give a run for its money to any other wildlife tour in the Americas. All it takes is a 35-40 minute drive out of Panama City and you are right smack in the middle of an oasis--Gatun Lake and the rainforest of the Panama Canal.

You see, most people think of the Panama Canal as an industrial complex, full of metal, cement, locks and ships. True, there is some validity to that statement. However, most of the Panama Canal is actually a well-protected rainforest that surrounds the 160 plus square miles of Gatun Lake. Once the largest artificial lake in the world, Gatun forms part of the journey that ships take when they navigate the Panama Canal. This is probably the only place in the world where you can view monkeys and turn 180 degrees to view beheamoths carrying 4000 plus containers.

I had the opportunity to spend the day on Gatun Lake aboard one of the boats that we operate on the lake. In the company of two brothers from Chicago, we departed from the access ramp in Gamboa and began our quest for the many characters that comprise the fauna of the Panama Canal watershed. I have been leading tours in Lake Gatun since the mid 90's and though a decade has gone by, I still get a kick watching Mantled-howler Monkeys "chillin" on the branches, Common Basilisk lizards running across the water and sloth doing...well, being sloths.

Every outting on the lake is different and today it seemed to be sloth and crocodile day. We saw American Crocodiles basking in the sun and moving on the water--at one point, we had a good laugh as a crocodile had to pull a quick U-turn when it realized it was headed directly for the path of a 950 foot long container ship. We saw iguanas, howlers, lots of egrets, herons, flycatchers and snail kites.

Not every thing is perfect on the lake and I have witnessed how certain tour companies in the area view the animals as entertainment for their guests. For years, there have been habituated White-faced Capuchin Monkeys on an island visited by EVERYONE that spends anytime on the lake. Though these creatures are used to human beings approaching them, they can easily survive without any additional food given to them. I have witnessed guides feeding these monkeys everything from apples to Pringles (see the video below). One local company went as far as nailing metal feeding platforms so the monkeys could perform for their overcrowded boats.

These are the pitfalls of ecotourism with no control. We cannot rely on local authorities to regulate this behavior, for they themselves would probably see nothing wrong in feeding wild animals! It is in the responsibility of the traveler to say something when they see this and let it be known to the hotel or tour company they use that this is wrong.

OK, on a more positive note, if you are wondering about fishing on that lake, the answer is yes! Great Peacock Bass fishing, Snook, Tarpon, Oscar. Fishing here is small scale and no commerical harvesting is allowed in the Panama Canal. On top of that, many of the species are exotics so you should not feel guilty about catching and eating as many as you'd like. This is something else you could do and there is a local company that specializes in fishing the Panama Canal. What name would you guess they have? http://www.panamacanalfishing.com/

If you are interested in doing the rainforest tour of Gatun Lake, contact Ancon Expeditions or view their website at www.anconexpeditions.com Ancon Expeditions has two boats on the lake and they can run the tour with a minimum of 2 people.

Punta Patiño Nature Reserve, Darien

2008-05-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

I was able to spend 4 days in Punta Patiño, a private nature reserve created by ANCON (The National Association for the COnservation of Nature--en español). This 30,289 hectare (74,814) acre reserve holds a variety of habitats from the coastal mangroves (3384 hectares or 8359 acres), to dry-scrub habitats to the rainforests dominated by the gigantic Cuipo trees. Currently, Ancon Expeditions of Panama operates a 10 cabin lodge within the reserve and this makes for the only lodging available within the reserve. Wildlife, culture, sunsets, cold beers and personalized service were the highlights of the trip.

We departed on Friday via Air Panama from Albrook Airport. The Darien is sort of the degraded step-sister of Panama's provinces--the Cinderella of Panama. Though it is the largest province in size, it is also the smallest in population. When you fly to the Darien, you never quite know what time you'll leave and for that matter, what time you'll return (we will get into that subject later). Anyhow, we were lucky and departed from Albrook only 45 minutes late.

The flight from Panama City to La Palma lasts only 45 minutes, but Panama City's skyline of glass and cement is quickly replaced by a Cuipo skyline. This city of a million plus is only a minuscule fraction of this country--a false sense of what Panama is if you ask me. Patches of forests, clearings for cattle and large tracks of mangroves are in-flight entertainment aboard the 18 passenger Twin Otter. It is pretty easy to follow your flight-route if you have a map of the country handy. The island of Chepillo, the town of Chiman and the mouth of the Tuira River, so large it is simply unmistakable. Finally below us is our destination of La Palma, only that we fly right over it and continue to El Real. You see, this 18 passenger flights services La Palma, El Real, Sambu, Garachine and whatever other town in the Darien that has an airstrip. In our case, we do reach La Palma after El Real and leave the milk run for the rest of the unfortunate passengers.

Your mode of transportation from La Palma to the lodge is a majestic dug-out canoe named Negumbu Waibua or Harpy Eagle in the Embera tongue. It takes about 1-1 1/2 hours to reach Patiño, depending on the currents, tides and amount of Bottlenose Dolphins spotted at the mouth of the Tuira. The landing at the final destination is theoretically a wet-landing, though it seems the staff is not satisfied if they do not make every effort possible to keep your ten toes from getting wet at the beach. It is then a short 10 minute walk uphill under coconut palms, mango trees and open skies (yikes-it's hot here in the middle of the day) until we reach the lodge. What a view! This is what makes Panama different. Here we sit overlooking the Pacific Ocean, thousands of acres of forest and just 6 people--3 of us and 3 staff. No, I mean just the 6 of us because it is not like other places where you have a lodge around the point and then another lodge around the point and so on until you have dozens of lodges in "one of the most remote places on earth." Here there is only one lodge--Punta Patiño.

So, what do we do now? This afternoon, we take a walk through some of the scrub forest near the lodge and as the days comes to an end, the temperature drops from hot to not too hot, but hot. OK, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, for this is not Dubai in July. I suppose it is in the mid 80's, with the same digits in the percentage of humidity. A couple of hours with some interesting birds, but the highlight was a troop of Geoffroy' Tamarins (Saguinus Geoffroyi) settling for the night. These tiny, gremlin-faced creatures (mohawk and all) are about the size of a grey squirrel and are the only marmosets found north of South America. Good job. Now is back to the lodge for a shower and a cold beer.

The key to successful wildlife viewing in places like Patiño is an early start. Make sure you are out in the field at sunrise or shortly after and then return to the lodge mid-day when the temperature rises and the animals can't be bother to entertain anyone! We followed this formula and over the next couple of days, we saw countless Red-lored Amazons flying above the lodge, Black-tailed Trogons, Lance-tailed and Golden-collared Manakins, Crimson-crested Woodpeckers, Blue-crowned Motmots, Basilisk lizards, Green Iguanas, White-nosed Coatis among others. The biggest surprise for me were two Yellow-billed Cuckoos that were found on the trail to the Patiño Estuary.

Besides the natural attractions of the lodge area, there is another reason to visit Patiño and that is the native Embera community of Mogue. Access to this village is tide-dependent, as the rivers of the Pacific coast of Panama ebb and flow with the daily tides--not quite the Bay of Fundy, but sometimes reaching 18 feet! The mangrove labyrinth leads way to the cultivated fields of plantain and as I catch a glimpse of that odd S-shaped trunk of the coconut palm, I know we have reached the village.

The Embera are some of the friendliest and most photogenic people you will find in Panama. This tiny village of 250-300 people is most welcoming of the few travelers that visit them a year. Every time I visit this village, I cannot help to think of how different the life of this tribe would have been if Gaugin would not have gotten sick working for the French during their canal epoch. Perhaps the world over would have traveled to Panama to visit the women that Gaugin painted.

We spend a couple of hours with our hosts, walking the village, chatting, singing and dancing. There was the opportunity to buy woven baskets and plates and ivory nut and wood carvings. Though they were able to sell their crafts, I think their highlight was receiving the photos sent to them by previous travelers to the village. They are so photogenic and are open to photography, but they rarely see the pictures taken of them (showing them the picture on the screen of your digital camera does not count!) I give travelers my address and many send me their pictures, which I then deliver to the village--smashing hit!

Personally, the only downfall of our experience in the Darien was the flight delay on Monday. We were supposed to have departed La Palma at 10.30 in the morning. Just to reconfirm, we called at 7.30 am and once again, 10.30 am was the answer. However, upon arrival to La Palma, I received a call from my office saying that the airline had changed the time to 1pm, which soon became 2 pm and finally at 3pm, the plane arrived. Luckily, I ran into Harlim, an old friend from La Palma now running for political office. He's a good guy and of course, we decied to have a beer at 10.30 am--about the most productive thing to do in La Palma that time of the day!

He told me of a Englishman who married a local woman and their plans to build a lodge in a nearby town called Paritilla. We proceeded to take a local bus and drive right into his house. He is building a very attractive house/lodge, which will work as a great base for community tourism in the Darien. The couple were great hosts and have visionary plans that are much needed in the Darien. The delay turned out to be a plus to our weekend in the Darien, However, it is shameful that the Darien continues to be the forgotten province, for it seems that 9 out of 10 times the plane does not arrive on-time. I am sure that the airlines use the Darien plane to cover other routes, mechanical problems or last-minute charters, knowing that these humble people will not complain or take action.

Bird list for Cana Field Station, Darien National Park

2008-05-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is a list of the birds found at Cana Lodge, located in the heart of the Darien National Park. Though not quite yet a household name like Manu or Tambopata, Cana is perhaps one of the best birding spots in the Americas. This list was compiled by several guides, travelers and yours truly, a frequent visitor to Cana since 1998.

BIRDS OF CANA

Tinamidae
Great Tinamou
Little Tinamou
Choco Tinamou

Pelicanidae
Brown Pelican

Fregatidae
Magnificent Frigatebird

Ardeidae
Rufescent Tiger-Heron
Fasciated Tiger-Heron
Little Blue Heron
Cattle Egret
Great Blue Heron
Striated Heron
Green Heron
Agami Heron
Capped Heron

Threskiornithidae
Green Ibis

Cathartidae
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
King Vulture
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

Accipritidae
Osprey
Gray-headed Kite
Swallow-tailed Kite
Snail Kite
Double-toothed Kite
Mississippi Kite
Plumbeous Kite
Tiny Hawk
Bicolored Hawk
Crane Hawk
Plumbeous Hawk
Semiplumbeous Hawk
Barred Hawk
White Hawk
Great Black-Hawk
Solitary Eagle
Gray Hawk
Roadside Hawk
Broad -winged Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
Crested Eagle
Harpy Eagle
Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle
Black Hawk-Eagle
Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Falconidae
Red-throated Caracara
Laughing Falcon
Barred Forest-Falcon
Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon
Collared Forest-Falcon
Bat Falcon
Orange-breasted Falcon

Cracidae
Gray-headed Chachalaca
Crested Guan
Great Curasow

Phasianidae
Marbled Wood-Quail
Black-eared Wood-Quail
Tawny-faced Quail

Rallidae
Gray-necked Wood-Rail
White-throated Crake
Gray-breasted Crake
Purple Gallinule

Scolopacidae
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Southern Lapwing

Eurypygidae
Sunbittern

Aramidae
Limpkin

Columbidae
Pale-vented Pigeon
Scaled Pigeon
Short-billed Pigeon
Ruddy Pigeon
Dusky Pigeon
Plumbeous Pigeon
Ruddy Ground-dove
Blue Ground-dove
White-tipped Dove
Gray-chested Dove
Olive-backed Quail-dove
Purplish-backed Quail-dove
Russet-crowned Quail-dove
Violaceous Quail-dove
Ruddy Quail-dove

Psittacidae
Blue-and-Yellow Macaw
Great Green Macaw
Red-and-Green Macaw
Chestnut-fronted Macaw
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Blue-fronted Parrotlet
Brown-hooded Parrot
Saffron-headed Parrot
Blue-headed Parrot
Red-lored Amazon
Yellow-crowned Amazon
Mealy Amazon

Cuculidae
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Gray-capped Cuckoo
Squirrel Cuckoo
Little Cuckoo
Pheasant Cuckoo
Rufous vented Ground-Cuckoo
Greater Ani
Smooth billed Ani
Dwarf Cuckoo

Strigidae
Vermiculated Screech Owl

Bare shanked Screech Owl
Crested Owl
Spectacled Owl
Central American Pygmy Owl
Mottled Owl
Black and White Owl
Stygian Owl

Caprimulgidae
Short tailed Nighthawk
Lesser Nighthawk
Common Pauraque
Rufous Nightjar
White tailed Nightjar

Nyctibiidae
Great Potoo
Common Potoo

Apodidae
Chestnut collared Swift
White collared Swift
Short tailed Swift
Band rumped Swift
Chimney Swift
Lesser Swallow tailed Swift

Trochilidae
Rufous breasted Hermit
Band tailed Barbthroat
Green Hermit
Long tailed Hermit
Little Hermit
White tipped Sicklebill
Tooth billed Hummingbird
Green fronted Lancebill
White necked Jacobin
Brown Violet-Ear
Black throated Mango
Violet-headed Hummingbird
Rufous crested Coquette
Green thorntail
Green crowned Woodmymph
Violet bellied Hummingbird
Blue throated Goldentail
Violet capped Hummingbird
Rufous cheeked Hummingbird
Blue chested Hummingbird
Snowy bellied Hummingbird
Rufous tailed Hummingbird
White vented Plumleteer
Bronze tailed Plumletteer
Green crowned Brilliant
Greenish Puffleg
Purple crowned Fairy
Long billed Starthroat
Purple throated Woodstar

Trogonidae
White tailed Trogon
Violaceous Trogon
Collared Trogon
Black throated Trogon
Black tailed Trogon
Slaty tailed Trogon
Golden headed Quetzal

Momotidae
Tody Motmot
Blue crowned Motmot
Rufous Motmot
Broad billed Motmot

Alcenidae
Ringed Kingfisher
Green kingfisher
Amazon Kingfisher
Green and Rufous Kingfisher

Bucconidae
Barred Puffbird
White necked Puffbird
Black breasted Puffbird
Pied Puffbird
White whiskered Puffbird
Lanceolated Monklet
Gray cheeked Nunlet
White fronted Nunbird

Galbullidae
Dusky backed Jacamar
Rufous tailed Jacamar
Great Jacamar

Capitonidae
Spot crowned Barbet
Red headed Barbet

Ramphastidae
Violet Throatet Toucanet
Collared Aracari
Yellow eared Toucanet
Keel billed Toucan
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Choco Toucan

Picidae
Olivaceous Piculet
Black cheeked Woodpecker
Red rumped Woodpecker
Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker (Endemic)
Cinnamon Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
Crimson crested Woodpecker
Crimson bellied Woodpecker
Lita Woodpecker

Furnariidae
Slaty Spinetail
Red faced Spinetail
Double banded Graytail
Spotted Barbtail
Beautiful Treerunner (Endemic)
Striped Woodhaunter
Lineated Foliage-Gleaner
Slaty winged Foliage-Gleaner
Buff throated Foliage-Gleaner
Ruddy Foliage-Gleaner
Plain Xenops
Streaked Xenops
Tawny throated Leaftosser
Scaly throated Leaftosser
Sharp tailed Streamcreeper
Pacific Tuftedcheek

Dendrocolaptidae
Plain brown Woodcreeper
Ruddy Woodcreeper
Olivaceous Woodcreeper
Long tailed Woodcreeper
Wedge billed Woodcreeper
Northern Barred Woodcreeper
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Black striped Woodcreeper
Spotted Woodcreeper
Red billed Scythebill
Brown billed Scythebill

Formicariidae
Fasciated Antshrike
Great Antshrike
Black Antshrike
Western Slaty Antshrike
Russet Antshrike
Plain Antvireo
Spot crowned Antvireo
Moustached Antwren
Pacific Antwren
Checker throated Antwren
White flanked Antwren
Slaty Antwren
Rufous winged Antwren
Dot winged Antwren
Rufous rumped Antwren
Dusky Antbird
Jet Antbird
Bare crowned Antbird
Chestnut backed Antbird
Dull mantled Antbird
Immaculate Antbird
Spotted Antbird
Wing banded Antbird
Bicolored Antbird
Ocellated Antbird
Black faced Antthrush
Rufous breasted Antthrush
Black crowned Antpitta
Scaled Antpitta
Streak-chested Antpitta
Thicket Antpitta
Ochre breasted Antpitta

Rhynocriptidae
Choco Tapaculo

Tyrannidae
Sooty headed Tyrannulet
Paltry Tyrannulet
Brown capped Tyrannulet
Southern beardless Tyrannulet
Yellow crowned Tyrannulet
Forest Elaenia
Gray Elaenia
Yellow bellied Elaenia
Olive striped Flycatcher
Ochre bellied Flycatcher
Slaty capped Flycatcher
Yellow Green Tyrannulet (Endemic)
Bronze olive Pygmy-Tyrant
Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant
Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant
Southern Bentbill
Common Tody Flycatcher
Black headed Tody Flycatcher
Brownish Twistwing
Eye ringed Flatbill
Olivaceous Flatbill
Yellow margined Flycatcher
White throated Spadebill
Golden crowned Spadebill

Ruddy tailed Flycatcher
Sulphur rumped Flycatcher
Black tailed Flycatcher
Black billed Flycatcher

Common tufted Flycatcher
Olive sided Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Traill's Flycatcher
Eastern Wood Pewee
Western Wood Pewee
Yellow bellied Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Long tailed Tyrant
Sirystes
Bright rumped Attila
Rufous Mourner
Dusky capped Flycatcher
Panama Flycatcher
Great crested Flycatcher
Lesser Kiskadee
Boat billed Flycatcher
Rusty margined Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Gray capped Flycatcher
White ringed Flycatcher
Golden crowned Flycatcher
Streaked Flycatcher
Piratic Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Sapayoa
Thrushlike Schiffornis
Rufous Piha
Speckled Mourner
Cinereous Becard
Cinnamon Becard
White-winged Becard
One colored Becard
Masked Tityra
Black crowned Tityra

Cotingidae
Blue Cotinga
Black tipped Cotinga
Purple throated Fruitcrow

Pipridae
Green Manakin
Golden collared Manakin
White ruffed Manakin
Blue crowned Manakin
Golden headed Manakin

Oxyruncidae
Sharpbill

Hirundinidae
Gray breasted Martin
Mangrove Swallow
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
White-thighed Swallow

Corvidae
Black chested Jay

Troglodytidae
Black capped Donacobius
White headed Wren
Sooty headed Wren
Black bellied Wren
Bay Wren
Stripe throated Wren
House Wren
White breasted Wood Wren
Gray breasted Wood Wren
Southern Nigthingale Wren
Song Wren
Ochraceous Wren

Sylvinae
Tawny faced Gnatwren
Long billed Gnatwren
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Slate throated Gnatcatcher

Turdinae
Varied Solitaire
Slaty backed Nightingale-Thrush
Wood Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Gray cheeked Thrush
Pale vented Thrush
White throated Thrush
Clay-colored Thrush

Bombycillidae
Cedar Waxwing

Vireonidae
Yellow throated Vireo
Yellow green Vireo
Tawny crowned Greenlet
Lesser Greenlet
Yellow browed Shrike Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo

Parulinae
Golden winged Warbler
Blue winged Warbler
Tennessee warbler
Tropical Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut sided Warbler
Yellow rumped Warbler
Black throated green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay breasted Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black and White Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Canada Warbler
Slate throated Redstart
Pirre Warbler
Buff rumped Warbler
Mourning Warbler

Coerebinae
Bananaquit

Thraupinae
White eared Conebill
Plain colored Tanager
Gray and Gold Tanager
Emerald Tanager
Silver throated Tanager
Speckled Tanager
Bay headed Tanager
Golden hooded Tanager
Green naped Tanager (Endemic)
Scarlet thighed Dacnis
Blue Dacnis
Viridian Dacnis
Green Honeycreeper
Shining Honeycreeper
Purple Honeycreeper
Blue gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Lemon spectacled Tanager
Gray headed Tanager
Scarlet browed tanager
White shouldered Tanager
Tawny crested Tanager
Red-crowned Ant Tanager
Hepatic Tanager
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Crimson backed Tanager
Flame rumped Tanager
Dusky faced Tanager
Pirre Bush Tanager (Endemic)
Yellow backed Tanager
Black and Yellow Tanager
Swallow Tanager

Cardinalinae
Streaked Saltator
Buff throated Saltator
Black headed Saltator
Slate colored Grosbeak
Yellow green Grosbeak
Rose breasted Grosbeak
Blue black Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel

Emberizinae
Chestnut capped Brush-finch
Black headed Brush-finch
Orange billed Sparrow
Black striped Sparrow
Slate colored Seedeater
Yellow-bellied Seedeater
Variable Seedeater
Lesson’s Seedeater
Thick-billed Seed-finch

Icteridae
Shiny Cowbird
Giant Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Yellow backed Oriole
Orange crowned oriole
Yellow tailed Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Yellow billed Cacique
Scarlet rumped Cacique
Yellow rumped Cacique
Crested Oropendola
Chestnut headed Oropendola
Black Oropendola

Fringillidae
Thick billed Euphonia
Fulvous vented Euphonia
Tawny capped Euphonia
Orange bellied Euphonia
Yellow collared Chlorophonia