Sunday and Monday January 4/5
On Sunday we left the house at 3:30 am for an early flight to Atlanta and then on to Panama City. Our second flight was a bit delayed because airlines were reviving from the Saturday shutdown of the Caribbean airspace. We were met at the airport and drove for 3 hours to our lodge up in the hills west of Panama City. It was sobering to see how prevalent American chain stores and restaurants were along the main roads. It was a relief to turn off the main road for the final 45 minutes of twisty mountain roads.
The lodge sits off the road in deep woodlands by a stream. The sound of the water masks the sounds from the road. We arrived just before sunset but were still able to see several bird species. On a nighttime walk after dinner we saw several frogs and got a glimpse of a nine-banded armadillo.
On Monday morning, we enjoyed seeing birds during breakfast, including some new hummingbird species. We joined 5 other guests for a birding outing, first to a set of feeders about 20 minutes uphill from the lodge, and later for a walk along a farm road higher up the mountain. The feeders erected a wide variety of birds from toucans to warblers to hummingbirds. We were visited by four Geoffrey’s Tamarin (monkeys) who also liked the bananas. At the farm, we pursued an elusive Emerald Toucan (a classic birding experience). We watched a young three-toed sloth curl up when the mist closed in and expand to soak up the warmth when the sun came back out.
In the afternoon we traveled to several locations to search for particular species. While we didn’t find many of them, we found others instead. All in all, a very satisfying first day.
Pictured: Black Hawk-Eagle, Emerald Toucanet, Brown-throated three-toed sloth, Geoffrey’s Tamarin
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