What a fabulous trip! It
exceeded my expectations as far as the comfort of the tents and the food
served. The sheer beauty of the surroundings; with a tree loaded with Chestnut
Headed Oropendolas building their nests, Howler monkeys & Toucans seen from
our deck. It also exceeded our expectations in the number of birds we saw and
how many were new ones for us. Domi was an exceptional bird guide and just all
around great guy.
Each day had a basic rhythm.
We were up early for breakfast, had a morning birding tour, came back for lunch
and a short unscheduled time to do as we pleased, an afternoon birding tour,
back for dinner and then it was a shower and bed. Each night before or after
dinner we gathered to review the list of birds seen that day and to discuss the
next days’ plans.
We had a couple of
deviations as one night we stayed out later to look for owls and we had a late
dinner. On the day that we visited the Embera’ Village we started earlier and
had a picnic lunch there and then returned back to camp earlier. That gave us
time to pack up to leave the next morning and relax a bit before dinner.
The other observation that
all 3 of us had was it was way more populated in the Darien Province than we
expected. It honestly didn’t look that much different than the interior of
Panama that we see all of the time. (except for the population being 3 different indigenous
groups) We did go as far as the end of the Pan-American Highway. So, we of
course did not venture into the Darien Gap where it probably is less populated
(and less safe), but we were still surprised by how “normal” it seemed there.
There were only 3 of us on this trip which was very nice. Dennis was from Carmel,
California and was great company for meals and birding. We both commented that
we felt fortunate that we were a good fit. In small groups it could make or
break your experience. The guide Domi was fantastic at making sure we all were
seeing lots of birds and his enthusiasm was contagious. (not that we weren’t
already excited to be there and finding so many birds)
The tents were not as “posh”
as the luxury tents & our treehouse tent in Africa, but they were quite
comfy and well appointed. We had WIFI, power outlets and a fan to keep us cool
at night. The bathroom was in a separate room, but had a nice shower with
“warm” water and was open to see out and overhead as you showered. It had a
flushing toilet and a nice sink area and of course since it is outside, a few
bugs & spiders for ambiance. No hair dryers could be used since they are
power hogs and everything is solar there. (Walter & Jane I see you smiling
about the no hair dryer)
The grounds themselves were
loaded with trees and bushes and lots of birds. There were trails there you
could walk as well.
Besides the Hummingbirds,
nesting Oropendolas, woodpeckers, toucans, 3 types of monkeys and other birds
near the social areas there was a Yellow-collared Manakin Lek. A Lek is where
the males of the species live in close proximity to each other and practice
their displays of courtship and the females visit them to mate and then she
goes off to have the young and raise them. These Manakins are quite cute and
noisy. They make several sounds. They can sound like firecrackers going off and
a buzzing sound that sounds like an “electric fart”. They do make a nicer sound
sometimes. They make me giggle every time I hear them. They also are quite
pretty.
I will do just a brief
description of each birding area by day since the days had a lot of sameness in
rhythm.
Darién, Panamá - May 1
Today was just a travel day
so we left mid-morning and after lunch our plan was to check out the Cerro Azul
area for a little birding. However it poured rain so we drove up there to see
the area and we will definitely go back in better weather.
Then we checked out the
off-site parking we planned to use to park our car for our trip to Iowa &
Florida.
Since the weather was crappy
we headed for the Riande Hotel where the program starts with dinner and a
briefing. We also started our Malaria pills. (1 day before the Darién and once
a day for the trip and then for 7 days after) It was the busiest we have ever
seen the hotel. It was Labor Day here so people had Monday off as well.
Eventually we got checked in and while we were waiting we ran into a couple we
know from Coronado as they were returning to the States for the summer.
For those not living in
Panama they were picked up at the airport and transferred to the Riande Hotel. We
were told it was free to leave our car at the Riande while we were gone, but
they wanted $15 a day, so we drove back to the off-site parking at the Park
& Fly and they drove us back to the hotel. We were told there was no
briefing, but we did have a dinner voucher. We had a tasty dinner and we were
scoping out the other people there to see if anyone looked like “birders”. We
knew there was only 1 other tent booked so we were looking for 1 or 2 people.
We actually saw a single man that looked like a potential, but of course they
could eat at a different time or even be staying at Canopy Tower and arrive
with the guide in the morning.
Darién, Panamá - May 2 - Sendero Ibe Igar, Kuna Yala, PA - Nusagandi, Kuna Yala, PA
AM: Nusagandi Forest Reserve
We were up and had breakfast
by 6:00. While we were waiting the
single gentleman that we saw at dinner was also waiting. He came over and we
got acquainted while we waited for the guide to pick us up. Dennis had stayed
previously at both of Canopy’s other locations. (Tower and Lodge) When 2 people
came in to get us, Dennis already knew them. Domi, was our guide and Jenn had
the day off and was going to bird half day with us before returning to the
city.
Soon, we were off to eastern
Panama. The journey to our final destination via the Pan-American Highway takes
approximately 5 hours, but we made a few stops along the way for birding and
lunch.
We stopped at a restaurant
for a bathroom break and to leave Jenn’s vehicle. The bathrooms were closed
since there was no water, so we headed to our first hiking trail. (where we
used the great outdoors bathroom..lol) 
rest stop
Domi holding the orchid still as the wind was blowing it so I could get a photo
Our next stop was in the
Nusagandi Forest Reserve, off the highway into the foothills of the Caribbean
Slope. We followed the El Llano-Carti
Road north, and crossed the Continental Divide to reach the Comarca (reserve)
of Guna Yala. The 5 of us hiked the Sendero
Ibe Igar.
spider on a leaf
Blue-crowned Manakin
Weevil
Black-striped Sparrow
Smooth-billed Ani
logo on the Canopy van
We returned to the van and
continued to the village of Torti for lunch at Hotel and Restaurante Avicar. http://www.hotelavicar.com/restaurante.html
They have hummingbird
feeders so the birds entertained us while we enjoyed our yummy lunch. Most of
us had the camerones al ajillo or pescado al ajillo with patacones.
We watched Long-billed
Starthroats, Sapphire-throated Hummingbirds, Scaly-breasted Hummingbirds,
Black-throated Mango Hummingbirds.
Restaurante Avicar
Domi, Dennis & Jenn
inside the restaurant
outdoor seating on both sides of the restaurant
camerones al ajillo with patacones
pescado al ajillo with patacones
cat next to my chair
Black-throated Mango Hummingbird
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird
Scaly-breasted Hummingbird
Scaly-breasted Hummingbird
Sapphire-throated Hummingbird - male
We returned to the
Pan-American Highway and continued east through Nusagandi, Kuna Yala. We birded
along the road that takes you to where the boats leave for the San Blas
Islands. We saw quite a lot here. We returned Jenn to her car and we proceeded
towards Canopy Camp.
Plumbeous Kite
Resort & Golf course on road to San Blas boat dock
sights along the way
entry to the Darien Province
PM: Arrival at Canopy Camp Darien
We arrived before it got
dark and got settled into our tents. We were shown around the camp and the
social areas where we had snacks and drinks and recapped the birds seen that
day. Discussed where we would go over the course of the week here. Domi asked if
it was important if we followed the exact itinerary or would we be open to
different places that might be better. We all agreed that we trusted his
judgment on where we went.
We were greeted by a lovely Keel-billed Toucan and a troupe of Howler Monkeys behind our tent.
Keel-billed Toucan
Howlers just hanging around.....
this one had a baby
White-vented Plumeleteer
Mealy Parrot
Pale-bellied Hermit
my toes in the lower left - view from our tent
our tent & deck
our tent & bathroom on the right
inside of our tent
shower
the rest of the bathroom
bug on towel
2 of these guys lived in the bathroom at night
dining & social area
back of our tent
We then had our first meal
at the camp and the 2 ladies there fed us well each and every meal. We got showered and went to
bed to get up early for our morning birding.
Darién, Panamá - May 3
AM: Canopy Camp Trails &
“Nando’s Trail”
Cinnamon Woodpecker
Yellow-throated Toucan
Yellow-throated Toucan
Yellow-throated Toucan
other tents at Canopy Camp
other tents at Canopy Camp
solar panels for the camp
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Blue-headed Parrots
Blue-headed Parrot
Cinnamon Becard
blurry, but cute shot of Cinnamon Becard
Roadside Hawk
Crimson-backed Tanager
King Vulture
Yellow-throated Toucan
Streak-headed Woodcreeper
Chestnut-headed Oropendola
Black Vulture
Mono Titi (Geoffroy's Tamarin)
Golden-collared Manakin
someone made a face in the wasp nest
me in front of huge tree trunk
Poison Dart Frog
Domi
Morpho & Owl Butterflies
After some relaxation aound
camp we went on our afternoon tour which started later since we were staying
out after dark to look for owls.
PM: Birding the Panamerican
Highway to Yaviza (1 hour from Canopy Camp) Las Doncellas
We headed southeast and birded
the forests and swampy meadows along the road toward Yaviza. We were also in search of
the Black Oropendola, but it rained for a while and none were seen.
After watching the sunset, we found 2 different types
of owls and some Nightjars / Pauraques.
Collared Aracari
Collared Aracari
dragonfly
insects
on the trail
Capprd Heron
Capprd Heron
Capprd Heron
Golden-headed Manakin
where we waited for sunset
he kept us company
sunset
Striped Owl
We arrived back at camp
pretty late for dinner and we skipped the briefing and tallying of the species
until the next day at lunch. Showered and went to bed…exhausted.
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