Category: Panama

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Isla Pájaros – Bird Island

We stopped by here on our way back from Soropta Canal. Interesting island!

We felt like we were approaching the Jurassic Park Island
Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Flocks of Magnificent Frigatebirds flew overhead with other birds
 Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Magnificent Frigatebird Juvenile
 Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Brown Booby
 Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Brown Booby
  Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Brown Booby Baby
 Many seabirds nest on this island.
Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Red-billed Tropicbird
 Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
From Institute for Tropical Ecology & Conservation
Note a column for “Bird Island”
Also column for “Soropta Canal” we visited the same day. 

Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
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Mainland Birding Near Bocas del Toro

Only a sample of the many birds we saw driving from the coast up the mountain in mainland Panama at closest point to Bocas del Toro Archipelago of islands. For all that I photographed on this trip see my TRIP GALLERY 2018 Tranquilo Bay, the Birds sub-gallery.

Green Ibis
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Passerini’s Tanager
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Pale-vented Pigeon
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

 

Cattle Egret Juvenile in Nest
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Boat-billed Heron Juvenile near nest
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Swallowtail Kite
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Silver Throated Tanager
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

See my “Trip Gallery”:
2018 Tranquilo Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama

 

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ALSO OF POSSIBLE INTEREST TO YOU:




 

Check out BirdLife International for ways you can be a better conservationist.
Their People & Nature Program!
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And of course the serious birder must join eBird and the
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And for Costa Rica Birders I recommend the Facebook Group
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Soropta Canal Birds

Just a sample of the many kinds of birds we saw and I photographed on the old Snyder Canal for Banana Boats now called Soropta Canal for the nearby beach it parallels near the little town of Changuinola, Panama. A rich diversity of plants and wildlife are there!

Yellow-headed Caracara
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Groove-billed Anis
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Purple Gallinule
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Roadside Hawk Juvenile
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Roseate Spoonbill
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Snowy Egret (in the rain)
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
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Other Wildlife from Panama

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth Mother with Child
Soropta Canal, Changuinola near Bocas del Toro, Panama

Juvenile Green IguanaSoropta Canal, Changuinola near Bocas del Toro, Panama

Unknown Insect
 On our mainland highland hike near Bocas del Toro, Panama

Blue Crab or Mangrove Crab 
 Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Common Basilisk or “Jesus Christ Lizard” 
 Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Stumbled on this wonderful researchers website on the Bocas del Toro Ecosystem which is a local station of the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation. 
There was other wildlife, but this is representative. We heard lots of Howler Monkeys but there are none on the lodge’s island. The family saw some at the chocolate farm visit. The only monkeys on Bastimentos Island are White-faced Capuchin, but we saw none. 
For more Central American wildlife other than birds see my Other Wildlife photo gallery.

Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
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Isla Popa for the Snowy Cotinga

One afternoon we had a 2 hour boat ride around a smaller island called Popa. 
This is the only island in the Boca del Toro Archipelago to have the Snowy Cotinga.
We searched for over an hour before we finally found one of these semi-rare birds.
Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

For the birders among my readers, this is only my second time to see and photograph a Snowy Cotinga. The other time was Christmas before last at Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí.  


And everyone likes to see a toucan! This is now called the Yellow-throated Toucan
Popa is close enough to the mainland for toucans to fly to them.
Our island, Barsimanto, is not, thus no toucans!
Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Brown Pelican 
 Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Brown Pelican 
 Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Being in the Atlantic Ocean with lots of islands and mainland nearby is pretty!
Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

I love the trees! 
 Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

I love the trees! 
 Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

I love the trees! 
 Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

And the houses and tourist cabins are interesting too! 
 Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
I am now back home in Atenas, Costa Rica after a very long day getting back with rain and heavy traffic making it a slower drive and not back home until about 8:30 or 9:00 PM Wednesday night. Today, Thursday, was busy with laundry, grocery shopping, bank visit, and lots of text messages and emails to deal with. Friday I meet a young friend for lunch who wants to practice his English and I will practice my Spanish. And Saturday morning I will go to Alajuela to pick up another photo book that has arrived. I probably will be sharing more photos from Panama for another week. It was a good trip! 

And in between all the other things I will be back onto building my new website and maybe transferring this blog to it. 
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Golden-collared Manakin

Golden-collared Manakin
Tranquilo Bay Eco Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

I walk into the forest behind my cabin, across two small meadows sparkling with butterflies and wild tropical flowers, down a little hill to the beginning of a narrow trail into the dark forest where I hear a clicking or popping sound, kind of like popcorn popping. Into the thick forest I find these beautiful little birds, the male Golden-collared Manakin. I saw only one female, much more reclusive and she was a solid olive-drab green color like the male’s lower breast/tummy and back. I was unable to get a photo of a female. Even at 3 pm the forest is dark, thick, and thus not conducive for photographs, though it is the males who come into the openings and who are purposefully showing off to attract the females. Yet when the dance starts, they are too fast to capture activity – see last 2 photos.

Golden-collared Manakin
Tranquilo Bay Eco Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

In the forest I found 3 of these little clearings, called Manakin Leks
where the male has removed all leaves for his big dance show every afternoon.
Tranquilo Bay Eco Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Golden-collared Manakin
Tranquilo Bay Eco Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Golden-collared Manakin 
The male starts his dance by perching sideways on a vertical young tree.
Tranquilo Bay Eco Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Faster than I can capture on my camera he pops like popcorn from stem to limb back and forth
across and around the little clearing with the clicking or popping sounds that together with
the color and fast movement are intended to attract a female Golden-collared Manakin. Incredible!

In Corcovado National Park Costa Rica I saw the Red-capped Manakin male do his “Michael Jackson Dance” to likewise attract females, but this one was even more kinetic with several males in several clearings doing their dances at the same time and the forest reverberating with the popcorn sounds. Cool! And not 50 yards behind my cabin at Tranquilo Bay Eco Lodge. Then I later discovered I had photographed an Orange-collared Manakin at Carara National Park in Costa Rica which looks almost like the above fellow with the orange color added to his neck. Interesting! 
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
Unfortunately tonight is the 7th and last night here! Tomorrow I start early on the combination boat and bus trips back home in Costa Rica – an all day trek! So no post tomorrow, then I will continue my reports on this fantastic nature place in nearby Northern Panama. AND in the next week I may be transferring my blog from Blogger to WordPress, so get ready for a slight change in the look and feel of the blog which will then be a part of my new web page at charliedoggett.net 
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Natural Bird Bath in the Creek

Only Hummingbirds, like this Wood Nymph, bathe in this creek. 
First he/she waits in a nearby tree (above) for his turn. 
Tranquilo Bay Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Then it is a quick dip in the creek and . . .

They shake the water off above before flying back to a tree.

Tranquilo Bay Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
We were gone 12 hours to the mainland yesterday (Saturday) for some fantastic birding in both the lowlands and the mountain! Then around here today including a visit to the Manakin Lek with beautiful dancing male Orange Collared Manakins attracting their females, and tomorrow we go on a boat trip up an old banana boat canal for many more birds. Fantastic eco lodge! And it will take many days to catch up on my reports in the blog!  🙂   ¡Pura Vida!

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Early Birds 2

Blue Dacnis Female
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Passerini’s Tanager
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Palm Tanager
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Kiskadee
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Green-breasted Mango Hummingbird
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Tropical Kingbird
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Plain-colored Tanager
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

And my photo gallery:  Panama Birds
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Early Birds 1

I was going to do one post with the first or early birds photographed here on the lodge grounds, but with 14 already I’m dividing it into two posts of 7 each. Then we go to another island today and the mainland tomorrow for many more birds I hope! But with slow internet, 7 is enough for one post!

Red-lored Parrot
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Red-lored Parrot
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

There are also Mealy Parrots and Blue-headed Parrots here, but I have no photos of them yet. 

Lineated Woodpecker
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Boat-billed Flycatcher
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

There is a slight difference between this flycatcher and the Kiskadee which I will show one of tomorrow. They are easy to confuse!

White-lined Tanager
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

The “white line” is on his shoulder and only seen when in flight. 

Blue-gray Tanager
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Living slow in the jungles on an island in the Western Atlantic or Western Caribbean Sea. It is very hot and humid and you tire easily but it is a great place with lots of wildness, This afternoon we go to another island for a particular bird found only there, the Snowy Cotinga. Tomorrow we do the first of three trips to the mainland for birds. The two families running the lodge are very accomodating of us and our needs/desires. Cabins are very nice and the food is very good. We are experiencing a Panama version of pura vida!

TTranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge 

Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama