Birding in Panama

It was a 6.30 am start and we were heading for Pipeline Road, a deeply rutted muddy road, only 45 minutes out of Panama City, considered to be one of the best spots for a bit of birdwatching. Seeing as Panama boasts nearly 1000 different bird species we were interested in seeing a few of them. Walking in the rainforest after the rain, and before the sun is fully up is a wonderful experience. It can be steaming hot, but you soon forget it when the blue morpho butterflies are flitting past, or the leaf-cutter ants are marching below, and you are surrounded by the waxing and waning of crickets and cicadas, and you hear the cries of birds and the roar of howler monkeys. We had a naturalist guide with us, complete with his 60X telescope on tripod, so it turned out to be much more than just a walk in the forest looking for a few birds. Mario was no ordinary guide either. He has written books and teaches people how to become birding guides.

He was fantastic at locating the birds. He would hear a bird and know exactly what bird it was, saying something like,¨"That´s the Broad Billed Mot Mot" . He would then show us a coloured picture of it, and then coax it out into the open area by doing its perfect bird call. When it rested on a branch we would get to look at it through the telescope. It was amazing! I have never cared much for the difference between the Crimson-backed tanager or the Slaty-tailed trogon, but this was a fascinating experience. We were actually creeping along the road after him trying not to make a sound. "Oh, this is a good one Mrs. Margaret" he would say.

We didn´t just look for birds, but any wildlife, and we were so fortunate to see a small anteater up very close, maybe only 6 ft away. He was hoovering up ants like nobody´s business. Also saw 2 sloths, and quite a few monkeys resting in the trees. The howler monkeys are one of the biggest species. They are black and when they howl it is terrifying. I thought a jaguar was going to leap out of the undergrowth and have us for breakfast. They howl as a group which is why it is so loud and sounds like a roar.


Well this may be my last entry for a while as we fly to Cuba and we have no idea how available the internet will be. So far it has always been available in the hotel for use of guests for free, but I don´t think we can assume that for Cuba. So don´t worry if you don´t hear anything for a while. I´ll definitely send something from Santiago as we start the trip back home, so you will know we are on our way.