January 2011 Newsletter

We sent out our January 2011 Newsletter this morning. If you are not on our mailing list, you can sign up here on the website or here on Facebook. Have a great week!

January visitors

We had a great group of people come visit us for the second time this month. We are missing them. They come down for work rather than pleasure, but we try to fit in some fun times as well. We have captured many photos, these are but a few. We can't share most of them right now, but when we can we will.



We miss you guys - you can come back any time.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP)

So, I took a dare from my seven year old son last Saturday. It was my 43rd birthday and he wanted me to do something different. He told me I needed to try out stand up paddle boarding. He and his dad took the board for a spin on Friday afternoon and Tres was hooked. So I tried it. And I am hooked.



I went out again on Sunday just to confirm that I had really enjoyed it the day before. On Sunday the water was a bit choppier in the open ocean so I headed into the more protected area of the bay to keep trying things out. Time passed and I had been on the board for almost an hour without even realizing it. It does take a special board in order for you to keep your balance unless you are say Tres at age seven. He can use a foam surf board for a stand up paddle board. Me - not so much.

I am working on a way to get at least one of these here for me in the near future and if at all possible see about offering them to our guests at some time. There are no manufacturers here in Panama so we are going to have to import them which makes things a bit more complicated. In the mean time, if you have a chance to try a stand up paddle board on calm waters, go for it. It is a great way to enjoy nature and get a work out at the same time.

Birding Panama - Changuinola River Mouth

Here is a video Jim put together to document the birds that you can see at the Changuinola River Mouth.

Green Acres Chocolate Farm

Just a reminder to check out David & Linda's video on YouTube. This beautiful farm needs the right owners to continue with the stewardship of the farm as begun by the Cerutti family.

Birding as a sport

Many people would not consider birding a sport. Many others would argue otherwise. My father sent me an article published in the Houston Chronicle on January 1, 2011 about discovering the joys of birding in 2011. The article was written by Gary Clark with photographs by his wife Kathy Adams Clark. I found it interesting because it discusses birding in a manner that made me think of both the physical and mental benefits of birding as a hobby.

Birding requires that you go outside. You generally need to visit a wooded area to look for birds. Hiking trails are a wonderful location to find them. Once you are on location, you spend time looking, listening and learning. Spotting a bird is not always an easy task. It takes practice to find birds amongst the trees. Once you start looking for them you will find that your skills improve with time spent in the woods. Listening for a bird's song is another way to determine which birds are in the woods with you. Learning the bird's song and identifying new species you encounter benefits you mentally.

Granted, your bird walks are not going to be considered aerobic activity, but it is time spent outdoors. It is time spent in nature. It is time well-spent.

Note:

We were fortunate earlier this month to spend some time with a veteran birder. He has given us a variety of hints on improving our birding information to make it easier for birders to access all of our information. We are working on updates to the format of the bird list as well as changing our birding gallery to the birds' common names. We will let you know when we have updated this information.

Gary Clark writes nature articles for the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express News several times a month. This particular article was not published online to date so I am unable to link to it.

Check out Tranquilo Bay in Islands Magazine

Tranquilo Bay is included in the February 2011 issue of Islands Magazine. Look for the article in the Green Guide section of the magazine. Islands' Green Guide section highlights the best way to preserve the islands you love. We are honored to be featured in the February 2011 edition. Please check it out.

Making friends

Mushrooms at the farm

Dolphin in the bay

One day at the beach

Smithsonian & The Global Plants Initiative

This is a really neat project that the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is participating in here in Panama.

Check out the press release at this link.

Random sighting

Red Frogs at Salt Creek

Deserted beach

New Year's Eve Hike

Family Hike

Christmas Eve Sundown at the Dock