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Happy Halloween from our gouls to yours!

Color Series: Red #1

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Changuinola Canal Excursion # 5

Jean and Bob were with us on this trip. We passed by Bird Island on our return to Tranquilo Bay to check out what we might see there as well. It was a fabulous day. Come try it with us some time!

Changuinola Canal Excursion # 4

Changuinola Canal Excursion # 3

Changuinola Canal Excursion # 2

Changuinola Canal Excursion # 1

This week we are focusing on a specific excursion we have been doing recently - a slow trip down the Changuinola Canal. According to Clyde Stephen's Outline of History of the Province of Bocas del Toro, Panama, this canal was dug from Almirante Bay to the Changuinola River sometime between 1899 and 1903 as part of an agreement between the Snyder Banana Company and Colombia.

This canal has served many different purposes over the years. It was originally created in order to move bananas grown in different locations throughout Bocas del Toro. In the recent past, it served as a water route for many tourists coming into Panama from Costa Rica. The tourists would catch a water taxi outside of Changuinola which delivered them to Isla Colon. About four years ago during one of the big November rains, many trees from up river and large amounts of sand ended up in the canal, making it impassable for the water taxis. It is navigable again by small boats, but the water taxi service has not returned.

It is a gorgeous trip. Taking it slowly down the canal allows one to take in all of the wildlife and nature alongside both edges of the canal. At one point along the canal, we stop and walk along the beach to check out other areas. This week's photos give you a glimpse into taking this excursion. We have developed the excursion for birders, but it is an excursion that any naturalist would enjoy.

School uniforms in a row

Dock in Chiriqui Bay

Mainland Birding - Chiriqui Grande

We had a long day full of birds in nice weather while we were hiking the low lands and enjoying great sea views.

At noon we had a really nice surprise when we found the Boat-billed Heron. We saw two in different perches by the naked eye, but when we looked with our binoculars we saw a third one, behind one of the other two. It was great. We stayed there watching those calm and quiet birds for a while. Then in flew another one, then another, then another… and like that over 10 of them landed. They were perching in the tree behind the one we were watching and then flew to another tree where we could see most of the group “disperse” in two trees next to one another.

In the afternoon we had a perfect view of a couple of King Vultures flying in circles over us. We wondered if we were smelling bad, but the truth is at that point we had been exploring a lot and maybe we were attractive to a vulture. Anyway, it was great for us to have an opportunity to see those majestic birds for a while.

The highlights for the day:

White-crowned Parrots
Laughing Falcon
Green-breasted Mango
Pied Puffbird
Boat-billed Heron
King Vulture
Bat Falcon



FAMILY & COMMON NAME

Cracidae: Gray-headed Chachalaca

Fregatidae: Magnificent Frigatebird

Phalacrocoracidae: Neotropic Cormorant

Ardeidae: Great Egret, Boat-billed Heron

Threskiornithidae: Green Ibis

Cathartidae: Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, King Vulture

Accipitridae: Roadside Hawk

Falconidae: Laughing Falcon, Bat Falcon, Crested Caracara

Rallidae: White-throated Crake, Gray-necked Wood-rail, Common Moorhen

Jacanidae: Northern Jacana

Scolopacidae: Solitary Sandpiper

Columbidae: Pale-vented Pigeon

Psittacidae: Blue-headed Parrot, White-crowned Parrot, Red-lored Parrot

Cuculidae: Squirrel cuckoo, Groove-billed Ani

Apodidae: White-collared Swift

Trochilidae: Purple-crowned Fairy, Green-breasted Mango, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Alcedinidae: Green Kingfisher

Bucconidae: Pied Puffbird

Ramphastidae: Collared Aracari, Keel-billed Toucan

Picidae: Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Lineated Wookpecker

Furnariidae: Streak-headed Woodcreeper

Thamnophilidae: Western Slaty-Antshrike

Tyrannidae: Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Acadian or Willow Flycatcher, Panama Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird

Tityridae: Masked Tityra, Cinnamon Becard

Vireonidae: Lesser Greenlet

Corvidae: Black-chested Jay, Brown Jay

Troglodytidae: Band-backed Wren, House Wren

Polioptilidae: Tropical Gnatcatcher

Turdidae: Clay-colored Thrush

Coerebidae: Bananaquit

Thraupidae: White-lined Tanager, Passerini´s Tanager, Blue-gray Tanager, Palm Tanager, Plain-colored Tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, Buff-throated Saltator, Black-headed Saltator

Emberizidae: Thick-billed Seed-Finch, Black-striped Sparrow

Icteridae: Orchard Oriole, Red-Breasted Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Montezuma Oropendola

Fringillidae: Yellow-crowned Euphonia, Olive-backed Euphonia

Local children playing in the ocean

Sights near Chiriqui Grande