Color Series: White # 4

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.

Emerald Basilisk

Masked Tree Frog

Up and Down: Montezuma Oropendola

A different kind of baby

Dolphin baby

Time to Eat: Small bites

Time to Eat: Slow food

Time to Eat: Feeding the baby

Time to Eat: Going fishing

Time to Eat: Caterpillars in action

Time to Eat: Hummingbird sipping on nectar

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.

Hiking on the mainland

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

We are lucky here in Panama for a variety of different reasons. One reason is that Panama is an amazing laboratory to learn a variety of different things about nature. There are many different groups that study wildlife in Panama and Bocas del Toro in particular. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) makes it much easier for each of the scientists to conduct research in the tropics.

From STRI's website: The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution (STRI) in Panama, is a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution based outside of the United States, is dedicated to understanding biological diversity. What began in 1923 as small field station on Barro Colorado Island, in the Panama Canal Zone, has developed into one of the leading research institutions of the world. STRI’s facilities provide a unique opportunity for long-term ecological studies in the tropics, and are used extensively by some 900 visiting scientists from academic and research institutions in the United States and around the world every year. The work of our resident scientists has allowed us to better understand tropical habitats and has trained hundreds of tropical biologists.

STRI's Bocas del Toro Research Station is home to a number of scientists on a regular basis. They are based in this facility whenever they are doing research throughout the archipelago. We have been fortunate to have had two different red frog studies use the grounds at Tranquilo Bay for part of their research. One such study has just published a paper as designated in STRI's news for October. If you are interested in reading the newsletter there is a link to it below.

You can also follow both STRI and the Bocas Research Station on Facebook.

STRI News Oct.1, 2010