Monkey Business

Today I was thinking about Panama and the Howler Monkey.  Watching the Howler Monkey families circle the top of Canopy Tower in Panama was amazing.  The family structures, the baby monkey that clung to the mother, the messy food eating; it was all like a dream.  Luckily, I'm going back to Central America soon and maybe I'll run into some monkies again.  Until then, I'll look at these photos and remember the curious nature of the monkies, their eyes which were so human-like, and those unfortunate bot-fly swellings around their neck.  Poor little Howler Monkey, I felt so connected to you even in such a short time.  I can't wait until I'm in Costa Rica next month.

Sloth Times

All around Canopy Tower there were sloths to watch.  Most would sleep, some would scratch, some would even climb from one limb to another.

During rain showers, the sloths would tuck and hide.  The poor little wet sloths were so sad to watch in the rain.  They looked so miserable in the rain, drenched and tired.

But on sunny days the sloth would move and climb and this one even reached far out for a bite to eat.  It was great watching the sloths at Canopy Tower.  I have always wanted to see one of these little furry beasts and now I can say that I've seen them in all modes, except for crawling across a road but you can Youtube that if you want to see the saddest and most horrifying thing ever.  Sloths and roads should never go together.  They belong in the canopy, free to eat, climb, and hide from the rain.

Sloth/Monkey

Nothing like seeing new animals at eye-level.  From the top of the Tower we not only had up-close views of sloth and monkey but sometimes we even had them in the same frame!

Canopy Tower Birding

Now that you've seen the tower from the inside out, let's take a look at the birds.  Let me just say, every day was filled with colorful, beautiful birds.  Each day you wake to Collared Aracaris and Keel-billed Toucans flying from tree to tree.  Then you have a great breakfast before meeting one of the guides for a morning of birding.

If you're lucky you see things like Crane Hawk (above) or an army ant swarm will cross the path and things like Bicolored Antbird (below) and Oscellated Antbirds will fly about.  The birds in Panama seemed to have little fear of humans, instead they went about their business as if you were barely there.  

When you think of birding in the Neotropics visions of toucans, motmots, and antbirds abound.  At the Canopy Tower you will be given all of these and more.  Plus, you have some of the best guides ever to guide you down the trails and around the area.  Thank you to Eliecer, Carlos, and Alex for the great birding adventures.  

Inside Canopy Tower

The Canopy Tower has an assortment of rooms to choose from.  We had a double room with a place to hang clothes, a great big window and a spacious bathroom.  At noon we would cool down under the fan and at night we heard the sounds of frogs calling from the window.

From the bed we saw Keel-billed Toucans, Scarlet-rumped Caciques, and hummingbirds.  It was a dream come true.

On the top level was the dining area and lounge.  This is where our meals were served and the general relaxation took place on the couch.  In the evenings we had cold beers and tallied up our day birds.  The bookshelf was full of great books, the windows gave us nice views, and the company here each evening was entertaining.  We had many nice conversations around dinner and cold beers.  The Canopy Tower is a little rustic but it's completely charming.

Everything from the artwork to the wait staff, every detail had its place. 

If you want an adventure then visit Canopy Tower.  I promise that it will deliver you more than just lifers, it will be a lifetime experience.

Birdmobile Birding

The view from the top of Canopy Tower is pretty incredible but it doesn't stop there.  Once you go on your first trip with a guide in one of the Tower's modified vehicles you find that birding is even great from the road.  

Canopy Tower has two great vehicles for birding, the Birdmobile and the Rainfomobile.  Both give you unrestricted access to a 360 degree view while traveling down the road.  One of the best birds of our trip was seen right outside the gates of Canopy Tower.  Our group watched a family of Great Tinamou scamper through the forest.  If we had been inside a van, we would've missed the family. 

Other great lifers were also seen from the back of the trucks.  We had Southern Lapwings in Gamboa from the back of the Rainfomobile.  They were walking across the soccer field.  A quick reverse and our whole group were able to see them.

On our last day of birding at the Tower we were on our way to Ammo Ponds and from the top of the Birdmobile we spotted our lifer Gray-headed Kite below (that's a juvenile in case you wondered).  

The Canopy Tower offers world class birding.  From the Observation Deck to the Birdmobiles we were given the best opportunities at seeing birds.  Come back tomorrow to see the living quarters.

A View from the Top: Panama

The highlight of Canopy Tower is the view from the top.  On your first view you're taken away.  Not often will you ever in your life bird from the treetops and the Canopy gives you that experience each day.  It was definitely one of the major highlights of the whole trip!

Once through the trap door entrance you see nothing but sky and then miles of lush green rainforest.  The view is remarkable.  You can watch the boats slide through the canal, the parrots fly overhead, and the honeycreepers come within feet of your camera.

If you ever have the chance to visit Panama then you must visit the Canopy Tower.  It's one of my favorite places in the world. 

Sunrise at The Canopy Tower, Panama

Our first morning in Panama was gorgeous.  We had misty mountains and bright skies.  We also had lots of new birds to see including some of the best known like toucans, motmots, and honeycreepers.  Below is a sampling of the species we saw.  There were many more and we ended the Observation Deck viewing with a Double-toothed Kite.  Not a bad day to our first morning in the country.  

Keel-billed Toucan

Gartered Trogon

Streaked Flycatcher

Green Honeycreeper

The Canopy Tower: Arrival Day!

We left Miami at 9AM and by noon we were at The Canopy Tower.  We were escorted straight to lunch and then onto the Rainfomobile for some afternoon birding. Our first destination was Summit Ponds and Old Gamboa Road.  Alex was great at making sure everyone had good looks at the birds.  Emily and I had over 50 lifers by the time we left for dinner.

The first pond held a great surprise, a Capped Heron.  Before we left there were a total of 3 Capped Herons hanging out, one even did some displaying.  We also had Boat-billed Heron, Amazon Kingfisher, and Great Ani all at the pond.

We headed down the trail and picked up many new flycatchers, tanagers, and the best bird of the day a Spectacled Owl.  It was a great look at such a cool owl up close.  I knew that the trip to Panama would be fun but I had no idea how amazing the birding would be.  We headed back to the Tower for some delicious dinner and a chance to unwind.  It was a busy day and one to remember.

PANAMA!

Do you remember when I won that trip from Canopy Tower?  Well the time has come for me collect!   I'll be spending the next week in the country of Panama staying at the famous Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge.  Let me tell you, I am beyond excited for all the new birds, new experiences, and new people that I will meet.  My days will be full of motmots, toucans, antbirds, and manakins.  To top it all off, I will be accompanied by EmilyLark on my vacation and you better believe we will take advantage of the adventure.  I'll be back soon with tales of the Neotropics!

Thank you Raul and the Canopy Tower crew for allowing me to visit.  I cannot to wait to meet all of you!

Book Review: Trees of Panama and Costa Rica

Trees of Panama and Costa Rica by Richard Condit, Rolando Perez, and Nefertaris Daguerre is a beautiful tree field guide.  I love the bright plates that look like the real leaf is in your hand. 

The Peterson for botanists in the tropics, the Trees of Panama and Costa Rica is a delightful guide full of some of the best color plates I’ve ever seen.  Maybe not as detailed as Sibley’s Guide to Trees but in some ways, with those stunning photo plates, I found this guide more appealing.  The use of up-close bubbles to provide attention to detail is nice on the leaves and berries.  The range maps are well thought out and are included on the same page as the plates, which I love.  The text is small be detailed.  The only confusing part for those not so scientifically trained is the use of latin names but I find this helpful to avoid confusion among species.  In the tropics, with so many types of trees, it would be hard to classify the book in any other way. 

If you're planning a trip to Panama or Costa Rica (or any other Central American country for that matter) this may be the perfect guide for you if you wonder what trees you are walking under.  It's a little on the heavy side to take in the field, with almost 500 pages, but as a reference when taking photos of trees or mulling over a few small samples, this book should come in handy.  I am looking forward to giving this book a try when I visit Panama this year on my Canopy Tower trip. 

This review copy was provided by Princeton University Press.

Canopy Tower Winner!

The most amazing thing has happened, I won the Canopy Tower Contest! Well, technically I won second place but the prize is still rich with offerings. Raul Arias de Para emailed me with the details of the trip:

Second

*The prize is for an eight (8) night stay in the Canopy Tower Family, 4 nights in the Canopy Tower and 4 nights in the Canopy Lodge.

*The prize does not cover flights and travel prior to arriving at Canopy Tower.

*The prize includes all accommodation and subsistence while staying at the Canopy Tower Family locations and also includes transfers to and from the airport.

*The prize is for 1 person.

*The prize must be booked for a stay between the dates of May 15th 2011 and December 15th 2011 or between the same dates in 2012.

Raul also decided to raise the stakes by suggesting we visit in 2012 with this lucrative offer "I am presently in the initial stages of building another lodge in the Darien Lowlands. It should be ready next year. I propose to all of you to come next year and I’ll add 4 nights in the new lodge. So the prize will be 12 nights, 4 in the Canopy Tower, 4 in the Canopy Lodge and 4 in the Canopy Darien." This is an even better offer and one I am not going to pass down!

The shock of winning is still lingering and I am sure it will continue until I buy my tickets to Panama. If you haven't heard of the Canopy Tower in Panama I suggest you check it out. It's always been a dream that I visit and I am grateful for Raul for making my dream come true.

Does anyone have suggestions on what month I should visit? Any tips or must-do activities? I look forward to your responses.