Toucan | Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

Birding in Panama

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One thing I never thought I’d do in my young life? Go birding. It’s just one of those science-y activities that never really appealed to my inner geek. Sure, I love diving, and I’ve come to know all the marine life on a first-name basis, but avian creatures have never sparked my interest—until I learned about them on Enrichment Voyages, that is, from our resident ornithologist Charles Clarkson, and then put that knowledge to use in Panama.

Toucan | Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

I should also mention I hate getting up early. Like really despise it. Waking up before 7am is just criminal in my mind. (I could never work in stocks. That much is clear.) And to see certain birds, you have to rise before the sun. So Samantha and I did just that, and bleary-eyed, crawled up to the observatory tower for the first part of our birding experience.

Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

While any guest can do their own wildlife spotting from atop the tower, I highly recommend any of the guided tours with Canopy (an extra cost). We only did one morning walk, which lasted about five hours, and it made me wish we’d signed up for the twilight birding walk the night before. The guides are excellent, they bring along a high-powered telescope so you can see the wildlife in close detail, and they spot things that are barely visible to the human eye.

Birding | Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

For the first part of our tour, we stayed up on the observatory tower as our guide pointed out birds left and right. My favorite was the toucan, of which there were many. They came pretty close and seemed very unrattled by our presence in their canopied home.

Toucan | Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

It was pretty gray and dim out that morning, but luckily the birds’ bright feathers made them easier to spot than not.

Birding | Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

After an early breakfast, we started the walking part of our tour. We meandered down the paved road and back up over the course of a couple hours. It became, much like diving, a game of who could spot the most hard-to-see, obscure bird hiding among the branches. Here are just a few of the creatures we found once deeply immersed in the forest:

Hummingbird | Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

Hummingbirds. These colorful, fast little suckers were everywhere, primarily in the perimeter right around the lodge.

Kingfisher | Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

Kingfishers. We saw several of these guys while on safari in India last year, and I just think they are the cutest.

Motmot | Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

Motmot. His name alone is just fun to say.

Woodpecker | Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

Woodpecker. Woody is far from quiet, making him one of the easier ones to find.

Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

Scarlet-rumped Cacique. These beady-eyed creatures were everywhere in the trees outside of our room. A couple even tried to fly into our screens. Their tails are a brilliant hue of red, which is how they got their name.

Canopy Tower, Panama | Camels & Chocolate

We also spotted swallows, tropical kingbirds, tanagers, finches, parrots, flycatchers, wrens, warblers and more. Overall, it was an excellent day and something I’d definitely do again. I think Samantha’s and my prospects as career birders are strong after all, don’t you?

*****

Tips for Birding:

  • Wear long pants and long sleeves. I failed to bring both. Remember: where there are birds, there are even more creepy-crawlies…
  • Speaking of, wear ample bug spray. We covered our bodies and clothes with 100 percent DEET often while in Panama.
  • Closed-toe shoes are your friends.
  • Bring a long lens. I rented a Canon 75-400mm before I went on the voyage and was so happy I’d made that investment. This will definitely be the next photography investment I make.
  • Don’t miss out on an awesome opportunity because you’d rather sleep in. You can sleep when you’re dead.
COMMENTS
  • July 9, 2012
    Samantha

    Oh Kristin,

    YOu are making me miss our trip more and more with each blog! BUT I do love reliving every moment! 🙂 Thanks friend!

    • July 9, 2012

      I know, right? We’ll have to do it again…April/May 2013 in Europe next time!

      • July 22, 2012

        Sounds lilke you thoroughly enjoyed your initiation to birding at one of the places I most want to visit! If that trip to Europe materialises, I’d be happy to show you some of Belgium’s wildlife.

  • July 9, 2012

    Glad it was a fun experience as it does look pretty interesting. I didn’t know anything about birding until I recently watched The Big Year (Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black … need I say more?). Very funny and shed some light on a subject I had no idea was so popular. Oh, and YAY for great photographs (as usual) and a 400 lens 🙂

    • July 9, 2012

      I am now coveting that 400mm lens. I just need an excess $1500 first…

      Haven’t heard of The Big Year, but it just got added to my Netflix queue!

  • July 9, 2012

    Wow, what an amazing new site, Kristin!! I LOVE it. I realize it’s totally been awhile since you actually updated it, but this is the first time I’ve taken the chance to update my RSS Feed. Now it’s done!

    Birding has not sounded interesting to me until now. I can totally see trying to be the first to spot a bird. And seeing all the beauty in nature is always fascinating to me. Wow, I didn’t even know they made 100% DEET. Is that safe lol?! Maybe more so than the creepy crawlies, right?

    • July 9, 2012

      Oh, I’m sure I’ll grow a second head or something, but I got a crazy bug bite (on my butt! eek!) in the Galapagos Islands that took over a month to heal, so I’m all for safeguarding against those weird tropical bugs…

      And THANKS for the kind words! Still working out kinks, but eventually, all will be well =)

  • July 9, 2012

    Ahhh that first picture is terrifying… I feel like I’m being watched lol

    • July 10, 2012

      The toucan is watching you while you sleep (*insert evil laugh*)…

  • July 9, 2012

    Great shots, such colorful creatures. But oh man, I don’t know if I could handle those beady blue eyes flying at me or my screens!

    • July 9, 2012

      Those dudes were seriously creepy. I had to close the blinds to keep them from staring into(/stealing) my soul.

  • July 9, 2012

    great photos. I’ve never been into bird watching either until I came to Singapore. now I can’t get enough of it. any form of wildlife really… but yeah, the getting up early sucks…

    • July 9, 2012

      Well, now I guess I have a reason to return to Singapore! Seeing as I’m an “expert” birder and all (ha). But seriously, this could lead to a whole new obsession…

  • July 9, 2012

    ha! u remind me the woodpecker cartoon!!

  • July 9, 2012

    Welcome to the world of birds. They are fascinating creatures in such a wide variety of shapes and colors. You got some great shots that definitely require the bigger lens.

    You don’t have to tell anyone you’re a birder until your gray.

    • July 10, 2012

      Orrrrr…I could make birding cool again! I mean, not that it ever wasn’t… 😉

  • July 10, 2012

    Gorgeous photos, Kristin. The weather didn’t look ideal, but the gray skies really made the beautiful bird plumage pop!

    • July 13, 2012

      I like the optimism! I hadn’t even thought about it that way. I was thinking more along the lines of “the gray skies mean it’s probably 15 degrees cooler than it would be on a sweaty day, and thus I am not sweating my brains out!”

  • July 10, 2012

    I remember toucans in the trees when I lived in Panama. Beautiful shots! I wake up every week day at 5 am and am in the office by 6 am, but when I am on vacation, I hate getting up early, which I often need to do because my hubby wants those pictures when the “light is perfect.” My hubby also rents lenses to test out, it is a good way to be sure before you buy.

    • July 13, 2012

      It was my first time renting–I’m sort of obsessed with the concept. $200 for 25 days of borrowing an awesome $2,000 lens? Why not? Of course, now, I really want to buy the darn thing!

  • July 10, 2012

    We did guided walks in Ecuador and Costa Rica. Fantastic experiences!

    • July 13, 2012

      We didn’t get to do a guided walk in Costa Rica back in December, but we had the most amazing driver who drove us the two hours each way from ship to hotel, and he specialized in birds, so we’d be zipping along at 50mph, and he would spot–and point out–a pair of toucans at the top of a tree 200 feet away! It was amazing…and also, I had to wonder if he was actually watching the road 😉

  • July 10, 2012

    My dad would just about die of happiness if I ever took an interest in birds. Maybe this means he should pay for a family vacation to Panama, which happens to be just about in between CA and Chile anyway…I mean that’s the logical conclusion to draw here, right?

    • July 11, 2012

      I think that is an excellent meeting point! And Panama City has some great food and nightlife, so you could have some E & R time there =)

  • July 11, 2012

    I just found your site ( i think i’ve been living in a cave!) it is wonderful and I absolutely love your design. And I don’t think i’ve ever thought about birding before…but I love those photos!

    • July 11, 2012

      Welcome! And thank you for the kind words =) We just went through a redesign and launched a few weeks ago, so the site is quite buggy at the moment (all images prior to 2010 are broken, for example), but we hope to have everything fixed in the next week or so!

  • July 11, 2012

    GORGEOUS shots!!!!! I love hummingbirds (so hard to photograph like you said though!).

  • July 11, 2012
    jejeluna

    Love that last comment…so true!

  • July 15, 2012

    I think these are rare kind of bird species, and mostly only can be found in Panama. From my own experience of birding, it’s really exciting and relaxing. And I believe you had a great time and felt the same.

    • July 15, 2012

      Relaxing is exactly right–it would probably be the perfect therapeutic hobby for a high-anxiety individual like me to adopt!

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