When I think about this trip three words come to mind; comfortable, easy, and fun. I have never been to a more comfortable lodge or one that caters to birders as Canopy Tower does. The birding was so easy both in seeing the birds and the trails themselves. 

After an easy four-hour flight from Atlanta, my group of eight friends disembarked at the Tocumen Airport, claimed our luggage and easily walked through customs. Moving downstairs we were met by a man with a Canopy Tower sign. About 50 minutes later we had passed through Panama City and were driving up Semaphore Hill Road to the four-story former radar tower that is now the world famous Canopy Tower Eco-lodge.

Our bags were taken to our rooms, which were thoughtfully furnished with an alarm clock, reading lamps and a flashlight on the small desk between the two single beds. There were shelves for storing gear and a rack for hanging our clothes. The bathroom was spacious, spotlessly clean, with plenty of towels and room for toiletries.

We met Carlos, our guide, on the fourth floor for a short orientation. The tower is surrounded by the Soberania National Park. The top three floors have large windows all around allowing one to view the forest from anywhere in the tower. This made paying attention to Carlos a challenge. The fourth floor contains the dining area, a library with an impressive collection of bird books, and a sitting area. As we ate breakfast the next morning we saw honeycreepers, tanagers and woodpeckers out the window but when a guide called black-breasted puffbird we were out of our seats and at the window in a second.

Each morning our group met on the viewing platform on the top of the tower, enjoying coffee and watching the forest come alive. Keel-billed toucans, mealy, red-lored, and blue-headed parrots along with orange-chinned parakeets gathered in the fruiting trees. One morning we could hear the distance call of a collared forest-falcon and minutes later a young birder from Holland had it in the scope. In all we saw 40 species from the tower including blue cotinga, cinnamon woodpecker, slaty-tailed trogon, violaceous trogon, king vulture and green-shrike vireo.

Our field trips were never more than twenty minutes away from the tower thus giving us more time for birding. We started out with a walk down Semaphore Road that could be thought of as the long driveway to the tower. We were hardly out the gate when Carlos found a brown-capped tyrannulet and a blue-crowned manakin. Later that week we would see ocellated antbird not far from this spot. We then heard a rufous-breasted wren and a song wren both of which made brief appearances. A broad-billed motmot and a white-tailed trogon appeared but it was the antbirds that really stole the show. Fasciated and western-slaty antshrike, checker-throated, white-flanked and dot-winged antwren, spotted and dusty antbird all came in giving us close and satisfying views. Those were the easy ones, the black-faced antthrush made us work but after about fifteen minutes we had all seen him. Our last bird that morning was a golden-crowned spadebill that, like the other birds that morning came out in clear view after Carlos perfectly whistled the bird’s vocalizations.

I was not sure we could top that morning walk down Semaphore Road but our afternoon trip to Summit Gardens was equally good. We first visited the Harpy Eagle exhibit, a bird I never thought I would see, and then we walked around the park immediately getting gray hawk, black-chested jay, red-crowned woodpecker, masked tityra, yellow-crowned euphonia, giant ani, buff-throated saltator and a dozen or so other birds. However, the best two birds Carlos had saved for last. The first was a pair of blue cotingas feeding in a hedge of ficus trees. While we were watching them a flock of collared aracaris flew in so close we had to put our binoculars down to see them. It was a wonderful first day and a foreshadowing of the next day.

The second day we had an early arrival at the famous Pipeline Road for an all day outing. We had just started walking down the road and spotting birds when Carlos received a call that a released harpy eagle had been found at the other end of the road. We were back in the truck speeding down the road in minutes. We pulled up to the group watching the harpy and there she was, high in a huge tree but right over the road in open view. I have never seen a more magnificent bird. Gee, how could the rest of the day measure up to this? We saw 52 species of birds that day including such beauties as streaked-chested antpitta, black-striped woodcreeper, purple fruit-crow, red-capped and blue-crowned manakins, black-bellied wren, striped-throated hermit, barred forest-falcon, common potoo, chestnut-mandibled toucanet and four species of trogons.

During the rest of our stay we made three trips to Old Gamboa Road, one morning trip and two late afternoon trips. Again, I just did not think we could top the previous field trips but I was wrong again. Here we found boat-billed heron, rufescent tiger-heron, pygmy, green and ringed kingfishers, bat falcon, spectacled owl, golden-collared manakin, yellow-backed oriole, black-cheeked woodpecker, yellow tyrannulet, long-billed gnatwren, paled-eyed pygmy-tyrant, capped heron and the beautiful and elusive rosy-thrush tanager.

One afternoon we had a rain delay and because Old Gamboa Road is so close to the tower we went there after the rain stopped. There were a lot of birds out as is usually the case after a rain shower. We were walking down the road looking at a small flock of gray-headed chachalacas flying over when movement on the road caught our attention. There walking down the road not 50 yards in front of us was a gray-necked wood-rail. Our three visits here gave us 53 species of birds and a very close view of a three-toed sloth.

That week we saw 244 species of birds while casually birding, taking photographs and enjoying the beautiful forests. When I think about this trip three words come to mind; comfortable, easy, and fun. I have never been to a more comfortable lodge or one that caters to birders as Canopy Tower does. The birding was so easy both in seeing the birds and the trails themselves. Insects were not a problem and the weather, even in the rainy season, only delayed us twice and only for a short time.

The guides were excellent at seeing and calling in the birds. They were also very patient and made sure everyone was able to see the birds. Carlos was gracious, charming and witty and one of the best bird guides I have ever had the pleasure of birding with. The other guides were also top notch and patient, and again made sure everyone got on the bird.

At the end of each day’s birding we had time to clean up before dinner and meet with other guests for happy hour exchanging stories of the day’s best birds. This time also allowed us a chance to gather and update our bird list. The meals were very good with a nice variety of fresh vegetables and main courses.

Somewhere I read the statement “if you can only do one birding trip go to Canopy Tower.” Now that I have been there I agree this is the place to go for a comfortable, easy and fun trip and with an amazing list of birds. My thanks to Raul, Carlos and the rest of the staff for a wonderful week of fabulous tropical birding.