by John J Zmiejko

On July 8, 2003, eight members of the Blue Water Audubon Society, (Port Huron, MI), journeyed to the wilds of Panama to partake in what would be a phenomenal adventure.

The first portion of the journey consisted of a 4 day stay at the Burbayar Lodge in Nasagundi. After a long but relatively uneventful plane ride, we traveled up the long and virtually impassable road to Burbayar. Jessica, the lodge owner was quite adept at traversing the many monstrous ruts in the road (although at times I was fearful that we would have to get out and push!) Almost immediately, we were able to see birds most of us have never seen before. The area surrounding the lodge was quite spectacular: untouched rainforest with bromeliad and orchid covered trees. The trails that we traversed were steep and muddy. (Several of our members were unable to travel on the trails because of medical conditions and chose to bird instead to bird around the lodge.) The lodge itself was very comfortable but rustic. Electricity was supplied by a generator, which only ran for an hour or two each evening. There was running water but no hot water. (The cold showers were surprisingly refreshing after a long day of trekking through the rainforest.) What surprised me the most was the lack of biting insects. The cabins were unscreened yet I did not get one insect bite while I was sleeping. We rarely saw mosquitoes on the trail in spite of the nearly daily rains. (Some of us did pre-treat our clothing with permethrin, which may have helped.) Food served consisted of Panamanian quisine, which was different from what am used to but quite good. The temperature stayed in the mid eighties during the day and dropped into the mid seventies at night. The birding was outstanding. Tanagers practically dripped from the trees at times. Hummingbirds were much more common and varied here than at the Canopy Tower in spite of the fact that there were no hummingbird feeders. (Hopefully, Jessica has corrected this problem!) After a long trek, we found a fruiting bush with at least 20 species of birds feeding on it! Some of us saw glimpses of hard to see species such as Rufous Ground-Cuckoo, Great Curassow and the rare (but highly overrated) Sapayoa. Our guide was quite adept at finding the birds but could not speak English so most of the identifications were left up to us. The butterflies were amazing: a myriad of colors shapes and sizes. (I wish I had a field guide so I could identify them.) We did see a variety of monkeys although these were seen in the rainforest generally at quite a distance.

   The second leg of our journey took us to the Canopy Tower where we spent the next week birding in relative luxury. (The most strenuous portion of this part of the trip was climbing the stairs to our rooms and the observation deck!) Even the "rugged" Pipeline Road was easier to traverse than many of our local game area paths. The meals were "Americanized" but of gourmet quality and the accommodations were as comfortable as any US hotel sans air conditioning. The temperature was surprisingly comfortable (80's during the day and 70's at night.) although a $9 portable fan I brought helped keep me cool at night. Again, the biting insects were surprisingly almost non-existent. The guides were very adept at finding the birds and would "whistle" them in. They spoke English well. The view from the roof was spectacular, and a number of raptors, parrots, trogons and other canopy birds could easily be seen each morning. Mammals could be seen more easily here than at Burbayar. Sloths were resident in trees next to the tower and troops of monkeys would regularly visit. We were even adopted by a tame White-faced Monkey (somebody's abandoned pet?) for a few days. He (she?) actually went birding with us one day and "warned us" about a roosting Black Hawk-Eagle above the road. Overall, we had a wonderful time.