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Monthly Newsletter |
July, 2009 - Issue #2 |
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Photo by Carlos Bethancourt |
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Bird of the Month |
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Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant (Myornis astricapillus) |
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The Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant is a tiny, short-tailed bird, averaging just 2.56 inches in length and weighing a mere 0.18 of an ounce!. It is indeed the smallest passerine in its range. The male's black crown and dark gray head contrast smartly with its bold white spectacles (crown is duller on females and brownish on juveniles). The tail and wings are blackish with yellow edgings, the throat and the breast are pure white and its belly is pale yellow.
Ranging from Southern Central America to northern Ecuador, this minuscule tyrant is a denizen of the forest canopy, second growth and semi-open woodlands, where it hunts small insects in rapid dashes. It is frequently found around Canopy Tower on Semaphore Hill Rd, Plantation Trail and Pipeline Rd. They construct a long pouch nest with a round side entrance, which is suspended on a thin branch usually high in a tree. If you are fortunate, you may locate the nest by listening for a thin insect-like tsseep, the bird's call.
On the second week of June we found a pair building a nest on a low branch on Pipeline Rd. This is the third nest of Myornis astricapillus we have found this year.
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Greetings from the Canopy
By Raul Arias de Para |
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 Dear friends,
Exciting news!
We have reached an agreement with Jacalyn Willis (Ph.D., Montclair State University and an Associate of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute [STRI] in Panamá) to conduct a mammal census in the Soberania National Park, specifically in the forest around the Canopy Tower. The study will begin on July 20th of this year. Jacky, and husband Greg, have been monitoring the mammal population on Barro Colorado Island (BCI) for 25 years. A component of the BCI study is a system of camera-traps which makes possible the monitoring of nocturnal and more elusive species that cruise the trails of BCI. This study recently provided the first photo of a jaguar on BCI! You can see this amazing picture at the end of this section. The study for the Canopy Tower and surroundings will extend the BCI survey to a protected area of the mainland, where it is possible to monitor both ground-level and canopy-level mammal species.
We will thus be able to draw comparisons between the Soberania mammalian biodiversity and that on BCI. We will install 4 cameras to provide data from 3 levels of the forest. This will enable surveys of a variety of species almost never seen in the trail-level photos, such as porcupines, kinkajous, opossums, and olingos. An additional facet of the project will be to provide live videoconferences originating from the Canopy Tower to schools classrooms both in Panamá and in the USA.
As soon as we have some pictures of our nocturnal neighbors, we will post them on our website. Needless to say, we are very excited about this new opportunity for our guests to easily observe otherwise elusive nocturnal mammals.
Please take a look at our Work in Conservation Section. It represents an interesting example of what ecotourism can do to protect our forests and to improve the quality of life of the surrounding communities.
On another matter, on July 1st Panamá inaugurated a new President! Ricardo Martinelli, son of an Italian immigrant and a self-made business tycoon. Martinelli is the fourth President freely elected in our country since the fall of Noriega in 1989. On every occasion the winner of the election has been the opposition candidate, and the results have been announced within hours of the closing of the polls. This represents a clear testimony of the strength of our democratic institutions, of which we are very proud!
Finally, mid-July and early August is the time of the “Veranito de San Juan”. This is a period of 2-3 weeks in which the mid-day rains, characteristic of the Green Season, stop suddenly for several days. This phenomenon is akin to the “Indian Summer” of the Northern Hemisphere, and it represents an excellent time to visit Panamá. We still have some rooms available, so how about a quick trip to the Canopy Tower? Our "Stimulus Plan" is still in effect— and it is a really good deal! So, call the airlines and pack your bags! Birds are all over the place!
Best, 
Contact Raul:
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Jaguar on Barro Colorado Island in April and May of 2009
Photo taken by Reconyx camera-trap of Jacalyn and Gregory Willis
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| Bird Sightings |
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White -tipped Sicklebill
After and excellent morning in La Mesa, El Valle, Carlos Bethancourt, our head guide, and his group decided to stop at the Canopy Adventure trails to look for the White-tipped Sicklebill.
... And yes! they found it! Our guests were delighted to observe this unique hummingbird feeding from a Heliconia, one of its favorite flowers.
Read More >
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| Our Promotions |
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The Canopy Tower Stimulus Plan
(Valid through Sept. 15)
Book three nights and get one free
$190 per night /total Price $ 571
Book five nights and get two free
$182 per night /total price $911
Book ten nights and get four free
$175 per night /total price $1,750
All Inclusive; transportation, lodging, tours & meals. Price per person.
Read more >
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Migrating Season Special
(from Sept.16 through Oct. 31)
Attention Bird clubs and Independent travelers:
Join us for the migration season. The fall migration is a fantastic natural phenomenon, when hundreds of thousands of raptors fly over the Tower on the way to their southern wintering grounds. This is one of the most impressive natural spectacles of neotropical birding. Don't miss it!
Migrating Season Special, 10% OFF
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| Our Work in Conservation |
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Teaching local farmers about responsible agricultural practices |
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The Canopy Tower, a leader in bird conservation in Panama, wants to expand its conservation work to include teaching local farmers environmentally-responsible agricultural practices. Toward this end, staff from the Canopy Tower recently attended a meeting at Santa Clara Arraijan.
This community, which borders the Canal Zone, is home to many farmers who grow plantains, bananas, beans, rice, guandu, yuca, otoe, chayote, tomatoes and many other vegetables and fruit- by conventional agriculture-for direct consumption.
The main purpose of the meeting was to suggest a "greener" way for them to produce their delicious crops: organic farming. Organic farming avoid the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, plant growths regulators and growth hormones. Organic farmers rely on crop rotation, crop residues and animal manures.
Organic farms are far better than conventional farms at sustaining diverse ecosystems, as pest species are not eradicated, but are controlled by natural predators and by other modern means (many of these insects are critical components in the food chain!). Also, organic farms use less energy, produce less waste, emit less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and release less toxins into the soil and water supply. Organic farming not only makes food products taste better, but also ensures a cleaner environment, a more diverse ecosystem by not destroying unintended insect species, and healthier citizenry.
The consensus after the meeting: The local farmers wish to concentrate on organic farming. To support their new endeavors, the Canopy Tower will buy their products and will continue to educate the hard-working people of Santa Clara on the importance of organic farming conservation and environmental education. |
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Farmers of the community of Santa Clara, Arraijan |
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| Our Guest Comments |
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Recent Trip Reports |
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Who has recently stayed in our Lodges? |
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By Roef Mulder
This a brief Report of a birding trip to Panama in June 2009 by Enno Ebels and Roef Mulder (well known Dutch birders). They visited both the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge for a period of 8 days. The daily rain (Green Season!) was mostly limited to 1-2 hours around lunchtime and did not really affect birding. Birds are everywhere and only sightings of special interest are mentioned below.
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Enno Ebels
Deputy Chief Editor of Dutch Birding, the bimonthly journal of the Dutch Birding Association (DBA), first published in 1979 it has become one of the world's leading birding journals.
http://www.dutchbirding.nl/
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| Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved. Divertimento Ecologico, S.A. |
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In the Press 
