| |
Monthly Newsletter |
Sep-Oct, 2009 - Issue #4 |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Photo by Carlos A. Bethancourt
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Bird of the Month |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Yellow-eared Toucanet (Selenidera spectabilis) |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
By: Carlos Bethancourt |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
The epithet "spectabilis" is fitting for our bird of the month. It is indeed spectacular! The Yellow-eared Toucanet averages 14.5 inches long, including its massive bill, which is brownish-black, with a yellowish wash on the top edge. This species is unusual as the sexes are dimorphic, with noticeable differences between male & female birds. The adult male's head, neck, & underparts are stark, glossy black, which contrast nicely with the green and yellow bare skin around the eyes along with the long conspicuous yellow ear-tufts (hence, Yellow-eared!) . A patch of yellow-orange is also evident on the flanks along with chestnut thighs and, like many toucan species, the under tail-coverts (crissum) is bright red. The upperparts are mostly olive-green, and the tail is bluish-slate. Females are similar except the forehead, crown and hindneck are deep chestnut, and they do not have the large yellow ear tufts.
"Yellow-ears" range from SE Honduras to NW Colombia and travel in pairs or small groups and prefer the canopy of tall wet forest, visiting adjacent old second growth or shady semi-open woods, where they forage for fruits of various types. They are nowhere common in Panamá. Our top guides at the Canopy Lodge, Faustino Sanchez & Danilo Rodriguez, have seen it recently around Altos del Maria and also around our Las Minas Trail here at the Lodge. Without a doubt, this is a most spectacular bird to see!
Check our Bird Sightings
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Greetings from the Canopy
By Raul Arias de Para |
|
| |
| |
 Dear friends,
When I lived in the United States while studying and working, I remember vividly how September marked the beginning of the fall. I loved watching the trees turn vibrant shades of yellow, orange and red, especially the maples. One particularly memorable trip was to the Mackinaw Peninsula to enjoy the spectacular panorama of fall foliage. Now, living in Panama at 8 degrees north of the Equator, our “fall” is a marked dry season—from December to perhaps the middle of May—when patches of Flor de Mayo, Guayacan and Nazareno trees explode into bloom with treetop bouquets of oranges, yellows, and purples!
There is another equally impressive natural spectacle available to us residents of the Neotropics: the annual arrival of migratory birds from North America. It usually begins the middle part of August with the arrival of American Swallow-tailed Kites. Then, sometime in September, you notice the first warblers, Black-and white, Yellow and Blackburnian, in the gardens of the Canopy Lodge, and the Northern and Louisiana Waterthrushes on the stream next to the lodge. At the Canopy Tower the first to arrive are usually the Bay-breasted and Chestnut-sided Warblers. But the best part of the show begins in October, when the raptors come en masse. Flying high over Panama toward their wintering grounds in South America, Broad-winged Hawks, Swainson’s Hawks and Turkey Vultures come by the hundreds of thousands! Virtually the entire North American population of these birds flies over Panama during a period of 4-5 weeks. As you can imagine, some days the skies over the Canopy Tower are filled with birds. We have recorded up to 200,000 raptors in one day. It is indeed one of the great spectacles of the natural world!
This year, we are happy to welcome Daniel Berard, all the way from Boston, to help us monitor the raptor migration. Dan has extensive experience counting hawks at Pilgrim Heights, Massachusetts and at Cape May, New Jersey. He will post his daily findings in our website so you can keep abreast of the situation. You really should come down and experience this spectacle first-hand!
There are still some rooms available, and Panama is only 2½ hours from Miami.
Finally, I have good news for those who have shown concern for the condition of my Tilley hat. I bought a new one last month and immediately proceeded to dye it red. This is the fourth hat I have purchased since the opening of the Canopy Tower in 1999. When I bought the first one I did not imagine it would become my constant companion, my trademark. I wear it all the time, so much so that one day some years ago I took it off to have lunch with some guests and one of them exclaimed, “Oh, Raul, you have hair! I have never seen you without your hat!” To dispel all doubts once and for all, below is a picture of me without a hat and with my three “Tilleys” in front of me. There is one missing—I lost it somewhere in the forest years ago, chasing after a Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo! C’est la vie!
All the best,
Contact Raul:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
P.S. The birds are all over the place!
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
From left to right, hat no. 1 (1998-2004), hat no.2 (2004-2009), hat no. 3 (2009- ) |
|
| |
| |
| Our Promotions |
Back to Top |
| |
| |
 |
|
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
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
|
| |
| Community Work |
Back to Top |
| |
| |
International coastal cleanup day |
|
| |
by Jose Soto |
|
| |
As part of the Canopy Tower´s and Canopy Lodge´s continuing commitment to protection and conservation of the environment and wildlife, guides Jose Soto, Alexis Sanchez, & Domiciano Alveo joined a team in charge of cleaning up debris on the beach at Costa del Este at Panama City bay on Sunday, September 20. Every year the Ocean Conservancy organizes a coastal cleanup day in cooperation with some local environmental and governmental offices. Here, in Panama, the Audubon Society and ANCON (Association for the Conservation of Nature), ANAM (National Environmental Authority) and SINAPROC (National System of Civilian Protection) were some of the key players in this year's event. Many volunteers participated, including high school students and teachers, members of different environmental organizations and residents of nearby neighborhoods. This area is critical habitat for thousands of migrating shorebirds that stop here to rest and refuel, before continuing their long arduous journey.
We were well represented by Jose, Alexis and Domy who worked hard all morning, carrying and piling debris bags from the beach to the road for trucks to pick up. The Canopy Tower also donated jumbo trash bags and cold drinks. The activity consisted of collecting data as a team, with one person recording items on a data card, while others collected and bagged the debris. Natural items such as driftwood or seaweed were left, as these objects are used by foraging birds. The Ocean Conservancy will analyze the data collected to determine the activities responsible for the debris in this area. For example, a potato chip bag may indicate picnickers, while a 1-quart oil bottle may have come came from a boat, or a metal strapping band from a cargo ship. This information will be used to help citizens, community groups, schools, municipalities, businesses, industry, and government agencies to develop solutions for pollution problems associated with coastal debris.
Thanks to all for a job well done! |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Photos by Jose Soto |
|
|
|
| |
| Our Guest Comments |
Back to Top |
| |
| |
Recent Trip Reports |
|
Who has recently stayed in our Lodges? |
|
| |
| |
By Michael O'Brien - VENT
Our first Central Panama: Birds & Butterflies tour proved to be a fabulous way to experience the amazing diversity that this region has to offer. With a more limited itinerary than our regular birding tours to Panama, we had the luxury of time at each location. The result was good success finding most of the birds of those areas, plus time to enjoy the wonderful diversity not only of butterflies, but also mammals, reptiles, amphibians, dragonflies, moths, and more! It's hard to imagine visiting an area of such biological richness as Central Panama and just looking at birds!
Read More >
|
|
Dan Berard
We spent one week at the Canopy Tower and one week at the Canopy Lodge. This was our first time in Central America and our second experience birding in the tropics, we had been to Trinidad and Tobago before.
We arrived at the Tower and were greeted by our guide, Domi, Blue-chested Hummingbirds and Cocoa Woodcreepers. Our first morning, we awoke to hear the sounds of a Mottled Owl, Collared Forest Falcons, and Mantled Howler Monkeys. What followed was an amazing week of birding lead by our fantastic guides Domi and Alexis.
We didn’t think life could get any better… then we arrived at the Lodge, met our guide Tino and found a completely different equally great experience. The Tower provided excellent views of canopy birds and had us running in circles for the next lifer. The Lodge allowed us to sit, drink coffee and/or beer and wait for the birds to come to us for amazing views. That’s in-between the very successful outings led by Tino!
We ended our two week adventure with over 350 species and even more memories!
 The Group: Dan Berard (me), Dan Berard Sr., Deb Berard, Jeff Scott, Mary Scott, Tom Mongeon, Kathy Mongeon.
|
|
| Edited by Jerry and Linda Harrison |
| Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved. Divertimento Ecologico, S.A. |
|
In the Press 
