PANAMA
Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge
April 16 - 28, 2010
FULL! We will offer a similar itinerary for April, 2011. Please check back soon for details. You might also be interested in our February, 2011 Panama trip to the Canal Zone and Chiriqui Highlands - a terrific itinerary and a bargain price!
Day 1 (Friday, April 16)
Arrive late evening at Panama's International Airport. Shuttle to the nearby Hotel Riande Aeropuerto for our first night in Panama. Straight to our rooms and sleep so we’ll be ready for our first day of tropical birding tomorrow!
Day 2 (Saturday, April 17): El Valle de Antón (Western foothills) Cariguana Trail
After breakfast at the Airport Hotel, we'll board a comfortable a/c bus for the 2 hour ride to El Valle de Antón, also known as Crater Valley. We will spend five nights in this lovely village, nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano that exploded 5 million years ago. The resultant scenery is quite unique - a steep valley surrounded by jagged peaks and filled with flowers, streams and verdant forests. No wonder it is one of Panama's most popular getaways. Our home for the next five days will be Canopy Lodge, sister company of the Canopy Tower, a charming small hotel built next to a lovely mountain stream and adjacent to the protected area of Cerro Gaital Natural Monument. In the gardens surrounding the lodge we can easily see species like the Crimson-backed, Blue-gray, Dusky-faced and Plain-colored Tanagers, Social Flycatcher, Ruddy-ground Dove, Barred Antshrike, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Rufous-tailed, Violet-capped Hummingbirds and Clay Colored Robin. After lunch, we will start birding the foothills by visiting the nearby Cariguana trail where we can expect to see some of the specialties of this rich avian region, for example: Lesser Elenia, Yellow-olive Flycatcher, Rosy Thrush Tanager, Rufous and White Wren and the Lance-tailed Manakin. Airport Riande Hotel (B), Canopy Lodge(LD)
Day 3 (Sunday, April 18): El Valle de Antón, Cerro Gaital Trail and The Canopy Adventure Today we will wake up early and go birding around the mountain trails surrounding the crater where it is possible to find one of the most sought after species in neo-tropical birding: the Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo. This area also offers frequent sightings of Emerald Toucanets, Orange-bellied Trogon, Spotted Barbtail, Common Bush Tanager, Black-faced Grosbeak, Rufous-capped Warbler, Gray-headed Kite, Tawny-capped Euphonia, White-tailed Emerald, Violet-headed Hummingbird and if we are lucky we might see a Scaled Antpitta and a Black-headed Antthrush.
After lunch, we will visit the "Sunday Market" when artisans come down from the surrounding mountains to sell their goods. The El Valle Sunday Market is considered one of the best markets in the region. This will be an excellent opportunity to buy local handicraft directly from the "manufacturer". Prices are usually negotiable. There are ceramics, bateas (wooden trays), weaved baskets, hats, carved and painted totumas (cups made from squash) and trinkets made from acorns, as well as vegetables, fruits, ornamental plants, flowers and orchids.
In the afternoon, those who wish to do so will have the opportunity to experience The Canopy Adventure (extra fee $47.25). A series of zip lines high in the canopy by which travelers can explore the rain forest using safe and modern climbing techniques. After an invigorating short climb to the top of the ridge through bird-rich forest, you strap in and soar through the treetops, where you see a wealth of unexpected natural beauty and activity. Swooping from platform to platform high among the sturdy cloud forest trees, you pass over the stream and waterfall not once, but twice.
The Canopy Adventureis located in a private refuge in the foothills above El Valle. The main attraction of this refuge is a beautiful 150 feet high waterfall called Chorro Macho. The birdlife and the flora are especially rich and diverse because the area has been a wildlife refuge for several years. The principle purpose of this refuge, apart from the obvious task of keeping the area free from poachers and loggers, has been to provide sustainable, nature-based employment to 10 young men who would otherwise be cutting down the forest through slash and burn agricultural methods in order to survive and raise their families. The refuge is a way to keep the forest ecosystem whole while providing much needed employment. Those who prefer not to do the Canopy Adventure can explore the trail around the waterfall where it is possible to see the Dull-mantled Antbird, Tawny-crested and Dusky-faced tanagers, Bananaquits, Green and Little Hermits as well as trogons and motmots. Canopy Lodge (BLD)
Day 4 (Monday, April 19): El Valle de Antón, Chorro Macho Trails and bird feeders
Another day of birding in the foothills will take us early in the morning to the northern rim of the crater to explore the trails of the Chorro Macho private reserve. Some very special birds have been sighted here: the majestic White Hawk, the tiny Tody Motmot, the melodious Stripped Cuckoo and the elegant Sunbittern will be high in our list of target species as well as some colorful tanagers and honeycreepers like the Silver-throated, Golden-hooded and Bay-headed Tanagers, Blue Dacnis and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis. This trail will also offer good possibilities of seeing Brown-hooded and Blue-headed Parrots, Squirrel Cuckoo, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Black-chested Jay and Crimson-crested Woodpecker.
In the afternoon we will visit the private gardens of a local birder who maintains well-attended feeders attracting certain foothill specialties difficult to see otherwise; like the striking Flame-rumped Tanager and the rare White-lined Tanager. Other foothill species coming to the feeders are: Buff-throated Saltator, Black-striped Sparrow, Blue-crowned Motmot and Red-crowned Woodpecker. Perhaps the biggest highlight of this amazing birding spot is the huge colony of Chestnut-headed Oropendolas located in a group of Eucalyptus trees right next to the feeders. These magnificent birds come down to the feeders and dwarf the other participants of the feast. This is a great opportunity to take close-up pictures of a bird normally seen high in the trees. It is also fascinating to see the parasitic Giant Cowbirds sneaking in the long nests of the oropendolas to lay their eggs. Canopy Lodge(BLD)
Day 5 (Tuesday, April 20): El Valle de Antón, El Chiru forest and La Zamia Trail
Today we will have an early breakfast and travel outside El Valle to visit a patch of dry forest just one hour away near the small village of El Chiru. The contrast with the lush and wet foothills of El Valle is dramatic. This habitat consists of relatively permanent growth of low and often straggly bushes and small trees with grass interspersed. It is a distinctive habitat of the Pacific lowlands and there is little of it left because most of the population in Panama has settled in the Pacific Coast. We will search for Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant, Crested Bobwhite, Rufous-browed Pepper Shrike, Brown-throated Parakeet, Blue Ground Dove, Fork-tailed Flycatcher and Pearl Kite among other feathered residents of this scarce scrubby area. Bird activity is high during the first few hours then it gets hot and it will be time to return to the much cooler foothills. We will have lunch back in the Canopy Lodge and afterwards we will bird the La Zamia Trail at the base of the Cerro Gaital Natural Monument. This is an easy, level trail in which the rare Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo has been seen occasionally. We will also look for the Blue-crowned Motmot, Common Potoo, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Little Tinamou and Gray-headed Chachalaca.
For those interested in Botany, it is worth noting that La Zamia trail is named after the rare and primitive genus of palm-like plants called Zamia of the order Cycadales. Some of these unusual and ancient fern-like dioecious plants with aerial or subterranean stems are found in this trail. Canopy Lodge(BLD)
Day 6 (Wednesday, April 21): Altos del Maria Today we will take a tour to Altos del Maria. This is one of the highlights of the area, and it will be a full day. Canopy Lodge (BLD) (Box lunch)
Day 7 (Thurs, April 22): Canopy Tower
After a leisurely breakfast, we will drive back to Gamboa and check in at the Canopy Tower. The Canopy Tower is a prime location from which to observe the birds and other wildlife of the forest canopy. Since they are right at eye level it is usual to get fantastic views of birds you would hardly see otherwise. You don't have to leave the Tower to find birds, you don't even have to leave your bedroom! Tanagers, Toucans and Tityras can be seen right from your window. The dining area and the roof of the tower are better for finding elusive canopy birds, as well as Howler Monkeys, Tamarins and other mammals. All this without having to venture away from the Tower. Some of the bird species that we are likely to see from the observation deck are: Green and Red legged Honeycreepers, Green-shrike Vireo, Blue Cotinga , Scaled Pigeon, Mealy and Red lored Amazon, Keel-billed Toucan, Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, flycatchers and many others.
We will arrive in time for lunch and get settled into our rooms before the afternoon’s activities.
PM: Semaphore Hill
We'll start exploring the forests of Central Panama and we'll walk down Semaphore Hill Road. This paved road is a little more than a mile long and passes through the forest of Soberanía National Park. Here you will get a chance to see birds and mammals that spend their lives closer to the forest floor, like antbirds and Agoutis.
The bird list of Semaphore Hill Road is extensive, and includes birds from the forest interior as well as edge dwellers. Olivaceous Flatbill and White-whiskered Puffbird are common, and Slate-colored Grossbeak, Bay-headed Tanager, and Great Jacamar are seen frequently. Great Tinamou and Marbled Wood-Quail are heard often, but to see them takes a little more work. This road is also great for raptors: White, Tiny and Bicolored Hawks have been seen, and during migration it's easy to see more than 10 species of warblers and migratory songbirds in one morning. Spring migration is especially striking, as birds will be wearing their breeding plumages. Canopy Lodge (B) Canopy Tower (LD)
Day 8 (Friday, April 23):AM: Summit Pond / PM: Old Gamboa Rd.
Old Gamboa Road is, you guessed it, the old road to Gamboa. At the beginning of this bird-rich area, you'll find Summit Ponds, where Boat-billed Herons nest and Capped Herons are seen regularly. Both Kiskadees, and both Green and Striated Herons are seen often, as well as the more common egrets. Going straight through the two ponds you'll be on Old Gamboa Road South, one of the birdiest spots around. This road passes through a variety of habitats, and has plenty of specialties: Blue Ground-Dove, Great Antshrike, Jet Antbird, Black-tailed and Royal Flycatchers, Lance-tailed and Golden-collared Manakins and Rosy Thrush-Tanager are a few highlights. Going North of the pond we will find species like, White-bellied Antbird, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Yellow-backed Oriole, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Yellow-headed Caracara, plus more. Canopy Tower (BLD)
Day 9 (Sat, April 24): AM: Pipeline Rd (first half)
Pipeline Road is the best place in Central Panama to find forest birds, and plenty of them. Eight species of wrens, five trogons, four puffbirds, three motmots, many antbirds and even more flycatchers have been reported from the road. And if its 17 Km are not enough, there's plenty of side trails plus eleven creeks and rivers that can be followed into the forest. Army antswarms are found frequently, attended sometimes by Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, and there are many Manakin leks right beside the road. Pipeline Road is also a great place for raptors: all three Forest-Falcons are heard if not seen with ease, and Tiny and Plumbeous Hawks and Ornate Hawk-Eagles have been reported a few times. A Harpy Eagle was seen one time right beside the road!
PM: Summit Garden and Harpy Eagle Exhibit
Summit Gardens is a park managed by the Mayor of Panama City. There is a small zoo where you can get a better look at King Vultures, Great Curassows and four species of macaws, as well as Jaguar, Spider Monkeys, and a host of other mammals. The botanical gardens are great for migratory warblers and other forest-edge species, and Blue Cotingas are seen every once in a while.
The Harpy Eagle is Panama's national bird and this park is the site of the Harpy Eagle Exhibit a "state of the art exhibit" sponsored by SONY Corp. which shows films about this magnificent bird, a full-size nest and several panels which trace the importance of the Harpy Eagle in Panamanian history and culture dating back to Pre-Columbian gold artifacts. There are also two live specimens of this bird in a gigantic aviarium. These birds are used in the Raptor Breeding Program of the Peregrine Fund which was recently moved to Panama from Boise, Idaho. Canopy Tower (BLD)
Day 10 (Sunday, April 25): AM: Ammo Dump
The Ammo Dump Pond is located just north of Gamboa, on the way to Pipeline Road. It is the best place to see the elusive White-throated Crake, as well as a host of other waterbirds. Least Grebes, Common Moorhens and Purple Gallinules are common, and Rufescent Tiger-Heron and American Pygmy-Kingfishers are around, but are not as easy to find. Sometimes you get a Limpkin and maybe even a Least Bittern, and lately a few Snail Kites have been reported.
PM: Chagres River
It is located at the east side of Gatun Lake, we'll be walking along the banks of the river to see other water birds, for example, Amazon Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher, American Pygmy-Kingfishers, as well as, Blue-Crowned Motmot and Cinnamon Woodpecker. We could also see species like Gray-Necked Wood-rail, Green Herons, and Anhinga. In this area we have also often spotted alligators, turtles and capybaras.
Night Tour Owling
At night, the forest changes into a completely different world. More than eight species of Owls and Potoos have been seen on the roads around the Canopy Tower and many interesting mammals, which are active mainly at night, could also be seen. For example: Two-toed Sloth, Kinkajous and Rothschild's Porcupine. If we are really lucky we could see one of the wildcats that inhabit this forest, a Jaguarundi or even an Ocelot. Canopy Tower (BLD)
Day 11 (Monday, April 26): AM: Plantation Trail
Plantation Road, which starts right by the entrance to the road to the Tower, is a good, easy graded dirt road that passes through a mature forest for about four miles. The road follows a small creek, Río Chico Masambi, where sometimes a Louisiana Waterthrush spends the winter. We have also spotted Sunbitterns and Caimans in this creek. In most places the forest is clear of undergrowth, which makes it especially suited for observing shy, interior forest birds like Tinamous and Leaftossers. Golden-crowned Spadebills are regular around the creek, and White-breasted Wood-Wrens are very easy to find. When visiting Plantation Road you also have a good chance to find an army ant swarm and many of the birds that follow these swarms as they roam the forest floor. Spotted, Bicolored and Ocellated Antbirds, Gray-headed Tanagers, and Plain-brown, Northern Barred and (if you're lucky) Ruddy Woodcreepers. And if you're really lucky you may even find a Hook-billed Kite
PM: Miraflores Locks Tour (optional)
We'll visit the Visitor Center of the Panama Canal, one of the Eight Wonders of the Modern World. It is only 20 minutes from the Tower! Or you can stay in the trails and see more birds; it is up to you. Canopy Tower (BLD)
Day 12(Tuesday, April 27): Pipeline Rd (second half) / Full Day Trip
Back again to the Pipeline Rd., one of the premier birding sites of the Americas. The second half of Pipeline Rd. offers the possibility of new species because of its overlap with the Atlantic Area. We will be on the lookout for ant swarms, White-necked and Black-breasted Puffbirds, Antpittas, Great Jacamar, Black-tailed Trogon, Crane Hawk, Black Hawk-Eagle, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Black-striped Woodcreeper and even a Pheasant Cuckoo. We'll have a picnic lunch somewhere in the forest. Canopy Tower (BLD)
Day 13 (Wednesday, April 28): Departure
After an early breakfast and a "good-bye" look of the forest from the Observation Deck, we'll take you to the International Airport in Panama City for your departure. Canopy Tower (B)
Price Includes:
Airport or city transfer, transfer between lodges, all meals, lodging, tours, entrance fees & taxes, wine complimentary with dinner & free Internet (WIFI).
Price does NOT include:
International airfare, Visitor Visa ($5 at your departure airport), Departure tax ($20 - $25 paid at Panama City International Airport before departure), tips, Canopy Adventure fee (zip lines), items of a personal nature such as extra drinks or snacks, laundry, souvenirs, etc.
PAYMENT INFORMATION:
$600 deposit due by October 1, 2009 (Canopy Tower policy).
Make checks payable to Cheepers! Birding on a Budget and mail with registration form (see link below, or request registration via email) to Cheepers! Birding on a Budget, PO Box 385, Spring Valley, OH 45370.
Full payment is due by January 1, 2010.
Cancellation Policy:
Cancellations made before October 1, 2009 will receive full refunds. Cancellations made after October 1, 2009, are not entitled to a refund unless vacancy can be filled.
Contact us
email: cheepers@sbcglobal.net
Home phone: 937-862-4505
Cell phone: 937-974-0803
Snail mail: PO Box 385
Spring Valley, OH 45370
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