Abundance of fish

Since kids, we have been inculcated that the name Panama derives from an indigenous word meaning "abundance of butterflies and/or fish"... now I see why! I went to the Flamenco Marina at the Flamenco Island (the last of three islands attached to Panama City by a road constructed with material from the Panama Canal excavations) trying to photograph anything I can (including a female Crab-eating Racoon looking for food at a rocky shore and a curious Brown Pelican in alternate plumage), when I noticed an old man with his grandsons and a bag of bread, throwing small pieces towards the water. I gave a glimpse over the bard of the pier... but I was not prepared for the spectacle I was about to see: tons of multicolored fish, in many sizes and shapes trying to have a piece of bread desperately! I know exactly nothing about wild fish... so, if you have any talent identifyng fish species from distant over-the-water photos, try to help me i.d. them!

And all this while seeing the fabulous Panama City skyline in the distance!

Punta Culebra for a while

Just to spent time of our free weekend, Gloriela and I decided to make a quick visit to Punta Culebra, in Panama City. The place is well-known by its marine exhibitions (operated by the STRI), but is also very quiet, close to the city, and with an interesting array of common birds and other animals that it is always a good choice. Typical of the dry season, the Bougainvilleas were completely bloomed in a variety of bright colors, including the scarlet-pink one being visited by a female Garden Emerald. This is just one of several species of hummingbirds residing there, and probably Punta Culebra is the most reliable site within the city to find it (pretty easy in fact). Some usually-hard-to-see species are more confident there, probably they are used to the visitors and are not longer afraid of them. That is the case of the Plain Wren. Several pairs are found around the installations, very easy to see, specially when singing (which they do a lot). Usually, this species (as many others wren species) prefers the entangled and dark understore of forested areas, where even a glimpse of them becomes difficult. After a couple of minutes, it started to rain, so we sheltered in our car, and had a nap before continuing with our walk, finding immediately a Red-crowned Woodcreeper working the main trunk of the tree at the parking lot (you can enlarge the photo). These "zebra-backed" woodpeckers are the most common member of the family in the city (and all over Panama), and exhibit a wide variation of color tones and patterns. This particular one was quite brown to the head and underparts, while others are immaculate white in these parts. We found many more common city birds, including tons of Variable Seedeaters feeding both in the ground and high in the trees. The females and immatures outnumbered the adult males, like the one I'm showing here with the spike. Other common birds recorded were Blue-gray, Palm and Crimson-backed Tanagers, Tropical Mockingbird, Scrub Greenlet and Great-tailed Grackles. We also saw a family group of Yellow-crowned Euphonias, with several females (photo) and a singing male that remained elusive. By the end, again at the parking lot, a group of confiding Crab-eating Racoons were assaulting a trash can, like real bandits. One did not resist the curiosity and climbed a fence to watch us better... great way to call it a day!