Family Trip to Gamboa Aerial Tram

Yesterday, both the Cubilla-Archbold and Caballero-Cubilla families decided to spent half day in the grounds of the Gamboa Rainforest Resort.  Both my sister and Gloriela won a free pass for two adults each to the aerial tram and the exhibitions.  In spite of all my years visiting Gamboa, that was my first experience in an aerial tram... and I have to admit that I was a little excited.

 After a brief introductions, we reached the facilities.  Our knowledgable guide, Juan, told us about the 14 years-old structure, which has 18 cars (some with wheelchair access), 1.2 kilometers long and a maximum height of 30 meters above the ground.

We boarded the last car and we had a pleasant trip just under the canopy.  Juan was talking about the relationship between the trees and the animals, when a troop of Mantled Howler Monkeys went out to say "hello", for the delight of the children (I was looking at the Streaked Flycatcher perched in the opposite side).

At the end of the line, a short trail took us through the forest and lianas to the 30 meters-high observation tower.

I was impressed with the tower.  The 360º view of the surrounding forest, the Panama Canal and the Chagres river was exceptional.  I took a photo of a nearby Embera village and, of course, the family photo was mandatory.

Embera village

We really enjoyed the trip, Gabrielle enjoyed it a lot!  But the trip was not over.  We visited the several exhibition rooms that the resort kept in its grounds: the fishes, amphibians and freshwater reptiles exhibition, the serpentarium, the butterfly house and the orchids exhibition.

Young Spectacled Caiman

What a great morning.  We really enjoyed it and recommend it as a good choice for a family trip!

Gabrielle and Kevin exhausted after a day in the forest!

Birders fellowship

It is great how birding can join different nationalities and personalities in a warm environment of fellowship.  That's how you bird with a friend which have never seen before (thanks facebook) and to feel that you have done the same thing for years!  My good friend Carlos Wagner (a colombian birder) visited Panama, attending a forum on wild cats, and I organized an outing around Panama City to show him some birds... and what a better place than the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center to show him.  We entered early enough to try to call out some owls... and we got some responses by a Vermiculated Screech-Owl and a Spectacled Owl... but only a group of Western (Panamanian) Night-Monkeys show themselves in the night (file photo, but form the same site).

Waiting for sunrise in the middle of a rainforest is an interesting experience... the fresh air full with the sounds of the dawn chorus and the silhouettes of the birds and other animals starting to search for their first meal is simply refreshing!

After a hot cup of coffee, we decided to climb up the world-famous 34 meters-high canopy tower... what a marvelous point of view of all those canopy dwellers.  We saw many birds from there, including the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan pictured here, some pigeons, parrots, trogons and puffbirds, and even a flock a noisy Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks in the distance.

We walk the trail leading to the Calamito lake, watching some mixed flocks, mainly with Dot-winged Antwrens, Lesser Greenlets, migrant Black-and-white and Canada Warblers, an impressive male Blue Cotinga, Green Shrike-Vireos, a pair of Fasciated Antshrikes (with nest), among many others.

After watching a flock of antbirds and woodcreepers following an antswarm (including a cooperative Great Tinamou), we decided to left the Center in order to walk the main Pipeline road.

The activity was quite low, we saw more of the same, plus an unidentified snake crossing the road and a troop of Mantled Howler Monkeys.  Pipeline road said good-bye to us by showing a beautiful Sunbittern quietly feeding at the Juan Grande creek... spectacular! 

The rest of the afternoon we visited some sites along the Pacific coast of Panama City, including Amador, the Casco Viejo, Panama Viejo and Costa del Este, adding more and more species... we finished quite late, and I left him at an hostal in the city.  Carlos, it was great having you visiting Panama and hope to see you soon!