I started this note, yesterday, so will continue, and then create a new one for today.
Hi all,
Looking off into the distance from our front balcony, we can see the tall tree where Rob captured that toucan yesterday on camera. This morning, there were five of them, if you can believe it, and he again snapped, in hopes that his camera would behave.
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I know that the photo above isn't a great picture, but if you expand it, I think you can see some colour on those bills, AND there is no mistaking that shape.
This was early morning, but we discovered some of them again in that same tree, late afternoon.
The lawns of these US built houses are good grazing grounds for the fairly common agouti. Like rabbits, they graze early morning or late afternoon.
From the time we arrived, we have occasionally heard some terrible kind of sound coming from the forest: half mechanical, half otherworldly. Is it nearby, is it far away? We couldn’t tell. But of course it was confirmed that we were hearing Howler Monkeys. Their voice does carry a great distance, but now we know they are in the forest right around us too. Soooo… they could be ANYWHERE . . .(place eerie music here)
I am not going to try to record that noise, because I never know when I will hear it. But I am sure Google will give you the howler monkey sound. The Howler itself has very dark fur so it is hard to spot on a limb. It tends to have “Bitchy Morning Face,” too, so if you see one like that, you’ll know it’s him . . . or her.
So, day before yesterday, we signed up for the Gatún tour. This was a lovely, yet exhilarating boat ride out into the Chagres River (which you can see from our balcony right in front of us) to the Panama Canal. We had a driver and a knowledgeable guide, Juan, who pointed out birds along the way, gave us some interesting history and then stopped at two different islands.
He managed to coax some capuchin monkeys down to the waters-edge, with hunks of bananas thrown as bait. One in particular could catch like Joe Campanella and plucked almost every one out of the air for himself! 
Juan said theirs is a matriarchal society and the fathers take care of the kids, so if true, that baby could have been on Dad’s back, and not Mom’s.
Most of these monkeys stayed well back and did not board our boat. But the ringleader did! This guy was a real crowd-pleaser.
The lawns of these US built houses are good grazing grounds for the fairly common agouti. Like rabbits, they graze early morning or late afternoon.
From the time we arrived, we have occasionally heard some terrible kind of sound coming from the forest: half mechanical, half otherworldly. Is it nearby, is it far away? We couldn’t tell. But of course it was confirmed that we were hearing Howler Monkeys. Their voice does carry a great distance, but now we know they are in the forest right around us too. Soooo… they could be ANYWHERE . . .(place eerie music here)
I am not going to try to record that noise, because I never know when I will hear it. But I am sure Google will give you the howler monkey sound. The Howler itself has very dark fur so it is hard to spot on a limb. It tends to have “Bitchy Morning Face,” too, so if you see one like that, you’ll know it’s him . . . or her.
Rob spotted the gecko below, which we had not seen before, on a large tree growing up next to the walkway (going past all the rooms).
So, day before yesterday, we signed up for the Gatún tour. This was a lovely, yet exhilarating boat ride out into the Chagres River (which you can see from our balcony right in front of us) to the Panama Canal. We had a driver and a knowledgeable guide, Juan, who pointed out birds along the way, gave us some interesting history and then stopped at two different islands.
At the next island, several little Capuchin monkeys came out of the trees when we landed. An adult with baby on its back (below left near Juan's hand) hung back while a more dominant capuchin came aboard and gobbled banana hunks.
Juan said theirs is a matriarchal society and the fathers take care of the kids, so if true, that baby could have been on Dad’s back, and not Mom’s.
Most of these monkeys stayed well back and did not board our boat. But the ringleader did! This guy was a real crowd-pleaser.
We did see a baby Tamarin but I guess I didn’t get a photo there.
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| Geoffroy's tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi), also known as the Panamanian, red-crested or rufous-naped tamarin |
A little tamarin family of mom, dad and baby were right out front of the resort up a tree. We did see a baby Tamarin but I guess I didn’t get a photo there.
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| Panamanian Tamarin in tree outside our resort |
Hansi Thu, Mar 30 at 8:13 PM
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