Our weather continues to be variable, but largely inhospitable for walking far or seeing many birds.
More Panama!
February 14 was a short day for us, but one with the sighting of a remarkable bird, the Montezuma Oropendola. This bird is described by eBird as a “spectacular, very large ‘blackbird’ of tropical lowlands.” It is known for weaving nest sacks that hang down three feet or more from tree branches and for its gurgling song that sounds like water pouring from a bottle: https://ebird.org/species/monoro1
Our final day at Canopy Lodge took us to Altos del Maria, a gated community high in the cloud forest. The clouds rose and descended throughout the day, presenting the usual photography challenges.
Here are a few of the many birds we saw: Blue-crowned Motmot, Northern Emerald-Toucanet, Orange-bellied Trogon, Tufted Flycatcher, Clay-coloured Thrush, Broad-billed Motmot, Black-and-white Warbler, Great Kiskadee, Green-crowned Brilliant.
There was so much else to see given the rich flora and fauna of the area.
Owl and White Peacock butterflies
Before we left Canopy Lodge on February 16, we were fortunate to see a colourful visitor to the fruit feeder, a Rufous Motmot. This bird is similar in colouring to the Broad-billed Motmot, but is a much larger bird.
Canopy Tower is located high on Semaphore Hill in the rainforest within Soberanía National Park, 35 miles north of Panamá City. The tower was formerly used by the U.S. as a radar station to monitor traffic along the Panama Canal.
There are panoramic views from the observation deck at the top of the tower.
Sometimes birds and other creatures are within closer view: Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Palm Tanager, Buff-throated Saltator, Red-lored Parrot.
Hummingbird feeders and blossoms around the property were also an attraction.
Geoffroy’s Tamarins had learned to reel in bananas on a line from the dining room window that was near the top of the tower.
We would have three days of excursions from the tower. More to look forward to!
Orchids
Our little bit of the tropics!
Country Comfort
The Netflix original sitcom Country Comfort brought a bit of down-home charm. Country Comfort stars Katharine McPhee as Bailey Hart, a down-and-out country singer who takes a job as a nanny for a cowboy widower. I kept waiting for other similarities with The Sound of Music. Throughout its 10 episodes, the series delivered consistent family-friendly laughs and allowed its multi-talented star to shine as both an actor and singer. The other cast members were a good match for the star.
YouTube introduced me to this song. I was intrigued as to how this could be part of a story. Why was the singer frozen in place until the children collaborated on the start of the song? Was it their father or just the children at the end of the road for her? We never find out because the series was cancelled after 10 episodes. Beware of starting any Netflix series – they are not always continued.
If you are not a fan of soap operas, you might still enjoy the musical numbers that were often part of the storyline.