Panama Canal

4-27-08      Yellow-headed Caracara Day. We were greeted at the beginning and end of the canal by one of these birds, new to us.

It takes most of a day to traverse the canal, and we were not allowed to disembark at any time. Nevertheless, the times in the locks allow close-up views of some of the birds of these areas. We didn’t bring a spotting scope, but the ship is stable enough to have used one from our verandah. The common deck areas are too busy to use a tripod.

We entered the canal and the 3 steps of the Gatun Locks shortly after sunrise, with the ubiquitous Magnificent Frigatebirds in the sky as our escorts. Once in the locks, we were just feet from the edges of the locks and many young Mangrove Swallows begging from their parents. We saw one Ringed Kingfisher in the Gatun Locks, and one later. In Gatun Lake two raptors flew by, and I snapped photos of both of them. Later, on my computer screen, they were easy to identify as Snail Kites, each carrying a snail, one with its beak and the other with a talon! Tropical Mockingbirds were seen in the grass right next to the ship, again with a young bird begging from an adult. Social Flycatcher and Great Kiskadee were in the same frame when an image of distant birds on a fence was examined on the computer screen. I was hoping to see more birds than we did during our canal transit, but it was not to be. After going under the Bridge of the Americas, a Yellow-headed Caracara flew around the bow of the boat from starboard to port, then landed on a tree, as if to inspect us. Leaving the canal, entering the Pacific Ocean, we saw Sandwich Tern and Brown Booby. The canal itself was fascinating. We had onboard lectures about the history, construction, operation and future of the canal. We certainly learned a lot! Did you know that the Atlantic end of the canal is considerably farther west than the Pacific end?

 

          Yellow-headed Caracara                                Ringed Kingfisher at Gatun Locks

Species for the day, 23

Anhinga

Booby--Brown       Many in the Pacific just after exiting the canal.

Caracara--Yellow-headed One at Gatun Locks, and near the Bridge of the Americas, at the Pacific end.

Cormorant--Neotropic

Egret--Great

Flycatcher--Social   Gatun Locks

Frigatebird--Magnificent

Grackle--Great-tailed

Heron--Little Blue

Ibis--White

Kingbird--Tropical

Kingfisher--Ringed        One in the Gatun Locks, one later.

Kite--Snail       In Gatun Lake. Two of them, both carrying a snail, one in claws, one in beak. Both photographed.

Martin--Gray-breasted

Mockingbird--Tropical       Gatun Locks

Pelican--Brown

Pigeon--Rock

Sandpiper--Spotted

Swallow--Mangrove     Many in the Gatun Locks, including many youngsters begging.

Tern--Royal

Tern--Sandwich     At the Pacific end of the canal--as we entered the ocean. A single bird.

Vulture--Black

Vulture--Turkey                                                       On to Costa Rica      Back to Home