Objectives:
- Visit the Azuero Peninsula to view wild Ara ambiguus in the PN Cerro de la Hoya.
- Establish contacts in Panama City with veterinarians that deal with wildlife .
- Attempt to make contacts with people that could be a source of birds, such as aviculturists.
Make contacts with the veterinary and animal welfare organizations in the Bocas del Toro archipilago.
I departed Sunday July 30th towards the border crossing in Sixaola, arriving there around noon time. On this trip , I intended to bring my personal vehicle into Panama. That first required obtaining a permit from the Costa Rican 'Registro Nacional' ,and at the border crossing , numerous requirements had to be met on the Panamanian side, including obtaining local Panamanian insurance , paying 'rodaje' fees or the tax levied on the circulation of vehicles, a temporary import permit obtained with customs and finally the car was sprayed with a pesticide by the local animal and plant health inspectors. I arrived in Almirante midafternoon, left my car at parqueo 'Leiza' and hopped on the water-taxi operated by 'Transporte Valencia'. I arrived in Bocas Town later that afternoon and took a water taxi to 'Saigon Bay' , where I had booked a room at Koko Acqua Lodge.
My objectives for the next day was to establish contact with a local animal welfare organization, which is called 'Papa Gato'. I met Dr Lara , the current lead veterinarian of that organization and she explained to me the incredible need that exists in this area for basic veterinary services for both domesticated animals as well as wildlife . She listed other organizations involved in community outreach and animal welfare ,such as Floating Doctors and the local Panamanian veterinarian at the Bocas Vet Clinic Dra Gloria. Dr Lara promptly recruited me for a spay neuter clinic that was scheduled for Tuesday August 8th.
The next day, August 1st, me and Gary Curtis Mitchell from Planet Rehab embarked on the roadtrip that I had planned through the Azuero Peninsula as well as Panama City. We had a late start, departing from Almirante at midday. The route took us over the continental divide into Chiriqui Province , where we passed the Fortuna dam and followed the road past Gualaca , ultimately to join the 'Interamericana' Hwy#1 . At around 15:00 we encountered a roadblock . The local community of that area blocked the highway in both directions. This is a common and devastating practice in Panama , a form of exerting pressure on the central government to obtain concessions. These blocks can last for many hours, sometimes even days. There is no regard for animals that are being transported, that often perish due to exposure, not to mention the millions of dollars in loses inflicted due to spoiling of perishable items that are being transported. The Panamanian authorities appear to tolerate these forms of protest and don't intervene in any way to stop them, which is mind boggling. Lucky for us, the blockade was lifted at around 17:00. We continued our way and decided to spend the night at a Hotel in Santiago , which is the capital of the province of Veraguas.
August 2nd, I drove south, into the Azuero Peninsula, on the road that routes around the western side of the peninsula. I stopped at Morillo Beach Eco Resort , owned and operated by Ryan and Cari Mackey , hoping to stay at their resort. Unfortunately , there were no rooms to be had , however Cari provided us with wealth of information about wildlife rescue efforts she was involved in , particularly in regards efforts to help injured and orphaned Azuero mantled howler monkeys, which are an endemic subspecies to this area ( Alouatta palliatta trabeata). She also provided contact information of some government wildlife veterinarians that would probably be able to help our cause as well. Finally, she was kind enough to provide us directions to the 'Plaza El Bramador' , a combination hotel , gas station , veterinary pharmacy and restaurant. We thanked Cari for her help and continuyed onwards to 'El Bramador'. Upon arrival, we enquired whether there was any vacancy. We were informed that indeed there were rooms available, but we needed to wait until past three o'clock in the afternoon before being granted access. So we decided to keep on going south, to find out more about the Parque Nacional Cerro Hoya. The map shows 'Flores Nuevo' as the nearest settlement to the park's western side. That village was only about 30 minute drive from 'El Bramador'. I was lucky enough to spot some friendly locals driving an old blue Toyota pick up truck. I asked them whether they had seen the green macaws that have been reported as living in the park. They said that the macaws overflew and often landed on some large trees of a property adjoining the park. The owner of said property, Jose, also happened to be the local guide , who is an expert sought out by ornithologists and other scientists. He also takes normal tourists on tours. The property is called 'Finca Juancho Velasquez' , and is well known birding spot. Jose told us that the macaws fly overhead twice daily , early in the morning to their foraging grounds and then late in the afternoon , back to their roost. There is no need to go deep into the park to view them , as they literally fly over Jose's property. Jose took us on a brief hike through some trails in the jungle that starts at his property. We sighted two troops of capuchin monkeys and admired the 'cuipo' tree((Cavanillesia platanifolia) , one of the trees used by local macaws to nest in. At about 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon we returned to Jose's house and waited to hear the raucous calls of the macaws. Soon after we heard them and sighted about 5 pairs. I was able to photograph them in flight, albeit the picture quality is not great.
There are many other psittacines present in this park, that can be seen with not much difficulty , including multiple species of Amazona, Brotogeris as well as the beautiful Pyrrhura eisenmanni ( formerly Pyrrhura picta eisenmanni) (still appears as P. picta on the ebird.org platform), which appears to be the only population of this species in Panama , quite isolated from populations of northern Colombia and no doubt warrants conservation efforts!
I was very happy with the visit to Parque Nacional Cerro Hoya, having accomplished my objective of sighting the great green macaws in the wild. So with a sense of deep satisfaction we continued our trip to Panama City . We stayed at the 'Summit Rainforest & Golf Resort' , located just outside the city, in the Canal Zone . The stay at this resort was a very enjoyable experience and is highly recommended. I was able to photograph sloths , aracaris and many other birds sitting on the canopy of the trees abutting the hotel straight from my room's balcony. There were also a couple of jungle trails that proved to be exciting hikes. We were able to make contact with a veterinarian who is in private practice and sees exotics, including avian patients. He was very helpful and knows of licenced aviculture facilities that may be a source of birds for our efforts.
Our return back to Bocas del Toro took place on Saturday the 12th of August. The return trip also took place over two days. Again we spent a night in Santiago and continued our return to Bocas del Toro On Sunday.
I stayed at the Cosmic Crab Resort for the remainder of my stay in Panama. On Tuesday August 8th, I participated in the spay-neuter clinic held by 'Papa Gato'. I met Russel , the director of said organization and many wonderful volunteers. On Wednesday I attempted to drive back to Costa Rica, but encountered one of the infamous roadblocks at the level of the Changuinola River. I tried to wait it out , but after a 5 hours , I gave up and returned to Almirante, took the last water taxi back to Bocas Town and spent one more night there. Finally , on Thursday 10th of August , I was able to cross back into Costa Rica unimpeded.