Our view of Gamboa thus far has been amazing. The rainforest plot off of Pipeline Road is beautiful and a great spot for viewing birds as we saw this morning with the numerous people up at the break of dawn to catch a glimpse of a bird.
The spider collecting was much more fun than I had originally expected. The device that we used to collect the spiders is called a pooter. Great name, I agree. It is a set up of a hose in your mouth running to a collection container. The spiders are sucked in with a second tube into the container and are stored in there untill the collecting is complete. I dont have a picture of this yet (If anyone does it would be great if you could post it!) This device made collecting the spiders a lot of fun and personally, less creepy because I didnt have to physically touch the spiders.
This afternoon we went on a hike down to the resort to see the wild life there. They have a resturant that overlooks the Chagres River where we spotted dozens of turtles, fish, and birds. I could have sat there for hours just watching them. I am looking forward to BCI tomorrow and seeing other species on the natural trails we hike there. Its really been an enjoyable trip overall!
~Christina
Hi Christina,
I enjoyed reading your description of the pooter! I’m pleased that it was more fun than you expected (I told you so)….I actually thought that sucking up the spiders might be MORE creepy than touching them, not less, so that’s good to hear!
Thanks for all your help out there in the jungle!
Professor Draney