Gamboa – Biodiversity

Birds of Panama

This year we were not studying birds and did not have any ornithologists with us, but we still saw some interesting species. Some highlights include several pretty little hummingbirds including the Black-throated Mango, Long-tailed hermits, and white-necked Jacobans. We saw several hawks, but had a difficult time identifying them. One beautiful one we got a good look at was the Pearl Kite. I had never been to Fortuna and saw 12 new species just sitting on the front porch one morning. One of the cutest was the Rufous-collared sparrow. Feeding with the sparrows were a pair of Lesser Seed-finches and a male Yellow-faced Grassquit. I also saw several flycatchers, including a Yellow-bellied Elaenia. We caught a Yellow warbler and a Ringed Kingfisher in the bat nets at Bocas. We saw a pair of Linneated Woodpeckers and both Yellow and Red-rumped Caciques, and a Fasciated Antwren on Pipeline Road. At BCI we were able to see Crested Guans and a Red-capped Mannikan. We only saw 2 trogons: Slaty-tailed and Violaceous. Of course we saw lots of parrots and both Chestnut-mandibled and Keel-billed toucans, as well as Collared Aracaris. Two birds with great names, the Chacalacas and Bananaquits, were everywhere in Gamboa. In total we were able to identify about 65 species of birds without even looking for them. And I learned that I definiely need to study those large and mid-sized Tyrant Flycatchers.

Vicki

Last day in Panama

Today is our last day in Panama. We will be visiting the canopy crane to get a view from above the trees. In the afternoon we will visit Owen McMillan’s butterflies and then walk down to the Chagres River for one last view. This evening we will hear more about Panama’s primates and then its time to pack up and get a little sleep before we head to the airport at 5 am tomorrow. We should be back by 7:30 pm. At least we hope so!

Three Toed Sloth

I was able to get some amazing footage of a full grown male three toed sloth this afternoon at the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center. From their canopy bird watching tower our guide spotted the sloth in a nearby cashew tree. The black stripe and spot of shorter orange hair on its back indicates that it is a male. Enjoy this great picture and video!

Neotropical Freshwater Fishes

Today we began our work with Dr. Choudhury from St. Norbert College and his colleagues. They are interested in the freshwater fish species in the rivers draining into the Chagres River and the parasites that they carry. We started on the River Frijolito on Pipeline road and within less than 90 meters we caught hundreds of fish. With four hauls we were able to catch 7 species of Characidae (Tetras), 3 species of Poeciliidae (Guppies) and 3 species of neotropical catfish including an armored catfish, which are hard to find due to their cryptic coloration and bottom dwelling habitat. The diversity of species in such a small area is amazing and when we first looked at the sample area it did not look like it contained the number of fish that we found. This is yet another unique experience for us conducting field research in the tropics and it was a great hands on opportunity. Wading through the cool water felt great compared to the heat of the forest. After the fish were collected they were brought back to the lab where they were dissected for parasites. This evening we were able to see a fluke that was taken out of the gut of one of the larger fish and nematodes from a catfish. They were really neat to see up close and will be used to study the patterns of parasitism in neotropical freshwater fishes. In a country surrounded by saltwater there is a whole world of neotropical freshwater fish to study and classify.

Diversity of Freshwater Fishes in River Frijolito in Gamboa

Bullet ants

Today Dr. Draney caught a bullet ant (Paraponera clavata). To the locals it is called the 24 hour ant, because when bit the pain lasts for 24 hours. It is ranked as the most painful insect sting in the world and is second only to the giant Japaneese wasp (which is the size of your thumb) in terms of being the most dangerous insect in the world. Below you will see a picture of me and the bullet ant, which is nearly one inch long. Panama has been great and I would like to say hi to all my friends at Jackson School and Mrs. Van Rens.

Walking the Streets of Gamboa

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