This was definitely designed to be a 'vacation' so we spent most mornings birding and exploring, and then had a leisurely lunch and relaxed and read most of the afternoons.
On one afternoon foray, we had lunch in Gamboa at the Los Logartos restaurant which has a deck overhanging the water. The staff feed the birds, fish, lizards and turtles with old bread and it creates quite a stir. This juvenile GREEN HERON was one of the attendant guests though I never did him see go after the bread!
Another bird that definitely DID partake of the bread handouts was this adult PURPLE GALLINULE. In fact, until the bread was brought out this bird remained completely out of the sight in the vegetation.
At one point, we watched one of the gallinules at the edge of the water eating its prize. Then along came a small AGOUTI who tried to steal a bite. I was amazing that the gallinule stood its ground and turned and pecked the agouti firmly on the head chasing it off!
Continuing on the baby theme, Kathi spotted this group of frog eggs in a small puddle along the old Gamboa Road when we were searching for roosting SPECTACLED OWLS (unfortunately a no show).
The pattern of the eggs might make a good screen saver!
Nearby was the nest of a LINEATED WOODPECKER. This stunning bird is reminiscent of our PILEATED WOODPECKER. This pair put on a great show staying low to the ground and feeding near us for several minutes. Later we saw them at this large cavity, which the one bird entered. We presumed that this was an active nest?
If you look carefully you will notice that the nest of this woodpecker is in bamboo. Yes, thats right - this huge woodpecker has chosen to nest in GRASS! How amazing is that!
Another very showy family which I enjoy are the trogons. The canal zone area is excellent for viewing trogons with four or five regularly seen species. This VIOLACEOUS TROGON male was one of the most frequently seen species, but still a great sight!
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