A River, Some Mud and An Eagle

It takes a team to bird the Darién region of Panama.  There's a lot of forest and a lot of habitat to cover.  Much of it can't be done without the help of others.  It had always been my dream to explore this area. But I needed help navigating through the maze that is the Darién.

Yellow-billed Cacique

There are so many birds there, but how does one get to them without dying?  I bird most areas alone but on occasion, I KNOW that I have to go through a company or personal guide to find certain birds.  I would not bird the Darién alone. The environmental issues alone are extreme. High humidity along with dehydration were constant and took a toll on the body. So our team went with the Canopy Camp to explore the perimeter of this National Park. 

To get to the "good" birds, we had to drive to the end of the pan american highway in Yaviza.  I had read for years that Yaviza was a swarthy dangerous town on the edge of the wild wild world. It's still on the edge of the wild world, but I didn't get that "danger" factor while I was there.  I did see however a lot of illegal immigration up and down the river.  During the day, it looked like a place where locals, both indigenous and outsiders, met to do their shopping or trade for food. Though I do imagine at night that perhaps the town atmosphere may change.

It was indeed a place that felt like the "end of the road."  Part of me wanted to see that wild forest just beyond the river's edge. To get into the Darien, we had to take the other "roads" also known as rivers. We did get to experience pieces of it but not the intensely wild area. I think that national park is dangerous in different ways.  Like our own Sonoran desert here in Arizona, the Darien poses extreme dangers to immigrants trying to cross the borders. In any given year, hundreds if not thousands of people go missing and lose their lives in these dangerous wilderness areas. It was rough enough for me in the primitive settlements. I can't imagine what it would be like out in the boondocks.  Photography was super difficult due to extremely muddy conditions.  And on one particular day for the Harpy Eagle, I would miscalculate my water intake which almost lead to me passing out. Thankfully, the Canopy crew and allies helped us get through the experience alive. 

It's never just a simple river ride.  There's always something more that will happen on these trips like having a small hole in the canoe. You look down in the canoe and there's water.  "Maybe it's the rain", I told myself, but I knew better. We scooped water out and managed.  It's an adventure each and every day. During the day, we'd see locals bathing and brushing their teeth in the rivers(the river was muddy).  I had the notion that the river was safe until it wasn't.  The waters rose and were fast carrying whole trees down the river.  I could not have done that alone.  It took two people to navigate our canoe, a guide to search for amazing birds and me to drop my cell phone into the water entering our canoe!  Like I said, it was an experience.  It was fun except for the part when my phone told me it was going to explode if it didn't dry out.  Always bring ziploc bags in humid areas with dry silica gel packets to dry out the electronics....just in case. Gordon had the packets and I had the ziploc bags. 

On our way to the deep pockets of forest along the river, we stopped at a rancher's home.  There we encountered a Kinkajou. However you may personally feel about this, I did learn quite a bit from this "rescued" animal.  We saw several in the wild but this was the closest I got to one during my time in the Darien.  They are nectar feeding mammals and this one took a particular liking to the fruit juices in our cooler. 

The creatures are nocturnal and have to be careful around predators like the Harpy Eagle.  We were there to find a Harpy.  In fact, it was the whole purpose for the trip.  This was a juvenile transitioning into an adult.  The story of a juvenile Harpy Eagle is really interesting. It's 4 years from egg to adult.  Usually two eggs are in a nest. Then normally the strongest of the two eats the other.  Parents will feed and care for the juvenile for about 4 years.  So it's quite the lengthy process. We were hoping to see this juvenile before it left the nest. 

But to get the chance to see this eagle, we had to trod in MUD.  It was the kind of mud that sucked you into the Earth.  It took every ounce of focus to keep from falling into the sludge.  I went slowly with my camera gear questioning my own sanity.  What the HELL am I doing??!!!  This is when I realized that the birding game is definitely getting harder.  I wore boot coverings for my shoes at first.  But the mud was too powerful and I'll never buy those again.  I needed real rubber mud boots which again thankfully, our guide provided for me.  I am ready for most scenarios, but on this day, I was not. In fact, I was a disaster. 

                                                               Plain-breasted Ground Dove

About a mile up into the forest, we eventually arrived with all of our gear, exhausted.  That %$*&'n bird better be there! It wasn't.  We spent hours waiting for a chance to see it.  Our guide worked his tail off trying to locate the bird.  It's a huge bird but the forest was thick.  Many of us had sweat out everything we had in our bodies.  The fluid we carried up was running out.  

At one point we walked into the thick of the forest through a cloud of insects being mindful not to slip on the muddy slopes.  It was horrible.  Again, I am thankful for friends to help keep me going. 

In that patch of primary rain forest, we did see something incredibly special. We spotted the Great Green Macaw, a critically endangered bird!  We could hear the bird, but spotting it in the dark understory of the trees was difficult.  One of the group members came down to get a view of the bird and jabbed his hand of this sharp spiky palm.  It was swollen for a couple days after that experience.  But it was worth the view!  These birds are poached and sold illegally on the black market for pets.  Thankfully the Darien still has a healthy population of them because the area is difficult to access.  So if I didn't see the Harpy, I'd be okay.  This was a great consolation prize. 

                                                                         Great Green Macaw!!!

I always think about what the locals think of us with our heavy crazy equipment.  We must be quite comical in appearances at times.  I am definitely a northerner who loves the cold.  There was nothing remotely fun about this trek.  I learned a ton like I generally do on these workout  birding treks. The locals make it look so easy.  I guess it's the same with me and pelagics.  I can dance around a rocking ship while most people are throwing up. My Grandpa and I did a lot of boating on Lake Michigan growing up.  They were some of my favorite memories.  Each of us has a comfort zone.  This was not mine:)

Alas, we didn't see the Harpy Eagle. I was exhausted on our way back down. I was super thrilled about our Macaw win, but didn't think much about it as I had to concentrate to keep from passing out in the mud.  Then it happened.  I ran out of water and began to feel woozy.  Then things started to really suck....literally.  My boots got stuck in the mud and my bare feet were pulled out by the suction and went into the fecal infused mud.  All I could think about was my stupid camera and not falling into that horrible gross mud.  Again, so thankful that one of the ranchers was near me.  He grabbed my camera so I could regain my balance.  Then he offered me his horse which I gladly took.  My horseback riding days came back to me quickly.  I used the last ounce of my energy to mount the horse and then concentrated on not falling off:) The sizzling heat and moisture made me see sparkles in my vision.  Not the good kind. 

We made it back to the canoe alive.  I was so gross. There's nothing like being covered in sweat and mud.  I sat away from friends in the van defeated. In fact, to this day, I still have mud caked on the lens of my camera.  

                                                                  Yellow-rumped Cacique

Under the gray skies, we watched amazing birds. Even when I was physically and mentally exhausted, I still wanted to see the birds because that was our mission and the chance to see a new bird was exciting.  We had to put in the hard work to find some incredible birds. And again, it was made less difficult thanks to the Canopy Camp crew. 

                                                                      Yellow-tailed Oriole

Over the days that followed, the rest of the crew would see their Harpy Eagle.  Mine will wait for now.  After I left the Canopy group, I was on my own.  The rest of the group continued with the Canopy tours at their tower in Gamboa and Lodge in the San Antón Valley. The day after I left the group, they had a random sighting of a Harpy Eagle in Gamboa.  Because of covid lockdown restrictions, I was not able to go.  At first, I was bummed, but a little bird sent me a message, "You'll see that bird down the road.  Just keep doing what you're doing naturally.  Find them on your own."  And just like that, I felt so much better.  So thank you my friend, you know who you are, for keeping me on track.  There will be wins and losses, but they will be mine to own.  

                                                            Crimson-crested Woodpecker

That is my story of the Harpy Eagle.  It was a loss, but I am excited for the future.  When I do finally see this top 10 must-see-bird-before-I-croak, it will be a very special moment. Bug bites aside, it was a fun and challenging day I won't forget any time soon.  

Now to focus on the endemics.  Those are the birds I couldn't miss on this trip.  There weren't many, but they were important to find so I didn't have to do another overlap of this area in the future.  The planet is a big place. 

It was a beautiful moment with this White-bellied Antbird(above).  And I couldn't complain about this good looking Crimson-crested Woodpecker, one of my favorites!!!

 

There are many more stories to tell from my journey to Panama.  I look forward to sharing those accounts with you. Until next time.....