Barro Colorado Island to Cristobal, Colon
This morning we woke up anchored in Gatun Lake, just in front of Barro Colorado Island (BCI). This Tropical Research Station, under the administration of the Smithsonian Institute, is one of the most studied tropical forests in the world. After having breakfast on board the Sea Voyager with two of the many scientists of the station, the Zodiacs took us out under a perfect blue sky. In the auditorium, we received an introductory talk on the history of the island, then the guides of BCI lead us into groups to long and medium distance trails, while others went back into the Zodiacs to cruise the edges of the Barro Colorado, searching for wildlife.
As we entered the forest, several different species of birds were calling, as to let us know their presence; the almost metallic sound of the broad-billed motmot was a sign that we were walking in an old tropical healthy forest; some western slaty antshrikes sang constantly from the woody vines entangled in the centenary trees, while in the distance we could hear chestnut-mandible toucans and keel-billed toucans… Yes, we had crossed in a few minutes from an air-conditioned auditorium to a millenarian forest, and a new expedition was taking place. Among the highlights of the walks were the stories of scientists trying to decipher the secrets of nature, stories that our guides were sharing with us… and so, colonies of ants, strangler figs and agouties dispersing seeds were making better sense to us. Suddenly we found troops of white-faced capuchin monkeys browsing for fruits and insects while in the distance the howler monkeys were making their typical deep call. At some point deep in the forest, we decided to extend the walk in order to find a giant tree. Although kapoks are not rare in the forest, large ones are not easy to find; the size of this one really made us feel the extra walk was worth it. As an additional surprise, we found a group of white-lined sac-winged bats (smaller than their name) in between the buttresses of a tree growing already in times of Christopher Columbus. Such bats hook themselves in the bark of the tree and rest until twilight, when insects and mosquitoes start their serious activity. Later, short rain showers and agouties spiced up our visit to the forest.
Those who navigated around the island had a chance to see Central American spider monkeys eating balsa flowers, lesser kiskadees, and an American crocodile sunbathing on a buoy by the canal area.
After heading back to the Sea Voyager for lunch, a Pilot of the Panama Canal Commission came onboard in order to continue our cruising to the Gatun locks and finished our day among sundeck cocktails, spotting scopes, distant capybaras and sunset shades of rose and pink over the Port of Cristobal.
This morning we woke up anchored in Gatun Lake, just in front of Barro Colorado Island (BCI). This Tropical Research Station, under the administration of the Smithsonian Institute, is one of the most studied tropical forests in the world. After having breakfast on board the Sea Voyager with two of the many scientists of the station, the Zodiacs took us out under a perfect blue sky. In the auditorium, we received an introductory talk on the history of the island, then the guides of BCI lead us into groups to long and medium distance trails, while others went back into the Zodiacs to cruise the edges of the Barro Colorado, searching for wildlife.
As we entered the forest, several different species of birds were calling, as to let us know their presence; the almost metallic sound of the broad-billed motmot was a sign that we were walking in an old tropical healthy forest; some western slaty antshrikes sang constantly from the woody vines entangled in the centenary trees, while in the distance we could hear chestnut-mandible toucans and keel-billed toucans… Yes, we had crossed in a few minutes from an air-conditioned auditorium to a millenarian forest, and a new expedition was taking place. Among the highlights of the walks were the stories of scientists trying to decipher the secrets of nature, stories that our guides were sharing with us… and so, colonies of ants, strangler figs and agouties dispersing seeds were making better sense to us. Suddenly we found troops of white-faced capuchin monkeys browsing for fruits and insects while in the distance the howler monkeys were making their typical deep call. At some point deep in the forest, we decided to extend the walk in order to find a giant tree. Although kapoks are not rare in the forest, large ones are not easy to find; the size of this one really made us feel the extra walk was worth it. As an additional surprise, we found a group of white-lined sac-winged bats (smaller than their name) in between the buttresses of a tree growing already in times of Christopher Columbus. Such bats hook themselves in the bark of the tree and rest until twilight, when insects and mosquitoes start their serious activity. Later, short rain showers and agouties spiced up our visit to the forest.
Those who navigated around the island had a chance to see Central American spider monkeys eating balsa flowers, lesser kiskadees, and an American crocodile sunbathing on a buoy by the canal area.
After heading back to the Sea Voyager for lunch, a Pilot of the Panama Canal Commission came onboard in order to continue our cruising to the Gatun locks and finished our day among sundeck cocktails, spotting scopes, distant capybaras and sunset shades of rose and pink over the Port of Cristobal.
