Otoque & Bona Island, Bay of Panama
The Sea Voyager repositioned overnight from Coiba Island to the island of Bona. As we approached our destination during breakfast, we started to see the amazing abundance of sea birds in the Bay of Panama. The trade winds blow the surface water south, away from the isthmus, and the current comes from the southern hemisphere. The resulting upwelling of cold, nutrient rich water supports the fisheries that provide an important resource for the country, and the necessary food for the bird rockeries to flourish and conquer the coast of Central America.
After dropping anchor off of Otoque Island, we took a Zodiac ride where we found the brown pelicans as they were taking their morning bath. A little further we saw the nesting colony of magnificent frigatebirds, where some parents were watching their chicks, while single males blew up their spectacular gular pouches to attract mates. Hundreds of frigatebirds soared above, waiting for a smaller seabird from which to steal their catch. As we continued, we saw brown boobies on their nests taking care of offspring that seemed larger than themselves. Black-crowned night-herons, peregrine falcons, blue-footed boobies and great-tailed grackles were seen on the island, too.
We weighed anchor again and we headed towards our anchorage in front of the modern city of Panama. Shortly after sunset we crossed under the Bridge of the Americas. After a great traditional Panamanian dinner, we reached Miraflores locks, then Pedro Miguel locks and as we headed to Gatun Lake under the Centennial Bridge. The clear sky displayed the vast number of constellations. From the North Star to the Southern Cross and from Orion to Corvus, the proximity of Scorpio to reach our sky marked the time to go to the cabin and wait for another great day.
The Sea Voyager repositioned overnight from Coiba Island to the island of Bona. As we approached our destination during breakfast, we started to see the amazing abundance of sea birds in the Bay of Panama. The trade winds blow the surface water south, away from the isthmus, and the current comes from the southern hemisphere. The resulting upwelling of cold, nutrient rich water supports the fisheries that provide an important resource for the country, and the necessary food for the bird rockeries to flourish and conquer the coast of Central America.
After dropping anchor off of Otoque Island, we took a Zodiac ride where we found the brown pelicans as they were taking their morning bath. A little further we saw the nesting colony of magnificent frigatebirds, where some parents were watching their chicks, while single males blew up their spectacular gular pouches to attract mates. Hundreds of frigatebirds soared above, waiting for a smaller seabird from which to steal their catch. As we continued, we saw brown boobies on their nests taking care of offspring that seemed larger than themselves. Black-crowned night-herons, peregrine falcons, blue-footed boobies and great-tailed grackles were seen on the island, too.
We weighed anchor again and we headed towards our anchorage in front of the modern city of Panama. Shortly after sunset we crossed under the Bridge of the Americas. After a great traditional Panamanian dinner, we reached Miraflores locks, then Pedro Miguel locks and as we headed to Gatun Lake under the Centennial Bridge. The clear sky displayed the vast number of constellations. From the North Star to the Southern Cross and from Orion to Corvus, the proximity of Scorpio to reach our sky marked the time to go to the cabin and wait for another great day.
