Barro Colorado Island, Panama
When we awoke this morning, the ship had dropped anchor a few meters in front of Barro Colorado Island-Panama. From the ship we could see a group of howler monkeys on a tree and an Osprey searching for a fish to eat from the lake. It was our first view of wildlife on this trip and a wonderful way to start our exploration on this world-class island.
The Barro Colorado Nature Monument is a renowned center for tropical biological research operated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute since 1922. It is located on the island of the same name in Gatun Lake. The island covers 15 sq. km. and contains a complete biological station with laboratories, libraries and all the necessary living accommodations for the scientist.
Barro Colorado Island, La Selva Biological Station on Costa Rica and Cocha Cashu in the Peruvian Amazon are probably responsible of 50 % of all the paper printed on Neotropical research. Most of us went ashore while some of our guests took a Zodiac ride along the coast. The groups that took the nature walks on the island came back with a lot of sightings: army ants, leaf cutter ants, huge Aztec ants nest, and seven different mammals, including howler monkeys, spider monkeys, white faced capuchin monkeys, coati mundis, agoutis, three- toed sloth, and bats. American crocodiles were spotted from the zodiac rides, and while we were getting ready to head back to the ship, we saw up in the sky hundreds of birds of prey flying north west: the spring migration had already started. Among some of them were Turkey Vultures and Broad- winged Hawks.
Back to the ship, and after a good lunch where we had the naturalist of the Smithsonian as our guest we started the transit through the Panama Canal, one of the great wonders of the world.
When we awoke this morning, the ship had dropped anchor a few meters in front of Barro Colorado Island-Panama. From the ship we could see a group of howler monkeys on a tree and an Osprey searching for a fish to eat from the lake. It was our first view of wildlife on this trip and a wonderful way to start our exploration on this world-class island.
The Barro Colorado Nature Monument is a renowned center for tropical biological research operated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute since 1922. It is located on the island of the same name in Gatun Lake. The island covers 15 sq. km. and contains a complete biological station with laboratories, libraries and all the necessary living accommodations for the scientist.
Barro Colorado Island, La Selva Biological Station on Costa Rica and Cocha Cashu in the Peruvian Amazon are probably responsible of 50 % of all the paper printed on Neotropical research. Most of us went ashore while some of our guests took a Zodiac ride along the coast. The groups that took the nature walks on the island came back with a lot of sightings: army ants, leaf cutter ants, huge Aztec ants nest, and seven different mammals, including howler monkeys, spider monkeys, white faced capuchin monkeys, coati mundis, agoutis, three- toed sloth, and bats. American crocodiles were spotted from the zodiac rides, and while we were getting ready to head back to the ship, we saw up in the sky hundreds of birds of prey flying north west: the spring migration had already started. Among some of them were Turkey Vultures and Broad- winged Hawks.
Back to the ship, and after a good lunch where we had the naturalist of the Smithsonian as our guest we started the transit through the Panama Canal, one of the great wonders of the world.
