The Canopy Family Experience; Photographing Panama's Amazing Birds and Wildlife
- Eric
- May 15
- 14 min read
This year has begun with a few changes, the biggest being having to make the tough decision to part ways with the only camera brand I have ever owned (40+ years), to something that would be better suited to my photography needs. I also was able to get time away from work to do a spring birding trip for the first time, and decided to make Panama my next destination, with the hopes I could finally get to experience the accommodations and excellent birding with the Canopy Family.
The Canopy Family group consists of three locations, each very unique with different birding opportunities. I looked over the various tours available and decided on a 5 day tour at the Canopy Lodge, followed by 2 days at Canopy Tower. After a few back and forth emails Diovelis Guerrero worked magic and with her patience and persistence was able to find a week that worked for me in mid April! As this trip was geared more towards bird-watching tours instead of strictly photography, I decided it was time to invest in a set of binoculars, and with the advice and excellent customer service from Eric at Pelee Wings Outfitters I was soon the proud owner of a set of Athlon Midas G2 8 x 42 UHD bins, a tripod bracket, and a Kite Optics digiscoping adaptor.
Day 1
In a few months ( and a 2 hour flight delay) I was warmly greeted by a smiling Luis in Tocumen Airport who provided me with a very informative drive to the lodge, pointing out points of interest to me along the way. :) I arrived at Canopy Lodge at about 4:30 pm, where I was greeted by Lead Guide Alexis "Alex" Sanchez, where I was given a tour of the facilities, provided with my Canopy Lodge Checklist Booklet, and got things settled in my room just before a delicious supper. I spent the evening meeting other guests, asking questions, and getting things ready for my first tour of the trip bright and early in the morning. Our tour group had 7 members, myself, Tonya, Russell, John, Beth, Victor, and Libby.
Day 2
I was up before daylight, and first one enjoying early morning coffee as I awaited the sunrise and breakfast to be served, which was again delicious as well as plentiful. ( I was definitely not going to go hungry here!). Our Tour Guide for the day was Faustino "Tino" Sanchez, with our tour a full-day excursion of the Pacific Dry Forest & Santa Clara Beach. Tino's well-earned reputation as being able to expertly mimic bird calls was quickly put on display, as well as his exceptional spotting skills. Birding was great, with a final tally of 87 species for the day, including several target birds, all with photos! Highlights for the day were Crested Bobwhite, Tropical Screech Owl (With Owlets), Lance-Tailed Manakin, Wedge-Tailed Grassfinch, Panama Flycatcher, Pearl Kite, Southern Lapwing, and the oh-so-tiny Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. A fantastic private beach-side lunch was provided with great views of the Pacific Ocean. Back to the lodge where I managed to spend a bit of time photographing some of the feeder birds before completing the tour update. A great supper was quickly followed by some well-needed sleep to recharge and prepare for the next day's adventures!
Day 3
Day Three began with more coffee, amazing breakfast, and a bit of time again at the feeder, which has a cam and is live-streamed online continuously. Our tour was not leaving until 7:30 am, so I took advantage of the time to get some nice photos of Black-Chested Jays, Crimson-Backed Tanagers, Thick Billed Euphonias, Gray-Headed Chachalacas, Chestnut-Headed Oropendola's, and others who were taking advantage of the refill fresh fruit at the feeder.
Our morning tour was to an area called Las Minas Road, a place not far from the lodge. The road was a gradual incline and the misty rain that morning kept the bird activity low, but again with Tino's excellent bird calling skills we scored a few new birds for the trip, such as Broad-Billed Motmot, Red=Crowned Ant-Tanager, Chestnut-Bellied Saltator, Gray-Capped Flycatcher, Flame-Rumped Tanager, and others. We watched a Gray-Cowled Wood Rail feeding along the trail, and I was also able to photograph quite a few interesting bugs and butterflies as well!
After lunch back at the lodge, we headed back out again at 2:30 for the afternoon tour. This time we headed to and area called Las Mozas, a privately owned area that Canopy had access. Our guide for the afternoon was Danilo Rodriguez Jr. , who was also was great skills in bird calling and spotting. The target bird in this area was the Mottled Owl, which we did spot and I did get some photos. I also got my best-ever photos of a Gartered Trogon, as well as seen a troupe of Geoffroy's Tamarins! Back to the lodge for another checklist update, more great food, then off to bed for another recharge for tomorrows adventures!!
Day 4
Day four was another full-day tour, this time to the private gated area of Altos Del Maria. This area had potential for a few of my trip target birds, including the Emerald Toucanet, which had eluded me on previous trips to Costa Rica and Belize. Tino was our guide for this trip, and he worked tirelessly to try and find several of the more uncommon species such as Snowcap Hummingbird, Yellow-Eared Toucanet, Tawny-Throated Leaf-Tosser, and Black Eared Wood-Quail. Despite his best efforts and trying many known areas, these birds refused to show, but these few no-shows were dwarfed by the species we did see, and thanks to Tino I got to see some amazing birds, including Tawny-Capped Euphonia, Male & Female Collared (Orange-Breasted) Trogon, Common Chlorospingus and Rufous Mourner. Tino's calling expertise allowed me fantastic close photo ops of a Scale-Crested Pygmy Tyrant, Tufted Flycatcher, and another male Collared Trogon! A Dwarf Squirrel stopped by allowed some photos, as did a Glasswing Butterfly. But the best bird of the morning tour for me was finally seeing and photographing an Emerald Toucanet in the wild, was so excited and happy to finally add this beautiful bird to my life list!!!
After an exciting morning, we had lunch at a beautiful park located in the Altos Del Maria area, under a gazebo next to a pond that was just teeming with birds. Lunch for me consisted of grabbing a few bites, taking photos, then back for a few more bites! I got some nice photos of a few more new-to-me birds which just sitting eating lunch, including Yellow-Bellied Euphonia, Giant Cowbird, and the simply stunning Long-Tailed Tyrant, which I didn't even know existed! It was hard to leave this beautiful spot but there was lots of more places to explore in the afternoon, so off we headed to see what else we could find!
We continued to explore the area before heading back to the lodge, and I checked off another top-10 target bird, this time the beautiful Silver-Throated Tanager! New birds added also included Bananaquit, Cocoa Woodcreeper, and unbelievably close photo ops of the ting White-Throated Spade bill. Back at the Lodge I discovered a pair of Golden Hooded and Blue-Grey Tanagers right outside my room's viewing window, completing such an amazing day, or so I thought....but there was still one adventure left to be had!
After supper I overheard the group talking about taking a quick night walk at a nearby pond to search for Glass Frogs, and I decided to tag along. I have never photographed these before, and I was very eager to see what we would find. I was glad I packed my headlamp and macro lens, and it wasn't long before I got some very nice photos of a few species of frogs as well as a Marine Toad. Many thanks to Victor & Libby for inviting me to take part in this experience, one I will not forget. :)
Day 5
Today was my last day at Canopy Lodge, and as my time at the lodge between tours was limited, I was determined to try and get the remainder of the birds found around the Lodge in the time I had available. The morning tour was leaving at 7:30 am so I decided to get up before dawn, get my coffee fix and breakfast as early as possible, and see what birds I could get before the tour left. Amazingly, this idea actually worked, and I checked off two of the local warbler species I hoped to get, a Buff-Rumped Warbler as well as the endemic (and target bird!) Chestnut-Capped Warbler. A Bay Wren made a brief appearance but was too quick for photos.
Led by Danilo Jr, our first stop of the morning was the Canopy Adventure trail, where he hoped to call out some species we have not yet seen, A Spotted Woodcreeper found my camera leans, followed by a female Blue-Black Grosbeak. Moving on, we passed several chicken farms until we reached the Camillo Trail, where right on the roadside I got some nice shots of a male Barred Antshrike, and a feeding Black-Throated Mango Hummingbird! A Lineated Woodpecker as well as a male and female White-Lined Tanager we found along the trail, and back at the tour van we enjoyed watching Swallowtail Kites ride the thermals as well as a Yellow-Headed Caracara landing right in the middle of the road to check out a potential meal.
After lunch at the Lodge, I again had some free time before the afternoon tour to do some exploring. The Bay Wren returned and this time I did get photos, as well as some nice in-flight shots of White-Vented Plumeteer, Rufous-Tailed, and Violet-Headed Hummingbirds. Unfortunately three target birds I hoped to see at the Lodge (Bay-headed Tanager, Rufous-Crested Coquette, and Orange-Billed Sparrow), were again no-shows, though I did finally get some photos of Palm Tanager and a Basilisk, a nice surprise!
The afternoon tour was in Las Saminas, and it certainly started off with a bang! First bird was a Plumbeous Kite, followed by another new bird, a Scrub Greenlet! The birds just kept coming, with a Yellow-Faced Grassquit, Yellow-Rumped Cacique, Plain Tanager, Montezuma Oropendola, Masked Tityra, Blue-Headed Parrot, and House Wren. I also recorded a video of a Clay-Colored Thrush singing. I was amazed at how many birds we had seen just walking along the roadside through the community. In 5 days spent in the El Valle area, 203 species of birds were seen, most of them with photos, which well exceeded my expectations.
Day 6
As usual I was up again well before sunrise, with bags packed and ready to go. I was on my 4th cup of coffee before the next person arrived, as I continued to try my luck in coaxing an Orange-Billed Sparrow to come out of hiding. ( I found out later it did come out....a half hour after I left the Lodge!). But a Rufous Motmot did show up, yet another new bird for my ever-growing list!
At 7 am I was on the road to my next destination, the renowned Canopy Tower! I was so lucky to have the opportunity at the Canopy Lodge one evening to sit in and watch a video of how the Canopy Tower became a birding eco-lodge, shown by no other than the creator himself, Raúl Arias de Para! Watching the video and listening to the comments from Raúl with his grandson by his side, was such as wonderful experience, which just made me even more excited to be able to experience the Tower first-hand.
I arrived at the Tower just before lunch, and I was in awe; this unique place was a birder's paradise, with an on-site Hummingbird Viewing Area, accommodations, food, and a relaxing common area with hammocks on-site, and a 360 degree viewing tower at canopy level surrounded by trees. You could watch the sunrise and sunset without moving one step if you wish, while spending the daytime hours watching for the many species of birds, as well as monkeys and sloths. After a quick orientation tour, dropping my bags in my room, and lunch, I spent some time at the Hummingbird feeders, identifying species and getting some nice in-flight shots of Long-Billed and Stripe-Billed hermits, White-necked Jacobins, Blue Chested & Violet-Bellied Hummers, and others.
I was booked for an afternoon tour at 3 pm, with Erick Rodriguez our guide for this trip. He made a quick stop at a place he was familar with and wasted no time showing our group of three many birds, several new to me! I added a Blue Dacnis, a target bird, to my list, followed by Southern Beardless Tyrannulet, Gray-Capped Flycatcher, and White-Shouldered Tanager, all new birds! Excellent photo opportunities for male and female Red-Legged Honeycreepers, as well as the most migratory warblers seen so far this trip, including Bay-Breasted, Magnolia, Yellow, and Chestnut-Sided.
From there we continued to a very well known birding area in Panama, Ammo Dump Ponds. This was my first wetland area of the trip, and Erick wasted no time, quickly spotting a perched Fasciated Tiger Heron, which was close enough for some great photo opportunities! Other new birds included Wattled Jacana, Rusty-Margined Flycatcher, Lesser Kiskadee, and Greater Ani, as well as Squirrel Cuckoo, Blue-Black Grassquit, and Common Tody-Flycatcher. Back at the Tower we updated our checklists, filled our bellies, and then off to bed for a recharge for tomorrow's adventures.
Day 7
I awoke extra early and wasn't long before I was at the top of the Tower, coffee in hand, waiting for the sun to rise. Surprisingly I the only person there, and it was a wonderful experience to just sit an listen to the jungle around me come alive as the dawn began to break. I was joined by a few fellow birdwatcher as each one began to scan the trees looking for anything moving. Overhead I observed several Swainson's Hawks flying by as they continued their migration north, and by the time we headed down for breakfast at 6:30 I had a few more new birds to add to my list: a Black-Headed Tody-Flycatcher, White-Browed Gnatcatcher, Scarlet-Rumped Cacique, and Black- Breasted Puffbird! A great start to the day!
After breakfast our group headed out for our morning tour, with guide Erick again leading the way, this time to an area renowned for excellent birding, the renowned Pipeline Road! A quick stop at Ammo Dump Ponds along the way added a Purple Gallinule to my Panama list, and a Crimson-Crested Woodpecker to my life list!!
We reached our destination, and in short time Erick put his expert calling and spotting skills to work. There were five of us in our group, and I was impressed at how Erick not only used his spotting scope to give us great views of birds he spotted, but also how he could find great angles for my tripod-mounted camera to get good photos with proper lighting, even birds that liked to stay hidden. New-to-me birds such as Golden-Collared Manakin, Whooping Motmot, Black-Stripe Woodcreeper, and Cinnamon Woodpecker all found their way though my camera lens, as well as a Helicopter Damselfly, the largest damselfly in the world! Next up was a Ruddy Quail-Dove and a White-Tailed Trogon. two more new birds! Then Erick led us through a small side trail near a small creek, where he proceeded to use his impressive calling skills to coax out the very secretive Streak-Chested Antpitta, allowing great views and some nice photos! A Black-Throated Trogon and a Purple-Throated Fruit Crow were also seen and photographed, two more new birds to add to my ever-growing list.
We headed back to the Tower for lunch, then I headed back out to the Hummingbird Feeders to take some more in-flight photos of the various species there while waiting to leave for the afternoon tour. Our guide for the tour was Jorge Pineda, and he was quick to impress us as he spotted an amazing Black and White Owl even before we hit the main road! We then headed to Canopy B&B in Gamboa, where we viewed the feeder birds and I was able to add Scaly-Breasted Hummingbird and Collared Acari to my Panama list.
Our last stop for the afternoon was at Charges Marina, and right in the parking lot I photographed a Ruddy Ground Dove and a Spotted Sandpiper, birds I have seen before but did get added to my Panama list. The Marina and nearby wetlands held many birds I have seen before such as Limpkin, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Green heron, Wattled Jacana, Southern Lapwing, and Purple Gallinule. But there were a few new finds, such as Snail Kite, Striated Heron, and a Franklin's Gull! Back to the Tower for supper then off to bed after such an amazing day of birding!
Day 8
Today is departure day. As my flight wasn't until the afternoon, I was preparing for a long wait at the airport as I expected to head there after checking out of my room in the morning. But the Canopy family had one last surprise in store, after supper the previous evening they offered to store my luggage if would I prefer to do the morning tour before and head t to the airport at noon instead.......and of course I said yes! I was again up well before dawn, bags packed and outside my room, and headed to the top of the Tower to begin my last tour of the trip. Erick was our guide again for the morning, and we spent the first hour or so before breakfast at the Tower looking for birds with the others. One bird I had really hoped to see at the Tower and among the top 10 on my target list was the often heard but not easily seen Green Shrike-Vireo, a bird that like to stay high in the canopy. I heard the bird a few times but had no luck finding it, but again Erick's keen eyes and great calling skills finally allowed me to not only see but also photograph this amazing bird. I thought this was a great end to an unforgettable week.....but the birding was not over yet!
After breakfast we headed out on the second part of our morning tour, this time right out the main gate to walk down the entrance road to the Tower. Called Sephamore Hill, this road had an unbelievable amount of birding activity, and in spite of the challenging lighting I surprisingly added even more birds to my life list, including Velvety Manakin, Common Woodcreeper, excellent photo ops of a White-Throated Spadebill, and the last Trogon I needed to fill my Canopy Checklist; a Northern Black-Throated Trogon!!! Some great views and photo ops of Howler Monkeys and my one and photo op of the only Sloth of the entire trip, a Brown Throated Three-Toed Sloth, made for an unforgettable ending to an amazing week........a drive back to the Tower, a final checklist update in the lobby, then it was time for a few quick goodbyes before jumping into the shuttle to head to the airport and await my flight back home.
Reflections, Thoughts, and Shout-Outs
This trip had many firsts for me. I was still getting used to the new camera, it was my first time in Panama, and was my first time doing a guided tour with others. Bird photography and bird watching is not the same, and I was wondering how many photo opportunities I would be able to get while traveling with a group.
Spending a week with the Canopy Family was nothing short of amazing. The combination of the wonderful staff, delicious food, clean and comfortable accommodations, and beautiful surroundings was more than I could hope for. Thanks to the patience and expertise of the exceptional guides I was lucky to have been paired with, 267 species of birds were seen, including over half of the birds on my target list of 60 species! I found that having a good set of binos is also a great tool for photography, and I was very pleased with the Athlon Midas G2's. I was also very happy with the new camera setup I chose; the Olympus Om-1, which performed flawlessly as I snapped over 9000 photos, getting many shots I am very happy with. I honestly feel I got photos that I would have missed for sure with my previous setup.
If I had to find one regret, it would be not having enough time. But I met so many people during my week stay, thoroughly enjoyed each conversation, and every experience. I have many wonderful memories from the trip, enjoyed helping others when I could, and consider myself lucky to have met each and every person. And a very big thanks to Canopy Family for an giving me an adventure-packed week, and especially guides Tino, Danilo Jr, Erick, and Jorge, for giving me so many photo opportunities, you guys are awesome! This was an experience I will certainly never forget, hopefully I will get a chance to get back again someday! :)
Comentarios