Travel: Panama & Costa Rica Day 4 - Miraflores Locks & Panama City (and birds)
On the third day of our cruise from Colón, Panama to Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica we returned again to Panama City. We took an excursion called “Balboa, Panama City & Miraflores Locks” offered by Windstar.
It was neat to see the locks from on land, but I wouldn’t recommend this excursion if you take a Windstar cruise. We spent a short time at the locks watching a ship move through as a canal employee described what was happening before being ushered inside to watch an IMAX movie about the canal. The movie was 45 minutes long and it brought our time at the locks to a close.
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| A large tanker ship moves through the locks. Our small cruise ship used 4 total mules. This one used 8. We learned that the ship was empty as it moved through the locks. |
During our brief visit to the locks I saw and photographed a good variety of birds though.
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| A Yellow-headed Caracara soars over the canal |
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| An Osprey checking out the canal for itself |
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| A female Grackle struts her stuff at the locks viewing area |
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| A Snowy Egret soars over the canal |
After leaving we did short a walking tour of Casco Viejo in Panama City. We were with a single tour guide for the entirety of the excursion. She was friendly and knowledgeable. I was on the lookout for the city birds of Panama City.
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| A male Magnificent Frigate Bird just caught his lunch near the beach in Casco Viejo |
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| With his fish more securely in his mouth the Magnificent Frigate Bird flies off |
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| A group of Laughing Gulls looks out from the shore |
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| A House Sparrow gets ready to take flight |
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| I was super excited to spot a hummingbird in Panama City! I think this one is probably a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, but it flew away before I was really able to zoom in and focus. |
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| A couple of Black Vultures keeping watch over Cathedral Square |
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| A Pale-Vented Pigeon nests in the crook of a tree in Cathedral Square |
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| A Greater Kiskadee (or possibly a Social Flycatcher?) shouts from the top of the cathedral in Cathedral Square |
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| A Grey-breasted Martin perches high for a better view of Cathedral Square |
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| A tiny hummingbird takes a rest in a tree |
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| After a rest, the hummingbird looks for more nectar |
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| A Magnificent Frigate Bird and a Black Vulture fly above Panama City |
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| A mixed flock of Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls sing the songs of their people in the marina |
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| A Snowy Egret contemplates its life choices as its surrounded by a flock of seagulls |
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| A different Snowy Egret wonders why its buddy prefers the company of seagulls where there’s this nice quiet rocky bank. |
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| A group of Neotropic Cormorants fly in v-formation. I initially thought it was a group of Anhingas, but Cormorants are distinct because of their hooked beaks and they happened to be flying a bit far from the shore. |
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| A group of brown Pelicans chills on a rock to watch the sunset |
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| We ended a the day with a beautiful sunset |