South America, Day 13 - 01 Mar 2018

01 Mar 2018 – Canal de Panama

Happy (Belated) Anniversary, Robin! 26 Years as of 29 (fleeting nanosecond) Feb 2018.

We woke at 7 am and found ourselves surrounded by dozens of cargo ships waiting in line for their passage through the Panama Canal. We continued on past them and queued ourselves for a day-long trip through the engineering marvel.

Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Pelicans and scattered Laughing Gulls greeted us, but as we got closer to shore we passed ½-mile long mudflats covered with herons, egrets, White Ibis, Whimbrels, Willets, Yellow-crowned Night Herons, and Black-bellied Plovers. Sandpipers were present, as well, but too far away and too small to ID even with a scope. Flocks of Sandwich Terns followed fishing boats and dove for whatever fish were swimming near the surface.

As we passed through the canal I scoped the shoreline looking for birds. Last trip yielded toucans and parakeets, but this one yielded almost nothing. I was fortunate to see Gray-breasted Martins and Mangrove Swallows, a few Tropical Kingbirds and Great Kiskadees, but otherwise things were quiet.

I then spotted a Ringed Kingfisher atop a tree way out along the shoreline. While scoping it a Blue Dacnis flew in and perched above it!

My highlight of the day would come when I spotted a Fork-tailed Flycatcher atop a fenceline. A female was nearby, and my attempts to digiscope them was a challenge. But, a few seconds later I spotted one flying across the canal and over the ship, and managed to grab photos of a second male following it!

A few minutes later a Yellow-headed Caracara flew near and provided a few flight shots. 

The passage would take almost 8 hours to complete, but would save 3-4 days additional sailing without. The mid-day trip through Lake Gatun was enjoyable, though, even if I didn’t see any birds. I found it fascinating that bridges around here are tall enough to allow the ships to pass under them! Another amazing feat of engineering!

A flock of Brown Boobies following the ship just out from my balcony was a nice way to end the day. At least 12 birds were soaring over the water and overhead as we headed toward Colombia. Tomorrow we land in Cartegena.

Miraflores Locks, Panamá, PA
Mar 1, 2018 7:00 AM
Protocol: Incidental
Checklist Comments:     Complete trip through Panama Canal; birds seen from ship
18 species

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  6
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)  4
Willet (Tringa semipalmata)  6
Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)  24
Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)  12
Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)  12
Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)  12
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)  6
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)  2
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)  2
Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata)  1
Yellow-headed Caracara (Daptrius chimachima)  1
Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)  2
Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)  4
Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana)  3
Gray-breasted Martin (Progne chalybea)  12
Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta albilinea)  6
Blue Dacnis (Dacnis cayana)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S44046333

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)