Our readers share tales of their ramblings around the world.
Who: Cecily Nabors (author) of Silver Spring, Md., and her friend Julie Small of Olney, Md.
Where, when, why: In mid-November, Julie and I flew to Panama for a week-long trip led by the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS), with a local leader, Carlos Bethancourt. We’ve taken many naturalist trips with ANS, but this one provided an exceptional combination of nature observation, history and current events. We stayed at the Canopy Tower, a converted military installation topped with a now-empty radome, in a small, fenced enclave in the heart of Soberania National Forest.
My personal goal for the trip was to see a harpy eagle, one of the world’s largest and most powerful birds of prey, whose population is declining. Julie was hoping to see one of Central America’s big cats — a jaguarundi or even a jaguar. And we both were interested in the history and construction of the Panama Canal.
Highlights and high points: The Canopy Tower provided spectacular treetop views. We began our days sipping warm beverages high on the fifth-floor observation deck, a magical place in the early morning. We could see Panama City’s tall buildings in one direction and ships moving along the canal in another. Birds and animals were all around us. We learned how to scan the branches of cecropia trees for movement. A typical scene: Amid songs from a green shrike-vireo and the yells of a red-lored parrot, a mantled howler monkey clambered about, then leaned forward and let loose its deep, hollow howl. A monkey — before breakfast!
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