Panama Day 3: Canopy Tower: A Rainy Afternoon And A Visit To The Panama Rainforest Discovery Center.
It was an amazing morning hike on the Pipeline Road on my third morning in the Soberania National Park in Panama. The Pipeline Road lived up to it’s reputation and provided us with the sightings of many tropical birds. But the day wasn’t over and a visit to the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center was planned for the afternoon. The Discovery Center is also located near the Pipeline Road where we hiked in the morning. However, thunderstorms formed again after our lunch at the Canopy Tower ecolodge where I was staying for five days. The storms arrived with the rumble of thunder, and the howler monkeys didn’t like it. The forests echoed with their howling every time it thundered. Torrential rain followed and it rained most of the afternoon.
I spent the rainy afternoon, editing photos, callein my office and listening to the thunder and the howler monkeys noisy reaction 
to it. You would think, growing up in the rainforest, they would be used to it. They clearly wern’t and howled all afternoon, Well the rains ended around 3:30 p.m. and we were soon off to the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center under the still threatening cloudy skies. 
Once again we drove over the Charges River,
and along Gatun Lake, past the town of Gamboa and into the rainforest.
We left our Birdmobile and entered the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center.
It was even darker under the thick trees of the rainforest. 
But we were still able to find some wildlife. As soon as we entered the center our guide showed us a yellow-throated toucan in a treetop above the trail. It was another one of the many beautiful birds I would see on my visit to the Panama rainforest. 
We walked under the thick canopy of leaves and towering tress,
and encountered a couple of howler monkeys, 
and a small group of white-faced Capuchin monkeys. 
The monkeys were feeding on peanut like seed pods growing on a tree over the trail. Our guide, of course told us the name of the seed pods, and, as I often do these days, , since I didn’t write in down, I forgot. My old brain doesn’t remember things as well as when I was a younger man. But the monkeys sure enjoyed feeding on the pods and we were treated to an entertaining show watching the monkeys eat. 
We continued under the dark lush trees of the rainforest, seeing some exotic flowers,
along the way. 
We also saw this beautiful but toxic creature, a species of poison dart frog. There are 175 species of these deadly frogs. This is a black and green posion dart frog. . 
We made our way to the 650 foot tall observation tower and began our 174 foot climb above the rainforest. 
Even under the overcast sky the views from atop the tower were remarkable. 
It was late in the day, and the overcast skies did not make for the best conditions for bird watching but we were still able to see many birds from atop the tower, including both yellow throated
We contiued to scan the trees below looking for the many birds flying through the branches. I couldn’t get photos of them all but I was able to catch this beautful bird that excited our guide, a green shrike viero. .This rarely seen bird has a melodic song and we were told we were very lucky to see one. 
It was nearing sunset and getting dark so we began our climb down the stairs of the tower as these red-lored parrots were flying overhead. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog webpage with some more photos of the birds I saw on my hike. Panama Day 3 Canopy Tower Rainforest Discovery Center birds October 18 2023. 
We drove back under the over cast skies, and near Gatun Lake 
saw this crocodile lurking in a pond along the road. Here is a link to another gallery with some photos from my hike. Panama Day 3 Canopy Tower Rainforest Discovery Center October 18 2023. 
We retui\rned to the lodge and went over our checklist and discussed our adventure and the birds and other wildlife we saw. Another hearthy dinner was served at 7 p.m. The day wasn’t over however, there was a night hike scheduled at 7;30 p.m. I passed on this one , retiring to my room to edit photos and to enjoy the sounds of the rainforest at night from my balconey. It was another wonderful day at the Canopy Tower and I fell asleep reflecting on the day and looking forward to another day of exploring the Panama rainforest. 
“The answer is simple. If we lose the world’s forests, we lose the fight against climate change. Rainforests are our Earth’s greatest utility – our planet’s lungs, thermostat and air-conditioning system.” – Michael Somare
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