Four Ecosystems in a Day: A Birding Day Trip from Bocas del Toro
The plan for our birding day trip from Bocas del Toro, as it had been explained to us the night before, was fairly loose. We would take a boat to the mainland and spend the day moving through several different ecosystems in search of birds.
Breakfast was at 5:30 a.m., which meant the lodge was just beginning to stir when we arrived upstairs. While we were eating, a possum wandered across the deck outside. It looked more like an Australian possum than an American opossum, with a rounder face, thicker fur, and just more general cuteness.
By 6:15 we were off the dock and heading for the mainland. The storm clouds on the horizon were slightly troubling, but luckily we headed in a different direction.
Punta Robalo Wetlands on a Birding Day Trip from Bocas del Toro
The dark clouds had mostly cleared by the time we reached the village. A van was waiting to take us inland, though our first stop came almost immediately.
Less than three minutes after leaving the dock we pulled over along Camino a Punta Robalo, which runs through a series of wetlands near the Caribbean coast. Even before stepping out of the van, the bird activity was obvious. Calls came from multiple directions while parrots crossed overhead and blackbirds moved through the reeds. The light was not the greatest, but there were a heck of a lot of birds.
Some of the highlights included a lineated woodpecker, crested oropendola, roadside hawk, blue-headed parrot, red-breasted meadowlark, pale-mandibled aracari, Amazon parrots, and a keel-billed toucan. We spent much of the stop listening for calls, pointing at movement in the trees, and trying to follow directions like “just above the branch, left of the palm.” In total we recorded 47 species there alone, just walking along the roadside.
An Unexpected King Vulture Sighting Near Río Cañaza
Later in the morning we stopped in Río Cañaza for a quick break and then turned onto what looked like a random side road. Within moments our guide became visibly excited. High in a tree were two king vultures, their bright colours standing out even from a distance. They were far enough away that we mostly viewed them through the spotting scope, but it was still an impressive sighting.
People walking along the road and even a few passing drivers stopped to look through the scope once they heard what we had found.
And on the opposite side of the road, a group of turkey vultures gathered in the grass drying their wings in the sun.
We added six species at that stop before continuing on.
Lunch in Palo Seco Protected Forest
Around midday we reached Estación Guardaparque, located within the Palo Seco Protected Forest, where we stopped for a picnic lunch.
The atmosphere felt completely different from the wetlands earlier in the day. The forest provided more shade, the air felt cooler, and the pace seemed to slow. Even during lunch there were birds moving through the surrounding trees. We still recorded 13 species while we were there. By that point the morning had already produced a remarkable variety of birds, and the day was only half over.
Birding Along the Continental Divide in Western Panama
After lunch we continued climbing toward Camino de la Divisoria Continental, where the road follows the ridge line separating the Caribbean and Pacific watersheds. The higher elevation brought noticeably cooler air and lower humidity, which felt refreshing after the warmer lowlands earlier in the day. Not going to lie, I’m not a fan of humidity.
Most of the birds here were deep inside the forest so impossible to photograph, but we did manage to get a clear view of this white cotinga.
Standing along the ridge, it was striking to think that rain falling on one side of the road would eventually reach the Caribbean Sea, while rain falling on the other side would find its way to the Pacific Ocean. Bird activity was slower there, but we still added 10 species before turning back. By that point the running tally had reached 76 birds for the day.
Returning to Bocas del Toro
Eventually we retraced the same route back toward the coast, stopping occasionally when something interesting appeared along the roadside. But these birds were so far away that we barely bothered photographing them. For context, here’s a hawk that everyone was pretty excited to see.
By the time we reached the dock again and boarded the boat back to the lodge, it had been a long day in the field. We were seriously impressed with the species list we were able to rack up on the birding day trip from Bocas del Toro. In the space of a single day we moved from coastal wetlands to protected forest and mountain ridges before returning to the islands, each ecosystem revealing something different (assuming you were able to spot it through the thick vegetation!).
We’re Andy and Jennifer—two former corporate executives who chose long ago to prioritise experiences over stuff while pursuing our passions for travel and photography. From the Arctic to Antarctica, and most places in between, we’ve captured the world through our lenses and love sharing those stories. Our careers gave us the means, but our purpose is inspiring others to explore and helping people create images they’re proud of.
