Rain, rain, and more rain ! Despite this, we pressed ahead with our four-wheeling adventure along poorly-maintained mountain trails to La Mesa. Spot-crowned Barbets, Tawny-capped Euphonia, and Chestnut-headed Oropendola are known to frequent this region and we were not disappointed.
Having seen all but one of Panama's Mot-mots, we were eager to find the elusive Tody variety. Near Rio de Jesus, Moyo commenced his calls for this small member of the Momotidae family. Eventually, after several hours and more than 200 shots, we were rewarded with a much-saught-after image of the Tody Mot-mot.
As the day drew to a close, we rushed to La Mesa waterfall where the amazing White-tipped Sicklebill (hummingbird) is sometimes encountered at sunset. These tiny creatures have supremely-adapted bills to feed on Heliconia flowers.
Pouring rain, limited light and a challenging locale necessitated teamwork to achieve the shot. In the image below, Moyo and I are standing on a narrow, slippery suspension bridge -- he held an umbrella to protect the elaborate camera setup with one hand, while helping to steady the tripod with the other -- I am hunched over trying to focus in the unbelievably low light while hoping not to fall in the raging river below. Now, that's fun!
( From a historical standpoint, it was interesting to be in Panama today as the notorious Noriega was extradited back to a dingy prison quite near the Canopy Tower after more than 20 years in US and French jails. As the Tower is the highest point in the region, TV crews had been installing booster dishes on the observation deck for the extensive media coverage of the tyrant's return. )
