Boná and Otoque Islands, Gulf of Panama, Panama
The sunrise caught us enjoying the presence of birds flying over the National Geographic Sea Lion. Stretching on the sundeck started the day; meanwhile some of our guests prepared for an after-breakfast “early bird” Zodiac cruise around the island of Boná. A second round took place afterwards, so that everyone could have their opportunity to explore the area.
The morning in the Gulf of Panama was cool and windy, which allowed us understand the dynamics of the water and the birds’ colonies. It was easy to perceive how the surface waters are pushed away, followed by the upwell of nutrients, attracting a whole network of interactions as well as lots of water birds.
The colonies of blue-footed and brown boobies welcomed us on the cliffs. The sulidae family are some of the best divers of the marine birds. They go as high as around 90 meters (300 feet) above the water and take plunges that will take them as deep as 9 to 10 meters (30 feet) underwater, a depth that other species of birds don’t reach. So it enables them to pursue prey that others will not have access to.
The performance was spectacular and did not end there. Brown pelicans were perching on branches, trying to avoid the sun radiation on their bills in order to keep the right temperature, turning their display in a perfectly aligned group of birds that looked symmetrically placed.
It seemed that each group of birds had chosen a specific area of the islands to set up their territory and allow the naturalist to focus on the interpretation of habits of each species. Then we ran into a large colony of magnificent frigatebirds, formed by juveniles, females and males, some of which were exposing their outstanding gular pouches, reminding the females of their presence. The close-up views of these colonies of birds permitted us to appreciate some of the secrets of Mother Nature, its members and behavior; we gained a better understanding of the importance of letting the planet go at its own pace.
Later in the afternoon we were anchored in the Gulf of Panama, expecting the arrival of the Panama Canal Authority to start our transit across the canal. What a magnificent engineering masterpiece it is. Just to imagine the challenges of building a canal at the end of the XIX century, the diseases of the region, technological limitations for construction, extreme climate conditions… it was all an important accomplishment that divided the land to connect the oceans and the earth.
We ended our day after crossing the first two sets of locks, raising our vessel up to 85 feet above sea level and anchoring at Gatun Lake.
Seeing one the marvels of the world was certainly a joy and being able to see it from the inside made it a special treat!
