Part 3. Wonders of the forest

Forests of Darien are teeming with wonderful plants and animals. Most of them are hard to find, but some are hard to miss.

Flowers of Parque Nacional Darien.

Freshwater crab, Rio Pirre.

The best places to see wildlife are forest streams. Full of fish, crabs, and shrimp, they also attract numerous birds and mammals.

Freshwater crab, Rio Pirre.

Painted turtle (Trachemys scripta), PN Darien.

Central American river turtle (Dermatemys mawii).

Central American river turtle (Dermatemys mawii).

Most turtles also live in rivers, but wood turtles (right) are common throughout the forest.

Brown wood turtle (Rhinoclemmis annulata), PN Darien.

Birds of Panama, left to right: crimson-crested woodpecker (Campephilus melanoleucos), barred forest-falcon (Micrastur ruficollis), slaty-tailed trogon (Trogon massena), dot-winged antwren (Microrhopias quixensis), broad-billed motmot (Electron platyrhynchum).

Nest of golden-collared manakin (Manacus vitellinus), PN Darien.

Most foreign visitors to Darien are birdwatchers. They come to see Pirre Range endemics, but seldom do (the summit trail is only used one-two times per decade; most gringos prefer to stay in the foothills). Well, they don't go home empty-handed: the lowlands and foothills of the park are one of the best birdwatching sites in the Neotropics.

Crested guan (Penelope purpurascens), the most common cracid on Mt. Pirre.

Grey-headed chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps).

Crested guan (Penelope purpurascens), PN Darien.

Bright-rumped attila (Attila spadiceus), Mt. Pirre.

Even uncommon species, such as guans and king vultures, are often seen here. King vulture (Sarcoramphus papa), PN Darien. Mammals are also numerous, but usually not as easy to find as birds.

Brown-throated parakeet (Aratinga pertinax).

Geoffroy's tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi), PN Darien.	Northern tamandua (Tamandua mexicana).		White-faced capuchin (Cebus capucinus), PN Darien.

Coprinus mushroom, PN Darien.

Even if you are a birdwatcher, don't look up all the time: there is a lot of interesting stuff under your feet. And one more word of advice: when planning a trip to Panama, leave a few days at the end to relax on a beach. Both shorelines of Panama are very beautiful, and have great National parks with forested islands, coral reefs, remote beaches, and coastal mountains. It's nice. Really.

Hygrocybe mushrooms, PN Darien.

Golfo de Chiriqui National Park, Panama.

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