Luna Llena

Quizás sorprenda a algunas personas la presencia de "carpinteros" en plena ciudad. Pero lo cierto es que hay una buena cantidad de ellos y aun en sitios congestionados como la vía España o la calle 50. El Carpintero Coronirrojo (Melanerpes rubricapillus) es la especie que vive en la ciudad capital y en muchas otras ciudades y poblados de las provincias centrales.  

En áreas boscosas aledañas, como el Parque Natural Metropolitano o el Cerro Ancón, se observan hasta dos especies adicionales, ambas más grandes que el coronirrojo y con copetes de plumas rojas terminados en punta sobre la cabeza (de esos que se parecen al “pájaro loco” de nuestra infancia).

Several years ago, Agripino Ríos and me were working on a book about the history of Cébaco (1). We thought it would be appropriate to talk about seeds  in the chapter devoted to agriculture in the island. With almost 20 acres, Cébaco, located in the Gulf of Montijo, province of  Veraguas, is the third largest island in Panama, after Coiba and San Miguel.

Mr. Francisco Calle, nicknamed “Maestro chico” or just “Maestrín” (Little Teacher), lives in Platanares, a community in Cébaco. He has worked the land for seven decades now, his whole life, and has been witness to the changes in the environment and how they have affected the island. He was very young when mahogany and other forest trees were harvested, especially during the late 40’s and the early 50´s. Francisco could experience also the shrimp (langostino) “boom”. Recently, he has noted that many species, specially sea creatures, are no longer available for consumption or have suffered a significant population decline because of commercial exploitation; for example: manta rays and sharks (for their fins). In the last 15 years, he has seen how his neighbors have sold their land, particularly to alien people unfamiliar with the island, while he kept holding on to that part of the mountain inherited from his parents, where they planted and cared for the trees that stand tall today on that unofficial, isolated sanctuary…there in Platanares, very close to the sea.

The scientific name for this bird is Thamnophilus doliatus but it is better known as the barred antshrike in English or “gallito” here in Panama. In my opinion, this is one of the most fascinating birds that can be found in both towns and cities in the country. If you have not had the chance yet, look for it right in your backyard, garden, or at the park. It is important to note, however, that you would more likely hear it singing than see it. Chances of seeing it will improve if you look for it at the most suitable places (near shrubs) and times (whenever it wants to be found!). 

The laughing gull or Larus atricilla, without question the most common of gulls in Panama, chooses the month of March for going back to its nesting territories along the coasts of the U.S., the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas and other islands in the Caribbean.