Tony James' photos
50 Small Butterfly on Hotel Wall
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Probably Riodinidae?
This family is very varied, and widespread in the tropics and is usually made up from strikingly patterned and colourful insects. I have not found the ID of this to confirm its membership yet.
23 Small Butterfly near Canal
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Presumably another Riodinidae member, small and colourful, feeding close to where we were watching the ships going by.
22 Leaf-cutter Ant Run
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These large ants were everywhere in this area, and their runs were quickly de-foliated of anything growing to make transport of their leaf bits easy.
39 Small Wild Area Close To Our Room
38 View From Ground Floor Room
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From our room, we looked out to a row of small trees and bushes which were thoroughfares for birds and animals. Always something going on there, but we had to beware of mosquitoes at dawn and dusk at this level. Tennis facilities were also in the grounds, but we never saw anyone use them.
47 Crimson-rumped Tanager
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This is actually a pretty bird, but here the red areas are mostly covered by the folded wings. In flight it displays its red back more impressively.
46 Blue-Grey Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)
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A passing species seen along the bushes opposite our room. A DV still frame from our video.
44 Greater Ani (Crotophaga major)
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Distribution from Panama to Trinidad and south to Argentina. There are three species in this family, all members of the Cuckoo family. Also known as the Black Cuckoo.
43 Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillu…
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This pretty Woodpecker came to the trees outside our room, and stayed long enough for some long-shot video. Another still frame from the video.
42 Green Parakeet in Close Up
41 Green Parakeet Flock Bedding Down For Night
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These birds came in as a staggered flock every night and settled down in the trees with much calling and noise. This is a long shot frame from our DV video camera.
40 Distant Sighting of Chacalaca
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At least that is what it looked like. At this distance, it was difficult to be sure, but the outline was very much the same as the birds we have seen throughout the Caribbean islands we have visited. This species creates a raucus cacophony of calls in the early morning.
37 Great Grackle at a Garden Pool
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Birds were everywhere at this hotel, and the ornamental pools outside the main foyer proved to be a useful drinking area for a number of species.
36 View From Balcony Up the Rio Chagres
35 Hotel Main Building Balcony
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The front of the main building had a number of full width balconies across the front. This is a view from just outside the bar area, where you could partake of your favourite beverage, whilst watching for wildlife in the gardens. A good place to watch the Parrots and Parakeets coming in to roost in the adjacent trees in the evenings or even when they were visiting through the day.
34 Howler Monkey From the Tower
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A great way to see wildlife from the tower. Eye to eye contact at this level, with a small family of Howler Monkeys. Not sure who was watching who, but they were quite at ease in their home environment. This is a still frame from our DV video camera.
33 On the Spiral Tower
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The tower has a spiral ramp around the outside making an easy, but quite long, walk to get to the top. There are many vantage points as you climb up the tower to see the wildlife at different elevations in the trees about the tower.
32 Canal View From Hill Top Tower
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A great view along the Canal from the Observation Tower at the top of the hill. The buildings below are the hotel on this side of the Rio Chagres, which feeds water into the Canal.
