It's a Beautiful Sight: Bird Watching in Panama

Bird watching in Panama is an exciting adventure in exotic species of birds. Since Panama is a narrow strip of land bordered by two continents and two bodies of water, it is a bird haven, attracting all sorts of species of birds, including migratory birds that pass through the country on their way north or south during the fall and spring months each year. Many bird watching tours get scheduled specifically during these seasons since the number of species of birds is much higher during these times.

The Pipeline Road

One of the most famous areas for bird watching in Panama is along the Pipeline Road where more than three hundred species of birds have been sighted by the Audubon Society. This number of species is amazing in itself, and even more so when that number of species is found in a single day of bird watching in Panama along the Pipeline Road. There are different places to visit along the road like the Panama Canal where hundreds of species of birds reside. In addition, the Soberania Park is also along the road where bird watchers in Panama can hike into the forest to view many other species of birds.

There are different types of tours that are offered for bird watching in Panama and the health of the bird watcher is one issue to consider when choosing a tour. Some tours allow bird watchers to ride in buses or other comfortable means of transportation the entire time, stopping at prime bird watching locations to allow visitors to record different species of birds they see in journals or by pictorials such as photography or sketching. This type of tour for bird watching in Panama is for bird watchers of almost any type of health conditions since it is fairly exertion free.

There are also expedition types of bird watching tours in Panama that require the bird watchers to be in much better condition. Some of the tours require hiking into dense forests at some point along the way. Others require even more exertion, where the bird watchers will carry their own equipment on their backs for overnight camping trips into more exclusive and hard to reach areas for bird watching in Panama. For these excursions, individuals must have the right type of clothing and equipment, including waterproof bags so that the binoculars, journals and field guides do not get wet. These are the best tours to see rarer species of birds, however, so the hiking and exertion is well worth it most of the time.