Monday 21 January 2013

Cartagena, Colombia II

Huge apologies for the none appearance of a post yesterday!
(it rarely happens)
Reason? We were visiting 'interior' Panama and we are now 4 days behind on posts.
A couple of days in arrears has a desired effect, a buffer, but we will endeavour to caych up.
CHEERS
We continue from the confines of the Jardin Botanical Gardens, where it was becoming apparent that the baggage we had picked up en-route in the 'people carrier' taxi was in fact our 'armed guard', mandatory' for tourists and occasionally necessary. As far as we were concerned they were simply more eyes to the trees!
STREAKED FLYCATCHER*
an interesting variety of DRAGONFLIES
and a TERRAPIN Sp at the pond.
Canopy shots are not often of the best, BLACK-THROATED MANGO*
LINEATED WOODPECKER*
A little more Monkeying around!
SPOT-BREASTED WOODPECKER*
Part of the Cast of Thousands
In addition to our driver and Armed Guard, the drivers missis and a guide we 'won' at the gardens? From here we visited the Monestry on the Hill, more to use up the agreed taxi time that anything else, but apart from the
HAWK-MOTH, how'd you like to pull one of these out of the trap Bomber?
we were afforded some great views
across this very modern city along with a couple of Raptors.
WHITE HAWK
YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA
COMMON GROUND DOVE before returning to the productive woodland close to the port.
BROWN-HOODED PARROT??
Better shots of a CLAT-COLOURED THRUSH,
KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN was a real bonus although seen in the past
as was SCARLET MACAW*
GREYISH SALTATOR*
 
with more Yellow-and-Blue Macaws
This is about all you ever see of COMMON TODY FLYCATCHER
Close-ups of TURKEY VULTUREs
SOCIAL FLYCATCHER
While the earlier Bicoloured Wrens were foraging on the ground, these were confined to the tree-tops.
and finally, a welcome RED-and-GREEN MACAW*