We spent four days exploring eastern Panama, with Darién and it’s Harpy Eagles our main objective, but with lots of good birding en route. The area is less developed than western Panama, with much of the land controlled by several semi-autonomous indigenous comarcas indeginous.
Meteti was our base of operations, being the farthest east town with restaurant and accommodations.
The town of Yaviza is the southern terminus of the Pan-American Highway; literally the end of the road. Beyond is the Darién gap, the roadless area between Panama and Columbia.
There are several Harpy Eagle nesting sites across the Chucunaque River.
We visited Reserva la Escondida, a private ranch.
A Harpy Eagle nest claimed a full day of our itinerary — time extremely well spent. The nest held a 5-6 month old immature female, now just one to two months from fledging. Our guides determined her sex from her age and size: female Harpies are significantly larger than males, weighing approximately twice as much. Neither parent appeared during our watch. This is typical behavior late in the nesting cycle — as fledging nears, adults feed their young less frequently, occasionally skipping a day altogether.
(click on a frame to enlarge)