Author: Rosannette Quesada

On May 29, 2025, Canopy Lodge was featured in the New York Times! El Valle looks like something out of a fairy tale — wrote Jeffrey Gettleman, the author of the article. He described the Canopy Lodge as a cozy retreat, where he saw many special birds, interviewed Canopy Family's president and founder Raúl Arias de Para, and visited our Canopy Family guide Eric Rodríguez's garden, which has been turned into a special bird-feeding station. Toh Gouttenoire took incredible photographs for this New York Times piece. Read the full article here: Discovering Amazing Wildlife Along the Panama Canal - The New York Times    

On May 10, 2025, the world’s birding community joined forces for the annual Global Big Day, a 24‑hour birdwatching journey powered by eBird and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Around 1.8 million participants identified birds using the Merlin app, and around 75,000 eBird users submitted more than 173,000 checklists, collectively spotting around 7,900 bird species in 204 countries—breaking all previous records. Amazingly, small Panama ranked among the top 10 countries for the number of species recorded, in 7th place! Nestled at the crossroads of the Americas, Panama’s mix of Caribbean coast, Pacific shorelines, tropical forests, and highland cloud forests continues to draw an astonishing diversity of birds. This milestone was the result of an unprecedented collaborative effort in Panama, uniting the Ministry of Environment, non-governmental organizations, private companies, and local birding guides. Together, they coordinated logistics, outreach, and on-the-ground participation to ensure high-quality bird counts across the country, resulting in 430 new eBird users, a 212% increase in the number of eBirders over 2024. The combined action of these diverse sectors marks a new chapter in Panama’s commitment to conservation, eco-tourism, and birdwatching standards. As Canopy Family we are proud and happy to have participated in this achievement. Our Canopy Family guides ventured with our visitors to hotspots such as Pipeline Road, Summit Ponds, El Valle de Antón, the Pacific lowlands, Río Indio and Jordanal, Cerro Azul, the Guna Yala comarca, and the Darién lowlands, collectively identifying hundreds of species. This top-10 ranking underscores not only Panama’s unique tropical biodiversity but also the professionalism and passion of its birding guides and operators. It’s a testament to the dedication of all birding teams, who encourage high-quality data submission and support community participation. For this incredible collective achievement, we would like to congratulate our Canopy Family guides, the Ministry of Environment, Panama Audubon

By Virginia Rettig  With wonder and excitement, we embarked on a day-long journey to find the elusive Crested Eagle in the heart of the Darién. Our expert Canopy Family guide was Eliécer Rodriguez, whose knowledge and enthusiasm were astounding. Our day began with a delicious and filling pre-dawn breakfast at Canopy Camp. We had selected rubber boots from a storage area the evening before, so we were ready to tackle the day. Eliécer drove us to the town of Yaviza, at the end of the Pan-American Highway, and the gateway to our adventure. From there, we boarded a small, covered boat for a 40-minute ride on the Chucunaque River to the town of El Real. The sun was rising as we arrived and transferred to the back of a pick-up truck, embarking on a 30-minute journey to the village where we would begin our hike. We passed locals on foot and horse as we rode on the slightly bumpy gravel road. Suddenly, Eliécer tapped urgently on the hood of the truck cab to signal the driver to stop. He jumped out of the back of the truck and was broadly smiling as he eagerly motioned for us all to get out and see what he was looking at. It was an adult Harpy Eagle! The bird, estimated to be a female due to her incredibly large size, and near 10 years old, perched fiercely on a huge Cuipo tree. We were thrilled! She surveyed the land and preened as we oohed and aahed. As we watched, a Gray-lined Hawk came out of nowhere and side-swiped her. She briefly hunched her wings but otherwise was not bothered by the smaller raptor. We could have watched her for much longer, but we had to continue our quest of the day. We resumed

In 1998, twenty-six years ago, Cheryl Farmer and Arlene Golembiewski were the very first guests to stay at the Canopy Tower. Back then, the tower was a work in progress—there was no kitchen, no cook, and only one bathroom shared with the construction staff. Yet, for these adventurous birdwatchers, the opportunity to be immersed in Panama’s rainforest was irresistible.   Memories blur after 26 years, but one thing they remember vividly is how they ended up at the Canopy Tower. Arlene made the arrangements for a birdwatching trip through a US ecotravel agency. It booked Canopy Tower and two other birding spots for them, and a Panama Audubon Society birding guide, Carmen Martino. They were picked up at the airport by a friendly local guide, expecting to head straight to the tower—but instead, they were told, “You’ll go there tomorrow.” In the meantime, they met with Carmen and enjoyed an incredible day of birding. The next day, they were taken to the tower, and they immediately understood why their arrival had been delayed—it wasn’t quite ready for guests! “We were watching birds from the top of the tower, and we didn’t want to leave,” Cheryl recalls. “We thought, this would be like camping, but with a roof over our heads!” At that moment, Raúl Arias de Para, Canopy Family’s founder and president, arrived to welcome them. He explained that staying wasn’t possible because the only thing they had were the mattresses that had just arrived that very day. The only bathroom available was the one used by the workers, and there was no proper kitchen. Carmen Martino said, “No problem. I’ll bring towels and sheets and a picnic meal" and, the two women convinced Raúl to let them stay. That night, they sat alone on the upper observation deck surrounded

  For the third consecutive year, we are thrilled to celebrate an incredible achievement—our dedicated visitors David and Tamara McQuade, have once again finished #1 in both the American Ornithological Union (AOU) region and North America as top birders on eBird! Their 2024 totals were outstanding, with 1,136 species recorded in the AOU region and 1,082 in North America. Panama was the perfect place to end 2024, delivering an astonishing 314 species in just five days. Of these, 185 were year birds for the AOU list, while 186 were year birds for North America. And what a way to kick off 2025—with 289 species in the first four days of the year! Over the course of their nine-day adventure while visiting the Canopy Tower and the Canopy Camp, they tallied 389 birds, of which 61 were lifers. This is an extraordinary achievement that highlights their passion and expertise, and also celebrates Panama’s rich biodiversity. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the expert guidance, meticulous planning, and top-notch hospitality of the Canopy Family team. Every detail—from well-planned routes to perfectly timed picnic lunches with ice-cold drinks—made this trip an unforgettable experience, David and Tamara expressed. They enjoyed each of the species they saw, but three were surprising highlights: The Harpy Eagle – “Not just an amazing bird, but the entire adventure to get there—van, boat, truck, horseback, and a hike—plus the incredible local guides who made it all happen!” Great Potoo feeding – “Watching those enormous eyes and seeing it devour a giant moth—just incredible!” Ruby-topaz Hummingbird – “A breathtakingly beautiful species and such a surprise to see in Central America!” Beyond the birds, it was the dedication of our Canopy Family guides Eliécer Rodríguez, Oscar Fría, Jorge Pineda, and the entire Canopy Family team, that truly

Text by Cameron Cox It was my privilege to be the last hawk counter in 2019 to count at Canopy Tower, before COVID changed the world. It was my great honor to be the hawk counter to revive the Canopy Tower/Semaphore Hill count in the fall of 2024. Canopy Tower is a special place and any time spent there is a joy, but for me to be able to experience the ebbs and flows of fall migration in such a special place, a deep feeling of privilege is the only way to describe it. The thing that has kept me enthralled with the world of birding and nature observation for many years is the fact that there is the potential to witness something incredible on any day in any place. However, special things, things that stay with you, happen most frequently in special places. Panama, a narrow land bridge connecting two vast landmasses in the heart of the highly ecologically diverse Neotropics, is special if only for its geography: every speck of land matters for the wildlife of an entire hemisphere. Canopy Tower is particularly special due to the views it offers, the surrounding forest, and the commitment to conservation that it embodies. Special things happen at Canopy Tower almost weekly, be it a bush covered in a variety of gem-like butterflies flashing and sparkling as they feed, a tree full of irate hummingbirds mobbing a completely unaffected Tiny Hawk calmly waiting for a living jewel to make its last mistake, or enjoying a front-row seat watching a mother sloth care for her baby with the most obvious pride and affection. None of these things were why I was in Panama, they were merely bonuses. When the entire population of several species of raptors migrate from one continent to another

To celebrate our 25th Anniversary, we’ve been sharing the inspiring story of how Raúl Arias de Para, Canopy Family’s president and founder, turned a vision into reality. In our previous Newsletter, we explored the challenges Raúl faced in finding the perfect location near the Panama Canal for an ecolodge. After much perseverance, he secured the concession to transform an old radar tower in Soberanía National Park into a unique retreat for bird and nature enthusiasts. In the final episode of this saga, we delve into the challenges Raúl faced during and after reconstruction—a journey marked by creativity and persistence. “The reconstruction of the tower was hard, but it was fun!” Raúl recalls with a smile. Overcoming Obstacles at Every Step The tower’s location, atop a hill about 35 minutes from Panama City, posed its first challenge. Transporting construction materials up the hill required meticulous planning. Then came the architectural hurdles—designing a space conducive to birdwatching and nature observation. Originally, the tower lacked windows in the living spaces, an essential feature for an ecolodge, so architects worked tirelessly to incorporate large windows. Also, Raúl had to replace the original metal flooring on the upper levels with concrete—no small feat, considering the difficulty of hauling materials up the tower's stairs. The Water Supply Conundrum Another big concern during the reconstruction process was a looking for a drinking water source. One day, while renovations were underway, a former radar operator from the Air Force visited the site out of curiosity. When Raúl inquired about the tower’s original water source, the man explained they once used a water wheel but abandoned it due to concerns over potential poisoning during their surveillance operations, since they were monitoring flights, which sometimes were suspected of carrying drugs. Raúl saw an opportunity. With some ingenuity and effort, he

Recently, we were featured in Peregrine Magazine! In this article, our friend Mike Dawson tells the story about his flight to Panama getting delayed because of the amazing raptor migration. Once in Panama, he got to it: hundreds of Black and Turkey Vultures, Broad-winged Hawks, Swainson’s Hawks, and Mississippi Kites passing by Panama to spend the winter in the south, a truly unique event you can witness from the comfort of the Canopy Tower. He also traveled to Canopy Camp Darién, to see the magnificent Harpy Eagle, along with other amazing bird species. We are truly thankful to Hawk and Owl Trust, and their magazine Peregrine, for this incredible article.         

Before opening the Canopy Tower, on January 1st, 1999, our president and founder Raúl Arias de Para was involved in many things. He was an international banker for 10 years, working in Panama, Bogotá, and Chicago.  Upon his return to Panama he was active in local politics and was elected to the National Assembly for two consecutive periods.  In 1984, he wrote a book about Panama’s presidential elections of that year which became the all-time bestseller in the country. After the fall of the Noriega regime in 1990, he worked for the new government, and afterward had other successful businesses of his own: a public opinion polling company, a stock brokerage firm, and a real estate development company; nothing related to birds or hospitality. However, the idea of creating an ecolodge was, somehow, always in the back of his head. One day while traveling for work, he saw a book in an airport magazine store explaining the origin of tropical fruits like mango, pineapple, etc. He bought it and he remembers thinking: One day this book will be in the library of an ecolodge I’ll build in the tropics. “It’s amazing how these ideas are in the back of your head, and you do other things until that moment comes, but everything has its moment!” Raúl says. In our July Newsletter, you read the story of how Raúl became a birder. As you may recall, he and his wife Denise took a birding course given by the Panama Audubon Society in 1990, and some years later they attended a seminar offered by the Ecotourism Society about how to build an ecolodge. After this, Raúl felt the moment he had been waiting for, to finally open his own ecotourism business, had arrived. But where will it be built? For years, he

Canopy Camp Darién: Always great, now even better! Sometimes, Darién is regarded as a far-away paradise but with harsh and limited conditions. It does takes around five hours from Panama City to get there, but what about if we tell you that these are five hours of birding on the way, where you will have the opportunity to spot Crimson-crested, Spot-breasted, and Golden-green Woodpeckers, Olivaceous Piculet, Cocoi and Tiger-Herons, Barred Puffbird, Golden-headed Manakin, Black Antshrike, Gray-lined Hawk, and if we are lucky, even Black Hawk-Eagle. Our guides are experts at locating the regional specialties that inhabit this area and skillful at navigating the changing conditions of the region from season to season. Also, we make a delicious lunch stop at a local restaurant with beautiful hummingbird feeders where we can spot Black-throated Mango, Scaly-breasted, Snowy-bellied, and Sapphire-throated Hummingbirds, Garden Emerald, Long-billed Starthroat, and White-necked Jacobin while we enjoy a delicious local meal. After this exciting birding route, we will pass by Metetí, the closest town to the Canopy Camp, where many small businesses, hardware stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, a bank, and even different universities are found. From there, it is just 20 minutes to arrive at the amazing Canopy Camp. At first sight, the Canopy Camp common area will impress you, because suddenly, the small road connecting Metetí with the Camp opens into a spacious clearing in the middle of the majestic and very unique forest of eastern Panama. The common area consists of the open dining room at one side and on the other side the very cozy, open-air library and lounge area with comfortable sofas, chairs, and hammocks where we usually spend time going through the checklists after the daily tours or just observing birds in the vicinity, as both areas are surrounded by beautiful gardens and hummingbird feeders