Here we are on our way to the Panama Canal, cruising by the Golf of Panama, one of the few places in Central America that has numerous nesting colonies of sea birds, and off course, it is a must to stop and watch them.
Right after breakfast, National Geographic Sea Lion dropped anchor and we all went on the dips to get a better look of the brown pelicans, brown boobies, magnificent frigatebirds nesting and boy we got to see then in full display. Male frigates with the gular pouch fully inflated trying to look their best for the ladies and even some blue footed boobies although not nesting, they were there to enjoy the up welling of the gulf.
Since the beginning of our trip we have seen some of these sea birds; but, not in the numbers that we saw them here today, the reason of this is event is what we call “up welling”. This phenomenon taking place here in the Gulf of Panama is thanks to the northern trade winds blowing faster through the low mountain range of this section in Panama.
Basically, the low mountains is letting the trade wind cross the land from the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean and arrive at the gulf with still enough strength to blow all the warm surface water of the surface and let it be replace with cold water nutrient rich from the bottom which triggers an explosion of life and thanks to this we got to see all these sea birds in breeding display.
After our sea bird adventure we returned to the ship to star our way to the Panama Canal and begin with the process of crossing one of the most important water way of the world and a true wander of the modern era.
