Gulf of Panama and Isla Iguana
This morning we stopped at the central part of the Gulf of Panama at the three islands called Bona, Otoque and Estiva. This visit offered an opportunity to observe the seabirds that nest and live around these three islands, for example brown pelicans (pelecanus irrorata), brown boobies (sula lecogaster) in their nest with their chicks, blue-footed boobies (sula nebouxii) and the always-acrobatic magnificent frigatebird (fregata magnificens). We went on Zodiac rides around these islands and then came back to National Geographic Sea Lion to move towards our next destination, Isla Iguana.
Once we approached the Isla Iguana Wildlife Refuge, we were enchanted by the crystal waters and coral reefs that surrounded us. We were excited to set foot on the beautiful white sand beach. This beautiful protected area from Panama was founded in 1981 and has an extension of approximately 140 acres including the marine area. It is located 5 miles from the town of Pedasi, which is not only the district it belongs to, but the southern tip of the Azuero Peninsula as well.
Isla Iguana owes its name to a large population of black iguanas (ctenosaura similis) that live on the island, but the island is also known for having the biggest population of breeding magnificent frigatebirds, with approximately 5,000. We saw them flying the whole afternoon around the island and also observed breeding behavior, with some males inflating their throat pouch to attract the females that were just observing and apparently choosing a male to mate with. We left Isla Iguana with the feeling that we had just been to paradise and our experience there was just unforgettable.
