Tweeters,
My wife and myself find ourselves lucky enough to get to go to Panama
in mid Feb. Unfortunately we have only 7 full days to bird. We have been
to Costa Rica a few times (though mainly in the central part of the
country). My questions for those of you who still have the patience to
deal with a RFI. Is the Ridgely book still the field guide du jour? If
so, is the '89 edition the most recent? We have heard of Pipeline Road,
Achiote Road, Canopy Tower, San Blas and Darien. Where would you be
tempted to go given that you would want to see endemics, good
numbers of birds and beautiful scenery (of course a Harpy Eagle would be
a plus). All this has to be based on the financial fact that we both
work for school districts, I as a teacher and my wife as a
paraprofessional.
Are there any car agencies that would be better to rent from? Reports
seem to indicate that we wouldn't need a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Would
you agree?
Finally, what concerns should we have about safety? Are there other
places aside from Colon that might be considered dangerous?
Thanks for any and all help. If there's anyway I can help you out in the
future, I'll be glad to try.

Barry Levine
Seattle, Wa.
levineb at bsd405.com