Our first mother-calf pair encounter this season!

We finally left civilization for a few weeks of field work! To get to the ocean, we spent an hour going through the "estero" (estuary) which is a fantastic place to bird watch. We saw several species of heron, egrets, and frigate birds. Here is a picture of a fishing camp we passed along the way.
 
Here is our captain, "Pulo", ready to work!
We will be based out of the Islas Secas, an archipelago in the Gulf of Chiriqui. We were thrilled when a mother humpback whale and her calf welcomed us as we approached the islands. They swam right beneath our boat in about 30 feet of crystal clear water. It was such a great way to start our field work!

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