The Quest for the Quetzal

Original airdate: February 12, 2009

Two Crazy Chicks Productions is pleased to present Episode 4 of The Adventures of Yumiko and Eden in Panama, an epic journey of discovery fraught with peril… 

There is still no sign of Chago when our intrepid heroines sit down for breakfast the next morning. Frustrated and dispirited, they are discussing their options over some of the area’s internationally-acclaimed coffee when they receive the news that Chago has agreed to lead Yumiko and Eden into Finca Lérida to seek the resplendent quetzal. 

Finca Lérida is Panama’s highest farm, the producer of some of its finest coffee, and one of its most famous birding locations. It is atwitter with binocular-bearing birders who peer up into the trees hopefully. 

Chago imitates the call of the quetzal as the trio walks the trails, stopping to admire green violet-eared, snowy-bellied, and scintillant hummingbirds. And then it happens. Into the morning sunlight flies a male resplendent quetzal, absurdly long tail trailing behind, its emerald and ruby feathers luminous.

Thus it is a happy pair that climbs into a taxi that afternoon and makes the 2-hour journey to the other side of the volcano, which, they discover, is teeming with hardcore birders who carry spotting scopes worth thousands of dollars and chirp cheerily (and endlessly) about Chiriquí yellowthroat, crested guan, and collared trogon. 

The following 2 days are spent hiking and birding. Our intrepid heroines are in no hurry to leave the cool, lush highlands, but they must return to Panama City to recover from warbler neck and prepare for the ultimate adventure: an excursion into the rugged and isolated Darién. 

What will the Darién bring? Be sure to tune in to our next episode! 

And remember: fan mail required. 

photo 1: white-throated mountain-gem

photo 2: magnificent hummingbird

Two Crazy Chicks apologizes for the lack of a quetzal photo. If you are curious as to what a quetzal looks like, please click here.

© Eden Feuer