Puffbirds and Pumas

On a walk up to Cerro Arbolito yesterday morning we heard a lot of racket in the canopy of the forest ahead of us. We recognized the noise as the alarm calls that monkeys make when they see a big cat; however, the odds that you'll ever lay eyes on a big cat are very low, so we didn't hurry ahead. The monkeys continued to scream and bark as we approached - there was an entire troop of spider monkeys and a few white-faced capuchins scattered around. When we were close enough to see where the monkeys were looking, we started to think that this cat must be relatively close. And then out stepped a puma, 5 meters directly in front of us, right out into the open trail. It paused with its right paw in mid-air. I paused, in awe. We locked eyes. And then the puma calmly turned back into the underbrush and disappeared. My camera was in my backpack, so of course I took it out and plunged into the forest to see if I could get that coveted shot, but it wasn't to be.

Instead, I got a shot of this white-necked puffbird. It stayed on this branch for ages, turning and posing. Not nearly as impressive as a large carnivore in your face, and telling somebody that you saw a puffbird somehow doesn't have the appeal that big cat sightings do. Oh well, maybe next time we're out we'll see a jaguar!