Paul Armitstead

Next morning the weather was lousy. We got our heads together and decided to go to Isla Split Hill. Off we went and as Isla Colon faded from view, the heavens opened. In minutes we were soaked, and the journey was to take us 75 minutes. We weaved in and out of lots of mangrove islands and eventually moored up to a jetty. Musa got out and was greeted by three locals standing at a make-shift bar.

To cut this part of the story short, Ian and I spent two hours looking for frogs, but came back to the bar empty handed and somewhat disgruntled. We asked Musa whereabouts on this small island frogs had been sighted. To our amazement he replied, ‘No one has found frogs on this small island’. Ian and I were gobsmacked! All Musa was doing was getting his $25.00 at the end of the day!! We bought a couple of cervezas which by now we badly needed, and looked across to the mainland which was about 900 metres away.

I casually asked Musa what was over there, and you could have knocked me over with a feather when he replied, ‘Blue Poison Arrow frogs’. With that, Ian and I were in seconds sitting in the boat ready and waiting. In three or four minutes we pulled up to this old water-side stilted shack and Musa introduced us to Cerrado Ricardo, our guide. Musa shot off back across to the bar. He was more than useless sometimes.

Anyway, we watched our guide don his wellies and an almighty huge cutlass, and off we went, disappearing into the dense interior within minutes.

We followed a small and winding track and as we neared a clearing we heard that wonderful sound: EK, EK, EK. I scanned the immediate vicinity and on a fallen branch was a blue male D. pumilio courting a female. I was in Heaven. I got the camera out as Ian slowly came over. He was taken aback, as I was, by their brilliant blue sheen.

We saw about fifteen in all, so there were not many blue individuals compared with other species on their own islands. On our way back to Cerrado’s hut, we found D. auratus as well.

Again, to cut this last episode shorter, we paid Cerrado and he took us in his motorized dug-out canoe (which to our horror was flooding very quickly due to the fact it had more holes than a golf course) back to Musa.

Our next day was to Isla Popa, Island of Snakes. Two nine year old boys with bare feet the size of Hobbits’ from Lord of the Rings were to be our guides. We were led uphill for about a mile over grassy tracks, which then led to the forest. We were suddenly surrounded by dozens of green, blue and yellow D. pumilio - such lovely colours on just one frog species. Again, we filmed them and also collected many colour forms of wandering spider.

On the way back we came across Musa at one of the locals’ huts trying to buy a baby Amazon parrot for $3.00, but he, as usual, had no cash. So Muggins here bought it for him for $5.00, as I had nothing smaller in change.

While on our meanderings we also found an isolated island with one very special frog which I intend to revisit next year. This, however, will have to remain a secret for now as its colour is unknown as far as I am aware. The whole trip was wonderful, and for those who are interested I am planning a further visit for June 1997, again to Panamá.

In search of Dendrobates Part 1  
In search of Dendrobates Part 2  
In search of Dendrobates Part 3