Boquete and The Cloud Orchestra

I love traveling mainly because it debunks any preconceive though you have about something, literally anything. 

For example, you would say that an orchestra is a group of musicians, organized by instrument, that play together in a determined time and venue, correct? Well, nature has orchestras too!! I didn't see it, but I heard it and I almost lost it! 

The fauna that borders La Amistad National Park in Boquete, Province of Chiriquí, in Panama - at Mount Totumas to be exact, has conspired to bring us one of the most amazing performances I've ever listened to. 

This audio recording is from day 1 of our hiking trail at Mount Totumas in March, 2022: 

Piccolo solo

  

The first 12 seconds is clearly a 'piccolo' sound that plays again in 00:37 and 0:58 and 1:18. Is it following a specific tempo? Is it every 20 seconds? You tell me. Also, do you happen to know what animal make these type of noise? Please let me know by commenting below.

In this next audio recording the slight theme change is clear, and the accompaniment from other birds is like other instruments coming into scene (besides my convo with other explorers):

Slightly different theme from the Piccolo

The next one is my favorite recording. You can still hear the piccolo afar but then we have a couple of new instruments in scene (0:13). You can hear what appears to be a bird giving the conductors' signal to make two percussive-like striking sounds, one after the other. By the end of the recording, you can also hear the piccolo closing the scene:

The Striking Sounds - I love that nature also follows silence marks!!

In the next video, the piccolo opens the section once again, only this time to present another interesting sound that I have issues trying to figure it out (I swear I wasn't doing it!). It's like a....zipper?? 

Another mystery of nature I guess. Perhaps you know it?:

The Zipper - in 1:04 and 2:06

All I can say is that this experience has changed the way I hear the sounds in the world. I'm so thankful of Mount Totumas and its staff who pointed out to us where to find all the good and amazing 'music' that Boquete has to offer. Please add it to your bucket list, you won't regret it. 

Sneak peak of The Cloud @ Mount Totumas

Happy Holidays and Happy Traveling!!!