Insect's song marks the season as we get ready for the rains

By Neil McColl

Yummy. Who would have
thought this songbug
packed so much protein!

When we hear the Cicadas` chorus of high pitched opera it is a signal for the start of the rains. It is the end of our summer, and we are hearing a sign for the changes of the seasons.

It is said that if the “If the robin is the harbinger to spring. Then the cicada is "the harbinger of autumn”.

The little Cicada, only one to two inches long with outsize wideapart eyes and large transparent wings, (not to be confused with the grasshopper or locust) sings as high as some 120 decibels, and even higher beyond human hearing, which is a self-defense warning signal to the ?ying predators to keep away – the song nature intended to sound as if it comes from a “Goliath”, the “hunter instead of the hunted”

The song is from the male Cicada’s “timbals”, a membrane on the side of the base of the abdomen or thickened ribs and is produced by contracting the inner muscles.

They don't bite humans,
but all over the world,
humans bite them.

The little insect immortalized by Aesop in 16 BC in his fable“The Cicada and the Ant” was further immortalized by the French writer Jean de la Fontaine (1621 – 1695) and today is a favorite with ?lmmakers and animators as a means of representing the sounds of pathos and perhaps more importantly by the silent echo of the great outdoors.

The Cicada, sometimes known as “jar ?ies” , is a member of a 2,500 species family in temperate to tropical climates - Asia, Africa, North & Latin America, Australia and New Zealand and they are not aggressive. They neither bite or sting. Neither are they a pest; they are benign to the human who does not return the compliment and ?nds them to be of great culinary interest in Asia, Africa, India and parts of Latin America. In China they are considered to be of medicinal value.

Surprisingly the Cicada has a life span of some 13 to 17 years following mating which leaves the eggs in tree barks where the emerging “nymph” falls to the ground and burrows, with strong legs, some 6 to 12 inches, ?nding its food from succulent roots.

The Chinese considered it to be a symbol of re-birth or immortality and used it as an anti-blistering agent which is used in present day medicine.

Culinary delicacies are well recognized and recipes include“Cicada Cheese Wanton”, “Portobello Cicada Quiche”, “Curried Cicada”,“Cicada Sauerbraten Spaghetti”,“German Chocolate Cicada Cake” and “Granola Chews”.

“Buen provecho” or “Bon appetit.”

National Day of the Harpy Eagle

By Howard Walker

On Sunday April 13, nature loving families and friends in large numbers headed out to Summit Park to attend the ceremonies marking the National Day of the Harpy Eagle. April 10 is the date decreed by law in recognition of the special place this majestic peregrine, and National Bird, occupies in Panama’s eco-culture. The Sunday of this past weekend allowed for the fullest public observance.

It was a hot morning, the sun was bright overhead, and the walk was long for many, but eager anticipation and keen interest in our natural environment obviously won the day. Summit Park’s Harpy Eagle Center provides a great deal of valuable information in its exhibits and lecture programs. On this occasion, it was supplemented by displays and literature in the booths erected by environmental groups and foundations, addressed to everyone concerned about the protection of the nation’s wild life, eco-systems and natural beauty. There was plenty to inform and interest all ages.

The big attraction, of course, was the real, living, feathered guest of honor. I learned from Marti Curti, one of its guardians, that his name is Luigi, he is 7 years old and was brought to Panama by her organization, International Peregrine Fund, which has an office in Clayton. She told me that Panama is one of the last refuges for this endangered bird of prey. There have been recent sightings of thirty in Darien, one in Bocas del Toro, and two in Parque Chagres. The greatest threat to their survival comes from human beings, either directly through hunting or by the destruction of their forest habitat.

Each eagle couple requires a territory of about 25 square km. for food collection. Partners are faithful and stay together for life, which could be up to fifty years. They breed every three years. The female lays two eggs, but incubates only one; if this should prove infertile then she turns to the other. It is an interesting example of family planning which obviates what otherwise would create an unmanageable situation in terms of nest space and food supply, but helps ensure survival of the species. The offspring is initially fed by the male. After four months the mother leaves the nest to assist. After a year, the young Harpy can feed itself. It starts to ?y at six months of age, and is fully mature at five.

A large audience gathered to see the endangered eagle.

When newly hatched, Marti said that Luigi, like all of his species, had only white feathers. The distinctive black and white coloring comes later, as do the stylish parallel black leg bands. This avian is the biggest of Panama’s birds, and it is reputed to be the strongest in the world. With wing spans of seven feet, and standing three feet tall, the females weigh 7-10 kilograms while the males are lighter, typically 5-7 kilogram - a fact well registered when they are perched on, or landing on, the protected arm of handlers!

Released from his perch, Luigi treated the appreciative watching crowd camped on the green-grassed slopes to impressive fly-bys directly towards handlers stationed some 100 meters apart. Luigi’s reward was small cubes of carefully handproffered meat. The preservation of the threatened Harpy Eagle is of importance well beyond the Panama's borders. This certainly was illustrated at the opening ceremonies when the Patronatos Amigos del Aguila Arpia of Panama received a donation of $10,000.00 from the Miami Metro Zoo. Both Amigos and the International Peregrine Fund are valuable resources of information about the Harpy; they merit and need public support.

The well being of the Harpy eagles is inextricably tied with our own as human beings. They need a healthy eco-system and so do we. Destruction of their habitat through thoughtless or deliberate interventions due to land clearing and pollution from mining, hydro dams, farming, residential or other developments, as well as hunting, pose serious threats with great consequences.