With the state of the economy what it is, travel is down this holiday season. For humans, that is.

But raptors are undeterred. Hundreds of thousands of hawks have been fleeing the cold this fall. As usual, they’re flying from North to Central and South America.

Hawk migration photo: www.flickr.com/photos/kirklandjHawk migration photo: www.flickr.com/photos/kirklandj

And, as usual, avid birders are gathering at stops along the way. For today’s geo quiz, we’re looking for one of the most popular hawk layovers.

This Central American country is a significant transit point for people as well. It’s provided a link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for almost a century. And it’s a land link between Central and South America.

photo: www.flickr.com/photos/joulephoto: www.flickr.com/photos/joule

We’ll have the answer here…

We were looking for a country that’s a popular stopover for migratory hawks.

photo: www.flickr.com/photos/joulephoto: www.flickr.com/photos/joule

Here’s another hint.

A lot of boats also pass through this country, between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

That’s the Panama Canal. And Panama is the answer to today’s Geo Quiz.

Reporter Murray Carpenter joined a hawk watch in Panama City. Listen: