Jacobo Ortega was born in the province of Cocle in central Panama. He was raised in the town of El Barrigon in an area that has since been designated a national park because of its scenery and high diversity of frogs, plants, and birds. During childhood he wandered the forests and, like many Panamanian boys, became very adept with a slingshot. At age 15, he dispensed with his slingshot and turned to careful observation of birds. About this time he met Dodge Engleman, then president of Panama Audubon Society, who encouraged him to keep studying and learning about birds. In 1992, Jacobo began working for the Panama Canal Alternative project, whose purpose was to assess the diversity and quality of the forest in the Panama Canal Zone before its turnover to the Panamanian Government in 1999. Then in 1993 Jacobo began working for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in a bird-banding project that was aimed at unraveling the life cycle of bird parasites. He spent 7 years banding birds on Barro Colorado Island in the canal area. During that period he learned how to identify nearly 500 bird species by their calls and about 200 species by their nests. Following that experience, Jacobo began guiding birders in Panama. He has since led numerous field trips and birding tours for Panama Audubon Society, Panama Canopy tower, other commercial tour operators, and private parties. His ready smile, outgoing personality, and superb birding skills contribute greatly to the success of every tour he leads.
