Yanallpa Caño & Rio Dorado
Wildlife in the Amazon is abundant and diverse, and at times, elusive. When we head out in the skiffs, kayaking, or walking, we never really know what we will see. Certain things are expected, many hoped for and usually found, and others are merely dreams. Today, we had high hopes for some cool critters, and with our naturalists super spotting, we had great success.
Starting with sunrise through some patchy fog, multiple Blue-and-Yellow Macaws were spotted socializing in some palm trees. A spectacular bird, it added to the great diversity of birds we have seen so far. Next, we took a short walk down a random path along the river, and after a bit of searching came upon our next goal, the pygmy marmoset. This tiny monkey is always a challenge to see well, but today we saw multiple animals scampering around trees, and a few even sat in the open for quite a while, grooming themselves.
Later in the morning more monkeys were on tap, with great sightings of squirrel monkeys, saddleback tamarins, night monkeys, and monk saki. The tamarins were exceptional as they were feasting on some fruits and stayed in place for quite a long time. But all good things must end. Luckily, they chose to leave by doing some massive leaps to another tree.
In the late afternoon we again set out in the skiffs, this time on a quest for nocturnal critters. A vibrant sunset with the rise of the full moon set the stage, and soon we were rewarded with multiple sightings of spectacled caimans. Relying on their camouflage, some of them allowed for close approaches and great photography. A few night birds were spotted, including a potoo and a screech-owl, and the frog chorus was exceptionally loud.
Wildlife viewing can be a challenging endeavor that at times yields great rewards. Today was certainly one of those days with exceptional results.
