This morning the rainforest was dry with a nice cool breeze. It was time to do a skiff exploration before breakfast. The early hours are the best for bird watching and also for special behaviors and displays as birds get ready for their daily foraging trips. It is also the moment to listen to their songs.
At 6:00 a.m. we boarded the skiffs to explore the shore of the Ucayali River. This area is a vibrant forest that combines different types of trees and a diversity of palms. Among all these living forms we do have many dead trees and dead palms. It is this particular group of dead trees that lure large flocks of birds, especially parrots and wood peckers. Here in the jungle a dead tree is not a lost one, it is rather an opportunity for nesting and also for finding food such as wood insects.
At mid-morning we were exploring the flooded forest again. This time there were other types of sightings such as night monkeys, squirrel monkeys and even a porcupine. The trees are partly submerged because of the rising levels of water and because of the high water levels it is easier to explore this magnificent wilderness. In other words, we are always close to the tree tops which is where the wildlife is found.
In the late afternoon we boarded our fleet of skiffs and explored Dorado River. This is a dream place! Here we have river dolphins! Regarding birds, we found raptors, tanagers, and hoatzins. Squirrel monkeys are always the stars of the jungle. Later on at night time we searched for caimans and we found them! We looked for them with spotlights and what a surprise to see that their eyes glow in the night. The biggest surprise was spotting an anaconda hiding among the weeds in this flooded forest. Maybe it was hunting. It was a fascinating day for all of us, very productive with beautiful weather and full of sightings from beginning to end.
