We are at the end of our week together exploring the Upper Peruvian Amazon. When we go home, will we hear car alarms in parking lots? Or will we hear black-fronted nunbirds, which could easily be the sound that was copied? We have investigated the big and the small, from towering fig trees poking their leafy tops through the forest canopy, to frogs small enough to fit on your thumbnail. Our trio of hardworking, informative, and enthusiastic naturalists–Jorge, Javier, and Ricardo–brought everything we saw to life. We have them to thank for making sense of this massive and diverse batch of biology. During the week, we took piles of pictures. We won’t have Jorge in our living room to remind us that a certain photo features a long-billed woodcreeper, but we can now feed our images into the application called “SEEK.” This application will remind us not only of what we saw, but it will also tell us some of the most interesting facts about that organism. I’m thinking we’ll hear the text play in our minds in Jorge’s voice.
5/27/2022
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Delfin II
Yanayaquillo Creek, Amazon Natural Park, and Nauta Cano
Our days of rainforest exploration are numbered. This weeklong trip is coming to an end, so we are making the most of the adventure! Today, the knock-knock came on our doors at 0540 again, and we were out in skiffs by 0600. We found the ubiquitous squirrel monkeys as they fed with saddle-back tamarins. The birds were noisy with their dawn chorus, and we saw and photographed several interesting species. A pair of scarlet macaws flew across the river as we glimpsed their brilliant colors. With boots on our feet, we set off after breakfast for our first rainforest hike. We visited Amazon Natural Park, the private nature preserve of hilly, riverside forest. Our guides showed us rainforest plants and insects, and we bounced across a canopy bridge. After the hike, we stopped to look at the handicrafts that local artisans had on display and did some shopping. In the afternoon, our guests went kayaking on Nauta Cano. Later, we explored further up this narrow black water creek in our skiffs. We observed large troops of squirrel monkeys around every river bend it seemed, and we heard and saw at least seven different troops. Our guides found a caiman lizard, several species of woodpeckers, another amazingly well-camouflaged and soundly sleeping potoo, and at least a dozen other bird species. We returned to Delfin II as the last rays of the sun lit the enormous gray clouds with a white and orange glow. At the river’s mouth, Delfin II was lit up, too, and waiting for us.
