We set out again for an early morning skiff ride in Pahwachiro Creek, a smaller channel off the Marañon River. It was a cloudy and moody morning, but we were greeted with scarlet macaws overhead. Deeper into the creek, we came upon hundreds of great egrets perched in the trees and along the riverbanks. We could also see the fish they were there to catch! As we slowly motored by, the egrets took flight all around us, and it was a truly magical moment. After another delightful breakfast on board, we set out in an area called Casual for our first exploration of the Amazon Rainforest by foot. Local scouts helped us find all kinds of cool creatures along the way, including a poison dart frog, a gecko, a red boa constrictor, a tarantula, and a green anaconda. This community makes beautiful wood carvings, and many of us decided to take one home. Back on board the Delfin II, we had a fascinating talk on medicinal plants by naturalist Jairo Flores. After lunch, small groups went kayaking in Nauta Creek, and then we all explored the area by skiff in the late afternoon. We were excited to see more squirrel monkeys, long-nosed bats, horned screamers, and even an Isabel’s saki monkey settling in for the night. There’s always something new to find in this amazing ecosystem!
7/25/2024
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Delfin II
Ucayali and Dorado Rivers
Today we had the great opportunity to start exploring the riverbank of the Ucayali River. We loaded the skiffs right after sunrise. As we cruised along the riverbank, different species of birds were seen. A highlight of that early exploration was the sighting of a tayra, a small omnivorous creature in the weasel family, that didn’t stay long in our view. After breakfast, we walked through Yanallpa flooded forest. Here our naturalist explained to us the importance of the floods for the Amazon forest. They also pointed out the effect of climate change over the area and how it has changed the use of the soils after the floods. It was a morning of learning about how the forest has manage to adapt to the seasonal floods and how fish and other animals depends on those events. Our late afternoon activities were held on Dorado River. Our naturalists brought out spotlights after sunset. Black caimans and spectacled caimans were the major attraction for our guests. Other night dwellers were also spotted by our naturalists, such as fishing bats, boat-billed night herons, night jars, and many other animals were seen by our guests. It was another awesome day exploring the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.