While the diversity of birds we found today in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve numbered nearly 50, they were not the only highlight. We covered the reptiles with our spotting of a rosy-tailed boa wrapped up high on a tree limb. Mammal sightings were incredibly diverse, from pink and gray river dolphins to squirrel and red-bellied titi monkeys, a couple of brown-throated three-toed sloths, and a line of seven long-nosed bats doing their best impression of tree bark. Whew! A lovely, exhausting day of sightings as we explore the Upper Peruvian Amazon.
5/24/2025
Read
Delfin II
Yarapa River, Amazonas Village, Peru
Leaving Delfin II at 06:00 for our morning skiff ride, we explored the Yarapa River and monkeys were everywhere! We saw common wooly monkeys, monk saki monkeys, and common squirrel monkeys. We weren’t monkeying around! In addition to the monkeys there were woodpeckers galore! We photographed crimson-crested, yellow-tufted, and cream-colored woodpeckers as they were busily hammering away at trees and termite nests. Our afternoon was spent at Amazonas Village getting an introduction to life along the river. We enjoyed demonstrations of food preparation, basketmaking with palm fibers, and hand-dying with local plants to give the baskets vibrant colors. We also had an introduction to Minga Peru, a group serving 40 different communities in this area. Our evening was topped off with a toast to the beginning of the actual Amazon River, where the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers converge. Salud!
