After a typical night with heavy rain, a nice and clear-sky morning was welcome, and necessary, for our first excursion of the day.
The chosen location was a creek known as pahuachiro. This place was perfect for spotting several species of birds and some of the typical mammals found in this part of the world. It was not long after our departure from the ship when we found of the most beautiful birds of the Amazon, the plum-throated cotinga! A particular favorite of mine, the cotinga (Cotinga maynana) is a found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitat is the canopy of the dense forest of the Amazon in those countries, however they are difficult to spot due to their particular habit of perching in high trees. We were lucky to add them to our list of sightings, as well as other species quite particular to the region, such as the brown-mantled tamarin monkey (Saguinus fuscicollis).
Our morning adventure continued well after breakfast, as we headed to visit a location known as Casual trail. Once on the trail, a group of men from the nearby village joined us to search the exotic species hidden in the forest. Being better trained than us, the villagers brought back tarantulas, snakes (both boa constrictor and anacondas), and even poison-dart frogs! It was then the naturalists’ turn to describe the amazing adaptations that each of these species have developed in order to survive in such a harsh environment.
Once everyone was satisfied with their pictures, we returned to the ship for a well-deserved and delicious lunch.
Our early afternoon was a powerful demonstration of the main reason why this ecosystem is so green, and the main reason why is called “the mighty rain forest”! Luckily, the rain stopped during the late afternoon and we had the chance to enjoy a full excursion inside a creek known as Piraña Caño. Although the creek was nice and had plenty of wildlife to be seen, the true highlight of the afternoon was the observation of thousands of white-winged parakeets flying back to their evening resting sites. Truly an amazing experience!
