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.
3/8/2025
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Delfin II
Piranha Creek and the Amazon River
This morning, our guests had a truly special experience visiting the Amazonas community, a well organized village where many of the community leaders are women. They warmly welcomed us and shared a glimpse into their daily lives, showing us how they cook traditional dishes, use plant-based dyes to create beautiful handicrafts, and most importantly, their incredible efforts in leadership, sustainable fishing, and agroforestry farming. Their work is a powerful response to soil acidification and climate change, demonstrating resilience and innovation in their way of life. In the afternoon, we navigated toward the great confluence, where the Marañón and Ucayali Rivers merge to form the Amazon River. We explored a narrow creek in search of wildlife, and as our three skiffs returned to the Amazon River, we tied them together and raised a glass, celebrating the end of a fantastic expedition.
