It’s so nice to get up with the birds. The temperatures are cooler, the sun is low, and the water in the black lakes is still and covered with mirror-like reflections. Chatter, songs, and territorial calls from dozens and dozens of bird species fill the morning air. Today we had three outings, all of them productive and all of them different. From the trio of black-capped donacobious this morning…to the small flock of paradise tanagers keeping company with a scarlet-crowned barbet…to the evening sighting of hundreds of sand-colored nighthawks purring in a tree. The effort to get up early and head out is always richly rewarded. Next, day two!
12/17/2022
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Delfin II
Casual and Amazonas
On our last full day exploring the Upper Amazon, the namesake of this area made its presence felt with lots of rain in the rainforest. Sheets of rain fell last night, obliterating the view of the shore across the river less than a mile away. It’s this rain that feeds the tributary rivers and is such a critical part of the rainforest cycle of life. Fortunately, it let up this morning, and we were able to do our walk in the protected forest area of Casual with an occasional drip from above. Our findings included the Goliath tarantula, a rosy-tailed boa, and a couple of poison dart frogs that looked like they were wearing colorful Freddy Mercury tights. The images tell the story of our forest findings and the community that calls this magnificent place home.