This morning we braved the low clouds and gray skies and headed out into the heart of the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. The light drizzle was short lived and soon we were viewing new species of birds on our trip, including huge wood and jabiru storks. These great birds were not the only new species for us—we added to our mammal list as well with the sighting of four red-howler monkeys languidly feeding on leaves.
In a patch of shade our three skiffs all came together and the jungle café was opened. Our galley had packed all the accoutrements for a picnic style breakfast and we munched on muffins as kingfishers flew by and undulated tinamous called from the deeper forest.
A swim was in order afterwards and many of us plunged into the black water lake. The snorting of pink river dolphins was a background to the laughter and chatter of the swimmers.
We rode skiffs up the Rio Dorado for the late afternoon outing. Sightings included anhinga, many sightings of sloths, an incredibly cooperative squirrel monkey gleaning insects in the reeds, and a capped heron glowing yellow with the setting sun. Our highlight for the evening was a female sloth with her baby clinging tightly to her belly.
