Our last full day of our expedition started a lot more casually for most of us, with no early morning skiff ride, and breakfast at the usual time of 7:30 a.m. There was, however, the possibility of a morning kayaking session, which some guests took advantage of doing before returning to join us for breakfast! The rest of us had a leisurely morning, followed by an 8:30 a.m. departure to explore the Iricahua Cano. We traveled along the Ucayali River for a short way, and then turned into a very narrow channel that eventually led us into the more open back-water area of the Iricahua Cano.
This was another great adventure, with very cooperative weather, and lots of wonderful things to see, and hear about. We were lucky enough to see a number of beautiful and colorful birds as we explored this narrow waterway. There were scarlet macaws, blue-and-yellow macaws, and black-tailed trogons as well as a variety of other parrots, tanagers, and the prehistoric-looking hoatzin!
Finally, it was time to return to the Delfin II, and unfortunately get the disembarkation briefing from our expedition leader, Lucho. Another great lunch was awaiting us after the briefing, another chance for a post-lunch siesta, and to start preparing for the afternoon outing!
At 3:30 p.m. we again embarked the skiffs and headed across the river to a different back-water area. The sun was shining brightly, and there was plenty of light for the photographers in the crowd, a real bonus for our last evening on the Amazon. This particular spot had a whole different feeling to it, with a vast area of dead-standing trees surrounded by water, and alive with a diverse array of birdlife. There was everything from egrets to terns to vultures to several species of parrots. The highlight for me was finding ringed kingfisher that actually remained on a branch over the river until we were a few yards away from it. That had not happened for me in the three weeks that I had spent on the Delfin II, but I had kept hoping there would be an opportunity for photographing these beautiful birds! It was a wonderful way to spend our last evening on the Peruvian Amazon!
