This morning we setup very early to explore some of the many tributaries of the Amazon River. Rain is always expected in the rainforest, and after all, all this water must come from somewhere! But in fact, throughout the whole day, the weather was quite fantastic! Both our morning and afternoon skiff rides were blessed by perfect weather, and we had lots of excellent sightings. We come here to look for the wildlife, but often forget that the wildlife is also looking at us. High up in the dense vegetation, there are lots of eyes watching at our every move. Today we had great views of some of these eyes peeking at us, including a three-toed sloth, chestnut-eared toucans, and night-monkeys with their huge eyes. All three animals we caught infraganti, red-handed, as they also looked back at us with curiosity.
7/18/2024
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Delfin II
Ucayali River and Dorado River
Today we had the opportunity to explore the riverbank of the Ucayali River. The exploration was done early, before breakfast. Different species of birds were sighted. It was a great morning for observing the behaviors of the early birds. After breakfast we hiked through the Illanalpa flooded forest. Here we learned about the strategies that animal and plants must have in order to survive the floods. We encountered troops of common squirrel monkeys and saddle back tamarins. Interesting insects were also seen through the leave litters. Back on board we repositioned Delfin II for our late afternoon exploration of Dorado River. We went to explore just before sunset. A family of Isabel’s saki monkey were seen way up in the canopy. A small troop of brown capuchins together with the common squirrel monkeys were moving alongside the riverbank, having their meals before gathering for the night. As the sun began to set, we started to look for caimans. We learned the difference between the black caimans and the spectacle caimans. The highlight was a small family of capybaras walking along the riverbank, not caring at all about our presence. It was the best ending for our explorations today.