With a rather misty yet beautiful and calm morning we started our expedition today. We went by skiffs looking for wildlife for approximately two and the half hours following first the river edges of the Ucayali River and then the entrance of one the many tributaries in the area, Belluda Caño.
Wildlife, especially bird life, is very active in the early hours of the day. We were very lucky for we saw several red-bellied macaws (orthopsittaca manilata) and chesnut-fronted macaws (ara severus) perching on top of high dead palm trees. Macaws use the hollow palm trees as roosting and nesting homes. Later on we spotted other bird species as well that included beautifully colored ones like flycatchers, cardinals, martins, swallows, hawks, cormorants, and kingfishers.
One of the main attractions of the morning was the sighting of night monkeys (aotus vociferans). This not-well-known monkey species is the only nocturnal one of the New World Primates. Their huge eyes showed their adaptation to their nocturnal habits.
After breakfast I talked about one of my favorite subjects, the primates of the reserve. I added several anecdotes I have compiled in the many years that I have been already in the rain forests of Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru.
In the afternoon after traveling the Ucayali River for several hours, we explored the Dorado River and its surroundings for about three hours. During this skiff expedition we had many sightings that included several three-toed sloths (bradypus variegatus) hanging on trees and spectacled caimans (cayman cocodrilus). On the way back to the ship as the night was falling on the rain forest and aided with powerful spotlights, we not only experienced how it is to be out at night in the forest but spotted several animals as well. We saw some caimans and a few nocturnal birds including the common pauraque (nyctidromus albicollis).
Once aboard and after a well-deserved shower, we joined cocktail hour and had a delicious Amazon Peruvian themed dinner.
