Supay & Flor de Castaña, Rio Ucayali
There are times during the voyage when we consider and seek to define just where it is that we are travelling. There are questions about whether we are “on the Amazon.” Since the Rio Amazonas begins at the confluence of the Rio Ucayali and Rio Marañon (where we will be tomorrow), the majority of this voyage is perhaps not “on the Amazon.” But there can be no question that we are “in the Amazon,” surrounded by jungle and the wildlife that inhabits it.
This was clearly demonstrated today when perhaps the wildlife highlight of the day was sighted from the comfort of the Delfin II. It was not necessary to board a skiff or hike to see the southern tamandua (a type of anteater) that was foraging in the riverside vegetation next to where the vessel was moored. In addition, during breakfast a small bird was found taking refuge on board. Why it was here we are not really sure – it may have been disoriented by the lights of the ship at night. Whatever the reason, this was a rare and welcome chance to have a close up look at an undulated tinamou, a quail-like bird of the forest floor that is far more often heard than seen.
To add to the wildlife visible from the ship, and despite the tropical rain that fell for most of the day, we continued with our busy programme of skiff outings, kayaking and swimming. A return to the area of Flor de Castaña this afternoon allowed us to explore some more distant black water lakes and a beautiful flooded forest.
During our return skiff ride we passed several successful fishermen and soon found out why. The stream that we were in was full of small fish that leapt from the water as our skiff passed by. The leaps were not exactly directional and fish started falling into the skiff. There was much hilarity as we alternately dodged flying fish and then scrambled to collect them to provide breakfast for the crew tomorrow – which will sadly be the last day of this Amazon expedition.
