Rio Dorado and Atun Poza
Here in the Amazon, we model our day’s activities after the activity of the animals. The middle of the day is hot and humid, a great time for enjoying the comforts of the Delfin II. We eat wonderful food, have presentations, and nap. It is the early morning and late afternoon hours when the animals are active, and this is when we choose to go out. Today, was no exception, as we had two early excursions and two late excursions.
At sunrise, many of us boarded our kayaks for a paddle up the Dorado River. With patchy fog, the incredible sounds of the forest awakening were amplified. With no current and many overhanging trees, this was a perfect place to gently paddle and get close views of many birds and even monkeys.
After breakfast, we returned to the Dorado, this time in the skiffs. We went farther up, and were rewarded with many different monkey sightings, including squirrel, howler, and capuchin. Near the end of the stream, huge numbers of fish were becoming trapped, thus becoming an easy meal for many different birds including egrets, storks, and kingfishers. Also, a few caiman were spotted. Quite unusual to see here in the daytime, they were taking advantage of the abundance of food.
In the late afternoon we enjoyed a short walk to a massive Ceiba tree. This giant of the forest towered high above all the other trees. With wide buttress roots and a very distinct high water line, it surely was a sight to see. We returned to this area at night, to walk amongst the forest with the nocturnal creatures. Crickets, katydids, spiders, a scorpion, fireflies, and beetles were enjoyed. As we headed back to the skiff, a Amazonian Bamboo Rat started calling, followed by a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. As we descended the riverbank, pink river dolphins could be heard blowing. The Southern Cross guided us back to the Delfin II, where another glorious meal awaited us.
