Dorado River and Atun Poza
This morning, we had an incredible experience just as the sun was rising and we were beginning our day. Our goal for the morning was to explore the Dorado River by kayak or skiff. With the rapidly falling river levels, the mouth of the Dorado River was a very narrow channel. This channel was lined with egrets, kingfishers, and vultures, all feeding on the fish passing through this channel. We went up this channel, at times so narrow that we could touch mud on either side of our skiffs. A few places, we even dammed up the channel as we got stuck, and thus created our own lock system that lifted us up to continue on. It was incredible to see.
Once we were inside the river, there were many more treats to find. With the dropping water levels, fishing are being concentrated and using up much of the available oxygen. Hundreds of fish were seen at the surface, gulping air. Many were catfish, as well as quite a few of the infamous piranhas. To go along with this, of course, were all the various birds intent on eating these fish. The shore was shoulder to shoulder in places with Great Egrets, with a few Cocoi Herons, Wood Storks, and Jabirus thrown in. Meanwhile, joining in the feast from above were countless kingfishers and hawks.
Add to all this an early morning fog, and it made an incredible start to the day. The sounds were magnified and everything had a bit on eerie feel. As the sun burnt through, the glittering colors of many things were revealed. Brilliant greens of a jacamar, blue and yellow of macaws, and the yellow breast of a trogon. A few troops of squirrel monkeys as well as some iguanas and we had an incredibly rewarding morning.
In the afternoon, many of us went on another incredible adventure, this one a bit different though. Near the small village of Atun Poza is a massive Ceiba tree. The river here is eating away the banks very rapidly, and recently ate away one of our trails. So, many intrepid hikers set off from the village on a very muddy trail. Quite a few of us plunged deep into the mud, soon to be rescued by our helpful staff. All made it to this incredible tree, except for one lone boot that wanted to stay in the mud. The tree was an incredible reward, not only for its height but also its width.
As we made our way back through the village, we bought some nice handicrafts. Another glorious sunset over the rice fields of Atun Poza and we headed back to the Delfin II. As nighthawks and bats were streaming out of the forest, we set sail farther up the Ucayali River for hopefully another incredible day tomorrow.
