Zapote River & Supay
The Amazon is filled with signature species. The roar of the howler monkey. The constant chatter of parrots. The towering strangler fig. The massive beak of the toucan. The slithering snake, possibly an anaconda. The charismatic sloth. The beauty of the giant floating lily pads. Pink, yes PINK, dolphins. There are also many other lesser known things. Our day today, like much of this trip, was filled with the “famous” as well as the many other incredible discoveries in this place of the highest diversity, the Amazon.
Starting early today, we were welcomed to the Zapote River by both species of dolphin below and flocks of chattering parrots above. A sloth was soon spotted, as well as the chirping of some squirrel monkeys. Then, what is that peeking out of a hole? A Yellow-crowned Brush-tailed Rat. Maybe not going to make it to the cover of the brochure, but pretty cute! Soon, a crimson monkey brush flower and the ever-present water hyacinths. A few bats are found, and more squirrel monkeys. Then a big, black fuzzy thing—a monk saki! Certainly a strange one, not sure if that face could go on the cover either, but a pretty incredible sight.
In the afternoon, we went in the skiffs to explore the large flooded area known as Supay. We revisited many of our old friends, and found new ones as well. A Black-collared Hawk screeched at us from a nearby perch, while flycatchers were quite active. One bush held quite a few new species including spinetails, woodcreepers, and a wren. A little blast of color up high included a brilliant blue cotinga and some tanagers known locally as “Seven Colors.” But the giant lily pads were our main goal. We reached an area with hundreds of these huge floating leaves, and were lucky to find many in flower. We sat for quite a while with perfect light, enjoying the photo opportunities. While a huge flock of parakeets circled around us, we listened to the distant calls of howler monkeys.
Famous and not-so-famous, we enjoyed all our discoveries today.
