We went into the deepest, most remote parts of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve today. It was a day full of adventure that started with a 5:30 am wakeup call and ended with an amazing list of observations and experiences. We sighted the second southern tamandua of the trip, a hoatzin on a nest with a chick, and a plethora of tree frogs in the aquatic vegetation. With the cooler temperatures and cloud cover of the morning, the red howler monkeys were easier to find as they warmed themselves in the sun. This presented an incredible opportunity to view several troops of the tree dwellers. After a lunch in the “jungle café,” we went for the “piranha plunge” to cool off. We returned to the comfort of the Delfin II to share our sightings and review and share our new images.
7/18/2024
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Delfin II
Ucayali River and Dorado River
Today we had the opportunity to explore the riverbank of the Ucayali River. The exploration was done early, before breakfast. Different species of birds were sighted. It was a great morning for observing the behaviors of the early birds. After breakfast we hiked through the Illanalpa flooded forest. Here we learned about the strategies that animal and plants must have in order to survive the floods. We encountered troops of common squirrel monkeys and saddle back tamarins. Interesting insects were also seen through the leave litters. Back on board we repositioned Delfin II for our late afternoon exploration of Dorado River. We went to explore just before sunset. A family of Isabel’s saki monkey were seen way up in the canopy. A small troop of brown capuchins together with the common squirrel monkeys were moving alongside the riverbank, having their meals before gathering for the night. As the sun began to set, we started to look for caimans. We learned the difference between the black caimans and the spectacle caimans. The highlight was a small family of capybaras walking along the riverbank, not caring at all about our presence. It was the best ending for our explorations today.
