Today was the first day of our Upper Amazon expedition, and we were out at dawn to take full advantage of the day. There was no shortage of birds, monkeys, sloths, and smaller “creepy crawlies” during our explorations. Expedition leader Jeff Philippe gave a talk about the geology of the Amazon Basin, and photo leader Michael Nolan inspired our photographers on board with a digital photography talk. After we set-up our cameras for shooting in challenging lighting conditions, we headed out to practice our new skills during an evening skiff ride on the Yanayacu River. Our first day was so full of discovery, that it felt like many days had gone by. We hope that the rest of the week proves as prolific with wildlife.
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.
