We are back in the Upper Amazon to open the 2017 season. The water levels have been rising little by little and right now most rivers are flooding the forest. This time of the year is known as the high water season because the rivers will continue to rise until most of this forest is entirely flooded. It is very interesting to understand that the flood dictates the rules of the game for every living form in this rainforest; and it will be flooded for at least 4 to 6 months of the year. This is the only region where plants can stand up to 6 months submerged!
This morning we were eager to explore the forest and find some of the exotic creatures that live there. We started our day with a skiff ride before breakfast on one of the tributaries of the Marañón River. This little creek is called Pahuachiro. Here we had our first encounters with the rich fauna of the region. Many birds and even monkeys!
Later on after breakfast we disembarked to explore the forest. Here we found ourselves underneath large trees and palms. As we explored we found some little and large creatures. The little ones were the cute, but poisonous, dart frogs and there were also tarantulas that live in burrows on the forest floor. Later on as we explored we found a red tailed boa constrictor! This was a very productive morning, we all loved it.
In the afternoon we joined our photo instructor for a presentation on digital photography. It was helpful to learn, as this is a region with so much wildlife, perfect to photograph. After the talk we were ready for more exploration in this vast greenery home to the most amazing and elusive creatures. This time we explored Yanayacu River (“black water” river in the local language) on board the skiffs and the sightings were immediate. Fish are plentiful in this river therefore egrets, herons and terns are part of the landscape. Along the shore of the river we do have a number of raptors such as the black collared hawk, black hawk and yellow headed caracaras - just to mention a few. At the end of the day we had a fantastic sunset with orange, red, and yellow tones reflected on the river.
