The oxbow lake known as Clavero Lake showcases the power of the Ucayali River. Slowly eating away the bank on one side and depositing sediments on the opposite shore, the river eventually cuts off a loop meander and creates the oxbow, where we spent our morning doing skiff navigations. With the water rising at this time of year, we were able to navigate the previous river pattern, but at low water season, the lake is a “comma” shape that no longer connects to the main river. Pink river dolphins are fond of fishing where two waterways converge, and they were busy this morning as we entered Clavero Lake. It is blatantly obvious how rare a sighting is by how excited our naturalist gets. The southern tamandua anteater had Ricardo practically dancing in the skiff as he excitedly pointed it out to all guests. Fortunately, the anteater was resting and not roaming in the canopy, which gave all of us an opportunity for observation.
For the afternoon, we continued to add to our list of mammals and birds. A troop of common squirrel monkeys was sandwiched in between a sighting of a three-toed sloth and the smallest monkey in the world, the pygmy marmoset, of which we found two! The screaming turquoise color of the plum-throated cotinga was a fitting find in a full day of successful sightings.
