Going for the early skiff ride this morning paid off very well. We were treated to excellent views of the colorful, three-foot-long, blue-and-yellow macaws. We saw up to six at once sitting in the tops of trees, mutual preening and flying around in pairs. Macaws are the largest of the parrots and mate for life. This morning we saw them in a stand of dead palm trees, an area they will use for nesting.
After breakfast our explorations took us to the bottom of the flood forest. The trail we walked today, through a beautiful, tall forest will have water 10 to 15 feet high in the flood season (January through May). This time of year, however, the river is well within its banks and still dropping in height. As we hike along we could see the high water marks on the trees above our heads. Large buttresses help some of these trees stand for months in wet soil with water surrounding their trunks. Even small trees survive this flooding do to special adaptations to these conditions.
After lunch we went for a walk on “the beach,” otherwise known as a large sandbar on the river’s edge. Around here is also a temporary occurance. Where we walked this afternoon will be the middle of the river in March. It is so fascinating to see this environment that changes so much.
Our final outing of the day was to explore the El Dorado River by skiff. Along the way we saw the prehistoric-looking hoatzin bird with its Mohawk-like headdress. It nests over water, and the young have claws on their wings. This is an adaptation that allows them to jump into the water if a predator comes and then climb back up the tree to the nest.
Tonight we stayed out until after dark to look for caiman. With the help of a spotlight we could see their red eyeshine along the edges of a shallow lake. At one place we could see three at once. We got many good looks at the spectacled caiman, including some very young ones walking on the banks of the river.
Riding in the skiff after dark was a beautiful ending to the day. The once again clear skies provided some lovely stargazing as we made our way back to the ship and our awaiting pisco sours.
