By our second morning in the Amazon we have been perfecting our spotting skills. Not long down the trail this morning, guest Scott R. took expedition leader Sue up on the challenge to spot some wildlife before the guides by pointing out a dusky titi monkey high in thick vegetation. We got a quick look at this beautiful with a reddish faced monkey before it moved into hiding.
It is still a challenge to describe where something we are looking at is located especially in a way that helps others see it. It is “in the tree with the big green leaves” describes them all. “The little tree to the left of the big tree” is somewhat better as long as they are looking at the same big tree… And then there are all the leaves to conceal things or maybe take on the shape of a monkey or a sloth. But regardless, we had an excellent hike today with interesting stories from our naturalists about life in the Amazon and fascinating details about the plants we were saw.
The special feature of the morning hike was a series of seven suspension bridges through the mid-canopy level of the forest. From there we had a bird’s-eye view of the forest. Looking down at some trees and up at others gave us a perspective not possible from the ground.
After lunch we went kayaking and skiff riding on Nauta Caño. This narrow creek provided welcome shade on this hot sunny day and excellent wildlife watching. It was the afternoon of the great egret. In one inlet that was quickly drying up, there were probably 500 of the tall white birds standing crowded in the shallow water and on the edge of the banks. They were our constant companions for the rest of the excursion too, lining all the banks. At a glance the distant ground was just a sea of white. A more unique bird we saw was the laughing falcon. It looked like the hawk version of Zorro, no sword but with a perfect black mask on a white face. On our way back down the creek we saw capybara tracks in the mud and a quick glimpse of one grazing the shoreline grasses. But the world’s largest rodent (140 lbs) did not want to see us, so off it went.
After dinner, the adventurous went out for a night hike. Flashlights in hand we scanned the trees and leaves for anything else that was out in the night with us. Interesting finds included a sleeping hummingbird, a mouse opposum, many insects, and a frog smaller than a house fly! The forest certainly looks different when you can only see as far as your flashlight beam. It sounds different too! Before leaving the forest for the comfort of the ship, we shut off our lights to enjoy the jungle symphony. The waxing moon lit up the scattered clouds and river on our way “home.”
