This morning we were up early once again and out in the skiffs for an exploration of the waterways that flow through this life-rich basin. While at home, you may be familiar with the morning rush hour traffic sounds around you. There is somewhat of an equivalent here. There are whistles, beeps, sirens, squawks, and honks but these are not of motorcars. This cacophony is produced by exotic sounding creatures such as horned screamers, black-fronted nun birds, black-capped donacobius, and blue-and-yellow macaws. These are some of the more than two dozen bird species identified during our morning outing, along with male and female three-toed sloth, saddleback tamarin, and brown capuchin monkeys. The morning sound of the tropical rain forest in the Peruvian Amazon is not “noise,” it is a symphony of life, and it is a privilege to be in the audience for this daily performance.
5/29/2025
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Delfin II
Belluda Creek and Dorado River, Peru
Tamandua! The cry went out from our naturalist Jorge early this morning on our skiff ride on Belluda Creek. We craned our necks and adjusted our viewpoints to see this arboreal anteater as it quietly went about the business of gathering its breakfast. Finally, it stepped into a clearing on a branch right over our heads! He seemed to be posing for our cameras, so we quickly took many images for posterity. Tamandua paparazzi! After being delayed for a short time due to a torrential downpour, we set out in our skiffs once again to explore the Dorado River — this time into the darkness of night! Our intended quarries were the wily caimans on the river; their positions in the complete darkness were revealed by the shining of their eyes under our strong spotlights. These youngsters allowed us to get right next to them as they floated on vegetation, just waiting to strike at a fish or other prey!