Our expedition continued today with an early skiff ride exploration of a seasonal oxbow lake known as Atun Poza. Just at the entrance of this location we saw many birds feeding on the marshes and grasses seeds. Oriole blackbirds, white-headed marsh tyrants, dusky-headed parakeets, black velvet grackles were seen everywhere having a plentiful first meal of the day. In addition we saw many other bigger species like black-collared hawks, kingfishers, herons, etc.
Later on, around 8:00 a.m., we had our breakfast outdoors onboard the skiffs! Just like the hundreds of birds we saw earlier, we had our first meal of the day but served in the most fashionable way, white gloves ornamenting our Delfin II naturalists´ and bartender’s hands, fabric napkins in our laps and even handicraft dolls holding the napkins were included. As a background we had the green surroundings and a concert of tropical sounds as companions all while being covered by the rainforest.
After having breakfast we continued exploring the area. It was a successful late morning in terms of wildlife sightings. We spotted a big male red howler monkey resting peacefully on a branch of a tree. This monkey species is one of largest monkey species in South America and one of the most famous and attractive, for they have one of the most impressive vocalizations in the Neotropical rainforests. It was relatively close to their observers. Those guests with longer telephoto lenses had very good photographs of this monkey that is usually found in the high canopy. Through binoculars all of us had an excellent sighting of the facial features of the monkey and were marveled by the bright and unusual reddish coloration in this monkey species.
At around lunch time we arrived to the farthest destination we will visit this week, the Pacaya River. At around 3:00 in the afternoon we started to travel with our skiffs upstream on the Pacaya River. Our goal was to go as far as we could in this remote river. The fun was not over yet, for as soon as the skiffs arrived to a large black water ox bow lake called Yanayacu Lake we went swimming in this remote location! Many adventurous swimmers went in the water for a refreshing dip! Floating noodles, towels, a ladder to come back to the Zodiac, a lot of enthusiasm and a cooler with cold beers and sodas were included! Several pink river dolphins were seen and heard at a relatively close range from the swimmers as well.
After swimming we continued exploring the area. It was a successful afternoon in terms of wildlife sightings. We spotted for the second time in the day red howler monkeys. This time it was not a single individual like in the morning, but a couple of troops. Atun Poza Lake, the Pacaya River and Yanayacu Lake were at their best today bringing a lot of joy to our lives by allowing us to see the striking landscapes and fantastic animals.
On our way back we had a brief tropical shower that not only cooled down the environment but gave us a stunning rainbow. Reluctantly, we came back onboard with the last fiery rays of the most spectacular sunset we have had during this week. What a day!
