Atun Poza
Our last full day exploring the Peruvian Amazon combined features both familiar and new. In the time we have spent in the skiffs and walking in the forest, we have begun to tune in to the sights and sounds of the river and the jungle. Our naturalist guides and staff on board the Delfin II have educated us and opened our senses to their world.
This morning we walked through the village of Atun Poza and into the forest to a huge Ceiba tree (also known as kapok). On occasions, the jungle can be a difficult place to watch birds. The air can be full of birdsong, but the vocalists can be shy and hide in the scrub and the canopy, evading our best efforts to find them. Today we were fortunate and the forest proved to be an excellent place for birding, with great looks at some colourful species such as black-tailed trogons and scarlet-headed barbets. A ferruginous pygmy-owl waited patiently and posed beautifully while we all located it in the undergrowth, and the hardcore birders were very satisfied with the find of a pair of Zimmer's woodcreepers, a little known species.
The afternoon continued with two very different excursions. For some the chance to experience an Amazonian wellness treatment, with an all-over application of a special mud, found only in a few locations along the river and believed by the riberenos to have healing properties. For the rest a skiff ride re-visited a small creek we had previously explored two days ago. But as is so often the case when searching for wildlife, while the location was the same the cast of characters had changed. Among the highlights were a small group of saddleback tamarins, a very attractive small monkey.
Returning to the vessel that has been our home for the past week, we had the chance to reflect on our experiences by sharing our photographs with fellow travellers. Comparing images, it became apparent that while we had been in the same location and seen the same things, we have all seen these things through a different lens and had very personal experiences. Tomorrow we will make the transition from our week with the riberenos back to the land. We will take our experiences with us and thus the river, its people and its wildlife will have become part of us.
