Cedro Caño, Flor de Castaña, and Supay Caño
An early pre-breakfast outing along the small but beautiful calmed waters of a black water tributary gave us some wonderful rewards. Along this creek, locally known as “Cedro Caño,” our guests had two options to choose from—kayaking or a skiff ride.
Kayakers were marveled by the quietness, solitude, and silence of the area and by the mirror-like high reflections of the black waters’ surroundings. Those guests who opted for exploring the creek by skiff had many highlights as well. Masked Crimson Tanagers and many other bird species were seen as well as some few furtive Squirrel monkey troops. Birds are usually spotted in the highest top of flooded forests, therefore the usage of binoculars is a must.
After breakfast we went to ¬“Flor de Castaña” community. This town has a privileged location, it is one of the few ones along the riverbanks that are not flooded at this time of the year. We certainly had a great time for we observed how the locals live, visited a few houses, and shared a smile with the many kids of this human settlement. On our way back I had the joy to talk about one of my favorite subjects, photography. I had a talk on being creative using any kind of camera, taking advantage of the many buttons, settings, and dials. I gave some tips for better photography as well. Many guests mentioned to me how useful and enlightening this talk was for them, for from here on they have lost that common fear of pushing the wrong button.
In the afternoon we visited the third location of the day, Supay Caño. At the beginning the sun was shining with its full splendor but little by little as the day progresses it became cooler. Besides the many spectacular bird species and the astonishing landscapes, the most spectacular sighting was the unusual chance to see the smallest monkey species of the world. We saw the Pygmy Marmosets (Cebuella pygmaea).
Once back aboard, refreshed with a shower and with a drink in hand, we had an informal but very informative presentation on the background and lives of our Peruvian naturalists. Many of our guests praised their expertise—it is a true delight for they marveled to know how they became naturalists and how they have achieved such strong passion and love for what they do.
