Editor’s note: This is second in a series of columns describing the Durrants’ birdwatching trip to Peru. Part 3 will describe days 7 through 10 of the trip, including adventures on the Maranon River and its tributaries.
On the next stage of our trip, we would be exploring three rivers, the Amazon, the Ucayali, the Maranon, and their tributaries. We had learned that the Amazon basin contributes approximately 20% of the world’s fresh water and discharges enough water into the sea each day to provide fresh water to New York City for more than nine years!
A sloth. (Photos by David Durrant)
Day 4: Tahuayo River and river island Lucero Pata
With a 6 a.m. breakfast and 7 a.m. departure on the skiffs, we were up early to experience our first glorious sunrise on the Amazon, a great start to the day. We were traveling in the season where we could expect the river to be 20 to 30 feet above its normal level. This would allow us to take small skiffs up smaller tributaries and into the forest that would normally be inaccessible. To the surprise of our guides, the Amazon was not yet in full flood. It was about 10 to 15 feet lower than its usual 30 feet at this time of year. The rain in the Andes, which feeds the rivers, had come late.
On the skiffs, we explored the smaller streams and flooded forest and found the uncommon gray-chested greenlet, which sings at the crack of dawn. With flocks of noisy parakeets and parrots flying back and forth and the occasional fly-by of pairs of macaws, this was indeed a great welcome. In the flooded forest vegetation, we found dacnises, schiffornises, and antbirds.
In the afternoon we loaded onto the skiffs and headed to an ecosystem with an annual cycle of flooding and drought, called the floodable plains of the Amazon. Here, the annual grasses are home for the rare yellow-chinned spinetail, which one of the naturalists spotted, as well as an azure gallinule, which is a local migrant that follows the water level, moving downstream during low-water months. We were extremely fortunate to have two professional bird guides on the skiff. In addition to our guides, we had an excellent naturalist, as well as the boatman, both of whom grew up on the river. They were able to identify, on the run, a host of birds and animals that we probably would have just drifted by without seeing in the sometimes dense forest. We saw three species of kingfishers: the ringed kingfisher, Amazon kingfisher, and green kingfisher.
It’s impossible to list all the species we saw that day, but it was well over 100.
Day 5: Yarapa River, Ucayali River, Lago Clavero Bagazan Oxbow
On this day we saw the incredibly beautiful capped heron feeding along the river bank; large-billed terns resting on trees floating in the river; and other riverine species. We saw antbirds, antwrens, and antshrikes, and a straight-billed woodcreeper, whose bill was almost as long as its body.
The boatman spotted a brown-throated, three-toed sloth about 30 feet up in a tree on the bank. We drifted closer, and as we slowly approached, the sloth began its weekly descent to go defecate. We made a great video of this prehistoric looking animal, knowing that Zoe, our 7-year-old granddaughter, is fascinated by these adorable animals.
A horned screamer.
Further on we saw a whole troop of common squirrel monkeys parading through the trees. Some had young clinging to them, somehow holding on during death-defying leaps from branch to branch. The boatman spotted another mammal, the spiny rat, poking its head out of a nest hole in a tree as we were passing by. Later we spotted one more unusual species of monkey, the Equatorial saki.
Later we boated to the Bagazan Oxbow where two years earlier, David, our lead ornithologist, had seen horned screamers. After some searching, we did indeed find this turkey-sized bird in dense foliage about 10 feet above the flood water. The boatman cut the engine, and we floated there, getting some great views of this strange-looking bird with, as per its name, a 4- to 5-inch horn-like protuberance on its head.
Day 6: Yanallpa and Jura
This day we were lucky to see the secretive sungrebe. This small waterbird usually stays close to the bank in dense foliage that serves to conceal it. Our boatman spotted one and after several minutes of patiently waiting, we saw it emerge from the overhanging foliage a little further downstream.
Probably the most spectacular bird of the day was the capped heron that we spotted on the bank of a secluded stream. This medium-sized heron has a black cap, with long white plumes and a bright blue beak. Its body is pure white with a creamy-colored neck and chest—just gorgeous. We also saw green ibis, cocoi heron, striated heron, lesser yellow-headed vulture, black-collared hawk, and blue-and-yellow macaw, to name a few. Returning to the Zafiro, we spotted a giant river otter swimming along the bank. The guides had never seen one of these endangered mammals so it was a real treat for everyone.
On a night trip on the river, we found a great potoo, a bird that perches on the top of dead snags and looks like a part of the snag—very hard to see. We also saw a common potoo, ladder-tailed nightjar, and a black-crowned night heron. The heron was easily identified by most of us, as we have those around here. It swooped over the river where dozens of what we believed to be fruit bats—with what seemed like 10- to 12-inch wingspans—were gathered.
Drifting on the river, we marveled at the beautiful night sky (no light pollution here) and were pleased to discover that there were no mosquitos to bother us. In fact, on the whole trip, we were bothered by only one mosquito!
David and Pam Durrant live and work at Micheldever Farm on East Bare Hill Road.
