Our last full day in the Amazon

 Tuesday, February 17

This morning’s pre-dawn expedition was to travel by canoe across the lake and then hike for a half-hour to a 110-foot high observation tower. The objective was to get above the canopy and look at monkey and bird species “at eye-level”.  Although it was raining lightly as we set out, it subsided by the time we were hiking. Katharine joined the rest of the group at the top of the tower. They saw about 25 species of birds (most of them at spotting-scope distance rather than close) over about a two-hour period. 

Kevin opted to stay on the ground ( a 110 foot tower and his acrophobia was not a good combo) and wander with one of the local guides. The two of them saw three new bird species and a troop of Wooly Monkeys the rest of the group hadn’t seen. Of course, since Kevin stayed on the ground, there are no photos to prove that Katharine saw things! On the way back to the canoe, our local guide explained the medicinal uses of several of the trees and plants along the trail.

This afternoon’s outing was a great reminder of the diversity of nature experiences. It was a spectacularly sunny afternoon, but the birds and animals seemed to think that was a reason to stay home; some, however,  opted for sun bathing. We canoed very slowly along the main creek and saw the usual species but not much that was new. On our way back, two tiny and beautiful birds (new species) came into view. And while our afternoon was sunny, as we entered the lake on the return trip there was a rainbow behind us. 

A word about Hoatzin. These are very odd birds, very ancient as a species and with no living relatives. They look slightly like chickens with long necks, tiny heads and ragged crests. They are really not very lovely, but they are certainly curious. We had tried to see them in the Peruvian Amazon in an earlier trip, to no avail. Here they are everywhere. They are referred to as “stinky turkeys” and they have no predators. Their diet consists of leaves and they digest their food by way of bacteria (rather than the multi-chamber system of more modern species). The bacteria give their flesh a nasty flavor.

Tomorrow we head back to Coco and then Quito, to join the Galapagos portion of the trip on Thursday. 

Pictured: Hoatzin, Dot-backed Antbird, Wire-tailed Manakin, Woolly monkey, Greater Ani sunning itself