Sleeping with the Bats and Walking High Above the Trees

Traveling by boat, we arrived at Explornapo Lodge for the next part of our Amazonian adventure.

Welcome to my home away from home for 2 nights. The mosquito netting came in handy since there aren't any screens on the windows and bats roost on the ceiling. You quickly learn to adapt to primitive bathrooms and cold water showers. The people who work here are great! They help us with everything and provide us with yummy meals. Rice, beans, fish and fresh mango are available every day. I had  no idea how delicious fresh mango and bananas could be until I came here.

This Pale-winged Trumpeter greets the newcomers to the island. It is always found foraging quietly  or visiting those who find their way into the hammocks.

This cute capybara, one of the largest rodents in the world, finds his way near the lodge daily as well.

A troop of Squirrel Monkeys come early in the morning to devour the hanging bananas.

This Yellow-tufted Woodpecker is the first woodpecker of the trip so far. Check out the eyes!

I couldn't capture the belly but it is red. Quite a stunning bird.

 These two different species of parrots arrived together and spent the rainy afternoon together. I watched them call to each other and look at one another throughout their time at the lodge. Once one left, the other soon followed.

 Explorama helped establish this canopy walk years ago. It is one of the first built in South America. The main purpose is for researchers and students to learn about life in the canopy. Visitors through this conservation group are able to traverse these walkways reaching over 100 feet above the forest floor. Imagine seeing only trees for as far as your eyes can see...

Like the Inca Tern, this is one of the birds I had hoped to see while I was here in Peru. Ari, our guide, has been working hard to help me find one of the Trogons. This day was the day! A beautiful Violaceous Trogon showed up as we were packing up to leave this special place in the jungle.

 The dining hall is full of wooden signs like the ones above that groups have created while staying at this incredibly special place! I wish we had another day or two here despite the cold showers!

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Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Happy Easter from the Jungle

We arrived in Iquitos on Good Friday. As we drove through the town, we saw lots of people traveling about in these motocarros and others celebrating this special day in a religious procession to the nearby church. Iquitos is the launch pad for entering the Amazon River basin.

No more trains and buses. As long as we are here in the jungle, we will either travel in this boat or smaller boats for day expeditions. Off we go to the first destination.

 

 

It takes about 2 hours in the fast boat to reach the first Explorama Lodge. Everybody on the boat was beaming! We were finally on our way to the jungle!

 It is impossible to share all the sights and sounds on this blog but I will let you know about some of the fantastic sightings I have experienced. This was the first bird in the rain forest that captured my eye. Again, it took me over an hour 2 days in a row before it came out and posed for a moment. It is called a Yellow-rumped Cacique. Fortunately for me, we have a fantastic guide and I brought a Peruvian guide book.

 

 

These Scarlet Macaws were difficult to find for a photograph until one of the staff brought out a couple of bananas. Yeah!

 

   Saddle-back Tamarinds love bananas as well. A troop of these cute little tree climbers came for a snack late in the day.

 

Imagine trying to find this tiny frog in the rain forest. Somehow, our guide found one. Hope it is the first of many...

 

Somehow, I found this Long-nosed bat.

 

Paddling at night is an experience! One of the surprises was a Caiman. One of our guides quietly slipped up on this unsuspecting sharp-toothed critter. After getting a spectacular look, it was returned to the river.

 

Besides the Caiman, we found a couple of these tiny sleeping Pygmy Kingfishers. Beautiful!

 

Although change has come to the rainforest, the villagers are trying to maintain their culture. These members of the Yagua tribe performed a traditional dance and demonstrated how to use a blow gun followed by a chance to try it ourselves. Not sure where my dart ended up but it wasn't on the statue where it was supposed to go...

 The Roadside Hawk is a familiar sight along the river as well but it sure needs a different name! No roads around here. Riverside Hawk would be a perfect name.

At first glance, I thought this was a huge hummingbird because of that long, skinny bill but it is a White-chinned Jacamar.

 Wattled Jicanas walk across the vegetation on top of the river without any trouble.

The coloring of this White-headed Marsh Tyrant reminded me of the White-headed Woodpecker in our mountains.

 

 

Another exciting sight along the river are the sloths. They look like a large nest from the boat but as you get closer you can see that it is actually a sloth. Incredibly cute!

 Explorama Lodge was a fabulous place to explore. Next stop, Explornapo Lodge.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

 

 

Bienvenidos a Peru

The day has finally arrived! I am in Peru for 2 weeks! Wow! This is a huge adventure for me. In preparation for this first trip to South America, I purchased a couple of heavy bird books to bring on the trip. Despite the added weight, I knew I would need them plus ebird to try to identify species of birds that I have never seen in my life! There are a handful of birds I know I hope to see on this trip - Inca Terns, Paradise Tanager, Toucans, Trogons, Hummingbirds, etc...

Hotel Castellana has been our home for 2 nights. It is an affordable, extremely quaint hotel. Highly recommend it if you find yourself in Lima, Peru!

I got my souvenir shopping done at the really colorful Inca Market. Be forewarned, it is full of great items for sale!

Shopping was great but I came to see new birds. While eating lunch at a restaurant overlooking this park, I noticed that birds were busily flying back and forth between the trees. Time to start birding!

I don't know the name of this tree but it reminded me of the Bottlebrush flower I have seen in the south. After checking out the park, I parked myself at this one tree for over an hour trying to get photos of 2 birds.

This Amazalia Hummingbird is like all dominant hummers. He spent 90% of his time chasing off the other hummers. Look at that red beak and rufous belly. His tail is rufous as well.

The Bananaquit, another nectarivorous bird, was chased off by the hummer as well.

Luckily, I got the photos just before a flock of these Red-masked Parakeets landed in a tree on the other side of the park. I dashed over to get a photo before they flew off. Yeah!

Santa Rosa Nautica is an absolutely beautiful restaurant located in Lima. It jets out in the Pacific Ocean. Surfers are trying to catch waves; brave people are flying overhead in wind kites; colorful crabs are crawling all over the rocks.....

...and the Inca Terns are hanging out!!!!! Wow! If you remember, that was one of the birds on my list that I wanted to see when I arrived!!!

No more wining, dining or shopping...birding will continue tomorrow in the Amazon.

Buenos Noches!

Happy Birding!

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.