The Upper Amazon received us with rain! This precious gift from the clouds to the forest comes in patches. Even in the rainy season, you can travel for a whole week with no rain at all! We had a patch of rain as we navigated along the Ucayali River yesterday, but it was dry everywhere else. Today was a sunny day from morning to evening, allowing us to enjoy many interesting sightings over the course of the day.
This morning we visited Clavero Lake, which is made up of several tiny creeks that join to form the large freshwater lake named after Manuel Clavero, a Peruvian hero. The lake is home to several fish species that have commercial value. We found many birds that feed on the fish. The most common are herons, egrets, and large flocks of cormorants. We saw them all this morning. Clavero is also the name of the settlement where groups of fishermen are often seen carrying out their duties in the morning.
In the afternoon, we explored the surrounding forest, including Genaro Herrera, a village along the banks of the Ucayali River. This area is home to many species of raptors, such as the yellow-headed caracara and the black-collared hawk. Squirrel monkeys jumped in the trees as they gathered food for their final meal of the day. The river also had some surprises for us today. As we explored, we spotted our first freshwater dolphins!
This region hosts a number of interesting birds from other parts of the continent. Some come from North America, such as sandpipers and plovers. Others come from the highlands of South America, including southern lapwings, black-necked stilts, meadowlarks, and plovers.
Today was another great day in the rainforest!
