It was an early but exciting morning for all of us, starting with the “macaws challenge”—a skiff ride to a nesting area of the blue & yellow macaw and the red-bellied macaws, both of them gorgeous representatives of this amazing group of birds. Using the knowledge of our experienced Expedition Leader and the group of naturalist of the Delfin II, we went down the river to the macaws “hotspot”. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by at least thirty red-bellied macaws and no less than ten blue & yellow ones, and of course three skiffs full of happy guests.
It was time to go back to our ship and get ready a second outing at the Belluda Caño, which is a creek full of natural wonders and surprises, including hawks, king fishers, and the famous “noisy night-monkeys,” all of which were spotted during this exciting skiff expedition.
As the afternoon was coming to its end, we all prepared for a completely new experience, this time a twilight skiff ride at El Dorado River, with the soft light of dusk that is especially good for photography. Right off the bat, a couple of “Jabiru Storks” appeared, signaling that this was going to be another great adventure. The time passed and it started to get darker and darker, until we were completely covered by the night in the middle of the river, just as we planned. It was time to get the spotlights and look for caimans, and little by little, the eyes of our main targets started to reflect off of the lights, making it easier for us to spot them. Black and spectacled caimans were both spotted, and we were even able to get some photographs of these two species. It was an exciting and also unique experience for everyone!
