Yanallpa & the Dorado River
We boarded the skiffs early this morning while the Delfin II was still under way and making her way to this morning’s tree (to tie up), after having navigated the Ucayali all night long.
One group headed to shore for a pre-breakfast hike into the flood forest of the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, while the other group cruised the banks of the river looking for wildlife. Birds are always most active early in the morning, and today was no exception: our by-now-familiar riverside friends such as the beautiful black-collared hawk, roadside (the locals like to say “riverside”) hawk. Great, lesser, social, and dusky-headed flycatchers; white-winged, southern rough-winged, and even a barn swallow…and several branches swaying in the current filled with dozens of sand-colored nighthawks. A variety of parrots squawked overhead as well: white-eyed and canary-winged parakeets, short-tailed parrots, and the hiking group saw blue-and-yellow macaws!
The trees along the banks of the river are also of great interest and are of many different species. One, the “capirona” has a smooth, bare reddish trunk with no vines climbing up – the bark sheds continuously throughout its lifetime. This is a strategy natural selection has favored to avoid being overwhelmed with climbing vines that can sooner or later take over one’s canopy—and the light necessary for photosynthesis. This is also the heavy wood used on board the ship for much of the furniture! The tall ceibas or kapok trees stand high above most others, and some have weaver-bird (oropendula) nests dangling down, Melodic or noisy (interpretations differ among naturalists), oropendulas are some of the most memorable birds we see on a regular basis.
After leaving some time to digest breakfast, we once more split into groups going in different directions.
One group went ashore to look for a family of pygmy marmosets. These tiny primates are tremendously difficult to see in the wild because of their small size and rapid movements (i.e. they disappear in the blink of an eye). However a set of trees has been identified with easy access, and as they tend to stay in their home territories, chances are high we could get a good look at them. The search was successful! In fact several of these miniature monkeys were watched as they licked their “trap-lines,” holes in the bark where tree sap accumulates. As well, Rudy found several of the medicinal plants he was looking for at the same time, in preparation for his talk later.
Others (and as you can see in the photograph so did I) chose to ride over to a sandy beach where the crew had prepared for our arrival with awning, folding chairs, a cooler with juices, beer, and fresh coconuts. An additional item was awaiting as well…a bucket full of fine, dark, Amazonian clay. Mud-treatment time! Followed, of course, by a swim in the Ucayali River by noodle (I love that word). After many laughs and photos, we piled into the skiff that took us out to mid-river where we jumped in, and leisurely cleaned off while drifting with our noodles for over a mile down the Ucayali River. Oops! Almost forgot…we insisted on a drive-by display of our mud-treated bodies to the folks on board before getting into the water. We are now known as the mud-people of the Delfin II.
By 11:00 a.m. the Delfin II was on her way once more, heading to the Dorado River where more exploring was the plan. Rudy gave his presentation on medicinal plants of the region, with much personal experience described as testimony to the effectiveness of these home remedies.
The Dorado River provided us some new sightings, not the least being the local ribereños in full fishing operations. Fish pens made of wild cane were holding thousands of armored catfish, ready for transportation to market. As simple as this phrase sounds to us “to market” means something much more complicated to the people who live here. With no refrigeration available, they must get their fish alive to Iquitos, their market. What that means is waiting for the river to rise enough to float the pens out of the Dorado River and into the Ucayali. At the rate the river is rising these days, it could be just a few more days before the river mouth is deep and wide enough for the pens to float out without damage. Then these fishermen will have a 3-5 day float down the Ucayali River, into the Amazon until they reach Iquitos. Some have no motor available, so by steering only, they use the speed of the river itself to make the journey. In Iquitos they sell both fish and materials, and with the earnings in hand return to their villages by ferry.
Scarlett macaws! Over a dozen flew overhead just as the sky turned red and pink at sunset. Then with a strong searchlight, we found the eyes of caiman from their red eyeshine. In darkness and in great spirits we returned home to the Delfin II, comfort, drinks, food, and entertainment.
