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Heather Moore. |
We're up well before dawn to start our five hour trek to Tambopata Research Center. Once again we board the motorized canoes, this time setting off into the calm misty morning.
We make a quick stop at the Ministerio de Agricultura to register our expedition and to use the facilities (it's a long trip upriver!).
While there we are greeted by a pair of greenwing macaws (Ara chloropterus) calling out "Hola". They are former pets which were released to the wild but insist on remaining nearby. Fully flighted, they put on a magnificent show by hanging upside-down, playing and falling into flight, swooping out over the river and alighting on a branch to contentedly preen. Their feathers are glossy and vibrant; they are healthy magnificent creatures.
At 10:00 am we set out once again for our final destination: TRC. A breeze wafts over us, refreshing and welcome. The river is a dun brown color which matches the sand of the banks. The banks are lined with lush greenery: low ground cover and brush, with palms dominating in areas. Occasionally, we see a splash of color: the vermillion leaves of a flame tree, or the yellow of old leaves on a palm.
From the canoe we see turtles and a greater yellow-headed vulture. Hanging from the limbs of a tall branching tree we spot the elongated nests of the Oro pendula: a black bird with bright yellow on the underside of its tail. Its nests resemble tennis balls stuffed into socks, then slung over the limbs of a tree. |
A greater yellow-headed vulture is poised at the waters' edge. Wings fully extended, he gracefully dips his head and drinks. It appears to us that he is bowing in welcome.
At intervals we see evidence of habitation: a
staircase cut into the clay of the bank, a woman washing clothes in the
river, a child playing in the sand.
By noon we've reached the second Ministerio de
Agricultura checkpoint station. Two young children greet us with hearty
"holas". After a short break we are back on the river.
Our guide, Pepe Rojas, presents us with lunch: delicious stuffed mano
rolls filled with chicken, peppers. egg, and black olive. The
rolls are wrapped in banana leaves then tied with vine. This is a
truly ecological meal: the refuse can be thrown in the river. At 1:45 we spot our first group of truly wild macaws: a flock of four or five greenwings. We are nearing TRC. A pair of scarlet macaws (Ara Macao) are spotted a few minutes later. Anticipation of our arrival is building. At last the terracotta cliffs of the clay lick come into view. We have arrived!
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