Tuesday, January 22, 2019

I was under the weather today, (might be a reaction to my malaria medicine, might be something I ate or drank) so remained back on the boat while Mark continued to explore. The first activity was a hike in the Amazon Natural Park, partly on canopy bridges. Besides mosquitoes, the group was greeted by birds, monkeys and tree sloths.

In the afternoon, some of the group took a skiff ride on Nauta Creek. Here, they were able to view a mature Three-toed Sloth foraging for food. Surprisingly, the sloth is closely related to anteaters and armadillos. This creature moves very slowly, spending most of its time in the trees, preferably the Cecropia tree. They come down to land only once a week to void at the base of a tree. The Three-toed Sloth takes the time to bury its excrement, making it vulnerable to predators. They can swim if necessary, but again, this makes them vulnerable.

There was a beautiful Greater Ani that posed obligingly. This bird is related to cuckoos, it has a humped bill, white eyes, and blue-black wings. There were Horned Screamers, Wattled Jacanas and a Lettered Aracari, a member of the toucan family. The Lettered Aracari gets its name from the lines on its beak, which look like lettering.

Finally, they were entertained by a band of Common Squirrel Monkeys romping through the trees.

Friends enjoyed kayaking the Nauta Creek.

Even though I remained at the boat, I also saw some wildlife – a Three-toed Sloth in a nearby tree, and a pod of Grey River Dolphins off the stern of the boat. I even saw one jump totally out of the water.