17 Oct 2001
We arrive in the lowlands and the wide Alto Madre de
Dios river, swollen by the previous days' rains. After a harrowing, white-knuckle
crossing, we are driven by jeep through a banana plantation to Amazoniá Lodge, our
residence for the next three days. The rooms open onto a large veranda where one of the
owners, Seńora Yábar, greets us with fresh fruit and Pisco Sours. Around the lodge
are more colorful birds than any place yet visited. As the afternoon passes we enjoy
Yellow-rumped Cacique, Red-capped Cardinal, Social Flycatcher, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker,
Dusky Parakeet, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, and of course tanagers: Blue-necked, Palm,
Masked Crimson, and Silver-beaked. The last-named is handsomely clad in black and
red velvet plumage, difficult to capture in a photo.
The real stars of Amazoniá, however, are the hummingbirds. Feeding on vervain and
other flowers are such gems as Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Amethyst Woodstar, Black-eared
Fairy, Gray-breasted Sabrewing, Blue-tailed Emerald, and the delightful little
Rufous-crested Coquette. An aptly named Golden-tailed Sapphire poses for a closeup
before resuming the endless quarrel over who gets the nectar.
17 Oct 2001
Near the lodge is an ox-bow lake, a channel really, about 15 m wide. Here
live Hoatzins, birds strange even by tropical standards. They are slow clumsy
fliers, and their young have claws on their wings that they use to climb from limb to limb
after they fledge. Because of these traits and their reptilian appearance, Hoatzins
were once considered living fossils, the way birds must have been a hundred million years
ago. Now they are thought to be rather peculiar relatives of cuckoos.
A trail runs along the edge of the channel. Partly hidden by the
foliage, I photograph the Hoatzins. They eye me warily, however, and my slightest
movement draws a chorus of angry "huff! huff!"s as they retreat into the trees.
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