 |
Day 6 - Tambopata National Reserve 17th August 2015 |
|
Part 1 - The feathery gathering
Return to Summer Menu
The day started with a
visit to a 'salt lick', where parrots & macaws gather to take on minerals
crucial to their health.
It was our earliest start of the trip - alarm at 02:45 for an 03:30 departure - to ensure we didn't miss out on any early diners.
Dawn on the Tambopata river, the boat captain had skillfully dodged obstacles in the dark during the long part of the ride in before dawn...
It was our earliest start of the trip - alarm at 02:45 for an 03:30 departure - to ensure we didn't miss out on any early diners.
Dawn on the Tambopata river, the boat captain had skillfully dodged obstacles in the dark during the long part of the ride in before dawn...
A bleary-eyed Miche appears from under her blanket and into the light...
White trunked
trees on a bend in the river...
At a smaller 'lick' away from our destination,
Blue-headed Parrots were already on the case...
Seeing these parrots so quickly, I foolishly assumed
the Macaws would similarly be in residence when we got there (I should know
better by now!)...
Blue and Yellow Macaws very high up in a tree on the far bank...
Scarlet Macaws...
Our original
vantage point - the Macaws were in the trees on the far side...
With their wings
outstretched arriving birds created beautiful starbursts of colour even from long
distance...
Blue & Yellow Macaws
New arrivals...
Introductory
loud squawks and general flapping about...
Incoming...
Calmer Red &
Green Macaws lower in the tree contemplating a move to the lick...
Yellow-Rumped
Cacique nest...
Yellow-Rumped
Cacique hanging upside-down at the climax of his call familiar whooping
call. We also had a community of their nests in the camp...
The Macaws
seemed to be moving to the left, so we broke camp and took on the deep
sticky mud - a few feet came out of wellies and a few backsides hit the
ground, including my own. Miche on a log...
