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Heather Moore. |
Blind at the Overlook We hike in the pre-dawn twilight up to the blind overlooking the clay lick. On arrival, we settle into place to observe the clay lick activity though the small holes of the blind. We wait quietly for the parrots to arrive.
As usual, the
Blue-headed parrots (Pionus menstruus) and the Chestnut-fronted
macaws (Ara severa) are the first to arrive.
Although we cannot see the clay lick, we have a clear view to a large dead tree that looks to be a perfect perch.
A noisy crowd of White-eyed parakeets (Aratinga leucopthalmus) drops by for a visit. They are foot long conures with leaf green coloring over their entire body with the exception of red patches scattered sparsely here and there on their heads, shoulders, and wing fronts. They settle on the branches of a large-leaved tree, chattering noisily.
A lone Dusky-headed parakeet (Aratinga weddellii) lands in their midst. He is a beautiful creature with pale aqua blue on the crown of his head, a shiny black beak, white cheek patches and speckled coloring over the rest of his head. |
Mealy parrots (Amazona farinosa) and Blue-headed parrots flit among us, settling here and there on the branches to eat their clay.
A
magnificent pair of Blue and Yellow macaws (Ara ararauna)
graciously pose for us on the dead branch. Their yellow feathers gleam
brightly in the morning sun.
And finally, we are rewarded with the sight of a flock of White-bellied parrots (Pionites leucogaster) settling on the dead tree. In their "tuxedoes", they look like sweet little gentlemen preening and basking in the sun. Time to Go After
lunch, we pose for a group picture, then head down to the canoe for our
journey back to Posada Amazonas and home. On the way, we are intrigued by the appearance of a huge, lumbersome looking creature on the shore. It is a Capybara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris), a mammal that resembles a giant guinea pig.
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