After an unexpectedly good nights sleep in our hammock's, only interspersed, with two treks to the outside facilities, with torches to avoid stepping in or on things we wouldn't like,we properly awoke at 4.45ish to hear howler monkeys in the distance. As it got little lighter you could hear the chain saw noise of the blue throated gaun flying (later we saw one in a tree)and the chachalacas calling. At 5.30 I got up and went to the river for a refreshing wash....there were spits of rain in the air but I thought it would clear for our planned 6am boat trip.......we went to the cookhouse for a coffee and as we sat there it started to rain. We decided to abandon the 6 am trip and go after breakfast. I took the opportunity to write by blog for yesterday ....just before breakfast the rain stopped and we were able to see two spotted puff birds , the previously referred to guan, a nothern water thrush hopping about and two black eared ferry hummingbirds perched and an even smaller one - the reddish hermit - humming around bushes in front of us and sounding like a bee.
'Breakfast ready' came from Daniel the cook - scrambled eggs and bakes with peanut butter and jam.....very good.
As we finished the rain started - heavy with heavier bursts - we eventually retired to our hammocks - the driest spot- to wait it out! Even though the roof was leaky our hammocks were cover by neatly strung plastic sheeting so we stayed dry....excellent as John is allergic to water! Thank goodness for the two water proof Over Board rucksacks we bought before we left......at least all our gear was able to keep dry. The rain started at 7.30 ish still going strong at 0930........1000 it seems to be easing.....finally it stopped at 1030 ish and after bailing out the dug out canoe, made from the purple heart tree, we headed off initially down stream and up a tributary but turned around as our way was barred by lots of detritus and headed up stream. Our reward for going downstream was a glimpse of a river otter swimming towards us and then disappearing........John and junior paddled while I had the hard job of taking photos! For his pains and because of his soft hands John earned a couple of small blisters and we both had a sore bum from sitting on the wooden seats. However the trip was worth it as we got to see:-
Amazon kingfisher
Swallow tailed swifts
Band rumped swift
White banded swallow
Coqui heron
Red and green macaws
Spix's guan - red throat
Red rumped casique
Nun bird
Common sandpiper
Squirrel cuckoo
Crested oripendula - black and yellow
Purple throated fruit crow
Blue throated piping guan
Coyn jay
Plumbeous kite
Red throated caracara
Red fan parrot
Black necked aracari
Osprey - which is rarely seen here
Heard red billed toucan and a
Buff breasted wren.
We returned at 1310 - great timing as the cook had prepared lunch and was worried the chow mein would go cold. No sooner had we eaten than we heard thunder coming our way - yes more torrential rain for another two hours - river levels are definitely rising.
Mid way through the rain the participants on a Bushmaster's survival course pitched up; they had left their camp downstream a day early and set up camp in the one spare open thatched hut we had. They concurred this was the worst March weather they had known- normally it is a rainless month. I think we deserve a certificate too!
As it dried the birds came out as did lots of food in the form of flying termites -to add to the days sightings we saw, from the camp site :-
Streaked fly catcher
Southern beardless tournalet
Lineated woodpecker
Blue headed parrots
Plain xenops
Blue backed tanager
Silver beaked tanager
Black tailed tatira
Wedge billed wood creeper
Green tailed jacamar
Short tailed swift
We also had a great display by two macaws flirting and mating on a dead trunk opposite the camp - they were also very curious of the woodpecker climbing the same tree and very close to them- as it got closer the woodpecker flew back down the trunk - I think he was bird scared!
At 7.15pm we went for a night walk, first we saw a giant, and I mean giant, toad - sitting about 9" tall. Next came an interesting 6-8' orange and black snake which we later found out was a rainbow boa - it was moving slowly through a largish hole in the ground and the base of a tree trunk. A crashing sound was apparently a tapir who had picked up our scent and headed in the other direction so sadly we never saw him! Our walk was curtailed as we came across a falling tree - stopped from hitting the ground by two vines- Junior rightly said it was too dangerous as one tree often brings down others and all the rain would have loosened the soil. We returned a bit hot and steamy at about 8.15pm - it was time for an early night - even though it might sound early I went off to sleep quickly- clearly I was getting accustomed to the hammocks!!