Today we got up early and left for a skiff ride up the Pacaya River at 6:30. We observed what seemed like thousands of different birds, including hoatzins, storks, diurnal owls, horned screamers, cormorants, yellow-headed caracaras, etc. We stopped along the river, rafted the three skiffs together, and had a picnic breakfast. The real highlight of the morning was swimming in the warm Amazonian waters of the Yanayacu Lagoon. Swimming in this lagoon is like swimming in coffee. Tannins make the water almost completely black.
We had a lovely skiff ride back and a delicious lunch. While the ship moved through Magdalena Creek, we enjoyed a presentation by our photo instructor. In the evening, we took another skiff ride and saw lots and lots of birds. Our naturalists are impressive birders.
