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Peruvian Amazon
It seems like a number of you are interested in South American butterflies so I will post a series of photos from a trip that I made in January. I will start off with a little background and then get into the butterfly and other animal photos.
I visited the Peruvian Amazon with Margarita Tours. I wanted to see the Amazon all of my life so this trip was a real dream-come-true for me. The trip was also excellent in that I met up with old high school friends who I used to herp with in the deserts of the US and Mexico. The Margarita Tour was a dedicated reptile photography excursion but the participants were from diverse backgrounds and each had different interests. We all got along well and it was truly a wonderful experience and one that I would highly recommend to anyone who would like to experience the natural wonders of the Amazon.
A trip like this is the best way to see a large number of reptiles in a short period of time. Any one person will see only a few reptiles in the forest but collectively, we found many species. At Madre Selva, indigenous kids also brought in animals and exchanged these for T-shirts. Their ability to spot small, hidden animals in the forests was phenomenal.
We visited two of the Project Amazona field stations: Madre Selva and Santa Cruz. These stations are affiliated with Margarita Tours. Santa Cruz was located about an hour by fast water taxi from Iquitos but Madre Selva was much further away and required a 12 hour boat trip down the Amazon. I found the time on the water when in transit to Madre Selva to be just as exciting as walking in the forest. In the late afternoon as we approached the Rio Orosa, we saw many birds as they crossed the river. The most exciting to us were birds such as Russet-backed Oropendolas, Bare-necked Fruitcrows, Swallowings, White-eared Jacamars, Black-collared/Slaty Hawks, Greater Yellow-headed Vultures and the many species of parrots. One of the highlights of the trip on the river was the return journey at night between Madre Selva and Santa Cruz. It was an unforgettable experience to sit on the upper deck of the Nenita and watch the moon set into the Amazon, smell the moist tropical vegetation, catch occasional glimpses of various nightjars and potoos or see fishing bats streak across the bow lights.
I flew from Los Angeles to Lima and then Lima to Iquitos on LAN. Service was good, particularly on the LA<->Lima connection.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ts/flight1.jpg
Iquitos is the gateway to the Peruvian Amazon. Once upon a time, it was a booming city when rubber was valuable. There are many old and beautiful buildings along the waterfront of the Itaya River.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...s/Iquitos2.jpg
The Amazon was in drought this year. Normally, the Itaya River would be up to these houses in January, the wet season, but this year the river was about 3m lower than usual. The Itaya River is visible in the distance. Iquitos is bordered by the Itaya River and this flows into the Amazon a few kilometers downstream.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...itosRiver2.jpg
We travelled down river on the Nenita, a new boat operated by Margarita Tours. This style of boat was typical of other transports that we saw on the river.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ts/Nenita1.jpg
On the trip to Madre Selva, the clouds of the wet season built up in the afternoon and we received a torrential downpour. Drought in the Amazon is a relative term. We had a little rain on most days but just not as much as usual. The bigger problem was a poor snow melt in the Andes that feeds the Amazon.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3.../habitat2a.jpg
Later in the afternoon, it cleared and the river was like a mirror:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...s/habitat3.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...s/habitat4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...at_amazon1.jpg
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One of the characteristic sights along the river was of giant trees that were full of the pendulous Russet-backed Oropendola nests. These are giant Icterids that made quite a racket when singing. There was a colony of these right next to the accommodation at Santa Cruz.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ropendola1.jpg
Iquitos is an isolated city with no roads in or out. Access is by air or water so the rivers are the highways that people use for transporting everything.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3..._rivertaxi.jpg
We passed a number of villages of the Indigenous people.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ndigenous2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ndigenous1.jpg
We stopped at one of these. The people organize a hut with their various artwork and crafts.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...usVillage1.jpg
This little girl was such a sweetie. She had a pet marmoset that loved to sit and preen her hair. Other kids would occasionally grab it. The little monkey would scream until they released it. It would then bound back to the girl and climb to her head where it looked happy again.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...usVillage2.jpg
Red Howler Monkey (near Iquitos):
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...RedHowler1.jpg
Uakari (near Iquitos):
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ey_Uakari1.jpg
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After travelling for a number of hours on the Amazon, we turned south into the Rio Orosa. The field station of Madre Selva is located a few kilometers upstream
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3..._rioorosa2.jpg
We spent several nights at Madre Selva. Madre Selva was primarily covered with old secondary growth. The original forest must have been cut long ago since the trees were large and the undergrowth fairly open due to the dense canopy. This was a top place for antbirds as well as other forest species. One morning, we encountered 5 species of antbirds on a short walk. The next day, we saw 7 other species but none of those from the previous day. This happened again on our third day. The diversity was incredible.
Dining Hall:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...adreselva1.jpg
The Nenita was berthed nearby:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ts/Nenita2.jpg
We visited a cocha (e.g., oxbow lake) one day. These oxbows are the places where Black Caimans hunt at night. We did not see any on this trip but did find the smaller Spectacled Caimans along the Rio Orosa one night. The cochas were full of fish.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...tat_cocha1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ocha2_fish.jpg
There was a canopy tower at Madre Selva. My friends and I found this to be a good place for birding in mid/late afternoon. We saw lots of exciting species such as the gorgeous Plum-throated Cotinga, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Blue/Black-faced/Yellow-bellied Dacnis, Turquoise/Paradise/Green-and-Gold Tanagers, Swallow Tanagers ... and on and on!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...tat_tower1.jpg
...forest canopy as seen from the tower:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...tat_tower2.jpg
Sunset on the Rio Orosa:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3..._rio_orosa.jpg
...continued tomorrow
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Wow ! wow ! Wow!
David ,
Thank you for been so generous in sharing these beautiful shots with us. With your flow of narratives it is almost like reading articles in National Geopgraphic!!!!
More more more .........:)
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Thanks for sharing, David. It helps me to imagine the Amazon better. Such a beautiful place...:thumbsup: Hope to see more ;P
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Thanks David for sharing with narrative comments. It does provides us with an insight into the Amazon.:cheers:
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Now that our appetites are whetted... I'm waiting with bated breath for the butterfly pictures.
David, don't disappoint us! :grin2:
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Thanks, all.
Our first leps turned up before we even left the boat. I think that the following a wasp-mimicking moth and probably one of the Arctiids.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...errfly23-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...utterfly22.jpg
Stinky Leaf Wing (Historis odius) -- The inner surface of the wings of this big big nymph were a beautiful orange and black. When closed, the wings resembled a dead leaf. The butterfly flew aboard the Nenita and was trapped in the dining room. It was responsive to the flash and would flick its wings slightly open when I photographed it. This butterfly is widely distributed and I saw it years ago in Nayarit, Mexico. This butterfly reminds me very much of a larger version of a Tawny Rajah.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...tterfly21a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...utterfly21.jpg
On the river journey to Madre Selva, we stopped briefly at a rum distillery. I used the stop to try and find a few birds and butterflies. I saw my first dazzling Masked Crimson Tanagers here. These were absolutely gorgeous birds that were a vibrant red.
I found these flat-winged skippers on damp soil near the river.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...terfly22-1.jpg
This stunning Ruddy Daggerwing (Marpesia petreus) was also flitting about near the water. It would briefly land but it always reacted to the preflash. I could not take a good photo but the colours shape can be seen. This butterfly was unfortunately the only individual of this species that I observed on the trip.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...tterfly14a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...utterfly14.jpg
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At Madre Selva, I spent most of my time in the forest where I often saw members of subfamilies heliconiinae and ithomiinae. These butterflies remind me of the danaids in Malaysia. They usually have long, slender wings and a slow flight. Just like the danaids, there are nymph and pierid mimics of these (batesian mimicry). There also is convergence in the appearance of the distasteful species (muellerian mimicry) so identifying these butterflies was difficult. I am not certain of the names used below. If any of you recognize these butterflies, please let me know the correct names.
I found these butterflies to be surprisingly difficult to photograph. They usually were on the move and often would not tolerate a close approach while they were sitting.
I saw these longwings many times. There are a number of similar species with this colour pattern but I think these may be Heliconius erato.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...butterfly9.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...utterfly9a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...utterfly9b.jpg
This butterfly was another lovely species that was common at Madre Selva.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...butterfly5.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...utterfly5b.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...utterfly5a.jpg
… and another, possibly Vila emilian?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...butterfly2.jpg
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