Day 4, The adult will come today!
We're up at 4 am, have breakfast and head off in the dark on the hike back to the Harpy nest viewing site. We have to get there before sunrise just in case the parent decides to make an early appearance. Just as we take to the main trail Mauricio finds another snake, this time a mildly venomous northern cat-eyed snake Leptodeira septentrionalis, which we admire and then release.By now my feet are starting to take a distinct dislike to the wellies I've been wearing for the last day or so and the tell-tale signs of blisters forming becomes a distraction. By the time I reach the viewing area I'm in a lot of pain and have difficulty walking. My, how quickly things can go downhill. Carlos very kindly sends someone back to the village on a three-hour round trip just to get my regular boots! They certainly help but the damage is done for sure.
The Harpy chick takes my mind off the feet though and the sight and sounds of Great Green Macaws is fantastic. Other birds making an appearance during the day include Long-tailed Tyrant, Olive-sided Flycatcher, White-whiskered Puffbird, Crimson-crested Woodpecker and the highlight - a scarce Crimson-bellied Woodpecker. Green and Black arrow poison frogs Dendrobates auratus were another sought after species.
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| Dendrobates auratus - a jewel in the leaf litter |
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| Crimson-crested Woodpecker, female |
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| Crimson-crested Woodpecker, female |
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| White-whiskered Puffbird |
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| White-whiskered Puffbird |
It's intense watching the Harpy nest all day, particularly for Mike up on the platform, the pressure is on him to capture the moment the adult arrives on camera. We really want to see the feeding behaviour but despite our patience the adult still doesn't return and the chick continues to call.
So far it's been a super sunny day but around 4 pm the skies suddenly darken, the wind picks up and with a crack of thunder the heavens open on us. This is tropical rain, very heavy and hammering down. Luckily there's a bit of shelter in the form of a blue tarp strung between some trees and most of the equipment is moved under it. Nigel makes a radio call to check on Mike who decides to stay put and see if it stops, but it doesn't. If anything it gets worse and Rafa expresses concern that the river crossing 20 minutes away might rapidly become impassable if we don't go soon. At this point Nigel sends me back to the village as my feet are making me very slow and the team will likely catch me up soon enough.
I don't need to be asked twice, the last thing I want is to be a liability to the rest of the team, particularly as we are making a hasty retreat. I set off back along the trail being careful to check all fallen trees and logs along the path for Terciopelos - they often sit by these waiting for prey to run along or over the fallen wood. My progress is ok to start with but the pain from the blisters soon gets far worse and I start to slow. At this point I meet Mauricio and a village guide heading back to the viewing area to help get everyone out before the river level rises. Mauricio can see I'm in difficulty and turns back to help me get back to the village. The river crossing isn't too bad yet but with walking boots on I now get wet feet as the water depth is easily over the top of them. What was a muddy track earlier that day is now, for the most part, underwater and we have to wade back for the next hour to reach the track to the village. By the time I get back I'm exhausted - not from the distance walked but from the effort it took to avoid walking directly on my now burst blisters.
Nigel, Mike and Carlos eventually get back to the village about 45 minutes behind me - it's been quite a day. I back up Mike's data onto hard drives, eat the rice and beans dinner and then peel my socks off to look at the damage. Both heels, balls of the feet and under the toes are blistered, the heels haven't ruptured but are hot to the touch and particularly painful. I just hope they are not infected.
I don't need to be asked twice, the last thing I want is to be a liability to the rest of the team, particularly as we are making a hasty retreat. I set off back along the trail being careful to check all fallen trees and logs along the path for Terciopelos - they often sit by these waiting for prey to run along or over the fallen wood. My progress is ok to start with but the pain from the blisters soon gets far worse and I start to slow. At this point I meet Mauricio and a village guide heading back to the viewing area to help get everyone out before the river level rises. Mauricio can see I'm in difficulty and turns back to help me get back to the village. The river crossing isn't too bad yet but with walking boots on I now get wet feet as the water depth is easily over the top of them. What was a muddy track earlier that day is now, for the most part, underwater and we have to wade back for the next hour to reach the track to the village. By the time I get back I'm exhausted - not from the distance walked but from the effort it took to avoid walking directly on my now burst blisters.
Nigel, Mike and Carlos eventually get back to the village about 45 minutes behind me - it's been quite a day. I back up Mike's data onto hard drives, eat the rice and beans dinner and then peel my socks off to look at the damage. Both heels, balls of the feet and under the toes are blistered, the heels haven't ruptured but are hot to the touch and particularly painful. I just hope they are not infected.
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