On day three, we trekked over to Rio Napo, by canoe, then walking, to board the big motorized boat to see some parrots. We had to leave very early because there is only an hour window or so when parrots come to the clay licks for feeding. They eat a variety of berries and toxic fruits- the clay counteracts toxicity, acting as an antidote and antacid.

The clay licks are a riot of color and noise as hundreds of birds come and go.

We stopped on an island to view the parrots on the clay cliffs across the river.

We saw Blue-headed Parrots, Yellow-crowned Parrots, Mealy Parrots, Dusky-headed Parakeets, and White-eyed Parakeets. Image courtesy Napo Wildlife Center

Heading upriver, we passed the “school boat” picking up students for the Sani Community School.

We then motored a little further, disembarked to explore a small island in the river where we got a little exercise trudging through sand and saw a number of good birds.

An adult Black Caracara and a juvenile watched us patiently as we photographed them.

This far-off Oriole Blackbird was stunning through the scope.

The group and the guides

Our next stop, which I’ll cover in the next post, was a stop for lunch at the Sani Community Center.