Second Clay Lick

Let's try our luck again. This time however it was deep in the forest instead of by the water. So we trekked from the National Park entrance about 30 to 45 minutes before reaching the established area. This looked very different to the other one and was more a clearing in the forest. Unfortunately nothing was there when we arrived, so we started to wait. After a short time we could hear some macaws above us in the trees. We couldn't see them from inside the shelter, but they were there and we were hopeful they would come down.

But what happened is the monkeys decided to come on by instead and literally they all flew off at once.

So we went out and got to enjoy watching the monkeys nearby hanging out upside down in the trees. Looked to be a family unit with a little baby on the back of the mother. Wooly monkeys, long orange brown fur and a strong big tail.

After they left though, we went back to wait for the Macaws and Parrots once more. Most of us falling asleep in the bird hide, a pre-lunch siesta. But that's what we did, we waited hopefully for them to return. Eventually one of more did, but back staying high in the trees out of sight. We could see their shadows as they flew back and forth in the trees above us. It was about 2 hours of this and we figured it was time to leave as it had been too long now. But just as we thought that, one of them came down to the ground to start to drink. Once that first brave, and thirsty, macaw came down the rest began to follow. All up there were about 11 at different moments that came back and forth to have a drink. Smaller parrots also came down, safety in numbers it seems.

Then as quickly as they came, they left again. And that was time for us to get out of the heat ourselves.Read more