After leaving Iwokrama we make our way towards Atta Lodge. However we have to arrive there around lunch so there still is time to stop on the way. But first we take the Iwokrama side road to the main road and continue on it for a while to capture maybe a different set of birds. And then we are set free on the main road, mostly near bridges as the hope is that birds will congregate near water. But our initial stop is not that successful really even though we walk for some time in the hot sun.
Second stop is slightly more successful and also has more shade which is very welcome when the sun is beating directly on us with no clouds.
The clouds are really on and off this morning and we learn how much better it is to walk in the rainforest versus an open road. The other danger are the high speeding trucks, luckily most sections are quite straight but bridges are higher and sometimes you miss what is incoming.
Still all of us survive and continue birding seeing Herons and a few other common birds. But in the end nothing special jumps out at us so we continue on towards Atta Lodge.
We arrive there at around 11:30 just before lunch time. We have enough time to get our cabins, unpack a bit and refresh ourselves before lunch.
The cabin here is probably the most primitive during our stay. It has no window glass only shutters that anyone can see through if they are close enough. The bathroom is open to the elements with the toilet luckily under cover while the shower is completely outside. This will become important later as most people will not take showers in time before it starts to pour so they are forced to take a natural rain shower. We escape as we take our shower earlier, hehe.
Lunch is buffet style again but with fewer options, which is expected given that we are farther into the jungle. The food is good though even though our vegetarian tour-mates have some problems finding something to eat.
We return to the room just as it starts raining. And this is no small rain but a serious downpour that makes it clear why this is a rainforest. Our meeting time for the afternoon tour comes and goes and no one is moving as far as we can see so we continue to wait the rain to pass which happens about one hour after the expected afternoon tour time.
The decision is made to go back to the main road and bird on it as there is no time for something more intensive. The road is empty now as the ferry has stopped working so there is no traffic. There is even fog further up, quite scenic.
We return to one of the lakes we visited prior and besides the Cocoi heron we can also see now a pair of Capped Herons but nothing else exciting.
We try a few side trails but they are full of mud and no one wants to get that dirty so we stay on the main road for our late afternoon birding.
And the road is quite productive now after the rain and with no traffic. We see a group of Black Curassows crossing the road, really cute but our bonus bird is a Scaled Pigeon. We really like pigeons and even though no one really cares about the pigeon we do and it is also a beautiful bird.
And then the van arrives and we are surprised as it is not that late to go back yet. But the van is bringing some local rum for a sundowner. Everyone including us is drinking today, a little or a bit more to celebrate a great day of birding before returning to the lodge.
Before going for dinner we prepare our room for the night protecting the bed with nets given that with no glass windows insects are free to enter. We get help against the insects from a Turniptail Gecko that is doing its best to eat everything that gets in, good gecko!
Dinner is similar to lunch, buffet style and limited options. Here we notice that our guides and also a few from the tour always order beers, it likely helps them with the heat. But we had enough from the sundowner and full we return to our room to go to sleep, tomorrow is again an early day as we are going to climb to the Canopy Walkway in the morning.
