Blue and yellow macaw in flight
I took this photo at dawn deep in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, the Tambopata Reserve to be precise. These are imaginatively named blue and yellow macaws on their way for breakfast at the clay lick. Not just any clay lick but what is thought to be the largest parrot/macaw clay lick in the world.
It certainly seemd that way on the morning we visited. Positioned about 50m from the cliff on a small island in the middle of the Tambopata River, we had a grandstand view of proceedings. Actually, when we arrived it was before dawn so we had a grandstand view of the pitch black if I’m honest.
However, as dawn gradually broke, the trees all around us began to fill with squawking and screeching parrots and macaws. Expectations grew but for a long time no birds would commit to the clay. They don’t every day. If it’s cloudy they might not come. If there’s a hint of any predators, they won’t land. You never really know until the first bird makes a break for it. Then all hell breaks loose as the trees disgorge thousands of noisy, colourful visitors onto the cliff. We were lucky. For an hour or more the cliff was ablaze with a mass of flapping birds.
Parrots are amazing creatures, so colourful that it is hard to believe that they are products of nature instead of some cosmetic creation for bird fanciers. The scarlet macaw is the most extraordinary because of the sheer range and vibrancy of colours but oddly enough, they do sort of blend into the Amazonian environment. It’s the blue and yellow macaws who stand out the most, that’s why I love this photo. It’s also not easy to get anything like a decent photo of a bird in full flight with a pretty ordinary camera on full zoom so I was a bit chuffed.
I just know you have two burning questions in your minds:
1) What on earth is the difference between a parrot and a macaw?
Well, I’m sure there are more deep seated and interesting differences between the species but for a means of quick identification, parrots have feathers all over their heads whereas macaw have bald cheeks. There, saved you from that embarassing moment when you don’t know whether to enquire after Aunty Deirdre’s parrot or macaw.
2) What on earth are either of them doing snacking on clay?
Apparently there are some quite powerful toxins in the nuts and fruit on which the birds generally feed. The clay found on the local riverbanks contains a form af antidote or helps the birds digest the toxins safely. They don’t need to eat it every day, they just need to keep themselves nicely topped up.
Read more about our holidays to Peru or you might find our guide to Peru helpful.
A Galapagos penguin on the Mariela Islands
This photo is of a tiny Galapagos penguin standing on the lava of the Islas Mariela, just off the main island of Isabela. If I do say so myself, I think the photo itself is a rather lovely summary of the intimacy of a small boat Galapagos cruise experience. What it doesn’t convey is just how odd it is to see a penguin here at the equator.
I was lucky enough to spend a week on board the Galapagos cruise boat Cachalote a couple of years ago. The itinerary she follows is a cracker – no doubling back on yourself, just a straight circuit of the Galapagos Islands. My favourite part of the islands, and the least visited, is along the western side of Isabela. It is there you can get a real sense of being away from it all in a basically pristine environment surrounded by this extraordinary wildlife.
What makes the wildlife in the Galapagos so abundant and mixed is the convergence of three oceanic currents: the warm Panama, the cold Peru and the deep sea Cromwell. The western side of Isabela is a particularly good place to see the effect of the meeting of these three currents.
Just after I took this photo we navigated into a forest of mangroves. We found a sea lion alseep in a branch. A sea lion and a mangrove tree really don’t normally meet. Under the boat we saw sea turtles swim alongside penguins – it was like Antarctica had gone on holiday to the Caribbean.
So, there we go, I love this photo because there we are in the warm equatorial afternoon bobbing about in an open boat wearing t-shirts, looking at penguins. Those are the incongruities which make a Galapagos cruise such an exquisite experience.
If you would like to read more information about the Galapagos, see our guide to the Galapagos. If you are interested in a holiday to the Galapagos, see our Galapagos holidays or more particularly our Galapagos cruises page.
Walking in the Picos de Europa
I love this photo. For me it sums up so much of what makes the Picos de Europa my favourite landscape in Europe.
This was taken on my first trip to the Picos with my soon to be wife, Linda. She is just approaching the high point of our walk between the villages of Tielve and Arenas de Cabrales. Over the course of our four day visit we took advantage of some fine late November weather to walk the beautiful coastline and to hike through snow in the rocky highlands above Fuente De. However, it is this, the Caoru walk, which stays with me.
It is basically an ‘up and over’ walk crossing one of the three Picos massifs but one which gives you a sense of almost every facet of the Picos: history, people and the sheer variety of its landscape.
Our walk started with a visit to an old lady who makes the famous Cabrales cheese. After a chat and a wee taste, we set off uphill towards the small red-roofed shelters of the high summer pastures. I hope this picture captures at least some of the beauty of the views.
As we neared the top, the hard earth trail gave way to a clearly paved path. “We’re on the Roman road now” explained Diego who was hosting us that weekend, as if near perfectly preserved Roman roads are quite normal on top of mountains.
This impressive revelation was soon forgotten as the landscape stole the show, again. As we came out to the crest of the walk, we could see the highest peaks of the Picos de Europa to the south and the beaches and rugged coves of the nearby coastline to the north.
There we were, in the late, late autumn sunlight looking out over snowy peaks and sandy beaches. As amazing as this walk is and these mountains are, we didn’t pass another soul that day. I’m going to repeat that. It was a Saturday. Look at that view. We didn’t see a soul.
Read about our walking holidays in the Picos