Wyatt in the Rain Forest

Posted by 2009 Kids Expedition Team in Hands-On Explorer on June 8, 2009

Allillanchu! As you know that is Quechua for hello. There are many amazing things in the rain forest but my fave is the parrot clay lick. A clay lick is a giant slab of clay on a cliff. In the morning, the birds make their screeches, caws, and squawks and then they descend from the sky to the clay lick. There they eat damp clay that helps them with digestion. It slides down their throats and helps them chew their food in the gizzard. Also the minerals found in the clay enhance the bird’s health and well-being after digestion.

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All of us woke up early so we could go to the lick. We hiked down to the edge of the Tambopata River and went to a bird blind that looks like a little hut on one side with small windows. On the other side it looks like dead foliage. You have to be really quiet to observe the birds in action. A parrot expert from England (who was in the blind when we visited) talked about macaws, parrots, and parakeets.

We didn’t see any birds. I even got up early the day we were leaving so that I could go check again. No luck. The birds I wanted to see most are the red-and-green macaw, scarlet macaw, and the orange-cheeked parrot because they are very colorful.

In my opinion, the parrot clay lick is the best place at Posada Amazonas

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Categories: Peru

Comments

  1. cmdub
    June 9, 2009, 3:09 pm

    Wyatt, maybe getting a really great clay lick experience could be a goal for your NEXT awesome trip to Peru!
    –Becca’s mom

  2. shastasteph
    June 9, 2009, 4:56 pm

    Wyatt, in some other blogs, the other explorers said they later on saw the birds at the salt lick. Did you forget to put that? It’s great that you focused on a different part of the Amazon expedition.

  3. Kenna
    June 9, 2009, 10:32 pm

    Haha, I’m already planning to go back to Peru in two years. That’s my goal that I plan to reach! So I guess we will see each other there, Wyatt! :)

    Kenna

  4. parrotboyWyatt
    June 10, 2009, 10:12 am

    shastasteph,
    the other boat saw the parrots but I think they scared them of before we came along.

  5. shastasteph
    June 18, 2009, 6:41 pm

    parrotboyWyatt, thanks for the clarification. I was a little confused. I guess you were in two different boats then? Well, at least you got to see the clay lick itself! Did you get to go up to or near it? I’m not really sure how high it was, so I’m just really curious! You’re the only one who really talked in detail about it too. Glad you had a great trip!
    Kenna, good luck with your goal of going back to Peru in two years! Hopefully your whole family could go too! Don’t get sick though. LOL! :)

  6. Anonymous
    November 13, 2010, 9:46 pm

    That is so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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