PERU: Andes to Amazon ~ Day 9 (Morning – cont’d)

Shy least grebes moved out of the way of our passing watercraft. They never took flight but rather just awkwardly ran on the water while flapping their wings, leaving an odd wake behind.

Once at a safe distance, they posed for a few photos. A diminutive grebe, their soft gray colors blended well with the shadows of the shoreline.

The not so closely related Sungrebe is also shy and, when seen, they are usually feeding on damsel flies along the water’s edge.

Another shadow-dweller, Green Kingfishers were quite common as they hunted minnows in the early light.

This Striated Heron took advantage of the morning warmth and posed for quite a while.

As did this Pale-vented Pigeon… easily the most common of this family seen during the Amazonian portion of our trip.

Olive Oropendolas were frequent flyovers, often in large flocks, this one was carrying nesting material.

Many Horned Screamers flew over making their odd, mule-like calls.

Greater Anis moved awkwardly through the lake-side vegetation. Their pale eyes highly visible in the shadows!