Through a camera trap on Thursday, March 7th, an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) was sighted prowling near the Amazon Field Station, close to the bridge connecting to the Palmetum.

The sighting was of a solitary male, moving around in the early hours of the morning. Ocelots are nocturnal or crepuscular felines and are opportunistic and solitary predators.

It remains for us to imagine whether it was just a stroll or if it was on the hunt for its next meal.

Date: March 7, 2024
Time: 1:00 am
Location: Palmetum

It was an ideal morning for an excursion to the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway. Explorer Guide Frank along with a group of travelers started the hike to the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway Interpretation Center, where they enjoyed a short briefing about the project’s history, its structure and the highlights in this unforgettable adventure. After ascending the first tower and walking through the treetops across hanging bridges, they heard the call of a peculiar bird. It was a green and golden tanager (Tangara schrankii) flying from one branch to the next. Travelers took advantage of this joyful moment to take many photos of this colorful bird.

The green and golden tanager lives in the Amazon, and it is very easy to identify. It has a colorful plumage, its back is bright green with black and blue reflections. Its forehead is yellow with a black mask around its eyes and yellow chest. It feeds from fruits and insects hunted in the leaves, mainly from the forest canopy.

Date: April 21^st, 2019
Time: 7:30 am
Location: Inkaterra Canopy Walkway

Frank Cerwall | Inkaterra Explorer Guide | Inkaterra Guides Field Station.

During the River Island excursion, explorer guide Frank along with three travelers departed from Inkaterra Guide Field Station to the island in order to explore the forest and observe native fauna. While walking in the island, an insect was spotted over the trunk of a tree: it was a harlequin beetle (Acrocinos longimanus). The travelers and Frank were very surprised to see this colorful insect.

Known also as sawmill beetle as its larvae feed from wood in the where they grow and develop. Its body has a coloration of black, red and yellow tones, which allows it to camouflage itself and protect from its predactors. However, the most outstanding feature of this singular insect is exceptionally long front legs.

Date: April 5^th, 2019
Time: 6:00 am
Location:  River Island

Frank Cerwall| Inkaterra Explorer Guide | Inkaterra Guides Field Station

Oscar Huarcaya, explorer guide at Inkaterra Guides Field Station, went for a walk around the lodge. While passing across the main road, he heard some noise coming from the treetops. Oscar raised his eyes and was surprised by a family of Graell’s Tamarin monkeys (Saguinus graelessi) who were resting quietly. One of them even posed for Oscar’s camera.

Graell’s Tamarin monkeys are known for their blackish coat. They are diurnal and arboreal animals, they run and climb quickly across trees. Lives on tropical rainforests and open forest areas. An omnivore species that eats fruits, as well as insects, small invertebrates and bird eggs.

Date: January 13^th, 2019
Time: 3:00 pm
Location:  Inkaterra Guides Field Station

Oscar Huarcaya| Inkaterra Explorer Guide | Inkaterra Guides Field Station

Explorer Guide Oscar Huarcaya took advantage of the sunny afternoon to clean the forest trails. On the way to the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway, near the strangler fig tree, he saw a bird nesting at the foot of the tree. It was a pleasant surprise to be near the Great Tinamou (Tinamus major), as it is very difficult to observe and usually only announces its presence through its songs.

The Great Tinamou  is known for its gray-brown coloring, which allows it to camouflage itself in the depth of the forest. This terrestrial bird remains alone or in couples. It feeds on fruits, seeds, artichokes and small vertebrates. The most distinctive feature of this bird is its call, which is usually heard during the Amazonian dusk.

Date: January 25^th, 2019
Time: 3:15pm
Location:  Road to Canopy

Oscar Huarcaya | Inkaterra Explorer Guide | Inkaterra Guides Field Station

It was a sunny day when Inkaterra explorer guide Frank Cerwall took advantange of his spare time and the pleasant weather of the Amazon rainforest to clean the Ecocenter and have everything ready to welcome travelers who would arrive to the lodge in the afternoon.

While cleaning, a peculiar call drew his attention. It was a pair of cotingas courting each other and flying from one tree to another. Frank stood watching these playful birds for a few minutes and captured the moment with some good photographs.

The black-faced cotinga measures approximately 23cm. It is identified for its black face and throat. The mantle, wings and upper tail are dark grey, while the lower wings and chest have lighter shades. Cotingas feed from fruits and usually fly in pairs.

Date: July 12^th, 2018
Time: 11:30
Location: Inkaterra Guides Field Station surroundings

Frank Cerwall Huayaban | Inkaterra Explorer Guide | Inkaterra Guides Field Station

After concluding a tour on the trails of the Inkaterra Ecological Reserve, explorer guide Frank Cerwall went to his room. When passing by the housekeeping quarters he heard a strange noise coming from the top of a shihuahuaco tree (Dipteryx micranta). He looked up and saw a small White-fronted capuchin monkey.

This primate is characterized by a light-brown back and a cream-white fur around its belly and face. Capuchin monkeys are omnivores, they feed from a wide variety of invertebrate animals and small vertebrates, fruits and bird eggs.

Date: August 3^th, 2018
Time: 15:52
Location: Inkaterra Guides Field Station surroundings

Frank Cerwall Huayaban | Inkaterra Explorer Guide | Inkaterra Guides Field Station

Inkaterra explorer guide Frank was doing maintenance at the trail leading to the bio-orchard when he saw a King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) perched on a tree branch. The bird was about 100 meters away from Inkaterra Guides Field Station.

The King vulture belongs to the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This species lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests ranging from Southern Mexico to Northern Argentina. It also displaces smaller New World vulture species from a carcass. King vultures have been known to live for up to 30 years in captivity. The king vulture is the largest of the New World vultures. Its overall length ranges from 67 to 81 cm (26–32 in) and its wingspan is 1.2 to 2 m (4–7 ft). Its weight ranges from 2.7 to 4.5 kg. It has the largest skull and braincase, and strongest bill of the New World vultures. This bill has a hooked tip and a sharp cutting edge. The bird has broad wings and a short, broad, and square tail.

Date: November 8^th, 2017
Time: 03:15pm
Location: Path to the bio-orchard

Frank Cerwall Huayaban  | Inkaterra Explorer Guide | Inkaterra Guides Field Station

On Monday, Frank and other inkaterra explorers guides, carried a small canoe to the Carachamayo creek, located 500 meters in the deep jungle. As they approached to the shore they noticed that a big snake was resting between the vegetation.

Greater was the surprise when they saw that it was a boa (boa constrictor) locally known as Matona.

Frank Cerwall | Explorer Guide | Inkaterra Guide Field Station