When the rain is about to start, the howler monkeys and toucans start making their wild calls. The orangutan colored howler monkeys roar like lions, much louder than their size would suggest. Then you hear the rain start to approach from a distance over the vast forest. You know when it will start to pour like a shower; it is no surprise.

I am deep inside the jungle in Peru at the Tambopata Research Center. I flew in from Bogota, spent the night in Lima, and then took a 3-hour boat ride along the Tambopata river. Spent one night at at the Refugio Amazonas lodge, and the next day took another boat for 4 hours to get here. This is primary untouched protected forest, which is rare in today’s world. I remember why I chose this profession. It is incredible.

This place is famous for its macaws. Blue and yellow, scarlet, and red and green macaws. They are in the trees and along the cliffs, eating the clay to get salt and minerals. There are monkeys, capybaras, and of course many unusual bird species. I am here to hopefully develop a long-term research program.

The field station is incredible. I have never seen anything like this before; more like a first class lodge.  A lovely dining room, and each private bedroom has a open wall to the rainforest. Excellent food and company. The researchers here focus on the macaw biology, but other scientists come through to study this remote rainforest. I have a private guide showing me all the birds and wildlife. I am giving a research talk tonight.

The internet connection is poor, through a distant satellite, so I will post more photos later. I wish everyone in the world could experience this, to understand why rainforest conservation is so important.