I travel along many rivers when I visit this part of the northern Peruvian Amazon, but I always see the greatest diversity of birds when traveling along the Tahuayo River.
During our two day trip visiting Chino, Esperanza and Santa Cruz we saw various black collared hawks (locally called "Mama vieja") perched on branches looking for fish and occasionally emitting their unmistakable cry. Cormorants swam along looking down and then left little pools of water as they ran across the water to gain enough speed to take off when we got too close. Blue kingfishers darted from perch to perch and swallows swooped back and forth across the river. A rufescent tiger heron crouched low near the water. My prize sighting was spotting two iridescent white chinned jacamars in the forest edge while leaving Santa Cruz.
When Elle came into our booth, she immediately spotted our yellow Papilio butterfly ornament. I asked her about her attraction to this craft and learned an emotional backstory which she generously consented to let me share.
I felt joy and some pride that I played a role in allowing the Alternatives to Violence Project to work its magic for energizing our internal light that attracts people to each other.
by Campbell Plowden
