Amazonas

Amazonas is the largest of the twenty-six states of Brazil. The state contains most of the tropical rainforest of the Amazon basin, possibly the greatest concentration of biodiversity of our planet. Its capital Manaus is situated where the Negro river splits from the mighty Amazon.

The Negro is so called because its water is “black.” In reality it is the colour of dark tea due to decomposing leaves. It is acidic water; thus there is less fish in the Negro than the clear waters of the Amazon.

My interest in visiting Amazonas was to experience the famous forest and, of course, see some birds.

Because the trees in the rainforest are so tall, and most of the birds fly at or near the canopy, it makes little sense - from the birdwatching perspective - to hike inside the forest. Instead, birders climb towers that reach above the canopy and watch birds from there. 

When I had contacted my guide Gabriel, I had requested visits to two towers. One is situated inside Manaus and called MUSA tower. The second tower is two hours' drive from Manaus requiring an arduous four-wheel journey. Known as the INPA tower, it is used for various research purposes. Climbing these towers requires government permission; I had to apply ahead of time.

Early in the morning we drove through Manaus, a green city of numerous large trees, to the Museum of the Amazonas, where the forty-two meter MUSA tower is located. Giant trees surrounded us as we hiked a short distance to the tower. The understory here was dark. It was evident that sunlight never reaches ground level. In fact, due to the poor sandy soil and lack of light, new trees cannot grow tall. Many a sapling simply waits around until a large tree dies or falls before it gets its chance to rise.

We started climbing but just as we reached the top the sky darkened swiftly. Before I had seen a single bird a torrential downpour started. I had brought an umbrella and waterproofing for my camera, but the drenching I received was a reminder I was in a rainforest.

It soon cleared, however, into a delightful day with birds of many colours, sizes and shapes: Tanagers, Trogons, Dacnis, Treecreepers, Flycatchers, etc. Something else was unusual. When I looked out from the tower, I couldn't see the ground and felt I was floating on an ocean of green. Looking at this ocean's surface – that is, the forest canopy - I could never guess it was forty meters from the ground.

The trees were of course majestic. So were the lianas and epiphytes that grew on them and I saw parasitical leaves perhaps a meter wide. This was Indians' territory but the closest I came to them was a thorny palm tree that Gabriel pointed out. Indians coated its thorns with poison from a frog and used them in blowpipes to kill larger animals.

Back in Manaus we crossed a bridge where the Negro had just split off from the Amazon. The water was black, but in the distance I could see Amazon's white waters.

While the birds were enchanting, I will remember Amazonas more for her magnificent trees. Later we visited a remote spot looking for a special and memorable bird. That is the subject of another column.

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