Hunting Macaws in the night

Scarlet Macaws are beautiful creatures. Unfortunately due to our world losing it's wilderness their habitats are disappearing all over. But one place you can still find them is in the Amazon rainforest. I had met up with a small group of trackers earlier in the week who told me they had seen many Macaws near the Amazon river. They also warned me of the many dangers of the river. Between crocodiles, snakes, and carnivorous fish I would have my hands full. But none of that mattered if I could find the Scarlet Macaws.

The Macaws have been my life's work. Ever since I was a child I have found and ingested every scrap of information I could about them. I had come up with various methods for trying to keep an eye on them and track them over long distances. Many of my ideas had been shot down though and I was told that if I wanted to implement any of them I would have to raise my own funds and do it myself. So now here I am on a solo expedition with nothing but a few tracking bracelets, some rope, and some food.

The group of trackers led me down to the river but they told me they would go no further. They had lost too many men to the river. It seemed to have a mind of it's own and would take lives on a whim. The way they spoke of it made it seem as if it were a living being handing out life and death on a whim. I am not a superstitious man though and I have a mission so no matter what I have to keep going.

I walked along the river bed following it downstream. As the sun begins to sink I realize that I really hadn't thought this all the way through. The only light I had was a headlamp and I had no sleeping gear but again I must persevere. Right before the sun completely disappeared I caught a flash of red in the air across the river. Immediately I turned my headlamp on and jumped into the river without a second thought. The current takes me off my feet sweeping me downstream. All I can think about is how close I had come to a Macaw finally. I find that the river seems to be pushing me to the other side of the bank that I had been trying to get to.

As soon as I can get my footing I push myself up onto the bank. I sit there on my hands and knees gasping for air thinking of how weird it was that the river had just pushed me over to the bank. But again I'm not a superstitious man so I shrug it off. As I sit there thinking I can hear all the noises of the forest. Various growls and hisses feel the night air. I look around frantically trying to pinpoint where they are coming from but I see nothing. I finally push myself up and start making my way upstream now following the pitiful path of light my headlamp is giving me. Soon I think I'm back to where I had jumped in. Now though there is a log in the river. I look at it wondering how I hadn't hit it earlier when suddenly I see two shiny eyes staring back at me. I startle backwards falling on to my butt.

The crocodile sensing an easy meal starts to crawl out of the river towards me. I push myself backwards trying to get away from the crocodile. Even though it's moving slowly I'm so shaken up that I can't get my senses together enough to run. The crocodile crawled its way onto the land it's jaws already open. Suddenly a loud roar pierced the night and everything stopped. The crocodile slowly closed its mouth and backed itself into the water floating away. I look around desperately wondering what I just heard when my headlamp caught another flash of red off to my left.

I push myself up and with weak knees hobble my way towards the flash of red I saw. Soon it comes into full view and it's a Scarlet Macaw. I almost scream out in relief but stop myself realizing what a bad idea that probably was. I slowly walk my way towards the Macaw talking to it, "Well hello there gorgeous. I've been looking all over for you. I just want to put something on your leg and then you're free to go." I reach my left arm out towards it and it hops down from the tree branch it's on to land on my arm. Using my right hand I slowly clasp an ankle bracelet to it's leg and then it takes off into the forest.

I watch it fly off quickly losing sight of it from my headlamp. I take off after it hoping it will take me to more Macaws. I'm pushing and tearing into the dense vegetation trying to keep it within my headlamp. Soon though I have to stop and catch my breath. I realize I can still hear the river so I must not have strayed too far from it. I look around trying to catch that flash of red again instead all I see are eyes looking at me. I straighten myself up as tall as I can, trying to make myself look as big as I can hoping to intimidate whatever is surrounding me.

Me and all the eyes are locked in what seems like an eternal staring contest when I get an idea, "I'm just here to try and help the Macaws. I don't want them to go extinct and if they do I know it will cause untold devastation for all of you. So please let me through or maybe even take me to them." I watch in disbelief as the eyes fade away one by one till only one set remains. Slowly a jaguar walks out of the shadows into the meager light of my headlamp. I swallow and try to stop my body's automatic reaction to run. "Will you help me?"

The jaguar turns, flicking its tail at me and begins to walk. I follow it closely making sure to keep it in my light. It leads me back to the river and then walks me upstream. Occasionally I'll hear a noise in the dark and the jaguar will growl and then something will skitter away into the darkness. Soon I'm standing in a colony of Macaws. Their iridescent colors shining brightly even under my pitiful headlamp. They all watch me with interest as if wondering why I had come. I hold my hands up, “I want to put something on your legs so that it will be easier to find you all. So that we humans can help keep track of you and hopefully keep you from going extinct.” The Macaws all begin to make noise as if in agreement. I look around in amazement turning to my guide to thank it but it's already gone. I spend the rest of the night talking with the Macaws and putting bracelets on them.

The first rays of light begin to finally break and with it the Macaws all rise up as one taking off. I watched in stunned amazement at the gorgeous sight before me hoping that the horrific night I had just undergone would lead to being able to help the Macaws. The trackers from before find me soon after and help me to get back to civilization. I learned a lot that night including why the trackers were so superstitious. It's true that the river and the rainforest have a mind of their own and as long as you come with good intent they will protect you. But if you come with evil intent then the river or the rainforest may swallow you whole.

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