Peru - Between Birds and the Abyss

It is 4am. Hiking on a muddy and very steep slope in the Peruvian rainforest, we have to get to the lek before sunrise when the action begins. We are hoping to watch the cock-of-the-rock birds display with barking sounds and synchronised dances. 

Gen settles down on a tiny wooden platform with her equipment and, as she shifts her weight, the rotten logs give way beneath her and disintegrate with a loud cracking sound. In a split second Gen catches her tripod with her right hand and a branch with her left, leaving her dangling on a 45 degree slope in total darkness.

We had more luck several days later on a dawn boat trip to a riverside claylick where we saw dozens of brilliantly-coloured macaws scraping and squabbling over minerals.