February is still very much a dry season happening here in the jungle. There are indicators however that the dry season is slipping by. First off the dry season winds so prominent in December and early January have pretty much shut down. Then the advancing season is betrayed by the burning off of garden sites in anticipation of the rains which could begin as early as March. Most years the rainy season begins with the mid afternoon thunderstorms so typical of April, but one can never be absolutely sure. By February the constellation “the seven sisters” is no longer directly overhead at sundown as was the case in early December.
The turkeys however are still singing every morning and the river is very low. This means continued good hunting for the jungle folks. By now most of the smaller turtles have laid their eggs but the larger species are still going strong.
Another tell tale sign the dry season is wearing on is that the bigger, flatter rocks along the river banks and mid river are getting smelly. River travelers and hunters stop here to fish and and camp or maybe just to cook a meal before moving on. Like anywhere else some people tend to leave discarded items strewn around. We’re talking fish bones or maybe some bait items and often a dead electric eel or sting ray will be left on the rock to rot. Of course the vultures will take care of any carrion they can reach with their beaks but somehow a dead eel will end up in a crevasse where even the vultures can’t reach. What had surfaced as clean river washed rocks in December have become littered and smelly places awaiting the rising water’s cleansing wash when the rains begin. Folks will still stop by these rocks till the rising waters cover them once again but for now the smell lets you know it’s February and not December.
One February in an unusually dry El Nino year smoke blowing in from brush fires burning in a neighboring country many, many miles away made flying, even for experienced jungle pilots, extremely dangerous. You wouldn’t have thought smoke would be a problem in the “rain forrest”. By the end of February the dry season usually has another month or so before it runs it’s course but it definitely is running out of time.
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