Parrot News

13 May 2009

Birding Tambopata

Alan Lee

Boasting a species list of over 1800, including over 120 endemics, Peru either is or should be on anybody’s destination list who is even vaguely interested in birds. From coastal deserts to high Andes mountains, to the cloud forest, to the extensive lowland Amazon that covers 60% of the country, the range of habitats is immense. Each ecozone is home to unique birds, and nowhere are the numbers of birds surpassed than in the lowland Amazon rainforests.

One of the most accessible areas of forest are those of the Tambopata, only a half hour flight from the Inca capital, Cusco. Single rainforest lodges in south east Peru typically boast bird lists of upwards of 500 species, with a record breaking 600 species recorded at Explorer’s Inn. However, birding in the rainforest takes some getting used to. Although species richness is high, bird biomass is fairly constant and does not reach the extremes of some temperate zone sites during summer. To get 400 species on a one or two week trip you will need a specialist guide, playback equipment and a lot of patience.

Still, there is no need to dive head first into the rainforests on a birding trip to southeast Peru. The most accessible gateway to the lowland Amazon is the jungle town of Puerto Maldonado, Peru’s capital of biodiversity. A night or two in the Wasai hotel is recommended, as an afternoon in the gardens will provide good views of Palm, Silver-beaked and Blue-and-grey tanagers, and Red-capped cardinals at the fruit table near the dining area. Sapphire-spangled emeralds and Bearded hermits visit the Heliconia flowers, and a search for the Straight-billed woodcreeper in the Pashaco trees may instead reward you with a sighting of a dozing sloth. Just beyond the edge of town on the main road to Cusco, small scale agriculture provides ample secondary habitat for Grayish saltator, Barred anthrike, Blue-black grassquit and Smooth-billed ani. Where areas of pasture have been opened up for cattle, birds associated with savannas to the south can now be seen, including Red-breasted blackbird, Southern caracara and Burrowing owls.

A very early morning trip (45 minutes) to the palm swamps of Sandoval lake is the only place to see the Colpa de Palmeras. In a unique birding display that occurs just after dawn, hundreds of Red-bellied macaws and the odd Red-shouldered macaw gather to eat the bark of dead palm trees. The lake itself is home to the enigmatic Hoatzin, as well as Rufescent tiger-heron, Neotropical cormorant, Sunbittern, Sungrebe and Anhinga. The sociable Giant otter can also be seen here. Black-faced cotinga, Syrestes and Varzea mourner are special birds to look for on the broad forest trail back to the boat.

No trip to the Tambopata would be complete without an expedition to the world’s largest and most species rich macaw claylick. However, to break the eight hour journey from town to get there it is advisable to spend a night at one of the lodges on the Tambopata River that have a canopy tower, for example Posada Amazonas. Here, a 37m high tower allows uninterrupted views over the forest canopy to the foothills of the Andes a hundred kilometres away. Mixed flocks of tanagers closer to the tower are a delight to the eye; members include Paradise, Green-and-gold, Turquoise and White-shouldered tanagers, accompanied by Green honeycreepers and Blue dacnis. Dusky-headed parakeets and Red-and-green macaws fly past to a nearby claylick, with a wary eye open for raptors such as Crane and Slate-coloured hawks or Black and Ornate Hawk-eagles. A touch of luck may bring the majestic Harpy eagle into view as a few nesting sites are known from the surrounding lands of the local Ese-eja native community.

A local mineral lick frequented by mammals and parakeets may yield sightings of not just Black-capped parakeets, but perhaps also hundreds of Cobalt-winged parakeets. It is also a good site to get close up views of Spix’s guan, Speckled chachalacas, and the Ruddy and Plumbeous pigeons, which you would have heard before, calling, invisible in the upper canopy. That is if they are not frightened off by the pig-like barks of a visiting family of Collared peccary.

Standard Posada tours normally include an early morning start to the Tres-chimbadas Lake. Birders who have seen an oxbow lake, like Sandoval, should concentrate on working the zone of bamboo between the river and the lake. Large, natural stands of Guadua bamboo are home to several bamboo specialists, many of which are only found in this area of Peru or nearby Bolivia. Among these are: Peruvian recurvebill, White-cheeked tody tyrant, Rufous-crested woodpecker and Bamboo antshrike.

The start of the boat journey upriver is no time to relax. There are several species of oropendula to tick off, which nest communally and conspicuously in isolated trees along the river edge. Their brood parasites, Giant cowbirds, are common along the river banks and often seen perched on top of that giant, semi-aquatic rodent, the Capybara. Black caracara, flocks of Swallow-tailed kite and roosting Sand-coloured nighthawks are some to look out for. Past the last park control post the river becomes braided and shallow – perfect for egrets, herons and osprey. Exposed beaches are where visitors are also most likely to view Jaguar, either sunbathing or hunting turtles.

The Tambopata Research Centre is the only tourist lodge at Colpa Colorada, the world’s largest claylick, although camping with other operators is also possible. The research centre is home to the Tambopata Macaw Project, a long term research project focusing on claylick use and breeding ecology of Scarlet macaws. Researchers interact with visitors and give frequent presentations on the research, providing the perfect background for one’s first visit to one of the world’s most spectacular avian phenomenon.

A visit to the claylick starts as the calls of the Ocellated poorwills and Tawny-bellied screech-owls give way to the dawn chorus, part of which includes the tuning fork like calls of nine tinamou species. The early arrival to the viewing area ensures not only the chance of a spectacular red sunrise, but is important to ensure bird activity is not disturbed. One does not have to wait long before the first of hundreds of parrots start to stream into view. The numbers and species involved depend very much on the time of year. From July to October smaller species like Blue-headed parrot and White-bellied parrot are at their peak, while from November to February the claylick sees highest visitation of Mealy parrots and the three large macaw species. Fifteen of the areas twenty parrots are seen on an almost daily basis, including the endangered Blue-headed macaw. The sight and sound of over 1000 individuals is unforgettable.

By now your jungle eyes and ears should also be working and it’s a good time to start hunting for the hidden jewels of the rainforest, including six species of trogon, of which by far the most spectacular is the Pavonine quetzal. Motmots, Razor-billed curassow, Pale-winged trumpeter, Bluish-fronted jacamar and several toucans are among the big and colourfuls. Special birds not to be missed here include Scarlet-hooded barbet, White-throated jacamar, Rufous-fronted antthrush and Amazonian parrotlet.

One may well find it hard to dedicate the time needed to telling apart the different species of foliage-gleaners and antwrens that frequent mixed, under-story flocks, with eight species of monkeys and large herds of white-lipped peccary for distraction. Even more fascinating are the bird species that are only found around bivouacs of Army ants: Black-spotted bare-eye and White-throated antbird.

With record numbers of butterflies and dragonflies, the area offers something for everyone. One lodge, Refugio Amazonas, even has an interpretation trail and special guides for children. Although currently in good condition, there is concern that the paving of a highway connecting Brazil to the coast of Peru, which passes through Puerto Maldonado, will lead to increased immigration and deforestation. The price of gold has seen a correlated increase in the number of alluvial gold dredges on the rivers. Still, ecotourism has been largely embraced, and offers a sustainable economic alternative. Your visit will not just be a birding treat, but will go someway to help keeping the forests of this special region intact.