HARPY EAGLE PROJECT
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The Peruvian biologist Antonio Fernandini, the most recognized expert with Eagles in Peru, works with the Oropendola Project that has educative programs with the Amazon local people. Oropendola staffs are currently working in the Department of Madre de Dios - Peru. At the moment Mr. Antonio is working with damage Harpy Eagle, which is this recovering. This bird had been damage in the wing by a furtive hunter. As soon as the bird recovers, it will be back to its natural habitat in the Amazon rain forest.
HARPY EAGLE nesting with one Young CHICK.
Date: April 12 to April 20 2006
I was in manu area from April 03 to April 20 of 2006, working with the metal tower close to the Harpy Eagle nest. We build a 30 meters hight tower and the distance from the tower to the nest is 25 meters away the same nest level. The eagles have one chick in the nest, I saw the parent bringing a Duski Titi monkey to feed the chick and they where active, the adults eagles where easy to see close to the nest specialy the mother.
The nest is in the Dicterix Tree, locally call Chihuhuaco this tree is one of the stronger tree in the Amazon area.
PHOTOS: Mother and Harpy eagle Chick by Tomoko Suzuki and Walter Mancilla
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A Visit to a Harpy Eagle Nest on the Trip Down to Puerto Maldonado
By: Boris Gomez and Walter Mancilla
General Information:
This is a truly unique experience as the Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is one of the largest of the fifty species of eagles. It can grow to be as large as 36 to 40 inches in length (this mainly is seen in the females of the species). It can reach a weight of up to 20 pounds. The Harpy in flight can reach speeds above 50 mph.
The Harpy is relatively half the length of an average-sized human and it is this size that makes them formidable hunters. As in many birds of prey, females are larger than males. Their diet is composed mainly of small tree-living mammals like opossums, sloths and monkeys. Madre de Dios biologists have reported baby peccaries as well.
The backside of the Harpy Eagle is covered with slate black feathers, and the underside is covered with white. There is a black band across the chest up to the neck. The head is pale gray, and is crowned with a double crest. This coloration gives it the menacing look to match its reputation.
Harpy Eagles are endangered species whose main threat is the loss of habitat. The nearby Inter -Oceanic road, now in construction between Brazil and Peru is a current threat. Thus your visit may help us to show the locals and the government that conservation and natural history tourism pays.
The fee to see the Harpy Eagle nest is $ 110.00 per person.
In addition to the complicated logistics, this includes a donation to fund a long-term study to protect raptors in Madre de Dios, a project run by Peruvian biologists who makes sure that our visits cause the least stress on the bird and the parents.
You are welcome to make a further donation to the Madre de Dios Raptor Project if you wish. They currently monitor several other species of eagle nests in the area.
Most of the fee will be left with the local people who will see that tourism can actually generate more income that cutting the surrounding forests and/or killing the eagles.
The logistics are as follows:
From Amazon Manu Lodge you boat to gold-mining town of Colorado along the Madre de Dios River. Upon arrival in Colorado at around 10 or 11 a.m. we will drive you for about 20-minutes to an affluent of the Colorado and the Madre de Dios River. At the river beach, a small motorized boat or "peque-peque" will take you downstream and then into a narrow jungle river channel, about 15 minutes in total. From the boat landing we will guide you over a mostly flat trail across mature rain forest, for about 20-minutes to the 25-30-meter tower.
The metal scaffolding tower is secured to an adjacent tree with ropes and steel guy -wires. We have set-up these types of platforms for a number of nature film crews in Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, and we take hundreds of people into the canopy every year.
You must not suffer from fear of heights and will have to climb the tower stairs on your own steam. (5-10 minutes). We will provide a professional climbing harness to secure you to a climbing rope which will hold you in case you slip. A person will monitor your ascent into the tower with a figure eight and a pulley. The platform on top of the tower is about 5 by 2 meters and can accommodate 10 adults. There may be other visitors sharing the experience with you, if you wish a private experience we may be able to arrange it for an extra fee.
Make sure that you visit the bathroom before you climb. Take insect repellant, water, a hat, BINOCULARS, and film/photographic equipment, check that you have enough film or disk space, that your equipment batteries are fully charged and above all REMAIN AS SILENT AS POSSIBLE. Harpy Eagles have super ear gains. Enjoy the sounds of the rain forest canopy. Very few people will ever see these extraordinary birds in the wild.
BE ALERT ! And ready to operate your cameras or your binoculars.
You are responsible for the adequate protection and security of all optical or photographic equipment taken to the tower. We take no responsibility if any of the above or other personal equipment falls from the tower or it is ruined as a result of this visit.
Although the tower has wood siding and rails, you MUST NOT lean onto these siding or handrails, as your weight may break them and you may fall.
The nest is about 12-15 meters from the tower and the Harpy Eagle chick is a few months old. He/she is starting to change his white, baby feathers into the impressive barred, white, black and grey colors of an adult. The sun will be setting to the right of the nest.
We do not guaranteed that the parents will come to the nest while you are there. As the chick grows older the parents return less to the nest. If they do come, then you may see them bringing a monkey, sloth or baby peccary to the nest.
While at the tower, in addition to the Harpy Eagle chick we saw: Chestnut-fronted macaws, Scarlet Macaws, Blue and Yellow Macaws, all flying by in large groups, trios and couples. There were also Tui parakeets a couple of meters from our platform and we also saw guans and Saddle-backed-Tamarin monkeys.
After this experience we still have to retrace our route which includes two short river crossings. If we want to do this with sunlight we must start our way back at 16:00.
Navigating Jungle Rivers at night is possible but it has risks, like hitting underwater logs, etc.
After retracing our hike-river route we will drive you to the Inambari River in about 40-minutes. We will cross the beautiful Inambari River at sunset in about 10-minutes. On the other side, another vehicle will drive us to Puerto Maldonado in about three hours. We will alert the lodge in Puerto Maldonado so that they serve you a late dinner.
