Earthwatch November 2008
I have just returned from the Tambopata Research Centre, where I have spent the last 2 weeks in the company of some amazing people and shared some amazing wildlife experiences. This was the first Earthwatch trip of the season, and the aim of our journey was to monitor the worlds largest claylick and help broaden our understanding of parrot dietary changes through the year. My companions were two ladies from the UK Tina and Lesley, and from the US, Jim and Barbara, Tim and Tish.
The arrival was stormy, instead of a nice introduction to the Tambopata river, we had the blinds of the boat down to protect us from getting drenched. Instead, the groups first macaws were a series of photos on my laptop taken at the Colpa Hermosa claylick. Thanks to the new 85hp outboard motor, the journey to Refugio Amazonas was quick. We arrived earlier than expected, which enabled us to get stuck into the data taking training exercises. A good thing normally this is done after dinner on the first day, when most people simply want to collapse into their comfortable beds, tuck in the mosquito nets and get some sleep.
11 November was to be our long boat journey up to TRC. In order to stretch legs we were led by our guide Jhin Solis to the canopy tower for views of the surrounding forests. Even Tim, Lesley and Tina with their fear of heights made it to the top, although Tina did descend on her bum. The more placid experience on the Condenado lake, where we were paddled around in a canoe, was a lot more relaxing. But all too soon it was time to head back to the lodge for the boat journey upriver. With our little bags of snacks at arms reach, laying back in individual seats with a view up the river, heads supported by pillow-like life jackets, after a few hours many had nodded off to the gentle hum of the outboard motor. A wee break at the Malinowsky checkpoint that guards the confluence of the Malinowsky and Tambopata Rivers was very welcome. And then we set off along the braided river with its wide beaches for the last 3 hours to TRC. At last, we were rewarded with our first real macaws, many perched in the trees at the first major claylick on the Tambopata river Chuncho. After that, flocks of White-eyed parakeets and pairs of large macaws were a fairly regular sighting.
With just a bend in the river to go before reaching our destination, the cooling mechanism in the motor failed. Some riverside efforts to repair it were unsuccessful, but did allow us to engage in a cooling dip in the river. Following our example, the boat driver assistant poured water over the engine and we slowly stuttered upriver. Lodge staff had heard the boat was in difficulties and headed down to reach us in a peque peque motor. At least this all happened close to the lodge! With dusk closing in on us, we stumbled along the pebble path to the lodge, where we were well received by the long-term Macaw Project assistants and lodge staff with a cool drink.
12 November 03:45 wake up call for everyone! First day real time training at the claylick! 04:15 and we were all ready and heading down the forest trail by flashlight to the boat for the short trip the island observation post. Lining up on our fold up chairs, we watched the dawn break over the clay bank in front of us, while 15 species of macaws and parrots streamed into the area from the surrounding forests. What a spectacle. By 05:30 the first birds were on the lick, and soon joined by hundreds of others, a feeding frenzy that would put hungry piranha to sham. Feeding, counting, and scribbling on data sheets continued for nearly two hours, although by 7:00 it was just a handful of White-bellied parrots feeding on isolated lumps of clay between the vegetation. A brilliant introduction to a spectacular phenomenon. After the delicious buffet breakfast, everyone was still awake to go through foraging training and handling of telescopes and radios. It must have been good training, as in the afternoon our training walks resulted in two encounters with groups of macaws foraging on different trees. The first, a Terminalia, was full of macaws and Mealy parrots. Although some distance from the trail, little brave Barbara followed me into the dense undergrowth in search of some specimens. Our foraging for parrot leftovers was also successful.
13 November, and time to start data collection in earnest. However, storm clouds that had been building up through the evening finally decided to unleash their cargo, and since we have long since shown that birds do not feed on the clay in the rain, we no longer subject volunteers to unnecessary showers. With rain diminishing after breakfast, we were still able to head out to look for foraging parrots. Although we found none, White-lipped peccary were to be found in abundance. Tim, Tish and I watched nervously from a distance as a small herd foraged in the mud not far from us for fallen Aguaje fruit.
The next fews days proved much better, although the bees do take some of the enjoyment out of watching the claylick for long periods of time. We hope to come up with some bee detraction advices so we can watch the macaws and parrots in peace! The problem is, just like parrots are attracted to clays that contain salt, so bees and insects are attracted to our sweat with the same basic ingredient!
Foraging walks, apart from providing some very interesting data on parrot diet, also provided some blisters. These were more than made up for by the adventures, many monkey sightings and a significant contribution to our body of knowledge on parrots and macaws.
The data taking routine was broken up on Sunday afternoon, the traditional football day in Peru. We headed to a clearing on an island with staff and long term volunteers and sweated in the sun for an hour on a grass pitch, while dark clouds built up around us. Then the storm front hit, the powerful wind bending trees almost in half, so we had to seek shelter in the middle of the football field. Meanwhile, Jim and Barb were getting very worried about branches falling on the shelter at the claylick! Fortunately, the wind was the worst of the storm, and we were all back in the lodge by the time the rain really started.
But such was the pace of life for the week or so data collection, and all too soon I could hardly believe it was all over and we were heading back down river again. A big thanks to Jim and Barb, for not only putting in a good number of afternoon colpa shifts, but also for donating two Compaq computers. Tina and Lesley, the giggling brits, put up with it all with a smile all the way through. Tish brought me lots of luck finding parrots foraging, and hosted a range of diverse skills that meant she always had some thing to say to surprise and make one look at issues from a different angle. Tim, the reborn birdwatcher, was great company and full of travel adventure stories. Together, a fantastic team, and our heartfelt thanks to all.
