LET'S FIND the harpy eagle nest

Stories

Journey to a Rare Harpy Eagle Nest

Timing is everything in the Amazon rainforest. So when Jeff and I heard that there was a harpy eagle nest near the Refugio Amazonas Jungle Lodge, we knew that we had a narrow window of opportunity to see these rare birds caring for their young.

 Biologist Aaron Pomerantz and Wildlife Photographer Jeff Cremer visit a rare harpy eagle nest in Tambopata, Peru

Why are harpy eagles so cool? For one, they are the largest eagle in the Americas and are considered the most powerful bird of prey in the entire world. With tarsal claws 5 inches long and a wingspan of up to six and a half feet, these beautiful and formidable predators make quick meals out of monkeys and sloths.

Harpy eagle nests are extremely rare and difficult to find. One researcher I spoke with within Peru described searching for harpy eagle nests as «searching for a needle in a haystack!» There are several reasons for their elusiveness:

  • Harpy eagle nests are sparsely distributed throughout the vast rainforest
  • The adults have slow reproductive rates, producing one chick every two to three years
  • They tend to nest in massive trees, like the Brazil nut, making them difficult to spot from the ground

This last reason made things tricky. If we wanted to film this nest, we were going to need to be high up. So we grabbed our camera equipment, ropes, and harnesses, then climbed up 100 feet into the canopy to observe this rare harpy eagle chick.

Harpy_eagle_Tambopata_Peru

An adult harpy eagle brings back a howler monkey for breakfast. Image by Chris A. johns

harpy eagle chick in Tambopata

 

harpy eagle nest in Tambopata lodge

The harpy eagle nest is constructed in a massive tree in the Amazon rainforest.

The view from the canopy was pretty incredible. We could overlook the seemingly limitless green rainforest and be eye-level with the nest. Jeff’s camera equipment came in handy – although we were around 30 meters away from the nest, the 600mm and 800mm lenses caught some really sharp footage of the chick.

The harpy eagle chick is about 6 months old and looks strong and healthy. The adults have been visiting the nest less frequently and the chick is becoming more active, which indicates it may fledge soon.

harpy. eagle call_and_adult

An eagle chick calls out to the adults for food, mainly eating monkeys and sloths.

All in all, the journey was well worth it. Everyone was safe getting up and down from the canopy and the eagles were not disturbed. We feel very fortunate to have seen such an incredible animal in its natural environment and hope to see the chick return someday as a full-grown adult with a wild mate of its own.

harpy eagle chick_2

The harpy eagle chick will one day be the top aerial predator in this jungle

 

 

You can follow us on Twitter @AaronPomerantz and @JCremerPhoto!

By Aaron Pomerantz

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This trip was the highlight of our travels through peru. The lodge was absolutely 5 stars for everything. The room, food, people. We had a private guide, Allen, who grew up locally and really had deep knowledge of the land, the history, and the variety of plant and animal species in the jungle. His knowledge and passion were invaluable to our experience. There are a variety of tour companies and lodges you can book to visit the Amazon, however, I would only recommend Rainforest Expeditions as they are truly connected to the community and offer high quality first class amazon experience! Read all

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An unforgettable, fully immersive jungle experience. Amazing how Tambopata Lodge delivers luxury touches in such a remote and rugged location. The food is fantastic, the staff incredible, and the wildlife sightings non-stop. The personalised itinerary and one-on-one guiding made the trip truly special—huge thanks to our guide Johan for sharing his passion and knowledge. The Macaw Project is inspiring, and it’s clear the lodge fully supports this important conservation work. Manager Brian was always kind, helpful. Well-done all involved. Read all

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Fantastic to be deep in the forest surrounded by incredible wildlife with our amazing guide Juan Carlos Yatto, who really knew his stuff! Also his photography skills meant that we could share our experience even better through his telescope using our phone cameras! We learned so much!! He went to extra lengths to find butterflies and moths for us along with so many different birds and monkeys. This was a travel highlight for us as experienced wildlife travellers. We loved our spacious room with no windows and open to more wildlife visitors but after 5 nights the bed could have been a little more comfortable. Luckily we had a second bed to use. Otherwise it was fantastic with hot water showers and fresh drinking water all the time. We were amazed at the variety of food on offer for breakfast, lunch and dinner and couldn’t believe they could have such a wonderful food offering in such a remote location. Even the wine and cocktails were great. I highly recommend spending the extra money and time getting to this location. We stayed at another lodge later which was closer to Puerto Maldonado and there was far less wildlife. Read all

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