How studying Red and green macaws can save the Amazon

It’s one of the most stunning sights in the Peruvian rainforest. Every morning, just after sunrise, a riot of rainbows swoops down on the world’s largest avian clay lick in the southern jungle of Peru.

The rainbows are actually birds — large macaws, parrots, and parakeets, feathers colored in ultra-bright shades of red, yellow, green, and blue.

Few visitors ever get to see this daily congregation of birdlife. The clay lick, called the Collpa Colorado, is located more than 6 hours by boat from the nearest town. The Tambopata Research Center, a remote jungle lodge operated by the ecotourism company Rainforest Expeditions, enjoys a privileged location just 500 meters away.

Bird fanatics make once-in-a-lifetime trips out here specifically to witness this spectacle of sound and color. Researchers likewise flock here to study macaw behavior and to catalog the extreme biodiversity of the surrounding Tambopata National Reserve.

But — cue the dark clouds, lightning, and thunder — this paradise for birds is in danger of destruction.

by Jeff Cremer

Grad Student Discovers Unexplained Web Structure

Resembling “The Unicorn in Captivity”

At Tambopata Research Center in Peruvian Rainforest

LIMA, Peru, Sept. 19, 2013– Peru’s visionary leader in sustainable tourism, Rainforest Expeditions, reports that deep in the Peruvian rainforest near its Tambopata Research Center an as-yet-unnamed insect or fungus has been discovered that weaves an intricate funnel-shaped cocoon surrounded by approximately 30 “posts” that are positioned vertically, connected by woven “mesh,” and evenly spaced to form a “fence” measuring some 2 centimeters around the cocoon.

Thus far entomologists are stumped as to what it is.

Troy Alexander, a graduate student visiting the center in early June was the first to discover the structure this past summer, first on the underside of a tarp and then on tree trunks.

“I do not know what organism made it. Never seen such a structure before,” said Jonathan Coddington, who studies spiders and is associate director for science at the National Museum of Natural History.

Suggestions range from the structure being a spider egg sac to an incomplete cocoon. Other suggestions are funnier. “I have seen people say that it’s been built by a spider from Mars, that it’s a navigational aid built by mosquitos for navigating the dense jungles, to alien communication arrays built by local arachnids under the influence of alien mind control.” Jeff Cremer, spokesperson for Rainforest Expeditions. “Some people even say that it looks like the insect (or fungal) variation on the theme of the Late Middle Ages tapestry, The Unicorn in Captivity,”

Troy Alexander’s favorite theory, described on Facebook, is that “there are spider eggs in the base of the pole, and the spiderlings climb the pole and sail away on silken parachutes, protected by the fence the whole time.”

This region is no stranger to new species. In early 2012 the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reported on 365 previously undocumented species found in Bahuaja Sonene National Park in the Tambopata River region of southeastern Peru. More recently in September 2012 a new spider species that created “false” decoy spiders as protection was found at the center.

If you are passionate about science and nature, become a citizen scientist with Wired Amazon.

We recently had the pleasure of hosting Tropical Herping, a team of biologists and photographers from Ecuador, at our lodges.

Tropical Herping performed an extensive survey of our forests and took some INCREDIBLE images.

Considering it is dry season, the 37 species of stunning reptiles and amphibians are quite impressive. Below is a brief view of some of their encounters at our amazon jungle lodges.

By Phil Torres

How is it possible to maintain such large lodges in the middle of the Amazon? A recent roof renovation at Posada Amazonas Lodge highlighted the incredible process (Infierno community).

It all revolved around a «faena» in which community members donate their time to work on a project that is for the good of the community. Posada Amazonas is managed by and co-owned by the native community of Infierno, and employs many individuals from the community, so this roof renovation was directed by the board of the community.

The «faena,» Community Teamwork project, to replace the roof

The turnout was remarkable – 73 people, 15kg of nails, and 1,500 crishneja leaves, the palm from which the roofing is woven.

There are as many men as there are women. Women are mainly in charge of carrying the leaves from the port to the house that is to be remodeled. Men dedicate themselves to the installation of the roof and finally, the women clean the rooms and the work areas, and they prepare the communal meal and the refreshments. the first day involved removing the old roof and replacing half of it, the second day finished the replacement and sealed the edges, and the third day was the clean-up.

On the first day, 100% of the dry leaves were removed and half of the new roof was installed. On the second day, the other half was installed. Edges and unions were sealed and finally, the third day was cleaning and preparation day, to leave everything ready.

In order to cover the new roof, they must begin from the bottom up and from left to right. A row of about 20 people is formed, each one holding a bundle of crishneja leaves. Upon a shout or a whistle signal from one of them, they must begin to place and nail the leaves in order, making sure one bundle is beneath the other. They continue to the following row and so on and so forth until the top is reached.

From us at Rainforest Expeditions, a huge thank you to the Community of Infierno for their hard work in keeping the Posada Amazonas Lodge well-maintained and beautiful! (Community Teamwork)

UPDATE NOTE 2024: Posada Amazonas now have Comfort and Suite Rooms. Come and join this venture with the Native Community of Infierno.

By Phil Torres

A recent study on the Tambopata region showed that we are truly in a Tapir paradise, with numbers that have recovered from any hunting or habitat disturbance of the past due to well-protected habitat over these last few decades.

A tapir crossing the Tambopata. Image by Jeff Cremer.

While reports on recovered numbers are always a good sign, what I didn’t know was how many there actually were here, or if it would be difficult to get some glimpses of tapirs in the wild. Tapirs are notoriously difficult to see, as one tapir researcher I know who has spent over a year in the field has only ever seen one in person!

I was curious to know how many tapirs we have in our area, so I set up a camera trap near the Colorado Claylick at the Tambopata Research Center to take photos of any passing mammals. While the clay lick is known for its spectacular displays of macaws feeding on the salty clay during the rainy season, it also has several heavily used game trails leading to it which suggest that mammals are also extensively walking into the clay lick to get in on the action. I hoped some of those mammals would be tapirs.

I expected maybe one, but what I got was far from that. Here’s an example of a fairly typical night at the clay lick.*

There is a maximum of six tapirs, and a minimum of three in these photos. Regardless of the final amount, this much tapir activity consistently in one area is very impressive and demonstrates the importance of the clay lick for our non-avian neighbors living in the rainforest around us.

*Note- while it may appear these are multiple pictures of the same individual, there are additional photos showing each one leaves the camera’s view (and not return), suggesting they are all different. I simply selected the photos which give the best view of the beasts.

How to plan your Amazon travel to see this and other Amazon wildlife

• Go on a hike in the rainforest with a trained guide: You have to be very lucky and have an eagle eye.

Don’t miss our next blog about tapirs:

A face to face encounter with a wild Tapir

By Phil Torres

The Great Black Hawk, Buteogallus urubitinga, is one of the many birds of prey in the Peruvian rainforest of Tambopata you will very likely see while boating up the river to the lodges.

These hawks are known to specialize in feeding on reptiles like lizards and snakes but have also been observed feeding on small mammals and large insects. One study observed adults even feed their chicks venomous vipers and poisonous toads!

How to plan your Amazon travel to see the Great Black Hawk and other Amazon wildlife

• The Great Black Hawk is one of the larger hawks in our region, and always a pleasure to watch as it hops along the shore of the Tambopata looking for prey.
• Go on a hike in the rainforest with a trained guide: Hawks are anywhere in the rainforest. However, to have a better view of hawks, hang out with a birder guide.

By Phil Torres

For us that work at Rainforest Expeditions, there are at times days when we’re too busy working to get the chance to step out into the marvelous forest around us. But that doesn’t mean nature disappoints, it often does quite the opposite and surprises us with close encounters and fantastic photo opportunities. Here are some of the birds that have come right up to us in recent days at Refugio Amazonas, a great opportunity for birding in the rainforest. (Birding in the rainforest)

Golden Collared Toucanet

Fasciated Antshrike

Rufous Motmot

Semi-Collared Puffbird

This is just the beginning, we also get many hummingbirds, oropendolas, tanagers, jays, macaws, parrots, and others that are called the lodge and its surroundings their home.

So you can imagine: if this is what you see when you’re at the lodge, just wait until you step into the forest.

How to plan your Amazon travel to see birds and other Amazon wildlife

• Go on a hike in the rainforest with a trained guide: They have the eagle eye you need to discover the amazon wildlife around.

By Phil Torres

Follow Phil Torres on Twitter.