Day 4--Training & Nature Walk

Thursday, February 7, 2008

This morning we were up at 4:15am ready for group introduction to colpa data gathering. We picked up our clipboards, donned our boots, gathered up stools and walking sticks, and off we hiked in the rain—down the trail to the boat.

Jhin at 4 a.m.,with our lunches (in plastic tubs) and snacks 

Me. already red-cheeked and mopping with the bandanna as I pick my way through boot-sucking mud on the trail to the boat

It is still dark when we set out upriver to the clay lick; we must arrive before any of the birds do

X marks the spot where we set up our observation point; we look with binoculars across the backwater at the clay lick (colpa)

Alan told us how to divide the face of the colpa into identifiable areas, and we all sketched a diagram to help us when we had colpa duty. Below is Jhin’s diagram, mysteriously mislabeled. It should be 1A, 2A 1B, 2B; 1C, 2C, & 3C

The following are some pix of the macaws, parrots, parakeets, birds, and animals we saw at the colpa. In the a.m. hundreds of birds would land to feed, the numbers gradually tapering off in the p.m. to only the large macaws, a few parrots, pigeons, piping guans. Though Sheila saw dusky titi monkeys on the colpa one evening too.

A feeble shot across at a portion of the colpa from our vantage point on the island; the faint green line on it is feeding mealy and blue-headed parrots; Mealy parrots and blue-headed parrots  

Red-and-green, or green-winged, macaw (Ara chloroptera) showing its personality

This photo was actually taken on our last day (can you tell I have an aching back?), but it is representative of our first visit to the colpa where Alan and the other guides identified, and taught us to identify, the macaws, parrots, parakeets and other animals and birds that fed at the colpa; Right: Red-and-green Macaws. 

Internet photos--Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao);right photo: Blue-and yellow, or blue-and-gold, Macaw (Ara ararauna)

Internet photos--Red-and-green, or green-winged, macaw (Ara chloroptera); right photo two Scarlets fly past

Scarlets, Red-and-green, and Blue-and-yellow Macaws during a “flush”; right photo: Scarlets and Blue-and-yellow Macaws during a “fly-by” 

Chestnut-fronted Macaw (Ara severus). Chestnut-fronted Macaws can easily be confused with Red-bellied Macaws from the back but not when seen from the front (see below and right). Their heads and eye patterns are quite different also.

Several Red-bellied Macaws (Orthopsittaca manalita) (lower right in photo above) share the colpa with Mealy Parrots and Chestnut-fronted Macaws in this Internet photo

Left: Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa); Mealy Parrots would come to the colpa in large noisy flocks; they were one of the first birds on the clay in the morning. The photo on the right is shows the chestnut "fronts" on the Chestnut-fronted Parrots well; this bird is something like our Red-bellied Woodpecker. Its defining characteristic is not readily seen

Left: Dusky-headed Parakeet (Aratinga  weddellii); note the black bill; Right: Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus), blue head and red undertail coverts; not to be confused with Blue-headed Macaw

White-bellied Parrot (Pionites leucogaster). This bird deserves a better name. It is absolutely stunning in the wild. Right:  Cobalt-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris cyanoptera). Don’t be fooled. When this bird flies, its underwings are brilliant blue. It flies in loud flocks that sound like jingling bells.

Yellow-crowned Parrot (Amazona ochrocephala), smaller and greener than Mealy Parrot; narrow orbital ring of bare skin; right:  Orange-cheeked Parrot (Pionopsitta barrabandi), another gorgeous bird on the wing in the wild as its underwings are brilliant red--see inset

Blue-throated Piping Guan. This bird came to the colpa nearly every day, sometimes in pairs, and always fed on 1A or 1B

Three pigeons came to the colpa: Pale-vented, Ruddy, and Plumbeous. It was hard to distinguish among them from such distance. All had red eyes, dark bills, and muted coloring; right Pale-vented Pigeon. 

Dusky titi monkeys on the colpa; photos taken by Sheila

About 7:30 a.m. after our morning training session at the colpa, we returned to TRC for a shower and then breakfast.

Note: Those brave enough to do so, took at least two showers a day. One could not move without becoming sweat-sopped—temps were in the 90s and humidity, too. Also it rained some portion of most days. My face was soon chapped because I wiped it so often with my bandana.

After breakfast—at which time a Chico came and stole pancakes (see photos below)—we were told how to take nest data. After practicing with scenarios, we were tested. There was a lot of information that needed to be gathered using binoculars, the video monitor, and our ears. One person would observe the nest box and its entrance while the other team member observed the monitor, taped episodes, and recorded the nest box visits and departures as reported by the member with the binoculars.

Tabasco sharing a stolen roll with mate on Dean’s clothesline; Notice how bedraggled their tail feathers get in the confines of the nest. Joan encouraging the thief’s bad manners; Pachanga approaching with the squirt gun in background.

Chico Tabasco checking out the breakfast buffet. These chicos (chicks) were hand reared. They have returned to and are nesting in the wild but often come in the morning to check out the breakfast fare. We were told not to encourage them.; Right: A Red-and Green Chico brazenly helping itself 

Tabasco chased to the rafters with a squirt gun. Macaws are  adept with bills and feet at holding and opening things; here it eats a breakfast plantain chip.

After our morning colpa study session we had  lunch, a bit of time off for naps and whatever before a 3:00 p.m. nature hike with Richard, Jhin, and Fino.

Alice and Jhin reviewing their notes; Jhin fell for Alice on Day 1

From a bird lovers point of view, TRC's location is not only unique because of its proximity to the macaw clay lick, but also because it is within a half-hour walk from seven distinct rainforest habitats with their respective transitions. Within an area of less then three square miles, we had well-studied samples of three  types of terraced floodplain forest, terra firma forest, bamboo forest, palm swamps, and the TRC clearing itself. Additionally, less than five minutes by boat, we had trails around a drying oxbow lake and up a tranquil stream. Each of these habitats had distinct vegetation compositions, which in turn harbored finely adapted bird, insect, mammal, reptile, and amphibian communities.

Many of the bird species registered around TRC can be found only in one or two of these habitats. The TRC’s 20-mile trail system, covers all of these habitats, producing a bird list of more than 480 species for the trails alone (not including the birds seen along the Tambopata River or the large oxbow lakes in the Tambopata area). This is an astounding number considering that few U.S. states can boast this many species in the entire state.

Our three naturalists, Fino, Richard, and Jhin

Richard called the birds in with his iPod and then used a laser pointer to show us where the bird was. I thought this very clever, but others told me that laser pointers were de rigeur for South American guides.

On this hike we saw white-lipped peccaries again and more squirrel monkeys. We also saw a Buff-throated Woodcreeper, Spectacled Antpitta, sooty antbird, Silver-beaked & Red-crowned Tanagers, and a Gilded Barbet. We also heard the Plain Tinamou and Lawrence’s and Black-billed Thrushes.

Internet photos of Red-crowned Ant Tanager; R- Silver-beaked Tanager

Gilded Barbet (Internet)

I have a poor aural memory so asked several times what bird belonged to the melodic song of the Lawrence’s Thrush. Of course we also saw other interesting flora, fauna and insect life too numerous to list.

Lawrence's Thrush (Internet)

This terra firma hike was wonderful but long. We returned from it after 6 p.m.—shamefully late for a nest box video that Alan had scheduled. But, despite being hot and sweaty, we quickly cleaned our boots, put on our lodge shoes and socks, and hustled over to staff quarters where the video player was.

Alan showed us on the video monitor what the chicks looked like in their nest cavities (nest boxes), and told us what to note or record.

The birds were crowded into the small area, and alternately preened, begged for food—which the parents fed them from their crops with convulsive movements—climbed the walls (literally), or pecked at the substrate, which was alive with roaches. Macaws don’t eat insects, so their substrate pecking simply stirred the critters up and we’d suddenly see feelers or a roach up-close-and-personal on the monitor screen.

Alan also put up our schedule for the week. We were paired for either morning or afternoon colpa or nest data gathering. This meant that we were free half of the day, either in the morning (4 am to 10:30 am) or the afternoon (after 11:30 am).

There were three nests being monitored and these combined with the colpa monitoring meant that four teams of two went out each day. Since there were only seven of us, Alan rotated the guides in, and each guide paired with an Earthwatcher for one duty.

After the video we had a good supper, and then we all showered, set out the clothes and equipment we’d need for our assignments the next day, and fell into bed at 9 p.m.to the sounds of thunder, lightning and rain.