About Gunnar Engblom

Gunnar Engblom was born in Sweden and lives in Peru. He is a birder, runner, post-punkrocker and blogger and he is especially keen on social media for birders. Gunnar Engblom organizes birding tours in Peru and the Neotropics with Kolibri Expeditions. Gunnar is passionate about new Peru tours that support community based ecotourism and conservation and has initiated several project this way. In October 2010 Gunnar started a multi-author blog - birdingblogs.com - which fast has become one of the most popular blogs for birders.

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Gunnar’s weekly Twitter links about birding, birds and Social Media 2010-12-27

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Where the heck have you been Gunnar?

Or should I say Merry Christmas!

What has happened to Gunnar’s blog – you may have asked? Or not? Because, I have not recieved a single note that I have been missed. 🙁

The last 6 weeks every single blogpost has been an automated “Gunnar’s weekly Twitterlinks” orderly delivered on Mondays.  Let me just conclude – and not really an excuse – I have been busy.

I am back now and I am blogging about how busy I have been the last 6 weeks.  Eh, Merry Christmas by the way… Guess I missed that too!

Busy 1. Birdingblogs.com

Little more than two months ago, I started the project mentioned on this blog getting together 10 bloggers to make an international multi-author blog.  We  are very happy with the result – Birdingblogs.com gets around 300 unique visitors daily resulting in a position among the top 40 on both NatureblogNetwork as well as Fatbirder Top1000.  We are less happy with the design. Well, the format is quite nice, but we want urgently a better logo (volunteering designers – help!!!). We would like to be aable to make the top right picture box scroll pics from the past blogpost with a title text (and link) rather than the current random picture, but none of us knows enough programming to do so.  Again, please if there is anyone very avid with WordPress and especially the Thesis theme can help with that as well – we’d be delighted and officially praise you with link love, kudos, virtual flowers – and a beer when we meet face to face.
There has been a lot of tweaking to get the page how it looks today – but yet more is needed.

But what counts at the end of the day is the content and the visitors. I must say, and this has not anything to do with my own content (which is about the same old topic – you know Satipo road, Conservation, and rarely heard of weird birds in Peru), but the fantastic content my co-bloggers are providing. I shall be posting a specific BirdingBlogs post about my co-bloggers here in the comming days. Stay alert!
Just thought I’d share with you some Christmas inspired blogposts with you from the last couple of days to get you into the mood to read birdingblogs everyday!

Busy 2. Birding trips. Sira Mountains.

Yes, I have been in the field quite a lot recently. More than probably is healthy for a funcional family life – and to be charge of the business. It was great to re-visit Sira Mountains, and although I did not see the Sira Tanager this time either – I have a good idea how to go about it next time. Furthermore, I have volunteered to help out the park administration with promoting the area. Where else can you hike in the wilderness like this far away from the Coca Cola trail.

Busy 3. Travelling with Hadoram.

The first leg I went to the Sandia area with Hadoram Shirihai and David Beadle. The second leg I did after in Central Peru. I was great to revisit Satipo road and see the results of the campaign for Satipo road last summer. Here are three posts about some of the birds we saw featuring Hadoram’s great pictures.

Busy 4. Antpitta twitch in North Peru and Ecuador.

My last trip lasted 3 weeks and ended just about a week ago. Over 780 species were recorded over 22 days – if one includes 5 days post-tour to La Selva and three days in Lima prior to the departure – over 1000 species were recorded. One of the best birds was the Jocotoco Antpitta here featured in this birdingblogs post. We shall probably run the trip again next year, with a few small changed to maximise the birding.  Stat tuned for more info.

Busy blogging from now on.

Anyway, I am back and I am in the mood to continue blogging – both here and on birdingblogs com.  I will resume the Social Media workshop for birders and possibly start yet another blog. More info forthcoming here. I will be busy with blogging and to try to make 2011 the best year so far for the company. I want to line up more tours for our excellent Peruvian guides. After all that is what we are doing: Creating work for Peruvians and stimulating local communities to invest time and effort in eco-tourism. In the end, without being overly pretentious: What we do makes a difference! And your support makes it all happen.

I particularly want to push for some special offers on this space. So stay tuned during the coming days if you are thinking to come and visit us in Peru in 2011.  Some offers can already be found on our web-site.
One thing that we started last year, was short budget trips to Northern, Central and Southern Peru – with additonal discount for Young Birders.  These trips have been scheduled for 2011 already. Check out our tour Calendar.

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Gunnar’s weekly Twitter links about birding, birds and Social Media 2010-12-20

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Gunnar’s weekly Twitter links about birding, birds and Social Media 2010-12-13

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Gunnar’s weekly Twitter links about birding, birds and Social Media 2010-12-06

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Gunnar’s weekly Twitter links about birding, birds and Social Media 2010-11-29

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Gunnar’s weekly Twitter links about birding, birds and Social Media 2010-11-22

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Gunnar’s weekly Twitter links about birding, birds and Social Media 2010-11-15

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Canopy Walkway at Reserva Amazonica

More birding at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Due to my many recent trips, the continuation of the reports from our stay around my birthday in July at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica  near Puerto Maldonado has become a bit delayed.  Here are the previous reports.

Anyway, I have looked through my photos from the trip and it brings back good memories. I believe one should be absolutely clear, so I should make it known that the whole family was invited to stay there. My task was to blog about our experience and also make suggestions to Inkaterra how to reach birders and make improvements for birders.
Inkaterra, under the direction of conservationist and visionary luxury hotels entrepreneur Jose Koechlin, has been of the forefront of making birder-friendly lodges in Peru. Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel is of course the flagship with all the hummingbird feeders and in reality the first hotel in Peru that implemented feeders extensively to became a tourist atraction.  So while Pueblo Hotel is ever so famous among birders, the luxury lodge Reserva Amazonica near Tambopata is lesser known. Very few birders have visited there.

As mention in the first post above Inkaterra is constructing a new lodge – in the economy bracket (still probably over US$100/night with full board) at Concepcion – even closer to Maldonado (so close that there is cell phone reception!!!) that shall be ready in the beginning of 2011. This means that there are great resources available in a combined program of the two lodges. Or using one lodge and visit the other.

What makes Inkaterra different?

    Organic Wine at Reserva Amazonica

  • Luxurious treatment. There is even a spa! Sure the lodges are costly, but really not much more costly than a fancy bird tour with bird guide.
  • Ample material available for birders  such as checklists, bird call CD:s and plates with the most common birds – so even non birders can be introduced to the birds this way.
  • Eco Eco Eco. Everything is planned in detail to minimize the impact. You get a waterbottle you can fill up as often as you want. you don’t have to buy loads of plastic bottles of potable water. Heck, you can even buy “organic wine” in the restaurant.
  • A la carte menue. Excellent choices, free fruit juices with the meals.
  • Ambiance music in the dining room is by Peruvian musicians. Some of these music productions have been sponsored by Inkaterra.
  • Ample cooperation with researchers in different fields. For instance a Flora over the plants of the reserve has been produced with Missouri Botanical Gardens and collaboration of botanists from Cuzco.
  • The best gift shop I have ever seen in a jungle lodge.  Bring the credit card!
  • Fantastic and very helpful staff
  • Child friendly – in spite of not specifically targeting to families, we had no problems with Luciana (three and a half year old) and Anahi (1 year old) and the staff was marvelous.
  • Resident guides that know birds and have equipment such as Jesus and Percy. You can therefore bring a non-birding spouse and your family.

The cabins were very spacious and comfortable. The kids and Elita loved the hammock.

Birding Highlights

  • Canopy walkway – for the birds in the tree tops
  • Boardwalk into an aguajal – a palm swamp
  • Lago Sandoval – although the walk is long – a huge lake that has Giant Otters.
  • The creek at Concepcion – a very good alternative to Sandoval and much closer without a long walk.
  • The bamboo birding available at Concepcion and Sandoval lake.

Canopy Walkway

The canopy walkway is without doubt the best attraction at InkaTerra. Luciana and Elita loved it, while Anahi stayed with one of the girls of the lodge.
Sturdy staircase up to the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway. Gunnar and LucianaThe staircase to reach the the walkway is very sturdy and safe. Luciana loved it!

Canopy Walkway Reserva Amazonica Gunnar Hanging bridges in the treetops. Very well built.

View from Canopy walkway

Here is a view from the highest platform (taken with my iphone) from where we watched toucans, aracaris, tanagers, woodpeckers and woodcreepers.

Luciana birding at Reserva Amazonica Canopy Tower Best to bring a telescope to get good views of more distant birds.  Luciana added several birds to her increasing Peru list.

Striolated Puffbird Nystalus striolatus. Digiscoped at Canopy Walkway Reserva Amazonica How many 3 and a half year olds do you know that have seen Striolated Puffbird? Digiscoped (with too high ISO)

Some animals found near the lodge itself

How often do you see a Tinamou? This Great Tinamou was surprisingly easy to see from a boardwak from the kitchen over a little moist area with Heliconias.

Gray-necked Wood-Rail in the clearing.

Brown Agouti Dasyprocta variegata Reserva Amazonica Madre de DiosBrown Agouti in the clearing. There were several running around between the cabins.  Yes, it is a rodent!

Rainbow Boa Epicrates cenchria

One mid-morning we were called by the staff. The had found a Rainbow Boa near the administration. Beautiful and harmless.

Liophis reginae Common Swampsnake

The only other snake we saw was this inoffensive Common Swampsnake Liophis reginae.

Some of the staff looking after Anahi!

Jesus the birder guide at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica and Anahi

Here is our bird guide Jesus with Anahi.

Barman Tony , waiter Sherlock and Anahi Barnman Tony – who spoke excellent English – in spite never been outside of Peru and Sherlock the waiter – who has heard Holmes mentioned in combination with his first name more than once…… Look how spacious the dining area is. Lots of room for Anahi to crawl around and explore.

Diana and Anahi Lovely Diana met us in Puerto Maldonado. She fell in love with Anahi and took every opportunity to kidnap her for a while.

Final thoughts

Although only 19km east of Puerto Maldonado, there is a surprising abundance of birdlife. I think birders who bring their non-birding spouses will love Reserva Amazonica combined with new lodge in construction and yet yield a very good species list.  Sure, there are less large macaws compared to Manu or Tambopata, but this is out-weighed  by the extreme comfort available.

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Gunnar’s weekly Twitter links about birding, birds and Social Media 2010-11-08

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