1000 birds before you die

by Gunnar Engblom July 2, 2009 3

Waved Albatross – 1000 birds to see before you die. Bird of the day 004

Waved Albatross Phoebastria irrorata Pelagic 27 June, 2009

Waved Albatross is a medium sized Albatross that breeds on Española island in the Galapagos. In recent year the population of adult birds have decreased and this has warrent elevating its threat category to critically threatened according to BirdLife International.

They breed every other year. Practically all individuals pass time in Peruvian waters when not breeding and therefore they can be seen on pelagics from Lima all year around. The time at sea is when they are most vulnerable. There are reports that they are being hunted deliberately in Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador.

I guess we should blame Monthy Python for creating Albatross demand.

Where to see Waved Albatross.

In Peru it is not difficult to see Waved Albatross from the pelagics that Kolibri Expeditions organize from Lima and from Tumbes. But the most spectacular sighting is to see the display on Española island on the Galapagos. The Waved Albatross is present at the nest sites between late April to November/December. The bill fighting is best observed early in the season or very late, as the birds re-enforce the bonds between the male and female.

Once in a while Kolibri Expeditions arrange also trips to Galapagos.

by Gunnar Engblom July 1, 2009 3

Harpy Eagle – 1000 birds to see before you die. Bird of the day 003

Harpy Eagle. Puerto Maldonado. Photo: Walter Mansilla

This series continues. Today, we concentrate our attention on a bird in South America. Here is the Harpy Eagle is the most powerful of Eagles (together with Philippine Eagle). Its talons are the size of a grown man’s hand. Check out the power in this video when a Harpy Eagle catches a Sloth.

Where to see Harpy Eagle.

Bridge to Harpy nest near Puerto Maldonado

Harpy Eagle occurs from Central America to Brazil and Bolivia. In recent years there have been staked out nests in Venezuela, Belize, Panama, Guyana, Peru and Brazil. As I write this there is an active nest in SE Peru that can be visited near Puerto Maldonado, which is the major airport to reach Tambopata. It is a very user friendly set up, with a steel tower with a platform across from the nest tree. A trail has been put in and even a bridge has been constructed to make it more accessible. It should be pointed out that the nest is not in a pristine area. There are lots of agriculture going on nearby. Of the money collected from the visiting birders, half is donated to the local community and the other half is set off for research by Antonio Fernandini. Antonio has another nest in a more pristine area that is being monitored simultaneously. It is unlikely that the locals would have let the Harpy Eagle nest be if they were not receiving money from the visitors.

Harpy Eagle nests can be productive for visiting birders allowing for seeing adults or almost fully grown juveniles for as long as 2 years. Therefore, this Harpy Eagle nest will be a resource during 2009 and all of 2010.

If you want to visit the nest with Kolibri Expeditions, please check our webpage for tours to SE Peru that end in Puerto Maldonado. There is a surcharge of 150 US$ to visit the Harpy that is paid at the site. It can be visited in the morning before the flight.

by Gunnar Engblom June 29, 2009 0

Superb Lyrebird – 1000 birds to see before you die. Bird of the day 002

Suberb Lyrebird from Australia is one of the world's best mimics.

The famous BBC series with David Attenborough has brought forward a number of contestants for the “1000 birds to see before you die” project. I think most of the will qualify when I get the final list out by the end of this week or early next week.

Superb Lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae

The Superb Lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae is one of the best mimic in the world. It imitates the birds around it, but also camera shutters and car alarms. The male clears an area in the forest and makes this its display ground. Another species is Albert’s Lyrebird Menura albert, which occurs much more localized only in Southern Queensland.

Where to see Superb Lyrebird.

The Superb Lyrebird occurs in rain forest in in Victoria, New South Wales and south-east Queensland, as well as in Tasmania where it was introduced in the 19th century. It is not too difficult to see. Locally, the display sites are well known. Display occures between April and September.

For more information see this great article.

Please let me know any link all of a sudden does not work. Superb Lyretail photo Rick Ryan under Creative Commons license. All photos made by Gunnar Engblom on this blog may be used under Creative Commons license as long as they are attributed the original article with a link.

1000 birds before you die: Bird of the day 0001. Red-capped Manakin

Red-capped Manakin is famous as the bird that dances as Michael Jackson. I can moonwalk.

Some of you may have heard of my book project “1000 birds to see before you die“. If not click the link. In any case, the project is slowly running along. We are still working with the database and the lists to choose the 1000 birds that will be featured in the book. Some birds are just given. So without further a due, I give to you a new daily blog series. I may be very random these birds come up. But one by one – one every day – the 1000 birds will be presented. This means it will take about 3 years to finish the series. And this is also a good deadline for the book. 3 years. First one out is the

Red-capped Manakin Pipra mentalis

This is partly a tribute to Michael Jackson. Here is the bird that does the moonwalk. There are four Manakin species with red heads and black body, but the Red-capped Manakin has the coolest display.

Where to see Red-capped Manakin.

It is distributed from the Yucatan in Mexico to west Ecuador. Many lodges in Central America have lek-sites staked out, where the moonwalk can be seen.

Please let me know any link all of a sudden does not work. Red-capped Manakin photo Jorge Montejo under Creative Commons license. All photos made by Gunnar Engblom on this blog may be used under Creative Commons license for as long as they are attributed the original article with a link.