Birding in the Amazon


by

Therany Gonzales Ojeda

Executive Director - Peru

I am a forest engeenier from the Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Puerto Maldonado, Peru. I have coursed Master studies in Environmental education and sustainable development in the Universidad Nacional de Educación Enrique Guzmán y Valle, lima, Peru. I have been working in environmental education programs and scientific research, especially surveying aquatic macroinvertebrates and water quality in the Madre de Dios region for more than eight years.

Learn more about Therany Gonzales Ojeda

April 5, 2022

Birding in the Amazon

 

Birding in the Amazon is just a wonderful activity! It became one of my favorite activities when I had the opportunity to participate in a bird’s inventory in the Peruvian Amazon, as a field research assistant. I was amazed by the incredible diversity of birds we saw every morning in every study site. I could not believe all the bright colors, different patterns, shapes, and all of them, sometimes in just a tiny little bird like a hummingbird. Often this colorful life of birds passes unperceived for the majority of people, even those that live in the jungle, because they do not know this activity, they do not have the right equipment and usually most birds are up in the forest canopy, far away from a naked eye. 

Wire-tailed Manakin (Therany Gonzales Ojeda)

In January 2022, during ACEER’s expedition to the Sucusari river in the Maijuna lands, in Loreto – Peru, one of the most diverse regions of the world, I had the opportunity to use a spotting scope in the canopy walkway of Explorama. Several members of the Maijuna tribe with two kids accompanied me for birding on the canopy walkway. I settled the spotting scope, attached their daughter’s cell phone to it, and we were able to see a small white-browed purpletuft actively feeding its chick.

White-browed Purpletuft (Therany Gonzales Ojeda)

This was the first time for the family to enjoy birding with binoculars and a spotting scope. They were amazed watching the gorgeous event and impressed by how far we can see through the spotting scope. Using their own cell phone, they could take pictures and record videos of the amazing birds we saw.

Seeing people that live in the forest enjoying birding for the first time, and digiscoping (recording videos and pictures attaching a cellphone to the spotting scope) by themselves is something we should see more often. It was a powerful and emotional experience for me.

Top: Canopy Walkway (Jon Cox), Bottom-left: Road-side Hawk, Bottom-right: Chestnut Woodpecker (Therany Gonzales Ojeda)

 

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