Birding At the Clay Lick
Birds are a main attraction for many visiting the Amazon Basin. The Tambopata Wilderness on the Peru-Bolivia border is about two-thirds the size of Costa Rica and is a rich habitat rich for birds. While Peru is listed as having approximately 1800 species of birds, our guide, Paul/Pablo, claimed more that 550 species in the Heath River area of the Tambopata. We had no specific agenda concerning birding. We were, however, interested in the clay lick on the Heath River. This site often has hundreds of parrots, parakeets, and macaws covering the clay lick. Our May arrival did not give us optimum timing for seeing large numbers of birds, but birds can be found on or around the clay lick in all but the rainiest days.
blind near the clay lick
The clay lick is active in the hours after sunrise. We were out of bed at 5:30 AM and into a boat for the 15 minute voyage to the floating blind that parallels the clay lick favored by the birds. Our first morning at the clay lick was quite private. Randeen and I were the only 2 people at the lodge, and therefore, we were alone in the blind with our guide. Paul brought a breakfast for us as it is normal to spend several hours awaiting the birds.
parrots and parakeets in a tree above the clay lick
Just after the sun started its climb into the sky, the parrots and parakeets began to arrive. Parakeets are a smaller species of parrot, normally with longer tail feathers. Macaws, too, are related to the parrot and have long tail feathers but are much larger than parrots, more on macaws later. Lots of people in the US have a pet bird called a parakeet, these are what the rest of the world refers to as budgies. We saw no budgies at the clay lick.
parrots at play or parakeets but not budgies
On our first morning at the clay lick, the parrots and parakeets sat in the trees above the clay lick. They are very cautious about descending to the face of the clay lick. The lick is vertical and adjacent to the river. Once on the face of the lick, the birds have reduced avenues of escape from predators. There was a Roadside Hawk within easy swooping range of the lick. The parrots and parakeets did not descend to the face of the clay lick.
parrots
The macaws arrived about 1 1/2 hours after the parrots and parakeets. The parrots began to depart upon the arrival of the macaws. There was no aggression between the 2 groups, but it seemed like it was now time for the macaws to take over. The Roadside Hawk moved onto the face of the clay lick and a Greater Yellow-headed Vulture moved into the area. Neither are predators of the macaw, but they proved disruptive. After nearly 4 hours in the blind, we departed without seeing parrots, parakeets or macaws on the clay lick.
siesta time for Paul, bird watching is tiring
After we left the blind, we hiked in the jungle and saw Howler Monkeys and about one hundred Peccaries. In Texas, we call them Javelinas. They are a small wild boar-like animal that are not actually part of the boar family. While on our trek through the jungle, we decided with Paul to return to the clay lick the following morning. Maybe, we'd have better luck. That evening, another group of 6 guests arrived at the lodge. Three were avid birders; we would all go the the clay lick the following morning. We followed the same routine; up at 5:30 AM and into the boat for the trip to the blind. Eight guests, three guides and a large breakfast filled the space.
macaws in a tree
Just after sunrise, the parrots and parakeets arrived. The Roadside Hawk was there, too. After the macaws arrived, the Roadside Hawk departed in pursuit of something. For more than an hour, the macaws remained in the trees above the clay lick. Occasionally, they would fly away in groups of 10 to 12 birds, but they returned after a quick flight across the river and circling back to their starting point.
eight macaws in a tree
Slowly, they began to take perches closer to the face of the clay lick. Cautious does not adequately describe their behavior.
trio
As they moved closer to the face of the lick, pairs of birds would swoop across its face without landing on it. We could see no predators in the area. Wordlessly, we willed them to move to the clay lick. We had a big investment in early morning hours at stake. A decision was upon us, leave or stay for another 30 minutes. We still had some breakfast food, to consume, and so, we decided to stay.
a couple
While we are waiting for a move to the lick, I thought you would like to know that macaws are monogamous, they mate for life. You always see pairs unless there is a juvenile tagging along.
on the move
Within minutes of our decision to stay, the macaws began a cautious move to the clay lick. There were only Scarlet Macaws and Military Macaws; our count was something less than 40 birds. This was not too bad as it is the "low season" for seeing birds on the clay lick.
macaws on the clay lick
It was quite a sight to finally see the birds on the lick and eating the clay. Not all of the birds go to the face of the clay lick at the same time. Some birds stand guard watching for threats while the others eat their fill of the clay. There was some form of communication going on between the diners and the sentries. As birds finished on the surface of the lick, they replaced the birds standing guard. All had a chance to consume the clay.
panorama
Why do the birds eat the clay? The guides told us that the clay is an anti toxin to combat the poisons in the fruits and berries that the birds consume. Later in the season when more fruits and berries are available, these birds need more clay to balance their diet. This is why there are times when the clay lick could have 4 or 5 times more birds that we saw. Recently, I read that there is some dispute between scientists about the need for clay. Some new studies indicate that it is not for the purpose of neutralizing toxins, but it is to gain the salt that exists in the clay licks. No matter what drives the birds to the clay licks, it is a sight that I will not soon forget.
our transport back to the lodge
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