Manu National Park - One of Earth's Great Treasures

About ten years ago I stumbled across a show on cable TV (it was on A&E I think and was called something like "Spirits of the Rainforest") about Manu National Park in Peru. I had never heard of the place and I ended up so emotionally engaged it reminded me of times at the movie theater when I got into a movie so much I sit through the credits and the usher ends having to come and boot me out. This show was like that for me.

The most prominent feature of Manu is that it is the "poster child" for biodiversity. It reputedly has 1000 species of birds and 15, 000 species of plants and on and on. It spans the mountains regions of the Andes down to the lowlands of the Amazon basin. This surely is a key factor in it's biodiversity.

Some of the signature birds found in Manu National Park include the spectacular raptor, the Harpy Eagle, the beautiful and colorful Scarlet Macaw, and the unusual and probably primitive species linked by some to Archaeopteryx, the Hoatzin. There is even a species of Tanager that has been spotted by birdwatchers but not yet described by science! It is no doubt a haven for colorful and interesting birds.

I cannot do justice to this incredible place in an article such as this, I can only hope to put it on your birding radar screen if it wasn't before. When the Discovery Channel show aired they said they had originally not wanted to publicize this park, for fear of spoiling it due to excessive human intrusion. Then they decided that people needed to know about it if it was to be saved. So now you know.



Resources:

• Facts and Figures


• Map


• Video


• Birding Trip Description

Strikingly Beautiful Birds: Barn Owl

A Barn Owl in its Roost in a Hollow Tree Photographic Print

Edwards, Jason


48 in. x 64 in.

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I just love owls. It is always a thrill for me to see them, they captivate me. I can see why the Native American Indians gave them a special place in their folklore. One very beautiful owl that I have only seen on two occasions is the Barn Owl. In both instances it was fun, in a unique sort of way.

My first experience with seeing this bird came in south central Washington state in 1979. I was living and working in the Pacific Northwest in those days and I was driving from Seattle to the Tri-Cities on Interstate 90 with a couple of coworkers who were engineers. We had just come out of the mountains and were cruising along right outside of Ellensburg with me at the wheel. All of a sudden, I spotted the owl on a fencepost at the side of the road. I knew immediately what it was and I pulled odd onto the shoulder right away. My two passengers started to grumble - "Why are you stopping?" . I told them that there was a rare and beautiful owl on the fencepost and since I had binoculars I offered to let them see the bird. In any event I was going to check it out and they reluctantly agreed to get out of the car. When we got to a viewing point and they had a chance to see the owl they were pleased that they had come along. "it is a beautiful bird" they both said. So it goes to show you even non-birders are thrilled to see Barn Owls, such is the allure.

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Barn Owls, Pair on Palm Tree at Night, Israel Photographic Print

Bartov, Eyal


12 in. x 16 in.

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Framed Mounted

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My second experience came almost 25 years later in the summer of 2003. I was riding my bicycle in rural Wisconsin. I was riding in Sauk county outside of Baraboo on a very nice June day. I wasn't quite sure of where I was so I decided to consult my map. To do this I needed to pull into a driveway of an old abandoned quarry site. As I pulled in I looped around and started back towards the highway. The instant I turned back towards the road I was face-to-face with a bird coming directly at my head. I could see the white heart shaped face so I knew what it was but it was so close I had to duck my head onto my handlebars to avoid getting hit. Not as good a view as the first one, but a memorable incident to be sure.

If you have ever seen the BBC video series "The Life of Birds", and I strongly recommend seeing it if you haven't, there is some gorgeous footage of the Barn Owl hunting in the daylight in rural England. I believe it is a scene from Disc one, in the episode entitled "To Fly or Not to Fly". How they managed to get this footage is beyond me, but then the whole series is like that. Check it out - you will really enjoy seeing this if you love owls.

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Below is a video of a young barn owl grooming his nest mate that was captured by a webcam. I find it delightful and I hope you do as well.

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Barn Owl By David Chandler


Barn Owl reveals these remarkable creatures in detail. Rarely seen images -- including stunning photographs of nesting owls and their owlet chicks --

Roger Tory Peterson's Most Exciting Birding Experience

I have another article from the Jan/Feb 1988 issue of BirdWatcher's Digest (BWD) that I thought would be interesting to share. It involves the "Father of Modern Birding" Roger Tory Peterson. As a kid I learned his "field marks" system and still use it to this day. He basically brought birding (then called birdwatching) to the masses. He was asked to describe his most exciting birding experience. Can you guess what that might be?

Before I tell you about the most exciting experience, I would like to mention some of the runner-ups that he discusses in the article as they are amazing in their own right:

• The sighting on New Years day 1948 of the last Whooping Crane in Louisiana. He was taken to see the bird in a small two-seater plane and was able to see the bird at a distance of 200 feet.
• He discusses seeing a lone curlew at the mouth of the Merrimac river in Massachusetts that he describes a bird that "showed its sickle-shaped bill to be very stubby - shorter than any immature Whimbrel I had ever seen" Could it be an Eskimo Curlew he wonders? He never felt like he made a positive identification but I get the sense that that was what he thought it was. Interestingly enough he mentions the discovery this past summer (which would be the summer of 1987) of three Eskimo Curlew nests in Northeastern Canada. This is a revelation to me because, according the the National Geographic field guide, the last confirmed sighting was in Barbados in 1963. Most interesting....
• He writes about seeing "dozens of Dusky Seaside Sparrows" on early trips to Florida. He said he had not even targeted this species on the trip - he was more interested in the Black Rails that had been seen in the area (Merritt Island).
• In 1952, he took his friend James Fisher around the perimeter of the continent and saw three California Condors in the Sespe ridges around Ventura. Quite a sight I imagine!

So what was his most exciting birding experience. It came in May of 1942 in a place called the Singer Tract. He pens the following words to describe the moment:
 

"Breathlessly we stalked the insistent toots, stepping carefully, stealthily, so that no twig would crack. With our hearts pounding we tried to keep cool, hardly daring to believe this was it - the bird we had come 1,500 miles to see. We were dead certain this was no squirrel or lesser woodpecker, for an occasional blow would land - whop! - like the sound of an axe. Straining our eyes, we discovered the first bird half hidden by the leafage, and in a moment it leaped into the full sunlight."

The bird he had found was the Ivory billed Woodpecker. They were later to find a second bird, both of which were females. These were probably the last two woodpeckers left in the Singer Tract as the last sighting came in December 1946. There is now hope that this species is not extinct but nonetheless one can see why Peterson would choose this sighting as his most exciting birding experience. It is a rare, beautiful, and spectacular bird and that adds up to excitement to a birding enthusiast to be sure!

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Naturalist Roger Tory Peterson Taking Notes on Osprey Unruffled by Close Presence of Birder Premium Photographic Print

Eisenstaedt, Alfred


40 in. x 30 in.

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Framed







Last Light


Pollera, Daniel


14 in. x 11 in.

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A Northern Birding Wilderness - Crex Meadows, WI

A large scale wildlife refuge that is known to birders in the Midwest but probably not well known elsewhere is the Crex Meadows Wildlife Refuge in northern Wisconsin. It comprises 30, 000 acres of mostly sedge marsh and brush prairie ecosystem that is home to 270 species of birds and 600 species of plants. Its large number of bird species and the vastness of the area creates that special feeling that only wild places can generate and makes it a delight to visit.
A couple of the specialties that I found on a visit in July, 2003 are the Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow and the Le Conte's Sparrow (often found in the pump house area). I was never able to lay eyes on these two birds but instead identified them by song - so if you go it is well worth your while to learn these two songs. The interesting thing about the song of the Le Conte's Sparrow is that it is so high in pitch that you cannot hear it without some adjustment. It feels like you are "entering a room" when you finally hear it. Another bird to try for along the pump house road is the always elusive Yellow Rail. I was not lucky enough to hear one on my visit.

A bird that is relatively common at Crex Meadows and is fun to see and hear is the Bobolink (shown above). I think the bird is handsome and I love the unique "burbling" song. Two other birds with unique songs that you will probably find there during the breeding season is the Clay-colored Sparrow and the Upland Sandpiper (this is one of those birds where I always have to check the name because they changed the name from when I was a kid). The insect like buzz of the Clay-colored Sparrow is quite distinctive and Crex Meadows is my life lister of this species. The "wolf whistle" of the Upland Sandpiper is a song that even non-birders enjoy. Be sure to check the fence posts for this species.

One species that the refuge is famous for is the Sharp-tailed Grouse. These birds conduct their mating dances here so if you enjoy this type of spectacle this is the place to see it. There are special viewing areas set up so check with the Visitor's Center as to their location.


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Northern Wisconsin is a very beautiful area and this wildlife refuge is a treat for birders to visit. If you get up into this neck of the woods you will absolutely not regret a visit.