Trip Reports - Lower part of Manu
Trip Reports - Amazon Manu Lodge, Harpy - & Crested Eagle
by Wim ten Have
Introduction
On a complete Manu trip we visit all altudes of the Manu Biosfere Reserve, that will say the estern Andean slope from puna till subtropic forest, the foothill area at 600 m.a.s.l.(Amazonia Lodge), the higher part of the tropical rainforest at 450 m.a.s.l.(Pantacolla Lodge ) and finaly the lower rainforest at 250 m.a.s.l. For this lower part we used to stay at Manu Wildlife Center, an expensive lodge. The alternative Manu Lodge we never used, because itīs even more expensive. Since two years there is a less expensive alternative, Amazon Manu Lodge.
Amazon Manu Lodge
In the same area as Manu Wildlife there is a relative new lodge, now officially
called Amazon Manu Lodge (AML) also known before as Manu Camping lodge or
Oropendola Lodge. It has 4 bungalows, each with 2 beds and private hot shower
and toilet. In the dining room they serve three good meals per day. Also
possible to camp on a platform, what is a bit cheaper than using the bungalows.
Owner is the peruvian Walter Mancilla.
The lodge has an extensive trail system in the two main habitats: terra
firma and bamboo. There is a small oxbow lake and there are 2 tapir licks.
At short distance from the lodge are other interesting areas, owned by the
agency Manu Safaris: the claylick for macaws and parrots (Blanquillo), Cocha
Blanco and Cocha Camungo.The lodge itself does not have a canopy tower,
but there is one at Cocha Camungo.
Easy to spend 4 full days at A.M.L. including the visits mentioned above.
the birds of A.M.L.
Harpy Eagle |
young Harpy Eagle |
Crested Eagle |
young Crested Eagle |
We visited this lodge in 2006 twice and found in a couple of days already 180 species. Amongst them two unique species (nearly) not reported at one of the other lodges: Long-crested Pygmy-Tyrant and Red-billed Pied Tanager. Black Tinamou is already reported by others, it seems rather accessible. All the good bamboo species are present: Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Peruvian Recurvebill, Bamboo Antshrike, Manu Antbird, Ihering´s Antwren, Dusky-tailed Flatbill and White-cheeked Tody-Tyrant. At the oxbow lake lives a pair of Pale-yed Blackbirds. Black-bellied Thorntail and Festive Coquette are regular visitors of the garden behing the bungalows. Other good birds that most foreign birders like to see: Razor-billed Curassow, Pale-winged Trumpeter, White-bellied - & Orange-cheeked Parrots, Pavonine Cuckoo, Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, Pavonine Quetzal and Curl-crested Aracari.
Click
here to see the Species list
The list contains 200 species. Around 180 species (indicated with 1) were
observed in a few days during the trip in August 2006
Harpy & Crested Eagles
Walter Mancilla is also involved in the protection of the nearby nests of Harpy and Crested Eagle. He warned us that both species were breeding at the start of 2006 and we were so lucky to see in July/August the young and the mother of the Crested Eagle. At the site of the Harpy Eagle we were able to see the young. If the young birds are already some months old, the parents came irregularly and we expect that it can be difficult to see the birds in 2007. The young birds will be near the nest site, but the trees around (even from the towers that are build) reduce the sight.
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