Los Amigos Bird Observatory

Have you ever walked through a bamboo patch? If not, let me warn you about possible scratches, torn shirts or pants, and several up and downs you are certain to encounter. It doesn’t seem very promising -perhaps not for us- but for other species this habitat can be paradise. If you ever found yourself in a […]

Los Amigos Bird Observatory

Click the image above to access the full article featured in the October 2017 Birder’s Guide magazine. Sean Williams, PhD., one of LABO’s advisers, had a record-breaking Big Day in 2015 while staying at Los Amigos! Read his incredible article to find out more!

MAAP Reports

In an earlier series of articles (MAAP #6, MAAP #44, MAAP #64), we showed the illegal gold mining invasion of a section of Amarakaeri Communal Reserve (see yellow box in Base Map), as well as the rapid response by authorities to remove the miners. It was an important case given that Amarakaeri is an important Peruvian protected area, co- managed byPeru’s protected areas […]

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

In an earlier report, MAAP #54, we described the natural phenomenon of “hurricane winds” in the Peruvian Amazon. These strong wind storms (not true hurricanes) cause a chain reaction of fallen trees and may blow down hundreds of acres of Amazonian forest (see Drone Image below). This report presents an analysis of the frequency and intensity of hurricane […]

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

Thanks to early warning forest loss alerts (known as GLAD), we recently detected several alarming new deforestation patterns within remote, primary forest of the central Peruvian Amazon. They appear to be related to medium or large-scale agricultural activities due to their distinct characteristics: straight access paths extending from secondary roads built deep into primary forest, and […]

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

In a previous report, MAAP #65, we presented information about deforestation hotspots in 2017 in the Peruvian Amazon, based on early warning alert data from January until mid-July. Between July and August, the amount of alerts greatly increased, likely due to arrival of the dry season. Thus, this report includes new updated data until mid-August.* We find new […]

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

The Belo Monte hydroelectric dam complex, located on the Xingu River in the state of Para in the eastern Brazilian Amazon (see Image 66a), has been controversial since its inception over 15 years ago, due to both environmental and social concerns related to building and operating one of the largest dams in the world in a sensitive environment. […]

Amazon Birder’s Bulletin

Once again, Peruvian bird-watching teams (including our own) placed very well during the 2017 Global Big Day that took place on May 13, observing the second-highest number of birds in the world, with 1,338 total species overall. This was just shy of Colombia’s 1,486 bird species but still beat last year’s Peru record of 1,177.

Amazon Birder’s Bulletin

Recently, we hosted a distinguished American ornithologist at two of our birding lodges in southeastern Peru. Dr. Robert Ridgely, whose name is synonymous with South American ornithology, was impressed by the “extraordinary habitat” surrounding the lodges, calling the deeply forested transect from Wayqecha Birding Lodge, high in the Andes, down to Villa Carmen Birding Lodge […]

Amazon Birder’s Bulletin

There are many incredible birding festivals taking place in the US every year, and we love meeting new faces every time we attend one! This year, in addition to the Space Coast Birding Festival that we attended in early January, we’ll be sharing the experience of birding with us in the Peruvian Amazon at two […]