Harpy Diaries 2 : Setting up a camera to observe harpy eagles in the Amazon

Setting up a camera to observe harpy eagles in the Amazon!

Back in 2015, I had just finished the project I was working on and I remember swimming in the Tambopata River. Contemplating the dense tree canopy, full of amazing animal species, and one of my friends said to me, "Dani, keep in mind that once you taste the waters of the Tambopata you will always come back." At the time, I just laughed, but little did I know that I would be setting up a camera to observe harpy eagles in the Amazon.

It turned out that my friends were right.

Six months later, I was back at Refugio Amazonas, with a new job: project manager of Wired Amazon, the citizen science component of Rainforest Expeditions.

Wired Amazon launched three projects in one year

During 2016, our team of researchers has managed to have three incredible projects underway as part of Wired Amazon:

• Discover a New Species: where we have been collecting specimens from five different families of insects to discover new species, with great success.
• AmazonCam: where we use remote camera traps to study key mammal populations, with great success.
  populations of key mammals, with a special focus on jaguar ecology.
• Aerobotany: where we are building a database on some of the most important trees in this part of the Amazon rainforest, and monitoring the chestnut tree population within the concession where Refugio Amazonas is located. In each of these projects, our goal is for our guests, as well as citizen scientists from around the world, to be inspired to do science and contribute to projects and knowledge of our rich ecosystem, while increasing awareness of its fragility.

But I'm missing something...

I have been happy carrying out all these wonderful projects, doing science every day, but personally, I felt that I was missing something. I was missing the connection with the "flying dinosaurs" that brought me to this place and originally gave me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of becoming a conservation biologist in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

So, since the inception of Wired Amazon, Mark Bowler (AmazonCam's principal investigator) and I had discussed the possibility of tracking the pair of harpy eagles we have near Refugio Amazonas. We knew that their frequent presence near the lodge meant that we had an incredible opportunity to study one of the world's most elusive raptors. We agreed that the right time would be when they were breeding again.

The idea for the HarpyCam was born, and we worked quickly to get it up and running.

That happened in mid-May. At that point, we had to act fast. We had to get all the surveillance equipment, get up in the tree and install it before the egg hatched, and we had no idea when that date might be. Remember, this nest is in the middle of the Amazon, so one of our first concerns was power. It took solar panels, batteries, cables, a lot of sweat and an incredible team of biologists who love to climb trees (these are my colleagues: Juan Diego and Diego Balbuena). The team completed the incredible feat of getting a working camera trap, installing a camera to observe harpy eagles in the Amazon, ready to capture the pair of harpies, all at 30 meters high (about 90 feet).

Harpy eagle by Arturo Bullard in Refugio amazonas

Thanks to this work, AmazonCam offers the opportunity to conduct an in-depth study of the diet, reproductive and social behaviors of the top aerial predator of the Amazon rainforest. There are no more secrets about the life of the harpy eagle!

The images of harpy eagles so far have been incredible.

Here is one of the most incredible videos I have had the great pleasure of analyzing. It shows how the male harpy, Baawajaa , brings home dinner for the family. Take a look:

By Daniel Couceiro