The wildlife observatories, especially for birds and particularly for hummingbirds, have be come very popular since they help us to observe a variety of species in the wild. The installation of an observatory can generate great benefits, but also certain risks, so it is necessary to work with several considerations that allow access to the greatest number of species without disturbing them. In this article we detail the process improving an observatory in Rangrawasi eco-lodge, in Amazonas region.
Rangrawasi eco-lodge is located in the district of Leymebamba, in Amazonas region – Peru, at 2400 meters above sea level in the Utcubamba valley, whichis characterized for being an ancestral land of the Chachapoyas culture and for having diverse landscapes that host great biodiversity, especially endemic. Within the characteristics of this enterprise, the proposal of environmental sustainability and its concern for preserving the landscapes that surround it, as well as the species that live there, really stands out. In addition, its commercial proposal offers services to observe the most representative birds of the place, with that purpose a hummingbird observatory has been implemented.
Before the consulting services provided by the Ikam Expeditions team, the observatory consisted of 4 feeders and an organic garden mainly composed of native flower species, where “fucsia”, “campanilla”, “cartucho”, “floripondio”, “pajuro”, “duraznillo silvestre” and “putiqueros” prevailed. The observatory has an area of approximately 200 m2 where you could see the following species of hummingbirds: Chestnut-breasted Coronet (Boissonneaua matthewsii), Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans), White-bellied Woodstar (Chaetocercus mulsant) and the White-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia chionogaster).
From April 2019, Ikam Expeditions began to provide technical support on the improvement of the hummingbird observatory, where the following actions were mainly taken:
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Advice for better distribution of gardens and prioritization of flowers that are attractive to hummingbirds. The following species were planted: “romero”, “lantana” and “verbenacea”.
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Advice for the installation of new feeders and better distribution of them with the aim of reducing fighting among hummingbirds.
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Advice for the maintenance of gardens and feeders.
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Training for monitoring hummingbird species.
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After a few months some changes have begun to show, which allow us to confirm the following results:
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The presence of up to 13 species of hummingbirds has been identified.
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Among the new species, Rainbow Starfrontlet (Coeligena iris), Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) and Marvelous Spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis) stand out. The success of sightings of the first two species is greater than Marvelous Spatuletail, which does not appear frequently, its presence is influenced by seasonality.
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In addition, an interesting relationship has been identified between the romero and the Marvelous Spatuletail.
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Territorial dispute between hummingbirds has decreased.
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Rangrawasi eco-lodge has succeeded in maintaining a balance between the services and facilities for its clients and the maintenance of its natural spaces. As part of this, the eco-lodge has designed a system of paths to go around its new observation platforms without invading the area of the new gardens.
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Rangrawasi eco-lodge has consolidated the management of its hummingbird observatory and is positioning itself as an interesting site within the Northern Peru Birding Route.
Rangrawasi eco-lodge
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