Tambopata Jacamars Bird Club

Puerto Maldonado, Peru

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tambopata_jacamar@yahoo.com

 

  
News| Birders Exchange Espaņol

 

Working With the

 Birders Exchange

American Birding Association

 

After working all day guiding tourists, these two young guides are birding from the walk way at the TRC.

 

Richard Amable, one of Peru's young bird guides poses with the new Kowa scope recently donated by the Birders Exchange. The scope was purchased by a donor from the silent auction at the Harlingen Birding Festival in Texas. Notice also the donated binoculars, strap, and the green laser pointer in his shirt pocket. Photograph was taken atop the tower at Refugio Amazona.

 

Peru is one of the best countries in South America for birds and for bird watchers.  The Peru bird list boasts 1,800 species and growing. Also growing are population and economic pressures on the environment.  The best hope for preserving this precious biological diversity lies in the young native birders.  Visitors to Peru are often amazed at the birding skills of these young men and women who often lack the basic birding equipment.

These are serious birders.

What Do You Need To Bird?

Remember back to when you first started enjoying birds.  You needed three basic things: binoculars, a field guide, and encouragement.

As you became more interested you probably added: a scope, tripod, a more comfortable strap for your binoculars, and a backpack.  The more high tech might add a small digital camera for digiscoping, green laser pointer (works well in the jungle) , GPS.

 Birders Exchange of the American Birding Association

The Birders Exchange of the American Birding Association is dedicated to donating birding equipment to these young birders and you can help. 

http://www.americanbirding.org/bex/

Help by donating good, working equipment and money to the Birders Exchange and by serving as a courier when you make a trip to a receiving country.  Equipment cannot be sent by mail as it would probably be lost on the way.  

The biggest need is for field guides in Spanish.  Currently only English language field guides are available.  When using field guides in English, range maps and the Spanish names for birds are helpful.

Recently the Birders Exchange sponsored the translation of the book Neotropical Companion into Spanish.  More translations are needed. 

Donated Equipment

In 2006 a visitor to Puerto Maldonado donated a field guide.  In 2007, the ABA Birders Exchange sent two pairs of binoculars with fine straps to the Tambopata Jacamars Bird Club.

In 2008 a visitng birder delivered two telescopes, two tripods, two green laser pointers, two field guides and a copy of the Neotropical Companion in Spanish.

The greatest need is for multiple copies of the new field guide the Birds of Peru.

Encouragement

You can encourage the young birders of Peru by visiting either on your own or with a group.  Many work as guides at the various ecolodges along the river. See Visiting Tambopata.

You can also offer encouragement right from your own home, by sending E-mail to the club. Ask questions about their trip lists and send copies of your bird club materials. Be patient because the members often work 26 days in a row at the remote lodges with no access to E-mail.