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A VISIT TO THE SOLITARY EAGLES
November 5, 2023
During our stay in Manu National Park this October, we (Steve and Eva) had the chance to visit a Solitary Eagle (Buteogallus solitarius) couple and their young chick. What a fantastic experience!
The nest was found by Don Victor Fernandez and his son while they were making their adventurous way up a steep mountain covered with dense Cloud Forest. Don Victor and his family are living close to the main road at the border of Manu National Park. In a high and lonely tree, they saw a huge nest and it was inhabited! Two years ago, Don Victor had seen a Solitary couple with one chick in that same tree. Sadly, this chick had disappeared from the nest before it was fully grown, he told us. The location of the tree had escaped from his memory and he was very happy to have rediscovered it and to see the eagles where nesting there again. He started to visit the eagle couple in their tree regularly, using an ancient path with huge stone steps down the slope of the mountain. This path was presumably made by Inca people to get to the lower-lying Amazon Forest.
Along the path there are 2 splendid viewpoints to observe the nest, with a respectful distance of roughly 50 meters to not disturb the eagles. The nest is located a bit lower than eye level from the first viewpoint, at eye level from the second. Both points provide very good views. Don Victor saw the couple breeding and noticed that one the day the only egg had hatched. A small and frizzy chick was being warmed under the wings of its parents. It is very likely that this is the same couple that Don Victor saw a few years ago, as it is known that Solitary Eagles like to come back to the same nest locations.
Together with Don Victor and his son, we walked down the steep and humid path one morning, as Inca feet had done, hundreds of years ago. When we almost reached the nest, don Victor stopped to make an offer to the spirits of the surrounding mountains, the Apus. He explained us that he has great respect for the Apus and the eagle. The Apus are considered to be “the owners and care takers” of the animals. Don Victor likes to keep a good relationship between him and the eagles, the Apus can help with this. Until now the eagles never came to hunt Don Victors’ chicken. But his sister, who lives close, already saw a few of her chicken disappear in eagle claws. The offer consisted of 3 coca leaves and a cup of wine. Don Victor whispered his words to the Apus and put the coca leaves in a small hole in the ground. The wine he sprinkled around the hole. All of us brought the same offer of coca leaves and wine before don Victor closed the hole. It was a special moment and very nice to experience that Andean customs and perceptions from the precolonial times are still very much alive.
A few meters from the offer spot, we reached first viewpoint. The sun was already shining fiercely, although it was still early. There it was, the brown chick in a big and flat nest made of branches and surrounded by bromeliads. A beautiful nest in the top of the tree, quite exposed to the sun. Don Victor told us that during sunny days, one of the parents covers the chick to protect it from the sun.
The mother eagle flew by with breakfast: a snake. A morning ritual, as don Victor had observed various times. The Solitary Eagle is a snake specialist as it has been seen preying primarily on snakes (Birds of the World). The mother didn’t go straight to the nest, although the chick was calling impatiently. Father eagle, slightly smaller than the female, landed in a tree very close to were we were standing and was staring directly at us. He stayed there for quite a while, observing us, cleaning its feathers, calling from time to time. He didn’t show a sign of fear, but he was on his guards. We felt very lucky to be able to be so close to this magnificent animal.
The mother finally returned to the nest with the snake, probably a Chironius sp. The chick was still too small to eat the snake by itself, so the mother plucked it in small pieces and fed it to her young. We enjoyed this family scene and were able to make good photos and videos. We decided to come back the next morning even earlier, to visit the second viewpoint.
When we arrived there the next morning, mother and chick were still close together on the nest. This viewpoint was even better than the one that we visited the previous day. It was a bit of a challenge to get there, Don Victor and his son had to clean the path with a machete. Once at the spot, there was a small earth ridge to sit on that Don Victor had carved out. The view was spectacular, we were literally eye to eye with the eagles, but still with a respectful distance. The female left the nest to hunt for a morning snack and the male took his position in a tree, to keep an eye to us. The chick also seemed aware of our presence because it looked straight at us for a while. Then it started to stretch the wings and clean the feathers. After a couple of hours of enjoying the chick, taking photos and videos, and listening to don Victor who told us his memories about a Solitary Eagle that he had met during his childhood, we walked the steep path up to the main road again.
Solitairy Eagle Facts
There is little scientifically known about this beautiful eagle. Below some scientific information about the species as described on the website of Birds of the World:
The Solitary Eagle is a large Neotropical raptor of forested foothills and mountains. It is a rare and local bird, found primarily in humid and dry montane forests of middle, northern, and western South America. The species is usually seen soaring in the distance, where its large size, long, broad wings, and short tail are the most distinctive features. The Solitary Eagle is similar to the Common Black Hawk, which is more common, smaller and has a longer tail.
The Solitary Eagle is a non-migratory species.
There is not much known about its breeding habits. Nests have been seen in humid and dry montane forest of foothills and mountains. How many eggs they lay and how long it takes for the them to hatch, is unknown. Both adults feed the young during the nestling period. It is possible that Solitary Eagles do not nest every year, because it takes the young 2,5 – 5 months (and maybe even longer) to become independent from its parents.
There is no information on how many Solitary Eagles there are, nor on their life span. It is difficult to observe this eagle in its steep habitat that is usually difficult to access.
The species is currently categorized as Near Threatened under the IUCN Red List criteria. The population is probably in decline as a result of habitat loss and hunting.
Due to the fact that there is so little known about the Solitary Eagle, makes don Victors’ find of the nest not only precious, but also very valuable.
Our plan is to return in December to see and document how the chick is doing. We are looking forward to that moment and we hope to find the parents and chick in good and healthy conditions.
Don Victor is willing to take interested birders and photographers in very small numbers to his eagles. He also has a beautiful garden close to his home with feeders for hummingbirds, like the pretty Peruvian Racket-tail and other interesting species, like the Versicolored Barbet, Rusty-naped Tanager, Golden-collard Honeycreeper, and the Golden Tanager. During our Manu National Park Photo Tour and Southern Peru Birding Tour, we will visit the garden of Don Victor.
Update
On the 27th of December we went back to Manu National Park to see how the Solitary Eagle couple and their chick were doing. With Don Victor and one of his other sons, we walked down the steep and humid Inca stairs again and were very pleased to learn that the eagles were doing well.
When we arrived at the viewpoint, we saw the chick on a branch above the nest. It had grown a lot and a brown and beige feather coat had replaced the fluffy baby feathers. It was resting on one leg, the other one pulled up, close to its belly. Soon after we arrived, the mother came to the nest with breakfast, a green snake, still curling in her bill. The mother plucked the snake in pieces and fed it to her young. Although the chick was getting quite big already, it still needed help with eating. The chick called non-stop for more, even when a long piece of snake tail was still hanging out of its bill. It was funny to see, and the photo and video moments were very nice.
We saw some leftovers of a previous meal lying in the nest, which looked like a chicken leg. Maybe one of the chickens of don Victors’ sister ended up in the chicks’ stomach? Mother and chick took their time eating and after the snake was finished, the mother left te nest. The chick was ready for a nap after some wing stretches. The father was never far away, we saw him perched close to the nest and heard his calls.
The sun was already shining fiercely when we packed our things and walked up the steep path to the road again. It was very nice to see the that the chick was doing so well. We kept in contact with Don Victor, and he told us that a few weeks later, the chick started to fly. It was still staying close to the nest. As time passed, Don Victor reported that he saw the eagle parents less and less around their young adult. Their mission was completed. Hopefully they will start a new nest again.
Written by Eva Wu
Photos by Steve Sánchez & Eva Wu
Kuntur Nature and Adventure EIRL
Company Address: Av. Industrial Conj. Hab. FOVIPOL. Nr 104 – Santiago – Cusco – Peru
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