In Search of the Harpy Eagle

Every chance he can get, WhereNext’s resident explorer and bird expert Chris Bell ventures into the wilds of Colombia scouting new locations for our Colombian production company. His latest journey took him to the isolated jungles of Caquetá department, in search of one of the mightiest predators in South America: the magnificent Harpy Eagle.

I was sitting in the wet grass overlooking the forest border when I heard a distant scream drift in from the east. The thin wailing sounded again, and again, at least seven times, and I knew that the eagle was out there. My eyes frantically scanned the far-off tree line, before they settled upon a hulking shadow perched on a thick, horizontal branch. The tree must have been two kilometers away, but the sheer size of the creature perched there gave it away completely. “Harpy Eagle,” I whispered urgently, and my five companions’ heads whipped around in unison. Had the moment we’d been waiting for finally come?

Back in the nest, the chick started to shake its nascent crest and grew restless. It had heard the distant call from its parent and sensed that a meal was on the way. Yet, the adult eagle remained resolutely perched. We began to panic. The Harpy had called in the distance the day before but had failed to visit the nest. We were concerned that the same thing would happen again today. With just a few hours left until we had to go, it was now or never.

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Find out more about Chris’ adventures for our Colombia Production Company in his #WhereNextPeople Interview

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There’s no raptor more powerful and sought-after in the Americas than the Harpy Eagle. A magnificent beast, named for the half-human, half-bird monsters of Greek mythology, the Harpy Eagle stands a meter tall with a wingspan of up to 2.2m. Adults can weigh up to 9kg and are capable of snatching large prey such as howler monkeys and sloths directly from the branches of trees. Their huge talons are larger than a grizzly bear’s claws and have more crushing power than the jaws of a Rottweiler. They are also extremely rare and hard to see away from a known nesting site. So when an old friend from the southern Colombian department of Caquetá called to let me know about an active nest, I immediately started to plan a visit.

Photos clockwise from top left: taking the dirt “road” to reach the Harpy Eagle nest; our intrepid bird expert Chris savoring his close encounter; the first outside group to visit this majestic bird

Our launch point into the jungles of south-central Colombia, east of the Andes, was the isolated town of Cartagena del Chaira on the banks of the Caguan River. Cartagena gained notoriety during the failed government peace talks with the FARC in the late ‘90s due to the high influence held there by the guerrilla group. It was once an epicenter of coca production. According to my friend, if you’d walked into the general store ten years ago, you could have paid for your goods with kilos of coca leaf. At dawn, we crossed the river and set off on the back of motorbikes heading east.

After a few spine-jarring hours bouncing along a muddy dirt road in the driving rain, we arrived at our destination, a small farm on the fringes of the jungle in a place called Lobitos. This region is one of the most drastically impacted by deforestation in all of Colombia. It was unsettling to see how much of the forest had already been cleared. Harpy Eagles are not considered globally endangered. However, they require vast swathes of pristine jungle to survive and breed since their diet largely consists of monkeys and sloths, which cannot exist in large numbers in heavily deforested rainforest.

From a distance, I could see one tree towering above the others, right on the border of the forest. It felt like a symbolic location for the eagles to build their nest: to the west, pasture, and burned tree stumps, to the east, the endless jungles of Chiribiquete National Park. And right on the edge of the green frontier, a small Harpy Eagle chick sitting helplessly on a tangled mass of twigs and branches. This bleak landscape encroaching on the eagle’s verdant habitat seems inevitable, but hope lingers.

Though hardly the eagle’s decision, the owners of the plot of land were proud that the bird was sharing their home. They have been working with local conservationists and birding groups to monitor the nest and protect the eagles and their chick from the threat of deforestation and hunting. If they can see the potential for a community-led ecotourism project based around the eagle, then perhaps this precious jungle can be saved. As the first outside visitors to the nest, we hoped to demonstrate to the owners the potential for ecotourism revenue that the eagles can bring and perhaps encourage other Colombian birders to pay a visit themselves. A large poster donated by the organizations Caqueta Birding and Quindio Birding hangs proudly on the walls of the farm house reading “The people of Lobitos protect the Harpy Eagle.”

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Want to learn more about filming birds in Colombia? Check out the Top 10 Birds That You Can Only Film in Colombia

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We decided to make our way quietly towards the perch, skirting through the undergrowth at the fringes of the forest to avoid being seen. We dived into the untamed jungle border, catching our clothes on sharp thorns and wading through long grass that grew past our waists. When we finally reached the other side, I desperately scanned the distant trees with my binoculars. My heart dropped. There was no sign of the giant eagle.

Suddenly, before I had time to think, an enormous shadow passed overhead. I looked up just in time to see the Harpy Eagle shoot above my head, the bloodied remains of an ex-parrot dangling from its savage talons. We hurried back through the undergrowth towards the nest, where we were confronted with an unforgettable display. Perched above the nest, its four-feathered crest raised regally as it glared down at us mere mortals below, the eagle let out seven piercing screams, ruffling its wings with each note. In the presence of such a majestic animal, I scarcely dared to breathe. I went to take a photo but realized that my hands were shaking. This show of sovereignty will forever be burned into my memory.

The eagle flexes its talons after delivering food to the nest

The Harpy Eagle chick waiting patiently in the nest: the parents will continue to feed their offspring for up to 10 months after it fledges

Once satisfied that its chick was well fed, the eagle moved up the tree to a higher perch and surveyed its territory. Occasionally it glanced disdainfully down as us. At one point, a soaring Turkey Vulture strayed a little too close to the nest. The Harpy shot out of the tree, directly at the intruder, in another impressive show of strength and aggression. The vulture beat a hasty retreat.

We sat in the grass overlooking the nest for hours, enjoying being in the presence of the largest raptor in the rainforest. This moment of grace was ended by the motorbike drivers who were worried about a dark rain cloud on the horizon. The journey back would be tough enough without a jungle thunderstorm thrown into the mix. We trudged west, reluctant to leave the eagle behind. As we crested a small hill and the tree disappeared from view, I heard that melancholy scream echo out one last time. I could only hope that it’s a sound that will be heard drifting across these jungles for many more years to come.

The mighty Harpy Eagle surveys its territory in the jungles of southern Colombia

Learn more about our Colombia-based production company here.

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