In northern Peru a remote rural community has made a decision to preserve their natural resources and established the first privately-owned reserve in Peru. The Chaparri Reserve encompasses some 34,412 hectares (75,706 acres). This area is largely dominated by sparse dry forest and semi-desert. Under the [protection of the local community this habitat is regenerating naturally, allowing the wildlife to flourish and populations of threatened species to recover. It has also created a haven for the visiting birdwatcher or naturalist. The reserve has a species list of some 187 species at the time of writing, not large by South American standards, but a high percentage are found only in the Tumbesian dry forests and it is these endemics that are the key attraction for the visiting birder.
An adobe lodge that blends in with the landscape has been constructed of local materials. It offers visitors a quiet and relaxing place to stay (no radios, televisions or cell phones are allowed) where species like White-tailed Jay, Elegant Crescentchest, Collared Antshrikes, Amazilia Hummingbird, Superciliated Wren and Tumbes Sparrow, as well as White-tailed Deer and Sechuran Foxes can be watched from the dining room.
The critically threatened White-winged Guan is being reintroduced here and both wild and reintroduced birds can be seen near the lodge and in an adjacent canyon. Solitary Eagles and both Andean Condor and King Vulture are all regularly seen flying over the lodge in the late morning, along with several more common raptor species. |
