Dismal Days

Harpy Eagle, far away. Photo: Ihtisham kabir

I often write about rare or interesting birds (or wildlife) I have encountered. If you read my column you might think I find them on every trip or outing.

However, that is not how it happens. Finding interesting birds almost always depends on luck; animals require even more luck. What’s worse, even if one gets lucky, one may not be prepared and miss a good photograph because birds and wild animals move fast.

And so my lucky days are mixed with dismal days – more often than I care to count.

The incident with the Harpy Eagle stands out.

A Harpy – seen in South and Central America - is probably the most spectacular eagle in the world. Before going to Brazil in 2018, I had applied to their government for visiting a wilderness park in Amazonia that had, among other things, a Harpy Eagle nest. I received a permit good for one day only.

On the appointed day my guide and I entered the forest and, after hiking a mile, came across an area cordoned off with tape. Posted signs warned visitors to remain silent and forbade them from getting too close to the nest. Staying behind the tape, we quickly found the massive tall tree, where, at a Y junction of branches, behind layers of leaves and stray vegetation, we could see a circular jumble of dead twigs and branches that was the eagle’s nest. It was hard to get a clear line of sight for my camera to focus, but eventually I found a keyhole opening through the leaves.

We stood there waiting for some action. Presently we saw the tail feathers of two Harpy chicks as they moved. This was exciting! I took a few (poor) pictures and waited for better visibility.

My guide, at one point, thought he saw another bird behind us and went looking for it, a few feet behind. I remained glued to my spot, craning my neck, camera locked on the nest.

Presently there was more movement at the nest. Guessing from bits and pieces I could see, a larger bird had landed there. I couldn’t see the head, only some feathers. It was probably the mother.

After a few minutes, I sensed her wings were becoming taut. She was getting ready to fly!

I wanted to alert my guide but he was now twenty feet behind me. I turned my head to wave at him. That was the instant my Harpy flew. I will never know if it presented a photographable view as it took flight.

Thus I missed my chance of seeing a Harpy Eagle close. How is that for a dismal day?

So these days, I never bother to warn my companions if something interesting shows up and the companions are not paying attention. I just start shooting. The sound of my camera alerts them.

A few days later I did see a Harpy Eagle from a tower inside the Amazon forest. The bird was quite far away. Still, it was an unbelievable thrill.

I would love to return to Brazil to try my luck again with the Harpy Eagle.

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