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Finding Harpy

BY IHTISHAM KABIR
The Harpy Eagle captures our imagination. One of the largest eagles in the world, its wingspan is more than six feet and it can weigh up to twenty pounds. Its talons are four inches long, as long as the grizzly bear's.
Eagles often verge on the mythical and Harpy Eagle certainly has its rightful place in that canon. It was described by none other than the great Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus, who named it Vultur harpyja after the mythical beast from Greek mythology - half-human, halfbeast - called Harpy.
In photographs the Harpy looks remarkable. Its pale-grey face looks like a mask. Out of the back of its head grow two feathered crests like horns. Its front is white, while its back is black and grey.
Before going to Brazil on a birding trip, I researched the Harpy and discovered that it can be found high up in the Amazon rainforest. However, it is exceedingly difficult to spot and photograph because of the great height. The easiest way to find a Harpy is to find its nest and observe that. My guide Gabriel, luckily, said he knew a Harpy nest near Manaus. Would we be able to see it? He said it was possible. So we set aside an afternoon to visit this forest.
But luck came my way earlier. That same morning, in another forest, we had climbed a tower that took us above the canopy of the rainforest. All morning we stood in the tower surveying the forest below and found many birds.
At one point, I was looking east, watching a pair of White-throated Toucans about a mile away, when Gabriel suddenly grabbed my shoulder. "Harpy! Harpy! Harpy!" he whispered with great excitement. Sure enough, on top of a tree about a quarter mile behind the Toucans
was a large black bird. Its two crests were clearly visible. It was too far for a good picture, but I took several photographs nonetheless. It flew away after two or three minutes.
This was a stroke of luck, but 1 still wanted to get a closer photograph. So in the afternoon we went looking for the Harpy nest. We walked inside the forest for perhaps two miles, crossing small streams and climbing over fallen trees. We knew we were getting close when we saw "Be Quiet!" warning signs about the Harpy nest ahead. The canopy was dense overhead and we had to move branches out of our way to make progress. We eventually came to a circle cordoned off by a red ribbon. Inside was the massive trunk of a tall tree. I looked up, and through openings in the dense foliage saw the trunk divide into several fat branches about
fifty feet high. At this junction was the nest, a messy jumble of sticks and twigs.
The view, however, was well-obscured by leaves of other trees. After peeking from several spots I got a line of sight to part of the nest. There was vague movement - probably chicks - not enough detail.
fust then, through another opening to the right, 1 saw the parent Harpy sitting on a branch. I immediately aimed my camera, but because of the intervening leaves, the autofocus failed. By the time I had switched to manual focus, it had flown!
A roller-coaster day of birding thus ended on a disappointing note. But I was very lucky to have seen that Harpy Eagle in the distance.
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