Bird Ringing Forever is a not-for-profit course (workshop) that is managed by two Peruvian-based research and conservation groups, Fauna Forever (est. 1996) and the Center for Ornithology and Biodiversity (CORBIDI, est. 2006) and with the support of the North American Banding Council (NABC). The course was established to help train the next generation of Neotropical bird specialists in mist-netting, bird ringing, bird handling and bird identification skills.

Our experienced international team of professional Neotropical field ornithologists and certified bird ringers will impart a plethora of skills and knowledge that will prove invaluable to those people eager to take on the challenges of working with birds and their conservation in the tropics.

Each 9-day ringing course is open to participants of all levels, from beginners to the more experienced. Other than learning directly from the experts, the course also offers its participants the opportunity to partake in much needed data collection as part of wider population monitoring studies of both resident and migratory birds species in Tambopata underway by Fauna Forever and CORBIDI since 1997.

The initial set of courses will be held at the Explorer’s Inn, an ecotourist lodge research station and birders paradise located within the Tambopata National Reserve – an important protected area in south-eastern Peru and recognised as one of the most biologically diverse areas in Amazonia. The Explorer’s Inn (est. 1975) is one of the birthplaces of ornithological science in the Neotropics with bird studies having begun here in 1976 by the birding behemoths John O’Neil, Robert Ridgely and the late Theodore Parker III. With the largest parrot and macaw clay-licks (collpas) in the world, Tambopata is also well known amongst birders as “the” place to observe these colourful and noisy birds.

Theoretical and practical field classes will cover all the vital knowledge and skills areas required for participants to master the art of mist-netting, and bird ringing in such a challenging environment as a rainforest. The major themes and “must have” skills taught on the course include: Choosing the right mist-net for the bird community and habitats of interest; techniques for the deployment of mist nets in a variety of forest micro-habitats; the efficient extraction and rapid “in-the-hand” processing and ringing techniques that reduce bird stress levels to a minimum; tips and tricks for Neotropical species bird identification using recommended field guide books and other information sources; data recording and analysis; identifying the age, sex and moult pattern of birds; safe release techniques; and general care of mist nets and ringing equipment. Obviously practise makes perfect, so participants should come prepared to do a lot of intensive mist-netting with pre-dawn wake-up times.

Nevertheless, there will be some free time for participants and instructors alike to get better acquainted with the multitude of forest, swamp and lakeside habitats around the Explorer’s Inn in order to do some proper birding.
How many of the 599 bird species recorded at Explorer’s Inn can you spot in one day?
Hoatzins (Opisthocomus hoazin) and Paradise tanagers (Tangara chilensis) are assured, Agami herons (Agamia agami) are likely, and even a Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) if you’re lucky. Other notable wildlife species that are regularly observed include: Giant river otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) which frequent the Cocococha and Katicocha oxbow lakes, Red howler monkeys (Alouatta sara) observable from the veranda of your palm thatched bungalow, Saddleback tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis) that regularly raid the hanging supplies of fruit, White-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) that roam around noisily in herds of 100 individuals or more, as well as Southern tamandua anteaters (Tamandua tetradactyla), Nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), Black caiman (Melanosuchus niger), and if you’re really patient and crepuscular by habit - the elusive resident Jaguar.

Basically, it’s all about AMAZONIAN BIRDS and RAINFOREST WILDLIFE, so take the plunge and join us!

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