A short boat ride from the Tambopata Research Center, a jungle lodge eight hours upriver from Puerto Maldonado, lies the largest known macaw clay-lick in the Amazon. On most mornings, hundreds of birds, including various species of macaws and parrots congregate at the clay, offering guests the unique opportunity to view this colorful spectacle and learn about the project through experiencing some of the daily activities of the lodge’s researchers. Recently, my colleague Simon and I were able to visit the research center and do just that. Tambopata's Macaw Project https://youtu.be/O2k6WCyII08 Visiting the Clay Lick We were awoken bright and early by our expert guide Yuri to visit the nearby claylick before sunrise, as we were informed this was the best time to visit just before the birds begin to arrive. Following our short boat trip to a small island across from the lick, we positioned ourselves on chairs and set up viewing scopes to watch from a distance, as to not disturb the birds and interrupt the research being conducted. As the sun rose through the jungle canopy, birds began to slowly arrive, first hovering in the distance, before a group of brave souls decided the lick was safe from predators and approached the clay to begin their daily routine. Hundreds followed screeching and screaming, and we spent the next few hours on the island viewing the birds, taking photos, and spotting different species from our guide’s field map. Scarlet, Blue-and Yellow, Red-and-Green, Blue-headed, and Red-bellied to name a few of the types of macaws we had the opportunity to see. It was a true spectacle of the natural world and a dynamic sensory experience, the sounds and colors of this much birdlife assembling together. Contact us to speak to an expert travel planner for information on visiting the