Tipishca Wildlife
The native Tipishca Indians are skilled hunters- they still hunt in the traditional way to feed their families, and have their hunting territories on the opposite side of the river to where Tipishca lodge is located. Now that the native indians are working with eco-tourism they apply their skills to helping you see the wildlife around Tipishca lodge, and there is plenty to be seen, including monkeys, toucans and macaws. At Tipishca you can walk forest trails, take a catamaran on the oxbow lake, visit a macaw clay lick and take nocturnal hikes.
Tipishca Forest Clearing and Trail
Tours to Tipishca regularly afford good observations of monkeys; the species found in the forest here are: red howler monkeys, brown capuchins, white fronted capuchins, squirrel monkeys, night monkeys, dusky titi monkeys and saddle-backed tamarins.
Other mammals in the forest include white-lipped peccaries, sometimes in huge groups passing through the forest; tayra, agoutis, and anteaters may also be encountered. Animal tracks give an indication of the existence of harder-to-see species such as Brazilian tapir, jaguar, red or grey brocket deer, armadillo and paca.
Tipishca lodge is built on the banks of lake Tipishca, hence the clearing is ideal for observing both lake and forest wildlife.
Bird watching is particularly rewarding at Tipishca, sightings might include long-billed wood creeper, yellow-tufted woodpecker, crimson-crested woodpecker, cream-coloured woodpecker, cuviers toucans, curl-crested aracaris, white-bellied parrots, blue and yellow macaws, paradise tanagers, white-vented euphonia, swallow tanager, blue dacnis, gilded barbet, fork-tailed wood nymph, rufous-breasted hermit (hummingbirds), bluish-fronted jacamar, striated puffbird, blue-crowned motmot, pale-winged trumpeter, and blue-throated piping guan.
There are stands of Guadua bamboo easily accessible from Tipishca, close to the centre. The hollow bamboo segments are full of water, and are the perfect breeding ground for insect larvae which in turn support a number of rare endemic bird species, only found in these special bamboo stands. Such secretive species include Peruvian recurvebill, rufous-headed woodpecker, white-lined Antbird and Goeldi’s antbird.
Specialist birders? Click here for the bird list.
(Provisional birds list, more species will be added as the forest around TIPISHCA is studied further.)
Mammals enthusiast? Click here for the mammal list.
(Provisional mammals checklist – more species will be added as the forest around TIPISHCA is studied further.)
At night there is the chance to see night monkeys, armadillos, porcupines, brocket deer or tree frogs. There are an incredible array of nocturnal noises -from large crickets, the lake resonating with croaking frogs, the hooting of owls, the ‘coughing’ of the roosting hoatzins, the loud ‘belching’ of large caimans and even the occasional roaring of a jaguar can all be heard from your bungalow!
Lake Tipishca
Tipishca lodge is located on the banks of LakeTipishca, a typical ‘ox-bow’ lake, formed over 100 years ago by the Las Piedras River cutting through the neck of a sharp meander.
The boat jetty is an ideal place for leisurely observations of the lake wildlife. Giant otters can sometimes be seen fishing close to the jetty. Lake Tipishca harbours good fish stocks, including piranha and catfish. A canoe tour of the lake gives more opportunities for seeing the otters- most visitors to Tipishca have good observations of the lake’s resident giant otters, fishing, playing, grooming or resting.
Bird life on the lake is plentiful; the lake attracts many species which include; blue and yellow macaws, grey-necked wood-rails, rufrescent tiger-herons, wattled jacanas, Amazon and pygmy kingfishers, green ibis, black-collared hawk, black capped mocking thrush and yellow-rumped caciques. You might also spot hoatzins, green ibis, red capped cardinals, and ringed kingfishers.
Other lake wildlife includes black caiman, side necked turtles, and dragonflies.
Tipishca Macaw Clay Lick
There is a parrot and macaw clay lick just 20 minutes by boat down river from Tipishca. Macaw clay licks are best experienced early in the morning, hence tours usually leave the lodge pre-dawn to catch the best of the day with a few hours of high quality bird watching. The species regularly visiting this clay lick include red and green macaws, sometimes a flock of a dozen or more at a time, and flocks of up to 200 others including dusky headed parakeet, cobalt winged parakeet and tui parakeet. Other species visiting the clay lick include chestnut-fronted and red-bellied macaws; mealy, blue headed and yellow-crowned parrots, white-eyed parakeets, orange-cheeked parrots, white-bellied parrots, scarlet macaws, blue and yellow macaws, piping guans, and chachalacas.