Incredible Enthusiasm from an Incredibly Small Town in the Peruvian Amazon
April 28 – April 29, 2023
The Caserío Timicuro Primera Zona Village, Loreto, Peru
Members of the local community learn how to use binoculars to observe birds, 28 April 2023 per la Fundación Los Amigos de la Naturaleza
For several years, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Celebrate Urban Birds program has collaborated with la Fundación Los Amigos de la Naturaleza to conduct educational and inclusive birdwatching programs in rural areas of the Peruvian Amazon.
In April 2023, la Fundación Los Amigos de la Naturaleza led a three-day Celebrate Urban Birds program to celebrate inclusive birdwatching in rural communities in the Loreto region of Peru.
Loreto is a region in Peru that is located in the northeast of the country. Covering 28% of Peru’s territory, it is the largest region in the country, encompassing 53 districts, including the country’s capital, Iquitos. This workshop was held in the Timicuro Primera Zona Village, where all of the events were held. The village belongs to the Indiana district of the Maynas province and is located within the Department of Loreto. The only means of transportation to get here is by river, about 45 kilometers from Iquitos by boat. It is located on one of the islands in the archipelago known as the Timicuro Islands. There are approximately 30 families in this small village. In August 2021, a similar program was held in the same area, representing long-term community engagement. In 2021, participants and facilitators were required to wear masks and follow other restrictions to protect them from COVID-19.
It was here in the Timicuro Primera Zona Village that, during the program, children, parents, and facilitators explored the wonder of birds, learning about their importance through dynamic games in which everyone participated. They also gained skills related to birdwatching and participatory science.
The Fundación Los Amigos de la Naturaleza team left Iquitos for the village by boat on April 27th with all the program materials. The following day, they carried out the activities, starting with an interactive workshop on the use of binoculars and a drawing contest. In total, participants completed more than 25 paintings of native birds. What talent!
Participants pose with Katterine Garly Aliaga Pashanaste, an organizer of the event, in front of the day’s beautiful bird paintings, 28 April 2023 per la Fundación Los Amigos de la Naturaleza
Afterward, the participants and organizers enjoyed a delicious lunch. For both this day and the next, the organization provided food for the participants during the program — eliminating barriers for participation.
In the afternoon, the Bird Imitation Contest began, with enthusiastic participation from community members. They used the Merlin ID app to learn bird sounds before imitating them. They were successful in imitating the birds, and some children won prizes!
On the second day, participants wrote songs and poems about the birds they hear every day in the Amazon rainforest. Incidentally, this event also included prizes for the winners: reusable ballots with paintings of native birds and the Celebrate Urban Birds logo. 🙂
A wall of elaborate poems and songs written by the participants, 29 April 2023 per la Fundación Los Amigos de la Naturaleza
The next competition involved building bird nests by the parents of the participating children. In 2021, it was the youth participants who built them, with the support of their parents.
Members of Caserío Timicuro Primera Zona and the organizers of la Fundación Los Amigos de la Naturaleza hope that the program’s practical and artistic contests and events can encourage regular participatory science and birdwatching activities in the village for years to come. It’s undeniable that this program has inspired curiosity about the natural world and the confidence to carry it out among all participants—children, youth, and adults. Their distributed certifications confirm this!
Written by Lani Lin-Kissick of CUBs — lkl34@cornell.edu