Macaws and Parrots at the Blanquillo Clay Lick in Peru

By Doris Valencia Puclla

(02/21/2011) Blanquillo Clay Lick is certainly one of those places you have to see to experience the real amazon.
This place is located in the buffer area of the Manu National Park, famous for is 1000 birds species list, 13 monkey species and much more.

This clay lick can be easily reach by boat from Manu Wildlife Center/Amazon Manu Lodge and Tambo Blaquillo, the best time of the year is between middle june to late november, the rest of the year the area is very rainny and the need of clay diminishes as the birds have more to choose from in regards to food. To admire this amazing and unique natural show you have to get there first thing in the morning before the arriving birds see you, all the spectacle is seen from a wooden blind located about 6 feet above the ground and it rally resembles to a tree house!! this is located a good 150 feet distance from the expose rive bank where the birds congregate every morning, with good binoculars, camera and a scope you will certainly get great looks. The sound of the arriving flocks of Blue-headed Parrots, Orange-cheeked, Mealy and Yellow-Crowned Parrots is mindblowing, as they feel comfortable and are congregate it in a great flock they will start droping down litle by litle until they land on the expose wall to use the benefits of the clay as they take big chunks of it, they appoint centinels in several locations as danger could come from anywhere, if birds feel threatened about something these centinels will really be loud and all birds will fly at once which is a unique and wonderful nature spectacle with a lot of color. Once the birds have satiated their need for clay they will start leaving to feeding areas, but the show is not over yet, the large macaws follow as their start arriving in couples or family groups, these colorful birds are believe to mate for life, whichs is really outstanding since they really life for a long time even in the wild, it is assume that they may live up to 40 or more years. Blaquillo Clay Lick is visited by Red and Green Macaws, ocasionally Scarlets, in a good morning you can see between 30 to 100 birds easily, someimes even more!! when these birds fly all at once they really looked like winged rainbows.

A visit to this unique area would really be a visit you will never forget.