Ornate Hawk Eagle
A rather sad story
During the last four years, since my friend John Delevoryas (1*) mentioned the name of this bird when he first sent his faxes with the list of the birds he wanted to see in this area, the "Ornate Hawk Eagle", has been on top of the list of birds to look for. So during this time, I kept my eyes opened . This bird is among the 1070 registered species of birds in Mexico and neighboring countries like Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.
The "Ornate Hawk Eagle" ( Spizaetus ornatus vicarius) has yellow eyes and feet, it’s erectile crest is very notorious, the whole body may reach up to 27 inches, the wing span is up to 56 in. It has an Olive gray color around the eye, two black stripes start in the lower part of the eyes and go down to the chest, there is white between these stripes as well as the throat. The rest of the head, chest and shoulders are cinnamon, then we find some black and white bars all the way to the tail, the tip ends in white. Also the legs, with smaller bars of the same black and white pattern, whitish under wings, upper side with pale grey to brownish grey bands. It can be found in south of Yucatan State, almost in all Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, part of Chiapas, a large part of Vera Cruz and small parts of Puebla and Tlaxcala as well as a part of Jalisco.
It was a very big surprise and reason of joy to know that this bird was on the way to Calakmul.
Calakmul is an Archaeological Site in the heart of a protected Natural Park, which was created in 1989 by Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and encompasses an area of 1.8 million acres, the idea of this park was long promoted by the Archaeologist William Folan (*2).
According to Ramon Carrasco, the Archaeologist in charge of the excavations lately, Calakmul was already occupied and very active since 700 B.C.. and continued to be in use during the Pre-classic and all during the Classic until around 900 A.D.. Time in which it played a very important roll interacting with other major Cities like Tikal, Caracol and Naranjo. 120 Stelae have been reported and the site has over 6500 structures, including temples, palaces, residential buildings etc.
So we left Rancho Encantado with four guests at 6:oo a.m., Frank Mattas and his family visiting us for the first time and June Gerber, who used to come every year until Larry her husband died, this year she came with Larry’s ashes for another visit to the Maya Zone where they had some unforgettable moments.
We stopped to have breakfast at Xpujil, now the head of the newly created Municipio Calakmul, we ordered some sandwiches to take along and continued our journey west on 186 road until the turnoff to Calakmul where we have to stop to pay a fee to access the Preserve, so we did. Several miles ahead there is another "checkpoint", where they just write down the license number of the cars visiting the area. These people are paid by SEMARNAP, which is the Mexican Entity to protect and preserve the Natural Resources and Wildlife, I usually bring them some newspapers, they spend two weeks living in the hut, so some news is good news even if they are bad news. They are the ones who gave me some directions to find the nest of the "Ornate Hawk Eagle" "go 20 kilometers and find this tree", can you imagine driving into the preserve how many trees I found? "It’s a tree on the right side!!" it was not the easiest task, but we were driving and suddenly after a curve in this winding road I saw something that looked like a large nest, I pulled over, got off the car and almost immediately I heard this call which was not familiar to me, so I looked in the direction of the call and there it was!!! Guarding the nest from a neighbor tree about some 100ft away of the nest. I called my passengers and we all were very glad to have seen that spectacular bird, Frank said that just that "single" fact made his day, he wouldn’t need anything else, we stayed for a long time taking pictures and watching. It was something else!!!
I returned to Calakmul with more guests on March 13,18, April 1 and 6, this day, Susan and Richard Graling were traveling with me, this was his second year to visit us at Rancho Encantado, so we stopped to see the "Eagle" she was perched by the nest, they had a Camcorder, so they wanted the Eagle to smile, sing, jump, flip over, tap or something, to tape the "action", but the eagle was not willing to go to Hollywood and stayed calmed....until Richard decided to approach the tree of the nest, I was not aware of what he was doing I was busy trying to get more pictures, so I was trying to focus her when I saw her disappear from my sight and dove down, I heard Richard screaming and I thought..."Oh my god, she got him!!!" so I went quickly to see where Richard was, scared and breathing fast, he didn’t think that the eagle would attack him, so since the eagle was very still, even with him under the nest, he turned around to go back to Susan, and it was at this time that the eagle attacked him, she actually didn’t touch him.
Richard says that he just felt the wind and sound of those powerful wings over his head, it was so quickly that it was finished before we all realized what had happened. I met Richard on the side of the road, and when he was almost out of the bush, the eagle approached us and perched on a branch very close to where we were, I took a few shots, but unfortunately for me, my flash was in the car and there was too much light in the background, I could very clearly see the eyes of the eagle staring directly at Richard... but didn’t attack him again, the nest was safe... "It’s a good warning not to mess with Mother Nature, told me in a later letter...The Gralings were very happy after all, Susan got her "in action"...! CUT!!!
Our busy season in Rancho Encantado was almost over, so I didn’t go back to that area for a while, but there was this worm in my head...the babies are white....you have to go back...the babies...the babies...
At the end of May, I decided to go back to see how the babies were doing, so I got ready to go, and before the shift at the Hotel ended, Rosy gave me a list of things to buy, so I postponed my trip to buy what we needed...I’ll go tomorrow...and guess what! Some birders arrived to the Rancho Encantado the following day and I said to myself..."what an extraordinary opportunity, I’ll tell them about the eagle, so I wont go by myself and will get some money for the Rancho Encantado"...but NO:! The couldn’t go, they needed to go back to Cancun next day, it didn’t happen.
At this time I had already postponed my trip two days, I was beginning to be annoyed, and finally decided to go the next day, May 28th no matter what!!!
I left home about 4:45 a.m. Stopped as usually at Xpujil town for breakfast and continued...I reached the turnoff and told the guys that I had no intention to go all the way to the Archaeological Site, gave him his newspaper, this time he didn’t charge me.
I also wanted to take some more pictures of whatever got close to my camera and I had a new project in mind to record some of the sounds of the Jungle, birds, cicadas, monkeys, etc. So I stopped a couple of times to see and hear some birds, I saw a few Turquoise-browed Motmot... the Barred Antshike and Grey-Throated Chat were two new ones for me, there were many more which I still can’t identify, but I enjoyed seeing and hearing them.
I thought it was a little strange to meet two cars leaving that area, there was this white Combi (VW van) and later a new green Jeep, it didn’t matter at that time.
I got to the SEMARNAP checkpoint and one of the guards, Rodolfo Mendez asked me what was I doing and where I was going.
I asked him if there was any particular thing of interest to photograph, right away he said... " There is the Aguila with a baby", I felt so happy, I had been waiting for weeks to come to see the babies and he was confirming that there was one..." "That’s exactly what I came to see" I replied. "I would like to come along" he told me..." "well... if you think you are patient enough to stand and wait until I see something of MY interest as we move on...it’s o.k. with me" "lets go!" I didn’t have to say that twice, he jumped in!!
We continued...
As we were getting close I told him about the two cars that I saw, he was very surprised to find out that the green Jeep was still in the area since the had "checked out" the day before at SEMARNAP place. "he is doing some kind of research, we only know him as Patricio, " the eagle man", he never told us his full name...he comes often, he had an observation deck built on top of a tree close to the nest". When I heard that, I couldn’t wait to get to the eagle’s place and shoot the picture of my life!!! It couldn’t be any better. I had thought of bringing a long aluminum ladder for the same purpose , so the observation deck was the best way to get what I wanted...and it was there...ready for me... "Oh boy what a nice day"
As we were driving I told him the little adventure of Richard Graling, and how the eagle attacked him. "you know...Rodolfo said...the Eagle man has a wound on his head and one of the workers was also attacked when they were building the observation platform, so the Eagle protects the nest."
We finally reached the area, I saw the nest and across a side road the observation deck, made with sticks and rope, the ladder was made the same way, very primitive, sticks and rope, 21 steps were between the ground and the deck, about 1.5ft apart from each other. I had my camera, with the 300mm lens and the 1.6 converter, flash and funnel to project flash light farther, I had to take apart the camera gear, put it inside my back pack and start my way up...
Oh boy!! What am I doing?... but this is my chance, so I have to get to the top. I may be good climbing pyramids, but this was something else, the steps were too apart, it was very difficult for me, plus the weight of my back pack, the ladder swinging, but there I went...all the way to the top. There was a landing at the end of the swinging ladder and two big branches where the rope was hanging, it was more difficult to pass through the branches with my backpack, but I managed to do it, then there was a fixed section of the ladder, much easier to climb and also a couple of branches to do it difficult with my burden again, I finally reached the lookout, my right hand was cut by the rope and it was bleeding, all my body was shaking, specially my legs.
Rodolfo was just behind me, he seemed to be much accustomed doing these kind of things, we looked at the nest and he said: "I don’t see the baby, the nest is torn apart, maybe he stole it" I thought that the baby might be lower or sleeping that's why we didn’t see it. Of course this was just to cheer me up, I didn’t see the baby either.
Rodolfo went down to the bottom of the tree where the nest was and said "there is a part of the nest over these bushes, he must have stolen the baby!!"
At this time I was not able to see the eagle nor Rodolfo, because of the branches in the way, then he told me he was going to climb the tree of the nest to force the eagle to move, that I should be ready...so he goes...and screams...and I didn’t see a thing. The eagle went after him as he started climbing the tree, I just heard " there she is moving Ahhh!!!!" Did you see her? He asked.
See what? No I didn’t. I replied. "She just flew over my head, she almost lifted me!!"
But then about 150 ft away I saw her very clearly at "eye level" I grabbed my camera and before I could even try to see through it, I saw the Eagle coming my way...I always kept in mind the possibility of the Eagle attacking me and here it was, she was so extraordinarily magnificent, all of her wonderful presence just for me, her wings opened...at "eye level"...face to face...but not exactly, I just enjoyed the action for one or two seconds and then I had to duck or get hit.
Luckily for me the Eagle just flew above through the branches,oh,oh! Those were the top branches!! So she would had hit me if she wanted. I can’t imagine what such powerful claws can do on one’s skin, they are like knives.
I remained on the lookout for a few more minutes still reviewing my "high level" encounter with the Ornate Hawk Eagle...I’m unable to write what I felt, I just can’t find the words.!
I finally came down from the tree, again with some difficulty.
At this time it was much more likely that the guy should have stolen the baby, there was a part of the nest over some bushes, with some white feathers, the babies have white feathers when juvenile, and the nest was torn apart, the baby was not in the nest and the main key was that the mother was still there.
If the baby had gone because it was time to leave the nest, the mother would had left too.
"Is there a way that you can call someone? I can give you a ride to Xpujil town so you can call whom ever you have to and file a report". I said.
"I think I have to do it" Rodolfo said. " The attitude of this "Eagle man", was always very suspicious. When he came into the Reserva, last may 25th, I asked him to let me or my partner come along with him and he was reluctant, he refused and argued that the birds approached him easier if he was by himself, so he wouldn’t let us come along. If you take me to town I will file a report, but I need to change my shoes. Will you wait for me?"
Well of course I was very unhappy and upset with the fact that the baby was missing and it was very clear for us that he was stolen.
Not being able to take my picture, was very frustrating, I was really angry!!!
We reached the SEMARNAP checkpoint and when we told Alfonso Pech, the other Guard, about what we found, he also got very angry. " I knew he was doing something wrong". "One of the times he came to the Preserve I said, thank God you came back. And he got very upset because I mentioned God. He said that God had nothing to do with us. So I said: You must have created yourself". "He was doing some kind of research with the two nests...Have you seen the other nest? Somebody stole the baby from the other nest, because the mother still remains in the area, in fact someone cut down the tree where the nest was to get the honey inside the trunk, but the bird still remains there. Are you interested in seeing it?"
Well...I guess not...I have enough pictures of that bird. Maybe some other day! I said.
It’s very close, only about five kilometers, I need some time to change my shoes, Rodolfo told me.
O.k. lets go!! I had no idea that there was another nest in the neighborhood, so this time Alfonso came along.
We saw a few "Turquoise Browed Motmots", nesting in the ground at the sides of the road .
We got to the place, just a few feet off the road, stopped the car and walked a few more feet...we saw this deserted area in the middle of the jungle, there was this opened space, we saw the fallen tree, the one that was cut to "harvest" the honey inside the trunk and just a few feet ahead there was something lying on the ground...some feathers...
"I hope it is not what I think it is" Alfonso said.
¡Oh my God... It looks like it!. I said
We approached and our anger and frustration went up to the sky!!
Lying on the ground there was the other specimen of the Ornate Hawk Eagle...dead!!!
We couldn’t believe our eyes, our expectations were crashed as we saw with more detail that the Eagle didn’t just die because of natural process, or the attack of a cat or snake or another predator.
We walked around the body and then realized that the legs and the head had been cut off the body and placed "carefully" a couple of inches away. The head was close to where originally it was and it’s feet were placed by the head, in a very strange and specific position.
Who ever killed this specimen must have performed some demoniac ritual, our second specimen, the one that I never even knew about, was sacrificed...
It is now very difficult to describe what I felt, I was very angry and disappointed. I guess I could use some other expressions...but I rather not!!!
I photographed the remains of the Eagle, after that we decided to bring the body along, to complete the report and as Alfonso lifted the body, which was there not more than a couple of days, we could see the job of the ants who had been already doing some work, there were many ants in the head and some in the rest of the body...it began to smell.
We took the body without the head back to the SEMARNAP hut. This time it was Rodolfo who couldn’t believe what happened.
We started our way to the Headquarters of SEMARNAP in Zoh Laguna, a small village 10 kilometers north of Xpujil town, we stopped again at the
"crime zone" to pick up the head, this time everything was in a plastic bag.
We got to the Office and the biologists there were astonished! I promised them some of my photographs to document the finding and they proceeded to take the report of Rodolfo.
I went back home, took my film to develop and made my report, when and what I saw, supported with the pictures, I had to leave the following Sunday to a Guides Course in Playa del Carmen so I didn’t have very much time to do something extensive, I finished my Spanish report and sent it with Zuemy Rodriguez, a friend of ours who works at Xpujil town.
The people of SEMARNAP went to pick up the report the next Monday, I was at that time in Playa del Carmen, Q. Roo
Last time I was in that Reserve, the 20th of June I saw Alfonso and he told me that there is an ongoing Federal Investigation, that several inspectors and Federal Agents were in those places taking more pictures and following a deeper documentation of the Crime.
There are a couple of BIG questions to be asked.
The guy of the green Jeep was the one doing a "research"...
If he noticed that the baby was missing the day before I went to do my photograph...How comes he didn’t say any thing to the guards?
If he saw the "crime" of the Eagle...how come he didn’t report it?
What was he doing one day after he "checked out" the SEMARNAP checkpoint?
Where was him between the time he "checked out" and the time I saw him the next day ?
These are some questions that need answers.
I ‘m not saying that the Eagle man was the one who did the killing...I’m just saying that there are many "facts" that aim in that direction.
Who ever it was... he doesn’t deserve to be free...
The world looses everyday hundreds of acres of forest and jungle, hundreds of species are disappearing from the face of the earth, someone, somehow must do something to preserve the little forest left.
Unfortunately... "On behalf" of progress we give up our natural resources...at the end of the Millennium, there is almost nothing left, but pollution and chaos.
How much longer are we going to enjoy computers, scanners, and all of the
"modern" world facilities if we don’t look first to where everything comes from?
The Ornate Hawk Eagle who survived, may not come back ever to this area,
When I finally found them, after searching for years, someone else comes and destroys them...that’s not fair...but that’s the way it is.
NOTES
*1.- John Delevoryas is a retired Piano Professor who has devoted his retired time to photograph Birds all over the world, traveling to China, Australia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and of course, Mexico, spending some time every year at Rancho Encantado.
*2.- William Follan appears in the Issue of National Geographic in October 1989, where they talk about La Ruta Maya. The issue came with a wonderful map of the Maya Land.
TO READ MORE
Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico Rogey Tory Peterson and Edward L. Chalif 1994
A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico Ernest P. Edwards 1989
A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Steve N.G. Howell and Sophie Webb 1995
National Geographic Magazine October 1989
Maya. Peter Schmidt, Enrique Nalda and Mercedes de la Garza 1998
An Archaeological Guide to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Joyce Kelly 1993
Picture of Calakmul Street. IV was taken with a camera Pentax K1000 and wide angle lens.
All other pictures were take with Nikon N90S with 300mm lens plus a 1.6 tele-converter. Also a Zoom lens 35/70mmm was used in some photos.
Film used was Konica Print Film 100 ASA. Processed and developed in Chetumal,Q. Roo Mexico
For more information contact
Luis I. Téllez
or
phone
01 9 8-32-34-96
Chetumal Q. Roo
México