February 2026

Harpy Eagles have always fascinated me, these giant predators of South and Central American Rain forests with talons similar in size to a grizzly bear’s claw. Years ago I was very lucky to see a juvenile Harpy at Tambopata Reserve in Peru and since then my dream was, to get to see them again. My dream came true recently: I had the chance to visit an active nesting site in the Sierra de la Macarena National Park in Colombia.
It required quite some logistics to get to the place where we stayed several nights in a very rustic finca. Every morning we walked one hour through the forest to the nest, which was located at the foot of a steep slope so we could see it at eye level. We spent 4 days at the nesting site where the female Harpy was constantly present to take care of her 2 and half months old chick. The male appeared twice during these days with pray (part of a monkey). Sometimes for hours there was no activity at all but occasionally the female moved to feed the chick or changed its perch near the nest. Those where the photo opportunities not to be missed. I could not get enough to watch these impressive and beautiful birds.
Please take a look at the photos in the gallery.