CORBIDIANOS QUE PARTIERON PARA SIEMPRE

Durante esta cuarentena, dos personas nos dejaron. Dos personas muy valiosas como personas, para sus familias y amigos, para Corbidi, para la observación de aves, para las aves y para la ciencia.

​Paloma Mariana Ordoñez Buezo de Manzanedo

El 31 de marzo 2020 falleció nuestra querida Paloma Mariana Ordoñez Buezo de Manzanedo. Paloma nació en San Isidro, Lima el 15 de noviembre 1983. Aunque vivía en la ciudad Lima toda su vida, a Paloma siempre le encantaba el campo, la naturaleza y los animales, tanto que tenia el sueño de ser veterinaria para cuidar a animales. Al entrar a la Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM), Paloma empezó la carrera de biología y recibió su bachillerato de dicha institución. Paloma siguió su pasión por los animales y trabajaba en La Granja Villa donde cuidaba a diversas especies de animales rescatados y luego en la consultora ambiental, Domus, donde monitoreaba poblaciones de animales silvestres. Adicionalmente, Paloma estaba a punto de terminar una maestría en ecología aplicada en la UNALM y su tesis investigaba el efecto de deforestación y fragmentación de bosques en la prevalencia de malaria aviar. Durante su carrera, Paloma era asociada con el Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI) donde participaba en varias investigaciones de aves silvestres con instituciones extranjeras como la Universidad de Nuevo México, la Universidad de Florida, y la Universidad de Harvard. Paloma no solo sobresalió en lo académico, era también una talentosa artista y le gustaba dibujar, pintar, y hacer bordados. Sobretodo, Paloma era una hermosa, generosa, y cariñosa persona que dejó una inolvidable huella en las vidas y los corazones de su familia y amigos. Esperemos que en lugar donde esté la energía que emanaba de ella pueda reconfortar los corazones de las personas que en vida la amaron. Te amaremos eternamente, Paloma.

​Abraham Urbay Tello

El 1 de junio 2020 falleció Abraham Urbay Tello, nuestro querido Abraham o don Abraham


"Abraham estuvo con Corbidi desde su fundación en el 2009. Lo conocí en el 2002 en una expedición de LSU al Pauya. Abraham ya era una pieza fundamental en estas expediciones desde 1983. Fui al campo con él casi todos los años hasta el 2010, donde las expediciones se espaciaron un poco. Me hice muy amigo de Abraham. Eso para él significaba que me llamara regularmente a saludar, o que se aparezca de vez en cuando en mi casa para conversar. Jamás me pidió algo. Simplemente aparecía, me saludaba con su característico acento "Hola Tomitas, tiempo que no nos vemos", y nos echábamos a conversar. En las últimas conversaciones me contaba de su aventura de conseguir casa propia en Ventanilla. Ya lo había visitado en Huamanga, de donde él era y había conocido a parte de su familia. Me di cuenta que todos lo querían y respetaban mucho.


Abraham era un todo terreno. Cuando se le pedía participar en alguna expedición, se sabía que iba como especialista en redes, como preparador de pieles, como satélite explorador, cómo abridor de caminos y trochas, como armador de campamentos, como logístico, como contador de chistes, como cargador, como negociador social, como seguridad. Abraham nunca decía que algo no se podía. Había que tener cuidado que se le encomendaba. Él lo iba a tratar. Su lealtad a la causa a veces hacía que uno se sienta mal.  " Thomas Valqui junio 2020


"It was with a heavy heart that I heard of
Abraham’s passing this month.  Although we haven’t been regular communicators, I’ve always considered Abraham a significant contributor to my Life.
I first met Abraham in May 1983 in Peru.  I was a 20-year-old undergraduate member of an otherwise graduate student ornithological expedition to the lowlands of eastern Peru sponsored by the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science (LSUMNS).  It was my second expedition with LSU – the first coming just a year earlier to the same area after my freshman year (1982).
We met Abraham in Iquitos – he was with tasked to be one of the main Peruvian assistants for our three-month expedition and was under the guidance our very-experienced Peruvian assistant, Manual Sanchez S. (who was with us during the 1982 expedition).  Abraham was very quiet and often with downcast eyes, but with that huge grin that always seemed to imply he heard something funny about something I said…the only man I’ve ever met that was able to smile that big without showing his teeth.
I was still much the rookie on this trip and my Spanish still was pretty much non-existent.  I had tried to learn a little since I had returned from Peru in 1982, so Abraham often tried to help me every now and then…though it seemed his “highland” accent was even more pronounced that Manuel’s.  He had quite the laugh at my expense when I told the story about meeting a native on the trails one day and couldn’t understand why the native gave me a peculiar look - and a wide birth – when I very proudly explained to him in what I thought was passable Spanish I could be proud of about what this gringo was doing in the area.  I later learned that evening that my explanation that I studied “small birds” to the native was interpreted in that region as studying something quite different...  Abraham seemed to never let me live that day down…he reminded me of it often.
When the three-month expedition was over, I was asked to remain behind by the LSUMNS after all of the others went home, and spend another 4 months investigating several far-flung regions of Peru on my own along with only Manuel and Abraham.  I didn’t hesitate and accepted the challenge, not fully comprehending the linguistic challenge until all my compatriots that I leaned on for communication in Peru had left.
However, Manuel and Abraham were great teachers and were very patient.  Little by little, we were able to communicate clearly more and more.  We were able to converse freely eventually about the birds, the places, and the people of that amazing country.  I learned a lot from those two.  I know Abraham felt a lot of pressure on the trip because Manuel was so well known as both a collector and preparator of birds.  They were both quite competitive…Manuel would come back with a really great bird, and Abraham would wordlessly get up, grab the shotgun, and stay out until he brought a bird I praised back himself!  Abraham even insisted on learning to prepare bird specimens as well, and he was quite an apt pupil; even tiny hummers and thin-skinned pigeons did not deter the man – all the while trying his best to maintain that huge grin of his.
After seven months in the company of Abraham, without knowing it, he had made huge impacts on the Life of this 20-year-old.  Work ethic, positive attitude, and an understated sense of humor were all part of the curriculum – not to mention some “Sierran Spanish” and a dash of quechua.  At the end of it all, I was dubbed the Gringo Peruano byt them both.  It was a trip where I matured personally and professionally in no small way from what Abraham and Manuel passed on to me.
It wasn’t until 26 years later that I was able to see Abraham again.  This time, I was a member of a University of Kansas expedition to central Peru, and Abraham – a bit more gray, but with the same huge grin – was now the senior Peruvian assistant for the trip.  He was still that very quiet, reserved guy that I spent 7 months of my Life with those many years earlier.  He and I spent a couple of evenings that trip just slowly recalling some of the good – and not so good – memories from 1983.  At times, it felt like yesterday.
At the end of that trip, our time together was cut short because of a strike in the area that prevented any Peruvian nationals from leaving; only the gringos were allowed to pass, and I had a plane to catch back to the states. So, there we were: on the side of a dirty highway, packed in the middle of countless vehicles stuck in place from the strike.  We had to hurry in the brief time frame they gave the gringos to get going.  So, it was in a blur of throwing things in our lone vehicle that was going to be allowed to pass, and saying goodbye to our Peruvian companions who had to be left behind, that two people with ties that went back over 25 years and thousands of miles faced each other at last to try and say goodbye.  I think we both knew this would be the last time we’d see each other.  Neither of us could utter a word.  We hugged.  He looked me straight in the eye, patted me twice on the back, and nodded once at me.  Then, he gave me what I’d been waiting for – that big grin.  And everything was alright.
The World will miss Abraham.  But, I’m blessed to have many memories and photos of our times together.  And, I’m sure I’m not alone in knowing that his Big Grin will never be forgotten." Tristan Davis, junio 2020

 
"Él era una de las manos derechas en varias de las expediciones de CORBIDI (junto con Emil Bautista y Walter Vargas), siempre ponían las redes, revisaban, extraer aves, colectar y preparar pieles, ademas tenian el ojo afinado para saber donde colocar las redes y sabian llegar a acuerdos con los pobladores para permitirnos los accesos y permisos de campamento y colecta, ademas de ser una buena persona y por ello en el libro de Aves del Perú se lo incluye los agradecimientos de los autores por su soporte en las expediciones, seria bueno que tambien se le haga un pequeño homenaje, proponle a Thomas."  Sheila Figueroa, junio 2020