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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

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  1. S

    Rio Grande do Sul

    If you have a couple of spare days and transportation, my suggestion would be to drive down to the coast and head south to the Lagoa do Peixe National Park. Stay in Mostardas at the Pousada Pouso Alegre and drive out to the north end of the park, or stay in Tavares (Hotel Parque da Lagoa) and...
  2. S

    Best place to see a Cock of the Rock lek

    Although of little use to the original poster, I thought I'd just clarify this a bit. The lek at Marí Marí is not 100% outside the breeding season. If you visit in May-June, for example, the chances are much lower to find the birds at the lek. Best time of year to visit this lek is between...
  3. S

    Manaus and surroundings

    Just a note to any readers of this thread: the Parque Municipal das Orquideas in Presidente Figueiredo is best avoided at present due to security issues. For Pelzeln's Tody-Tyrant please visit either Marí Marí (the tody-tyrant occurs in the vicinity of the Cock-of-the-Rock lek) or the INPA...
  4. S

    Manaus and surroundings

    To walk the trails at the Reserva Adolpho Ducke you need to obtain authorization and be accompanied by someone from INPA. If you mean the excellent canopy tower at the Manaus Botanical Gardens (the forest here is adjacent to the Ducke reserve), then authorization is not required, but you will...
  5. S

    Pantanal by my own

    This is a contentious issue. You most certainly do not need any sort of permit to drive on the Transpantaneira, as it is a public road. However, in the past few years certain members of the local guides' union have mobilized in an attempt to clamp down on groups traveling down the...
  6. S

    Pantanal by my own

    Hi Glimmer, You can certainly rent a car in Cuiabá and bird the Transpantaneira productively, although during the dry season the dust can be an annoyance. The best birding is off the "highway" on the private properties of lodges like Pousada Piuval, Pouso Alegre, Pousada Rio Claro, Araras...
  7. S

    Itinerary for a 23 days trip starting in Sao Paulo...

    Yes, you would need to hire a car to reach the site, although once you are there a vehicle isn't really necessary. The lodge might be able to arrange a transfer from São Paulo, but it might not end up being much less expensive than actually hiring a small car and doing the driving yourself.
  8. S

    Itinerary for a 23 days trip starting in Sao Paulo...

    Less expensive options in northern Mato Grosso / southern Pará include the Rio Azul Jungle Lodge and Fazenda Anacã, though neither are cheap. From Cuiabá you might also want to consider the Pousada Jardim da Amazônia, which is located about 4 hours north of Cuiabá at the extreme southern edge...
  9. S

    Pantanal easy independent itinerary

    I'd say it certainly is true. In the northern Pantanal you have to know where to search and have a bit of luck on your side. In the southern Pantanal (at places like Aguapé or Fazenda San Francisco) you practically have to kick the Giant Anteaters out of the way! While no wildlife is ever truly...
  10. S

    Itinerary for a 23 days trip starting in Sao Paulo...

    In South-east Brazil you might want to consider spending one or two nights at the Trilha dos Tucanos lodge, located about 3 hours from the international airport in São Paulo. In August the feeders are usually excellent, allowing for great photo opportunities with many colourful endemics...
  11. S

    Health Advice for visiting Pantenal

    I was regularly asked to produce proof of vaccination upon arrival in Brazil between 2004 - 2007, but not since then. I was usually arriving from Canada. But I agree with what Xenopsiza posts above. These questions are best addressed by a health professional rather than the unwashed masses on...
  12. S

    Health Advice for visiting Pantenal

    There have been a number of cases of Yellow Fever confirmed this year in Brazil, mostly in the south-east. As such, you may be required to present proof of vaccination when you enter the country. As stated elsewhere in this thread, the vaccination is now considered to offer lifelong coverage...
  13. S

    Manaus and the Amazon

    Hi Niels, For river cruises, I suggest you get in touch with Amazonia Expeditions (www.amazoniaexpeditions.com.br). They are based in Novo Airão but have a number of ships for river cruises and they have quite a lot of experience with birders as they outfit the river trips for major bird tour...
  14. S

    Field Guide for Brazil

    The Portuguese version of the WCS guide is already out and seems to be up to the standards of the Pantanal & Cerrado guide of the same series. Another interesting book is this guide to the birds of the Serra dos Órgãos which should be quite useful for Rio de Janeiro...
  15. S

    Rio de janeiro- Centro Area

    eBird should be very helpful for you to get an idea of what birds might be available in Rio. You might also try getting in touch with the local birding club there, the Clube dos Observadores de Aves de Rio de Janeiro (COA - RJ). It is one of the more active COA's in Brazil and they might have...
  16. S

    Tityra leucura - Valid or not?

    The species was seen at Cristalino last year, a site which receives massive amounts of observation (relative to others in Amazonian Brazil). I'd be surprised if Roosevelt receives more than a half dozen birding groups per year (likely only half that in most years), and the trail system there is...
  17. S

    Costa Rica Gateway?

    Nice to hear that they are operating, at least. We've sent them a few emails now, with no reply whatsoever. Enjoy your trip!
  18. S

    Costa Rica Gateway?

    Thanks Niel, I did indeed send 2 or 3 emails, both to the address listed on the page and via their contact form too. So far no reply, though to be fair I haven't called them yet.
  19. S

    Costa Rica Gateway?

    Is Costa Rica Gateway still in business? Does anyone have a current email address?
  20. S

    New Capito barbet

    I'm a bit shocked at reading some of the discourse here. I didn't realize that museum scientists and traditional taxonomic methods had become the subjects of such vilification. Regarding the quoted question, I suspect it'd be much more useful to examine the stomach contents to determine the...
  21. S

    seeing jaguar/giant anteater

    Hi rockfowl, This is a touchy issue of some debate here in the state. That these jaguars have been fed in the past is not one of the issues being debated; there is a long history of local fishermen gutting their catches on the Cuiabá and Three Brothers rivers, and tossing the guts on the shore...
  22. S

    seeing jaguar/giant anteater

    Your best bet is a visit to the northern Pantanal along the Transpantaneira, as has already been mentioned here. As rockfowl states, Giant Anteater is reliable around the Pousada Araras and can be seen even during the day in the dry season. The best locations in Brazil for Jaguar at the moment...
  23. S

    Which book for Cuba?

    I used the Cuba guide during a visit (mostly non-birding but with several day or weekend trips worked in) in 2007, and I thought it was fine in the field.
  24. S

    Birds of Brazil by van Perlo

    I'm still waiting for my copy of this book to arrive, thanks to a mysterious shipping delay. However, I finally had the opportunity to look through it and 'see it in action' while I guided clients in the Alta Floresta region of Mato Grosso this month. Mindful of the vast amounts of work which...
  25. S

    Three month birding Odyssey Asia and Australia

    I say stick it out! You're on the doorstep of some of the world's best birding, or so I hear... Traveling in a foreign country is always a bit difficult at first, particularly in the big cities; once you get out into the countryside though, the pace of life slows noticeably and it should be...
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