[stephennj]

Sao Paulo , BRAZIL Dec. - 2006

Black Jacobin, Black-capped Donacobius, Yellow-rumped Marshbird

Over the 2006 Christmas holidays I traveled to the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil with my wife to meet Matt Martin, an old friend who is residing there now. This was not a birding-only trip but I spent one or two hours per day of casual birding in the field and I was able to observe the most common species at a very relaxed pace. Booking a guide over Christmas holidays was difficult so Matt (a non-birder) agreed to take me to the Atlantic Rainforest for a whole day of birding. Our stay was spent at two locations: a coastal cottage in Peruibe near the Atlantic Rainforest and a farm house in Ourinhos in the dry interior of the state . Ourinhos is about a 5 hour drive west of Sao Paulo City. Two recommended field guides I purchased and studied before the trip were: All the Birds of Brazil by Souza and Aves da Grande Sao Paulo by Develey . Both books were very helpful and the Souza guide may seem dated with primitive sketches but in my opinion essential until a new field guide comes out. Birding without a guide proved to be challenging but very rewarding and I felt very prepared going in. Some birds were I.Ded from photos after the trip with the help of internet friends.



Day 1 December/20/2007 Sao Paulo City / Peruibe, Brazil

From frigid New Jersey USA, we landed in the massive airport at Sao Paulo City . In the airport parking lot I was dizzy with anticipation! It is mid-summer in Brazil. I spotted my first birds immediately in the parking lot , unmistakable Fork-tailed Flycatchers which were abundant here and Black Vultures overhead. Matt drove us to coastal Peruibe where we would spend the next 3 days just relaxing, drinking and doing a little sightseeing. The drive to Peruibe produced my first lifer of the trip, several elegant Southern Lapwings along the roadsides . When we made it to the cottage we were greeted by very active and aggressive Swallow-tailed hummingbirds which were giant by hummingbird standards at over 7 inches (18cm) long .These birds have an impressive deep purple and green plumage and a long swallow-like tail. They were so scrappy that two of them chased each other into the house the next evening . I had to capture and release them by hand. Other birds seen on the first day were all common: Great Kiskadee , Ruddy Ground-Dove , and lifer Eared Dove. Around the house I met my first ever Furnariidae : Rufous Horneo ! There were several Rufous Horneo nests around too which were large oven-shaped adobes made out of mud constructed high in the trees.

[Birdingcraft]

Nice images of cool birds- looking forward to more from a place I need to get to.

[stephennj]

Day 2 Dec/21/2006 Peruibe, Brazil
I awoke the next morning after hardly sleeping a wink. I could hear the loud calls of Great Kiskadee and I just wanted to GET OUTSIDE !! We took a sight-seeing trip near the base of then Serria dos Itatins Mountains and I was able to get some anticipated birding in. The weather was erratic with small bouts of drizzle , I found a nice group of striking endemic Green-headed Tanagers preening in the trees. I soon ran into the common but attractive powdery-blue Sayaca Tanager. I thought “ OK I am off to a good start! “ Nearby was a perched Streaked Flycatcher and a large black knobby-billed Cuckoo named Smooth-billed Ani . At a streamside luncheonette there were hummingbird feeders set up and I was salivating for the promise of new hummer species! After watching intently for a while I managed the olivacious Sombre Hummingbird at the feeders, this was the only species here but there were plenty and I was thrilled to get them! Along the stream were large mixed flock of Gray-breasted Martin and Blue-and-white Swallows. The most interesting sighting was a pair of Masked Water-Tyrants hurrying through the shrubs and trees. They were quite bold and had striking black and white plumage and they were an unexpected find for me because I thought I was too far south of their range. It began raining after a while and we headed home. I added Neotropic Cormorant and soaring Magnificent Frigatebird along the coastal drive . In the evening, a walk around the neighborhood unveiled the terrestrial Burrowing Owls that occupy nearly every vacant lot in town! Most of the Owl mounds had a group of chicks near the entrance and at least one adult nearby acting as a sentry, they were actually abundant!

pic 1 - Green headed-Tanagers
pic 2 - Sayaca Tanager
pic 3 - Streaked Flycatcher
pic 4 - Smooth-billed Ani
pic 5 - Neotropic Cormorants

[stephennj]

1- Madeline & Matt on Peruibe beach
2- Burrowing Owl in Peruibe
3- Burrowing Owl chicks in Peruibe
4- Masked Water-Tyrant
5- Rufous Hornero

[stephennj]

Day 3 Dec/22/2006 Peruibe, Brazil

Matt and I had plans to spend a full day birding the base and lowlands of the Serria dos Itatins , this is on the coastal edge of part of the remaining Atlantic Rainforest .We woke up early to find a steady drizzle but decided to bird in hopes that the weather would clear. The weather in this area is very unpredictable because of the ocean breeze hits the rugged mountains and this adds up to a lot of rainfall. Our first new birds were Rufous-collared Sparrow and a pair of Masked Yellowthroat. We continued along the edge of the soaking rainforest and were rewarded with a lek of endemic Black Jacobin in their formal black-and-white attire. The Black Jacobin, a glorious hummingbird species was a target species for me and was my favorite hummingbird of the trip. The rain turned into a steady downpour and our equipment was getting wet, we were having problems with our binoculars and camera fogging up .I got soaking looks at other species that I just couldn’t I.D including an all red bird that was probably Brazilian or Hepatic Tanager but I will never know for sure. I suddenly caught a glimpse of a Hermit species …what was it??? Who knows!!! …and no photo to study. The area did produce a perched group of Chestnut-capped Blackbirds in which field marks were clear to me .Things got worse when the car began to stall because of the electrical parts getting wet. We found temporary refuge at an Ecological Station down the road where we dried off and had coffee. I tried birding from their balcony but still could not get positive I.D.s and because of the downpours the birds were hunkered down. The conditions remained unbirdable and Matt and I decided to go home, we were rained out. Later in the day the rains subsided and I added , Palm Tanager, Creamy-bellied Thrush, Tropical Kingbird and Southern House Wren around the neighborhood .Bannanaquits were at the at the hummingbird feeder.

[stephennj]

A few more shots of the Peruibe area :

1 Brazillain Biker dude proud of his homemade chopper
2 Captured Swallow-tailed Hummingbird that was in the house
3 Junglewalk Matt and madeline
4 probable Sombre Hummingbird in the pouring rain at Ecological Station
5 Serria dos Itatins streamside watering hole

[stephennj]

Day 4 Dec/23/2006 Peruibe, Brazil
This was our last day in the costal town of Peruibe , and as usual I had my binoculars with me anytime we were out and about .We spent some time at the beach and the weather was mostly cooperative. I was able to get the very large Kelp Gull and Yellow-billed Tern on a leisurely walk along the coast ,Southern Lapwings were also here . Around town I was fortunate to find the colorful orangey-yellow Saffron Finch which was a big target bird for me. ( I decided before the trip to target rather common yet interesting birds so I would not be let down! ) Tropical Kingbird, Southern House Wren and Eared Dove were present among others.Scanning a vacant weedy lot I hit a small flock of Common Waxbill, a red-masked Estrilid which was introduced from Africa. In the afternoon we began our 5 hour ride into the interior of Brazil to the small town of Ourinhos. My hopes of further Atlantic Rainforest birding were dashed but there were still great hopes ahead for me and the promise of sunny weather ! During the car ride I saw Palm and Sayaca Tanagers again as the landscape turned from mountianus wet forest to drier hillsides and flatlands, we were entering a different habitat and the birding would improve.

1 Kelp Gulls
2 Eared Dove
3 Saffron Finch
4 Greater Kiskadee
5 Common Waxbill

[jocateme]

Fantastic report, Stephen!
The Tanager you saw was most likely a male Brazilian, which is quite common in coastal areas of Sao Paulo state, though I obviously can't say for sure! Note that they are not entirely red, as they have a black mantle.

[stephennj]

Thanks Joao !
I'm sure you are right but it was raining so hard that I was lucky to even see the red color on the bird and my bins were all fogged up ! I will probably have to wait until my next visit (I am hoping 2010 ?) to add this to my list . Matt has now moved outside of Jundiai and I will have alot of questions for you about that area and it's birding possibilities ! He says he sees Parrots and Toucans regularly around the house so he is in decent habitat.

[stephennj]

Day 5 Dec/24/2006 Ourinhos, Brazil
On our first day in rural Ourinhos we were happy to find the climate very warm and dry. Our host Matt has some spectacular gardens at the farmhouse which attract hummingbirds and butterflies from dusk to dawn. I was eager to find new birds in what appeared to be an entirely new world. The land around the property was flat farmland and cattle ranches with a few pockets of trees among scattered houses and some marshy habitat nearby. In the afternoon the sun is high and hot so morning birding was the most favorable. Butterfly watching was excellent thruought the entire day and I will be more specific on that later. My first morning walk yielded the crazy mohawked Guira Cuckoo which was a target bird I was thrilled to see. I also found the abundant Blue-black Grassquit with males performing their jumping / wing displays spread out over the fields. There were Double-collared Seedeaters and Smooth-billed Ani in the area and plenty of Rufous-collared Sparrow. In the gardens and at the nectar feeders (Brazil has the kookiest feeders as you can see in the photos) were three hummingbird species. I first saw the aforementioned Swallow-tailed Hummingbird. Next in line was the colorful Black-throated Mango sporting a deep blue outline on its black throat and a magenta undertail. The third species was the spectacular aqua and green Glittering-bellied Emerald. The tiny Emerald was a fantastic find and they were abundant here. It took me a couple of weeks online to positively I.D the female Black-throated Mango which I originally thought was some kind of Hermit .The Swallow-tailed Hummingbird was the most dominant species at the feeders which were also used by Bananaquits. Matt said that White-vented Violet Ear was also in the area but I did not see any during my visit .This was a fine first day in the interior.

[stephennj]

1 Female Black-throated Mango
2 Male Black-throated Mango
3 female Glittering-bellied Emerald
4 Male Glittering-bellied Emerald
5 Swallow-tailed Hummingbird

[madamcoolpix]

Sorry to be so late here, Stephen, but better late than never!

A lovely bunch of photographs and enjoyable reading from your Brazilian adventure!!! And all those beautiful Hummingbirds... hmm... you lucky thing! I'd love to see a Black Jacobin, I think that's the "top guy" among the S Brazil Hummers!!!

Looking forward to more things from you, Stephen!!!

[stephennj]

Thankyou Marian for adding a little sunshine to this thread ! pulling these photos and memories out of the vault is alot of fun and I have some special butterflies coming to this thread soon from the trip ....


Day 6 Dec/25/2006 Ourinhos, Brazil
Matt agreed to spend a couple of hours birding with me on this morning and I got some nice lifers as Christmas gifts! We walked the dirt roads in the neighborhood, finding familiar birds of the last few days including very orange races of Burrowing Owl, my first Chalk-browed Mockingbird and plenty of Rufous-collared Sparrow . Because of the rusty color of the soil here I learned that some birds have adapted through natural selection in plumage to better camouflage themselves.
Along the road near a small group of trees we see some activity and It’s something different ! A pair of tiny endemic Yellow-lored Tody-flycatchers flitting around the trees and coming very close to inspect us, a great little bird! We went down to a swampy area and we nailed a super-duper target - a pair of striking Black-capped Donacobius! I was really hoping to see these black and buffy birds and they were possibly the best bird of the trip. The Donacobius was once considered a Mockingbird species, then changed to a Wren , and now is placed in it’s own monotypic family . Around the wetlands we also found Green Kingfisher and an outstanding lifer Wattled Jacana. A little later in the day I snuck off into some nearby grassland for a short hike . My heart skipped a beat when I found several White-browed Blackbirds, a member of the Meadowlark family .These shy birds were breathtaking with their cherry-red breasts. I then ran into a small flock of Chopi Blackbirds and a bird I later identified as a juvenile Grassland Sparrow. As for Raptors, I managed Southern Caracara overhead a few times and a Roadside Hawk. I felt I had another good birding day in a habitat that couldn’t possibly support a whole lot of diversity.

[madamcoolpix]

WOW, Stephen, a fantastic Christmas present wraped in variety and suddenness!!! The Donacobius is a finding full of "-factor", and to get a pic of it is the icing on the cake!!!

Great to revive these memories, and thank you for sharing them here!!!

Cheers, Stephen!

[jocateme]

And the trip just gets better!
Jundiai has quite a nice spot to go birding: Serra do Japi Biological Reserve. I know a birding guide residing there, if you need further info, don't hesitate in cotacting me, ok? Cheers!

[jocateme]

Stephen, a bit on your Tody Flycatcher: that's most likely a Common, not Yellow-lored, despite the (believe it or not) yellow lores! Check this post by Rasmus on a thread I have created (and note that my picture had been taken in Ourinhos, too!): http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=97185#3

[stephennj]

Marian I was pinching myself when we found Donacobius , luckily there was a small marsh area that held a few good species at the farm house.

Joao thanks for the Tody-flycatcher link , it looks like I had mis-ID'ed it . Rasmus was very specific in the species differences. I will definitely have to get your guide contact when the time comes and I would love for you to join us.

Day 7 Dec/26/2006 Ourinhos

Daily walks at the end of our visit produced a lot of the same species, a few that went by unidentified as well as a few new ones. On day 7 a small flock of Yellow-cheveroned Parakeets made a brief appearance over the orchard on the property ,this was my only Parrot species in Brazil. Another new bird was the unmistakable Lined Seedeater, this is a bird I am pretty sure I could have not gotten along the coast. I managed a single Dark-billed Cuckoo , and later a wonderful Squirrel Cuckoo making a total of four Cuckoo species for the trip .There were Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Rufous Horneo, Southern Lapwing and Sayaca Tanager in the interior too.

1 Wattled Jacana
2 Lined Seedeater
3 Dark-billed Cuckoo
4 looking down at the farmhouse and grasslands habitat
5 Matt preparing the Christmas feast

[stephennj]

1 A big Rufous Hornero Nest
2 Huge Toad in Ourinhos
3 Farmhouse property
4 Farmhouse lizards
5 Matt, Madeline , myself, Manu

[stephennj]

A closer look at the butterflies species is worth reporting here and most of the noted ones of the trip were abundant at the farmhouse in Ourinhos . Matt is quite a gardener and his collection of Lantanas , Salvias and Verbenas really drew in a wide variety of butterflies. Species seen during the week include the shocking Blue Morpho and Brazillian Lady in costal Peruibe . In Ourinhos I added Gulf Fritillary, Long-tailed Skipper, Red Princess, Taos Grande Swallowtail, Cassius Blue , White-angled Sulphur and the fabulous White Peacock . Very happy to also see Queen which looks like an elegant version of our Monarch Butterfly.This area of Brazil is a winner for the Butterfly enthusiast and all of these creatures were an unexpected surprise.

1 Blue Morpho
2 Brazillian Lady
3 Gulf Fritillary
4 Long-tailed Skipper
5 Red Princess

[stephennj]

1 Taos Grande Swallowtail
2 Cassius Blue
3 White Peacock
4 Queen
5 White-angled Sulphur

[stephennj]

Day 8 Dec/27/2007
During the long trip back to Sao Paulo airport I got my last lifer of the trip and it was a good one; a small congregation of Yellow-rumped Marshbirds! Wow these were very showy black and yellow birds and maybe not very common. Along the highway and at pit stops on the drive I also saw American Kestrel, White-collared Swift, Blue-and-white Swallows, Black-necked Stilt, Cattle Egret and Great Egret.I'm pretty sure I saw White-faced Whistling Ducks along a highway pond too but I can't be 100% sure. I was amazed by the miles of termite mounds that are along some of these roadside farms, some of them seemed to be close to 3 ft tall !

Due to the lack of guide and weather difficulties, I missed the opportunity to see plenty more than I did in Sao Paulo, but I was pleased to get a taste of the South American birds that crossed my path. Tallying 5 Hummingbird species was a big bonus for me. I shall return for sure and soon.

[stephennj]

59 Total species
42 Lifers (in Bold)

Neotropic Cormorant
Magnificent Frigatebird
Cattle Egret
Great Egret
Black Vulture
Roadside Hawk
Southern Caracara
American Kestrel
Wattled Jacana
Southern Lapwing
Black-necked Stilt
Kelp Gull
Yellow-billed Tern
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Eared Dove
Rock Dove
Yellow-cheveroned Parakeet
Burrowing Owl
Smooth-billed Ani
Squirrel Cuckoo
Dark-billed Cuckoo
Giura Cuckoo
White-collared Swift
Sombre Hummingbird
Swallow-tailed Hummingbird
Black Jacobin
Glittering-bellied Emerald
Black-throated Mango
Green Kingfisher
Rufous Hornero
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Masked Water-Tyrant
Streaked Flycatcher
Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher
Gray-breasted Martin
Blue-and-white Swallow
White-rumped Swallow
Southern House Wren
Black-capped Donacobius
Chalk-browed Mockingbird
Creamy-bellied Thrush
Chestnut-capped Blackbird
White-browed Blackbird
Chopi Blackbird
Yellow-rumped Marshbird
Masked Yellowthroat
Banannaquit
Palm Tanager
Sayaca Tanager
Green-headed Tanager
Saffron Finch
Double-collared Seedeater
Lined Seedeater
Blue-black Grassquit
Grassland Sparrow
Rufous-collared Sparrow
House Sparrow

[jocateme]

Very nice report, Stephen!

Hope you liked Brazil!

[stephennj]

Thanks Joao ,
Yes I enjoyed it very much and plan on returning for more goodies ! I will let you know ...

[madamcoolpix]

Hi, Stephen!

Just catched up with this... I'm sorry I'm a bit late but family duties at this time of the year are a bit overwhelming!

What a great collection of Butterflies!!! WOW!!! If sometime I go to Brazil (and I hope to do so, ) I must get prepared for a flood of them, it seems! Better to know in advance... I'll need an extra set of camera-cards!!!

And the list of birds is great for a mostly-non-birding trip, plenty of lifers and pictures of them!!!

Thank you for sharing your experiences and your pictures, Steven, a pleasure to read and watch! And have a wonderful Christmas Season, you and your family, and all possible Happiness in 2009!!!

Cheers