ovenbird43
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Brazil 2010: Pantanal and Atlantic Forest (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter ovenbird43
- Start date
ovenbird43
Well-known member
Aug 19 Pantanal to Chapada
Usual pre-breakfast birding, we walked around the open fields and explored a few groves of trees. Kind of slow this morning, but we did get Green-barred Woodpecker and another Pale-crested Woodpecker (just can't get enough of those Celeus woodpeckers, so awesome!). After searching unsuccessfully for some Red-legged Seriemas in the distance, lo and behold on our way back we spotted something on the road ahead- a Seriema! Crazy-looking bird.
We were given about an hour to pack after breakfast, my husband offered to do the packing for me so I could do a last-minute search of the fields adjacent to the lodge (what a sweetie he is!). I got some nice close looks at Black-collared Hawk, a White-rumped Monjita and a quick look at another Yellow-chinned Spinetail, but the real star were the Yellowish Pipits doing their display. Ricardo had told me that they are named "missile birds" in Portuguese, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing firsthand why- one was displaying high in the air right above me, flying in circles and repeatedly gliding downward some distance while uttering a long descending whistle "WHEEEEEeeeeer" just like a missile! Very cool. Got some super-close looks at them on the ground too.
Not enough time to finish this post right now, gotta go teach.... I'll try to update this more often in hopes of eventually finishing my story!
Usual pre-breakfast birding, we walked around the open fields and explored a few groves of trees. Kind of slow this morning, but we did get Green-barred Woodpecker and another Pale-crested Woodpecker (just can't get enough of those Celeus woodpeckers, so awesome!). After searching unsuccessfully for some Red-legged Seriemas in the distance, lo and behold on our way back we spotted something on the road ahead- a Seriema! Crazy-looking bird.
We were given about an hour to pack after breakfast, my husband offered to do the packing for me so I could do a last-minute search of the fields adjacent to the lodge (what a sweetie he is!). I got some nice close looks at Black-collared Hawk, a White-rumped Monjita and a quick look at another Yellow-chinned Spinetail, but the real star were the Yellowish Pipits doing their display. Ricardo had told me that they are named "missile birds" in Portuguese, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing firsthand why- one was displaying high in the air right above me, flying in circles and repeatedly gliding downward some distance while uttering a long descending whistle "WHEEEEEeeeeer" just like a missile! Very cool. Got some super-close looks at them on the ground too.
Not enough time to finish this post right now, gotta go teach.... I'll try to update this more often in hopes of eventually finishing my story!
Those blooming Tabebuia are amazing, almost would think you've been playing with photoshop
ovenbird43
Well-known member
Those blooming Tabebuia are amazing, almost would think you've been playing with photoshop
They were incredible! Imagine the photo a REAL camera would have taken...:t:
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ovenbird43
Well-known member
Aug 19 continued...
After we left Piuval we had a long drive back up to Cuiaba and then beyond to Chapada. Not far beyond Cuiaba the landscape began to change dramatically- the land rose higher, the trees got scrubbier, and in the distance (the not-too-far distance given all the smoke!) we could see red cliffs looming. We stopped for lunch in Ricardo's hometown of Chapada, a nice little town up in the cerrado. We ate at a restaurant owned by Ricardo's parents, a typical place for the area serving delicious food buffet-style.
We made a few different stops in Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park in the afternoon. First was a quick stop at an overlook near the entrance to the park, where we quickly located our quarry- a distant, but distinctly reddish, Cliff Flycatcher. The view of the countryside from our vantage would have been quite spectacular if not for all the smoky haze. Our next stop was to a strange little house that belonged to a friend of Ricardo's, featuring among other interesting murals a larger-than-life naked, smiling Jesus. We searched the forest trails mostly for manakins, and were rewarded with great views of a male Band-tailed Manakin. Then to our delight he started hopping side-to-side, so rapidly he seemed almost to teleport. Awesome! The Fiery-capped Manakins were not so accommodating, I occasionally caught glimpses of a tiny darting shadow but not much else.
In late afternoon we visited a waterfall, where we hoped to find Great Dusky Swift, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, and Helmeted Manakin. We had seen a female Helmeted Manakin a few days ago, but here we hoped to see some displaying males. The forest was quiet on the short hike down to the falls, and Ricardo suggested we have about a half hour to chill and enjoy the waterfall... and to use our drink vouchers Tom lost no time shedding his shoes and wading into the clear, cold water of the pool, beer in hand. One beer and shot of cachaca later, we were both feeling pretty good (especially Tom, I made him finish mine...B) None of our targets panned out... no swifts, no streamcreeper responded to playback, no manakins. Ricardo suggested that the cat roaming the grounds was to blame, and spoke to the owners about it. We did see a few things though- White-bellied Warbler, Swallow Tanager, and a familiar face to an Arkansan, a Red-eyed Vireo.
Dusk was approaching, so we returned to Chapada to watch the town's parrots coming to roost in the square. We got great scope views of Red-shouldered Macaws settling into a palm for the night. We mosied on to a cafe, and from the outside table I leapt up in surprise when several large nighthawks flew overhead- Nacunda Nighthawks! Probably 30 or more flew overhead over the next few minutes as we watched.
The following morning was to be a whirlwind, 3.5 hours of target birding in the cerrado.
Below: Black-collared Hawk, view of Chapada dos Guimaraes NP, Campo Flicker, Southern Lapwing, and Plumbeous Ibis
After we left Piuval we had a long drive back up to Cuiaba and then beyond to Chapada. Not far beyond Cuiaba the landscape began to change dramatically- the land rose higher, the trees got scrubbier, and in the distance (the not-too-far distance given all the smoke!) we could see red cliffs looming. We stopped for lunch in Ricardo's hometown of Chapada, a nice little town up in the cerrado. We ate at a restaurant owned by Ricardo's parents, a typical place for the area serving delicious food buffet-style.
We made a few different stops in Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park in the afternoon. First was a quick stop at an overlook near the entrance to the park, where we quickly located our quarry- a distant, but distinctly reddish, Cliff Flycatcher. The view of the countryside from our vantage would have been quite spectacular if not for all the smoky haze. Our next stop was to a strange little house that belonged to a friend of Ricardo's, featuring among other interesting murals a larger-than-life naked, smiling Jesus. We searched the forest trails mostly for manakins, and were rewarded with great views of a male Band-tailed Manakin. Then to our delight he started hopping side-to-side, so rapidly he seemed almost to teleport. Awesome! The Fiery-capped Manakins were not so accommodating, I occasionally caught glimpses of a tiny darting shadow but not much else.
In late afternoon we visited a waterfall, where we hoped to find Great Dusky Swift, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, and Helmeted Manakin. We had seen a female Helmeted Manakin a few days ago, but here we hoped to see some displaying males. The forest was quiet on the short hike down to the falls, and Ricardo suggested we have about a half hour to chill and enjoy the waterfall... and to use our drink vouchers Tom lost no time shedding his shoes and wading into the clear, cold water of the pool, beer in hand. One beer and shot of cachaca later, we were both feeling pretty good (especially Tom, I made him finish mine...B
) None of our targets panned out... no swifts, no streamcreeper responded to playback, no manakins. Ricardo suggested that the cat roaming the grounds was to blame, and spoke to the owners about it. We did see a few things though- White-bellied Warbler, Swallow Tanager, and a familiar face to an Arkansan, a Red-eyed Vireo.Dusk was approaching, so we returned to Chapada to watch the town's parrots coming to roost in the square. We got great scope views of Red-shouldered Macaws settling into a palm for the night. We mosied on to a cafe, and from the outside table I leapt up in surprise when several large nighthawks flew overhead- Nacunda Nighthawks! Probably 30 or more flew overhead over the next few minutes as we watched.
The following morning was to be a whirlwind, 3.5 hours of target birding in the cerrado.
Below: Black-collared Hawk, view of Chapada dos Guimaraes NP, Campo Flicker, Southern Lapwing, and Plumbeous Ibis
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ovenbird43
Well-known member
ovenbird43
Well-known member
Aug 20: Cerrado
After an overnight stay at a wonderful, secluded lodge (the name escapes me... something like Chapada lodge?), which we had all to ourselves, it was time for an early breakfast and then out to the cerrado. As we drove down a dirt road, which led who knows where, Ricardo named off some of our target species. We stopped for a quick look at Black-throated Saltator, and then our target tanagers were practically lined up in a row right on cue- White-rumped Tanager, White-banded Tanager (this should be called shrike-like tanager, amazing convergence in plumage!), Black-faced Tanager. Wow!
Little seedeaters flitting everywhere were mostly Plumbeous Seedeaters. Ricardo called up a Rufous-winged Antshrike, which gave us nice close views before ducking back into the brush. A series of long, clear whistles grabbed our attention- Collared Crescentchest! We spent a half hour or more tracking this bird, it continued to call with its ventriloquial voice but wouldn't come in to playback. We kept inching closer and closer through the brush in search of the little guy. Finally, Ricardo spotted it, and directed us to it- beautiful, and the all the sweeter for our hard work!
One of the top cerrado specialties bagged, we moved on to another spot, where we quickly located our next target- Chapada Flycatcher. It didn't stay around as long as I would have wished (and neither did we), but we were on a mission. We caught distant views of Curl-crested Jay as we rushed back to the car. The clock was ticking, and we had one more sweet spot to check for Yellow-billed Blue Finch. The location, funnily enough at the geodesic center of South America, was located up on a cliff and the wind was howling furiously when we arrived- not good! Not surprisingly we dipped on what we had hoped would be our grand finale- so it goes. A Crested Black-Tyrant was some consolation, in fact given the insane wind I was surprised to see anything at all!
So ended our time with Ricardo and the amazing wildlife of the Pantanal and cerrado. He returned us to Cuiaba where we caught our flight back to Sao Paulo. Thus began part two of our trip: one day in Sao Paulo, and then off to Campos do Jordao for the conference.
After an overnight stay at a wonderful, secluded lodge (the name escapes me... something like Chapada lodge?), which we had all to ourselves, it was time for an early breakfast and then out to the cerrado. As we drove down a dirt road, which led who knows where, Ricardo named off some of our target species. We stopped for a quick look at Black-throated Saltator, and then our target tanagers were practically lined up in a row right on cue- White-rumped Tanager, White-banded Tanager (this should be called shrike-like tanager, amazing convergence in plumage!), Black-faced Tanager. Wow!
Little seedeaters flitting everywhere were mostly Plumbeous Seedeaters. Ricardo called up a Rufous-winged Antshrike, which gave us nice close views before ducking back into the brush. A series of long, clear whistles grabbed our attention- Collared Crescentchest! We spent a half hour or more tracking this bird, it continued to call with its ventriloquial voice but wouldn't come in to playback. We kept inching closer and closer through the brush in search of the little guy. Finally, Ricardo spotted it, and directed us to it- beautiful, and the all the sweeter for our hard work!
One of the top cerrado specialties bagged, we moved on to another spot, where we quickly located our next target- Chapada Flycatcher. It didn't stay around as long as I would have wished (and neither did we), but we were on a mission. We caught distant views of Curl-crested Jay as we rushed back to the car. The clock was ticking, and we had one more sweet spot to check for Yellow-billed Blue Finch. The location, funnily enough at the geodesic center of South America, was located up on a cliff and the wind was howling furiously when we arrived- not good! Not surprisingly we dipped on what we had hoped would be our grand finale- so it goes. A Crested Black-Tyrant was some consolation, in fact given the insane wind I was surprised to see anything at all!
So ended our time with Ricardo and the amazing wildlife of the Pantanal and cerrado. He returned us to Cuiaba where we caught our flight back to Sao Paulo. Thus began part two of our trip: one day in Sao Paulo, and then off to Campos do Jordao for the conference.
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ovenbird43
Well-known member
21 Aug - Sao Paulo
Back at the same hotel near the airport. Tom wanted to sleep in, so I took off on my own to Parque Cantareira, a large forested park rising up above the smog of Sao Paulo, yet right on the edge of Guarulhos (the adjoining city that contains the international airport). It didn't look too far on the map, but with the high taxi fares in SP I was rather fearful of the cost of the taxi ride. Ended up as R$60 on the way out, R$40 on the way back- ugh. But worth it.
At the main entrance to the park, there is a wide paved path that winds uphill for several kilometers, with various side paths branching off at different points. It seemed to be a popular place with the locals (it being a weekend), lots of people were walking or running up and down the main road. I started up the road, and not far up I encountered two small birds foraging in the brush that covered the steep banks to either side of the path. One was a beautiful deep iridescent purple on top, shimmering in the patches of sunlight- a pair of Chestnut-bellied Euphonias! In my opinion the most striking member of a beautiful (if rather uniform) genus. In the same area, I tracked down a the singer of a penetrating whistled, descending song- expecting a thrush among other possibilities, turned out to be a White-browed Warbler, very pretty!
A narrow dirt path made a loop off the main road, and on the map down below had been marked as "good for wildlife viewing" (or something similar, in portuguese). A small brown bird skulking in the undergrowth revealed itself as a Rufous Gnateater, very cool! Several Variable Antshrikes were foraging further along the trail. Looking downslope through the forest, I spotted a flycatcher-like bird, with a bright yellow crown, blackish mask... no wait, not a flycatcher, a Black-goggled Tanager (love that name).
More on Cantareira later...
Back at the same hotel near the airport. Tom wanted to sleep in, so I took off on my own to Parque Cantareira, a large forested park rising up above the smog of Sao Paulo, yet right on the edge of Guarulhos (the adjoining city that contains the international airport). It didn't look too far on the map, but with the high taxi fares in SP I was rather fearful of the cost of the taxi ride. Ended up as R$60 on the way out, R$40 on the way back- ugh. But worth it.
At the main entrance to the park, there is a wide paved path that winds uphill for several kilometers, with various side paths branching off at different points. It seemed to be a popular place with the locals (it being a weekend), lots of people were walking or running up and down the main road. I started up the road, and not far up I encountered two small birds foraging in the brush that covered the steep banks to either side of the path. One was a beautiful deep iridescent purple on top, shimmering in the patches of sunlight- a pair of Chestnut-bellied Euphonias! In my opinion the most striking member of a beautiful (if rather uniform) genus. In the same area, I tracked down a the singer of a penetrating whistled, descending song- expecting a thrush among other possibilities, turned out to be a White-browed Warbler, very pretty!
A narrow dirt path made a loop off the main road, and on the map down below had been marked as "good for wildlife viewing" (or something similar, in portuguese). A small brown bird skulking in the undergrowth revealed itself as a Rufous Gnateater, very cool! Several Variable Antshrikes were foraging further along the trail. Looking downslope through the forest, I spotted a flycatcher-like bird, with a bright yellow crown, blackish mask... no wait, not a flycatcher, a Black-goggled Tanager (love that name).
More on Cantareira later...
ovenbird43
Well-known member
21 Aug continued...
As I emerged from the dirt trail back onto the main paved trail, I found myself in the midst of a huge mixed-species flock- always a delight! The flock stayed in the area for a good while, allowing me time to study and identify many of the species. Rufous-crowned Greenlet, Buff-fronted Foliage-Gleaner, Pallid Spinetail, Scaled and Olivaceous Woodcreepers, Streaked Xenops, White-spotted Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Warbler, and Fawn-breasted Tanager all gave good views. Eventually I wandered on up the trail, and heard a piercing "BONK!" ring through the trees. A Bare-throated Bellbird!!! It only called a few times, and in between calls I scrambled around, trying to find the source, and was met with a steep cliff not far off the trail. The bellbird didn't sound very close, and I never did see it :-C
As the day warmed up, activity slowed down, but I occasionally found some more flocks and other goodies. In a dense stand of bamboo I managed to catch brief but very close looks at Ferruginous Antbird and White-collared Foliage-Gleaner, the latter reminding me of a big Xenops. I tracked down a singing male Surucua Trogon, and watched as a Brown Tinamou ambled across the trail not far in front of me. Other goodies included Crescent-chested Puffbird and White-shouldered Fire-eye. Finally, in mid-afternoon hunger and fatigue drove me back down (I had foolishly forgotten to bring any food or water!), but I was feeling quite satisfied.
As I emerged from the dirt trail back onto the main paved trail, I found myself in the midst of a huge mixed-species flock- always a delight! The flock stayed in the area for a good while, allowing me time to study and identify many of the species. Rufous-crowned Greenlet, Buff-fronted Foliage-Gleaner, Pallid Spinetail, Scaled and Olivaceous Woodcreepers, Streaked Xenops, White-spotted Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Warbler, and Fawn-breasted Tanager all gave good views. Eventually I wandered on up the trail, and heard a piercing "BONK!" ring through the trees. A Bare-throated Bellbird!!! It only called a few times, and in between calls I scrambled around, trying to find the source, and was met with a steep cliff not far off the trail. The bellbird didn't sound very close, and I never did see it :-C
As the day warmed up, activity slowed down, but I occasionally found some more flocks and other goodies. In a dense stand of bamboo I managed to catch brief but very close looks at Ferruginous Antbird and White-collared Foliage-Gleaner, the latter reminding me of a big Xenops. I tracked down a singing male Surucua Trogon, and watched as a Brown Tinamou ambled across the trail not far in front of me. Other goodies included Crescent-chested Puffbird and White-shouldered Fire-eye. Finally, in mid-afternoon hunger and fatigue drove me back down (I had foolishly forgotten to bring any food or water!), but I was feeling quite satisfied.
ovenbird43
Well-known member
22 Aug: travel to Campos do Jordao
Tom had bought our bus tickets to Campos do Jordao the day before, and luckily he discovered that we could catch a bus straight from the airport rather than traveling first to the main terminal in Sao Paulo. The bus ride was comfortable, with a short layover at Sao Jose dos Campos. After studying the layout of Campos do Jordao on Google Earth the night before, we had seen that the main terminal and our hotel were on the same main road, separated by at most 1/2 mile. So after we arrived in Campos do Jordao we left the bus station and walked down to Pousada Toco, our home for the next week. We spent most of the day getting oriented- I went for my only run of the whole trip to see if I could find the convention center (well-signed and easy to find), and later we found a supermarket where we bought food for breakfasts and lunches. Internet access proved much more difficult to find, a theme that ran throughout the week- we would discover various restaurants or cafes that would have internet one day (or one moment) and not the next. Very weird. Our hotel had internet randomly one day that week.
Not much in the way of birding this day, although the town was full of parakeets that I only later identified as Maroon-bellied Parakeets. A great surprise was a soaring Black Hawk-Eagle seen from the bus as we traveled up the mountains.
Tom had bought our bus tickets to Campos do Jordao the day before, and luckily he discovered that we could catch a bus straight from the airport rather than traveling first to the main terminal in Sao Paulo. The bus ride was comfortable, with a short layover at Sao Jose dos Campos. After studying the layout of Campos do Jordao on Google Earth the night before, we had seen that the main terminal and our hotel were on the same main road, separated by at most 1/2 mile. So after we arrived in Campos do Jordao we left the bus station and walked down to Pousada Toco, our home for the next week. We spent most of the day getting oriented- I went for my only run of the whole trip to see if I could find the convention center (well-signed and easy to find), and later we found a supermarket where we bought food for breakfasts and lunches. Internet access proved much more difficult to find, a theme that ran throughout the week- we would discover various restaurants or cafes that would have internet one day (or one moment) and not the next. Very weird. Our hotel had internet randomly one day that week.
Not much in the way of birding this day, although the town was full of parakeets that I only later identified as Maroon-bellied Parakeets. A great surprise was a soaring Black Hawk-Eagle seen from the bus as we traveled up the mountains.
ovenbird43
Well-known member
next few days...
For the first few days in Campos do Jordao I was pretty busy with the conference... lots of interesting talks to go to, people to meet, a poster to present. Tom spent his days doing database work and physics homework (we were missing the first week of school). Campos do Jordao is an interesting town- a major tourist destination for Brazilians and foreigners alike, the town is full of Swiss-style architecture, fondue restaurants, chocolate shops, and a brewery serving the only good dark beer that we've yet encountered in Latin America. The convention center was located right in the midst of the most touristy section of town, so we paid the price whenever we decided to eat nearby rather than wait until we had walked the 2.5 km back to our hotel and its surrounding cheap places. There were a couple of bars across from our hotel that were cheaper and had a much more local flavor, although I swear the bartender of one of them must have been playing dumb when he seemed not to understand what we wanted when we ordered caipirinhias (Brazil's national drink, with cachaca, lime juice and sugar). I know my portuguese pronunciation was poor, but even after listing the ingredients we ended up with some pretty awful drinks! No matter, the bartender next door didn't have any such difficulties.
Birding was limited these first few days, but I managed to fit some in. One day I joined an organized walk that met before the day's programs, and we walked down to some nearby forest edge. Lots of Rufous-collared Sparrows, some Picazuro and Rock Pigeons. There was a Gray Monjita perched on a wire right in town. Mottle-cheeked Tyrannulets and Sayaca Tanagers were common. The leader called in a bird from a little wet spot at the edge of the forest- holy crap, a Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper! What a beauty. Not too particular about their habitat it seems, we're talking a little puddle not far from a "stream" that doubled as an open sewer (disconcerting, especially with watermelons floating along the edge). The Aracauri Tit-Spinetails didn't show for us that morning, although I did manage to find one on my own some afternoon as I walked around town, along a fairly quiet road with (of course) many Aracauria trees.
Another denizen of the sewer streams were Sooty Tyrannulets- pretty cool little birds. Other common town birds included Great Kiskadee, House Wren, Cattle Tyrant, and Shiny Cowbird. A few awesome hummingbirds could be seen right in town- White-throated Hummingbird, Scissor-tailed Hummingbird, and a single sighting of Ruby Topaz.
For the first few days in Campos do Jordao I was pretty busy with the conference... lots of interesting talks to go to, people to meet, a poster to present. Tom spent his days doing database work and physics homework (we were missing the first week of school). Campos do Jordao is an interesting town- a major tourist destination for Brazilians and foreigners alike, the town is full of Swiss-style architecture, fondue restaurants, chocolate shops, and a brewery serving the only good dark beer that we've yet encountered in Latin America. The convention center was located right in the midst of the most touristy section of town, so we paid the price whenever we decided to eat nearby rather than wait until we had walked the 2.5 km back to our hotel and its surrounding cheap places. There were a couple of bars across from our hotel that were cheaper and had a much more local flavor, although I swear the bartender of one of them must have been playing dumb when he seemed not to understand what we wanted when we ordered caipirinhias (Brazil's national drink, with cachaca, lime juice and sugar). I know my portuguese pronunciation was poor, but even after listing the ingredients we ended up with some pretty awful drinks! No matter, the bartender next door didn't have any such difficulties.
Birding was limited these first few days, but I managed to fit some in. One day I joined an organized walk that met before the day's programs, and we walked down to some nearby forest edge. Lots of Rufous-collared Sparrows, some Picazuro and Rock Pigeons. There was a Gray Monjita perched on a wire right in town. Mottle-cheeked Tyrannulets and Sayaca Tanagers were common. The leader called in a bird from a little wet spot at the edge of the forest- holy crap, a Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper! What a beauty. Not too particular about their habitat it seems, we're talking a little puddle not far from a "stream" that doubled as an open sewer (disconcerting, especially with watermelons floating along the edge). The Aracauri Tit-Spinetails didn't show for us that morning, although I did manage to find one on my own some afternoon as I walked around town, along a fairly quiet road with (of course) many Aracauria trees.
Another denizen of the sewer streams were Sooty Tyrannulets- pretty cool little birds. Other common town birds included Great Kiskadee, House Wren, Cattle Tyrant, and Shiny Cowbird. A few awesome hummingbirds could be seen right in town- White-throated Hummingbird, Scissor-tailed Hummingbird, and a single sighting of Ruby Topaz.
Chlidonias
Well-known member
just caught up with this thread. Most excellent it is. A thumbs up from me.
Birdingcraft
Well-known member
I am reading this and so wishing I were ticking off lifers in Brazil. What a bunch of awesome birding you had!
ovenbird43
Well-known member
25 Aug: Itatiaia National Park
The conference included a day off in the middle of the week, during which a variety of day tours had been offered. Tom and I signed up for the trip to Itatiaia National Park. Little did we realize that we were going with several hundred other people, and that the park was close to 4 hours (one way!) from Campos do Jordao instead of the 2.5 declared on the website. However it was well worth it, and I really hope to be able to return to Itatiaia NP some day and spend more time there.
The setup of the trip was kind of strange, obviously we were on our own in terms of finding birds with such a large crowd. We were dropped off at a visitor center of sorts, whose maps were woefully inadequate, and told to hike up the 4 k to Hotel do Ype for lunch. After eventually deducing the direction of the hotel, we set off. A soaring Black Hawk-Eagle provided a good start.
Several Bare-throated Bellbirds called near our drop-off point, some tantalizingly close, but we never got any looks at this much-wanted species! The hike produced several mixed-species flocks, with canopy flocks included Golden-chevroned, Green-headed, and Sayaca Tanagers, and a nice understory flock with Star-throated Antwren, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Golden-crowned Warbler, Olivaceous and Lesser Woodcreepers, and Bicolored Antvireo among others. A pair of tiny little flycatchers foraging along the bank right by the road turned out to be Eared Pygmy-Tyrants. A Rufous-capped Spinetail popped into view briefly from the dense undergrowth.
Hotel do Ype itself was a flurry of activity, thanks to fruit and nectar feeders. Black Jacobin, Brazilian Ruby, Violet-capped Woodnymph, White-throated, and Glittering-throated Hummingbirds all came to the feeders- even after several monkeys climbed onto the roof and stole several of the feeders! (name of the monkey species escapes me, but I'll post pictures later). The fruit feeders brought in tanagers including day-glo Green-headed Tanagers to within a foot of my head, and a small group of Saffron Toucanets (one of my all-time favorites of the whole trip!!) also came to visit.
The hike back down after lunch, in the heat of the afternoon, was less productive, although a colony of "yellow-rumped caciques" (as I had presumed by the voice) turned out to be Red-rumped Caciques. Other species seen on the way down included a female Blue Manakin, one or two Yellow-legged Thrushes, and a pair of Yellow-fronted Woodpeckers.
I have lots of pictures from this day, I'll try to post some soon...
The conference included a day off in the middle of the week, during which a variety of day tours had been offered. Tom and I signed up for the trip to Itatiaia National Park. Little did we realize that we were going with several hundred other people, and that the park was close to 4 hours (one way!) from Campos do Jordao instead of the 2.5 declared on the website. However it was well worth it, and I really hope to be able to return to Itatiaia NP some day and spend more time there.
The setup of the trip was kind of strange, obviously we were on our own in terms of finding birds with such a large crowd. We were dropped off at a visitor center of sorts, whose maps were woefully inadequate, and told to hike up the 4 k to Hotel do Ype for lunch. After eventually deducing the direction of the hotel, we set off. A soaring Black Hawk-Eagle provided a good start.
Several Bare-throated Bellbirds called near our drop-off point, some tantalizingly close, but we never got any looks at this much-wanted species! The hike produced several mixed-species flocks, with canopy flocks included Golden-chevroned, Green-headed, and Sayaca Tanagers, and a nice understory flock with Star-throated Antwren, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Golden-crowned Warbler, Olivaceous and Lesser Woodcreepers, and Bicolored Antvireo among others. A pair of tiny little flycatchers foraging along the bank right by the road turned out to be Eared Pygmy-Tyrants. A Rufous-capped Spinetail popped into view briefly from the dense undergrowth.
Hotel do Ype itself was a flurry of activity, thanks to fruit and nectar feeders. Black Jacobin, Brazilian Ruby, Violet-capped Woodnymph, White-throated, and Glittering-throated Hummingbirds all came to the feeders- even after several monkeys climbed onto the roof and stole several of the feeders! (name of the monkey species escapes me, but I'll post pictures later). The fruit feeders brought in tanagers including day-glo Green-headed Tanagers to within a foot of my head, and a small group of Saffron Toucanets (one of my all-time favorites of the whole trip!!) also came to visit.
The hike back down after lunch, in the heat of the afternoon, was less productive, although a colony of "yellow-rumped caciques" (as I had presumed by the voice) turned out to be Red-rumped Caciques. Other species seen on the way down included a female Blue Manakin, one or two Yellow-legged Thrushes, and a pair of Yellow-fronted Woodpeckers.
I have lots of pictures from this day, I'll try to post some soon...
dacol
Well-known member
Thanks for the enjoyable reports. I believe there is a typo in your Itatiaia NP report for Aug. 25: Bicolored Antvireo has not been reported in Brazil and wouldn't be expected at INP. The 3 species of antvireo known to occur at INP are: Rufous-backed Antvireo, Plain Antvireo and Spot-breasted Antvireo. Any of these 3 could have been spotted in an walk uphill from the visitor center to the Hotel do Ypê but the last two would be more likely as the Rufous-backed usually is found at much higher elevations.
Dalcio
Dalcio
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ovenbird43
Well-known member
Yes, that is a typo- I meant Plain Antvireo. Thanks for pointing that out, for some reason I always call that species Bicolored.
