SE Brazil birding trip - wetland sites? (1 Viewer)

[johnraven]

I'm planning a 3 week birding trip to SE Brazil in late Aug/early Sep. I have identified various birding spots from trip reports and excellent Arthur Grosset's website. All these sites are primarily Atlantic Forest or Cerrado.

My question is, are there any good wetland birding sites in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo or Sao Paulo?

 

[Steve Lister]

When I was staying at Serra dos Tucanos (recommended) they took us to the REGUA wetlands - only small ponds but a change from the forests. REGUA have a website.

Steve

 

[richardrae]

John,
If you're going to Serra da Canastra, there is a small wetland area that you might well pass near, particularly if you were heading down to Ubatuba after doing Canastra.It's before the ferry on the road from Passos to São João Batista do Glória - details on the Arthur Grosset site. Bit of a detour, but a brief visit there this April gave us Masked Duck.

cheers,
Richard

 

[johnraven]

Thanks for that - I should be going to both places.
And yes, I'm just looking for a way of having a break from all the forests and cerrados, aside from Rio nightlife that is.
John

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

You can stay at REGUA, which I'd thoroughly recommend. Here's their website:

http://www.regua.co.uk/index.php

You might also find my trip report helpful:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=65000

 

[dacol]

I'm planning a 3 week birding trip to SE Brazil in late Aug/early Sep. I have identified various birding spots from trip reports and excellent Arthur Grosset's website. All these sites are primarily Atlantic Forest or Cerrado.

My question is, are there any good wetland birding sites in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo or Sao Paulo?

I second the recommendation to consult the Site Notes in Mr. Grosset's site [ http://www.arthurgrosset.com/ ], they are prepared by Jeremy Minns who is an active birder based in São Paulo. One interesting wetland site mentioned there is Biritiba-Mirim which is said to be within an hour drive from Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo. This site has a small population of the recently discovered Marsh Antwren (Stymphalornis acutirostris, some consider this population to be a different species in the same genus).

Dalcio

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

When I was staying at Serra dos Tucanos (recommended) they took us to the REGUA wetlands - only small ponds but a change from the forests. REGUA have a website.

A few nice rails/crakes are also possible there, but seeing them is often a problem.

I second the recommendation to consult the Site Notes in Mr. Grosset's site [ http://www.arthurgrosset.com/ ], they are prepared by Jeremy Minns who is an active birder based in São Paulo. One interesting wetland site mentioned there is Biritiba-Mirim which is said to be within an hour drive from Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo. This site has a small population of the recently discovered Marsh Antwren (Stymphalornis acutirostris, some consider this population to be a different species in the same genus).

And it is quite easy there (but if you use playback then use it with great care, as it is a rare [sub]species you're dealing). I've also seen some interesting seedeaters at the site, but suspect that's pretty seasonal. The lagoons near the Restinga Antwren site (described briefly under Maçambaba on Arthur Grosset's site) are also nice, but I've only seen waders and a few ducks there. For easily accessible, better & larger wetlands it's generally Paraná, Santa Catarina or Rio Grande do Sul (or of course the Pantanal), but I guess these states are out of reach on your trip.