Sao Paolo in February (1 Viewer)

Dear All

I am going to Sao Paolo for work in February, and will have time to do
some birding in the area.
Any recommendations of easily accessible sites and what birds (in general) they are good for, within a couple of hours of the city?

Thanks in advance.

David

Intervales state park (state of Sao Paulo) is about 2 to 2.5 hrs ~SE of the city and is great. I stayed there for several days a couple of years ago ... accomodations are good and very reasonable and the guides there are excellent.

If you'd like, contact me and I can email you a checklist of the birds there.

http://intervalesbirding.blogspot.com/

Steve Schoech said:

Intervales state park (state of Sao Paulo) is about 2 to 2.5 hrs ~SE of the city and is great. I stayed there for several days a couple of years ago ... accomodations are good and very reasonable and the guides there are excellent.

If you'd like, contact me and I can email you a checklist of the birds there.

http://intervalesbirding.blogspot.com/

Click to expand...

Thanks Steve

I checked it out and it looks very inviting, as you say!!
How did you get there from Sao Paulo?
Public transport? Rented Car?

best wishes

David

Steve's suggestion is a good one. Another possibility is hiring a birding guide with transportation that will take you around. It will be more expensive than trying to do it all by yourself but much more practical. For example:
http://www.carduelis.bio.br/

Hi David.

Intervales State Park is a great place to stay. Actually, I might be birding there during Carnival holidays in February (9th to 12th).

There are also other options next to SP:
- Guainumbi Reserve and Ubatuba city (www.reservaguainumbi.com.br)
- Campos do Jordão (2h from SP, easy access)
- Parque do Zizo (http://parquedozizo.com.br - Intervales neighborhood)

If you have only one or two days free, you can also visit the Serra da Cantareira State Park, which is about 10km from downtown. The park opens at 8am (which will actually mean 7am because of daylight saving time) on weekends, and it's the largest and best rain forest park within the urban area.

Cheers.

Bruno.

dacol said:

Steve's suggestion is a good one. Another possibility is hiring a birding guide with transportation that will take you around. It will be more expensive than trying to do it all by yourself but much more practical. For example:
http://www.carduelis.bio.br/

Click to expand...

I did same in Aug 2011 with Carlos and can highly recommend him. Intervales delivered 180 spp. over Friday-Sunday nearly all new for a first timer in S America!! Without Carlos and the park guide Bertino that figure would have been frustratingly lower!!

Cheers
McM

David,

I will be leading a tour between February 15-26, 2013 with the following itinerary:

February 15 - Sao Paulo to Intervales
February 16 to 18 : Intervales
February 19 : Intervales to Itatiaia NP
February 20 to 22 : Itatiaia NP
February 23 : Itatiaia NP to Pereque/Ubatuba
February 24 to 25: Ubatuba
February 26 : Ubatuba / Biritiba Mirim / Sao Paulo

If you want you can join the whole tour or just a part of it. Send me a private email to [email protected]

Sao Paulo birding

Thanks to all of you
For your generous help and suggestions.

Ber van Perlo's 'A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil' arrived
from Amazon UK two days ago, so I am getting myself geared up
for the trip.

Once I am certain about the work, I will be back in touch.

Happy Festive Season to all

(Snow arrived today here in Budapest!!)

David

Back from Brazil

Dear Birdforumers

Thanks again to all who made suggestions about what to do in Sao Paulo.
I had a very good few days out, two with Bruno Arantes and Demis Bucci, and one with Carlos Henrique.
I started off in the Ibirapuera Park on my first morning by myself to get my head back into South American birding after 5 years away, with 7 new species out of 21 recorded. I found it a good place for photography as many birds are used to people and you can get close up. This was on a weekday morning. At the weekends it is too busy!!
Then Bruno and Demis took me to the rice fields near Tememble, and the nearby Leite na Pista pools, and up into the Serra da Mantiqueira, where we got washed out by a huge thunderstorm (lots of those around in this period). The next morning we took a boat trip through the River Mogi mangroves - good views of the amazing Scarlet Ibis. And in the afternoon into the Atlantic rainforest at Serra da Cantareira.
Next day Carlos took me Mogi das Cruzes - a couple of marshes -, then Biritba Mirim, and to Salesopolis lake.
In all I recorded 147 species, of which 95 were new for me.
The guides were excellent, and I got really good views of almost all the birds.

Best wishes
David