I'mjust back from three and a half weeks birding in Rio de Janeiro state,southeast Brazil, from 11th July - 5th August. I had a rather wonderfultime, clocking up 318 species and, with this being my first trip to theNeotropics, almost all were new for me. Over the next few weeks I'llpost descriptions of day-to-day birding but I'll start with some bitsabout where I stayed etc.
Basic itinerary:
11/07/06 Flew with Air France from Aberdeen via Paris to Rio.
12/07/06 - 22/07/06 Arrived at Rio airport early morning and picked upby driver and taken to Serra dos Tucanoslodge near Cachoeiras deMacacu. Staying at Serra dos Tucanos with regular excursions elsewhere.
22/07/06 - 27/07/06 Staying at the lodge at Reserve Ecologicia GuapiAssu (REGUA), also near Cachoeiras de Macacu.
27/07/06 - 30/07/06 Travel by bus via Rio to Itatiaia National Park,staying at Hotel Donati.
30/07/06 - 31/07/06 Travel by bus via Rio to Angra dos Reis. Staying atHotel Londres overnight with some birding in the morning.
31/07/06 - 03/08/06 Travel by boat to Ilha Grande, staying atOvernativa hostel.
03/08/06 - 05/08/06 Travel by boat and bus to Rio. Staying overnight atBotafogo Easy Hostel, then flight via Paris to Aberdeen, arriving backon 5th.
More detailed description of sites:
Serra dos Tucanos LodgeSerra dos Tucanos is a birding lodge a few miles northof Cachoieras deMacacu on the road to Nova Friburgo. The lodge is set in some excellentforest through which there are a number of trails. The gardens of thelodge have a number of feeders which are very good for some seriouslylaid-back birding. The lodge is run by English birder Andy Foster andhis wife Cristina and provides full board accommodation. Andy also runsexcursions most days. During my stay I birded as follows:
12/07/06 Birding the lodge grounds.
13/07/06 Serra dos Orgaos National Park.
14/07/06 High altitude trail at Pico Caledonia near Nova Friburgo.
15/07/06 Bamboo trail near Theodoro in the morning. Birding the lodgegrounds in the afternoon.
16/07/06 Birding the lodge grounds.
17/07/06 High altitude trail lower section near Nova Friburgo.
18/07/06 Coastal excursion to Praia Seca.
19/07/06 Morning excursion to Theodoro Trail. Afternoon, birding lodgegrounds.
20/07/06 Three-toed Jacamar excursion to Sumidouro and Duas Barras.
21/07/06 Excursion to wetlands at REGUA in the morning. Afternoon,birding the lodge grounds.
22/07/06 Birding lodge grounds in the morning.
I thought Serra dos Tucanos was an excellent place to stay and Andy hasa very good set up, with excellent excursions often into lesswell-known areas but also lots of possibilities for doing your ownbirding. Andy knows the area and the birds extremely well and is alsoable to put up with unending banter from guests with good humour. Imanaged around 265 species during my stay at the lodge, including somevery difficult endemics. The accommodation is comfortable and they wereable to provide me with some good vegetarian food.
REGUA
http://www.regua.co.uk/index.php
Having visited REGUA towards the end of my stay at Serra dos Tucanosand having met a few of the staff, I realised that there were quite afew species to be seen there that I hadn't already encountered. Thereserve has a substantial lodge, with panoramic views out over thewetlands and forests towards the Serra dos Orgaos mountain range. Fullboard at the lodge was $80 per night but if, like me, you stay for fivedays or more you get a 20% reduction. The price covers pretty mucheverything including transport to the trails. Your money also goestowards the conservation of the site.
The reserve is very extensive and they're developing a good system oftrails. The wetland area is fairly small but the birding is veryenjoyable, with a tower hide giving great views. This area is quite lowdown and there's some important low altitude forest with differentspecies to those I'd seen at Serra dos Tucanos. Many of the trails gomuch higher up into the mountains, so a very wide range of species ispossible.
During my stay I birded as follows:
22/07/06 Wetlands in the afternoon.
23/07/06 Sao Jose trail in the morning then wetlands in the afternoon.
24/07/06 Waterfall trail most of the day then light blue trail andwetlands late afternoon.
25/07/06 Very long walk taking in Waterfall trail, Elfin Forest trailand Lost trail.
26/07/06 Birding the light blue trail and wetlands
27/07/06 Birding the wetlands early morning
I'd have to say that my stay at REGUA was the highlight of the trip forme with excellent birding and very good company. The accommodation andfood was of a very high standard. Remarkably, for most of the time Istayed at the lodge I was the only resident.
If and when I go back to southeast Brazil, I shall definitely payanother visit. They're doing excellent conservation work too.
Itatiaia National Park
http://www.hoteldonati.com.br/english/inicio.htm
I stayed at the Hotel Donati, which lies well within the national parkand has excellent birding within the grounds. The accommodation is okaybut, for the price you pay (around £50 a night for me) it needs a'lickof paint'. The food, which is included in the price, was very good and,as with other places, voluminous. I was impressed that they seemed tocater for vegetarians - I even got vegeburgers one night! Both fulldays I had in the park, I birded the trails between the Hotel Donatiand the other hotels (the Simon and the do Ype). I didn't do any reallyhigh altitude birding at Itatiaia.
I was ready to be slightly disappointed by Itatiaia, given it's hugereputation, but was actually rather impressed. The forest birding,whilst good, isn't actually any better than lots of other places youcan go to but the birding in the hotel grounds is excellent, and that'swhere I saw most of the really good birds.
Angra dos Reis
I stayed here overnight, waiting for a boat to Ilha Grande. There'sactually some good forest around the town but it seemed to beinaccessible. I saw a few interesting birds along the shore front inthe morning though. The town itself is nothing special. If you arriveby bus, there's an information office about Ilha Grande at the station,which is about a mile from the city centre, although it was closed whenI arrived late in the afternoon. There's a tourist office on the wayinto town, which was pretty unhelpful. Boats leave for Ilha Grande fromthe main pier in the centre of town. There's a big ferry that goes buta number of other boats take passengers on a regular basis. The infooffice at the bus station seemed to know about the latter and even soldme a ticket. The main tourist didn't want to tell me about them, itseemed.
Ilha Grande
I stayed at Overnativa hostel in the main village of Abraao.
http://www.overnativa.com.br/ing_index.htm
The hostel's good value and can be booked online. There're heaps ofother places to stay on the island though, so I reckon you shouldnormally be able to turn up and find which one you like best.
Ilha Grande is, as the name indicates, a big island which is covered inforest. No cars are allowed and so all travel is either done on foot,by bike (a bit hilly though) or by boat. There are some good trailsinto the forest, which is really nice although, with it being anisland, the species list is probably more restricted than elsewhere.
I enjoyed birding on Ilha Grande, partly because I didn't know too muchabout what I might see. I picked up a few good species there, althoughthere's nothing you couldn't bump into on the mainland. It would be agood place to go if you wanted to combine birding with a beach holiday.
Rio de Janeiro
I stayed for my final night at Botafogo Easy Hostel:
http://www.botafogohostel.com/scripts/home.asp
The hostel is good, located in a central and relatively safe part ofthe city and can be booked online. On my final morning, I birded thefamous botanical gardens in Rio, which are about 15 minutes away bybus. I paid four Reals to get into the gardens, which are very laidback (lots of old folks doing Tai Chi) and a safe place for relaxingbirding.
Weather
It was very much a game of two halves for weather. The firsttwo-and-a-half weeks was completely dry with hardly a cloud in the skymost of the time. There was some low cloud high in the mountains on thehigh altitude excursion at Serra dos Tucanos but that was about it.Temperatures were around the mid-20s during the day in the mountains, abit warmer and sometimes hot lower down. Early mornings and eveningscould be fairly cool (you could often see your breath first thing) andI'd recommend taking a fleece if you go in their winter. The folks atREGUA, who are also farmers, were complaining about the persistent dryweather and there were lots of brush fires.
From 29th July onwards the weather turned, with a cold front hangingover the mountains. There was cloud almost constantly with regular andsometimes heavy rain. Temperatures struggled into the low twenties evenon the coast.
Despite the wet end to the trip, I reckon I was pretty lucky with theweather. If the rain had been in the first week, that would have beenmore frustrating and I'd have missed out on a lot of birds. Insectsalso weren't too much of a problem and, although I got the odd bite,were never a nuisance.
There's a lot to be said for visiting this area in their winter, withtemperatures comfortable, the weather relatively dry and the insectsnot a big problem. Birds aren't singing as much as they would duringthe breeding season and this means they don't respond as well toplayback, but there are lots of entertaining mixed flocks.
Transport
Getting around by bus between cities is fairly easy and cheap and thebuses are very comfortable. Changing buses at Rio de Janeiro rodoviaria(bus station) is fairly straightforward, although you need to find thekiosk of the company that goes to where you want to go. Buses toItatiaia are run by Cidade do Aco and buses along the coast to Angraand Parati are run by Costa Verde. The bus station seemed pretty safeto me, although it's in a bit of a rough looking neighbourhood. There'sloads of security guards around and I think the only danger is likelyto come from pickpockets.
I quite often got taxis e.g. from Serra dos Tucanos to REGUA (70 reals,about £17), Itatiaia village to Hotel Donati (25), Rio busstation toBotafogo (25) and Botafogo to the airport (31). On most of thesejourneys there are buses which would be cheaper but perhaps morehassle. Incidentally, contra some of the guide books, there seem to bepublic buses running from Itatiaia village to the hotels within thepark so if you want to stay at the cheaper places in the village thenyou should be able to get high up into the park fairly cheaply andeasily.
People and language
Away from tourist areas like Rio and Ilha Grande, not many people speakmuch English, although in practice this didn't create many problems forme because I was with people who spoke both English and Portuguese. Iused the Lonely Planet Brazilian Portuguese phrase book, which isfairly good and helpful with pronunciation.
People are basically really friendly and helpful. You normally getgreeted when meeting people out on trails, which isn't something youget in some parts of the world. I faced no security difficulties andnever felt in danger from anyone. You'd still be wise to use commonsense and keep valuables out of sight in city areas though. Nobody muchseemed to be talking about football, after Brazil's world cup failure.
Money
Brazil is pretty good value and the whole trip cost me less than£2000.I reckon I could have done it a bit cheaper if I'd stayed in lesscomfortable accommodation but an advantage of staying at lodges likeREGUA or Serra dos Tucanos is that everything is included in your billso you don't really need any cash. If you have a credit card or Visadebit card you should be able to use at least some ATMs but probablynot all, even if they have Visa signs on them. The Banco do Brasil ATMsat the airport eventually worked for me and some of the ATMs in Riorodoviaria worked. If you're near a reasonably sized town you should beable to get cash somewhere, although it may take time to sort out.
I didn't take that many bird pictures (was too busy looking atthem!) but got a few nice ones, as well as some landscapes.
DAILY ACCOUNTSDay One: 12th July
Afterarriving early in the morning at Rio airport, waiting ages to gothrough immigration and then trying and eventually succeeding ingetting money from a cash machine I was on my way to Serra dos Tucanos.The two hour journey took me through the northern part of Rio - not thebest bit, I think it's fair to say - and then north through mostlyagricultural areas.
Arriving for the first time on a continent and then travelling toaccommodation is always a somewhat fraught experience for a birder.Almost every bird is likely to be new and I had plenty of 'oh, thatlooked interesting - no idea what it was' moments. But I did manage toidentify a few species, some of which were actually fairly familiar -the flocks of Great, Snowy and Cattle Egrets and theominous looking Black Vultures that seemed to be perched onevery lamp-post. My first new bird was the slender looking NeotropicalCormorant, many of which were along the shore in Rio, and I wassoon seeing flocks of Magnificent Frigatebirds drifting on thethermals above the harbour and small squadrons of Brown Boobiessailing past the long causway that runs across the inlet lying adjacentto the city. On the way north, Southern Lapwing was noticed ina field and I figured out that most of the hirundines I was seeing werethe very smart Blue-and-white Swallows.Approaching Cachoeiras de Macacu I could see tall mountains in thedistance and as soon I was through the town the road began to take meinto some beautiful rainforest along a steep-sided valley. After a fewkilometres I arrived at Serra dos Tucanos and was soon shown to my roomby Cristina.
Something I had often imagined before my trip was that first experienceof proper birding in South America - hopefully seeing lots ofremarkable new birds almost instantly. So it proved, with me lookingout onto the hummingbird and banana feeders in the garden of the lodgeand seeing an ever changing selection of tanagers and hummers. At thehummingbird feeders, as they almost always were, were SombreHummingbirds - each one guarding a set of feeders with greatvigilence. Trying to get past these sentries were the more colourful Violet-cappedWoodnymphs - perhaps the most widespread hummer of the trip - and afew Bananaquits. The tanagers tucking into the bananas that areput out every morning included the luminous Green-headed andjet black Ruby-crowned Tanagers. Three species of euphonia - Violaceous,Orange-bellied and Chestnut-bellied - were also inattendance. Best of all were the stunningly coloured (and named) Blue-napedChlorophonias. Periodically, the feeders would be invaded byparties of Plain Parakeets- much more impressive than their name suggests being a beautiful leafgreen colour with a subtle blue tone on the flight feathers. On thelawn a pair of smart Masked Water Tyrants hopped about, lookingrather like Wheatears despite being unrelated.
Soon I was off for a walk along some of the trails that stretch upwardsfrom the garden and into the forest above. I hadn't got any furtherthan the swimming pool next to the garden when I encountered my firstmixed flock of the trip - hordes of birds streaming through the treesat all levels. Most were the multi-coloured Red-necked Tanagersbut amongst them were a pair of the diminutive Yellow-loredTody-flycatchers and a Streaked Xenops,scuttling through the branches like a strange nuthatch. Around thefront of the lodge there was plenty of activity in the trees by theriver and, although I struggled to identify a few birds, I managed topick out a pair of the warbler-like Chestnut-vented Conebillsand a Fawn-breasted Tanager- a bird I only saw on one other occasion on the whole trip. When Ifinally got to the trails, I was soon seeing more tanagers: anincredible male Brazilian Tanager was brightest of all but Iwas equally impressed by the pair of Red-crowned Ant-tanagers.These were accompanied by a lumbering White-eyed Foliage-gleaner,which looked rather like a gangling acrocephaluswarbler. One group of birds I was really looking forward toencountering were woodcreepers and my first view was of the biggest inthe area - a White-throated Woodcreeper. Further along thetrail, I had point blank views of a characterful Rufous-browedPepper-shrike.Of course, I was constantly hearing strange sounds, normally from birdsI had little chance of seeing. Eventually I tracked down the birdsmaking the peculiar 'synthesizer' style sounds - male Blue Manakins.These are stunning looking birds with bright blue and black plumage anda striking red crown. Further along, the trail became quieter and Idecided to head back to the lodge for lunch.
At lunch I met some of the other guests staying, Pete from Nottinghamand Scott from Arizona (and originally Yorkshire). They both kept meentertained for the next ten days. After lunch I was seeing more newbirds around the feeders. Brazilian Ruby and Saw-billedHermit both dropped into the hummer feeders and Palm, Sayaca,Burnished-buff and Golden-chevroned Tanagers were allvisiting the bananas, as well as an impossibly colourful male BlueDacnis. Around the edge of the garden I could see Rufous-belliedand Pale-breasted Thrushes, the ever-present Great Kiskadeeswere calling noisily from around the pond and a Chestnut-crownedBecard was flycatching from the bare branches of a tree. A fewlarger birds were also appearing. First, a Squirrel Cuckoo withits unfeasibly long tail arrived into the trees at the back of thegarden and then a couple of Maroon-bellied Parakeets visitedthe bananas. Best of all was a furtive Saffron Toucanet,which looked shy but stayed hacking at the bananas for several minutes.I only saw these gorgeous yellow and red toucans a couple more times onthe whole trip.
I was pretty tired from my overnight flight and reluctantly had a quicknap but still had an hour or so to wander the grounds again beforenight fell. The light was gloomy under the trees but I was able to pickout some excellent new birds many of which were endemic to the Atlanticforest - a Spot-breasted Antvireo, a skulking and almosttailless-looking Star-throated Antwren, the small OlivaceousWoodcreeper and a brilliantly-marked Ferruginous Antbird. AMasked Yellowthroat, just as smart and as skulking as theirNorth American cousins, was near the edge of the garden, where SouthernRough-winged Swallows and a Tropical Kingbirdwere perched up on the wires. Eventually I was back at the lodge intime with a little while before dinner, when I could write my notes andlook at the fireflies flowing at the back of the garden.
So that was my first day of birding in South America - all of it prettymuch on my own. I struggled a bit to keep up with the action onoccasions but had still managed over fifty species, most of them new.The pace didn't slacken the following day.
Day Two: 13/07/06
Iwas up early to go on my first excursion from the lodge to Serra dosOrgaos National Park, around an hour or so's drive away. Breakfastprovided just the five new birds around the gardens. First was a largedark bird with a long yellowish tail that flew overhead - I eventuallyfigured out it was a Crested Oropendola. A distant circlingraptor caught the attention of Andy and was identified as a Southern(or Crested) Caracara. A Swallow-tailed Hummingbirdwhizzed through the feeders and over the roof. A flycatcher perched upon a dead tree in the forest was checked out in the scope and proved tobe a Grey-hooded Attila. But the pick of the bunch, althoughstill only giving brief views, was a splendid Blond-crestedWoodpecker,sneaking down to the feeders just briefly. This is a fairly bigwoodpecker with its creamy blond head contrasting against a jet blackbody.
On the way to the park, we called in at some roadside fish ponds and Iwas able to see a few of the commoner water birds of the area, like LeastGrebe and Wattled Jacana. In the distance an AmazonKingfisher was attending to a nest hole in a sandy bank and muchbetter views were had of a Southern Caracara as one loafedabout on the edge of the ponds.
The first long stop was at a car park low down in the national park. Ihad already come to the realisation that forest birding can be quiteslow in the tropics but the array of birds zipping around in the treeshere was something else. I could scarcely keep up with the new andattractive birds appearing minute by minute. A glorious Flame-crestedTanager, the male black with a pale throat and tufted orange crown,settled on the ground for a few seconds and overhead stubby Ashy-tailedSwifts circled. In the trees flitted a Red-eyed Vireo,Buff-throated Saltator and a diminutive White-barred Piculet.The latter were certainly a favourite throughout the trip - brilliantlybusy and sometimes noisy woodpeckers, hardly bigger than a Goldcrest.Other woodpeckers soon began to make an appearance. Yellow-earedand Yellow-throated Woodpeckerswere both very neat and a Lesser Woodcreeper was also exploring thebranches. Perhaps the best bird that was picked out here, although Ididn't realise it then, was an Ochre-breasted Foliage-gleaner -my only definite sighting of this hard to identify species on the wholetrip. More impressive at the time was a Pale-browed Treehunter,a big streaky foliage-gleaner that makes a living by trashing about inbromeliads and which gave great views as at sang in response to Andy'splayback, its tail vigorously trembling with the effort. Even betterwas to come, as Andy first of all picked out a smart male Spot-billedToucanet, with its green-skinned 'goat eyes', perched quietly in atree. Just a few metres away was a wonderful Rufous-capped Motmot- the only motmot in the region. It sat around at leisure, drooping itslong tail downwards, before disappearing away into the forest.
On our way to the high altitude car park we had time to draw breath fora coffee and admire the huge 'Finger of God' pinacle that towers abovethe main road through the park. The car park was well above 1000 metresin elevation and we were soon climbing higher as we followed a trailupwards through some glorious forest. Soon there were new sounds tohear - the resonant cooing of Plumbeous Pigeons and theexplosive 'wolf-whistle' of Hooded Berryeater,an endemic Cotinga that was one of the target species for the day.Drifting persistently in the air were the eerie 'Star Trekcommunicator' calls of a closely related species, Black-and-goldCotinga. Easiest on the ear were the pleasant cascading songs ofWhite-rimmed Warblers, a few of which eventually revealed themselves.
The journey up the trail was initially fairly quiet, although a few Brassy-breastedTanagers were moving through the canopy and a Buff-browedFoliage-gleanerwas a good bird to get in a mixed flock. My list of woodpeckers withyellow in their name burgeoned further with good views of a couple of Yellow-browedWoodpeckers. Best was a languid male Black-throated Trogonthat arrived almost immediately in response to playback and gave aglorious show as it sat aloof in the trees. My first ever trogon andevery bit as impressive as I'd hoped. Other new birds were the lemonyellow Golden-crowned Warblers, a female Pin-tailed Manakinand a male Yellow-legged Thrush that dashed quickly through thecanopy.
Things began to liven up when we found ourselves in forest dominated bybamboo and antbirds were to the fore. Antbirds of the genus Drymophilaare a bit of a southeast Brazilian speciality. I'd already beenimpressed by Ferruginous Antbird but today I was able to see the verysimilar but much more localised Bertoni's Antbird and also Rufous-tailedand Ochre-rumped Antbirds.All are different combinations of orange, buff and black and whitestreaking and all were seen well and sometimes side-by-side. Togetherwith them were Rufous-backed Antvireos and VariableAntshrikes. A bull-necked White-collared Foliage-gleanerwas another bamboo specialist that appeared in the understory. At onestage I didn't know where to look as two fantastic new birds appearedalmost simultaneously. First was a beautiful soft blue DiademedTanager, its plumage topped by a white cap and red tuft. Then,nervously pacing over the ground was a Brazilian Antthrush,with intricate pearl-spotting on the underparts. Two species of tyrantwere amongst the teeming hordes - a Grey-hooded Flycatcher andan Ochre-faced Tody-flycatcher. On the way back down a tiny Drab-breastedBamboo-tyrant was moving swiftly through the lower branches in thesame area.
Hooded Berryeater was proving tricky to see but eventually Imanaged good views of three different individuals. These are brightlycoloured thrush-like cotingas, mostly yellow with a black hood andrufous wings. One bird was living up to its name by plucking berriesfrom the low branches of a tree towards the top of the trail. Theseweren't the only elusive birds that we found, with some shuffling inthe understory turning out to eminate from two Dusky-legged Guans.These huge turkey-like birds were surprisingly easy to miss but gaveremarkable views once I was on to them.
Eventually we emerged out of the forest and into a more open area fromwhere we could enjoy fantastic views out across the trees and down tothe lowlands below. We decided to stop here for lunch in the hope ofpicking out a Black-and-gold Cotinga perched in the canopy. Well, wewaited, played recordings, and waited some more. We could hear plenty,some not far away, but they always seemed to be on the wrong side ofthe trees. Whilst we waited a few other birds appeared. A tricky onefor the inebriated birder to say (not that I was of course) was a Blue-billedBlack Tyrant and nearby a subtly-plumaged Olivaceous Elaeniawas flycatching. Very much a 'birder's bird' that one. Hummingbirdswere also out in the sun but rarely stayed for long. A Scale-throatedHermit dashed by and a male Plovercrestbounded through the flowers, only briefly approaching close enough orstaying still long enough for his Lapwing-like crest to be seen. As weheaded back down, having given up for today at least on Black-and-goldCotinga, a smart White-throated Hummingbird gave reasonableviews.
We stopped for a break by a dried-up waterfall and soon there werebirds moving through. Most were Furnariids, including a Buff-frontedFoliage-gleaner and an excellent Sharp-billed Treehunter- very small and neatly streaked. As the sun drifted behind themountains and the forest darkened, we were treated to perhaps the birdsof the day on the long march back to the car park. A flurry of movementcame at the side of the trail. Some birds had flown but three were leftand proved to be beautiful Spot-winged Wood-quails. They satalmost motionless just a few metres away for several minutes beforefollowing their companions into the undergrowth.
Eventually we arrived back at the car park and started on the longdrive back to the lodge. It had been a remarkable day in this fantasticnational park. The birding had been hard but when I counted up thespecies I'd seen or heard over 90. Over 50 had been new for me - themost I've every seen on any day anywhere. I'm left to wonder if I'llever improve on a day like this.
Day Three: 14th July
Thiswas the day of the high altitude excursion to Pico Caledonia near NovaFriburgo. Andy warned us that it would be a day of quality rather thanquantity because high up in the mountains there aren't huge numbers ofspecies but it's where many of the rarest and hardest to see endemicsare to be found. The reason that Pico Caledonia has started to developa reputation for rare birds is more a reflection of its accessibilitythan its habitat, which is similar to many other high mountain areas inthe region. On top of the mountain are a number of communicationstowers and hence a road leads steeply upwards almost to the top. In thefew years that Andy has been visiting the site he's discovered two ofthe most enigmatic endemic birds in southeast Brazil: Grey-wingedCotinga and Itatiaia Thistletail. These were the two main targets forthe day.
As we set off on the road northwards, it soon became apparent that theday wasn't going to be entirely cloud free. Swirls of mist began tocloak a few mountain tops and sometimes drifted downwards to thevalleys. After driving through the suburbs of Nova Friburgo and up thesteep cobbled road to the mountain, we stopped overlooking a broadforested valley. The cloud had dispersed to some extent but it was toreappear from time to time through the morning. We began by scanningover the wide sweep of forest below and soon I had seen, albeit notvery well, yesterday's missed target: Black-and-gold Cotinga.I picked out one as it flew over the treetops and perched up nicely ina tree, the only problem being that the tree was the best part of akilometre away and was almost impossible to point out to anyone else.The vivid yellow on the wings still shone even at that range. Naturallyenough the bird had moved on by the time I got my scope set up but afew others were seen, either in flight or perched at even greaterdistance. Their plaintive whistling song was an almost constantcompanion as we walked up the hill.
Other birds could be seen near where we'd parked. The occasional flockof White-eyed Parakeets, with their distinctive yellow tonedunderwings, darted over and a chattering Mottle-cheeked Tyrannuletwas seen well. All the way up, the commonest bird seemed to be thelovely Diademed Tanagers, which I had much better opportunities toenjoy today. A little higher we encountered a lively mixed flock fullof some nice high altitude passerines: Rufous-crowned Greenlet,Grey-hooded Flycatcher, Variable Antshrike and Rufous-backedAntvireo. The smartest members of the flock were the beautifullycrisp looking Bay-chested Warbling-finches.These are immaculate grey, white and red birds that were seen on a fewoccasions during the day. Nearby I was chided for my enjoyment ofanother new bird: Rufous-collared Sparrow. Over the comingweeks I was to see a few more of these. Whilst I'd still claim thatthey're rather nice, I'd admit that they aren't quite as good asanother roadside bird I saw in the same area. A quiet shuffling in theverge revealed, much to Andy's loud astonishment, a Large-tailedAntshrike.This is an almost crow sized, tar-black antbird with a hefty tail. Likeother big antshrikes it's normally very difficult to see, but here itwas hopping about just a few metres away.
Soon we began to hear the thin whistle of 'the big one' - Grey-wingedCotinga. This species was discovered just over 25 years ago and has avery restricted range in the Serra dos Orgaos area. It tends to befound higher up than it's near relative the Black-and-gold Cotinga andis very thinly spread. Andy reckoned that fewer than a hundred peoplehave ever seen the bird (although I heard another estimate of aroundtwo hundred later in the trip!). Like other cotingas, it doesn't reallydo a lot except sing from exposed but often out of sight perches and wewere hoping that one might be revealed by regular scanning of the treetops.
Just as we stop above a small valley, Andy suddenly gets excited."That's it: that's Grey-winged Cotinga!" He gestures towards a line oftrees just a couple of hundred metres up the hill. Sure enough, athrush-sized bird is perched up, nice as you like, on a bare branch.Andy quickly sets up his scope, looks into the lens and..."It's afemale Black-and-gold." Hearts sink. Andy explains that he can't seeany obvious grey in the wing. I soon have my scope set up and consolemyself with getting a much better view of a Black-and-gold Cotinga. Thebird was sat, very happily, with its front on to us. After a fewminutes Andy starts raising a few points. It's remarkably yellowunderneath for the normally uniform olive-green female Black-and-gold.There's pretty obvious grey on the face too. What's more, it's slim andelegant, not like the much dumpier Black-and-gold. It was certainlyhard to see any grey in the wing but then it was front on to us.Perhaps if it turns around? Or maybe starts calling. Andy plays thesong of a Grey-winged Cotinga. Watching the bird, I see it visibilystart paying attention, stretching its head forwards. But no sound.After ten minutes or so of almost no movement, the bird slips offrapidly into the trees, revealing nothing else of its identity.Interesting, but frustrating. Andy starts talking about being 80% sureit was a Grey-winged.
Higher up the hill, Andy starts scoping from a rather rickety lookinghang-glider platform. The rest of us stand gingerly at the other end.Then Andy shouts that this time he's definitely got a Grey-wingedCotinga.We carefully, but rather rapidly, step out onto the platform. I findthe bird in my scope - much more distant and looking rathernon-descript greeny grey but its sideways on and definitely with greyin the wing. Soon the bird flits out of sight. Andy's absolutely happywith this bird being a Grey-winged Cotinga, although I'll be honest andsay the views of this bird were much less inspiring, if more definite,than the first bird.
Whilst perched precipitously on the platform we were able to enjoy muchmore thrilling views of a terrific Black Hawk-eagle - all bulging wingsand long tail - as it soard over the mountanside, calling constantly.Nearby were a few very fine endemic tyrants: Velvety-black Tyrantand the dove grey Shear-tailed Grey Tyrant. Even better wasanother high altitude specialist that had thus far eluded us, adelightful pair of Serra do Mar Tyrannulets.Like many other small tyrants, these were actually much smarter in reallife than any fieldguide illustrations seem to show. I was impressed bythe regular loud bill snaps they were giving as they moved furtivelythrough the scrub.
Soon we had moved above the treeline and into an area of low scrub andtussocky grass. This is where our other target, Itatiaia Thistletail,could be found. We passed through the security below the towers,watching a Rufous-thighed Hawksoar overhead as we waited, and headed up the 600 or more steps to thetop of the mountain. It was strange to pass into an area that seemedalmost entirely birdless and, despite regular playing of their calls,there was no sign of any thistletails. We stopped to have lunch at thetop of the mountain, enjoying the appropriately Scottish climaticconditions on Pico Caledonia. No birds were about aside from the oddsoaring Black Vulture and a pair of Rufous-collared Sparrows.Eventually we began our way down the steps. Towards the bottom a brown,long-tailed bird - rather like a big Whitethroat - shot past and into abush. Eventually it reappeared and, after what must have been a coupleof hours of fruitless searching, here finally was an ItatiaiaThistletail.A good bird, and hard to see, but remarkably plain looking with just awhite supercillium standing out from the brown plumage as it appearedintermittenly in the thick cover.
It seemed like we had cleaned up on the big stuff but it had been hardwork. There were still a few more good birds to be had on the way down.Rather smarter looking than the thistletail was the closely related PallidSpinetail - much brighter than its name suggests. A White-tailedHawk drifted and hovered over a forested ridge and Plovercrestsgave fleeting views as they dashed from flower to flower.
We arrived back at the car and, with a few hours of the now warmafternoon left, decided to make some stops on the drive back down themountain. First stop was at a rather ordinary looking area of roadsidescrub. Andy started playing a recording of our target bird and soon wewere treated to decent views of a smart Dusky-tailed Antbird- grey and white but beautifully marked. Further down was a floweringtree full of tanagers and hummingbirds. The most exquisite of thetanagers were a vividly colour pair of Hepatic Tanagers - themale crimson red and the female yellow. White-throated and Swallow-tailedHummingbirds gave good views in the tree and it was here that Ifinally got prolonged and close views of a male Plovercrest.There are many incredibly beautiful hummers in the world but this onemust be up there with the best of them. The elegant crest I expectedbut the brilliant purple 'Cadbury's Dairy Milk' throat, caught by theafternoon sun to reveal impossible richness of colour, wasextraordinary. Finally, Andy stopped by an open area of fields and said"I think I can see a new bird for Andrew". Quite a fine new bird it wastoo, a bizarre, strutting Red-legged Seriema. These birds arealmost like bustards and have remarkable elongated bristles at the baseof the bill. A befitting end to a day that had certainly lived up toproviding the promised quality.
A few days later I asked Andy what his opinion now was of the firstcotinga that we'd seen and he said he was now completely happy that itwas a Grey-winged Cotinga. Having looked at the illustrations in HBW Ihave to agree - despite the grey wings not being obvious it wasabsolutely fine for one and very different to the plump, olive-greenfemale Black-and-gold. Andy was now encouraging all of us to join hisexlcusive 'Grey-winged Cotinga' club, with very 'reasonable' annualsubscription rates. I've yet to sign up but still feel I'm a bitprivileged to have seen one.
To see the lengths that others have gone to try and see this bird, readthis:
Day Four: 15th July
Todaythe excursion was only for half a day, to the 'bamboo trail', whichclimbs through thick bamboo forest near the village of Theodoro abouttwenty minutes drive from the lodge. We set off early as usual, ataround seven am. The weather was clear and remarkably chilly firstthing, with breath condensing into misty plumes. As with some of theother excursions, the journey took us along the winding main road toNova Friburgo, which passes through one of the few areas of southeastBrazil that's still predominantly forested. Incongruous amongst therainforest are the large billboards at the roadside that seem, almostexclusively, to advertise lingerie. Possibly this was because the roadcontinues on to Muny, a small suburb of Friburgo that, for reasons thatremain unclear, appears to be the lingerie capital of Brazil. I didn'tbuy anything there.
The start of the bamboo trail is in an area of houses and a new birdswere seen around the gardens. A Rufous Hornero,a plain brown bird almost like a Nightingale that builds distinctive'oven' nests, was seen scurrying about. An elegant passerineflycatching from a fence post turned out, somewhat to my surprise, tobe a female Black-goggled Tanager. A group of CrestedOropendolas drifted low overhead, giving much better views than I'dpreviously had of the smart crow-like birds.
The trail then entered an area of forest along a stream and here I wasable to see some more members of the incredibly diverse tyrantflycatcher family. There were the tiny White-throated Spadebills- almost looking like baby birds with their short tails and largemouths. More conventional were a Sepia-capped Flycatcher and a Yellow-oliveFlycatcher - two species that turned out to be relatively common inthe forest in this region.
The aim of the excursion was to see birds that are specialists ofbamboo forests. For anyone who hasn't been to the area, bamboo growsvery big in Brazil in tall and dense stands with individual treesreaching several centimetres in diameter. Not surprisingly, many of thebamboo specialists are tricky to see in this thick cover. In fact, forthe first couple of kilometres it seemed as if we weren't going to seeanything. Sometimes the forests can be incredibly quiet and this wasjust such an occasion. The only sounds were the occasional noisy flockof parrots passing, unseen, over the canopy. Our main pastime was totry to see the elusive Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper. It had becomesomething of a running joke that Andy would play his recording at asuitable spot and would garner... absolutely no response. This wascertainly what happened today.
Eventually birds began to appear. One or two were bamboo specialistsI'd already encountered such as Drab-breasted Bamboo-tyrant andWhite-collared Foliage-gleaner. Other Furnariids were alsomoving through in busy flocks - Sharp-billed Treehunter and White-browedFoliage-gleaner amongst them. A Pale-browed Treehunter wasmaking lots of noise as it demolished a bromeliad and a WhiskeredFlycatcher was seen moving quickly about in the canopy. A trogonslipped quietly into a tree above and proved to be a female SurucuaTrogon,quite compact and greyish looking. Brazilian Antthrush was seen verynicely as it scampered through the thick stems of bamboo and aGreen-winged Saltator, a big finch with a long white supercillium,appeared in some streamside trees. Perhaps the most notable species,which proved, very tricky to get good views of, was a GreenishSchiffornis.This bird looks rather like a female Manakin and has a loud, simplewhistled song. It's hard to see as it perches quietly on branches buteventually one came in overhead and gave some fine views.
As we moved further along, a large bird could be heard moving about insome dense bromeliads. Andy got excited when he caught sight of thebird: it was a Giant Antshrike.True to this species' reputation, it was a challenge to entice into theopen. Eventually I had a tantalising view of this big, barred,magpie-like bird as it perched briefly in the open. Another slightlyfrustrating experience of a much sought after bird and I hoped I'dmanage a better view later on.
Perhaps the species that we most wanted to see was a strange species oftapaculo called a Slaty Bristlefront. As we went along the path weheard this bird's loud and distinctive song a few times but it wasalways coming from very far into the forest. As we returned one wassinging from closer to the trail and we decided to have a shot atgetting it to come out. Andy played the recording. The bird responded.Was it getting closer? Maybe. Keep trying. And so on. It always seemedto be just out of sight at the bottom of the small ridge we werelooking down. Eventually we realised it wasn't going to play ball andwe carried on disappointed.
A few more birds were picked up as we continued back to the van: RufousGnateater and Rufous-capped Spinetail were seen fairlybriefly and a Plain Antvireo - a common bird in the forest asit turned out - was seen well.
After lunch back at the lodge, I had another chance to explore thenearby trails. In the garden a smart new addition to the list was oneof the finest hummers in Brazil: a Black Jacobin.This is quite a big hummer with its black plumage set off by a mostlywhite tail and flanks. Also in the garden I got better views of MaskedYellowthroat and Buff-throated Saltator.
I soon managed to find a very busy mixed flock, which gave me some newspecies as well as better looks at birds I'd seen before. A couple ofwarbler-like Streak-capped Antwrens were moving busily throughthe canopy and a tiny Eared Pygmy-tyrant was flycatching. Spot-breastedAntvireos were calling loudly and a Ferruginous Antbirdlooked brilliant with the sun on it.
Following a tip off from Andy, I retrieved my MP3 player and speakersfrom my bag and had my first go at using playback. The bird I washoping for was Black-cheeked Gnateaterand, very rapidly, I could hear a few birds responding. Eventually Ihad some fine views of a male - an absolutely brilliant bird withrufous crown and black mask. The females proved trickier and for awhile I thought I was seeing Rufous Gnateaters. Later on, Andycorrected me, telling me it was too low for that species and that,contra the pictures in his own fieldguide, female Black-cheeked lookvery like Rufous.
An impressive bird to get a view of was a Scaly-headed Parrot.I'd previously seen a few of these big, stocky parrots flying overheadbut was pleased to find one perched up in a tree. These are quite darkbirds with a distinctive red vent. Otherwise birding in the forests wasa bit frustrating with lots of interesting noises but nobody to tell mewhat they were. One species that was being more cooperative was thenormally hard to see Star-throated Antwren, which, like thegnateaters, responded very well to playback, suddenly coming out fromthe undergrowth to have a look at what was going on. The final bird ofthe day was a Rufous-thighed Hawk, perching silently on a lowbranch before slipping menacingly off through the forest.
Day Five: 16th July
Todaywas a quiet day with no excursions and so I was able to fully explorethe trails at the lodge. First thing in the morning I headed up theExtension Trail that wanders up the hill for a kilometre or two.Something that surprised me in Brazil was how quiet early mornings inthe forest could be. I suspect this is mostly a feature of the wintermonths when birds aren't singing much and it's not normally until thesun gets above the hilltops and through the trees that feeding flocksreally start getting busy. At Serra dos Tucanos, which is in asteep-sided valley, this takes a few hours. I did, however, get onevery good new bird on my early morning wander. A rustling in the leavesat the side of the trail was followed by a dark brown bird flittingupwards before coming down again. It was a Tawny-throated Leaftosserand I enjoyed some great views as it rumaged amongst the leaf letter,almost like a strangely-shaped Blackbird. At the top of the trail I sawa large brown woodcreeper, which I later figured out was a Plain-winged(or Thrush-like) Woodcreeper - a good endemic.
After breakfast I set off again and soon heard a bird singing from theriverbed that I recognised: a Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper.After my previous experiences, I wasn't optimistic about being able tocatch sight of it. It was singing from somewhere along a shortriverside trail and I'd just set off along the trail when a plump,short-tailed bird shot past me and into cover. From the size and shapeit was clearly the streamcreeper but, try as I might to entice it backout of cover by playing a recording, it stayed silent and elusive.
I then followed the Extension Trail again and this time things werelivelier with some good mixed flocks of tanagers, mostly consisting of Brassy-breasted,Red-necked and Black-goggled Tanagers. Amongst them were apair of Yellow-backed Tanagers, although I was suffering a bitfrom 'tanager neck' by the time I picked these out in the high canopy.A Black-tailed Flycatcher,very similar to the Whiskered Flycatcher I'd seen yesterday, was in thesame area. On the way down I stopped at a viewpoint to overlook thevalley and was able to pick out some Grey-rumped Swifts as theydrifted over the forest on the other side. In the trees nearby I wasinitially confused by a small yellow and blue passerine until I saw thewhite wing-bars and realised it was a Tropical Parula. Back atthe lodge a pair of noisy Social Flycatchers, rather likebudget-sized Kiskadees, were in the garden.
In the afternoon I was back on the trails and, following a tip-off, Ispent some time looking across the valley to a very large tree thattowered above the others. Eventually I caught sight of the big andbrightly-coloured bird I was looking for - a Channel-billed Toucan.Soon another appeared and, with the scope, it was possible to getreasonable views as they moved through the trees. Other good birdsaround the garden were a couple of Flame-crested Tanagers in amixed flock and a Grey-hooded Attila that perched up obliginglyin a dead tree.
A day for 'consolidation' and for picking up a few missing species butit was clear that I'd now seen a lot of the commoner forest birds ofthe area. New species were going to take a little more work and travelfrom now on.
Day Six: 17th July
TodayI was back with the excursions and we were off again to the highaltitude area near Nova Friburgo, but this time we stayed lower down.Before setting off I enjoyed great views of a Blond-crestedWoodpecker in the garden of the lodge, giving its loud, ringingcall.
The trail took us through a mixture of open country and wooded rivervalleys giving the feel of parkland. The first good bird was a smart Rufous-cappedAntshrike, which unlike some of its relatives, was very cooperativeand confiding in response to Andy's playback. In the same area a Spix'sSpinetail eventually gave reasonable views, although I never sawthis species really well anywhere on the trip.
This was the first time I'd had the opportunity to bird in more openagricultural habitats and so I was soon picking up some new species. CampoFlickers were smart and noisy, Chalk-browed Mockingbirds veryconspicuous and Cliff Flycatchers were perched up on dead treesor hawking after insects almost like swallows. A deep green Glittering-belliedEmerald was perched up on the fence wires and Saffron Fincheswere flitting about in the grass.
Soon we reached an area where we could overlook the gardens of one ofthe rather plush mountain retreats that are in this area. Amidst theimmaculate lawns and vintage cars there was an impressive array oftyrants. Shear-tailed Grey-tyrants, Planalto Tyrannulets,Blue-billed Black Tyrants and Velvety Black Tyrants allgave fine showings. Brief views were had of a Southern BeardlessTyrannulet. Perhaps the smartest birds here were the softbuff-and-grey-coloured Cinnamon Tanagers- rather like Bullfinches and fairly common at this altitude. Anotherspecies that was reminiscent of something more familiar were the HoodedSiskins, sounding a lot like their European relative and lookingequally smart when one was eventually seen perched.
The trail continued on through some scrubby river valleys and for awhile we were hearing more than we saw. White-shouldered Fire-eye,Red-eyed Thornbird and Mouse-coloured Tapaculo all sang from time totime but were resistant to the charms of our recordings. One of thespecies we were particularly hoping to see was Swallow-tailed Cotingabut our searches of the treetops were coming to naught. However, therewere compensations. One bird that did respond to playback was aThick-billed Saltator- a scarce high altitude endemic - and we were very fortunate to pickout a Tiny Hawk, perched up in a tree for several minutes. Also seenalong the trail were some of the good birds we'd seen higher up a fewdays earlier like Serra do Mar Tyrannulet, Plovercrest and White-throatedHummingbird. Overhead a group of swifts emerged and at least someof these could be identified as Biscutate Swifts - a big blackspecies with a partial white collar and square-ended tail. Some goodraptors also appeared with Black Hawk Eagle again giving fineviews and a dark looking White-tailed Hawk also drifting over.A new bird, although one I would see lots more of, was a Yellow-headedCaracara.
We returned back along the trail, still without having seenSwallow-tailed Cotinga. Staking a claim for bird of the day was anincredibly marked Green-barred Woodpeckerseen brilliantly in a trailside tree - a cryptic mixture of yellow,green and red with intricate spotting and barring. I was also impressedwith the 'aptly named' Boat-billed Flycatcher - a kiskadee witha bill you wouldn't mess with.
On the journey back to the lodge we took a detour along a dusty trackthat runs south of the main road and through some good forest. We madequite a few stops, not always seeing much but eventually managed somevery fine views of White-shouldered Fire-eye- a species that had eluded us earlier. This is quite a large blackantbird, with a long tail and the red eye and white markings on thewings that give it its name. We also managed to get some good perchedviews (albeit still distant) of a Black-and-gold Cotinga as itsang serenely.
So a day with some more very good birds, although a few frustrationsalong the way. The next day was at the seaside.
Day Seven: 18th July
TodayI got away from the forests with a trip to the seaside. One of theexcursions run from Serra dos Tucanos goes to the salt pans andrestinga at Praia Seca to the east of Rio. The main aim is to see thevery rare Restinga Antwren but there's potential for a variety of otherspecies.
Quite a big party headed south in the minibus and the weather was justright for the seaside, clear and sunny. It was a long drive but after acouple of hours we arrived by a large lagoon. There weren't actuallymany birds on the lake itself but more was happening in the fieldsadjacent. Most impressive were a pair of Aplomado Falconsperched up in a dead tree. Parties of Brown-chested Martins andWhite-rumped Swallows darted over the long grass and a punkylooking Guira Cuckoo sat up in the distance.
We then moved onto some muddy salt pans nearby. It was good to bewatching a few waders after all the elusive forest species. Smallnumbers of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were paddling aboutand, at the back of the pans, plenty of White-cheeked Pintailswere resting. Overhead the occasional Roseate Spoonbill woulddrift. As well as the usual egrets, a dark Little Blue Heronwas about and a huge Ringed Kingfisher looked about the size ofa heron as it flew into the pans. There were some good passerines too:a Yellow-bellied Elaenia and a White-browed Blackbird,looking good with its bright crimson breast. A couple of YellowishPipitswere seen furtively moving through the grass - looking and soundingmuch more familiar to a Scottish birder than many of the other otherBrazilian passerines. In some distant trees a couple of WhiteWoodpeckers, striking looking open-country woodies, were scoped.
We continued on until we arrived at a beach front car park next to anarea of restinga. Restinga is the name given to the scrubby woodland -strangely reminiscent of parts of the East Anglian coast - that's foundright next to the sea and, because of its position, it has come undergreat threat in recent decades as more and more people build beachfront properties. Large signs in Portuguese warned anyone of theconsequences of damaging the protected remnant that we were about toexplore, although one wonders how long this protection will last. Andysuggested to us that Restinga Antwren was a particularly good bird tosee because it's very likely to be extinct within a few decades.
Before entering into the restinga, we had a quick seawatch. Offshorethere were plenty of Brown Boobies in various plumages moving,along with Magnificent Frigatebirds and a few confusingyellow-billed terns. These were the much talked about Cayenne Terns,similar to Sandwich Terns but with bright yellow bills and slightlypaler looking wings. A Cattle Tyrant,a terrestrial kingbird, was hopping about the car park despite theabsence of large bovine ruminants. More surprising, but less new, was aBarn Swallow flying purposefully along the shore.
Initially it proved hard to see very much in the restinga, apart fromthe many lizards that rustled over dry ground. A few Creamy-belliedThrushes were tucking into berries and a group of White-collaredSwifts screamed overhead. In some trees were a small group of Plain-breastedGround Doves. A Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture,very like a Turkey Vulture, drifted low over the marshes, behaviourthat's supposed to be a good distinguishing feature of this species. Wehad a few goes at playing recordings of Restinga Antwren and eventuallyone responded but didn't show itself clearly, as we peered into themurk of its dense scrubby habitat.
We decided to spend some more time looking through the waders on thesaltpans and here there was quite a good selection, including theubiquitous Ruddy Turnstones.Is there any coastal area on Earth where you don't commonly get thisspecies? If there is, I've not been there. More novel were the dinky CollaredPlovers, scattered amongst the migrant Semipalmated Ploversfrom North America. A few Least Terns were sailing over thelakes.
We decided to have one last tilt at the antwren and Andy began playinga recording on the corner of some scrub near the saltpans. Happily, wewere soon rewared and a male Restinga Antwrenmoved into a relatively open area of canopy. Here it remained for acouple of minutes giving fantastic views at just a few metres range.This wasn't just a rare bird, it was a real beauty too - jet black witha long tail, white spotted wing coverts and undertail and a brilliantred eye. In the same bush I managed to get some good if brief views ofanother scarce endemic, a Sooretama Slaty Antshrike - a greyishmale similar to the more common Variable Antshrike. Finally, on ourwalk back to the van, we got some great views of another restingaspeciality: a Hangnest Tody-tyrant. The books tend to say thisbird is quite non-descript but I was impressed at how bright green itwas, almost like some of the lovelier Phylloscopus warblers.
After a big lunch at a local cafe, we headed sleepily back to thelodge. A very fine day, although it looked as if we might miss outuntil quite late on. The next day, I'd be back in the forest.
Day Eight: 19th July
Ididn't have great expectations of today but it turned out to be rathermemorable. The excursion was a half day walk along the Theodoro Trail,so more forest birding and I'd already seen a lot of the easier forestbirds. I was intent on trying to see a few of the more elusive speciesI'd missed so far and so I gave Andy orders to find me a Sharpbill. Iwas pretty keen to get my money's worth! The Theodoro Trail runs alongan old railway line through some great mid-altitude forest. It turnedout to be as good a forest trail as I walked in all of southeastBrazil, although as with all of these trails how much you see can varyenormously from day to day.
It was clear and chilly again first thing in the morning but eventuallywarmed up. We parked the minibus by some houses at the start of thetrail and were soon seeing interesting birds nearby: PallidSpinetail, White-collared Foliage-gleaner, Rufous-browed Peppershrikeand Green-winged Saltator. The forest was still in shade earlyin the morning but a few flocks of birds were already moving throughwith the numerous Brassy-breasted Tanagers to the fore.
As often happened, Andy stopped near a small creek to see if he couldbring in a streamcreeper. Unlike every other occasion he tried it, thistime it actually worked. Soon a Sharp-tailed Streamcreeperwas scurrying in along the ground before sitting up on a low branch andsinging its head off for several minutes, just a few metres away. Thiswas certainly a view to make up for all the other times we'd tried andfailed to see this brilliant little bird. I was quite struck by how thesong of the streamcreeper sounds rather similar in quality to the callsand songs of birds like Dippers and Grey Wagtails that live in the samenoisy habitat in Europe. This one was certainly giving it some, itsthroat trembling with the effort of singing.
Some good flocks of tanagers and furnariids were on the move andamongst them I saw my first Black-capped Foliage-gleaner- meaning that I'd seen all of the species of foliage-gleanerordinarily found in the area. Attending these roving flocks werevarious tyrants like Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Mottle-cheekedTyrannulet and Eared Pygmy-tyrant. A Grey-fronted Doveperched furtively in a tree before disappearing back into the forest aswe approached more closely. Even more enigmatic was the sonorous singlenote song of a Solitary Tinamou, which inevitably remained out of sight.
When looking through one of the flocks, I wasn't surprised to see awoodcreeper perch up on a nearby trunk. Both Andy and myself were moresurprised when we had a closer look. "Scythebill!" cried Andy. Andindeed it was: a Black-billed Scythebill.Before I came away this endemic was one of the birds that I was mostkeen to see and I have to say it didn't disappoint. It looks like afairly ordinary large woodcreeper, being mostly plain brown in plumage.But then there's the bill. I'm not sure why but there's something aboutthe steeply curved bill on this species that really takes the breathaway. You can see all the pictures you like but nothing quite preparesyou for how incredibly shaped it is. This one briefly vanished beforereappearing and giving very fine views as it explored the tree trunksalongside the trail. One of the birds of the trip.
Bigger birds were on the move through the forest as well. There werelots of noisy Maroon-bellied Parakeets, often hard to catchsight of but easy to hear. Particularly impressive were the brilliantlycoloured Saffron Toucanets,of which we encountered a couple of parties. When the light catchesthem, the yellow in the plumage of these birds is illuminated toglorious effect. Andy told us that during the breeding season theypredate heavily on the eggs and young of other species, rather likeMagpies. A new bird that I was very pleased to see was Azure-shoulderedTanager.This species is blue in colour and rather similar to the commonerSayaca Tanager. The plumage, and particularly the wings, are verybright though and the bill and lores blackish, giving them adistinctive look about the face. I enjoyed decent views of three atvarious points along the trail.
Eventually we came to a more open area overlooking a valley. A deepchasm had been created by a landslide and, as the path curved aroundthe slope, it came towards a line of tall trees at the edge of theforest. This is where the Sharpbill might be, said Andy. A quick playof the tape and... almost immediately a Sharpbill called back from thetrees. The song is very distinctive, a thin descending note soundinglike a bomb falling, only without the loud explosion at the end. Likeits near relatives the cotingas, Sharpbills spend a lot of time sittingabout in trees twiddling their thumbs (or whatever birds do that'sequivalent). Andy and I peered into the leaves for a few minutes untilAndy suddenly reckoned he could see it. He tried to get me on to it butsoon changed tactics and set up his scope. I looked through and thereit was: a Sharpbill.I think this was the only way I would have seen the bird, even if itdid mean I had to look through Andy's knackered old scope. I am at aloss to understand how he had found this bird because it was partlyhidden and entirely motionless. He'd certainly earnt his fee for theday anyway. It was, of course, a brilliant bird - very green above andrather like a Wryneck in its shape and cryptic markings. I missedanother that Andy saw briefly on the way back and two more at variousother times on the trip - this is a hard bird to see and I was glad forthis opportunity to get a sight of one.
There was plenty of activity on the way back to the minibus. Ratherpoor views were had of a male Black-throated Trogon but a few Scale-throatedHermits gave their best showing of the trip so far. I was delightedto see a pair of White-shouldered Fire-eyes, which were veryobliging as they moved through the low branches. I also enjoyed betterviews than I'd previously had of White-rimmed Warbler and Rufous-cappedSpinetail.
During the afternoon I was back on the trails at the lodge. Soon Imanaged good views of a bird that I knew others had seen but which hadeluded me: a Black-throated Grosbeak.Despite its name, this is a saltator and is entirely black, not just onthe throat. The plumage is set off by a beautiful pink bill. Nearbywere a fine pair of Red-crowned Ant-tanagers.
I spent a while at the top of the extension trail a few hundred metresabove the lodge. Here I was able to confirm Plain-winged Woodcreeper,as one gave good views in exactly the same tree where I thought I'dseen one a few days earlier. A flock of Brassy-breasted Tanagerswere moving through the canopy and amongst them I picked out a PlainXenops, zipping about the branches. On the walk back down to thelodge I was finally able to get a definitive sighting of a ScaledWoodcreeper, rounding off a rather good day for that family ofbirds.
The next day was the big road trip, and an epic adventure it turned outto be.
Day Nine: 20th July
Todaywas the big road trip, with the aim of reaching a site where we hopedto see the rare endemic Three-toed Jacamar. In getting there, we’d bepassing through extensive areas of open country and forest and I hopedto pick up a wide range of species that I hadn’t already encountered.We set off early and travelled north through Nova Friburgo beforeheading onwards to the small town of Duas Barras. After leavingFriburgo we started making regular stops. My notes aren’t quite up tobeing precise about exactly what was seen at each stop but I’ll try tobe as accurate as I can be.
First stop was overlooking a small valley with fields and grassyhillsides. A dark phase White-tailed Hawk was initiallyconfusing but gave fine views as it perched and a family of Yellow-headedCaracaraswere occupying another tree. In the marshy fields, a Yellow-chinnedSpinetail – a smart rufous bird with clean white underparts – wascreeping about. A Bran-coloured Flycatcher, small and neatlystreaked, was flitting about in some low branches. Another streakybrown bird on a fence was a female Blue-black Grassquit.
A very good stop was near a large area of dead trees. Sitting in thetops was a pair of brilliant Bat Falcons – really compact, neatlooking falcons with blue, red and white plumage. Overhead, a stocky,long-tailed Bicoloured Hawk drifted over. Another stop was in ascrubby, forested area and here I had a fine view of dinky looking Blue-wingedParrotlet – a tiny sparrow-sized species. A marshy spot gavedistant views of a spectacular looking Streamer-tailed Tyrant,as well as Common Waxbills, White-browed Blackbird and,rather briefly, Chestnut-capped Blackbird.One area gave panoramic views over the hills and, just before gettingback into the bus, Andy picked out something special. Soaring over adistant hill was a huge, broad-winged raptor – a Crowned Eagle.These magnificent birds – relatives of Harpy Eagles – are apparentlybecoming more common and have a distinctive silhouette with bulgingsecondaries and a very short tail.
Good though that was, it wasn’t the most unexpected sighting of theday. At a fairly innocuous looking patch of roadside scrub, Andy hadheard and briefly seen something unusual. “Oh my God, it’s a SerraAntwren!” He rushed back to the bus to get his recorder out. Heexplained that this was a bird that was somewhat out of range and thateven he had never seen one before. We peered into the scrub andeventually an extremely smart looking antwren appeared and gave goodviews. At first it looked very dark, almost black, like the RestingaAntwren we’d seen a few days earlier. Andy explained that, untilrecently, Serra Antwren had been regarded as the same species asRestinga Antwren and it also shared that bird’s long tail with whitespots on the underside. On closer inspection the upperparts and crownwere a deep chocolate brown rather than black and there was a brokenwhite supercillium. This was a really good-looking bird and quite abonus for the day, not least for Andy. However, the story didn’t stopthere. The following day Andy told me that he’d checked the books anddecided that it wasn’t a Serra Antwren after all but a similarWhite-fringed Antwren. This is a more widespread species but one stilla little out of range and also a species Andy hadn’t seen before. Andythought the bird we’d seen hadn’t had the right tone to the upperpartsand the white was too extensive. I checked up on both species inRidgely & Tudor and… I must admit got more confused. The picture ofWhite-fringed Antwren in there didn’t really look like the bird I’dseen – it seemed to have too much white and much too strong asupercillium. Reading up further, it struck me that antwrens are prettycomplicated and variations are poorly known. I’ll be honest and saythat, even though Andy was happy with the ID as a White-fringedAntwren, I wasn’t and didn’t feel able to put this impressive bird downas either species.
After stopping for a rest in Duas Barras we headed off along a dustytrack towards Sumidouro. Our first stop along this road was by anothermarshy field and here we were treated to brilliant views of three Streamer-tailedTryrants perching along the fences. These are big grey tyrants withalmost impossibly long tails. In the vegetation a few Black-cappedDonacobiuswere showing wonderfully well. These are large, characterful members ofthe wren family with smart black caps and long tails. A dusty bit ofbamboo forest further on harboured lots of Uniform Finches, agood endemic species with a thin buzzing twittery call.
An area of open country was being frequented by some good flocks ofhirundines including a delightful Tawny-headed Swallow, acompact brown hirundine with a bright orangey head. Other stops yieldeda good view of a Southern Beardless Tyrannulet, a BurrowingOwl and several Biscutate Swifts. Around a farmyard a neatlooking Tail-banded Hornerowas unperturbed by a fire burning nearby. Another stop yielded twoexcellent new birds sitting right next to each other. First was a White-rumpedMonjita - a smart pale tyrant with a white head and rump. Next toit was a Firewood Gatherer,a streaky Furnariid with a bright rufous crown, which builds huge sticknests. Eventually lots of scanning of the hillsides turned up two Red-leggedSeriemas, strutting nonchalantly through the grass.
We stopped for lunch in a spot Andy thought would be productive, and hewasn't wrong. Almost immediately, we were able to get great views ofone of the birds Andy was hoping for - a Gilt-edged Tanager.In fact there were lots of these glorious yellow, black, green and bluejewels moving through the roadside trees. Amongst them was a single Orange-headedTanager, a neat grey bird with a round peach coloured head. A flockof Double-collared Seedeaterswere flitting about in the low vegetation; most were obscure lookingfemales and immatures but there were some easier to recognise malestoo. A Long-tailed Tyrant, an impossibly smart black bird witha white head and slender tail projections, was flycatching in thecanopy. Other flycatchers were in amongst the tanagers, including avivid green Hangnest Tody-tyrant and a tiny Yellow-loredTody-flycatcher.
Soon we were moving onwards through Sumidouro and into Jacamar country.For such a rare bird - only known from two sites - Three-toed Jacamarhabitat is remarkably unremarkable: a bit of straggly dry scrub thatbarely merits the word 'forest'. I was worried that they might be hardto see, having heard that on the previous visit it had taken an hour.But... Andy stopped the bus at the first likely spot, lifted his binsand there was a Three-toed Jacamarat the top of the tree. Soon another was picked out nearby and both satabout, occasionally shooting out to catch an insect. These were myfirst Jacamars and of very probably the rarest species. I was quitestruck by their incredible long spear-shaped bills and long tails onwhat's otherwise quite a small bird. They sit still, swinging theirhead robotically from side to side like a Dalek. This is actually aplain species, mostly grey in colour, but very characterful.
We'd been watching the Jacamars for several minutes when one of theother folks on the trip asked Andy to identify a bird she'd seenperched on another nearby tree. This turned out to be a brilliant White-earedPuffbird- a really chunky bird with a big, hook-tipped pink bill and narrowbarred tail. It just sat motionless as we admired it. More frustratingwere the Curl-crested Jays that were calling but staying out of sightin a distant patch of forest.
We carried on further to see if we could locate more Jacamars but wereunsuccessful. Andy stopped at one point to 'show us a nice bird', whichwas actually a Barn Owl,roosting under a bank by the road. It looked quite dark brown on theback compared to British birds. We also had some great views of acouple of Tufted-ear Marmosets, small monkeys with long bushytails and tiny faces, that were nervously crossing the road as wewatched.
On our return, the Jacamars and Puffbird had gone from the site wherewe'd seen them earlier, but we managed some other good birds there. A CommonTody Flycatcher flitted in the trees and reasonable views were hadof a Sapphire-spangled Emerald,a nice green hummer with blue throat and white belly. On the road backto Sumidouro, Andy screeched to a halt and reversed back, saying he'dseen something worth stopping for. His sharp eyes had picked out twobeautiful Blue-winged Macaws sitting atop a distant tree. Thesearen't huge Macaws but have the distinctive white faces and brilliantgreen plumage with a red spot on the forehead. In the same tree I gotgood views of a Crested Oropendola, showing its chestnutunderparts as it waved its long tail about.
We carried on the long road back through Friburgo to the lodge havingseen over ninety species. Quite an epic day with some unforgettablebirds, even if I can't remember where they all were.
Day Ten: 21st July
Today was my final full day at Serra dos Tucanos and we were off on anexcursion to the place where I was planning to stay next: ReserveEcologica de Guapi Assu or REGUA, as it's known. The excursion was justfor the morning and we would only have time to explore the wetlands andsome of the lowland forest. The reserve itself is enormous and extendshigh up into the Serra dos Orgaos mountain range.
Because the habitats were different to those I'd visited so far, Iexpected to see a few new species. On the way to the reserve we stoppedoff at a small roadside pool and were soon seeing good birds throughthe low shroud of mist. White-headed Marsh Tyrants,a bird that proved to be common at REGUA, were flitting after insectsfrom the small island. These are quite strange looking birds, withwhite heads and variably dark bodies. As well as perching on openbranches like many tyrants, they swoop low over the water likeslow-motion swallows. Appropriately enough there were plenty of realswallows humming low over the ground and water, including a few White-rumpedSwallows. A couple of Chestnut-capped Blackbirds were seennicely as they perched high in a tree and two Burrowing Owlswere crouched low down on the ground.
The day was already warming as we set off along the trails that gothrough the area of pools and marshland that form the REGUA wetlands.This habitat has only been created in the last few years and theirappearance reminded me of gravel pits in England. Such thoughts weresoon dispelled when we noticed that the grey brown lump in the water atthe first pool was the head of a Broad-snouted Caiman.Incredibly, the various waterbirds, including Moorhens and LeastGrebes,were swimming about the motionless head with casual impunity. Otherspecies on the open water included BrazilianTeal, the drakes withcoral pink bills, and Wattled Jacanaswith their brilliant bronzy wingsflashing as they flew. A few AmericanPurple Gallinules, showing theirneat tricoloured bill pattern, were lurking about in the edges. I wasparticularly taken with the creamy coloured Capped Herons,whose elegant head plumes tumble down from a smart black cap.
The surrounding paths and vegetation abounded with Yellow-chinnedSpinetails and Tail-banded Horneros. Rather brief viewswere had of a couple of Yellow-browed Tyrants, looking a bitlike short-tailed Yellow Wagtails. Performing much better was a SootyTyrannulet,quite a big and dark tyrannulet that frequents marshy areas. We alsoenjoyed great views of three species of kingfisher, a big green AmazonKingfisher together with its 'mini-me' version, the GreenKingfisher and a huge Ringed Kingfisher,almost as big as a heron as it perched commandingly above the lake. Thescrub and grass were busy with birds too, with lots of SaffronFinches, Double-collared Seedeaters and Blue-black Grassquitsdiving about. A Giant Cowbird, large and long-tailed flewoverhead and a furtive Red-rumped Cacique showed its pale eyeand bill through the leaves. Most impressive was a Striped Cuckoo,hunched up in a bank of scrub as it sang.
From the wetlands we went into the forest, where we hoped to encountera few of the local specialities. One bird that turned out to be veryeasy to see was Chestnut-backed Antshrike. These arecharacterful densely barred birds - gratifyingly easy to see comparedto most antshrikes. A Long-billed Wrenwas singing its resounding song from low down in scrub and eventuallyshowed fairly well, the long straight bill that provides its name beingvery clear. The Moustached Wrensthat were also heard were much lessobliging and couldn't even be glimpsed. The trees harboured a goodselection of tyrants. Fuscous Flycatchers and Short-crestedFlycatcher tested identification skills but a Grey-hooded Attilawas much more distinctive with its hefty bill. A few mixed flocks werescrutinised carefully and eventually we were able to see both White-flankedand Unicoloured Antwrens side-by-side, adding to the growinglist of antbirds for the trip. A few White-bearded Manakinswere seen briefly in the low vegetation but only an olive-grey femalewas seen properly.
In the forest I was surprised by a large brown bird that had floppedupwards from the ground. Andy assured me it had been a RufescentTiger Heronand happily I was able to enjoy much better views from the tower hidethat overlooks the wetlands when one of these incredibly smartwaterbirds perched up beautifully in a dead tree for several minutes.As we approached the tower, we surprised a small flock of White-facedWhistling Ducks, which lived up to their name as they flew acrossto the other side of the lake. A couple of Lesser Yellow-headedVulturesdrifted over the nearby hillside. Soon we were returning to the carpark but I'd been impressed with my morning at REGUA and was lookingforward to returning.
In the afternoon I explored the trails at the lodge once more. Thegarden feeders were lively as usual and I had great views of a male GreenHoneycreeper,a bottle green tanager with a long down-curved bill, as it came to thefeeders. Up on the extension trail I met Scott, one of the otherguests, who had lured in a pair of Scaled Antbirds with histape. I managed brief views of one of these incredibly spotty 'humbugson legs' before it disappeared down the hill. I also had great views ofa tiny Streaked Xenops, feeding busily in the low branches asdusk began to fall.
Day Eleven: 22nd July
Itwas my last morning at Serra dos Tucanos, so time for one more wanderup the hill along the extension trail. There was a fair amounthappening, especially near the lodge, and I enjoyed decent views of EaredPygmy Tyrant and Plain Xenops, along with a sandy colouredfemale Black-throated Trogon. Happily I was able to rustle upsome good views of a pair of Scaled Antbirds at exactly thespot where I’d glimpsed one yesterday.
The walk back down provided tantalising views of a very good bird.Birding in the forests, you soon become sensitised to any sight orsound of movement on the ground and, from the corner of my eye,something caught my attention in the leaf litter. I turned, veryslightly, went to lift my bins and it was off – a woodco*ck sized greybrown bird, with short rounded wings. Quickly it swept in front of meand into the forest and out of sight. It had been a Brown Tinamouand I guess this was a typical view.
Before lunch I was able to enjoy the hordes of parrots, tanagers andhummingbirds at the feeders one last time. Today, a pair of GreenHoneycreeperswere visiting, the female lacking the male’s black face but still abeautiful leaf colour. A bird that had eluded me up till this point wasRusty-margined Flycatcher, a small kiskadee rather similar tothe Social Flycatchers that could often be seen in the garden. As aparting gift, one was showing nicely as it dashed about the edge of thelawn and the small pond nearby.
After lunch I said goodbye to Andy and all the others, and was on myway by taxi back to REGUA. The journey went smoothly and I was soonsetting myself up in my very comfortable room at the lodge. Much to mysurprise I had the place to myself and remained the only guest for mostof my stay.
The lodge is situated on a small hill overlooking the wetlands andtowards the mountains beyond. The feeders in the garden weren’t quiteas busy as those at Serra dos Tucanos but brought in some differentspecies. Almost immediately, I had great views of a Yellow-backedTanager, a bird I’d only seen poorly before. A White Woodpeckeralso showed nicely in the small garden trees.
It was mid-afternoon by the time I went for a walk around the wetlands.At the bottom of the hill below the lodge I saw a couple of small birdsin a tree by the side of the track. They were a pair of HoodedTanagers,a small grey, black and white species. They were soon on their way butI expected I would see more. As things turned out, these were the onlyHooded Tanagers of the trip and when I mentioned my sighting to Lee, anEnglish birder who’d been volunteering at REGUA for several months, hetold me he’d never seen any there. As with a lot of foreign birding,you don’t always know a good sighting when you see one.
The track prior to the wetlands leads through some dry scrub, which wasfull of Saffron Finches. Amongst them were a few warbler-like Chestnut-ventedConebills and I had much better views than yesterday of a Yellow-browedTyrant – certainly one of the best-looking tyrants I saw. Overhead,I was both surprised and impressed to see groups of Blue-wingedMacaws.Some even came down in the tall stands of bamboo across the wetlands.The bird list I had for the reserve didn’t mention macaws being foundthere.
A bird that had proved difficult to see the previous day was MaskedDuck,a small and unobtrusive relative of Ruddy Duck. Today I was able tofind four, three stripy brown females and a smart drake with red body,black face and blue bill. They sat, almost motionless and halfsubmerged, in amongst the floating vegetation on the lake. Another‘notable’ duck was a proper Muscovy, which seemed to be inresidence. Well at least it was more ‘proper’ than the ones on yourlocal duck pond anyway.
As dusk fell, I sat up in the tower and watched squadrons of CattleEgretsas they came in from all directions and roosted out on one of theislands, almost smothering it in a white blanket. I wandered back in tothe lodge in the gathering gloom but there was just enough light topick out a finch singing in a patch of scrub. It was mostly grey butwith a bright orange crest – a Pileated Finch and the only oneI was to see.
In the evening I had a great meal at the lodge, in the company of someof the volunteers. Lots of Caipirhinhas and cans of Guarana – a‘stimulating’ soft drink you can get in Brazil that I took rather ashine too.
Day Twelve: 23nd July
I was up early in the morning to embark on a wander along the Sao JoseTrail, which runs up into the mountains beyond the wetlands. I wasjoined on this by Adilei, one of the rangers at REGUA. I hadn't askedfor this but Adilei just came along anyway, which was a good thingbecause I'd heard that he was very adept at whistling birds in. Aslight problem was that Adilei didn't really speak much English and myPortuguese, well, needs work. A solution, at least as far as birds wereconcerned, was that we could communicate through the much malignedSouza's 'All the birds of Brazil'. I had the English copy and Adileihad the Portuguese version. Lots of pointing and page flicking ensuedwhenever anything notable was seen but doing this we could both makeour IDs understood. So Souza has its uses (actually it was also veryhelpful for dealing with any ants I found in my room too, so well worthtaking along).
We skirted around the edge of the wetlands, where Adilei was soonpulling in a pair of exquisite Long-billed Wrens to giveterrific close views. His eyes were just as alert, as he picked out thefirst non-feeder-visiting Blond-crested Woodpecker I’d seen.Adilei had a particular liking for the insistent call of Grey-hoodedAttila, one of which seemed equally impressed with his willingnessto communicate:
http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/up...g_Zizo-3-78.mp3
The forest on the way up the hill was a bit quiet but we regularlyheard White-beared Manakins.These often stayed hidden but eventually I managed to get some goodviews of the smart male birds, giving the curious snapping noise thatthey use in display:
http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/up...ded-Manakin.mp3
At one point I heard a song I recognised, a Scaled Antbird.I briefly managed a view of one in some distant scrub but Adilei seemedto be more interested in another bird that was calling slightly closerto us. He began calling it in but at first I couldn’t see anything.Eventually, a bird came into view, hopping along the ground – aterrific White-bibbed Antbird. This was a female but the malesoon appeared very close by as it was drawn in by Adilei’s incredibleimitation. Another wonderful endemic antbird.
As we began heading back down the hill, Adilei pointed out a distantlycalling Ferruginous Pygmy Owland I was pleased to get good views of anEye-ringed Tody-Tyrant,a good endemic that had previously eluded me. They’re quite strikingbirds with broad white tertial edges as well as the distinctive eyering. The forest on the descent was really lively, as good as any Ivisited, with lots of mixed flocks of tanagers on the move and someimpressive birds amongst them. Yellow-throated Woodpecker and Rufous-cappedMotmot both gave decent views and finally managed to see another Fawn-breastedTanager– my first since early on day one. I was pleased to see some moreBecards, a group of birds I’d struggled with up to this point. Therewere a pair of the hefty Crested Becards and a lemon chested Green-backedBecard.A few White-flanked and Unicoloured Antwrens were in theflocks lowerdown where a strange looking and rather large flycatcher came in aboveour heads. Adilei gestured towards the picture of Greyish Mournerin his copy of Souza and, sure enough, that’s what it was – ratherplain grey with a slight rusty tinge and a broad bill with pale pinkishbase. Quite an engaging bird.
Hunting is prohibited on the reserve but apparently people sometimespoach. In the forest we nervously passed a bloke who was heading outwith a shotgun in hand, although he didn’t seem to have ‘obtained’anything. Apparently this guy was known and he was asked a few dayslater what he’d been doing hunting in the forest. He said he wasn’thunting but likes to go for walks in the forest with his gun to protecthimself from wild animals. He also claimed to be Lord Lucan. Actually Ijust made that last bit up.
After leaving the forest, we headed around to the tower overlooking thewetlands and were able to enjoy very good views of a pair of AplomadoFalcons,first of all perched in a large tree and then hawking over the marshes.A couple of Caimans were out on the main pool, a rather big one atclose range. I was glad I was up the tower, unless Caimans have ahitherto unrecognised ability to climb ladders. On the way back to thelodge a couple of small flycatchers were zipping around the scrub. Theywere very busy and bright yellow – the latter feature a big clue tothem being Yellow Tyrannulets.
After a splendid lunch I had a fairly easy afternoon, chatting in thegarden with Nicholas and Racquel who founded the reserve and going foranother wander around the wetlands. I finally managed to see a CommonThornbird in the scrub, having seen their huge stick nests all overthe place. Another flock of Blue-winged Macawssquawked overhead. As I reached the track leading to the tower a largebrown bird was spooked from the marsh. Initially I assumed it was aRufescent Tiger Heron but as it turned and flew into the distance itshowed a long outstretched neck. It was a Limpkin, my first,and it disappeared off down the valley and into the late afternoon sun.
Day Thirteen: 24th July
An early start and Adilei and I were off to do the Waterfall Trail, ascenic trail leading up into the mountains through some wonderfulforest. To get there we required a lift for a few miles to the start ofthe trail. As we trundled along one of the farm roads, it soon becameapparent that various stops had been scheduled into the journey. Firstup was by a few roadside trees and the driver had 'casually' noticedsome birds perched up in the branches. These were, gloriously, a coupleof Rufous-tailed Jacamars,larger and gaudier cousins of the Three-toed Jacamars I’d seen a fewdays earlier. These are much more widespread birds but share the samewatchful, robotic movements and long spiky bills. Next stop was at abarn, where I wasn’t totally surprised to be shown a sleeping BarnOwl up high in the eves. We also managed a few Burrowing Owlssitting out in the fields too.
We were dropped by a small cottage on the edge of the forest. In thedistance a huge swirling flock of several hundred swifts were circling– probably a mixture of White-collared and Biscutate Swifts.Almost immediately a striking black and white raptor flew at tree toplevel into the forest. It had rather short and rounded wings and a longtail – no less a bird than a Collared Forest Falcon and atricky species to see. The cottage garden contained several hummingbirdfeeders, which were festooned with hummers including my first Glittering-throatedEmerald.
The forest was fairly quiet initially but Adilei showed me theenclosure where the Red-billed Curasowsare being kept until being released as part of a reintroductionprogramme. These really are extraordinary looking birds, big and blackwith long tails and strange curly projections on top of the head. Aftersome more walking up through some wonderful forest, we eventuallystarted to get to grips with a few birds outside of cages. Up in thetreetops, a roving flock of Olive-green Tanagers moved through.These are rather plain as tanagers go, but quite noisy.
http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/up...-Tanager_CB.mp3
Having only seen the subdued female previously, I was particularlypleased to finally get views of a male Pin-tailed Manakin,at least after Adilei had patiently tried to get me onto it, not easywhen you don’t share a language. He was less successful at getting meto see precisely which leaf, amongst several possible, a Sharpbill wassitting by. I craned my neck to enjoy a good view of a White-neckedThrush,a compact thrush with pinky-buff underparts and a thin white gorget.Adilei was on form with his whistling and managed to bring out one ofthe birds I was most keen to see. After a few minutes of patientwaiting a Rufous-capped Antthrush trotted calmly across thepath just a few metres in front of us. This is a particularly smartantthrush, mostly black but with the starkly contrasting reddish crownfrom which it gets its name.
We stopped for lunch by the waterfall, a lovely spot even if thewaterfall had been badly depleted by the current drought. I spent mostof lunch looking at the startling array of butterflies that seem togather in any sunny spot in the forest. As we started back down thehill we soon encountered a busy flock containing a regularlyencountered triumvirate of species: Black-capped and White-eyedFoliage-gleaners and Red-crowned Ant-tanagers. Butaccompanying them this time was another bird I’d been trying to see fora number of days, a brilliant looking Spot-backed Ant-shrike.This is a really fine bird, a great mass of black and white spots, andI was able to enjoy some great views as it moved through the lowerbranches. The bird I was really hoping for was sadly less cooperative.At the appointed spot, Adilei let out a penetrating wolf-whistle, whichwas soon returned. Great, I thought. Then nothing. The call was that ofa Shrike-like Cotinga and it didn’t want to play ball today.
http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/up...ike-Cotinga.mp3
We were met at the bottom of the trail and made our way back to thelodge, enjoying fine views of a pair of Cliff Flycatchers onthe return journey. As we went past the reserve office, Lee (an Englishvolunteer at REGUA) raced out to tell us about a Tufted Antshrikehe’d been watching earlier that day. He offered to take us the shortdistance to where the bird had been and the three of us marched, ratherswiftly, along a track and into a fairly young area of forest near tothe lodge. Adilei was soon whistling up the call and the bird wasresponding beautifully. Except for the fact it was sitting in themiddle of an incredibly dense patch of scrub.
http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/up...d-Antshrike.mp3
Sometimes there was a movement and, eventually, a view through thebranches of a large and dark bird, with a pointed crest. Not great, andfrustrating given how close by it was, but a view. Some consolationcame from a pair of quite exquisite Moustached Wrens,which were regularly showing in the low scrub by the trail. Thesearen’t brightly coloured but are just about as neat as any bird can get.
Finally, Lee and myself headed off to the wetlands for dusk and watcheda pair of Aplomado Falcons in the trees and a few Blue-wingedMacaws heading into roost.
Day Fourteen: 25th July
Something I forgot to mention from Day Twelve was that at dusk I saw acouple of Capybara on the wetlands, munching through the wetgrass like small cows.
Anyway, in an unusual move, here's some more.
Today was rather epic, at least in terms of scenery and effort: five ofus were walking up the Waterfall Trail and continuing on up themountain to the elfin forest at the top. Deep breath. After beingdropped off at the cottage, where once again a Glittering-throatedEmeraldwas at the feeders, we headed up the trail at brisker pace thanyesterday. Not for the first time on the trip, a Slaty Bristlefront washeard calling from a long way inside some very thick bamboo cover.Another source of noise proved easier to locate, as a couple of Blond-crestedWoodpeckers gave good views but, once again, there was no sign ofShrike-like Cotinga in the regular spot.
We stormed on upwards, seeing some good flocks of tanagers including,rather briefly, my first Rufous-headed Tanager amongst the Yellow-backedand Olive-green Tanagers. A couple of Azure-shoulderedTanagers and Yellow-eared and Yellow-throatedWoodpeckers were also in the forest. A sharp clanging came from a Bare-throatedBellbirdbut would it be possible to see it? I’d heard a few previously but thesound was always coming from too far into the forest. This time wasdifferent; a Bellbird was perched right out on an open branch across aclearing, loudly tonking away. Because we were looking into the light,the views weren’t perfect but it was brilliant to see such a legendarybird living up to its name.
http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/up...bathbellbir.mp3
On we continued, beyond the Waterfall Trail and up the steep Red Trail,through ever wilder forest. Birds were hard to see, but the shrillcries of parrots and the buzzing chirps of Uniform Finches keptus company. A Channel-billed Toucansailed briefly into the tree tops and a Sharpbill was heard calling andwas seen briefly by Lee. I was unable to get onto it in time, as wasbecoming a habit. The occasional fallen tree produced clearings thatheld some interesting birds. A sooty black flycatcher puzzled all of usfor a while and it wasn’t until we got back to the lodge later that wefinally resolved that it had been a Tropical Pewee. It was muchdarker than the illustrations in any of the guides but apparently thesubspecies found in southeast Brazil is almost entirely dark. Atanother clearing, quite a few birds were moving through, including someobliging Ferruginous Antbirds – the first I’d seen since Serrados Tucanos.
The path got steeper and steeper and we sometimes had to clamber underfallen branches to make our way through. Eventually we found ourselveson the flat top of the mountain in forest that looked totally differentto that through which we’d passed. The trees were small, the canopyopen and sturdy bromeliads carpeted the ground. The only birds at thetop were a pair of very visible and curious Greyish Mourners,which followed us about as we admired the views out across the valleyto the Serra dos Orgaos beyond and then down to the deforested lowlandsstretching towards the coast.
Scrambling down the hill, we all struggled to keep up with Adilei, whostopped to point out a calling White-bibbed Antbird. We rested at thejunction of the Lost Trail (so named because a couple visitors had oncegot lost there and spent the night out in the forest!) and were able tocatch sight of a large woodcreeper off through the trees. The pale billand rather plain head markings identified this as a Buff-throatedWoodcreeper– the only one of the trip. As we rested, we heard movement in the leaflitter. Getting closer. Craning our necks over the small ridge,eventually the source became visible: a Tawny-throated Leaftosser,picking and rustling about in its Blackbird-like fashion. Aftercontinuing on to the bottom of the Lost Trail we got picked up at the4x4 Trail and were driven back across the fields to the lodge.
In the last hour or so of light, I wandered over to the wetlands andfound Nicholas running back to the office to pick up his scope becausehe wanted to have a better look at the parrots coming into roost in oneof the dense stands of bamboo. When I arrived there was just one Blue-wingedMacaw still showing, together with another large parrot, which weweren’t sure about at first but later we figured it out was an Orange-wingedParrot.By the time Nicholas came back, a scope and tripod trailing from theback of his bike, the parrots had gone into roost and out of sight.
The birding hadn’t finished with nightfall. After dinner, the othersstarted to make their way down the hill from the lodge but we soonrealised that owls were about, and they were making as strange a soundas I’ve ever heard from a bird. A Tawny-browed Owl was in thetrees by the lodge garden, giving a call almost like Rolf Harris on hiswobble-board. But much stranger:
http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/up...iswaldiaena.mp3
We got hold of the flashlight, which had been on charge but was stillvery low on juice. Lee panned it around the trees and I just had timefor a quick view of an owl before the charge went and so in turn didthe light.
Below are two shots of the elfin forest and three views from the top ofthe mountain.
Day Fifteen: 26th July
Today was my last full day at REGUA and I decided to have a fairly easytime birding and taking pictures around the lodge.
In the morning, I set off on the trail back to where I had seen TuftedAntshrike a few days previously. I could hear the bird again but it wascalling from across the valley – probably out of range even if I wasusing playback to bring it in. In the same area I was once again ableto get great views of Moustached Wrens, the pair again veryactive in the low scrub at the side of the path.
The forest around the lodge was a bit quiet at times but I wasdelighted to get great views of a brilliant Rufous-tailed Jacamaras it perched like a sentry under the canopy. I’d not used a great dealof tape playback on this trip but I wanted to get better views than I’dhad of Sooretama Slaty-antshrike so I stopped in what I thoughtmight be a good spot (although I’m still not sure why) and got out theplayer and the speakers. Within a few seconds I had a pair of thesescarce endemics hopping about within a few metres, giving good enoughviews to see the features distinguishing both male and female from thecommoner Variable Antshrike. Very fine birds.
The wetlands had the usual assortment of herons, ducks and kingfishersbut the highlight soon appeared in the large dead tree near the tower.This was a medium-sized, dark grey raptor with a rather long curvedhook to the bill and bright red legs. After noticing the whiteuppertail I figured out that I was looking at a Snail Kite.It gave a great show, drifting lazily over the wetland beforedisappearing. Although these are common in some places, this was quitea good sighting for REGUA.
After lunch, on what was another very warm and sunny day, I decided ona gentle wander around the wetlands trying to get some bird pictures. Ijust had my ED50 and digital camera with me, but conditions were prettygood and I was able to get some nice shots of Tropical Kingbird,White-headed Marsh Tyrant, American Purple Gallinule and a verycooperative female Masked Duck. I also got a few shots of a GreatKiskadeewith a very large tadpole it had caught. I had a quick look around theforested hill overlooking the main lake, and got a surprise when a Pauraqueshot from the side of the path and whizzed out of sight. Not a greatview but my first Nightjar of the trip.
As dusk closed in on the wetlands, I again disturbed the Limpkin fromthe marshy vegetation near the tower and then I watched some largegroups of blackbirds coming into roost. Most were Chestnut-cappedBlackbirds but there were also plenty of glossy looking ShinyCowbirds. A group of buff, grey and pink White-tipped Dovescame into a small stand of trees and I had some good views of three CommonThornbirds, hanging around their huge stick nests.
In the evening, there was a party at the volunteers’ residence. Andyand Cristina from Serra dos Tucanos had come over and it was good tocatch up with them and sample some excellent home made cakes. Outside,the Tawny-browed Owlswere on good form and two of us headed back up to the lodge, this timewith a fully charged light, to try and get some views. Soon we couldsee one bird really well, looking big in the trees by the garden as itsent out its unnerving shimmering call.
A few pictures taken in the afternoon:
Day Sixteen: 27th July
I was woken on my final morning at REGUA by some noisy parrots inthe garden. These proved to be a pair of Orange-winged Parrots,giving some fine views as they squawked in the trees.
I only had time for a short walk around the wetlands and the forest butmanaged one new bird: a Reddish Hermit, small and rustylooking, that dashed past me. Otherwise I enjoyed some final views of afew good REGUA species, including Lesser Yellow-headed Vultureand White-flanked and Unicoloured Antwrens.
Soon I was back at the lodge, saying my goodbyes and getting in the carwith Nicholas on my way to catch a bus into Rio from Cachoieras deMacacu. We had a bite to eat and Nicholas was able to book me a fewnights at my next destination: the Hotel Donati in Itatiaia NationalPark.
Eventually the bus arrived and I had a fairly uneventful journey intoRio. The bus station was very busy but seemed a fairly safe place, withlots of intimidating looking security guards around. There are hugenumbers of different companies serving all parts of the country but Imanaged to find the right ticket office for buses to Itatiaia
I took the bus as far as Resende, just a few miles from Itatiaia town.After a bit of help, I got onto a small minibus going to Itatiaia. Thetown was a bit bigger than I thought (I was expecting a village!) and Iwasn’t sure where to get off. Eventually, the folks driving the busfigured out I probably wanted to find a taxi, so dropped me off near toa taxi rank in the centre of town. I asked the driver to take me to theHotel Donati and, as darkness fell, we were soon on our way up the hillto the park entrance. The fare was pretty reasonable (only about fivepounds) and I was able to get settled into my cabin at the hotel andenjoy one of many excellent buffet meals. Itatiaia proved to be a veryfine place for birding.
Day Seventeen: 28th July
Thegrounds at the Hotel Donati consist of a fairly open area of lawns andgardens, with some tall trees. The hotel is surrounded by variedforest, including some quite dense stands of bamboo. The birds thatwere most immediately apparent were the strutting Dusky-legged Guansthat strode confidently about the lawns and even perched up in thetrees. They’re shy in most parts of their range but several decades ofprotection in Itatiaia have emboldened them considerably. I soonnoticed the rather hefty looking Magpie Tanagers flitting aboutthe gardens – a species that had eluded me elsewhere but proved to beeasy to see around the hotels in the park. A flock of diminutive,soft-green Blue-winged Parrotlets were enjoying use of the lawnbefore the human residents took over. In the tall trees next to mechalet, I was pleased to see a noisy Suruca Trogon.
I took a wander along the tall avenue of trees lining the hoteldriveway and soon noticed two large birds fly into the canopy. Throughthe early morning gloom, I was astonished to see that these were a pairof Robust Woodpeckers– one of the birds I was keenest to see in Brazil and one of theclosest relatives of the now extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Duringthe morning I was able to get some wonderful views of these magnificentcrimson-headed birds, with their jet black bodies and creamy backs, inthe grounds of the hotel. The big woodpecker action wasn’t completeeither, as an almost equally fine Lineated Woodpecker wasclimbing up a tree near to the entrance. This species is only slightlysmaller than the Robust, with neatly barred underparts. And just toround things off, I noticed a White-spotted Woodpeckerclambering about in a small tree. Although undeniably a lessspectacular species, it was a good one to get – a medium-sized woody,with barred mossy-green and white plumage.
There was plenty of other activity around the grounds. Several largemoths had been attracted to the lights around the entrance, somelooking rather like Oak Eggars, and these drew the attention of avoracious Grey-hooded Attila,which set about demolishing them with abandon. Better still was adelicate green barred passerine sat at the top of a tree – a female SwallowTanager.
In a bid to work off the substantial hotel breakfast, I set off throughthe bamboo forest and towards the Hotel Simon. The bamboo was livelywith some excellent mixed flocks moving about. I could scarcely havebeen more delighted when a big woodcreeper turned out to be my secondjaw-droppingly wonderful Black-billed Scythebill of the trip.The bill of these birds is a thing to behold. There were plenty of White-collaredFoliage-gleaners and a good few White-shouldered Fire-eyes,which were much easier to see here than they’d been elsewhere. Furtheron, I enjoyed my best views yet of Black-throated Grosbeak, ahefty tar black finch with a salmon pink bill. Some DiademedTanagers – perhaps my favourite tanagers of the trip – were in amore open area of forest.
The grounds of the Hotel Simon seemed less obviously birdy than theDonati, but I knew that the feeders here had a reputation forexcellence. Initially I was disappointed to see very few birds werecoming in, and so I took a wander around the small garden at the rearof the hotel. Bossing the place were two vivid yellow and very showy SaffronToucanets.A few hummers were coming into one of the flowering shrubs and it washere that I saw one of my favourite birds of the trip: a glorious Black-earedFairy.This isn’t an especially gaudy hummingbird but it has the moststartling contrast between deepest green upperparts and gleaming whiteunderparts and outer tail feather. This is all set off by the darkpurple ear coverts from whence its name is derived. The word exquisitefits no bird better and this one put on a wonderful show, flitting fromflower to flower and perching up in the branches.
Around the front, I discovered the hotel staff filling up the feederswith bananas and sugar solution. This had a predictably transformativeeffect and soon the tanagers were piling into the fruit, mostly Golden-chevronedTanagers but also the occasional Burnished Buff. Severalspecies of hummer were fizzing about the newly replenished feeders: BlackJacobin, Brazilian Ruby, Violet-capped Woodnymph and a rather dowdyVersicoloured Emerald.I got invited up onto the balcony by one of the staff and got to takesome pictures as the birds fed just a few metres in front.
I embarked on a circuitous walk back to the Hotel Donati, along some ofthe forest roads. Early on, I took a wrong turn into someone’s gardenand, much to my delight, found two Slaty-breasted Woodrails,strutting away from me. This was a bird I’d heard many times, seen theback end of, and probably glimpsed in the dark, but here were a pairhappily wandering about in the open in the middle of the day – big,grey and rufous rails, with long yellow bills. A gleaming Gilt-edgedTanager, all on its own, was a surprise at the roadside. One of themost impressive birds of the day was a splendid Red-breasted Toucansat at the top of a tree. This prompted my first, and so far only,foray into digibinning – with fairly successful results.
Earlier in the day, I’d glimpsed a large crow-like bird driftingthrough the trees near the hotel and discussions with some visitingbirders I met began to lead me to certain conclusions about what birdthis had been. As I approached the same area on my return to the hotel,I managed a much better view of the bird in question, albeit through amaze of trees. It was a fantastic Red-ruffed Fruitcrow,a bird that really does look like a crow but with a vivid red throat.These are shy birds but I saw at least three moving darkly about theforests near the hotel entrance.
After a late lunch I took a wander along a trail going through somevery thick bamboo forest. Birds were hard to see here but I managed areal surprise in the shape of a White-bellied Warbler.This species is very similar to the much commoner Golden-crownedWarbler but is white rather than yellow below. It’s also much lesscommon. Walking back along a forest road, I had some decent views ofanother Rufous-capped Motmot. Further on, I had an interestingbut slightly frustrating encounter. The light had turned very gloomy inthe bamboo forest when I saw a small bird running along the trail aheadof me. I realised it was one of the Chamaeza Antthrushes, butwhich one? These are all rather similar looking and the three possiblespecies are best distinguished by voice and altitude. I hoped I couldget some closer views of it but it kept running on ahead of me as itmethodically wandered along the path. I had the odd experience ofscampering after a bird for a good few hundred yards. I got a bitcloser but the light was too gloomy to pick out much detail andeventually it flitted off the path and out of sight. I suspected, onaltitude, that it was the rare endemic Such’s Antthrush but I’d have towait till tomorrow to see if I could find it again.
Day Eighteen: 29th July
Inan unusual move, I thought I’d try to finish off this trip report. Andhey, it’s a celebration of the first anniversary of the trip after all.Better late than never.
In the morning, I had a wander around the grounds of the Hotel Donatiin somewhat cooler and cloudier conditions than I’d grown accustomedto. Again, I had good views of Robust Woodpecker – including one justthirty metres from my hotel room – Red-ruffed Fruitcrow and SwallowTanager. The highlight was a quick but close view of a gorgeous FrilledCoquette, a tiny hummer with a brilliant tuft of orange on its head.
I headed off on the trail through the bamboo forest and reached thepoint where I’d seen the Antthrush the previous afternoon. I thoughtI’d start up my player with a few recordings to see what kind ofresponse I got. A blast of Such’s Antthrushsoon got an emphatic response with a bird singing fairly close by butnever coming into view. When I tried other species, I met with mutesilence. So it certainly seems as if the Antthrush I’d seen the daybefore would have been Such’s, at least on circ*mstance (which isapparently a pretty good guide in southeast Brazil).
I spent much of the rest of the morning walking along a rather narrowtrail that ran northwards through some dense forest, mostly of bamboo.Birds were generally a bit thin on the ground but I enjoyed good viewsof a Green-barred Woodpecker and also saw a YellowTyrannulet.
In the afternoon, I headed over to the Hotel Simon, hoping for morehummers. Things were rather quiet at the feeders so I wandered alongthe trail towards the Hotel do Ype. Immediately I encountered a goodfeeding flock and in amongst the other birds was a small pinkishcoloured passerine with a distinct black cap. This was, ratherunexpectedly, a Black-capped Piprites – a scarce high-altitudeendemic and a bird I didn’t really expect to see this low down. I hadgood views of a Surucua Trogonas I walked along the trail and eventually found myself at thedistinctive A-frame chalets of the Hotel do Ype. The feeders here werequite busy and, most notably, attracted two very smart Yellow-frontedWoodpeckers. That meant I’d seen four species of woodpecker inhotel grounds in Itatiaia that I never saw anywhere else.
On the way back, I encountered the unusual phenomenon of rain – thefirst of the trip. I also managed to almost knock myself out on a lowbamboo trunk but survived for another substantial dinner I’m pleased tosay.
Day Nineteen: 30th July
Mylast morning in Itatiaia was decidedly wet and cool and so I didn’t domuch birding around the grounds before breakfast. I did manage to see LineatedWoodpecker again and also enjoyed excellent views of a pair of Slaty-breastedWood-rails from my hotel window. I got a taxi down to the busstation, which had an Aplomado Falconsitting on top of it. I then caught the bus into Rio and thentransferred to a bus going to Angra dos Reis on the coast. It wastipping it down when I arrived and there wasn’t much prospect ofbirding. I checked into a fairly rudimentary hotel. The following day Iwould be heading for Isla Grande – a large forested island off thecoast.
Day Twenty: 31st July
Thefollowing morning was showery and I had time to look around for birdsin Angra before the boat left. There’s some interesting looking forestin the hills around the town but it seemed to be impossible to access.A walk along the road in one direction produced the best views of a Rufous-headedTanager of the trip, in a tree along the shore. The other directionaround the bay produced a range of wetland birds including CocoiHeron (very like a Grey Heron) and a juvenile Black-crownedNight Heron. Offshore a few South American Terns werefishing and along the beach there was a good gathering of Brown-chestedMartins and the rather sturdy looking Gray-breasted Martins.A Common Tody Flycatcher was in an area of scrub.
I caught the boat to Isla Grande in the afternoon and had time for ashort walk around the main village on the island. I didn’t see too manybirds in the quiet forest aside from a Brazilian Tanager and a Black-cheekedGnateater.At dusk I heard a loud call like a demented cuckoo clock coming fromthe garden of the hostel where I was staying. I was going to have towait till the following morning to find out what was making the noise.
Day Twenty-one: 1st August
Thedemented cuckoo clocks were going off in the garden again in themorning and a bit of quiet stalking around revealed the culprits: apair of Gray-necked Wood-rails creeping through the vegetation.The early morning wander didn’t produce too much else, aside from whatappeared to be a Swainson’s Flycatcher, showing a clear palebase to the lower mandible.
After breakfast, I set off from the village heading for the trail up tothe top of the largest mountain on the island: Pico do Papagaio. Thistook me through a range of different forest types but most of the birdactivity was lower down. I got reasonable views of a couple of Red-ruffedFruitcrows and saw a range of other interesting forest speciesincluding SquirrelCuckoo, Plain Parakeet, White-barred Piculet, Lesser Woodcreeper,Scaled Woodcreeper, Plain Antvireo, Unicoloured Antwren, Blue Manakin,Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Chestnut-crowned Becard, Long-billed Wrenand Red-necked Tanager. I also saw a few Tufted-earMarmoset’speering at me through the trees. Another group of larger brown monkeyswere seen grappling through the canopy. I thought these were BrownHowler Monkeys, a view that was reinforced later on when I heard analmost deafeningly loud burst of howling coming from deep in the forest.
Unfortunately, although the rain kept off, the cloud came down duringmy ascent and the top of the mountain was shrouded in mist, with only acouple of Rufous-collared Sparrowsto be seen. On the way down I had the interesting experience of beinglost in the forest. When I say ‘interesting’ I mean slightly scary. Thetrail was relatively clear most of the way down but I crossed over adry stream and was unable to re-find the path. After a couple of falsestarts of only fifty metres or so, I even managed to lose track ofwhere I had crossed over from. There was no trace of the path anywhereand I didn’t really no which direction to head in. Stories of abundantpoisonous snakes and booby traps remaining from the island’s previousincarnation as a penal colony began to enter my thoughts. Luckily I hada compass and followed roughly what I thought was the direction backtowards the village. After following the top of a steep bank forseveral minutes I happily found myself back on the track, my panicsubsiding. It’s remarkable how disorienting a forest is when you don’thave a trail to follow.
Day Twenty-two: 2nd August
Mylast full day on Ilha Grande was characterised by rain. And more rain.Lots of rain falling pretty much all day, much as it has done over muchof Britain this summer. Early in the morning, it wasn’t too heavy and Isaw both Sombre Hummingbird and Glittering-throated Emeraldaround the village. Then I headed off for a speculative walk to theeastern end of the island, through some good forest and past what wouldhave been lovely beaches in better weather. Very few birds were seenand it became increasingly difficult to see anything through my soakedglasses and bins. In one area of lower trees I managed to connect witha very good species though: a lovely pair of Rufous-winged Antwrens,completing a successful trip for Antbirds.
Eventually I took shelter in a weather-beaten café by a beach,where afew others were also seeking refuge. As I looked offshore into the bayI was surprised to see what appeared to be a bird swimming on thewater. I was even more surprised when I lifted my bins to discover thatit was a penguin! In fact it was a Magellanic Penguin and, Ilater discovered, part of a significant influx of these birds to Rio deJaneiro state.
I managed to catch a lift back to the village on a boat, where I wasable to spend the rest of the day attempting to dry off.
Day Twenty-three: 3rd August
Ihad time for a quick wander in the morning before catching the ferry.The weather was a little bit better but still cloudy and I managed afew interesting species in the forest that I hadn’t seen much ofpreviously, including Plain-winged Woodcreeper, Scaled Antbirdand Grayish Mourner.
I caught the ferry back over to Angra and then set off on the bus toRio. I was staying in Botafogo at a comfortable hostel and enjoyed thespectacular views down the street: Sugarloaf at one end and Christ theRedeemer at the other.
Day Twenty-four: 4th August
Ihad a morning free in Rio and the weather was now reasonably good, ifnot as warm as it had been earlier in the trip. I decided to head tothe botanical gardens for a last look at some Neotropical species. Thisis a very pleasant area to spend a couple of hours and there’s a goodrange of birds to be seen. I had reasonable views of a Slaty-breastedWood-rail lolloping through the herbaceous borders. Other speciesseen were White-barred Piculet, Yellow-lored Tody Flycatcher,Golden-crowned Warbler, Violaceous Euphonia and Rufous-headed,Flame-crested and Green-headed Tanagers. A good sightingwas of a Tropical Parula, a very lovely species I’d only seenonce previously.
I headed back to the hostel on the bus and then caught a taxi to theairport, finding myself back in Aberdeen some time the followingafternoon.
Here'sa trip list. Heard only species are in italics. I thinkthe final total was 320 plus 6 species heard.
SOLITARY TINAMOU (Tinamus solitarius)
BROWN TINAMOU (Crypturellus obsoletus)
MAGELLANIC PENGUIN (Spheniscus magellanicus)
LEAST GREBE (Tachybaptus dominicus)
BROWN BOOBY (Sula leucogaster)
NEOTROPIC CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)
MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD (Fregata magnificens)
CAPPED HERON (Pilherodius pileatus)
COCOI HERON (Ardea cocoi)
GREAT EGRET (A. alba)
LITTLE BLUE HERON (Egretta caerulea)
SNOWY EGRET (E. thula)
CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis)
STRIATED HERON (Butorides striatus)
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax)
RUFESCENT TIGER-HERON (Tigrisoma lineatum)
ROSEATE SPOONBILL (Platalea ajaja)
WHITE-FACED WHISTLING-DUCK (Dendrocygna viduata)
MUSCOVY DUCK (Cairina moschata)
BRAZILIAN TEAL (Amazonetta braziliensis)
WHITE-CHEEKED PINTAIL (Anus bahamensis)
MASKED DUCK (Nomonyx dominica)
BLACK VULTURE (Coragyps atratus)
TURKEY VULTURE (Cathartes aura)
LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE (C. burrovianus)
SNAIL KITE (Rostrhamus sociabilis)
TINY HAWK (Accipiter superciliosus)
RUFOUS-THIGHED HAWK (A. erythromenius)
BICOLOURED HAWK (A. bicolour)
SAVANNA HAWK (Heterospizias meridionalis)
CROWNED EAGLE (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus)
ROADSIDE HAWK (Buteo magnirostris)
WHITE-TAILED HAWK (B. albicaudatus)
BLACK-HAWK EAGLE (Spizastur tyrannus)
SOUTHERN CARACARA (Caracara cheriway)
YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA (Milvago chimachima)
COLLARED FOREST-FALCON (Micrastur semitorquatus)
AMERICAN KESTREL (Falco sparverius)
APLOMADO FALCON (F. femoralis)
BAT FALCON (F. rufigularis)
DUSKY-LEGGED GUAN (Penelope obscura)
SPOT-WINGED WOOD-QUAIL (Odontophorus capueira)
LIMPKIN (Aramus guarauna)
SLATY-BREASTED WOOD-RAIL (Aramides saracura)
GRAY-NECKED WOOD-RAIL (A. cajanea)
AMERICAN PURPLE GALLINULE (Porphyrio martinica)
COMMON MOORHEN (Gallinula chloropus)
RED-LEGGED SERIEMA (Cariama cristata)
WATTLED JACANA (Jacana jacana)
SOUTHERN LAPWING (Vanellus chilensis)
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (Charadrius semipalmatus)
COLLARED PLOVER (C. collaris)
GREATER YELLOWLEGS (Tringa melanoleuca)
LESSER YELLOWLEGS (T. flavipes)
RUDDY TURNSTONE (Arenaria interpres)
KELP GULL (Larus dominicanus)
SANDWICH TERN (Sterna sandvicensis)
SOUTH AMERICAN TERN (Sterna hirundinacea)
LEAST TERN (S. antillarum)
PICAZURO PIGEON (Patagionas picazuro)
PLUMBEOUS PIGEON (P. plumbea)
PLAIN-BREASTED GROUND-DOVE (Columbina minuta)
RUDDY GROUND-DOVE (C. talpacoti)
WHITE-TIPPED DOVE (Leptotila verreauxi)
GRAY-FRONTED DOVE (L. rufaxilla)
BLUE-WINGED MACAW (Primolius maracana)
WHITE-EYED PARAKEET (Aratinga leucophthalmus)
MAROON-BELLIED PARAKEET (Pyrrhura frontalis)
BLUE-WINGED PARROTLET (Forpus xanthopterygius)
ORANGE-WINGED PARROT (Amazona amazonica)
PLAIN PARAKEET (Brotogeris tirica)
SCALY-HEADED PARROT (Pionus maximiliani)
SQUIRREL CUCKOO (Piaya cayana)
SMOOTH-BILLED ANI (Crotophaga ani)
GUIRA CUCKOO (Guira guira)
STRIPED CUCKOO (Tapera naevia)
BARN OWL (Tyto alba)
TAWNY-BROWED OWL (Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana)
FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL (Glaucidium brasilianum)
BURROWING OWL (Athene cunicularia)
PAURAQUE (Nyctidromus albicollis)
WHITE-COLLARED SWIFT (Stretoprocne zonaris)
BISCUTATE SWIFT (S. biscutata)
GREY-RUMPED SWIFT (Chaetura cinereiventris)
ASHY-TAILED SWIFT (C. andrei)
SAW-BILLED HERMIT (Ramphodon naevius)
SCALE-THROATED HERMIT (Phaethornis eurynome)
REDDISH HERMIT (P. ruber)
SOMBRE HUMMINGBIRD (Aphantochroa cirrhochloris)
SWALLOW-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD (Eupetomena macroura)
BLACK JACOBIN (Melanotrochilus fuscus)
PLOVERCREST (Stephanoxis lalandi)
FRILLED COQUETTE (Lophornis magnificus)
GLITTERING-BELLIED EMERALD (Chlorostilbon aureoventris)
VIOLET-CAPPED WOODNYMPH (Thalurania glaucopis)
WHITE-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD (Leucochloris albicollis)
VERSICOLORED EMERALD (Agyrtria versicolor)
SAPPHIRE-SPANGLED EMERALD (Polyerata lactea)
GLITTERING-THROATED EMERALD (P. fimbriata)
BRAZILIAN RUBY (Clytolaema rubricauda)
BLACK-EARED FAIRY (Heliothryx aurita)
BLACK-THROATED TROGON (Trogon rufus)
SURUCUA TROGON (T. surrucura)
RINGED KINGFISHER (Ceryle torquata)
AMAZON KINGFISHER (Chloroceryle amazona)
GREEN KINGFISHER (C. americana)
RUFOUS-CAPPED MOTMOT (Baryphthengus ruficapillus)
THREE-TOED JACAMAR (Jacamaralcyon tridactyla)
RUFOUS-TAILED JACAMAR (Galbula ruficauda)
WHITE-EARED PUFFBIRD (Nystalus chacuru)
SAFFRON TOUCANET (Baillonius bailloni)
SPOT-BILLED TOUCANET (Selenidera maculirostris)
CHANNEL-BILLED TOUCAN (Rhamphastos vitellinus)
RED-BREASTED TOUCAN (R. dicolorus)
WHITE-BARRED PICULET (Picumnus cirratus)
WHITE WOODPECKER (Melanerpes candidus)
YELLOW-FRONTED WOODPECKER (M. flavifrons)
YELLOW-EARED WOODPECKER (Veniliornis maculifrons)
WHITE-SPOTTED WOODPECKER (V. spilogaster)
YELLOW-THROATED WOODPECKER (Piculus flavigula)
YELLOW-BROWED WOODPECKER (P. aurulentus)
GREEN-BARRED WOODPECKER (Colaptes melanochloros)
CAMPO FLICKER (C. campestris)
BLOND-CRESTED WOODPECKER (Celeus flavescens)
LINEATED WOODPECKER (Dryocopus lineatus)
ROBUST WOODPECKER (Campephilus robustus)
TAIL-BANDED HORNERO (Furnarius figulus)
RUFOUS HORNERO (F. rufus)
CHICLI SPINETAIL (Synallaxis spixi)
RUFOUS-CAPPED SPINETAIL (S. ruficapilla)
PALLID SPINETAIL (Cranioleuca pallida)
YELLOW-CHINNED SPINETAIL (Certhiaxis cinnamomea)
ITATIAIA THISTLETAIL (Oreophylax moreirae)
COMMON THORNBIRD (Phacellodomus rufifrons)
RED-EYED THORNBIRD (P. erythrophthalmus)
FIREWOOD GATHERER (Anumbius annumbi)
PLAIN XENOPS (Xenops minutus)
STREAKED XENOPS (X. rutilans)
SHARP-BILLED TREEHUNTER (Heliobletus contaminatus)
WHITE-BROWED FOLIAGE GLEANER (Anabacerthia amaurotis)
BUFF-BROWED FOLIAGE GLEANER (Syndactyla rufosupercileatus)
PALE-BROWED TREEHUNTER (Cichlocolaptes leucophrus)
BUFF-FRONTED FOLIAGE-GLEANER (Philydor rufus)
OCHRE-BREASTED FOLIAGE-GLEANER (P. lichtensteini)
BLACK-CAPPED FOLIAGE-GLEANER (P. atricapillus)
WHITE-COLLARED FOLIAGE GLEANER (Anabezenops leucophthalmus)
WHITE-EYED FOLIAGE-GLEANER (Automolus leucophthalmus)
TAWNY-THROATED LEAFTOSSER (Sclerurus mexicanus)
SHARP-TAILED STREAMCREEPER (Lochnias nematura)
PLAIN-WINGED WOODCREEPER (Dendrocincla fuliginosa)
OLIVACEOUS WOODCREEPER (Sittasomus griseicapillus)
WHITE-THROATED WOODCREEPER (Xiphocolaptes albicollis)
LESSER WOODCREEPER (Xiphorhynchus fuscus)
BUFF-THROATED WOODCREEPER (X. guttatus)
SCALED WOODCREEPER (Lepidocolaptes squamatus)
BLACK-BILLED SCYTHEBILL (Campylorhamphus falcularius)
SPOT-BACKED ANTSHRIKE (Hypoedaleus guttatus)
GIANT ANTSHRIKE (Batara cinerea)
TUFTED ANTSHRIKE (Mackenziaena severa)
LARGE-TAILED ANTSHRIKE (Mackenziaene leachii)
CHESTNUT-BACKED ANTSHRIKE (Thamnophilus palliates)
SOORETAMA SLATY-ANTSHRIKE (T. ambiguus)
VARIABLE ANTSHRIKE (T. caerulescens)
RUFOUS-CAPPED ANTSHRIKE (T. ruficapillus)
SPOT-BREASTED ANTVIREO (Dysithamnus stictothorax)
PLAIN ANTVIREO (D. mentalis)
RUFOUS-BACKED ANTVIREO (D. xanthopterus)
STAR-THROATED ANTWREN (Myrmotherula gularis)
WHITE-FLANKED ANTWREN (M. axillaries)
UNICOLOURED ANTWREN (M. unicolor)
RUFOUS-WINGED ANTWREN (Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus)
RESTINGA ANTWREN (Formicivora littoralis)
FERRUGINOUS ANTBIRD (Drymophila ferruginea)
BERTONI’S ANTBIRD (D. rubricollis)
RUFOUS-TAILED ANTBIRD (D. genei)
OCHRE-RUMPED ANTBIRD (D. ochropyga)
DUSKY-TAILED ANTBIRD (D. malura)
SCALED ANTBIRD (D. squamata)
STREAK-CAPPED ANTWREN (Terenura maculata)
WHITE-SHOULDERED FIRE-EYE (Pyriglena leucoptera)
WHITE-BIBBED ANTBIRD (Myrmciza loricata)
RUFOUS-CAPPED ANTTHRUSH (Formicarius colma)
BRAZILIAN ANTTHRUSH (Chamaeza ruficauda)
SUCH’S ANTTHRUSH (C. meruloides)
RUFOUS GNATEATER (Conopophaga lineate)
BLACK-CHEEKED GNATEATER (C. melanops)
SLATY BRISTLEFRONT (Merulaxis ater)
MOUSE-COLORED TAPACULO (Scytalopus speluncae)
SHRIKE-LIKE COTINGA (Laniisoma elegans)
BLACK AND GOLD COTINGA (Tijuca atra)
GREY-WINGED COTINGA (T. condita)
HOODED BERRYEATER (Carp*rnis cucullatus)
RED-RUFFED FRUITCROW (Pyroderus scutatus)
BARE-THROATED BELLBIRD (Procniasnudicollis)
WHITE-BEARDED MANAKIN (Manacus manacus)
BLUE MANAKIN (Chiroxiphia caudata)
PIN-TAILED MANAKIN (Ilicuramilitaris)
BLACK-CAPPED PIPRITES (Piprites pileatus)
SOUTHERN BEARDLESS TYRANNULET (Camptostoma obsoletum)
YELLOW TYRANNULET (Capsiempis flaveola)
YELLOW-BELLIED ELAENIA (Elaenia flavogaster)
OLIVACEOUS ELAENIA (E. mesoleuca)
SOOTY TYRANNULET (Serpophaga nigiricans)
GRAY-HOODED FLYCATCHER (Mionectes rufiventris)
SEPIA-CAPPED FLYCATCHER (Leptopogon amaurocephalus)
SERRA DO MAR TYRANNULET (Phylloscartes difficilis)
MOTTLE-CHEEKED TYRANNULET (P. ventralis)
PLANALTO TYRANNULET (Phyllomyias fasciatus)
EARED PYGMY TYRANT (Myiomis auricularis)
DRAB-BREASTED BAMBOO TYRANT (Hemitriccus diops)
EYE-RINGED TODY-TYRANT (H. orbitatus)
HANGNEST TODY-TYRANT (H. nidipendulus)
OCHRE-FACED TODY-FLYCATCHER (Todirostrum plumbeiceps)
YELLOW-LORED TODY-FLYCATCHER (T. poliocephalum)
COMMON TODY-FLYCATCHER (T. cinereum)
YELLOW-OLIVE FLYCATCHER (Tolmomyias sulphurescens)
WHITE-THROATED SPADEBILL (Platyrinchus mystaceus)
BRAN-COLORED FLYCATCHER (Myiophobus fasciatus)
WHISKERED FLYCATCHER (Myiobius barbatus)
BLACK-TAILED FLYCATCHER (M. atricaudus)
CLIFF FLYCATCHER (Hirundinea ferruginea)
FUSCOUS FLYCATCHER (Cnemotriccus fuscatus)
TROPCIAL PEWEE (Contopus cinereus)
WHITE-RUMPED MONJITA (X. velata)
BLUE-BILLED BLACK-TYRANT (Knipolegus cyanirostris)
VELVETY BLACK-TYRANT (K. nigerrimus)
MASKED WATER-TYRANT (Fluvicola nengeta)
WHITE-HEADED MARSH TYRANT (Arundinicola leucocephala)
STREAMER-TAILED TYRANT (Gubernetes yetapa)
YELLOW-BROWED TYRANT (Satrapa icterophrys)
LONG-TAILED TYRANT (Colonia colonus)
CATTLE TYRANT (Machetornis rixosus)
SHEAR-TAILED GRAY-TYRANT (Muscipipra vetula)
GRAY-HOODED ATTILA (Attila rufus)
GRAYISH MOURNER (Rhytipterna simplex)
SWAINSON’S FLYCATCHER (Myiarchus swainsoni)
SHORT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER (M. ferox)
GREAT KISKADEE (Pitangus sulphuratus)
BOAT-BILLED FLYCATCHER (Megarhyncus pitangua)
RUSTY-MARGINED FLYCATCHER (Myiozetetes cayanensis)
SOCIAL FLYCATCHER (M. similis)
TROPICAL KINGBIRD (Tyrannus melancholicus)
GREENISH SCHIFFORNIS (Schiffornis virescens)
CHESTNUT-CROWNED BECARD (Pachyramphus castaneus)
GREEN-BACKED BECARD (P. viridis)
CRESTED BECARD (P. validus)
SHARPBILL (Oxyruncus cristatus)
BROWN-CHESTED MARTIN (Progne tapera)
GRAY-BREASTED MARTIN (P. chalybea)
WHITE-RUMPED SWALLOW (Tachycineta leucorrhoa)
BLUE-AND-WHITE SWALLOW (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca)
TAWNY-HEADED SWALLOW (Stelgidopteryx fucata)
SOUTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW (S. ruficollis)
BARN SWALLOW (Hirundo rustica)
YELLOWISH PIPIT (Anthus lutescens)
BLACK-CAPPED DONACOBIUS (Donacobius atricapillus)
MOUSTACHED WREN (Thryothorus genibarbis)
LONG-BILLED WREN (T. longirostris)
HOUSE WREN (Troglodytes aedon)
CHALK-BROWED MOCKINGBIRD (Mimus saturninus)
YELLOW-LEGGED THRUSH (Platycichla flavipes)
RUFOUS-BELLIED THRUSH (Turdus rufiventris)
PALE-BREASTED THRUSH (T. leucomelas)
CREAMY-BELLIED THRUSH (T. amaurochalinus)
WHITE-NECKED THRUSH (T. albicollis)
COMMON WAXBILL (Estrilda astrild)
RED-EYED VIREO (Vireo olivaceous)
RUFOUS-CROWNED GREENLET (Hylophilus poecilotis)
RUFOUS-BROWED PEPPER SHRIKE (Cyclarhis gujanensis)
TROPICAL PARULA (Parula pitiayumi)
MASKED YELLOWTHROAT (Geothlypis aequinoctialis)
GOLDEN-CROWNED WARBLER (Basileuterus culicivorus)
WHITE-BELLIED WARBLER (B. hypoleucus)
WHITE-RIMMED WARBLER (B. leucoblepharus)
BANANAQUIT (Coereba flaveola)
CHESTNUT-VENTED CONEBILL (Conirostrum speciosum)
CINNAMON TANAGER (Schistochlamys ruficapillus)
MAGPIE TANAGER (Cissopis leveriana)
ORANGE-HEADED TANAGER (Thlypopsis ruficeps)
RUFOUS-HEADED TANAGER (Hemithraupis ruficapilla)
YELLOW-BACKED TANAGER (H. flavicollis)
HOODED TANAGER (Nemosia pileata)
OLIVE GREEN TANAGER (Orthogonys chloricterus)
FLAME-CRESTED TANAGER (Tachyphonus cristatus)
RUBY-CROWNED TANAGER (T. coronatus)
BLACK-GOGGLED TANAGER (Trichothraupis melanops)
RED-CROWNED ANT-TANAGER (Habia rubica)
HEPATIC TANAGER (Piranga flava)
BRAZILIAN TANAGER (Ramphocelus bresilius)
SAYACA TANAGER (Thraupis sayaca)
AZURE-SHOULDERED TANAGER (T. cyanoptera)
GOLDEN-CHEVRONED TANAGER (T. ornata)
PALM TANAGER (T. palmarum)
DIADEMED TANAGER (Stephanophorus diadematus)
FAWN-BREASTED TANAGER (Pipraeidea melanonota)
VIOLACEOUS EUPHONIA (Euphonia violacea)
ORANGE-BELLIED EUPHONIA (E. xanthogaster)
CHESTNUT-BELLIED EUPHONIA (E. pectoralis)
BLUE-NAPED CHLOROPHONIA (Chlorophonia cyanea)
GREEN-HEADED TANAGER (Tangara seledon)
RED-NECKED TANAGER (T. cyanocephala)
BRASSY-BREASTED TANAGER (T. desmaresti)
GILT-EDGED TANAGER (T. cyanoventris)
BURNISHED-BUFF TANAGER (T. cayana)
BLUE DACNIS (Dacnis cayana)
GREEN HONEYCREEPER (Chlorophanes spiza)
SWALLOW TANAGER (Tersina viridis)
PILEATED FINCH (Coryphospingus pileatus)
BAY-CHESTED WARBLING-FINCH (Poospiza thoracica)
BLUE-BLACK GRASSQUIT (Volatinia jacarina)
DOUBLE-COLLARED SEEDEATER (S. caerulescens)
UNIFORM FINCH (Haplospiza unicolor)
SAFFRON FINCH (Sicalis flaveola)
RUFOUS-COLLARED SPARROW (Zonotrichia capensis)
BUFF-THROATED SALTATOR (Saltator maximus)
BLACK-THROATED GROSBEAK (S. fuliginosus)
GREEN-WINGED SALTATOR (S. similis)
THICK-BILLED SALTATOR (S. maxillosus)
CHESTNUT-CAPPED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius ruficapillus)
WHITE-BROWED BLACKBIRD (Sturnella superciliaris)
SHINY COWBIRD (Molothrus bonariensis)
GIANT COWBIRD (M. oryzivora)
RED-RUMPED CACIQUE (Cacicus haemorrhous)
CRESTED OROPENDOLA (Psarocolius decumanus)
HOODED SISKIN (Carduelis magellanica)
HOUSE SPARROW (Passer domesticus)
