BIRDS of Brazil's

Atantlic Forest & Savanna
 

Bom Dia!

  
     
  Here's some photos and info from the trip to Brazil  
  with Tropical Birding and leader Nick Athanas  
  (October 11 - October 31, 2019)  
     
 

Parte UM -

Curitiba to Ubatuba

Parte DIOS -

REGUA to Itatiaia

Parte TRES -

Agulhas Negras to End
 

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The tour traveled from Curitiba to Belo Horizonte, stopping at key birding spots along the way.  Most of the stay-overs were 3 nights, so this gave us good time to explore. 

The main habitat was the Atlantic Forest which is quickly disappearing - although there are several efforts toward restoration.  Near the end of the trip, we ventured up into the savanna highlands for a completely different set of birds. 

The whole trip covered about 2,000 miles through beautiful countryside, beaches, mountains and near the major cities of Brazil.

Our purpose was to hunt down as many bird species as possible - and watch for other flora & fauna along the way.  In the end, Monique and I recorded 458 birds, adding 257 new ones to our life list and managed to get photos of about half of them.

Here's the trip - more or less in line...

 

The Team - taken on the beach at Ubatuba
Chris Hickson & Marian Hobart (England), Monique & Me (California), Nick Athanas (Tropical Birding Leader) , Brent Beach (Vancouver), Lois & Rich Bansberg (Arizona)

 
The 9th member of the team was our driver - and often our caretaker - Eduardo Carulice (Sao Paulo)

___________________________________________________________________

 

Curitiba to Ubatuba - stops 1, 2 & 3
 

The Itinerary (a detailed list with links to the destinations and bird lists is at the end)
 
 

The first destination was Cananeia, a small town on the shore of an island.  One of the key birds was the Red-tailed Parrot.

Along the way, we stopped at a very birdie dirt road in the montane forest - Estrada do Corvo...

Curitiba Airport                                                                             Estrada do Corvo (Crow Road)
 
 
Chestnut-crowned Becard   Gray-capped Tyrannulet
 
Chivi Vireo   Unidentified balloon
 
Hooded Berryeater   Ochre-collared Piculet
 
Black-backed Tanager   Great Shrike
 
Rufous-capped Spinetail    
 
A note about the pictures - covering so much ground meant that we had to find the birds as a first priority and then take pictures on the fly.  When we do this, some shots come out looking good, others are OK and some are just lousy.  You take what you can get because there are no do-overs.  Other factors that come into play besides getting the right focus are lighting and the view you can get of the bird before it flies away - never to be seen again unless we return to Brazil.  I've placed most of the usable bird photos here so you can get a taste of what was seen. 
 
On the way to Cananeia                                                                                                        Crossing the bridge on to the island
Entrance to Cananeia (just decoration, not a functioning gate)
 
Cananeia
 
Magnificent Frigatebird (female)   Magnificent Frigatebird (male)
 
View from the hotel - Pousada Recanto de Morro   Local restaurant down by the shore - outside and covered
 
Southern Caracara   Ruddy Ground-Dove
 
Masked Yellowthroat   Great Kiskadee
 
Wasp nest - nice construction!
 
Yellow-bellied Elaenia   Yellow-bellied Elaenia on nest
 
Red-tailed Parrot (endemic target bird)
 
Sights around Cananeia
 
Sights around Cananeia
 
Restinga Tyrannulet
(Restinga is a habitat - inland from the ocean)		   Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
 
Azure Jay   Bananaquit
 
Scarlet Ibis   Gray-cowled Wood-Rail
 
Magpie Tanager   Yellow-fronted Woodpecker
 
Rufous-collared Sparrow   Southern Lapwing
 
Green-backed Trogon   Ochre-rumped Antbird (just above the green light - peek-a-boo)
 
Mangrove Rail (!)
     

The next leg took us inland to Intervales State Park in the State of Sao Paulo.  It's a major birding area which didn't disappoint.  We also made a few stops along the way.
     
 
Guapiara
 
Pica Pau Lodge   Restaurant
 
Palm Tanager   Rufous-bellied Thrush
 
Saffron Finch (male)   Masked Water-Tyrant
 
White-rumped Monjita   Planalto Tyrannulet
 
Rufous-capped Antshrike   Red-ruffed Fruitcrow
 
Golden-chevroned Tanager   Shear-tailed Gray Tyrant
 
Ruby-crowned Tanager (male)   Ruby-crowned Tanager (female)
 
Ruby-crowned Tanager (male showing ruby)   Green-headed Tanager
 
Buff-burnished Tanager   Rufous-headed Tanager
 
Sayaca Tanager   Azure-shouldered Tanager
 
Bran-colored Flycatcher   Black-legged Dacnis (yep, it's got the black legs)
       
Diademed Tanager   Blond-crested Woodpecker
 
Spot-backed Wood-Quail   Red-and-White Crake
 
Rufous-crowned Greenlet   Black Jacobin
 
Brazilian Squirrel   White-browed Woodpecker
 
Dusky-legged Guan   White-collared Swift
 
Blue-and-white Swallow   Southern Rough-winged Swallow
 
Pileated Parrot (male and female)
 
Short-crested Flycatcher   Brazilian Tanager
 
Orange-breasted Thornbird   Euler's Flycatcher
 
Tegu Lizard   Bothrops leucurus - Whitetail Lancehead (venomous pit viper)
(Head upside down "playing dead")
 
Black-throated Trogon (f)   Black-throated Trogon (m)
 
Surucua Trogon (m)   Squirrel Cuckoo
 
Dusky-throated Hermit  
 
Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail   Grotto in the forest
 
Black-capped Screech-Owl   Rusty Barred-Owl (picture by Nick Athanas)
 
    Long-trained Nightjar
 

Our next move took us back to the coast by way of the Sao Paulo airport to pick up our main baggage which we've been without for 5 days (thanks American't Airlines).  Luckily, all our equipment and a change of clothes was in our carry on.

Then on to the coastal resort town of Ubatuba.  This too has excellent birding spots which included Sitio Folha Seca - a fantastic hummingbird sanctuary.
Bridge in Sao Paulo   Ubatuba coast
 
House Sparrow   Curious dog not sure about all the birders in front of its house
 
Sao Paulo Airport
Beautiful Ubatuba (picture from Hotel website)
 
Ubatuba area
 
Brown Booby   Kelp Gull
 
Unicolored Antwren   Chestnut-bellied Euphonia (male & female)
 
Mushrooms   Black-cheeked Gnateater
 
Riverbank Warbler   Streak-capped Antbird (another peek-a-boo bird)
 
Entrance of Sitio Folha Seca   Poster of the 20 species of hummingbirds that have been found here
 
Custom feeders and surroundings provided by Jonas
Since the year 2000, Jonas D'Abronzo has been dedicating his life to taking care of the birds of Sítio Folha Seca, where he molded the property which he purchased into a natural reserve and hummingbird haven, on the coast of São Paulo in Ubatuba.  Now an eBird Hot Spot.
 
Black-throated Mango (male)   Black-throated Mango (female on right)
 
Black-throated Mango (male)
 
Versicolor Emerald
 
Violet-capped Woodnymph   Monique watching the hummers
 
Festive Coquette
 
Festive Coquette
 
Saw-billed Hermit   White-chinned Sapphire
 
Black Jacobin   Ginger flower
 
Amethyst Woodstar (male)   Brazilian Ruby
 

Amethyst Woodstar - the one feeding on the right side of the feeder. The hummer with the white stripe across its butt feeding from the front-left is the Festive Coquette; the one that flashes its magenta tail as it flies around the feeder is the Black-chinned Mango. The one with the white stripe down its chest not coming to the feeder is the Versicolored Emerald.

   Saw-billed Hermit;
 
Fazenda Angelim - another eBird Hot Spot   On the trail
 
Whistling Heron   Long-billed Gnatwren
 
Restaurante Tropical with some nice bird feeders and good food for lunch (hard to eat... too many nearby birds)
 
Plain Parakeet   Bananaquit
 
Green Honeycreeper (male)   Green Honeycreeper (female)
 
Blue Dacnis (male)   Blue Dacnis (female)
 
Creamy-bellied Thrush   Rufous-bellied Thrush
 
Restaurante Tropical   Baby chicken
 
Scaled Antbird (female)   Scaled Antbird (male)
 
Spotting the Slaty Bristlefront   There it is(!) - above and to the right of the green dot
 
Our pilot, Eduardo, always nearby - steering the van almost 2,000 miles through good roads and bad.
 
Variegated Flycatcher   Black-throated Grosbeak
 
Green-headed Tanager   Riverbank Warbler
Spot-billed Toucanet
 
Spot-billed Toucanet doing a display in the rain
 
On the trail - wet or dry
 
Driving through Ubatuba
 
Hotel Solar das Aguas Cantantes in Ubatuba
  Image result for caipirinha pitchers"
Restaurant   End of day relaxation - the Caipirinha
 

Parte UM -

Curitiba to Ubatuba

Parte DIOS -

REGUA to Itatiaia

Parte TRES -

Agulhas Negras to End
     
     
ITINERARY -
    When Where to information eBird Hot Spot Overnight Hotels

Curitiba to Ubatuba

 		Night 1 Oct 12 Curitiba   Bourbon Dom Ricardo Aeroporto Hotel
      Esrtada do Corvo  
Night 2 Oct 13 Cananéia Cananéia Pousada Recanto de Morro
Night 3-5 Oct 14-16 Intervales SP Intervales SP Pousada Pico Pau

REGUA to Itatiaia

 		Night 6-8 Oct 17-19 Ubatuba Ubatuba Hotel Solar das Aguas Cantantes
      Sítio Folha Seca /  Perequê  
Night 9-11 Oct 20-22 Guapiaçu Guapiaçu Guapiassu Bird Lodge
      Serra dos Orgaos  
Night 12-13 Oct 23-24 Itatiaia NP Itatiaia NP  /  Hotel do Ypê Hotel do Ypê

Agulhas
Negras
to Home

 		Night 14 Oct 25 Agulhas Negras Agulhas Negras Hotel Sao Gotardo
Night 15-17 Oct 26-28 Serra da Canastra NP Serra da Canastra NP Pousada Barcelos
Night 18 Oct 29 Caraça missionary Caraca missionary Caraça Sanctuary
Night 19 Oct 30 Serra de Cipo Serra de Cipo Pousada Chão da Serra
Night 20 Oct 31 Belo Horizonte Airport  
  Day 21 Nov 1 Dallas - Sacramento - Home    
   

comments: timlig@pacbell.net