Brazil; Northeast Trip -- Day 2

  We started our day birding the forest of Crasto in the south of Sergipe, which used to be one of the best locations to find the endangered and very range-restricted Fringe-backed Fire-eye. Since those days the track through the forest has been tarmacked and widened, and since then the records have dried up. Still, it is the most accessible location for this bird so we gave it our best shot. Despite all our efforts, the mornings birding failed to produce the bird, although there were lots of other species to enjoy. I had a lifer with Stripe-necked Tody-Tyrant, which showed very nicely, and we found some other nice species such as Blue-crowned Trogon and Southern Scrub Flycatcher.

  By mid-morning, it was clear that we were not going to find the bird we were looking for so headed to an area of restinga and beach to look for waders. What followed was a series of errors that essentially wasted two hours of our lives for nothing, since the beach and mangroves were not accessible, and we had to drive half an hour each way on terrible roads before we discovered this. As the one who designed our itinerary, not my finest moment.

  This latest development left us at something of a loss for the afternoon, but I had a backup plan in case we dipped the Fire-eye in the morning, a remote patch of forest where there seemed to be many records of the species. Accessibility could have been an issue here too but fortunately, we have a large car and it managed to navigate the tricky roads, allowing us to enjoy a few hours birding at the site.

  And enjoy the birding we did. Although it took a few hours, by which point we had all but given up, assigned to dip the species for the third time, we chanced upon a pair of Fringe-backed Fire-eye feeding on the edge of the forest trail. They showed exceptionally well, often singing right next to us, although too concealed for photos. Perhaps the biggest surprise was finding a pair of Pernambuco Foliage-Gleaners here, a species that is not known to occur here and may represent a new population of this very endangered bird. And as we were leaving we had fantastic views of White-winged Cotinga perched next to the road, the first time we have seen one, not through a scope. So all in all it was a nice way to end what at times had felt like a pretty catastrophic day

-Stripe-necked Tody-Tyrant

-Blue-crowned Trogon

-King Vulture

-Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin

-Pernambuco Foliage-Gleaner

-Fringe-backed Fire-Eye

-White-winged Cotinga

Species List:
Crasto Forest: Squirrel Cuckoo, Reddish Hermit, Plain-bellied Emerald, Western Cattle Egret, King Vulture, Black Vulture, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Short-tailed Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Blue-crowned Trogon, Ringed Kingfisher, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Channel-billed Toucan, Orange-winged Amazon, Planalto Slaty Antshrike, Silvery-flanked Antwren, Blue-backed Manakin, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Stripe-necked Tody-Tyrant, Greyish Mourner, Short-crested Flycatcher, Piratic Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Chivi Vireo, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Moustached Wren, Purple-throated Euphonia, Violaceous Euphonia, Pectoral Sparrow, Palm Tanager, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Bananaquit,
Projeto Jaboticaba: Squirrel Cuckoo, Reddish Hermit, Black Vulture, Blue-crowned Trogon, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Laughing Falcon, Scaly-headed Parrot, Planalto Slaty Antshrike, Fringe-backed Fire-eye, Lesser Woodcreeper, Pernambuco Foliage-gleaner, Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin, Blue-backed Manakin, White-bearded Manakin, White-winged Cotinga, Whiskered Myiobius, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Short-crested Flycatcher, Variegated Flycatcher, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Moustached Wren, Pale-breasted Thrush, Violaceous Euphonia, Flavescent Warbler, Blue Dacnis, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Buff-throated Saltator,