Brazil; Rio Grande do Sul & Santa Catarina - Day 9

 Having learned the state of the waterbodies around Pelotas the previous day, we were better prepared for the struggle to find good numbers of waterbirds. We still had all of our passerine targets to deal with as well, and as such we decided to head to a similar area that we had the previous evening. In fact the road we birded this morning runs exactly parallel to the one we birded last night.

And it paid off, as we were soon able to find Curve-billed Reedhaunter, the most important species for us in the this area, followed by Scarlet-headed Blackbird. Both showed very nicely early morning, especially the Reedhaunter, which perched fantastically well whilst it was singing. We also found the rarer Sulphur-bearded Reedhaunter, our second of the trip, but sadly it did not cooperate in the same way. There was also a brilliant Brazil tick for us both, with a displaying Screaming Cowbird, vocalising so we could easily distinguish it from the commoner Shiny Cowbird.

For the heat of the day we went to the beach, which was absolutely rammed with tourists. Seawatching yielded a Magnificent Frigatebird but little else. In the afternoon, having wrapped up many of our targets already, we headed to the Ilha da Torotama which is a popular birding destination. The birding was slow for the most part, but the esturine marina had many species of wader to enjoy, including my first Brazilian Hudsonian Godwits, which meant I finally got to see the species’ black axillaries.

There was also a long overdue lifer here, with a few very distant Buff-breasted Sandpipers in the fields, along with good numbers of American Golden Plover. As the afternoon wore on the activity continued to increase, and we had great views of a Black Skimmer feeding in the marshes. Then, at dusk, we were treated to a fantastic show by the local Nacunda Nighthawks. We were not sure where to look for them, or how many there could be, but we found a deceased individual on the road when we arrived and this tipped us off to the general area to wait. And it was worth it, as when dusk arrived we were treated to around 15 individuals flying all around us. Absolutely brilliant birding. 

Species List:
Pelotas: Southern Screamer, Brazilian Teal, Silver Teal, Yellow-billed Teal, Feral Pigeon, Picazuro Pigeon, Spot-winged Pigeon, Picui Ground Dove, Eared Dove, Guira Cuckoo, Striped Cuckoo, Nacunda Nighthawk, Giant Wood Rail, Spot-flanked Gallinule, Common Gallinule, White-winged Coot, Limpkin, White-backed Stilt, American Golden Plover, Southern Lapwing, Semipalmated Plover, Wattled Jacana, Hudsonian Godwit, White-rumped Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Brown-hooded Gull, Grey-headed Gull, Kelp Gull, Snowy-crowned Tern, Black Skimmer, Maguari Stork, Wood Stork, Magnificent Frigatebird, Neotropic Cormorant, Cocoi Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Western Cattle Egret, Striated Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White-faced Ibis, Plumbeous Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Snail Kite, Long-winged Harrier, Savanna Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Burrowing Owl, Amazon Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher, White Woodpecker, White-spotted Woodpecker, Campo Flicker, Crested Caracara, Chimango Caracara, American Kestrel, Monk Parakeet, Rufous-capped Antshrike, Rufous Hornero, Curve-billed Reedhaunter, Freckle-breasted Thornbird, Firewood-gatherer, Sulphur-bearded Reedhaunter, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Spix's Spinetail, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Sooty Tyrannulet, Scarlet Flycatcher, Spectacled Tyrant, Yellow-browed Tyrant, White Monjita, Black-and-white Monjita, Cattle Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Swallow, Grey-breasted Martin, Brown-chested Martin, White-rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, Masked Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, House Sparrow, Yellowish Pipit, Hooded Siskin, Grassland Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, White-browed Blackbird, Screaming Cowbird, Shiny Cowbird, Scarlet-headed Blackbird, Greyish Baywing, Yellow-winged Blackbird, Brown-and-yellow Marshbird, Red-crested Cardinal, Sayaca Tanager, Black-and-rufous Warbling Finch, Saffron Finch, Grassland Yellow Finch, Pampa Finch, Rusty-collared Seedeater,