Brazil 16.02.2019 - 17.02.2019

Brazil Day 37 16.02.2019

Yesterday was an awesome day birding, so it would be difficult to match the hype and number of species, but our morning walk around the parks woodland produced a number of new and difficult to see species. We started at the road where we were quickly joined by a semi-domesticated toucan and amazon parrot, that were really rather aggressive and not fond of our presence. A pair of Black-capped Tityra kicked us off, only the second time Lia and Ed had seen this species, followed by a Greenish Elaenia, recognised by its orange crown stripe. A female Glittering-bellied Emerald was a nice hummingbird lifer and a cracking Laughing Falcon completing the pack before breakfast. After breakfast we added Picui Ground Dove drinking at a roadside puddle, brief but excellent views of Striped Cuckoo, three White-naped Jays and a very smart Rusty-fronted Nunlet.

-Ochre-backed Woodpecker

-Laughing Falcon

-Rufous Hornero

-Cattle Tyrant

-Picui Ground Dove

-Rusty-fronted Nunlet

-Planalto Slaty Antshrike

-Toco Toucan

-Ed showing a Toucan the book

-Toco Toucan

Our plan was to drive five hours after lunch to another site in Chapada National Park. The five hours was predicted by google maps, but this was optimistic as over 100km of our journey was on a single low quality dirt track with no roads joining or coming off. Although the scenery was stunning it badly hampered our progress and we were not even close to reaching our destination by nightfall, having already been driving for nine hours. It was not a complete loss, the scenery was stunning and we picked up a few birds; a Zone-tailed Hawk flew low over the car in the company of vultures, a Limpkin was feeding in a roadside pond, a couple of White-winged Swallows were perched on a wire at a ridiculous river crossing that cut across the 100km dirt track about half way. But the undoubted highlight was seeing Greater Rhea! At first we picked out a small group of four birds in the distant heat haze but they ran off as soon as we got out of the car, but we did see a single bird much closer to road a little later on. That alone made the days struggle worthwhile.

-Zone-tailed Hawk 

-Greater Rhea

-White Woodpecker

-Amazon Kingfisher

Species List:

Terra Ronca: Greater Rhea, Red-legged Seriema, White-faced Whistling Duck, Brazilian Teal, Great White Egret, Cattle Egret, Buff-necked Ibis, Limpkin, Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Zone-tailed Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Savannah Hawk, Southern Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, American Kestrel, Laughing Falcon, Aplomado Falcon, Ruddy Ground Dove, Blue Ground Dove, Picui Ground Dove, Scaled Dove, Picazuro Pigeon, Pale-vented Pigeon, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Red-and-green Macaw, White-eyed Parakeet, Jandaya Parakeet, Blue-winged Parrotlet, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Turquoise-fronted Amazon Parrot, Squirrel Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Striped Cuckoo, Guira Cuckoo, Burrowing Owl, Fork-tailed Palm Swift, Glittering-bellied Emerald, Planalto Hermit, Amethyst Woodstar, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, White-eared Puffbird, Black-fronted Nunbird, Rusty-fronted Nunlet, Toco Toucan, White-winged Piculette, Little Woodpecker, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Ochre-backed Woodpecker, Planalto Slaty Antshrike, Black-bellied Antwren, Planalto Woodcreeper, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Rufous Hornero, Sooty-fronted Spinetail, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Common Tody Flycatcher, Cliff Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tyrant, Cattle Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Rufous Casiornis, Black-capped Tityra, Short-crested Flycatcher, Chivi Vireo, Curl-crested Jay, White-naped Jay, Blue-and-white Swallow, White-winged Swallow, Masked Gnatcatcher, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Pale-bellied Thrush, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Bananaquit, Sayaca Tanager, Palm Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Purple-throated Euphonia, Saffron Finch, Blue-black Grassquit, Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Pileated Finch, Red-cowled Cardinal, Green-winged Saltator, White-bellied Warbler, Crested Oropendula, Epaulet Oriole, Screaming Cowbird, White-browed Blackbird, House Sparrow, 

Brazil Day 38 17.02.2019

After spending over ten hours in the car the previous day, staying in bed and relaxing until my afternoon flight seemed like a good idea. That was until we were offered the chance to visit a site for Ocellated Crake, an extremely beautiful but rare and elusive Cerrado species. After a little persuasion we set off to meet one of Lia’s professors who drove us to a remote feeding station. Here, after a short wait, we had insane views of Ocellated Crake, a truly awesome birding experience. All the while a dazzling male Horned Sungem fed around us. 

-Ocellated Crake

Once we were satisfied with the crake we did a bit more birding before I had to leave for me flight. We first tried for Sharp-tailed Grass-Tyrant, a species I had already dipped twice, but this time we saw two of these diminutive little birds in the grass. Adjacent to the Cerrado was a Gallery Forest and we spent some time birding here, with new species including the completely unexpected Dark-billed Cuckoo and Grey Elaenia. Following the forest down we arrived at a large river where yet more new species awaited; Rusty-backed Spinetail and Great Antshrike were foraging in the riverside vegetation while a Green Kingfisher was hunting. We also found Rufous Gnateater, my first since the first day of my visit, and Brown Jacamar, my final lifer of the trip.

-Sharp-tailed Grass-Tyrant

-Grey Elaenia

-Brown Jacamar

-Campo Flicker

I got my flight in the afternoon, with my final bird in Brazil being Great Kiskadee. An awesome end to what has been an awesome trip and experience.

Species List:

Brasilia: Squirrel Cuckoo, Dark-billed Cuckoo, White-vented Violetear, Horned Sungem, Ocellated Crake, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Brown Jacamar, Green Kingfisher, Toco Toucan, Little Woodpecker, Campo Flicker, Southern Caracara, Black Vulture, Great Antshrike, Varibale Antshrike, Barred Antshrike, Black-capped Antwren, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Rusty-backed Spinetail, Rufous Gnateater, Rufous Hornero, Grey Elaenia, Sharp-tailed Grass-Tyrant, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tyrant, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Rufous Casiornis, Pale-bellied Tyrant Manakin, Helmeted Manakin, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Grass Wren, Buff-breasted Wren, Masked Gnatcatcher, Pale-breasted Thrush, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Purple-throated Euphonia, White-lined Tanager, Orange-headed Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Wedge-tailed Grass Finch, Capped Seedeater, Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Plumbeous Seedeater, Buff-throated Saltator, Green-winged Saltator,