Brazil; Belo Horizonte 26.06.2019 - 27.06.2019

Brazil Day 23 26.06.2019

Since we had dropped Anton off at the airport, therefore ending our two week NE Brazil extravaganza, we had two days in Belo Horizonte to organise, see friends and do a little birding. During the morning we decided to visit a site Lia knew for Rock Tapaculo. We arrived quite late but still enjoyed some really nice birds; Pale-throated Pampa Finch and insane views of Grey-backed Tachuri. The standout from our first stop though were two Bat Falcons that I spotted perched on the wires next to the road. They just stared when I got out to photograph them, really not caring that I was there. Really awesome birds!

-Grey-backed Tachuri

-Bat Falcon

-Velvety Black-Tyrant

At the Rock Tapaculo site we found the vegetation long, and when the bird began responding it sounded distant, so we were not hopeful. But then we spotted the bird walking on the fringes of the foliage, before it went absolutely insane; walking in the open, flying into trees and sitting on the wall below us, concealed in a drainpipe with just its head emerged. Were it not for the fact that we were looking down on the bird, it might even have beat the other Tapaculo we saw on the trip.

-Rock Tapaculo

Species List:

Serra da Piedade: White-vented Violetear, Glittering-bellied Emerald, American Black Vulture, American Kestrel, Bat Falcon, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Rock Tapaculo, Spix’s Spinetail, Grey-backed Tachuri, Highland Elaenia, Velvety Black-Tyrant, House Wren, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Cinnamon Tanager, Pale-throated Pampa-Finch,

Brazil Day 24 27.06.2019

We had a number of jobs to do today, so only had the morning for birding. We decided to visit the large lake in central Belo Horizonte since it was not far and offered nice views of a number of wetland birds. As soon as we arrived we saw large numbers of White-backed Stilts and a number of duck species; Brazilian Teal, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck and Fulvous Whistling-Duck, the latter being a lifer for me. Walking around the lake there were a number of other awesome species that we saw as well; Black-crowned Night Heron, Wing-banded Hornero and Pied-billed Grebe were some of the other avian highlights.

-Fulvous, White-faced & Black-bellied Whistling Duck

-White-faced Whistling Duck

-White-backed Stilt

-Striated Heron

-Pied-billed Grebe

-Snail Kite

-Bare-faced Ibis

-Picazuro Pigeon

-Common Gallinule

But the real standout from the morning was not a bird at all but a reptile; Broad-snouted Caiman. At first I spotted two distantly submerged below the surface, and was pretty thrilled with that. But then, on the walk back, we found a female with two babies. This was amazing, and we were able to get quite close (Though obviously keeping a safe distance). These magnificent reptiles were not what I expected in central Belo Horizonte.

-Broad-snouted Caiman

Species List:

Lagoa da Pampulha: White-faced Whistling-Duck, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Brazilian Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Picazuro Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, Smooth-billed Ani, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Grey-necked Wood-Rail, Limpkin, Common Gallinule, White-backed Stilt, Southern Lapwing, Neotropic Cormorant, Great White Egret, Snowy Egret, Cocoi Heron, Striated Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Bare-faced Ibis, Roadside Hawk, Snail Kite, Amazon Kingfisher, Southern Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Great Antshrike, Wing-banded Hornero, Rufous Hornero, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Masked Water-Tyrant, Cattle Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird, Black-and-white Swallow, White-winged Swallow, Grey-breasted Martin, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Shiny Cowbird, Orange-headed Tanager, Saffron Finch, Broad-snouted Caiman,

Brazil; Ceara, Bahia & Minas Gerais trip 22.06.2019 - 25.06.2019

Brazil Day 19 22.06.2019

We were collected from our accommodation in Serra Bonita early morning and taken down to the reserve farm below. Here we would meet up with a local guide that would take us to hopefully see Harpy Eagle and Banded Cotinga. But before all of that there was a short window where we were able to bird the farm whilst we transferred our luggage, and in this time I racked up four new birds; Giant Cowbird, Black-necked Aracari, Plain Parakeet and the vulnerable White-eared Parakeet. All three showed nicely, especially the White-eared Parakeets that appeared to be excavating some form of nest hole, or possibly feeding on the trees bark.

-White-eared Parakeet

-Giant Cowbird

-Black-necked Aracari 

-Masked Water-Tyrant

 We set off with our guides to attempt to track down our targets, starting with the Cotinga. Sadly we failed hard with this one, but seeing as the Acai trees that it feeds on were not in fruit, it was always going to be a long shot. Then we endured a two kilometre hike up a mountain to a known Harpy Eagle nest. Despite our guides insisting that the bird was guaranteed since it was a juvenile that would remain loyal to the nest area, after an hour wait we had given up hope. Then, just as we were about to leave, the 11 month old bird came and landed in the canopy in front of us. It’s impossible to describe the sight of such an impressive bird, really awesome to see.

-Harpy Eagle

We wrapped up around midday and began our ten hour drive to Botumiri in the neighbouring state of Minas Gerais. In an attempt to make as good a time as possible we did not stop for any birds except for a magnificent Rufescent Tiger Heron that had been fishing along a river next to the pathetic excuse for a road that we were driving on.

-Rufescent Tiger Heron

Species List:

Fazenda Santo Antonio: Ruddy Ground Dove, Grey-rumped Swift, Southern Lapwing, Roadside Hawk, Harpy Eagle, American Black Vulture, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Black-necked Aracari, Laughing Falcon, Scaly-headed Amazon Parrot, White-eared Parakeet, Plain Parakeet, Cliff Flycatcher, Masked Water-Tyrant, Grey-hooded Attila, Grey-breasted Martin, House Wren, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Red-rumped Cacique, Crested Oropendola, Giant Cowbird, Chopi Blackbird,

Brazil Day 20 23.06.2019

Today was day we got to go for the rarest of the birds on our target list; the Blue-eyed Ground Dove. Having only been rediscovered in 2015 after being presumed extinct for 75 years, a small population of 20 birds is now know from a location in central Minas Gerais, near the small town of Botumirim. We met up with our reserve guide early morning and then headed out into the Cerrado. He took us straight to the location where a few of the doves could be found, and we were in luck as almost immediately a male started singing. It took some work as the bird was extremely shy, but we eventually saw him walking on the ground, before excellent views of him perched up, showing really nicely. Well worth making the visit for, a really smart bird.

-Blue-eyed Ground Dove

After the dove we birded more around the reserve. There were lots of nice Cerrado birds that we had seen before; Sierra Finch, Cinnamon Tanager and Velvety Black-Tyrant. The only new birds for me were Southern Scrub Flycatcher and Highland Elaenia. We did also see our first Helmeted Manakins of the trip, which were a nice treat for Lia and the first male I had seen since I returned Brazil. Anton and I also tried in the evening but we found it extremely quiet with no birds of any note.

-Velvety Black-Tyrant

-White-vented Violetear

Species List:

Botumirim: Pale-vented Pigeon, Picazuro Pigeon, Blue-eyed Ground Dove, Fork-tailed Palm-Swift, Planalto Hermit, White-vented Violetear, Horned Sungem, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Glittering-bellied Emerald, American Black Vulture, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Southern Caracara, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Sooty-fronted Spinetail, Southern-beardless Tyrannulet, Plain-crested Elaenia, Highland Elaenia, Velvety Black-Tyrant, Short-crested Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Helmeted Manakin, Grey-eyed Greenlet, House Wren, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Golden-crowned Warbler, Red Tanager, Cinnamon Tanager, White-lined Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager, Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Bananaquit, Green-winged Saltator, Wedge-tailed Grass Finch,

Brazil Day 21 24.06.2019

We had allowed ourselves an extra day in case we missed the dove, ut since we saw it so well the previous day we decided to create a new plan for our day of travelling down to Belo Horizonte. We decided to visit the park called Parque Estadual da Lapa Grande near the city of Montes Claros, but we were devastated to find that it was shut on Mondays. Since the city was on our route anyway we decided to make a visit to the park entrance and see what we could see. As it happened, we met a member of park staff, and with a little persuasion from Lia he allowed us into the park for the day.

This was an excellent turn of events. Not only did we connect with our number one target; the very range restricted Sao Francisco Sparrow, but we also got a host of other dry forest species. Personally I gathered a number of nice lifers; Black Jacobin, Dry Forest Sabrewing, Wagler’s Woodcreeper, Ochre-faced tody-flycatcher and the absolute highlight of the day, a perched Ornate Hawk Eagle surveying the forest from a treetop vantage point. This was not a species I thought I would see, and especially not like this. The park really was amazing, with additional none lifer species including Sao Francisco Black Tyrant (With much better photos than the only other time I saw this species), White-naped Jay, Creamy-bellied Thrush and Golden-green Woodpecker. It really was an outstanding mornings birding.

Afterwards we headed into Monte Claros looking for a place to eat. Whilst we failed on that front, we did find a nice lake in the city with a few birds and here we got amazing views of Limpkin, with a single individual feeding right below us. Our next drive was long but a short stop produced 20 Blue-and-yellow Macaws, which are always stunning birds to see.

-Golden-green Woodpecker

-Pale-legged Hornero

-Ornate Hawk Eagle

-Rufous-thighed Hawk

-Sao Francisco Sparrow

-Limpkin

Species List:

Parque Estadual da Lapa Grande Parque: Squirrel Cuckoo, Planalto Hermit, Dry-forest Sabrewing, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Black Jacobin, Grey-cowled Wood-Rail, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Rufous-thighed Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Surucua Trogon, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Scaly-headed Amazon Parrot, Great Antshrike, Planalto Slaty-Antshrike, Caatinga Antwren, Black-capped Antwren, Black-bellied Antwren, Planalto Woodcreeper, Wagler’s Scaled Woodcreeper, Pale-legged Hornero, Pale-breasted Spinetail, Grey Elaenia, Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tyrant, Sibilant Sirystes, Short-crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Caatinga Black-Tyrant, Buff-breasted Wren, Tropical Gnateater, Pale-breasted Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Creamy-bellied Thrush, Sao Francisco Sparrow, Saffron-billed Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Variable Oriole, Campo Troupial, Tropical Parula, Golden-crowned Warbler, Flavescent Warbler, Grey-headed Tanager, White-lined Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Guira Tanager, Chestnut-vented Conebill, Saffron Finch, Pileated Finch, Bananaquit,

Lagoa Curuay: White-faced Whistling Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Common Gallinule, Limpkin, Wattled Jacana, Neotropic Cormorant, Coicoi Heron, Great White Egret, Snowy Egret, Striated Heron, Bare-faced Ibis, American Black Vulture, Amazon Kingfisher, Chestnut-capped Blackbird, House Sparrow, Common Waxbill,

Brazil Day 22 25.06.2019

And so we arrived at our final day of the trip. In the afternoon we had to drop Anton off at Belo Horizonte airport, so we chose our location some 90 minute drive from the city, the plan being that we would bird right from the hotel and hopefully clean up on our targets. Sadly though, I made a bit of a mess with the birding site, and it was actually an hours drive from the hotel. We decided to go for it anyway, since it seemed to be more reliable for all the species we wanted.

The location was stunning, with crazy mountains and beautiful valleys. The mountainous uplands were bleak, with short vegetation, one of my favourite habitats. Our targets were species that restricted to this restricted upland area to the north of Belo Horizonte; Cipo Canastero, Hyacinth Visobearer and Cipo Long-tailed Cincloides. Without a guide, we managed to get insane views of all three, showing well beyond words. We also had an insane bonus bird; whilst wandering through the upland grass I flushed a bird that called once before landing a short distance away. I had a strong suspicion that it might be a Pipit, and when I eventually spotted it wandering around the rocks I was thrilled to see it was a Hellmayr’s Pipit, a species more abundant in other parts of the Brazil, although not impossible at this site. This was a bird I had really wanted to see, but instead chose a site more reliable for the Cincloides due to it being more range restricted. Other lifers during the morning were Yellow-rumped Marshbird and a pair of Band-winged Nightjar that we flushed from roost on the rocks. There were other awesome birds that I have only seen a couple of times; Crested Black-Tyrant, Stripe-tailed Yellowfinch and Highland Elaenia. It really was an amazing end to the trip.

-Long-tailed Cincloides

-Hellmayr's Pipit

-Stripe-tailed Yellow-Finch

-Cinnamon Tanager

-Cipo Canastero

-Hyacinth Visobearer

Species List:

Lapinha da Serra: Brazilian Teal, Feral Pigeon, Picazuro Pigeon, Plain-breasted Ground Dove, Ruddy Ground Dove, Band-winged Nightjar, Hyacinth Visobearer, White-vented Violetear, Amethyst Woodstar, Glittering-bellied Emerald, Southern Lapwing, Great White Egret, Striated Heron, American Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Ringed Kingfisher, Toco Toucan, Campo Flicker, Southern Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Great Antshrike, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Rufous Hornero, Long-tailed Cinclodes, Cipo Canastero, Plain-crested Elaenia, Highland Elaenia, Cliff Flycatcher, Crested Black-Tyrant, Cattle Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Swallow, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Grey-breasted Martin, House Wren, Pale-breasted Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Hellmayr’s Pipit, Purple-throated Euphonia, Grassland Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Shiny Cowbird, Yellow-rumped Marshbird, Red Tanager, Cinnamon Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Stripe-tailed Yellowfinch, Saffron Finch, Grassland Yellowfinch, House Sparrow,