Monday, 17 February 2020

Brazil; Brasilia 14.02.2020 - 16.02.2020

Brazil Day 1 14.02.2020
Today represented my first full day in Brazil where I was not hindered by jetlag. Lia had offered that we spend the morning looking for Greater Thornbird, a bird I had seen on my prior visit but only in sillouhet and not tickable views. We headed to a small wetland site first where we had some amazing species. Although not a bird, Neotropical Otter is already a highlight of this latest Brazilian adventure, with two individuals showing incredibly well. And then at the same site we managed to get my first new bird of the trip; Rufous-sided Crake. Remarkably this is only my second species of Crake in South America but it performed nicely giving excellent views.
-Neotropical River Otter
-Rufous-sided Crake
After an hour at this site we moved on to the main site for the Thornbird. The visit was brief and littered with incident, like getting the car stuck in mud and losing my speaker, but in the end it was well worth it with excellent, no effort views of the Greater Thornbird. We also had nice views of Horned Screamer and a flyover Yellowish Pipit.
-Greater Thornbird
-Horned Screamer
In the afternoon we headed to Altiplano Leste to yeartick Ocellated Crake at the stakeout there. This time there were two individuals, and although we did not see it, a baby as well. Both bird performed incredibly, being much more bold than when I had seen the single bird a year previous. A superb backup cast included a flyby Horned Sungem and nice views of Crested Black Tyrant.
-Ocellated Crake
-Crested Black Tyrant

Species List:
Rodovia DF 230: Brazilian Teal, Scaled Dove, Smooth-billed Ani, Common Gallinule, Purple Gallinule, Rufous-sided Crake, Wattled Jacana, Striated Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black Vulture, Pearl Kite, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Rufous Hornero, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Masked Water Tyrant, White-headed Marsh Tyrant, Variegated Flycatcher, Pale-breasted Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Chestnut-capped Blackbird, Grey-headed Tanager, Neotropical Otter,
Rodovia DF 100: Horned Screamer, Ruddy Ground Dove, Scaled Dove, Black Vulture, Blue-winged Parrotlet, Rufous Hornero, Greater Thornbird, Brown-chested Martin, Yellowish Pipit, Chestnut-capped Blackbird, Blue-black Grassquit,
Altiplano Leste: Picazuro Pigeon, Eared Dove, Horned Sungem, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Ocellated Crake, White-tailed Kite, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Rufous Hornero, Crested Black Tyrant, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Black-faced Tanager, Saffron Finch, Wedge-tailed Grass Finch, Blue-black Grassquit, Yellow-bellied Seedeater,

Brasil Day 2 15.02.2020
After a night of beverages, we somehow managed to head out early to the farm where we had first worked a year ago, Fazenda Agua Limpa. Our main goal was to show a visiting birder the farms Brasilia tapaculo, but unfortunately both locations where we have seen the bird before we failed. There was a nice selection of Cerrado birds however, including Grey-headed Kite and Rufous Casiornis, but the undoubted highlight was an Undulated Tinamou crossing the road distantly ahead of us. This was another lifer for me, and finally ending the demons after hearing this species constantly during my two months stay. After a pleasant morning, we spent the afternoon chilling and seeing friends, so not much scope for birding.
-Undulated Tinamou
-Rufous Casiornis

Species List:
Fazenda Agua Limpa: Undulated Tinamou, Picazuro Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, Scaled Dove, Smooth-billed Ani, Squirrel Cuckoo, Sick's Swift, Neotropical Palm Swift, Southern Lapwing, Great Egret, Capped Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Grey-headed Kite, Ringed Kingfisher, Toco Toucan, Red-legged Seriema, Turquoise-fronted Amazon, Peach-fronted Parakeet, White-eyed Parakeet, Rufous Hornero, Plain-crested Elaenia, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Lesser Elaenia, Long-tailed Tyrant, Rufous Casiornis, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Curl-crested Jay, Blue-and-white Swallow, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Pale-breasted Thrush, Saffron-billed Sparrow, Tropical Parula, Burnished-buff Tanager, Guira Tanager, Saffron Finch, Blue-black Grassquit, Yellow-bellied Seedeater,

Brazil Day 3 16.02.2020
Today was something of a none event, being spent travelling the 10 hour distance from Brasilia to Campinhas, just north of Sao Paulo. Obviously on such a drive there were a few birds along the way, but not so many due to large stretches of intensive agriculture. The standout birds were my first Brazilian Barn Swallows and a few Yellow-rumped Marshbirds by the side of the road. We arrived in Campinhas just before dark, ready for a well earned rest.

Species List:
Travelling: Barn Swallow, White-rumped Monjita, Yellow-rumped Marshbird,

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