Brazil; Fazenda Agua Limpa 08.09.2020 - 10.09.2020

Fazenda Agua Limpa Day 7 08.09.2020

  After only arriving back at the farm at 1 in the morning we were in no rush to get up and get to fieldwork. Then, throw in the fact that our lock was due to be fixed at 11 and we decided to write off a fieldwork session. Still, that meant we had some time to go out birding and of course I chose the reservoir. And once again it turned it trumps with fantastic views of a Black Hawk-Eagle flying overhead being very vocal. There was also two Tawny-headed Swallows and a real treat with a Horned Sungem visiting some nearby flowers. A well worth visit out, and on the way back we had a look for the Brasilia Tapaculo which did eventually show very nicely with a little bit of persuasion.

  Due to the lock being fixed afternoon birding was limited to around the lodge but there were a few nice birds. The standout was a low flyby from a stunning Bicolored Hawk, which is a normally a forest species. To make up for this slow afternoon we headed into the Cerrado for a night drive but it was very unproductive until our last stop when we were able to hear the parks resident Mottled Owl calling. We also got some brief views of the bird in flight but it is just good to know that it is still here.

-Black Hawk-Eagle

-Tawny-headed Swallow

-Horned Sungem

-Brasilia Tapaculo

Species List:

Fazenda Agua Limpa: Undulated Tinamou, Picazuro Pigeon, Scaled Dove, White-tipped Dove, Striped Cuckoo, Nacunda Nighthawk, Lesser Nighthawk, Pauraque, Sick's Swift, Neotropical Palm Swift, White-vented Violetear, Horned Sungem, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Southern Lapwing, Whistling Heron, Buff-necked Ibis, Black Vulture, Black Hawk-Eagle, Bicolored Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Tropical Screech Owl, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Burrowing Owl, Mottled Owl, Rufous-capped Motmot, Ringed Kingfisher, Amazon Kingfisher, Toco Toucan, White-wedged Piculet, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Campo Flicker, Red-legged Seriema, Southern Crested Caracara, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Yellow-faced Parrot, Turquoise-fronted Amazon, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Rufous-winged Antshrike, Brasilia Tapaculo, Rufous Hornero, Helmeted Manakin, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Lesser Elaenia, Planalto Tyrannulet, Long-tailed Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Streaked Flycatcher, White-throated Kingbird, Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Swallow, Tawny-headed Swallow, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Masked Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Buff-breasted Wren, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Pale-breasted Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Creamy-bellied Thrush, House Sparrow, Purple-throated Euphonia, Sayaca Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager, Swallow Tanager, Saffron Finch, Bananaquit, Green-winged Saltator, Capybara, Crab-eating Fox,

Fazenda Agua Limpa Day 8 09.09.2020

  Today was a return to normality and routine, with fieldwork in the morning and then I head out birding the afternoon whilst Lia worked. Before fieldwork we decided to do some birding in the upland Cerrado where we had seen a number of exciting species over the past few days. Today was no exception with the absolute highlight being a long awaited Collared Crescentchest. This stunning but elusive bird had not been present during our searches for it until this morning, but even this bird was more elusive than usual and was not particularly vocal. It was, as always, a pleasure to see. We also had another new species for the farm with Crested Black Tyrant, although distant, and it was nice to see the White-rumped Tanager again.

  The gallery forest was fairly quiet but we had a lot of ground to cover and so did not make it back until 13.00. After lunch and a quick nap I decided to finally cut myself a path through the scrub to the north end of the reservoir for better viewing options. It took an hour with the machete before reaching the reservoir, slashing through dense bracken strands. The habitat I found was more mud and branches than reeds and sedge but there was still potential there for new species, and this paid off almost immediately when I picked up a Solitary Sandpiper feeding on the far side. Although not as rare here as Spotted Sandpiper its still pretty exciting to find and I was buzzing after that.

  After dark I headed out into the Cerrado again looking for some night birds and finally found the Little Nightjar that we had heard singing the previous few days. Sadly, although it did perch up nicely briefly, I was unable to take any photos. I had the same problem with a nice Least Nighthawk was well but fortunately not with a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl back at the farm, which showed incredibly well rounding off another excellent days birding. 

-Collared Crescentchest

-Crest Black-Tyrant

-Channel-billed Toucan

-Chalk-browed Mockingbird

-Solitary Sandpiper

-Aplomado Falcon

-Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

Species List:

Fazenda Agua Limpa: Undulated Tinamou, Small-billed Tinamou, Brazilian Teal, Rusty-margined Guan, Feral Pigeon, Pale-vented Pigeon, Picazuro Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, White-tipped Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo, Least Nighthawk, Pauraque, Little Nightjar, Sick's Swift, Neotropical Palm Swift, White-vented Violetear, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Glittering-throated Emerald, Southern Lapwing, Solitary Sandpiper, Neotropic Cormorant, Snowy Egret, Capped Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Plumbeous Kite, Roadside Hawk, Tropical Screech Owl, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Rufous-capped Motmot, Ringed Kingfisher, Amazon Kingfisher, White-eared Puffbird, Toco Toucan, Channel-billed Toucan, White-wedged Piculet, Campo Flicker, Red-legged Seriema, Collared Forest Falcon, Southern Crested Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Aplomado Falcon, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Yellow-faced Parrot, Turquoise-fronted Amazon, Peach-fronted Parakeet, White-eyed Parakeet, Rufous-winged Antshrike, Collared Crescentchest, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Rufous Hornero, Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin, Helmeted Manakin, Greenish Schiffornis, Grey-hooded Flycatcher, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Southern Antpipit, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Southern Beardless Tyrannulet, Sharp-tailed Grass Tyrant, Plain-crested Elaenia, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Lesser Elaenia, Euler's Flycatcher, Crested Black Tyrant, Long-tailed Tyrant, Rufous Casiornis, Short-crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Blue-and-white Swallow, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Grey-breasted Martin, Masked Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Buff-breasted Wren, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Pale-breasted Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Blacksmith Thrush, House Sparrow, Purple-throated Euphonia, Grassland Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Golden-crowned Warbler, Flavescent Warbler, Black-faced Tanager, Hooded Tanager, White-lined Tanager, Palm Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager, Swallow Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Guira Tanager, White-rumped Tanager, Saffron Finch, Wedge-tailed Grass Finch, Blue-black Grassquit, Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Plumbeous Seedeater, Bananaquit, Green-winged Saltator, 

Fazenda Agua Limpa Day 9 10.09.2020

  As yesterday we headed out to Cerrado before fieldwork to see if we could find any more interesting species. The Crescentchest was not present, but we spent more of our time in scrubbier Cerrado lower down the hill. Here we had a few nice birds including a farm tick for both of us with Fuscous Flycatcher, a species that I have only seen once before. We also had a female Horned Sungem, which is always a nice species to see.

  The gallery forest was fairly uneventful, although it was nice to see a pair of Plain Antvireo, which are my first of this trip. Afterwards I got to spend an hour at my newly cut observation point at the north end of the reservoir. The Solitary Sandpiper seemed to have moved on but there were still a few birds around including my first Ospreys for the site. At first only a single bird was around, but flying incredibly low and showing off nicely, but it was soon joined by a second bird which showed just as well. A flock of at least 50 Common Waxbill was also a nice treat.

  In the afternoon I decided to explore a new area of Cerrado that even Lia had never explored before. I was optimistic that there might be something new here and this feeling was only enhanced when I found two Collared Crescentchests less than five minutes away from where I left the car. They were much showier that the previous days bird but sadly preferred to stay against the light. Hopefully in future there will be more opportunities to view these stunners. An area of dry Cerrado forest was also nearby and here there were more good birds including a lifer for me; Suiriri Flycatcher! I had three of these noisy flycatchers flying high but they were reluctant to perch for good photos. And then finally I had another new species for the farm with the long overdue Shrike-like Tanager. An extremely productive afternoon rounded off nicely with 13 Nacunda Nighthawks passing over the fields in the evening. 

-Fuscous Flycatcher

-Osprey

-Collared Crescentchest

-Suiriri Flycatcher

-Shrike-like Tanager

Species List:

Fazenda Agua Limpa: Undulated Tinamou, Small-billed Tinamou, Picazuro Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, Scaled Dove, White-tipped Dove, Eared Dove, Guira Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Nacunda Nighthawk, Least Nighthawk, Pauraque, Sick's Swift, Neotropical Palm Swift, White-vented Violetear, Horned Sungem, Southern Lapwing, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Egret, Buff-necked Ibis, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Western Osprey, Plumbeous Kite, Savanna Hawk, Roadside Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Tropical Screech Owl, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Burrowing Owl, Rufous-capped Motmot, Toco Toucan, Channel-billed Toucan, White-wedged Piculet, Campo Flicker, Red-legged Seriema, Southern Crested Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Laughing Falcon, Aplomado Falcon, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Yellow-faced Parrot, Turquoise-fronted Amazon, Peach-fronted Parakeet, White-eyed Parakeet, Plain Antvireo, Black-capped Antwren, Collared Crescentchest, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Rufous Hornero, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Ochre-cheeked Spinetail, Sooty-fronted Spinetail, Helmeted Manakin, Grey-hooded Flycatcher, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Suiriri Flycatcher, Sharp-tailed Grass Tyrant, Plain-crested Elaenia, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Lesser Elaenia, Euler's Flycatcher, Fuscous Flycatcher, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Variegated Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Curl-crested Jay, Blue-and-white Swallow, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Grey-breasted Martin, Masked Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Pale-breasted Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Blacksmith Thrush, Common Waxbill, House Sparrow, Yellowish Pipit, Purple-throated Euphonia, Violaceous Euphonia, Grassland Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Southern Yellowthroat, Golden-crowned Warbler, Flavescent Warbler, Shrike-like Tanager, Black-goggled Tanager, Grey-headed Tanager, White-lined Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager, Swallow Tanager, White-rumped Tanager, Saffron Finch, Wedge-tailed Grass Finch, Blue-black Grassquit, Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Plumbeous Seedeater, White-throated Seedeater, Red Pileated Finch, Bananaquit, Buff-throated Saltator, Green-winged Saltator, Black-striped Capuchin, Crab-eating Fox,