Brazil; Ubatuba - Fazenda Angelim

Our original plan for our last day in Ubatuba was to visit a site an hours drive away to look for the Dusky Leaftosser, but after finding an individual the previous evening this was no longer necessary. And so we decided to return to Fazenda Angelim for the morning as a last look to see if we could find the White-necked Hawk for Lia. Sadly we did not but we did enjoy a number of other nice Atlantic Forest bird species.
In the clearing where with the tourist chalets we found another Buff-throated Purpletuft, proving that this really is the place to look for this tiny bird. We did not get to watch it for as long as the previous time, but we also did not try to bring the bird back after it flew. Otherwise the birds present were very similar to the previous visits we had been on. It was nice to see more Bertoni’s Antwren, as well as a family party of Blue-winged Parrotlets begging their parents to feed them. We heard Spotted Bamboowren but it was deep inside the thickets and we did not try to get the bird out to show for us. In the mixed flocks we also got to watch Olive-Green Tanager feeding, which is a species I have only seen once before. 

-Buff-throated Purpletuft

Species List:

Fazenda Angelim: Plumbeous Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, White-tipped Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo, Saw-billed Hermit, Violet-capped Woodnymph, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Green-backed Trogon, Channel-billed Toucan, White-barred Piculet, Plain Parakeet, Blue-winged Parrotlet, Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Spot-backed Antshrike, Tufted Antshrike, Spot-breasted Antvireo, Plain Antvireo, Unicolored Antwren, Rufous-winged Antwren, Ferruginous Antbird, Bertoni's Antbird, Scaled Antbird, Streak-capped Antwren, Squamate Antbird, Spotted Bamboowren, Rufous-capped Antthrush, Blue Manakin, White-bearded Manakin, Buff-throated Purpletuft, Chestnut-crowned Becard, Whiskered Myiobius, Fork-tailed Tody-Tyrant, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Cliff Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Chivi Vireo, House Wren, Yellow-legged Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Common Waxbill, Red-rumped Cacique, Olive-green Tanager, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Brazilian Tanager, Golden-chevroned Tanager, Palm Tanager, Green-headed Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Double-collared Seedeater, Bananaquit, 

Brazil; Ubatuba - Sitio Folha Seca

With Lia planning to work in the flat for the most part of the day I headed out by myself to the nearby site of Sitio Folha Seca. This site is familiar to us after a few visits during our stay in Ubatuba in March 2020. There were a few species we had missed then that I thought there could be a chance for, plus it was not far from our flat so would be able to rush back in Lia needed me.
I arrived mid-morning, and it was already hot outside the forest, but fortunately under the trees it was cool and a lot of birds were active. My first target species was Uniform Crake. I located a few individuals but they were reluctant to come out of the forest, but eventually I found an individual that might show better. It was extremely shy, allowing me only fleeting views as it scuttled through the undergrowth. Photography was not an option, but I did manage to get a very nice audio recording of the bird as it responded to my playback.
The general birding was excellent, with a lot of mixed flocks featuring good species such as Sao Paulo Tyrannulet, Unicolor Antwren and Pale-browed Treehunter. It was whilst birding along the road that I had my second lifer of the day when a Robust Woodpecker flew across the road and perched up in front of me. It sat for only a few seconds before it vanished into the woods. This species was not on my agenda since it is rare here, and since I always seem to miss it when I am in the suitable habitat.
It was on my way back to the car that I had my best bird of the morning. A large hawk dropped out of the lower canopy and flew across the road before alighting again out of sight. The white tail and head immediately gave me the suspicion that this was the White-necked Hawk, and rare and local species that is difficult to find but most common around Ubatuba. A car suddenly appeared behind me, and realizing I was pushed for time, fired a few photos into the thicket where the bird had landed before approaching. Sadly the bird was shy and flushed again, before flying across the road and into the forest. No amount of searching could find it again, and checking the ‘photos’ it seemed that I had missed the bird, meaning it would be impossible for me to rule out Mantled Hawk, a similar species which is rare at such low altitudes, but still possible. It was only upon my return to the flat and looking at the photos once again that I was able to spot the bird lurking behind the foliage. Although the views are limited, there is enough on show to eliminate Mantled Hawk and confirm that this was in fact the White-necked Hawk.
After such a brilliant morning, Lia and I returned in the evening hoping that the hawk might still be around. We did not find it but did find another special bird in Dusky Leaftosser. Although widespread across South America, in the Atlantic Forest this bird is very local and being a leaftosser can be difficult to locate. We have dipped it before, so we were please with this bird. It showed very well but stayed deep in the understory in near complete darkness, greatly restricting the capacity for photos.

-Dusky Leaftosser

-White-necked Hawk

-Robust Woodpecker

-Molochina Underleaf Butterfly

-Swamp Skimmer

Species List:
Sítio Folha Seca: Squirrel Cuckoo, Black Jacobin, Saw-billed Hermit, Festive Coquette, Brazilian Ruby, Violet-capped Woodnymph, Sombre Hummingbird, Glittering-throated Emerald, Uniform Crake, Slaty-breasted Wood Rail, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Black Hawk-Eagle, White-necked Hawk, East Brazilian Pygmy Owl, Green-backed Trogon, Rufous-capped Motmot, Channel-billed Toucan, White-barred Piculet, Robust Woodpecker, Southern Crested Caracara, Plain Parakeet, Tufted Antshrike, Spot-breasted Antvireo, Unicolored Antwren, Rufous-winged Antwren, Scaled Antbird, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Rufous-capped Antthrush, Dusky Leaftosser, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Lesser Woodcreeper, Plain Xenops, Pale-browed Treehunter, Black-capped Foliage-gleaner, White-eyed Foliage-gleaner, Blue Manakin, White-bearded Manakin, Whiskered Myiobius, Grey-hooded Flycatcher, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Sao Paulo Tyrannulet, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Long-tailed Tyrant, Social Flycatcher, Chivi Vireo, Blue-and-white Swallow, White-necked Thrush, Chestnut-bellied Euphonia, Red-rumped Cacique, Tropical Parula, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Brazilian Tanager, Green-headed Tanager, Red-necked Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Rufous-headed Tanager, Bananaquit,

Brazil; Ubatuba - Fazenda Angelim

We headed back to Fazenda Angelim for a mornings birding before heading to the beach with Lia’s sister. The birding was obviously fantastic once again with many nice Atlantic Forest species. Highlights included Bertoni’s Antbird, Orange-eyed Thornbird and Plumbeous Pigeon. The pigeon is a species I have not seen very often despite it being very widespread across South America. We also had brief views of a Rufous-capped Antthrush, but unfortunately it did not sit out for photos. Sadly, the weather was not as kind to us as it had been on the previous days, with routine short rain showers.
After birding we headed to the beach. Although there was no birding to be had there, on the way back we spotted a pair of Buff-bellied Puffbird sat on the roadside wires, before they moved into open cecropia trees. They were actively flycatching and putting on quite a performance. This species I have only seen once before, so this was an excellent opportunity to observe them.

-Plumbeous Pigeon

-Buff-bellied Puffbird

Species List:
Fazenda Angelim: Plumbeous Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, Grey-rumped Swift, Saw-billed Hermit, Violet-capped Woodnymph, Sombre Hummingbird, White-barred Piculet, Plain Parakeet, Scaly-headed Parrot, Blue-winged Parrotlet, Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Spot-backed Antshrike, Tufted Antshrike, Star-throated Antwren, Spot-breasted Antvireo, Rufous-winged Antwren, Ferruginous Antbird, Bertoni's Antbird, Scaled Antbird, White-shouldered Fire-eye, Squamate Antbird, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Rufous-capped Antthrush, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, White-collared Foliage-gleaner, White-eyed Foliage-gleaner, Orange-eyed Thornbird, Blue Manakin, White-bearded Manakin, Chestnut-crowned Becard, Whiskered Myiobius, Fork-tailed Tody-Tyrant, Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Euler's Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Chivi Vireo, Pale-breasted Thrush, Yellow-legged Thrush, White-necked Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Chestnut-bellied Euphonia, Riverbank Warbler, Flame-crested Tanager, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Brazilian Tanager, Golden-chevroned Tanager, Green-headed Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Rufous-headed Tanager, Double-collared Seedeater, Bananaquit,

Brazil; Ubatuba - Fazenda Angelim

  Due to Lia’s work schedule with the lab, she had a week where work was not possible, and as such we decided to get out of the city. The destination we decided for the week was the small coastal municipality of Ubatuba. We had spent a few days here previously on our trip through the Atlantic Forest but the weather had proven a challenge then and so we had missed out on a lot of things, notably the beach and a number of bird species.
  Although, for the most part, we planned to keep to ourselves by working from our apartment, we had a few sites we planned to visit that we had not been to on our previous visit. From these selected sites, our priority was the Fazenda Angelim just to the north of Ubatuba. I do not know why we did not visit this site on our previous visit, as it is represents one of the best sites to find the elusive and endangered Buff-throated Purpletuft, a tiny cotinga species that perches conspicuously but silently.
  We arrived at around 06.30 in the morning, and quickly made our way into the forest. There was an excellent assortment of Atlantic Forest species including Squamate Antbird, Scaled Antbird and Tufted Antshrike. Fortunately it did not take us long to find a Buff-throated Purpletuft, when Lia spotted a pair feeding in the trees above us. They showed very well allowing us to get excellent views of this species that I have dipped so many times before.
  For the rest of the morning we headed deep into the forest. In addition to the Purpletuft there were potentially three other new species that we thought to be reasonably abundant at this site, but sadly we were not able to find any of them. That said, we did find a couple of other species that were much rarer. First of these were three Salvadori’s Antwren that we found as part of a mixed flock. Although known to occur at this site, this vulnerable species was not recorded in enough abundance to make us think that we had any chance of finding one, so we were extremely pleased to find this bird. Sites that are reliable for this bird and very few and far between, and we dipped it at one of its best strongholds in Bahia. And then the bird showed fantastically well, sitting motionless for at least a minute allowing us to get some nice shots.
  On our way back we found a female type seedeater feeding in Bamboo adjacent to the track. The strongly curved mandible immediately suggested that this was one of the rare forest seedeaters, but we were not certain. It took some reading of the literature and comparison with photos before we were happy that it was a Temminck’s Seedeater; another vulnerable species which is very difficult to find due to the fact that they are seasonal migrants following seeding bamboo, best encountered in September and October. After these three species we were extremely happy with what had a brilliant mornings birding.

-Buff-throated Purpletuft

-Rufous-breasted Leaftosser

-Salvadori's Antwren

-Temminck's Seedeater

Species List:
Fazenda Angelim: White-tipped Dove, Saw-billed Hermit, Reddish Hermit, Violet-capped Woodnymph, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Bicolored Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Green-backed Trogon, Ringed Kingfisher, Channel-billed Toucan, White-barred Piculet, Southern Crested Caracara, Plain Parakeet, Scaly-headed Parrot, Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Spot-backed Antshrike, Tufted Antshrike, Star-throated Antwren, Spot-breasted Antvireo, Plain Antvireo, Salvadori's Antwren, Rufous-winged Antwren, Ferruginous Antbird, Scaled Antbird, White-shouldered Fire-eye, Squamate Antbird, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Rufous-capped Antthrush, Rufous-breasted Leaftosser, Plain-winged Woodcreeper, Lesser Woodcreeper, Plain Xenops, Black-capped Foliage-gleaner, White-eyed Foliage-gleaner, Blue Manakin, White-bearded Manakin, Greenish Schiffornis, Buff-throated Purpletuft, Whiskered Myiobius, Grey-hooded Flycatcher, Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher, Euler's Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Swallow, Pale-breasted Thrush, Yellow-legged Thrush, White-necked Thrush, Chestnut-bellied Euphonia, Red-rumped Cacique, Golden-crowned Warbler, Riverbank Warbler, Red-crowned Ant Tanager, Flame-crested Tanager, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Brazilian Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Green-headed Tanager, Red-necked Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Green Honeycreeper, Saffron Finch, Double-collared Seedeater, Temminck's Seedeater, Bananaquit,

Brazil; Lagoa do Jardim Lenor

  We had a few days at Lia's parents house before heading off to Ubatuba for a few days. The nearby lake and small patch of forest has yeileded a few interesting birds in the past, so it was interesting to see what we could find during our short stay there.
  On the whole the composition of species was similar to normal. Nice exceptions included Yellow-olive Flycatcher in the small patch of woodland, and also a smart pair of Variable Antshrikes in the same location. Species around the lake that were nice included a pair of Rufescent Tiger Heron and the usual Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper which showed very nicely. A Chilean Elaenia which was flycatching from small trees adjacent to the lake was also a nice surprise, being only the second time that I had seen this species. 

  A couple of other patch ticks for Lia were Pale-vented Pigeon and a day roosting Pauraque that we flushed from the small strand of woodland. 

-Rufescent Tiger Heron

-Chalk-browed Mockingbird

-Glittering-bellied Emerald

Species List:
Lagoa do Jardim Leonor: Brazilian Teal, Pale-vented Pigeon, Picazuro Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, White-tipped Dove, Eared Dove, Guira Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Squirrel Cuckoo, Pauraque, Sick's Swift, Black Jacobin, Planalto Hermit, Glittering-bellied Emerald, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Sapphire-spangled Emerald, Slaty-breasted Wood Rail, Common Gallinule, Rufous-sided Crake, Southern Lapwing, Wattled Jacana, Anhinga, Neotropic Cormorant, Rufescent Tiger Heron, Great Egret, Western Cattle Egret, Whistling Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Green Ibis, Buff-necked Ibis, Black Vulture, Roadside Hawk, Toco Toucan, White-barred Piculet, White Woodpecker, White-spotted Woodpecker, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Campo Flicker, Red-legged Seriema, Southern Crested Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Laughing Falcon, Aplomado Falcon, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Blue-winged Parrotlet, White-eyed Parakeet, Barred Antshrike, Variable Antshrike, Rufous Hornero, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Cliff Flycatcher, Southern Beardless Tyrannulet, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Chilean Elaenia, White-crested Tyrannulet, White-rumped Monjita, Streamer-tailed Tyrant, Masked Water Tyrant, Cattle Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Streaked Flycatcher, White-throated Kingbird, Tropical Kingbird, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Curl-crested Jay, Plush-crested Jay, Blue-and-white Swallow, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Grey-breasted Martin, House Wren, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Pale-breasted Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Creamy-bellied Thrush, Common Waxbill, House Sparrow, Purple-throated Euphonia, Hooded Siskin, Grassland Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Variable Oriole, Shiny Cowbird, Chestnut-capped Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Marshbird, Southern Yellowthroat, Tropical Parula, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Palm Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Chestnut-vented Conebill, Saffron Finch, Blue-black Grassquit, Lined Seedeater, Double-collared Seedeater, Bananaquit,