Brazil; Parque Linear Nove de Julho

  We took another morning to visit the wonderful Parque Linear Nove de Julho, the site of many of our recent successes. Tragically our visit today was dampened somewhat by the revelation that the recent rainfall the city had experienced had reduced the ample mud shoreline to nothing more than a sliver, and that it was supporting no waders except for the resident White-backed Stilts. Still, the site has more to offer than just waders and despite this setback we had another brilliant morning here.

  A species we knew to keep an eye open for was Large Elaenia, a large flycatcher species that doesn’t look like much but, for me, would be a lifer. We tried some playback in the car park but instead attracted the attention of two very nice Small-billed Elaenia. This species we saw poorly on our last visit here, and once in Brasilia, but now we had the chance to really inspect this species and I have to say there is a lot to like about these smart little birds. It was not until nearly the end of the morning that we finally found a Large Elaenia flycatching above one of the playing fields. Although we were initially sceptical due to the fact that the bird stubbornly refused to call, its large size and three very obvious wing bars we were satisfied with our identification. This was greatly helped when a second bird arrived and they began to call together. Frustratingly, despite coming extremely close, they were nearly always obscured by vegetation.

  Now that conditions were a bit calmer, we tried again to see the Warbling Doradito that was spending the spring in the park. It came very quickly and we were able to enjoy some excellent views of the bird, although it remained elusive and tricky to get a clear photo of. Of course, the park was filled with waterbirds. The Great Grebes that live in the park were actively commencing their nesting attempts, and some were even displaying to each other very close to the shore, offering us our best views of the species so far. There were good numbers of Silver Teal and White-faced and Fulvous Whistling Ducks. We also had the first Swallow-tailed Kite record for the park, but we were distracted from this by four Barn Swallows that flew past us, birds on their way south from America.

  So we finished the day with another lifer and another fantastic morning birding in the park. There was also a showy Coypu and a distant Capybara to keep the mammal side of things lively as well. 

-Small-billed Elaenia

-Large Elaenia

-Great Grebe

-Warbling Doradito

-Barn Swallow

-Coypu

Species List:
Parque Linear Nove de Julho: White-faced Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Brazilian Teal, Silver Teal, White-cheeked Pintail, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Grebe, Picazuro Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, White-tipped Dove, Eared Dove, Guira Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Sick's Swift, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Ash-throated Crake, Common Gallinule, Red-fronted Coot, White-winged Coot, White-backed Stilt, Southern Lapwing, Wattled Jacana, Neotropic Cormorant, Cocoi Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Western Cattle Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Black Vulture, Swallow-tailed Kite, Burrowing Owl, Ochre-collared Piculet, White Woodpecker, White-spotted Woodpecker, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Crested Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Plain Parakeet, Cobalt-rumped Parrotlet, Rufous Hornero, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Spix's Spinetail, Warbling Doradito, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Small-billed Elaenia, Large Elaenia, White-crested Tyrannulet, Yellow-browed Tyrant, Masked Water Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Streaked Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Swallow, Grey-breasted Martin, Barn Swallow, House Wren, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Pale-breasted Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Creamy-bellied Thrush, Common Waxbill, House Sparrow, Yellowish Pipit, Shiny Cowbird, Southern Yellowthroat, Brazilian Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Coypu, Capybara,

Brazil; Parque Linear Nove de Julho

  It felt like forever since we were last out birding, but in reality it had only been a week. After our initial weekend plans, a pelagic, fell through, we found ourselves at something of a loss as to how to spend our day. We initially decided to visit a nearby Cerrado park that we had not visited before, but then at the last minute we saw that the Warbling Doradito that we had missed at Parque Linear Nove de Julho on our last visit had been seen again the previous day. Since the site is closer and the bird is very rare in Sao Paulo we decided to try again.

  It was an inspired decision in the end. We had a phenomenal morning. At first the weather was overcast and gloomy, with rain in the forecast. But two Red-crested Cardinals landed on one of the rough football pitches, only the second time I have seen this species, that livened things up. Then weather then began to clear and our hot streak began.

  As we crossed an area of rough grassland to the mud where we hoped to find waders, we flushed a bird in front of us. It called twice, which initially drew our attention to it. Clearly a wader, its bizarre body structure and short bill meant it could only really be one species; Upland Sandpiper. We followed to where it landed and tried to approach, but it flushed when we were still quite distant. It flew around us, allowing us to have a good view of the bird, as well as grab some photos. This was the pattern it followed for some time, as despite our best efforts we could not manage to see the bird on the deck. After a while we decided it was no longer worth it and we would only tire a bird that has clearly just arrived from North America. Still, this was my most wanted wader tick and a species I have wanted to see for some time. It is rare in Brazil, especially in Sao Paulo, so to find one was an excellent result. We were buzzing.

  Next we reached the mud where we had initially hoped to find some wading birds. Although at first we struggled, we then picked out a group of small waders that were not the local Lesser Yellowlegs. Through the bins it was clear that two of them were Pectoral Sandpipers, a Brazil tick for me, but the other birds I was less sure of. It was only once we were closer that I felt confident with the identification of White-rumped Sandpiper. This was confirmed not long after when the birds flushed revealing their white rumps. Two juvenile White-rumped Sandpipers and an adult and juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper. A better result than we could possibly have hoped for. Brilliant birding.

  Now we had only one thing left to do, find the Warbling Doradito that we had initially come here to see. In the end we spent a good hour checking patches of waterside vegetation before we eventually found it right next to where we had been viewing the waders from. It was a very elusive bird, not easy to see and generally not vocal. We had some good views of it when it did decide to perch up, but it would then drop back in before we could grab some photos. Still, it was good to see what is a Sao Paulo mega and can be difficult to find even within its range.

  Add in a brilliant backup cast including the resident Great Grebe and Red-fronted Coot, as well as a smart selection of commoner waterbirds. In the park trees we found a Small-billed Elaenia, only the second time I have ever seen this species, and the grasslands were full of Yellowish Pipits. It was absolutely fantastic, and all in the middle of Sao Paulo city. 

-Upland Sandpiper

-Pectoral Sandpiper

-White-rumped Sandpiper

-Warbling Doradito

-Yellowish Pipit

-Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Species List:
Parque Linear Nove de Julho: White-faced Whistling Duck, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Brazilian Teal, White-cheeked Pintail, Great Grebe, Picazuro Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, White-tipped Dove, Eared Dove, Guira Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Squirrel Cuckoo, Sick's Swift, Ash-throated Crake, Common Gallinule, Red-fronted Coot, Rufous-sided Crake, White-backed Stilt, Southern Lapwing, Wattled Jacana, Upland Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, South American Snipe, Lesser Yellowlegs, Neotropic Cormorant, Cocoi Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Western Cattle Egret, Bare-faced Ibis, Black Vulture, Snail Kite, Burrowing Owl, White Woodpecker, Crested Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Plain Parakeet, Turquoise-fronted Amazon, Cobalt-rumped Parrotlet, Rufous Hornero, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Warbling Doradito, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Small-billed Elaenia, Masked Water Tyrant, Cattle Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Streaked Flycatcher, Variegated Flycatcher, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Swallow, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Grey-breasted Martin, Barn Swallow, House Wren, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Rufous-bellied Thrush, House Sparrow, Yellowish Pipit, Shiny Cowbird, Chestnut-capped Blackbird, Southern Yellowthroat, Red-crested Cardinal, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Saffron Finch, Capybara, 

Brazil; Parque Estadual da Cantareira

  Today was eBird big day, which some people take excessively seriously. I am not one of those people, but it served as a nice excuse, as if one were ever needed, to take the morning out birding with Lia. There are not so many new species within the nearby Sao Paulo area for me anymore, but one that I had my eye on for a while was Southern Bristle Tyrant in PE da Cantareira just to the north of the city. This small tyrannulet is widespread but very scarce and nowhere is it abundant, except in this park for some reason. So we headed there to see if we could find it.

  The park is a large expanse of secondary forest, with well constructed trails that largely border a small reservoir. We spent a couple of hours birding the trails and enjoying some excellent birding, with a wide range of Atlantic Forest species on offer, such as Spot-backed Antshrike, White-eyed Foliage-Gleaner and Black-goggled Tanager. In total we managed to find 61 species for the day. A troop of Coati that crossed the road in front of us was also very enjoyable to see.

  And we were indeed able to find a Southern Bristle Tyrant. By the end of our walk, when the rain started, we had managed to find three. They were vocal and often came close but were always in the mid-storey of the canopy, never coming low for good photos. In addition, the grey sky meant poor light conditions within the forest, so there was no real opportunity to get good photos. Still it was nice to be able to view the bird, taking in its stunning facial pattern and delicate call.

-Southern Bristle Tyrant

Species List:
Parque Estadual da Cantareira: Pied-billed Grebe, Picazuro Pigeon, White-tipped Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo, Scale-throated Hermit, Slaty-breasted Wood Rail, Southern Lapwing, Black Vulture, Green-billed Toucan, White-barred Piculet, White-spotted Woodpecker, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Plain Parakeet, Scaly-headed Parrot, Spot-backed Antshrike, Plain Antvireo, Rufous-margined Antwren, Ferruginous Antbird, Squamate Antbird, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Lesser Woodcreeper, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, White-eyed Foliage-gleaner, Pallid Spinetail, Rufous-capped Spinetail, Blue Manakin, Greenish Schiffornis, White-throated Spadebill, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Southern Bristle Tyrant, Eared Pygmy Tyrant, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Olivaceous Elaenia, Euler's Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Streaked Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Chivi Vireo, Blue-and-white Swallow, House Wren, Pale-breasted Thrush, White-necked Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Creamy-bellied Thrush, Chestnut-bellied Euphonia, Shiny Cowbird, Southern Yellowthroat, Tropical Parula, Golden-crowned Warbler, White-rimmed Warbler, Black-goggled Tanager, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Golden-chevroned Tanager, Chestnut-vented Conebill, Bananaquit, South American Coati,

Brazil; Parque Linear Nove de Julho

  With Lia being unable to visit the lab today, due to another student visiting, we took the morning to do a short birding trip is Sao Paulo. Our chosen destination was the familiar Parque Linear Nove de Julho, which we had visited before and did not require much effort in birding. We had seen the previous day that a White-winged Coot had been seen here, so we decided to make it our location for the morning to try and twitch this rare vagrant from the south.

  It did not take us long to find the White-winged Coot among the sea of Common Gallinules. It was nice enough, but at the end of the day it’s just a coot, which will always be little more than a variation on a theme. The other rare coot, Red-fronted Coot that we had seen before on our visit, was also still present. The Great Grebes, the species that make this location so notable to birdwatchers, were also on fine form, some coming much closer than they had on our last visit here.

  The real highlight for me at least was the ample shoreline due to the low water level, and the potential for migrant birds. This paid off, as on a particularly grim area of mud I spotted a cracking juvenile American Golden Plover among the Common Gallinules and White-backed Stilts. This is the first time I have seen this species in Brazil, and well overdue. There were also four Lesser Yellowlegs around, which are not as uncommon but still a pleasure to see. 

-American Golden Plover

-Lesser Yellowlegs

-White-backed Stilt

-Great Grebe

-White-winged Coot

-White-faced Whistling-Duck

Species List:
Parque Linear Nove de Julho: White-faced Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Brazilian Teal, Silver Teal, White-cheeked Pintail, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Grebe, Ruddy Ground Dove, Guira Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Sick's Swift, Ash-throated Crake, Common Gallinule, Red-fronted Coot, White-winged Coot, White-backed Stilt, American Golden Plover, Southern Lapwing, Wattled Jacana, Lesser Yellowlegs, Neotropic Cormorant, Cocoi Heron, Great Egret, Western Cattle Egret, Striated Heron, Black Vulture, Roadside Hawk, Campo Flicker, Crested Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Plain Parakeet, Rufous Hornero, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Masked Water Tyrant, Cattle Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Streaked Flycatcher, Variegated Flycatcher, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Swallow, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Creamy-bellied Thrush, House Sparrow, Yellowish Pipit, Shiny Cowbird, Sayaca Tanager, 

Brazil; Reserva Caetés

  While we were with Alex Mesquita looking at the Atlantic Royal Flycatcher, he casually mentioned that he had been to visit the recently discovered nest site of the Cherry-throated Tanager in Espirito Santo, the only known place for this critically engendered species, that Lia and I notably dipped in 2019. As a result of this conversation, Lia decided that we were going to try.

  The reserve is a solid 12 hour drive from Sao Paulo, but the rarity of the bird and the special nature of the encounter was too good an opportunity to miss out on. The drive was long and grueling but we eventually arrived in Espirito Santo battered and exhausted. It did not get any better though, as we were heading out at 04:30 when the researchers would pick us up, so that we could be with the Tanagers for the full day.

  The previous day the nestlings had a premature fledgling courtesy of a toucanet that had attempted to predate them. However they were still very recently out of the nest and as such we were able to find them very quickly being attended to by all six of the known adult birds at the site. For the first few hours they were faithful to the same area, with the fledglings taking refuge in thicker areas of the canopy. However, as the morning wore on the adults began to move the fledglings through the canopy, leading us on a wild chase to follow them.

  Throughout the rest of the day we followed the group of nine birds to observe their behavior and ensure the safety of the fledglings. This was often hard work involving cutting through thick areas of bamboo with a machete and climbing the steep banks of the valley. However, we were able to stay with the birds all day, following them until they roosted in the evening.

  It is a great privilege to have been able to visit this reserve and see the nest site. With a global population of just 14 individuals, and having missed it so painfully in the past, this really was an opportunity that could not be missed. The birds themselves were absolutely stunning and it was a pleasure to be able to spend all day with them, observing and recording their behaviors with the team working to keep the species from going extinct.

  In addition, we had other good birds here. White-bibbed Antbird was a species that we had seen on our last visit here, but it does not occur at many sites and its strikingly beautiful. It was good to connect with it again while we were here. At the end of the day we returned to the road and heard a distant parrot calling. I mused that it sounded not too dissimilar to Golden-tailed Parrotlet which occurs at this site but in low numbers. I played the call and got an immediate response from the bird, which flew over us calling loudly before perching in a nearby tree where we were able to spend some time watching it. This was a new species for both of us and was an excellent bonus for the day. And then, as we were driving out of the reserve we had a Long-trained Nightjar sat in the middle of the road. Although it did not sit still for long, it came back once with tape and we got fantastic views as it flew over our heads. This was yet another new species for both of us. And then, to wrap it all off, we had a Common Potoo perched on a roadside fencepost.

  There was another addition to the day, when in the early evening we took a short break from the tanagers to look for an endemic toad in another area of the reserve. The toad, Vargem Alta Flea Toad Brachycephalus alipioi is endemic to the remaining forest fragments in this area and is sneaky and difficult to find in the leaflitter. Thankfully we had the sharp eyes of the Tanager researchers who found us one of these stunning golden amphibians. And the site is also home to the critically endangered Buffy-headed Marmoset, which we saw breifly, to really top off an outstanding day.

-Cherry-throated Tanager

-Bare-throated Bellbird

-White-bibbed Antbird

-Golden-tailed Parrotlet

-Brachycephalus alipioi

-Haddadus binotatus

-Scinax kautskyi

-Yarará Lancehead

-Long-trained Nightjar

-Common Potoo

Species List:
Reserva Caetés: Brown Tinamou, Dusky-legged Guan, Plumbeous Pigeon, White-tipped Dove, Black Jacobin, Brazilian Ruby, White-throated Hummingbird, Black Vulture, Surucua Trogon, Channel-billed Toucan, Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, Barred Forest Falcon, Crested Caracara, Golden-tailed Parrotlet, Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Star-throated Antwren, Spot-breasted Antvireo, Scaled Antbird, White-bibbed Antbird, Cryptic Antthrush, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Scaled Woodcreeper, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Pallid Spinetail, Rufous-capped Spinetail, Blue Manakin, Pin-tailed Manakin, Hooded Berryeater, Bare-throated Bellbird, Black-tailed Tityra, Greenish Schiffornis, Chestnut-crowned Becard, Sharpbill, White-throated Spadebill, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Drab-breasted Bamboo Tyrant, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Euler's Flycatcher, Tropical Pewee, Sibilant Sirystes, Streaked Flycatcher, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Pale-breasted Thrush, Chestnut-bellied Euphonia, Red-rumped Cacique, Golden-crowned Warbler, Cherry-throated Tanager, Gilt-edged Tanager, Rufous-headed Tanager, Crab-eating Fox, Buffy-headed Marmoset,