Brazil; Vitoria

  We had to return the car we had hired in the evening, and we would then be taking the coach overnight to Sao Paulo, thus ending our travels in Brazil until I return at the end of the year. We did not need the car on this day, but it allowed us to do a few things in Vitoria.

  We spent the morning with a friend of Ed’s who lived in the city. He took us to a small feeding station he had set up, which had a few nice bits including a very confiding pair of Blonde-crested Woodpeckers and a nice pair of Straight-billed Woodcreepers. In the mangroves adjacent there was also a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and a few Bicolored Conebill were whizzing around.

   He told us about a spot to try in the afternoon for Oystercatcher. Although this is obviously not a rare bird we did not have anything else to do, so after a visit to a turtle sanctuary after lunch, we headed there. And we had a lovely afternoon. Not only did we count 161 American Oystercatchers roosting together extremely close, but there was also a summer plumaged Spotted Sandpiper. And offshore there were a few Brown Booby, Cayenne Tern and impressive numbers of Green Sea Turtles, with at least five different individuals. It was an absolutely splendid way to round off our travels before we return to the big city.

-Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

-Creamy-bellied Thrush

-Blonde-crested Woodpecker

-Straight-billed Woodcreeper

-Spotted Sandpiper

-American Oystercatcher

-Green Sea Turtle

Species List:
Vitoria: Feral Pigeon, Picazuro Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, Grey-cowled Wood Rail, American Oystercatcher, Semipalmated Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, Royal Tern, Cabot's Tern, Magnificent Frigatebird, Brown Booby, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Roadside Hawk, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Crested Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Masked Water Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Tropical Mockingbird, Pale-breasted Thrush, Creamy-bellied Thrush, House Sparrow, Purple-throated Euphonia, Red-cowled Cardinal, Sayaca Tanager, Palm Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Bicolored Conebill, Saffron Finch, Bananaquit, 

Brazil; Reserva Natural da Vale do Rio Doce - Day 2

Since we did not know the day we would be able to arrange access to the reserve, we decided to stay a couple of days in the area to ensure we would be able to visit the reserve. Since we visited on the first day we could, we had an additional day free. With access to the reserve difficult, we found a farm track through another area of forest nearby and decided to bird this instead.

The birding was nice, but unexceptional. The undoubted highlight was a Solitary Tinamou that we spotted creeping through the understory. We also spotted at least two Red-rumped Agoutis crossing the road, and a family party of Crested Capuchin, but otherwise there was nothing exceptional to report.

We spent the afternoon relaxing in the hotel room, recovering from the last weeks travelling.

-Ingram's Squirrel

-Porto Alegre Golden-eyed Tree Frog

-Crested Capuchin

-Red-rumped Agouti

Species List:
Reserva Natural da Vale do Rio Doce: Solitary Tinamou, Pale-vented Pigeon, White-tipped Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo, Minute Hermit, Black Vulture, Roadside Hawk, East Brazilian Pygmy Owl, Red-stained Woodpecker, Robust Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Woodpecker, Plain Parakeet, White-eared Parakeet, Sooretama Slaty Antshrike, Silvery-flanked Antwren, Rufous-margined Antwren, White-shouldered Fire-eye, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Lesser Woodcreeper, Streaked Xenops, Brown-winged Schiffornis, Black-capped Becard, Crested Becard, Eared Pygmy Tyrant, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Sibilant Sirystes, Greyish Mourner, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Chivi Vireo, Thrush-like Wren, Tropical Parula, Flame-crested Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Rufous-headed Tanager, Chestnut-vented Conebill, 

Brazil; Reserva Natural da Vale do Rio Doce - Day 1

We had made the short addition of Espírito Santo to our itinerary to visit one very well-known reserve with a number of target species; VALE! And today was the day that we made the visit. Although in an ideal world we would have enjoyed a few days here, the cost of the necessary guide and the fact that the reserve lodging itself was shut, meant that it did not make sense economically to spent more than a single day here. The guide we hired was a young lad called Gabriel, and he was truly excellent. Thanks to a successful visit to Veracel in the days previous, there were only a few species for us to target, and he managed to show us almost all of them.

The key species for the reserve is the Red-billed Currasow. A large turkey-sized bird that is only found in two reserves, of which only here is accessible. Although Gabriel warned us ahead of time that they can be tricky at this time of year, we found two males walking around the entrance gate within a few minutes of arriving. We later found three more males in the forest, which make these the first Currasows I have seen that seemed to actually behave like wild birds. They were brilliant.

The entrance to the reserve is also where we found the reserves rare parrot species. Although we had seen all of them before, we wanted to see them again to get better views. And we managed to do that with Red-browed and Mealy Amazon Parrot showing very nicely, as well as a sizeable flock of Ochre-marked Parakeets. But perhaps the standout was a medium-sized flock of White-cheeked Parakeets, which came extremely close and showed unbelievably well.

In the forest we spent the day hunting down various targets. First Gabriel found us ‘Atlantic Black-bellied’ Ringed Woodpecker, a subspecies endemic to the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, and an absolute stunner to boot. We then travelled deep into the forest, along the way encountering my first wild Peccaries, as well as some South American Coatis. Deep in the forest, we found all the remaining birds; Collared Trogon, Cocoa Thrush and Cinereous Mourner, the latter being my 800^th species in Brazil. On the way back we found a stunning Tortoise drinking from a roadside pool but failed to find the roosting Great Potoo that Gabriel told us was sometimes around. Other nice birds we saw during the day included a typically elusive Ruddy Quail-Dove, Minute Hermit, Greyish Elaenia and Buff-throated Woodcreeper.

And then, to wrap things up, we found a feeding group of the very rare Crested Capuchin monkeys. Bringing to close a truly excellent days birding. Even despite the costs, I would be tempted to return during the breeding season to get a full flavour of this excellent reserve.

-Red-billed Curassow

-Red-browed Amazon

-White-eared Parakeet

-Ringed Woodpecker

-Cinereous Mourner

-Cocoa Thrush

-Collared Trogon

-White-lipped Peccary

-Brazilian Giant Tortoise

Species List:

Reserva Natural da Vale do Rio Doce: Red-billed Curassow, Picazuro Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, Scaled Dove, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Greater Ani, Squirrel Cuckoo, Sick's Swift, Grey-rumped Swift, Minute Hermit, King Vulture, Black Vulture, Grey-headed Kite, Roadside Hawk, East Brazilian Pygmy Owl, Green-backed Trogon, Collared Trogon, Swallow-winged Puffbird, Channel-billed Toucan, White-barred Piculet, Red-stained Woodpecker, Robust Woodpecker, Ringed Woodpecker, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Woodpecker, Collared Forest Falcon, Crested Caracara, Plain Parakeet, Red-browed Amazon, Southern Mealy Amazon, Orange-winged Amazon, Ochre-marked Parakeet, White-eared Parakeet, Sooretama Slaty Antshrike, Silvery-flanked Antwren, Rufous-margined Antwren, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Rufous-capped Antthrush, Plain-winged Woodcreeper, Lesser Woodcreeper, Buff-throated Woodcreeper, Plain Xenops, Streaked Xenops, Red-headed Manakin, Black-headed Berryeater, Screaming Piha, Brown-winged Schiffornis, Cinereous Mourner, Black-capped Becard, Crested Becard, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Eared Pygmy Tyrant, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Grey-crowned Flatbill, Southern Beardless Tyrannulet, Grey Elaenia, Masked Water Tyrant, Bright-rumped Attila, Sibilant Sirystes, Greyish Mourner, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Piratic Flycatcher, Variegated Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Chivi Vireo, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, House Wren, Thrush-like Wren, Cocoa Thrush, Purple-throated Euphonia, Violaceous Euphonia, Red-rumped Cacique, Tropical Parula, Red-crowned Ant Tanager, Yellow-green Grosbeak, Flame-crested Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, Swallow Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Yellow-backed Tanager, Chestnut-vented Conebill, Saffron Finch, Blue-black Grassquit, Double-collared Seedeater, Bananaquit, 

Brazil; Estação de Biologia Marinha Augusto Ruschi

Having wrapped up our birding in Bahia, we next moved on to Espirito Santo, a state just to the south. We took a coach from the lodging in Porto Seguro to Vitoria, travelling overnight to make the most of our time, where we would hire a car and then attempt to catch up with a few target species in the nearby area over the next few days.

Our first destination was a small reserve with a well-known hummingbird feeder set up in the garden, just an hour north of Vitoria. However, we were devastated to learn that due to the time of year, the feeders were deserted, with the birds off in the forest feeding on natural flowers. Despite this development, we decided to visit anyway. And this decision paid off, as we were still able to find our key target, the delightful Minute Hermit. When we found one I have to say I was a little disappointed, as I expected the bird to be smaller. This disappointment was quickly forgotten when we spent an extended period of time watching a male’s elaborate display to a perched female. He would hover consistently, before swinging side to side in the air. It kept this up for so long, it must have been exhausting for him, but amazing for us to witness.

Given how exhausted we were from the nights travelling, we made our move to our hotel after lunch, to rest during the afternoon. On the way, we passed a few small water bodies, and on one Lia spotted a tern hawking. We pulled over and after a short scan we picked up the bird perched on a semi-submerged fence post. It was a pleasant surprise to see that it was a Large-billed Tern, which is a new species for me. We ultimately got to watch two individuals flying around over the pond before they flew away over the fields. Unbeknownst to us, there was a large river just over the fields, and when we crossed the bridge with the car, we had three more Large-billed Terns fly over us.

-White-crowned Manakin

-Minute Hermit

-Large-billed Tern

Species List:
Estação de Biologia Marinha Augusto Ruschi: Ruddy Ground Dove, Scaled Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo, Minute Hermit, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Versicolored Emerald, Black Vulture, Roadside Hawk, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, White-barred Piculet, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Sooretama Slaty Antshrike, White-crowned Manakin, Eared Pygmy Tyrant, Ochre-lored Flatbill, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Blue-and-white Swallow, Moustached Wren, Pale-breasted Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Purple-throated Euphonia, Red-rumped Cacique, Bananaquit,

Brazil; Porto Seguro - Day 2

We woke early and headed straight to the reserve, running on a breakfast of dry cereal and energy drink. This paid off, as we were able to bag a few more of our targets, and by the time the morning was done we had landed the key targets that we would not be able to find at subsequent stops.

First on the agenda was Ochre-marked Parakeet. We had a few parakeets flying round during the morning, but they were either Peach-fronted Parakeet or Plain Parakeet. When we finally found a flock of Ochre-marked Parakeet they approached silently before landing in the trees adjacent to the road. Although we could not approach close, we were still able to get excellent views of them as they moved around the bushes. This flock then departed into the forest. We later had another flock fly over the road, but these did not stop.

As the morning warmed up we moved on the clearing where we had been birding and into the forest. Here we had our next target when we heard a Hook-billed Hermit whizzing through the understory. With a little playback the bird returned, and this time he perched allowing us to get excellent views of the this very rare and range-restricted species. There was another lifer for me in this thicker forest, with a very showy Buff-throated Woodcreeper, but this species is more common and widespread. And finally there was a Brazil tick for me with Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, which I have seen before in Colombia but is always a delight to encounter.

The afternoon was very quiet, but the night was excellent. Although we failed to find our key target, the elusive White-winged Potoo, we still had an excellent time birding. The undoubted highlight was once again seeing the Great Potoo that we had seen briefly on our first night. It took some time and climbing through the vegetation, but we did eventually see one perched high up in the canopy, an absolute behemoth of a bird. There was also a very nice and approachable Common Potoo on the edge of the clearing, showing very well. And then, as we were leaving, we found an Ocellated Poorwill in the forest. Once again we had to enter the woods to find it, but this endeavor was successful as we found the bird perched atop a large palm frond. An excellent way to wrap up this section of our trip.

-Northern Atlantic Forest Three-toed Sloth

-Ochre-marked Parakeet

-Buff-throated Woodcreeper

-Hook-billed Hermit

-White-winged Cotinga

-Green-backed Trogon

-Black-headed Berryeater

-Reichenow's Blue-headed Parrot

-Tree Frog

-Common Potoo

-Great Potoo

-Ocellated Poorwill

Species List:
RPPN Estação Veracel: Solitary Tinamou, Scaled Pigeon, Squirrel Cuckoo, Pauraque, Ocellated Poorwill, Great Potoo, Common Potoo, Grey-rumped Swift, Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, Hook-billed Hermit, Reddish Hermit, Black-eared Fairy, Violet-capped Woodnymph, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Rufous-throated Sapphire, Blue-chinned Sapphire, King Vulture, Black Vulture, Snail Kite, Roadside Hawk, Black-capped Screech Owl, Tawny-browed Owl, East Brazilian Pygmy Owl, Green-backed Trogon, Swallow-winged Puffbird, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Golden-spangled Piculet, Yellow-headed Caracara, Plain Parakeet, Blue-headed Parrot, Orange-winged Amazon, Ochre-marked Parakeet, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Sooretama Slaty Antshrike, Silvery-flanked Antwren, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Buff-throated Woodcreeper, White-bearded Manakin, Kinglet Manakin, White-crowned Manakin, Red-headed Manakin, Black-headed Berryeater, Screaming Piha, White-winged Cotinga, Brown-winged Schiffornis, Black-capped Becard, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Southern Beardless Tyrannulet, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Greyish Mourner, Short-crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Violaceous Euphonia, Red-rumped Cacique, Yellow-green Grosbeak, Palm Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, Opal-rumped Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Green Honeycreeper, Bananaquit, Buff-throated Saltator,