Brazil; Alagoas - ESEC Murici week 1; 14th - 21st

  The first week in the forest of Murici was certainly the most challenging, as we searched all the areas for new nests and territories of the birds we were looking for. But it was also very rewarding as even I managed to find some nests, including two nests of Black Jacobin and a nest of Long-billed Gnatwren. Sadly, while the Jacobins both continued with their eggs, the Gnatwrens were predated within 48 hours of their discovery.

  The privilege of working in this reserve is that while most visitors are restricted to the main trail, our work took us deep into the forest, especially focusing our work on the deep river valleys that are otherwise inaccessible. It was in one of these ravines that we found our first and only Black-tailed Leaftosser of the week, when one showed incredibly well on the 19^th. Other species which are rare in the forest but we encountered a few times included Todd’s Amazonian Woodcreeper, which we saw on three different occasions, White-winged Cotinga which we saw twice and Rufous-thighed Kite, which surprisingly had a nest not too far from where we were staying.

  During this first week we were kept very busy surveying areas, but on a few occasions we had time to visit the forest border at the end of the day to scan for raptors. And it was during these initial periods that my attention was drawn to the Swifts flying over the forest. On a previous visit I had recorded the first WikiAves registrations of Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, and these continued to be present now as well, but distant Chaetura swifts certainly had my interest, although it would be another week before I was able to identify them. It was also at the forest border that on the 21^st we found a brilliant Rufous Nightjar showing.

  Of course, ESEC Murici is famous for its critically endangered species, and while I cannot reveal too much about its key target, some of the others were a bit showier. It took us all of 11 days last time to see the endemic, soon-to-be split, Black-throated Trogon but we managed to see one after just three days on this occasion. The screech owl did not put in any performances at all, which was frustrating.

  In contrast to last time, there was much less action from other forest residents as well. We saw no mammals, very much the same assortment of frogs and only a few reptiles. Snakes were certainly an improvement with two in the first two days; Lichtenstein's Green Racer on the 14^th and then a Xenodon sp. on the 15^th. But the highlight was on the 20^th when I stumbled across a stunning Aesculapian False Coral Snake. It sat for a few minutes before it slithered off into the leaflitter. Given we only saw a single Boa Constrictor last time, we were already ahead in the snake stakes. 

-Black-cheeked Gnateater

-Amazonian Barred Woodcreeper

-Alagoas Black-throated Trogon

-Rufous-thighed Kite

-Silvery-flanked Antwren

-White-lined Tanager

-Southern White-fringed Antwren

-Rufous Nightjar

-White-winged Cotinga

-Black-tailed Leaftosser

-Scalloped Antbird

-Reddish Hermit

-Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

-Vampyressa pusilla

-Dryadosaura nordestina

-Lichtenstein's Green Racer

-Aesculapian False Coral Snake

-Elegant Forest Tree Frog

-Renal Smooth-horned Frog

-Tropidacris cristata

-Moth

Species List:

ESEC Murici: Solitary Tinamou, Scaled Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove, Ruddy Quail-Dove, White-tipped Dove, Grey-fronted Dove, Smooth-billed Ani, Squirrel Cuckoo, Short-tailed Nighthawk, Pauraque, Rufous Nightjar, Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, Black Jacobin, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Reddish Hermit, Planalto Hermit, Long-tailed Woodnymph, White-chinned Sapphire, Southern Lapwing, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Black Hawk-Eagle, Rufous-thighed Kite, Plumbeous Kite, Roadside Hawk, Mantled Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Mottled Owl, Black-throated Trogon, Black-necked Aracari, Channel-billed Toucan, Golden-spangled Piculet, Red-stained Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Woodpecker, Collared Forest Falcon, Crested Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Blue-headed Parrot, Red-shouldered Macaw, White-shouldered Antshrike, Plain Antvireo, Silvery-flanked Antwren, Alagoas Antwren, Rusty-winged Antwren, Southern White-fringed Antwren, Scaled Antbird, Orange-bellied Antwren, East Amazonian Fire-eye, Scalloped Antbird, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Black-tailed Leaftosser, Amazonian Barred Woodcreeper, Ceara Woodcreeper, Plain Xenops, Pernambuco Foliage-gleaner, Blue-backed Manakin, White-bearded Manakin, Red-headed Manakin, Screaming Piha, White-winged Cotinga, Brown-winged Schiffornis, Buff-throated Purpletuft, White-throated Spadebill, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, White-bellied Tody-Tyrant, Olivaceous Flatbill, Ochre-lored Flatbill, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Euler's Flycatcher, Bright-rumped Attila, Greyish Mourner, Short-crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Chivi Vireo, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Trilling Gnatwren, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Moustached Wren, Pale-breasted Thrush, Yellowish Pipit, Violaceous Euphonia, Grassland Sparrow, Red-crowned Ant Tanager, Yellow-green Grosbeak, Flame-crested Tanager, White-lined Tanager, Palm Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager, Seven-colored Tanager, Red-necked Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Green Honeycreeper, Yellow-backed Tanager, Wedge-tailed Grass Finch, Blue-black Grassquit, Bananaquit, Buff-throated Saltator,