Atlantic Forests, the Amazon and the Pantanal.
1 - 15 August 2008 (Rio de Janeiro /
Sao Paulo)
led by Colin Bushell.
Brazil is arguably one of the world’s top destinations for a birding tour and Toucan Birding Tours will take full advantage of the best it has to offer this year. Our latest Brazil tour treats us to a “taster” of Atlantic Forest birding near Rio de Janeiro introducing us to a good selection of regional and country endemics over a range of bird families. Hummingbirds like Black Jacobin and Brazilian Ruby, Spot-billed Toucanet, Blue Manakin and colourful Green-headed Tanagers can be expected at our first locality,
the
Guapi Assu Bird Lodge.
Located in the heart of a private Atlantic Forest reserve, we’ll use the lodge as a base to explore the surrounding hill forests and wetlands. This is surely one of the prime localities to see the sought-after Elegant Mourner and we’ll make every effort to see this rarely encountered cotinga.
Once we have “acclimatised” to our new surroundings and its wealthy avifauna we’ll begin to search out some of the rarities the region has to offer such as Grey-winged Cotinga and Three-toed Jacamar.
From the coastal mountains we’ll move inland to the Amazon at Carajas in the state of Para, stopping in the capital en route. We’ll spend a night in Brasilia (to avoid the risk of misconnecting flights to Carajas) enabling us to sample some of the birds of central Brazil’s forests and Cerrado. On arrival at Carajas we’ll have five full days to experience the magic of birding in a pristine rainforest.
We will take time to locate some of the special birds that the state of Para has to offer as well as the “classic” Amazon birds like toucans, macaws, jacamars and tanagers. Top of our list will be the stunning Black-chested-Tyrant but White-tailed Cotinga, Guianan Red-Cotinga, White Bellbird, Opal-crowned Manakin and Black-bellied Gnateater are good appetisers! Recently described species such as the Cryptic Forest-Falcon and Para Foliage-gleaner are here too – birds that have yet to appear in any published field-guide.
Although departing from Carajas will be difficult the blow will be softened by the prospect of the Pantanal and its Hyacinth Macaws in the last chapter of our Brazilian adventure. Easy to moderate walking, mostly on flat terrain except near Guapi Assu (still not difficult). Expect warm weather with the chance of showers. Good standard of accommodation.
Group size: Limited to 10 participants.
Price: £2695.00 from Rio de Janeiro
Single room supplement: £235.00
Includes: All transportation and transfers with the group in Brazil, accommodation from day 1 to the night of day 13, all meals from lunch day 1 to lunch day 14, services of Toucan Birding Tours leader and local guides, gratuities to local guides, drivers.
Not included: International airfare, airport departure tax, beverages with meals, drinks (water will be available on the bus), and gratuities to hotel staff, phone calls, and items of a personal nature.
ITINERARY
Day 1. Arrival late evening in Rio de Janeiro and transfer to Guapi Assu (approx. 1.5 hours). A private transfer can be arranged for participants arriving early on Day 1.
Please contact the Toucan Birding Tours office for details.
Day 2. We’ll be starting our tour here in Atlantic Forests – a rapidly diminishing habitat due to the rampant deforestation of southeast Brazil during the last century. “Pockets” of Atlantic Forest are nevertheless excellent for birding as they offer a haven for restricted range species and we can hope to see Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Scaly-headed Parrot, Saw-billed Hermit, Black Jacobin, Violet-capped Woodnymph, Sombre hummingbird, Spot-billed Toucanet, Spot-breasted Antvireo, Star-throated Antwren, Scaled Antbird, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Blue (Swallow-tailed) Manakin, Eye-ringed Tody Flycatcher, Yellow-lored Tody Flycatcher, Grey-hooded Attila, Red-necked, Golden-chevroned, Green-headed, Brazilian and Ruby-crowned Tanagers and Black-throated Grosbeak. We’ll be hoping to locate an Elegant Mourner on the reserve as Guapi Assu is undoubtedly one of the best sites for this scarce species in the Neotropics. Overnight at the Guapi Assu Bird Lodge.
Day 3. This morning we drive towards Nova Friburgo and start gaining altitude where our two target birds are the rare Grey-winged Cotinga and the Itatiaia Thistletail. Other higher elevation Atlantic Forest species we can hope to see include Plovercrest, White-throated Hummingbird, Brazilian Ruby, Yellow-browed Woodpecker, Pallid Spinetail, Large-tailed Antshrike, Rufous-backed Antvireo, Rufous-tailed Antbird, Brazilian Antthrush, Mouse-coloured Tapaculo, Black and Gold Cotinga, Serra do Mar Tyrant Manakin, Serra do Mar Tyrannulet, Blue-billed Black-Tyrant, Velvety Black-Tyrant, Chestnut-headed and Brassy-breasted Tanager, Bay-chested Warbling Finch and Thick-billed Saltator. This afternoon we’ll go in search of Three-toed Jacamar. We have several places to look for this bird and if successful we may get time to find Rio de Janeiro Antbird too in the nearby woodlots. Overnight at the lodge after a fantastic day’s birding in the Atlantic Forests.
Day 4. Early start to return to Rio for our flight to Brasilia this morning. On arrival in Brasilia we’ll be met and taken to our hotel for the night. We’ll spend the rest of the day birding in the forested grounds near the hotel. The forest here is very productive with Planalto Foliage-Gleaner present, a bird restricted to central Brazil and north-eastern Paraguay. Other attractions here include the retiring Rusty-breasted Nunlet and we’ll check the nearby Cerrado for Yellow-faced Parrot, Chapada Flycatcher and possibly Campo Miner.
Day 5. Morning flight to Carajas in the Amazon. We’ll drive to our hotel (excellent accommodation for the Amazon with air-conditioning, hot showers and good food) and in the afternoon we’ll go birding in the forested grounds nearby.
Days 6 – 10. Five full days to explore the primary terra firme forest and the varzea forest of the lower park. Sandwiched between the Rio Zingu and Rio Tocantins this forest reserve is the home of many regional endemics. Using the miles of practically unused forest roads, we’ll make the most of our birding time with box-lunches to take into the field. The relatively undisturbed environment here means that big mammals such as Jaguar and Short-eared Dog have been seen here and Harpy and Crested Eagles are seen with some regularity too. Over the next few days we have a chance to see many specialities of this region and the enigmatic Black-chested Tyrant will be high on our “wish list”. Very few ornithologists have seen this attractive orange and black flycatcher but we will concentrate our efforts on its microhabitat during our stay here to maximise our chances of seeing this important bird. Other attractions include White-crested Guan, Black-bellied Gnateater, Blackish Pewee, Opal-crowned Manakin, White Bellbird and White-tailed and Purple-breasted Cotingas here too.
As with all our Amazonian tours we’ll see a large number of species on this tour. However, we’ll concentrate on securing the best views possible and time may be spent with foraging understory flocks or roving ground-dwelling antbird parties. With luck we’ll see the Para Foliage-gleaner, Brigada’s Woodcreeper, Fiery-tailed Awlbill, Glossy and Natterer’s Slaty-Antshrikes, Chestnut-throated Spinetail, Rose-breasted Chat or even a Red-billed Pied Tanager in the canopy flock. Some of the more sluggish forest inhabitants like Rufous-necked and Collared Puffbirds are present and their near cousins are well represented in the form of Brown, Paradise, Great and Blue-cheeked Jacamars. Of course no list of Amazonian avifauna would be complete without mentioning parrots and toucans and Chestnut-fronted and Blue & Gold Macaws can be expected and we’ll be alert for the sound of the distinctive vocalisations of Gould’s Toucanet and Red-necked Aracaris in the subcanopy.
Day 11. After a final morning at Carajas we’ll make our way to the airport and fly to Cuiaba where we’ll spend the night.
Day 12. Early departure for the Pantanal. Just beyond Pocone the immense plain of the Pantanal stretches away in the distance along the Transpantaneira. With time on our hands we can slowly make our way to the lodge, birding as we go. Stopping the bus for any roadside concentrations of birds, soaring raptors or conveniently perched parrots we have a good chance of recording almost one hundred species of birds on our first day here! In the past we have seen Long-winged Harrier during our first afternoon and our frequent stops (we have a relatively short distance to travel today) may produce Rusty-backed Antwren, Greater Thornbird, Chotoy Spinetail, Bearded Tachuri, Rusty-collared Seedeater and White-naped Xenopsaris. We’ll be alert for the presence of a Bare-faced Curassow as we approach our lodge or maybe the rare Chestnut-bellied Guan. For sure there’ll be many Chaco Chachalacas to check as dusk approaches.
Days 13 & 14. The vast wetlands and their margins in this region hold flocks of Jabirus and Wood Storks, Plumbeous, Green, Bare-faced and on drier ground, Buff-necked Ibis. Roseate Spoonbill can often be seen near our lodge but the most sought after bird here is the magnificent Hyacinth Macaw. This is the world’s largest parrot and we will awake to the sound of their raucous calls on our first morning in the Pantanal. As well as this spectacular bird we will have opportunities to see Great Rufous Woodcreeper and White Woodpecker in this area. We have been fortunate enough to locate a roosting Great Potoo here of late and we’ll have time to visit one should it be in residence at the time of our visit.
As we travel to our second lodge Whistling Herons, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Snowy and Great Egrets and the giant Jabirus are present on roadside pools and we’ll hopefully locate Southern Screamer, Maguari Stork and Sunbittern during our journey as well. Stopping in any woodlots for any roving passerine flocks we may locate Green-backed Becard, Blue-crowned Trogon, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, the bizarre Pale-crested Woodpecker, Planalto Woodcreeper, Rufous Casiornis, Planalto Slaty-Antshrike and Chestnut-vented Conebill.
Using our comfortable lodge as a base for the next two nights we’ll explore gallery forest on foot and take a boat ride along the Rio Pixaim. Black-collared Hawk, Sungrebe, Rusty-backed Spinetail, Mato Grosso Antbird, Rusty-fronted Tody-Flycatcher and the incredible Helmeted Manakin are among our targets today. A diligent search may reveal Red-billed Scythebill, Large-billed Antwren, Fawn-breasted Wren, Band-tailed Antbird or maybe an American Pygmy-Kingfisher. Toco Toucan, Rufous Cachalote, Golden-collard Macaw and the scarce Black-hooded Parakeet can be seen in the more open areas and as we cruise along in our boats we may see Common Piping-Guans (both the red and blue-wattled varieties!), Green & Rufous Kingfisher whilst Giant Otters are a distinct possibility here (we have seen them on our previous three visits). As we make our way back to the dock Band-tailed Nighthawks can often be seen hunting over the water. Recent night excursions here have produced Great Horned Owl, Tropical Screech-Owl, Common Potoo, Scissor-tailed Nightjar and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. Capybaras are plentiful here and Crab-eating Foxes are often unbelievably tame. Nights in our comfortable Pantanal lodge or hotel.
Day 15. Early birding near our lodgings and then post-breakfast departure for Cuiaba where we’ll connect with flights to Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo and home.
EXTENSION TO CHAPADA DOS GUIMARAES 15 - 18 August 2008.
Price: £595.00 per person.
Single room supplement: £70.00
Tour Leader: Colin Bushell.
Day 15. We’ll finish the Pantanal section of our main tour today, heading back to Cuiaba to drop off anyone not taking the extension at the airport. Then it’s off to Chapada dos Guimaraes and the scenery becomes more and more spectacular as we approach the tablelands. Our hotel sits at the periphery of the plateau with a breathtaking view across the Cerrado. We should get time for some Cerrado birding before heading for the viewpoint to watch the pre-roost gathering of Blue-winged and Red & Green Macaws as well as Great Dusky and Biscutate Swifts. Overnight in Chapada.
Days 16 – 17. Two days to explore the Cerrado and woodlands near Chapada. In the transition between the Cerrado and the Amazon rainforest, the Guimaraes plateau acts as the dividing line between the Paraguay and Amazon River basins. It forms an ecosystem of great ecological interest and fascinating geological formations. The Cerrado is one of the South American lowland endemic centres for birds and we shall spend the first day mostly in this habitat. Some Cerrado specialties here at Chapada include White-eared Puffbird, Curl-crested Jay, Grey Monjita, Rufous-winged Antshrike, White-rumped and White-banded Tanagers, Black-throated Saltator, Coal-crested and Blue Finches. The monotonous song of the Collared Crescentchest will attract us to this charming tapaculo and we will cover the area in search of the tiny long-tailed Horned Sungem. Recently we have found Rufous-sided Pygmy-Tyrant here but these seem to be sporadic in their occurrence at Chapada. The Amazonian influence is evident with our records of Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Swallow-wing and Red-bellied Macaw but understandably these birds are scarce here at the southern edge of their range.
Birding in the semi-deciduous and gallery forest we may be rewarded with Cinnamon-throated Hermit, Yellow-ridged Toucan, Lettered Aracari, Blue-crowned Motmot, Ochre-cheeked Spinetail, Plain Antvireo, Southern Antpipit, Sirystes, Fiery-capped, Helmeted and Band-tailed Manakins, Planalto Tyrannulet, White-lined, Guira & Grey-headed Tanagers, Pectoral Sparrow and Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper. Overnight in Chapada.
Day 18. Final morning at Chapada in search of anything we may have missed over the last few days before heading back to Cuiaba.
PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE YOUR FLIGHT TO BRAZIL UNTIL CONFIRMATION OF THIS DEPARTURE HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM TOUCAN BIRDING TOURS. Thank you.
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