ATLANTIC FORESTS ENDEMIC TOUR.
1 – 15 November 2008 with Colin Bushell
This tour features excellent birding at a leisurely pace with an immediate immersion into range-restricted endemic birds in one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Starting at the delightful Guapi Assu Lodge (only an hour and a half from Rio) we should be able to find some of the country’s rarest birds in relaxing surroundings. After a couple of days “getting our eye in” we’ll move onto Brazil’s oldest National Park – Itaiaia. Using our hotel (with Swiss-style cabins) as a base we’ll explore the hill forests up to tree-line (by vehicle). From the foothills we descend to Ubatuba and its lowland forests in a pleasant coastal setting. Intervales will be our last site, but even here we’ll be searching for new birds; a theme that continues to the end of the tour when we’ll be after a recently discovered antwren not too far from the airport!
This tour involves some moderate trail walking, many days birding roads with bus support. Expect a good standard of accommodations and facilities with copious amounts of buffet-style meals.
Group size: Max. 10 participants.
Price: £2350.00
Single room supplement: £300.00.
Includes: All accommodation in hotels and lodges, reception at Rio de Janeiro airport on Day 1, ground transport, all meals, gratuities, services of Toucan Birding Tours leader and drivers.
Not included: International flights (contact us for advice on suitable flights), drinks, airport departure tax.
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.Days 2 -4. 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.
We’ll begin one day by driving 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.
Days 5 - 8. Itatiaia, maybe the jewel in the crown of Brazil is only about three hours drive from Sao Paulo. It was the first national park to be established in Brazil and we will have three full days to explore the trails and roads. We will bird one day with a good picnic lunch up on the high pass to maximise our chances of getting all the special birds. These include Black & Gold Cotinga, Rufous-tailed Antbird, Brazilian Antthrush, Rufous-backed Antvireo, Black-capped Piprites, Black-breasted Plovercrest, Itatiaia Spinetail, Shear-tailed Grey Tyrant, Velvety-black Tyrant, Serra do Mar Tyrant-Manakin, Serra do Mar Tyrannulet, Brown-breasted Bamboo-Tyrant, Araucaria Tit-Spinetail, Brassy-breasted and Diademed Tanager, Great Pampa-Finch, Mouse-coloured Tapaculo, Large-tailed Antshrike and Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail. The other days we will search the extensive bamboo stands (another chance of White-bearded Antshrike and Fork-tailed Bamboo-Tyrant) and endangered Atlantic rainforest for its special birds including Giant, and Tufted Antshrikes (both seen in one day along Tres Picos trail on our last tour), Cryptic Antthrush, White-bibbed, Ferruginous, Bertoni's and Ochre-rumped Antbirds, Saffron Toucanet, Channel- billed Toucan, White-browed and Green-barred Woodpeckers, Dusky-legged Guan, Rufous-tailed and Grey-hooded Attilas, Golden-chevroned, Green-headed, Magpie, Chestnut-headed and Rufous-headed Tanagers and Planalto Woodcreeper. Tawny-browed Owl can often be found after dark on a trail near our hotel. Hummingbird feeders will be observed to see the incredible show of gems visiting them including Black Jacobin, Frilled Coquette, Violet-capped Woodnymph, Brazilian Ruby, Glittering-throated and Vesicolored Emerald and Scaly-throated Hermit. All nights in Itatiaia.
Day 9. Today we’ll make our way to the coast and the pleasant town of Ubatuba. However we will break our journey with a stop at Pereque. The superb Black-hooded Antwren makes its home here, a species considered extinct until its rediscovery at a nearby site. As well as the antwren we'll be on the look out for Fork-tailed Bamboo-Tyrant, Hangnest Tody-Tyrant, Red-eyed Thornbird, Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher, Scaled Antbird, Plain Parakeet, Black-throated Grosbeak, Red-necked Tanager, Chestnut-backed Antshrike and Saw-billed Hermit. Overnight Ubatuba.
Days 10 & 11. Using a family-run hotel as our base in Ubatuba we'll explore the mature secondary forests of the lowland fazendas here. In the past we have good views of Black-cheeked Gnateater, Slaty Bristlefront and the incredible Spotted Bamboo-Wren. This has also proved a reliable area in which to see Buff-throated Purpletuft, Squamate Antbird, Saw-billed Hermit, Festive Coquette, Sombre Hummingbird, White-eyed Foliage-Gleaner, Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant, Spot-backed Antshrike, Brazilian Tanager, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Pale-browed Treehunter and White-necked Puffbird. The latter species could soon be elevated to full species rank by virtue of the colour of its underparts and its distribution - Buff-bellied Puffbird. All nights in Ubatuba.
Days 12 – 14. Early departure for Intervales State Park this morning in search of our first Atlantic Forest birds. The park covers a variety of habitats at varying altitudes from just above sea level to around 1100m above sea level. This is an excellent site and combined with our visit to Itatiaia, will allow us to see many of the foothill species in the region. White-bearded Antshrike (in the bamboo stands): two spectacular cotingas - Swallow-tailed Cotinga and Hooded Berryeater and Black-fronted Piping-Guan will be our main targets here. Other species we may see include Sharpbill, Bare-throated Bellbird, Oustalet's Tyrannulet, Hangnest and Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrants, Ochre-collared Piculet, Rufous-capped and Grey-bellied Spinetails, Rufous-breasted Leaftosser, Rufous-thighed Kite, Green-winged Saltator, Black-throated Grosbeak, Blue-bellied Parrot, Squamate and Dusky-tailed Antbirds, Sooty Swift, and White-breasted Tapaculo. Night birds here include Black-capped Screech-Owl, Rusty-barred Owl and Long-trained Nightjar. All nights in or near Intervales.
Day 15. We return to Sao Paulo for international flights home today. However, the birding is not over as we’ll stop at a wetland area not far from Guarulhos. We have been successful in our search for an as-yet undescribed antbird (related to Parana Antbird) here in the past and we should see a selection of other Atlantic Forest birds here too before driving to the internatiuonal airport at Guarulhos.
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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