NORTH-EAST BRAZIL – Endemic birds of the Caatinga and Atlantic Forests.

Dates:  5 – 25 February 2011 (Fortaleza / Salvador).

North-eastern Brazil harbours many endangered species and during the course of this tour we’ll be birding the Caatinga and Cerrado habitats in search of a selection of these. The Atlantic Forests of eastern Brazil have suffered from serious deforestation over the last century but fragments (subtly different from those further south near São Paulo) remain here too and are the home to more globally threatened species. Araripe Manakin, Great Xenops, Pink-legged Graveteiro, Seven-coloured Tanager and Lear’s Macaw are just some of the rarities we’ll be looking for during this tour, but more widespread species will bolster our list for this trip and we’ll stop at any wetlands during our travels to add variety to quality of our birding.

During this tour we cover a large area of North-eastern Brazil in order to visit the best birding sites. The itinerary includes a few travel days, although every day’s activities will include some birding. Accommodation is generally of a high standard and although a couple of the hotels are more basic, all are comfortable with hot water. Needless to say the food is plentiful and of good quality, just like all our Brazil tours!

Some water birds such as Southern Pochard, Comb Duck and more common wildfowl can be expected on this tour (mainly on travel days), but encountering these species largely depends on water levels.

Group size: Limited to 8 participants.

Price: £3450.00 per person from Fortaleza.

Single room supplement: £585.00.

Includes: All transportation and transfers with the group in Brazil, accommodation from day 1 to the night of day 20, all meals from dinner day 1 to lunch day 21, 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.

Tour Leaders: Colin Bushell and Fred Tavares.

Photos by John Hopkins.

ITINERARY

Day 1.  Arrival in Fortaleza and reception at the airport. In the afternoon we’ll travel to Guaramiranga in the Baturité Mountains. We should have time for some birding here and may see Lesser Woodcreeper, Grey-headed Spinetail and Red-necked Tanager not far from our hotel.

Days 2 & 3. This morning we’ll transfer to Guaramiranga in the Baturité Mountain Range where being one of four major plateaus in NE Brazil the Serra de Baturité has a number of subspecies that, because of their isolation, show significantly different characteristics from other populations. Some of these may well merit full species status. This region has Atlantic Forest surrounded by Caatinga and we’ll spend the next two days we’ll search for many of our target species, mostly endemic to this north-eastern corner of Brazil. These include Spot-winged Wood-Quail, Maroon-faced Parakeet of the rare griseipectus subspecies (Grey-breasted Parakeet for some authorities), Ochraceous Piculet, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Rufous Gnateater (cearae subspecies), Rufous-breasted Leaftosser, Sooty-fronted and Ochre-cheeked Spinetails and Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant. In the clearings we may see Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Ruby Topaz-Hummingbird and Large Elaenia while a short walk into the forested hillsides may yield Gould’s Toucanet, Black-capped Antwren, White-backed Fire-eye, Little Woodpecker, Blue-crowned Trogon, Band-tailed Manakin, Golden-crowned and Flavescent Warblers, Planalto and Slender-footed Tyrannulets and Guira Tanager.
Spectacled Owl will be just one of the species we’ll be looking for in the evenings while Pauraques should be seen near our rooms. Overnight at a hotel near Guaramiranga.

Day 4. Today we’ll make the long journey from Baturité to Crato (Araripe) On the way we’ll stop at any wetlands and look for Southern Pochard and Comb Ducks. We’ll also stop at some patches of Caatinga where Spot-backed Puffbird, White-naped Jay and Caatinga Cacholotes may be seen. Overnight in a hotel near Crato.

Day 5. Full day Chapada do Araripe in the Cerrado and Caatinga. The clue is of course in the name but we’ll be here for a very special bird, only recently discovered. The stunning Araripe Manakin will be our priority here but there’s plenty to see here including Tawny Piculet, Silvery-cheeked Antshrike, Stripe-backed Antbird, Caatinga Antwren and Red-shouldered Spinetail. White-browed Guans often wander out onto the tracks in the Caatinga, so we’ll keep scanning the paths as we try for species inhabiting the dense cover of the Caatinga. The Great Xenops occurs here and will be high on our priority species lists in the Caatinga and forest borders where Grey-eyed Greenlet and Green-backed Becard also occur.
The dry forest here can be very productive and we’ll spend some time in search of the endemic White-browed Antpitta, Planalto Slaty-Antshrike, Ash-throated Casiornis and Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakins. Overnight at our hotel in Crato.

Day 6. After some final birding in the Caatinga or forests of the Serra do Araripe we’ll transfer to Petrolina with stops for wetland birds. We may encounter Red-legged Seriema, Cactus Parakeets or even the scarce Scarlet-throated Blackbird during our travels today. Overnight in Petrolina.

Day 7. A full morning birding near Petrolina where we’ll hope to see both Greater and Lesser Wagtail-Tyrants, Black-bellied Antwren, Long-billed Wren, Spotted Piculet, Southern Scrub Flycatcher, Suiriri Flycatcher, White-naped Xenopsaris, White-bellied, Capped and Lined Seedeaters. This afternoon we’ll drive to Canudos where we’ll stay the night.

Day 8. Full day Canudos where the rare Lear’s Macaw may be found in the impressive sandstone canyons surrounded by the Caatinga here. Blue-crowned Parakeets and Blue-fronted Parrots should be seen this morning as well but seeing a considerable percentage of the world’s population of Lear’s Macaw in one morning will be an undoubted highlight of the tour.
Stripe-breasted Starthroat, and Scarlet-throated Tanager occur here and we’ll look out for the interesting capistratus subspecies of Barred Antshrike (with orange-red eyes) that is endemic to this part of north-east Brazil. Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Black-throated Saltator, Broad-tipped Hermit, Cliff Flycatcher and Lowland Hepatic Tanager may also be seen today.

Day 9. Today is a travel day as we make our way from Canudos to Uniao dos Palmares. We may well see some more Lear’s Macaws as we leave this morning and we’ll check some pools for waterbirds like Spot-flanked Gallinule. We shall make a stop to look for Pectoral Antwren this morning before continuing our journey towards our hotel near Murici.

Days 10 & 11. The Murici forest harbours many threatened and endemic species. Rampant deforestation of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest has left some species perilously close to extinction and we’ll be in search of some of these critically endangered species at Murici. Mantled Hawks, Black Hawk-Eagle and Hook-billed Kite can be seen over the forest canopy and from time to time the endangered White-collared Kite is seen in one of its last remaining refuges. Long-tailed Woodnymph and Seven-coloured Tanager are just two of the Brazilian endemics to be found in the clearings, but we’ll also spend some time in the forest near the Murici Biological Station. Golden-spangled Piculet, White-shouldered Antshrike, Orange-bellied and Alagoas Antwrens, Scalloped Antbird and Alagoas Tyrannulet are just a few of the scarce birds to be found here. We should locate the endemic Black-headed Berryeater by its far-carrying call and once heard this species is usually quite easy to locate. The brightly coloured Jandaya Parakeet inhabits the forest edge and open areas near the reserve, looking quite splendid in the early morning sunshine. Other birds we should see include Sombre Hummingbird, Black-necked Aracari, Lettered Aracari, Red-stained Woodpecker, Yellow-green Grosbeak, Greyish Mourner, Flame-crested Tanager and Yellow-backed Tanager.

Day 12. Today we travel to Estancia but we may spend some time this morning in the Murici area depending on our success over the past two days.

Day 13. Morning birding at Estancia where an endangered endemic, the Fringe-backed Fire-Eye can be found. Golden-tailed Parrotlet, Golden-capped Parakeet, Brazilian Tanager and Stripe-necked Tody-Tyrant can all be found in the surrounding area. In the afternoon we’ll transfer to Camamu where we’ll stay the night in our hotel.

Day 14. Full day birding the Camamu area where we’ve enjoyed some excellent birding in the secondary forest in the past seeing White-winged Cotinga, Black Jacobin, Racket-tailed Coquette, Striped, Red-headed and White-crowned Manakins. Least Pygmy-Owl can be seen in the forest borders and Lemon-chested Greenlet, Chestnut-backed Antshrike, Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher and Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher in the clearings. Cinereous Antshrike, Bare-throated Bellbird, Black-cheeked Gnateater and Scaled Antbird can be found along the forest trails and we’ll keep one eye on the gaps in the canopy for any passing Golden-tailed Parrotlets. In the afternoon we’ll visit a site for Bahia Tapaculo. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 15. Today we transfer to Camacan where our target bird will be the recently discovered Pink-legged Graveteiro. We’ll look out for any passing parties of canopy species that this range-restricted endemic associates with and we’re sure to see many other good birds in the meantime. Plumbeous Antvireo, Bahia Tyrannulet, Spot-backed Antshrike, Spot-billed Toucanet, Variegated Antpitta, Black Hawk-Eagle, Brazilian Ruby and Brassy-breasted Tanager are just a few of the other rare birds we might see here. Overnight at Camacan.

Day 16. Today we’ll leave Camacan for Boa Nova, although we may birdwatch locally before leaving. We will search for some birds near Boa Nova if we have time in the afternoon, either in the forest reserve or in the Caatinga above town. Overnight in Boa Nova.

Day 17. Full day birding at Boa Nova. We’ll have plenty to see here and we’ll work hard in the remaining forest patches to see Violet-capped Woodnymph, Frilled Coquette, White-barred Piculet, Yellow-eared Woodpecker, Crescent-chested Puffbird,  Bahia Spinetail, Striated Softtail, Black-billed Scythebill, Tufted Antshrike, Ferruginous Antbird, Rio de Janeiro Antbird, Pin-tailed and Swallow-tailed Manakins, Bahia and Oustalet’s Tyrannulets, Grey-hooded Attila,  Black-throated Grosbeak, Golden-chevroned, Azure-shouldered and Rufous-headed Tanagers and other Atlantic Forest endemics.
The endangered Slender Antbird can be found in the nearby Caatinga and one afternoon will be spent in search of this rare endemic as well as Narrow-billed Antwren and Hangnest Tody-Tyrant. Pygmy Nightjar is an important bird in this area and we’ll devote some time to locating some as well as Little Nightjar. Overnight in Boa Nova.

Day 18. Early morning birding at Boa Nova before moving on to Mucugê. We’ll stop on the way for Diamantina Tapaculo, Grey-backed Tachuri, Rufous-sided Pygmy-Tyrant and Horned Sungem in Cerrado type habitat.

Day 19. This morning we’ll travel the short distance from our hotel in search of the recently discovered Sincora Antwren. In this rocky Cerrado-type habitat we may also see Rufous-winged Antshrike, Collared Crescentchest and Cinnamon Tanager. In the afternoon we’ll move on towards Lençóis in the Chapada Diamantina where we may have some time for birding depending on our arrival time.

Day 20. São Francisco Sparrow is our first target bird this morning. Once we have seen this rare endemic we’ll travel the short distance to a spectacular area in the Chapada Diamantina in search of Hooded Visorbearer and Pale-throated Pampa-Finch on a rocky outcrop. White-vented Violetears, Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch and White-eared Puffbirds may be seen in this area as well. We may have time to search some forest in the afternoon, depending on our success rate in the morning.

Day 21. This morning we leave Chapada Diamantina and travel to Salvador where our tour ends with lunch at the airport before flights home.

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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