Since my arrival back in Brazil, in September, the 2011 Southern hemisphere spring has been cold, unusually cold, and this cold spring was proceeded by an unusually dry southern winter. The local forest was bone dry, apart from patches immediately adjacent to stream courses and occasional other damp spots. This untypically cool weather continued into December and the summer heat and associated tropical/summer rains have only just begun to arrive in my area as I write this Blog entry.
The quality of Birding in the region appears to however have been little affected by these climatic events, although it does appears that the spring breeding season may have started earlier than normal? …. Re. Swallow-tailed Cotingas, back and nesting at Itatiaia (the old Hotel Simone site) in October. My garden orchids are flowering at least one month earlier than usual, and most of the garden birds have now fledged their first brood. This year I am keeping an “Insect Log” of the Marica region and although I have very limited data, from past years, with which to compare, it does appear that the butterfly season started early, in mid September, with the first rains that followed the notably dry winter .
My birding trips have all been within the confines of Rio and Sao Paolo state this season but are proving just as successful , on a visit to the Pereque valley in October we managed to call-in a Spotted Bamboo-wren that came in without warning (not one call in reply to my “playback”) this caught us a little unprepared, I normally search for a bamboo canopy under which to abscond, as soon as I get a vocal response. This however turned out to be to our advantage as this obviously VERY agitated bird proceeded to perch right out in the open and “eyeball” us. Views were magnificent of this normally very reclusive species and an excellent photographic opportunity was not missed.
Another favourite, and often shy species, Fork-tailed Tody-tyrant, has been proving easy to find in the Pereque valley for a number of seasons now, it has also been appearing near the hotel Ype at Itatiaia after an absence of a number of years in that region. Other species “returning” to Itatiaia are Royal Flycatcher, nesting for the second year running nr. the Hotel Simon and Brown Tanager, seen at the Ype feeders but more likely to be encountered in the open forest, we appear to be towards the northern range extremity for both of these species that are more frequently seen in Sao Paolo state.
At the serra da Bocaina I finally managed to re-encounter that magnificent endemic Long trained Nightjar, it was settled on a newly graded dirt access road, this was unusual as the night was wet and misty, something I’ve previously found “unproductive” for night-birding. Also at Bocaina, Bare-throated Bellbirds continue to sing from exposed perches, giving excellent views, Serra do Mar tyrant-manakins remain a “common” species and I appear to have a male Green-backed Becard “nailed to a perch” behind the hotel, it’s just a case of using playback and he will appear…almost immediately, this has now been repeated on virtually every visit there for the past 3 seasons.
On the butterfly front I am recording species from my local forest patches & within a 10mile range from the Marica Lodge. In the Lodge garden itself, that local speciality, Parides Ascanius (the Beach Swallowtail), has been appearing almost daily, I’ve also recorded 3 Charaxinae species coming to bait, these are fast flying fruit-loving members of the large Nymphalidae family. Further a-field I’ve so far found THREE species of the magnificent “Kite Swallowtails” family brooding in reasonably good numbers following rains. Including these “Kites” I’ve now recorded over 11 species of Swallow-tail butterflies flying here in the months since my arrival.
I’m planning another research trip to northern Minas Gerais and the extreme south of Bahia states, this will be in February 2012 and I plan to revisit places first known to me on a previous trip 2 years ago. This time I will concentrate on getting to know places where my available time became limited on the previous trip, i.e. places around the Jequitinhonha river valley nr. the Bahia/ Minas boarder and the new forest reserve created nr. Prado, in the extreme south east of Bahia state.
Back in Rio de Janeiro the summer rains have commenced. It appears that Minas Gerais state is receiving the worst of the flooding this year, in particular the capital, Bello Horizonte? Last year it was the Rio mountain municipalities and the previous year the next state north along the coast, Espirito Santo. This is TYPICAL December weather and I trust that all of this should be long over by the time I lead my next trip in early February?

After a September start with Mammal photography in Minas Gerais and Rio state that went remarkably well, with all major targets, including Giant Anteater, Maned Wolf & 6 primate species photographed well, I started to lead my more usual Bird watching oriented trips to Itatiaia, Ubatuba and my personal favourite place, the upper Serra da Bocaina over the months of October though to January.
Major ornithological novelties this past season included a number of that elusive Campo Miners, a cerrado speciality, at the Serra da Canastra (typically on recently burnt grassland in the upper park). At the State park on the Rio Doce river (also in Minas Gerais state) I added both Serra Antwren and Great Antshrike to my local bird-list. Serra Antwren was also recorded singing at the Caratinga private Woolley Spider-Monkey reserve, increasing my localities for this species threefold (previously I had only found this endemic regularly at the Caraca monastery reserve).
I have been finding the delightful Eye-ringed-tody tyrant (another local endemic) on each and every visit to the Silver Jardim private reserve (in Rio state) in the same dry forest where I find Golden-lion Tamarins. This is a distinct habitat change from the normal preference for hot and humid forest, at sea-level, in the Ubatuba region. Interestingly I also find Rufous –tailed Jacamar in both of these distinctly separate habitats at these localities.
My lightning trip to Pirapora, in North-western Minas Gerais was an outstanding success with a wealth of unusual species (for South-eastern Brazil) encountered in this 3 day visit. The major triumphs were finding both Minas Gerais Tyrannulet AND Bahian Nighthawk, but nesting Henna-capped Foliage gleaner, Coal-crest Finches and White-naped Jay were also up there on the “best moments” board.
On a trip to Ubatuba in Late January we were most fortunate to arrive immediately after a flock of that ultra rare parrotlet, Brown-backed Parrotlet had been located & visiting a fruiting tree on a daily basis. We staked-out the tree and on our second attempt we got mind-boggling & up-close views as these seemingly fearless little parrots bickered amongst themselves whilst messily enjoying a fig-type native fruit.
Also in Ubatuba we observed nesting material (lichens) being gathered, low-down, by the now famous Purple-tufts at fazenda Angelim. And we found a Stygian Owl roosting in the local town.
At Itatiaia upper we managed to call-in a Rusty-barred Owl at the end of an overcast afternoon IN DAYLIGHT !! Whilst at Serra da bocaina I discovered a new location for both Speckle breasted Antpitta & Hooded Berryeater, my first reliable stakeout at this location for this species. I also found a roosting area for Grey Potoo and I finaly managed to find a place to call-in Slatey Bristle-front. I new that this last species was present at Bocaina for a couple of years now, but the birds were always singing from an inaccessible forested ridge. This time I found one in a valley and next to the access road.
Also at Serra da Bocaina the resident? Swallow-tailed Cotingas continue to flourish seemingly where-ever there are clearings with tall look-out posts along with suitable nesting trees (lowish apple or pear like trees often adjacent to human habitation)
It was at Serra da Bocaina where I also photographed a number of unusual and apparently rare/ butterfly species this southern summer.
Whilst talking butterflies……….. the garden visit of a wonderful male Agrias claudina at my Marica Lodge on January the 6th 2011, continues to enthral me (please refer to the previous blog entry of that same date). This was without doubt one of my “Wildlife lifetime moments” and captured on film to boot!

Rhetus Metalmark

Starting in January 2012 I will be offering 2 fixed Itinerary Butterfly tours (one in January, and the other in February) of the Atlantic Rainforest region of South eastern Brazil.
These months of January & February represent the most interesting, time of the year for butterfly studies in this part of South America, and now with the rather recent trend for photography, rather than collecting, of butterflies, utilizing compact and affordable digital consumer cameras, now readily accessible to all (with the advent of the commonly offered macro function ), I’m expanding my guiding services to offer visitor the chance to participate in another facet to the fascinating fauna of tropical South America.
Using the experience that I have gained from recently guiding 3 private Butterfly groups, I will now be offering, as part of my new Fixed Itinerary program, 2 Butterfly Photography trips each year. I expect to offer two trips, on an annual basis.
From now-on… January and February will become exclusively Butterflies-Brazil months at Richard Raby Eco tours.

It has been a most memorable week at The Marica lodge. We were visited by maybe the most spectacular and the most difficult to observe butterfly occurring in South Eastern Brasil?

On the 6th January 2011 The Marica lodge was visited, at 11.15hrs Brazilian summer time, by a very freshly hatched male? Agrias claudina butterfly. It stayed for 15mins, feeding on half rotten banana and settled at a height of approx 2.5 meters above ground level, on a wooden fruit feeding-table mounted in trees, before flying off.

The habitat at the Lodge is marginal, extremely marginal, for forest butterfly species.
example; I get only one or two visits to the garden, in a typical year, from the commoner Prepona and/or Anaea genera also of the Charaxinae sub-family, and also forest Nymphalidae. This area although wooded and “green” could no-way be described as “forestest”, which makes this event all the more amazing!

How it happened;
I was sitting at my computer involved in trip reporting and future trips planning when my eye was caught by a flash of vivid red and glossy black fluttering around one of our garden fruit-feeding tables. This was an unusual enough event to make me immediately grab for my camera and head closer to see what had diverted my attention. I immediately suspected a largish Nymphalidae butterfly and probably a Callicore or less likely, a Siderone both encountered reasonably regularly in nearby forest. What ever it was, it was settled on the feeder and eating rotten banana and asking to have it’s picture taken.
The weather had just started to clear up late on the preceding afternoon, after a prolonged spell of overcast & rainy weather, typical of the time of year. There were a number of half rotten skins & some half-eaten fruit on the table, left by my marmosets and garden-birds.
As luck would have it I had a small stool to hand (from the kitchen) so, after taking my first “record shots” for identification purposes, I decide to creep closer and on the same level, as this “very strange looking Callicore” to get better shots. Firstly I noticed that it was big, I was slowly becoming aware that it was much too big to be a Callicore, secondly the colour of the under-wing central marking was unlike any Callicore markings that I new, and thirdly I was now begining to imagine all posibilities, It was slowly dawning on me that what I was photographing, from my precariously position( balanced on the kitchen stool) was a new species for me, a species deemed extinct in the close-by Rio de Janeiro municipality for the last 50years, and a new species to be recorded in the MARICA municipality, and and it was here in my very garden!
I rarely classify something as “impossible”, but the impossible was just occurring in front of my very eyes, AND, most importantly, before my camera; If I had not been taking pictures, checking the results for exposure & focus, before adjusting and taking the next shots, then I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT I WAS DREAMING.
After the event I am left with a lovely warm feeling; that my efforts to preserve as many native trees in my garden as possible, and also fighting to preserve the lagoon-edge green-belt that boarders my garden and has been threatened with developemrnt, are being amply rewarded! This is now the 4th Rare species of butterfly to be recorded by me in the Garden, but this latest spectacular appearance is without doubt the most bizarre and unusual so far….

Mission Minas Gerais Caatinga.
In Mid December 2010 I found myself with a few free days which also happened to coincided with an unusually good weather forecast. A this time of year normally guaranteed rain.
I had been sub-consciously planning a trip to the Caatinga region of Western Minas Gerais state (in the vicinity of the Rio Sao Francisco and approx 800kms away), and I decided to go ahead and perform this trip rapidly to be back in Marica in time to spend Christmas and the new year at the Lodge.
According to the weather forecast my window of good weather would arrive in 2 or 3 days, giving me time to service my motorcycle, record a new field-tape with voices of my major target species and also to swat-up on the site-notes that I had accumulated for this region. So to sum-up; I had an unseasonably good weather forecast, of clear & sunny weather starting sometime on Thursday the 16th December…. and lasting approximately 6-7days, thus giving me 5 clear days, plus a small safety margin, to ride up to the river Sao Francisco valley at Pirapora MG, spend 3 evenings, 3 mornings and two afternoons searching respectively for Nightjars, Passerines and also general site reconnaissance. All this followed by the return trip to Rio state, with an overnight stop at the midway point in Belo Horizonte.
The Caatinga (dry orchard-like scattered woodland) around Pirapora is apparently well preserved and full of interesting and typical Caatinga species, including some endemic rareties.
I had set myself two major target species, both considered rare and “difficult” by those familiar with them. As I headed off on that Wednesday afternoon in a light drizzle I hoped to God that firstly the weather forecast was correct and secondly that I had not set myself too difficult a task with my target birds? The first one being a very poorly known Nightjar (Bahian Nighthawk) and the second a minute, gallery forest canopy dwelling, Tyrannulet (Minas Gerais tyrannulet).
About 5 hrs into the journey and at approximately 6 o’clock in the evening the heavens opened, so I decided to stop where I was and I spent the first night near Bello Horizonte, having travelled 400kms that afternoon. The following morning the sky was clear, I arrived at my destination in the late afternoon having ridden a relaxed trip. I stopped quite frequently towards the end to inspect a new bio-type for me, Buruti palm-groves, these unusual palms support huge fan shaped leaves, and when mature support long trailing “tails” of fruits (palm-nuts), hanging down from their crowns. In one of these groves, I encountered my first new species for the trip, Red-shouldered Macaw.
Upon arrival at Pirapora I checked into the Pousada Sao Marco and rapidly returned to spend the dusk period at a spot next to the Rio das Velhas, about 15kms away. The spot that I chose for the first evening proved to be very disturbed with a constantly barking small dog and a noisy power generator, both causing excessive back-ground noise in an otherwise ideal area at the edge of gallery forest. I played my archive recording of Bahian Nighthawk as dusk decended and just before dark a very small, dark-brown &, slim-winged nightjar overflew me and then disappeared over the gallery forest flying at just above tree-top height. This over-fly had been rapid, I was badly prepared and maybe because of the background noises stated earlier, I had heard no vocalizations. The night rapidly grew dark and as I headed back down the track I flushed a pair of settled nighthawks from the dirt-track, one came back and settled and somehow I managed to get a couple of Flash Photography pictures taken, using the illumination created by the headlamp of my motorcycle to manually focus my camera. These pictures however are inconclusive as I write this blog and appear to show a variably coloured bird with a dark eyestripe and maybe a whitish spot in the outer tail? ON CLOSER EXAMINATION THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SITTING BIRD APPEARS TO BE OF A SILKY-TAILED NIGHTJAR.
On my second night I spent the “magic” dusk period at this exact same spot where I had photographed the settled bird the previous evening. I started playing my archive tape just before darkness set in (approx 10-15mins before total dark), I got a vocal response almost immediately from a few hundred yards distance, and the bird subsequently vocalised a number of times, a minute or so later a small, chocolate brown Nighthawk, very slim and with pointed wings and a long and narrow tail, over-flew me and preceded to fly up and down the track at just below canopy height. A second bird? repeated this action a short time latter, before disappearing low over the forest canopy exactly as the flying bird noted from the previous evening. I was both ecstatic, and somewhat relieved, I had found one of the most difficult birds for South eastern Brazil, apart from the birds small size and jizz, I had confirmation of it’s distinctive voice, unique colour and also the lack of wing and tail markings. I had just confirmed visually and vocally my first target bird, Bahian Nighthawk, in daylight and in flight!

I spent two mornings in the region of a stream called Corrego dos ovos, the narrow gallery forest that follows this stream as it winds through the dry Caatinga is famous for being one of only two places in Minas state where the ultra-rare Minas Gerais Tyranulet may be encountered. The narrow ribbon of forest is also home to a number of other rare species. Upon my first day exploring here I immediately became familiar with one of these, A Henna-capped Foliage-gleaner had decided to nest in the steep sandy banks of the river, about a meter below the overhanging top and on the outer edge of a river bend. I preceded to observe this rare Cerrado foliage-gleaner (that I had only once previously encountered) flying to and fro, carrying insects into it’s nest to the accompanying shrill squeaking of an obviously famished fledgling bird deep inside the hole in the riverbank. Investigation a rather feeble and spindly song in the underbrush produced a very colourful Saffron-billed Sparrow whilst an obvious wren vocalization in the same vicinity proved to be a new species for me, Fawn-breasted Wren. A pair of White-napped Jay also announced themselves by voice, a most unusual almost electronic and tree-frog-like “buzz”. I heard black-capped Antwren in the canopy above me but failed to call them down, but I did get to see Orange fronted Yellow-finch, Flavescent Warbler, Planalto Slatey Antshrike, Masked Gnatcatcher and a number of Pale-legged Horneiro. Caatinga Parakeets flew noisily overhead and family groups of White-throated Kingbirds and Dusky-capped Flycatchers were also being very vocal. After a number of failed attempts I finally got great views of a Pickulet that had been calling from a number of hidden perches, this also turned-out to be a species new for me, and another typical Brazilian Caattinga/Gallery forest species, White-wedged Piculet.
On the first morning I failed to find my target Tyrannulet, but repeating my visit the second morning, and postponing my breakfast at the hotel, I got to the “corrego” for dawn, and was rewarded with brief but slightly distant, but however conclusive views, of a typical Phyllomyias/Phylloscartes tyranulet in the tree-canopy above the stream, the lighting in the early morning sun was optimum and the bird was all yellow below, all greenish above and had a good yellow eye-ring (on an otherwise plain-ish face), the bird also showed yellowish wing-bars. I had hoped for closer views, I had hoped to see some reddish- brown colouring in front of the eye? I had even though of maybe a photograph? But this was without doubt a Minas Gerais Tyrannulet, and the best that I could manage this time, a confirmed sighting, but leaving a lot to be bettered on a return visit.
I found a number of other interesting species on this trip, at the hotel where I stayed there were Caatinga Cacholote in waterside habitat and my first sighting was of one suddenly appearing as if from nowhere and walking past my open-air table as I took a late breakfast at the hotel on my second morning. On the third morning I had Blue-fronted Amazon Parrots and Golden Chevroned Parakeets visiting a nearby Mango tree and on my last morning there a solitary Fork-tailed Palm-swift over flew as I was also taking breakfast.
I saw a number of other “extra-limital” species (birds just entering the South-eastern Brazil region) during this trip, birds such as Greyish saltator, Solitary Cacique and Red-cowled Cardinal.
On my journey back towards “civilization” I stopped at a number of points on the road approaching Pirapora, searching-out birding spots for future visits. On one of these tracks I found two family groups of the rather lovely Coal-crested Finch. Almost back at home, and well within Rio de Janeiro state, I came across a Crowned Solitary Eagle as I passed by Petropolis, but views were restricted to naked eye observation as my binoculars were packed away in the bottom of my luggage, typical!

I’ve just recently got back from my first trip of the season, this trip visited most of my Minas Gerais state locations plus the “newish” Golden-lion Tamarin stake-out that I’m offering to visitors in Rio de Janeiro state. The trip terminated with a final stop at my lodge in Marica to photograph and hand-feed cotton-eared Marmosets.
The emphasis for this trip was on mammals and, somewhat to my surprise, turned out to be seriously focused towards photography.
After a Belo Horizonte airport encounter we started the trip at Serra da Canastra, in the extreme west of Minas Gerais state. We did relatively well here, especially in the upper Canastra park where we found our major targets, Giant Anteater and Pampas Deer, with little fuss on our two afternoons there, our second day’s encounter with the anteaters proved the best when we found a good-sized adult feeding on large termite mounds (this was a new event for me, before I’ve always found the Anteaters strangely avoiding these 2metre high nests and probing at holes in the ground, and also under scattered rocks). Towards dusk we found these mounds to be extremely active with flying termites exiting from them in huge numbers, this event appeared to have been triggered by the recent arrival of the first spring rains?
The Pampas Deer that we found this visit, were surprisingly unwary & very approachable, they appeared to be feeding on new-growth and bulbs & flowers? The bucks were sporting horns and we all got great pictures!
The upper park grasslands had recently burned (approx 40% of the old grass was now in the process of renovating and these areas were often covered in flowers). The grassland bird life was more “obvious” than normal and the major novelty were a number of that rare and unusual Furnaridae, the Campo Miner, on some of the most recently burned areas, we also noted that the normally very elusive, Black-masked Finch appeared to be much more visual than normal (on previous visits they have habitually “disappeared” into the tall grass between singing and or flying). A pair of that delightful and miniscule flycatcher Grey-backed Tachuri performed for us close to what appeared to be their nest, in construction? And we also saw three individuals of that often elusive grassland tapaculo, the Collared Crescent-chest. We got great views of both Red-winged Tinamou and Spotted Northura, although we saw many more of the former. Another Canastra grassland speciality, Ochre-breasted Pipit, was seen in small numbers at the “usual stake-out area” but was not noted from elsewhere in the park, unlike last year when it appeared almost common. The nomadic Stripe-tailed Finch was present in good numbers and appeared to be breeding here this year? We gave the Merganser “a try” on both days in the upper park and again on our last morning in the lower park, but it was not to be found easily and our time was limited, our priorities for this trip were others. We did however get great views and photographs of a lone Toco Toucan in the lower park, repeatedly attempting to raid a Cacique nest, but getting violently mobbed and eventually successfully driven away, by a most valiant pair of Greater Kiskadee, all of the time giving us some excellent camera opportunities.
Our next stop was at the Serra do Cipo, on the other side of Bello Horizonte( the centrally placed state capital). Here, unlike at Canastra, it had not really rained for a number of months, birds were scarce and the breeding season in contrast had barely started. We found singing Flavescent Warbler, Cinnamon Tanager and a semi-respondent Pearly-vented Tody-tyrant in the circa 900meters zone. Immediately above this zone a very territorial Pale-throated Serra-finch was found and photographed, but otherwise the high montane habitat above was extremely quiet and almost lifeless. This was possibly to prove our least productive stop of the trip? Even the Hyacinth Visor-bearer hummingbirds, normally common here, were scarce, and the brightly coloured males apparently absent or in moult? Below in the dry woodlands of the lower Park however we turned-up some interesting bird species, such as Black-capped Antwren, Sooty-fronted Spinetail and Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, at a new birding area for me, and these species represented new species for my Serra do Cipo locations list.
En-route to our next stop we had fleeting views of a pair of the scarce White-rumped Tanager crossing the road ahead of us and latter found the gaudily coloured Helmeted Manakin at my now established stake-out for this species. Upon arrival at Caraca Monastery we were fortunate and found the Maned Wolves arriving to feed very early (just after dark) on our first evening there (it would have been so easy to have gone to eat early and missed it!). On our second evening the Wolves arrived latter, but unusually there were 3 or possibly 4 individuals? Also in the monastery grounds we managed to see and photograph Masked Titi Monkey, along with the typical Minas Gerais Callithrix Marmoset (these show extensive black colouring on the underside of the torso and on the inside of the arms). We looked for evidence of Tapir but on this visit found none (in the past foot-prints have been common and I’ve even seen a Tapir swimming across the tanque grande reservoir here once, in daylight!
Our next visit was to the Rio Doce State Park, where we spent a very rapid visit trying to see and photograph Red-rumped Agouti (D. leporine) and Brown Capuchin monkeys, in both of which tasks we succeeded! We also discovered three new bird-species to add to my site-list for this location, being; Great Antshrike, Serra Antwren and Silver-beaked Tanager.
At our next stop was at Caratinga, an hour or so’s drive East and across country from the Rio Doce state Park, we were targeting the three species of monkey to be found in this privately owned reserve. The Caratinga private initiative is set-up to protect the biggest remaining colonies of Wolly Spider-monkey, the largest South American primate, once common, and a species endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest of South-eastern Brazil. Upon our arrival at the reserve we encountered the first of a number of family parties of Brown Howler-monkey right at the entrance gate! We then met-up with our guide and entered the forest in search of main target here, the Wolly Spider-monkeys. On this our first day the animals were very active and although we heard their horse-like “neighing” vocalizations it was only after a lot of hiking that some of us finally caught-up with them, and then only briefly. On our second day we encountered another group, this one more sedentary, but calling less frequently (hence proving more difficult to find). After initially struggling to locate their whereabouts we eventually managed to get very close and right in-amongst this group and also get great photographic opportunities.
Our next stop was at Caparao, a national park that encompasses the second highest peak in Brazil ( Bandeira Peak @ 2,892metres). Caparao is situated at a comfortable driving distance of a couple of hours, south from Caratinga. We had no real target species here but I had memories of Coatimundi and Red-rumped Warbling finches being very confiding and tame here. The reserve is little-visited by naturalists such as ourselves and always produces something interesting to add to my growing knowledge of this location.
As it turned-out we encountered a party of the former (Coatimundi) as we left the Caratinga reserve, and we found the later (the Red-rumped Warbling –finches), as I had hoped for, still very tame and confiding and gathering nesting material, around the camping area within the National Park, I threw a few crumbs of biscuit onto some nearby rocks and the pair of Warbling-finches came straight in to feed almost at our feet. Earlier in the morning we had also encountered a beautiful pair of Red-breasted Toucan posing for photographs just as we arrived at the Park entrance.
From the heights of the Bandeira peak, we now headed south towards the lowlands and the coastal plain, finally leaving Minas Gerais state (where we had spent the whole of our trip, so far) and crossing into the state of Rio de Janeiro. This was a travel day with a planned interim stop in the valley of the Rio Paraiba do sul (which forms the state frontier here). It is also here where a rather remarkable, and decidedly cute, species of Galbulidae (3-toed Jacamar) chooses to set-up it’s highly restricted distribution range. At a well documented stake-out for this species, and at a sinuous bend on a dirt-track near Sumidoro, we found two pairs of the Jacamar as responsive as ever to tape playback and settling on dead branches above our heads, the views were great but the ambient lighting (dull and cloud-covered) could have been better for photography! At the same location, we saw a distant and very vocal pair of Blue-winged Macaw and a daytime roost for Barn Owl was also located with one adult bird found and photographed. By this time we had to move-on to get to our overnight hotel at Casimiro de Abreu. We arrived at our hotel after dark having managed to get caught in football-crowd traffic in the market town of Novo Friburgo, and after a quick meal we retired straight away, to be well rested for the following day and our encounter with another of Brazil’s rarer primates.
The following morning we visited a local forested hill near our Hotel. The land is privately owned but forms part of the reintroduction program for the WWF/Jersey Wildlife Trust/ IBAMA, Brazilian conservation authority, scheme for the super-rare Golden-lion Tamarin project. We made two hikes through the forest on good trails and on our second hike we hit pay-dirt! These beasties are so well named, they are firstly SO golden that they appear surreal in their jungle environment, secondly they all (both sexes) posses a most well-developed and lion-like mane, and thirdly they appear quite “toothy” and have an almost “aggressive” lion-like facial expression. After taking loads of photo’s and the light becoming increasingly non-co-operative we finally said goodbye to the Tamarins and headed out on the 2 hrs. drive to our final location, the coast and Marica. On route we almost ran-over a wild Guinea-pig as it scuttled across the new tarmac road ahead of us. After an evening meal at a restaurant specializing in “as much roasted meat, served at you table, on swords, as you can manage” we retired to our rooms.
The last day of our trip was spent chilling and also feeding and photographing my resident birds and garden Marmosets. The exact scientific classification of these Callithrix marmosets appears to be a bit messy, and there is also speculation that two species or forms(?) are involved in Marica and have interbred to produce individuals with both whitish “cotton” ear-tufts and others with “normal” dark cotton ear-tufts, both within the same family groups. My garden Cotton-eared Marmosets are probably C. aurita, and the previously mentioned Minas Gerais marmosets (seen at Canastra, Caraca & Serra do Cipo) C. geoffroyi, but I still need to catch-up on the latest scientific opinion & classification here.
After lunch at a local “por Kilo” = “by weight”, restaurant in Marica town, commented upon for it’s quality and wide option of dishes (food had been a little basic at times, during our time in the interior of Minas Gerais!), we packed our bags and headed out on the last leg our journey, for an uneventful drive down to the Rio International Airport, situated at 1.5hrs away and to the West of Marica.

Another August nearly over and another British Birdfair behind us. I have always found the Rutland Water event both invigorating & inspiring, and this year was no exception. I know that I keep saying this but, “It’s so nice to be surrounded by so many conservation-minded and highly motivated people”. I met-up with lots of old friends, I had a great time helping-out on the Neo-tropical Bird-club stand again and I also took the opportunity to make a number equipment purchases, whilst also researching new products, recently on the market.

I met-up with a number of past and future visitors to my Brazilian guiding services, I now have a full season organised with both regular tours and also one or two research trips.

This summer I have upgraded/doubled-up on some of my field equipment, changing Leica Ultravid for Zeiss Victory 8×32 Binoculars, Kowa 613 for Nikon Fieldscope  and my D70s Nikon DSLR body has been changed for a D300. I researched some recently launched Trap Cameras but these will now have to wait for next season, the prices are still up over the £200 mark but night vision is technology is now the norm with no more flashes to scare away the prey that is being photographed, a very useful advancement. I can now also couple my DSLR Camera to my Telescope, giving me a very useful 800mm lens, I cannot see me using this set-up too often though as it is pretty ungainly and will depend on a tripod/hide set-up to be most useful. I still continue to take most of my shots on the move whilst guiding or rapidly from the car, in National parks.

My first trip back in Brazil will be to Western Minas Gerais state. I travel back in mid September and I trust that our friend the Brazilian Merganser will prove more cooperative this season? WE will also be targeting the larger mammals such as Anteater, Maned Wolf and Wolley Spider-monkey. We will also be visiting the Caratinga reserve and I hope to make a start on listing the interesting bird species to be found at this privately owned Spider-monkey reserve.

My next blog entry will be posted from Brasil when I arrive back there next month.

The third and final part to my story of a recent research trip to southern Bahia and north-eastern Minas Gerais states covers the journey to the coast of southern Bahia, where I had three last places to visit.

After leaving Salta da divisa it was just a matter of travelling a few kms. East and the same direction as for the coast, before I re-entered southern Bahia state. I had approx 40kms to travel to reach the main coast road and all on good tarmac, but well before arriving there I had another mechanical hick-up, this time the bike went onto one cylinder (it’s a twin), with just enough power available to climb the steeper hills, I decided to “plough-on”, at least until finding some habitation at which to stop and find the fault. The first habitation was in-fact at the junction with the BR101, which is the main coastal highway, here I stopped, stripped the bike down to get at the spark-plugs and ignition coil (my money was on a duff plug), and I quickly found the problem……. Water in a spark-plug cap, nicely sealed-in by the rubber waterproofing between the sparkplug and the cap, don’t ask me how this water got in to where it did, I am myself unsure, although I do remember fitting new sparkplugs prior to embarking on this journey, and I’m not 100% sure as to how well I had “seated” the plug-caps and their rubber seals after I had performed this maintenance? Oh well, I’d only myself to blame (and also probably yesterdays jet-wash) and I’d only wasted about an hour or so in finding & fixing the fault!
With the bike back together I proceeded North up the coastal highway I aimed for Camacu, a pretty little market town and about 1hrs ride away. Upon arrival there I stopped to eat at a petrol station/restaurant. Whilst lunching I asked-around about how to get to the Serra Bonita nature reserve, unbelievably I found that one of the pump attendants just so happened to also be a part-time driver for the reserve, and that he had an official reserve 4×4 Toyota Land cruiser parked-up right there at the petrol station, and “yes the road was steep” but “I could leave my bike here at the petrol station” and he would drive me up to the accommodation, which is exactly what we proceeded to do.
The road up to the reserve was about fifteen kilometers of dirt-track, the last five being steep but cobble-stone- dressed “pavement”. Serra bonita is made up of jungle-covered hilltops at circa 750meters and other jungle patches, old cocoa / coffee plantations, and fields in various states of reversion or still in current use as pasture. At the top of the mountain is a radio tower serviced by a maintenance road, and off of this cobbled road the Serra Bonita foundation / private reserve/ charity has built an equally well constructed spur-road that leads to the administrative, research and accommodation buildings. The view from these buildings at approx 700meters altitude and overlooking the town of Camacu and valley below, is magnificent, and the whole complex is situated in the middle of the forest just below the highest ridge.
On arrival I was warmly met by Dr Beker. Vitor Beker is the founder and also the major investor in this private initiative reserve and is a Brazilian entomologist of note, he is of German extraction, but he also speaks perfect English. Vitor Becker is the owner of probably the largest collection of moths in Southern Brazil, and he has also designed and supervised the building of all the reserve administrative, museum & research buildings and the lodge accommodation, that make-up the complex, he has also supervised the spur-road construction and maintenance. He is an ardent conservationist and organiser, Vitor Beker is a man of many talents!
After unpacking my bags and settling in it was dark, I started to explore early the following morning and I was most interested in finding out what the typical avifauna would be in this “isolated” Atlantic rainforest block.
The speciality bird of Serra Bonita is the Pink-legged Gravateiro, it is an unusually coloured Furnaridae, grey, quite small and with bright pink legs. It is a canopy dweller and it builds a stick-nest, also in the tree-tops, I imagine that during the nesting season that this bird would prove pretty easy to observe, but it was now well past the breeding period, so, rather than stake-out one of a number of rather obvious nests, I had to search amongst the members of the mixed flocks, especially the canopy ones. In the early morning I only seemed to find flocks made-up of Tanagers and the occasional Vireo and flycatcher. I did however find another low-down mixed flock made up of thrushes, a family group of the quasi-endemic Black-throated Grosbeak, antbirds, a strange Spotted Picculet?(seen better & photographed the following day) and a gorgeous pair of the ultra-shy Pectoral sparrow, today feeding on the forest floor and out in the middle of the track. I came across a couple of other interesting species as I walked the Radio tower track, Plumbeous Antvireo (I appear to be finding this species everywhere recently!), Sooty Grassquit (a singing male) and a raucous band of Golden-capped Parakeet. On my return walk for lunch at the centre, I struck gold. I came across a very large mixed flock high up in the tree-tops, it must have contained 30 species or more, I first found Spot-backed Antshrike, a surprisingly tame Greyish Mourner and then more Plumbeous antvireo, then the major part of this large flock started to move high overhead. In-amongst the more common members of this flock my binoculars suddenly stopped on an all grey bird, two-tone grey really, and darker above. Without having to concentrate much at all, the bright pink legs were obvious even 50 feet above my head and observing through 8x binoculars, as it swung over and under small twigs and branches feeding acrobatically in the canopy of the largest trees directly above me. I think that my feelings were equally of relief as they were of joy, as I observed this bird for a further minute or two before it moved on with the rest of the flock, not to be located again. I decided there and then that I will only target this species during the nesting season, It would be a very long way to come and the source of much disappointment if we were to miss this one on a trip, and I’ll be honest that it would have taken a bit of luck for others to have got on this bird well-enough or long-enough to give satisfactory views, especially if I had tried to direct them onto it. Pink-legged Gravateiro is an obvious bird, not difficult to identify but only if it manages to appear in the field of view your binoculars! I feel that staking out an attended nest is important for any return visit targeting this species.
Latter that afternoon I saw a number of Sharp-bill, a few Drab-breasted Bamboo-tyrant , White-necked Thrush and an over-flying Black &White Hawk-eagle, I got good views of an unusual Capuchin Monkey (no black cap) and local Marmosets, that show bright Rufous upper thighs.
The following morning I found an unusual female ant-wren amongst a large flock of antbirds low-down in the undergrowth, I was most surprised when my “wild-shot” of trawling with Salvatori’s Antwren produced an immediate and instant response from a glorious male bird, the female that I had been watching also reappeared at his side and I got some mediocre pictures of both birds, the dense vegetation and steep sides to the track did not help at all here, even with the male bird seemingly mesmerised by the playback. Latter in the day I heard a Least Pygmy-Owl calling near the accommodation block and I managed to record it and then lure it in with playback. The light was too bad and the bird was too high in the trees for pictures however.
The next day I had packed my bags and then breakfasted by 07.00hrs. I hitched a lift down to the lower Park (Fazenda Paris) with Vitor and after arranging a midday pick-up I proceeded to explore the trails of this old Cocoa plantation and surrounding tall forest. The bird-life was quite different from the Serra Bonita ridge above. We were now at circa 200 meters and the common birds here were Red-rumped Cacique and another local speciality Yellow-rumped Cacique. A campo Troupial was perched up high in a Cecropia tree and then I entered the forest proper. I got good views a Rufous-breasted Hermits and a brief view of a Black-eared Fairy, the forest was full of the calls of Little Tinamou and the occasional Tataupau Tinamou. Birds were a bit thin on the ground but I did manage to “stumble” across a large leque of Eastern-striped Manakin males and a little before that I had also seen a female bird reasonably well, I’m assuming that this species will prove “repeatable” at the leque, a useful discovery for me and the first leque that I have discovered for this species. All too quickly my rendezvous hour with Vitor arrived and I headed back to the Fazenda buildings and then on to where I had garaged my Motor Cycle where I said my farewells.
My next stop was to be Barrolandia, approx 1 hour south of here but I was getting tired, and impatient to get moving to my last location! I’d now had 13 days without break performing my research and so at the last minute I decided to skip Barrolandia, leaving it for my next research trip. I instead headed further South down the coast road to Prado, situated only 140kms inside the southern boarder of Bahia with Espirito Santo state, I arrived there late pm, just an hour or two before a heavy rainstorm broke. Prado, like Barrolandia has remnant low-level jungle patches on sandy ground and on the relatively flat coastal plains. At Prado a new national Park is being inaugurated the “Park of the Discovery”, it is relatively close to (just a few tens of kms south) of Monte Pascoal National Park, and it appears to house a very similar group of species? My rapid survey of the Southern edge of the Park and the adjacently surrounding privately owned Forest patches proved most interesting. I discovered a host of trails that can be explored, a dirt road skirts the edge of good forest for at least 7 kms. allowing access for birding along the whole route, this is better, much better than at Monte Pascoal. Birds seen here included Blue-necked Parakeet, Band-tailed Antwren, Screaming Phia, Buff-throated Woodcreeper, Thrush-like Mourner, both Red-headed and Eastern-striped Manakins and Red-browed Amazon Parrot.
I spent three and a half days at Prado relaxing on the beach and visiting a Motorcycle club rally there before finally departing for the 1000kms return journey South to Marica and Rio de Janeiro state. I spent the night en-route at Guarapari, a famous beach resort town just south of Vitoria, the state capital of Espirito Santo. The following afternoon I arrived back at the Marica lodge having completed a round trip of just over 3600Kms over a period of 17 days.
I arrived back exhausted but well pleased with myself(I had kept my calm at some taxing times, I’d been rigorous in my research right up until the last few days of the trip), the motorcycle (even at 14 yrs old she still glides over the rough Brazilian roads and tracks), the places I had visited (I can see myself returning to every place visited, with clients) and most importantly the new birds that I had either seen, recorded or pictured.

Welcome to my new improved blog! The third post of my recent Southern Bahia research trip will be published very soon…

After arriving back at, and “kissing” the tarmac, after departing Bandeira, I continued heading South to Almenara, the crossing point for the River Jequitinhonha. En route I passed by some very interesting looking woodlands/wooded Caatinga approx. 10kms south after rejoining the tarmac, but I was really not prepared to stop again so soon after getting back on good roads. I planned to stop and bird here on my next trip to this region.

Upon arrival in Almenara I asked directions from a group of Motor-cycle Taxis parked-up in the town square, I did-not want to get back onto any muddy trails again but I was also very much against having to make any un-necessary detours (some of up to 300 or 400kms?) to avoid all dirt-tracks, including some that may be found easily navigable even in these wet conditions? I was told that the route east to Salta da Divisa was about half dirt-track & half tarmac, but that the dirt-road was built on good, solid and stony ground, and navigable year-round. I took their advice and did not regret it. I stopped for lunch at about the half-way point in Jacinto, at another decent house/restaurant, they seemed to be very much in vogue here in the Jequitinhonha valley?

After lunch I encountered the off-road section but it was tame in comparison to what I had already navigated over the past 3 days, I was even averaging 50-60kms/hr in places. Just outside of Jacinto I stopped to inspect a roadside pool (almost certainly seasonal and now almost full after the rains). Straight away I confirmed two pair of Black-winged stilt (the reason for my stopping) but in amongst them was a different but equally attractive wader, a pair of large black and white plovers with bright red legs, brilliant! I had another new tick for me, the trip and my South eastern Brazil list, Pied Lapwing. I eventually arrived in Salta da divisa late in the afternoon after a very pleasant journey from Jacinto without incident. I proceeded to wash the bike down in a local jet-wash and start quizzing the locals about how to find the nearby Fazenda Santana.

Fazenda Santa is famous as an area of low-level seasonally wet Forest that harbours a number of rather unexpected endemics. In the 1990’s a survey by the Minas Gerais ministery of forests discovered Slender Antbird here, and in 2001 subsequent and more focused ornithological studies of this Forest-block also found another very rare species, Scalloped Antbird.

My initial enquiries about Fazenda Santana were not very encouraging, one needed to cross back over the river (the same, unpronounceable River Jequitinhonha) using a ferry, the river was almost in flood AND the dirt-tracks on the Northern bank were considered impassable with the arrival of the rains. The following morning I set out initially to research another locality, the newly created state reserve at Duas Barras, I had “word” that this could prove well-worth further investigation.

Today was a rather strange day. I arrived at the closest town to the duas barras reserve only to be told that the reserve was a further 22kms away on yet more dirt roads… The sky was full of clouds and I had just spent 3 times as long as I had spent yesterday, covering 20 odd kilometres & back-tracking on the same “fine” track of yesterday, but this morning it had been wet from overnight rains. In the town I also managed to discover exactly where to find the ferry-point for the Santana Fazenda (it was close-by but I’d already managed to ride past it twice without it registering).

Deciding not to continue-on to the state reserve this trip (but I took the opportunity to research the accommodation in this town for a return visit) I then headed-off back in the direction of Salta da divisa, the idea being to at least “familiarise” myself with the ferry crossing point, again with the idea of facilitating any return visit. Today appeared to be really turning out to be one of those 100% “new area familiarization days”?

Upon arrival at the ferry-man’s house however, I found that I could see the closest forest of the Fazenda, and seemingly not too far away on the opposite bank? It was 10.30 am, I still had a good part of the day remaining and I managed to negotiate an affordable price to be taken across the river by canoe. Making sure that he would return to pick me up at a pre-arranged hour and making a point of not paying in advance for this first crossing, we departed in an amazingly large dugout. The river was swift and the colour of the local mud, there were numerous items of vegetation bobbing along in the strong current, the river was close to breaching it’s banks. Arriving at the other side I found that the road was composed of wet, soft sand and to a lesser extent, mud. Easy enough to walk-on but not the sort of thing to drive on if not a competent 4×4. I managed to get to the nearest forest patch after a short, 20mins walk and after asking a couple of locals, they had appeared as if from nowhere, walking the same route as me, there were no houses at all within view, I entered a very familiar environment, or apparently so to my semi-trained eye? Ahead of me the forest was “dry” and flat and full of large terrestrial bromeliads, it appeard very similar, although maybe a shade more open, to the Vine-forests of Boa Nova? And what was the second bird that I encountered here……. a female Slender Antbird, closely followed by a gorgeous male! I taped the vocalisations and took a few pictures and then pushed-on to see what else I could find here. The next interesting species was a male Great Antshrike followed by a Rufous Hermit, and then a vocalising Yellow-legged Tinamou , I saw a number of Sooretama Slatey Antshrike and next I managed to find 2 more Great Antshrike, these ones immature or females? I tried trawling with two species know to be found here but without success (Wied’s Tyrant-manakin & the originally targeted Scalloped Antbird). By this time it was getting close to my arranged time to cross back over the river and I was also somewhat exhausted from all the rushing around the hot jungle trying to explore the maximum in my limited time here. I had a quick further scout-around to localise areas close enough to be inspected on any future visit and then headed back to the ferry-point, feeling well satisfied with my days research.

Once back on the other bank, and now having paid the Ferry-man, I saw a male seedeater, it appeared both familiar and yet strange, It appeared to be as for a White-bellied Seedeater but definitely with a collar mark (I had caught glimpses of a couple of other examples here in the Jequitinhonha valley and near Boa Nova over the past few days). This turned out to be a another new species for me and for the trip, White-throated Seedeater.

I returned to Salta da divisa that evening knowing that the following day I would have to move-on and cross the boarder again back into Southern Bahia if I was to keep to my rather tight schedule of stops……………… still to be concluded…..