Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected]p.1 A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE tour BRAZIL: THE PANTANAL & AMAZON 26 August-9 September 2017 TOUR LEADER: ANDRES VASQUEZ, Report and photos by Andres Vasquez
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A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE tour BRAZIL: THE … · A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE tour BRAZIL: ... Tropical Birding ... we flew to Alta Floresta where we were received by
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Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
the Amazon, found only on top of hills, and the river islands on the Teles Pires River, plus we did various boat rides along
the Cristalino River, and hiked a couple forest trails that hold, for instance, some bamboo specialties. Two afternoons we
visited blinds inside forests where fresh water ponds attract various passerines out of which manakins and antbirds are
the main prizes. I will describe in the next pages the birding done on each of these main sites but not in chronological
order.
The Canopy Towers: having the chance to see the canopy of the Amazon rainforest from the tall towers of Cristalino is not only a pleasure but also a privilege. Much of the wildlife interactions in the Amazon occur in the canopy, given the food availability and light; this makes it imperative to bird from a tower.
The list of birds that we got from about 150feet above ground is long but highlights included the localized White-browed Hawk and Black-girdled Barbet, Red-fan Parrot, Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak, Curl-crested and Red-necked Aracaris, Tooth-billed Wren, the mega Fiery-tailed Awlbill, Paradise Tanager, Olive Oropendola, nesting Green Oropendolas, an Amazonian Pygmy-Owl that came and perched at eye-level on tree next to tower 2, Spangled Cotingas, Bare-necked Fruitcrow, the local Brazil endemic Kawall’s Parrot, the smaller White-bellied Parrot, Amazonian, Gray-rumped and Pale-rumped Swifts, Grayish Mourner, Wing-barred Piprites, Amazonian Trogon, Brown-banded and White-necked Puffbirds, Golden-green, Ringed and Scale-breasted Woodpeckers, Long-tailed Woodcreeper, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, and lots more. We spent most of the morning on its respective day on each tower.
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
The river islands and river edges: We took several boat rides along the large Teles Pires River and its tributary the Cristalino River. This is how we saw most of the tapirs while they were in the water or on the beaches next to the banks. Riding up and down these watercourses, we found Sunbitterns, an adult Ornate Hawk-Eagle that was trying to prey on Green Ibises, Gray-chested Greenlet, Swallow-winged Puffbirds (photo below), Dusky-billed Parrotlets and Santarem Parakeets that were consuming minerals from a bank, Long-billed Woodcreeper, a responsive Barred Forest-Falcon that flew across the river, Drab Water Tyrants, Silvered and Blackish Antbirds, Paradise Jacamars, Short-tailed Nighthawk and Common Pauraques at dusk, and by night a lone Common Potoo.
It took us a couple stops targeting Flame-crested Manakin inside the dense river side woodland to finally get it, and in the process we also found Amazonian Streaked Antwren, Dot-backed Antbird, Bronzy Jacamar and surprisingly, a little further inside the forest, a flock of Crimson-bellied Parakeets near a clay lick that also surprised us with a group of over 70 White-lipped Peccaries that came in tamely to eat salts and minerals, and did not mind our presence.
The river islands on the big river host a few birds that are restricted to or that can more easily be found on them. For sure the most rewarding of these for our group were the about five Amazonian Umbrellabirds that we saw on a lek site. Not too far from these we found Amazonian, Chestnut-backed and Glossy Antshrikes, and Snethlage's Tody-Tyrant. On more open parts of the islands we found the local Amazonian Tyrannulet, Spotted Tody-Flycatcher, some Pied Lapwings, Blackish and Ladder-tailed Nightjars, Black Caracaras, and a couple Scaled Ground-Doves.
We did a short detour on the boat ride to visit some small river rapids with some rocks that stick out of the river where the rapids-specialist Black-collared Swallow loves to perch; we saw several of these interesting birds. They even allowed us to approach for pictures, and on closer inspection we found out there were also a few young birds mixed together with adults; I had not seen juveniles before so I was happy with that sighting too.
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
The Serras and forest interior trails: the open nature on top of the hills (serras) hold special birds that have to be found early in the morning as the activity dies down quite soon due to the harsh sun. We visited this location one morning and managed to see some specialties of this strange ecosystem like White-fringed Antwren, Natterer's Slaty-Antshrike, Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant, Eastern Striolated Puffbird, Layard's Woodcreeper; we heard but did not see Zimmer’s Tody-Tyrant and Tataupa Tinamous. Other more widespread species we found here were Rufous Casiornis, Sibilant Sirystes, and a lone Rufous-throated Sapphire that came to check us out near the mirante (scenic view point) while we were taking a break at about mid-morning. Only I got to see a pair of Razor-billed Curassows that walked across the path and disappeared inside the forest before others arrive to where I was.
After birding from the top of the Serra just as after birding from the canopy towers, we walked along trails to explore the forest from the inside, where many skulking birds forage and spend most of the day. During these hikes we managed to find, for instance, Spix’s Warbling-, Rufous-faced, Manu, Black-throated, and Striated Antbirds, White-shouldered Antshrike, Blue-cheeked Jacamar, the recently described Tapajos Hermit (photo below), Curve-billed Scythebill, Rose-breasted Chat, just a fly-by Cryptic Forest-Falcon, Yellow-throated Woodpecker, Gray, White-eyed, White-flanked and Dot-winged Antwrens, White-crested Spadebill, the always nice to see Royal Flycatcher, Red-headed Manakin, and many more.
The blinds inside the forest: The southern Brazilian Amazon has suffered severe drought, with exceptionally long dry seasons the past two years. The forest floor is dusty and full of crunching dry dead leaves and the small forest streams are in some cases only noticeable paths that have water only during the rainy season. There is very little fresh water to drink for the birds that live inside the forest, and the few remnant ponds attract many birds; every afternoon, near dusk,
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
they come to bathe and drink some water. The local guides from Cristalino have noticed this phenomenon and they decided to set a couple of small blinds in front of two forest ponds (one of them artifical) so that we can see some of the species of birds that visit these oasis.
We had to wait patiently at the blinds, sometimes needing to put up with annoying insects. The rewards were for sure worth the effort and time since we manage to get prolonged and clear views of many species that normally are skulking and difficult to see. Here is the combined list of all the birds I remember we got from both blinds in two afternoons: White-crowned and Snow-capped Manakins, Spot-winged, Saturnine, and Plain-winged Antshrikes, Xingu Scaled-backed, Bare-eyed, Band-tailed and Spot-backed Antbirds, White-flanked Antwren, Black-spotted Bare-eye, Striped Woodcreeper, White-winged Shrike-Tanager, Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Rufous-rumped Foliage-gleaner, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Brown-winged Schiffornis, Sunbittern, Black-eared Fairy, and probably the best of all, at least for me given that I managed a picture in natural light (which is border-line impossible to get), Zigzag Heron (photo below!!!). This experience, despite the sad reason for it, was spectacular, , and difficult to match.
Our time in the Amazon had come to an end after five nights in this wonderful place. We did some final birding for a couple hours on the departure day, and managed to get a various new birds for the list before we had to take our final boat ride back to the boat landing and on towards the Alta Floresta airport to catch our plane to the Pantanal. It was mostly a travel day and we arrived at our first lodge in the Pantanal just after dusk.
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
SEPTEMBER 3 TO 7: THE PANTANAL OF MATO GROSSO: Visiting the Pantanal in the state of Mato Grosso means traveling along the famous Transpantaneira Highway, which is about 150 Km (95 mi.) and ends at the Cuiabá River near the south border of the state. The best way to explore this rich area is staying a couple of nights at the north end of the road, other two halfway along, and the last couple nights at the south end. For the north portion, we stayed at the great Pousada Piuval and the first day we walked a couple kilometers from the lodge towards the river, and that single walk is one of the birdiest walks in the whole continent; it is a blast. New birds never stopped coming for a couple hours and they came in all shapes and sizes. We saw our first Hyacinth Macaws on a bare tree with the rising sun right behind them, so it looked like a cliché postcard, but it was quite memorable. Some other birds seen included Jabiru, Wood Stork, Orange-winged and Turquoise-fronted Parrots, Peach-fronted and Yellow-chevroned Parakeets, Chaco Chachalacas, Green-barred, Cream-colored, and Crimson-crested Woodpeckers plus a flock of White Woodpeckers that did not stop for better views, the first of several Whistling Herons, Greater Rheas, three species of Ibis, and the first Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl of the trip being harassed by a Glittering-throated Emerald. Passerines were also well represented, for instance we saw a Gray-crested Cachalote carrying nesting material, got Yellow-chinned Spinetails, Cattle Tyrants, White-rumped Monjitas, Great Kiskadees, Rufous Horneros, Narrow-billed and Great Rufous Woodcreepers, Red-crested and Yellow-billed Cardinals, and plenty more that do not come to mind right now. This is just to give an idea of how wonderful the first morning walk can be in the Pantanal.
The best show of that hike was a lone Sunbittern that was foraging tamely in the open in a shallow pond, and allowed me to approach a little to shoot the photo you see below.
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
When things were getting too hot to be in the open areas we moved on in our van, towards a patch of forest that offers more shade and where other species spend most of their time. Here we got Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant, Rusty-fronted Tody-Flycatcher, Ashy-headed Greenlet, Large-billed Antwren, Planalto Slaty-Antshrike, Forest and Greenish Elaenias, Masked Gnatcatcher and a few other passerines. Late in the morning, when we were just heading back to the lodge for lunch, our driver Jose managed to spot a pair of Red-legged Seriemas (photo below) that were resting under the shadow of a small bushy tree, and so we approached and managed close up views and some photos that were challenging given the super sunny background and the shady objects.
After a longish pause in the middle of the day to wait the heat out, we spent the afternoon driving and birding along a patch of gallery forest near the river east of the lodge. Here we found Orange-backed Troupial, Red-billed Scythebill, Yellow-billed Cacique, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Mato Grosso Antbird, White-lored Spinetail, Brown-crested and Short-crested Flycatchers and a perched up Crane Hawk (photo on next page) that stayed a good while and gave us, as defined by one of the participants, the “stink-eye”, as if saying “what do you want strangers? This is my forest!” before flying away.
This patch of forest always has a family of Black Howler Monkeys hanging around, which we found with ease; they are large black furry blobs atop of leafless trees so it is not much of a challenge. Along the edge of the lake we saw Black-collared Hawks, or first Black-backed Water-Tyrants, Greater Thornbirds, Purple Gallinules, and Pale-legged Horneros. Close to dusk we managed to call in a very responsive Yellowish Pipit and then we returned to the lodge in the dark trying to find some nocturnal birds but we only kept on finding the same Common Pauraque over and over. We did see though a nice Crab-eating Fox for a change.
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
Next day we birded early in the morning along the nearby stretch of the Transpantaneira; on the way out we saw a beautiful Southern Tamandua (a small anteater) walking along the pastures. Once on the main road, we started finding many cool birds like this White-headed Marsh-Tyrant (photo below) that came in very close with perfect sunrise light.
The main target at this spot, Scarlet-headed Blackbird, did not make us wait; it was perched up atop of the tall reeds singing away, which means it really glowed in that great light. Other interesting birds we found included Rusty-collared Seedeater, Grassland Sparrow, Toco Toucans, Black-capped Donacobius, Unicolored Blackbird, and a few species we had seen before. It became very hot very early, so we moved towards some gallery forest areas to see if other species were more active. It was a little quiet overall, so we decided to explore with the van the open fields to see if we would get other things. It was a good move since we found a family of about seven Greater Rheas that were quite calm despite our presence, but out of the blue they got nervous and started sprinting away. We also saw Blue-throated Piping-Guans, Chestnut-bellied Guans, and some Buff-necked Ibis scattered along the grassy fields. Foraging on some shallowish ponds we saw a pair of the Southern Screamers, Black-necked Stilts, Little Blue Heron, Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Pied Lapwings, Plumbeous Ibis, and bunches of Jacare Caimans.
We headed back to the hotel to pack our bags as we were going to depart immediately after lunch towards our next lodge that is about two hours south of Piuval on the shores of the Pixaim River. It was important to hit the road as soon as we had lunch since you never know how many stops you will do on the Transpantaneira, and we had already scheduled a boat ride on the river upon arrival to the other site. It was a good move again since there is a particular stretch on the highway that is always birdy where we saw Yellow-billed and Large-billed Terns, Black Skimmers, White-faced Whistling-Ducks, Brazilian Teal and more of the common water birds.
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
We had time to do check in at the Pantanal Mato Grosso Hotel and a short break before we boarded the boats for our afternoon excursion. Boat rides along this river are always great - relaxing but birdy, surrounded by beautiful forests and they normally finish just at dusk so we catch the beautiful sunsets just before we start seeing lots of Band-tailed and Nacunda Nighthawks.
We did a boat ride each of the two afternoons we had in this spot. The best bird that we saw was by far a very cooperating Agami Heron that the boatman knew where to find and to my surprise, he managed to get the bird coming down to the open from its original very hidden perch inside dense vegetation with a couple of fish that he threw to attract the bird. I was stunned and obviously happy since I managed more than one nice photo (see below).
Other birds seen during these rides included all five species of the resident South American kingfishers, of which the Green-and-rufous Kingfisher was particularly appreciated; apart from that we saw Rusty-backed Spinetail, a lone Undulated Tinamou, a Great Potoo perched on a tree just a little ways along a side trail, the only Bare-faced Ibis of the trip and lots of other water birds.
One really cool experience, especially for photographers (both inexperienced and advanced), is trying for flight photos of hawks that the local boatmen attract with fish. The boat driver threw fish into the water when they saw either a Roadside Hawk or a Black-collared Hawk (photos on next page), knowing that the bird would go and grab the fish before it sank into the water. This type of photography is always a challenging task, but with some luck and well-planned camera settings, the results can be rewarding. Most of the time the results are frustrating since the action happens very fast so good reflexes are also key.
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
The one full morning we had around the Pixaim area we dedicated to birding the dense gallery forest along the nice trails behind the hotel. This gave us access to a few birds that we had not seen yet, for instance Barred Antshrike, Fuscous Flycatcher, a Dull-capped Attila that flew directly towards us in response to playback but disappeared right away, a Buff-bellied Hermit sitting on a twig for ages, Plain Antvireo, Striped Woodcreeper, Plain Tyrannulet, Purple-throated Euphonia and a few already-seen species, all of which made the morning quite enjoyable. The most cooperating bird that morning was a male White-wedged Piculet (photo below) that came in very close.
The next morning, we birded our way along the Transpantaneira south towards our final major destination of the tour, the area of Porto Jofre. We made several stops along the dusty highway and found for instance Cinereous-breasted Spinetail, Chotoy Spinetail, Green-backed Becard, Rufous-fronted Thornbird, Little Woodpecker, Chestnut-vented Conebill, a very stubborn Southern Antpipit that only gave us quick views, and the first Fawn-breasted Wren that, in contrast, was very well-behaved. We also got just distant flight views of Yellow-collared Macaw and saw more (repeated but still beautiful), birds like Scarlet-headed Blackbirds, Guira Cuckoos, and Toco Toucans, that made the morning quite entertaining despite the rather long drive needed to get to the Cuiabá River.
At this point, most of the birds that we could have seen in the Pantanal were already seen, there were only a few gaps that we were going to try to fill up the last full day of the tour, on the drive back to the city. The time had come to focus our efforts on one of the main targets, probably “the” main target for a few of the participants, the mighty Jaguar. Leaving birding as a secondary activity (well… it is never like that for birders, really…) we spent much of the next day and a half on the quest for seeing the biggest American cat and ……darn we did well!!!!
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
Upon arrival to our hotel, we checked in, had lunch and even had a little downtime to recover from the bumpy ride, before our first outing in search of “kitties”. At 2pm we met Vanderley, our boat driver who has eagle eyes as we found later, for our first boat ride. With him, we cruised the waters of the Cuiabá River and a few smaller tributaries. During our afternoon boat ride, as well as the one the following morning, we saw four Jaguars: an old male that had been spotted the day before we arrived eating a caiman so he was going to be resting for a long while in the same spot, another male that seemed it was waiting for us just sitting alert on an exposed bank of the river, a female that was extremely lazy laying on a large fallen log over the water of a small tributary, and a large healthy-looking male that was initially quite hidden inside a riverside thicket and that later walked into the open. I do not know how in the world Vanderley spotted that one while cruising fast on our way back to the lodge. Oh, did I mention that we saw the Jaguars from a close range?
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
We only added a couple birds to the list during the Jaguar searches, namely Collared Plover and Little Cuckoo but we did stop here and there for other species on the way if they represented good photo opportunities. That was the case of a family of Giant Otters (photo below) that were playing on the border of the river.
The whole group was happy with the Jaguar sightings by the second afternoon at Porto Jofre, so everyone decided to not go out on the boat again, and instead take it easy and just relax around the grounds of the hotel trying for pictures of the Hyacinth Macaws (photo on the cover of the report) and Toco Toucans that are always foraging around the expansive lodge grounds. I also got pics of these nice Monk Parakeets (photo below) walking on the grass.
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017
SEPTEMBER 8: BACK TO CUIABÁ: With a long drive ahead of us to go from the southernmost location on the Transpantaneira northwards towards the city of Cuiabá, we decided to take a “relaxed” 6am breakfast and bird along the way during the first hours of the morning while the temperature was not too bad. We did not really have many birds that we could target, but we always find something new on this ride.
This was the case of Striped Cuckoo that had been bugging us for several days during which we had only heard it. Luckily, when we stopped for this cuckoo, we heard a couple Gray-breasted Crakes singing very close to the road and with some persistence most of the group managed to see it briefly but very well. We also tried for an Ash-throated Crake that never responded. Thanks to a tip from TB guide Nick Athanas, who was leading another group in Porto Jofre the day before, we managed to track down a pair of responsive Subtropical Doraditos (photo on right) that are not common in the Pantanal. Another new bird was a single White-browed Meadowlark that was seen by a couple of the participants while I had a short get-rid-of-coffee stop.
We had lunch back at the Hotel Pantanal Mato Grosso that is conveniently located half way to Cuiaba. Here, in the middle of the day, and with lots of Brazilian visitors that were hanging around for the weekend, one of the participants found a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (photo on next page) perched on a bench of the hotel watching just casually all the people splashing in the swimming pool. Afterwards we continued our way northwards, stopping for some souvenir shopping, and got into Cuiabá late in the afternoon, tired, a little sunburned, with dust in our hair but extremely happy with our list filled with tons of birds, and our memories with uncountable and unmatchable moments from a superb tour.
Tropical Birding - Trip Report BRAZIL: The Pantanal and Amazon, Aug-Sept 2017