What’s really involved in seeing a bird? They don’t make a habit of making it easy – after all, being seen by a predator could lead to an early demise! Their primary business in life is to survive and reproduce, both of which consume total attention and energy.

So here we come, a group of 6 or so (smaller is better!), in hopes of grabbing a look that might last longer than a minute, but which in fact is often more like 10 seconds. Not much time in which to find the bird, focus the bins, register the salient field marks, run over the possibilities of what the bird might be, and come up with an identification. Oh yes, and enjoy the beautiful creature too! Meanwhile, the bird has either seen us and zoomed away, or, with great skill and luck (yes, being in the right place at the right time is important), on the part of leader and participants, has resumed its foraging or mating display, perhaps singing as well. It’s this sort of experience which really makes for a memorable “close encounter”, and this trip was packed full of them!

To start with, though, do have a look at the map of South America and you will see that Brazil accounts for almost ½ of the entire continent. It is only slightly smaller than the US, and yet holds more than twice the number of bird species, about 1775, of which almost 230 are endemic to the country (vs. less than a dozen in the lower 48). And the numbers for Brazil are still growing with enthusiastic, on-going research and discovery of new species. There is an excitement about birds in Brazil, a true love for their birds which has resulted in a rising group of young researchers dedicated to their field work. Perhaps I failed to grasp all this on my first visit to Brazil, which took me to the Pantanal and just touched the southern edge of the Amazon basin. I knew then that I would have to return, as I truly enjoyed traveling and birding there, but as we had not even touched the Atlantic Rainforests, I had yet to fully realize the extent of habitat and species diversity in Brazil. After all, if you only experienced our American Southwest, for example, you would be missing out on our more northerly, temperate and boreal rainforests – big mistake!
So it was with eager anticipation that I and Virginia Willcox, great friend and birding pal, plotted our return to the land of the caipirinha and churrascaria (oh yes, the food and drink are definitely worth coming back for!). This time we would fly into Rio, and from there launch into the southeastern states (SE) with Bret Whitney, our Field Guides leader and renowned Brazilian expert.

But first, we spent one night perched above Ipanema Beach, recovering from overnight flights, and getting into the feel of Brazil once again. Though the weather was far from chamber of commerce perfect, we still managed a walk down the deserted beach, bins in hand, and began to tune our ears to Portuguese. No “tall and tan and young and lovely”, etc., at least not today, but still, it’s clearly Ipanema!

Our hotel, the Best Western Sol Ipanema, was both clean and quiet, with a nice 2nd floor restaurant overlooking the beach, and a rooftop pool which was only useful on a day such a this for spying Brown Boobies skimming over the waves. It was disappointing not to have seen Sugarloaf or the famous Christ statue, but the R&R was great.

The next morning we headed to the airport, fortunately by-passing the huge traffic jams which had resulted from a rain-soaked landslide blocking the major tunnel leading into the sprawling downtown. We met Bret and the other 3 members of our group, all men, two from Canada and one Flemish-speaking Belgian. We flew NE from Rio, to Vitoria, capital of Espirito Santo State. Though the town itself is less than 1 million in population, the beachfront resorts and homes account for far more. Turning our backs on the sunny coastline, we headed straight inland, to the mist-shrouded, dome-shaped hills, with coffee planted on virtually all sides (here please hum: “they grow an awful lot of coffee in Brazil”), and little native vegetation to be seen. En route to the lovely Hotel Monte Verde there are many granite quarries and finishing/packing plants, thousands of N. American kitchens on the hoof. We stopped briefly for ice cream (love those Magnum bars!) and birds, of course, catching our first glimpses of Green-headed Tanagers – a stunning introduction to the delights ahead.
Green-headed Tanager

Frilled Coquette Male
A. Grosset


Yellow-fronted Woodpecker

 Have I got your attention yet?!

There be birds in Southeast Brazil! Our lake-front accommodations were at a small resort, with plenty of birds to be seen even on the immediate grounds. My favorites were the tiny Frilled Coquettes, feeding at length and repeatedly in yellow flowers right outside my door – what a delightful start, the first of many close encounters!

Another favorite, here seen at a feeder, was the Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, an easy ID with his distinct markings.

Brown Capuchin monkeys also frequented the trees near the hotel.
Our primary target in this area was to be the Cherry-throated Tanager, a critically endangered, monotypic species known only from this area. Alas, they were MIA despite diligent searches by all, including two young, dedicated local researchers who joined us for our days here. We were also a bit done in by heavy rains, though some birds were more easily visible for those conditions. Such was the Sharp-tailed Stream-creeper, which was forced to forage along the edge of the streaming, muddy forest track, since its normal riverside habitat was a roiling, flooded torrent.

Yes, we do continue birding in the rain – after all, the birds have to eat, and barring totally drenching conditions, there are still plenty of species to be found!
Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper
Mangoverde.com

Buffy-headed Marmoset
Brazilianfauna.com


Swallow-tailed Cotinga
S. Burch

 The second mammal seen on our trip was truly cute, and chattered his alarms at us for quite some time.

The Buffy-headed Marmoset is an endangered Brazilian endemic, and a feisty defender of his territory and mate.

Another, drier day yielded the Swallow-tailed Cotinga, a female on the nest and a male nearby.

After sunset, the Long-trained Nightjar put on a fine display, an adult male with his very, very long white tail-feathers sweeping behind him.
Next stop, to the NE in Espirito Santo, was Linhares Reserve, a totally different environment and experience. Here it was sunny, hot and flat, so of course, there was an entirely different suite of birds to be seen. There was also no-one else around, just us chickens enjoying lovely, large quadplex accommodations, and miles of tracks with plenty of birds.

This Long-tailed Potoo is actually sitting on its nest! No doubt she has an egg, as the rangers had been seeing her there for the last couple of weeks. Only nest-site fidelity would keep such a bird so easily in sight in daytime, and we examined all details, including the tiny peaks in the eyelids which allow peeks at her surroundings even though she appears to be sound asleep.

Of course, it’s not a “nest” in the usual sense. The bird’s protective camouflage and behavior are primarily a matter of mimicking a stump or tree snag, and so it deposits its egg in the indented tip of one, then perches on it. It must work, there are still a number of them around, though they are normally quite difficult to see!
Long-tailed Potoo Nest

Red-billed Curassows
B. Whitney


Spotted Nothura
A. Grosset


Close-up of Spotted Nothura feathers

 The Red-billed Curassow is one of this reserve’s special birds, another endangered species currently found in only a handful of small reserves in SE Brazil. Here, however, we were treated to excellent views each morning as the birds came out to feed along the open edges of the dry forest tracks.

Also seen strolling the lanes with complete indifference to use were numerous Solitary Tinamous, quite a treat as these plump, large Tinamous are obviously a prime prey item and normally would judiciously hug the denser undergrowth. Another member of the Tinamou family was seen later in the trip, the Spotted Nothura. Alas, our first look at this bird resulted from an unavoidable collision with our van, but that enabled this close-up of its intricate feathering:

We were relieved to find one on the hoof a bit later on in the trip!

This beautiful beetle demanded a photo – the iridescence just wouldn’t quit!
One of my favorites was this Crescent-chested Puffbird. Like others in his family, he responds nicely to his taped call, flying in to perch quietly while searching for any intruder, and then, as with this one, settling down to search for food, i.e., flying insects.

A word about the use of tapes in assisting the sighting of birds – There are those who consider this “cheating”, though it seems to me these folks are either purists of the strictest sort, or uninformed about what it takes to actually see a bird. Taped calls, when used judiciously, enable a group to see birds which would otherwise take hours or days to locate and observe (if seen at all!), not a practical option for a birding tour. Further, the bird’s compelling instinct to locate and repel potential competitors (breeding/feeding) and possible nest predators is a part of its everyday existence. It may also be responding to the sound thinking that another bird is at a food source nearby. As long as it is not continually provoked, to the point that it may lose interest entirely, it will not be deterred from doing what comes naturally. Most skilled and experienced guides know very well how to handle tapes and their proper use. Bret Whitney is a master at this, and, in short, if he’s not worried, I’m not worried!
Crescent-chested Puffbird

Black-fronted Piping Guan

 Despite being refused entry to the nearby Sooretama Reserve by a seemingly implacable, arbitrary local administrator (whose nick-name shall go unmentioned), we had great success in Espirito Santo, and so moved on happily to our next venue, via a virtually empty A-320 TAM flight to Sao Paulo, and drive to Registro. Our hotel here, the Estoril Palace, was far from palatial, but served its purpose for hots & cots, being located as close to the entry to Carlos Botelho State Park as possible. Position was crucial, as we wanted to be in place at dawn to look for the Black-fronted Piping-guan, yet another species listed as endangered due to steeply declining numbers. It was a treat to see this wary bird perched just below us, the morning sun illuminating its brilliant blue bill and shining through its day-glow red wattle.

Here we had the first of several encounters with the Slaty Bristle-front, a member of the Tapaculo family. This bunch is known to strike fear, or perhaps despair, into the hearts of neo-tropical birders. Tapaculos are forest floor skulkers of the first order. Thanks to Bret’s patient use of tapes and expert guidance, we eventually had superb views of a pair of Bristle-fronts in the depths of their moist gully habitat, and we didn’t even have to slide down a muddy slope to do so (this had been promised – we weren’t sorry to miss it). Later on in the trip, we even had these birds in open view, with one working up the nerve to run across the road in front of us – unheard-of Tapaculo behavior!

As you will see, he’s aptly named, being both slaty and bristly.
Slaty Bristle-front
A. Grosset

Buff-bellied Puffbird


Spot-billed Toucanet

 Also at Carlos Botelho we had outstanding views of soaring White-necked and Mantled Hawks (seen together on a gorgeous morning), and yet another member of the Puffbird family, this confiding Buff-bellied Puffbird:

How about this Spot-billed Toucanet for a reptilian look?

Actually, he’s quite a friendly sort, and the deep lime sherbet facial color plus spotted bill make him truly a knock-out.
Another winner here was the Rufous-capped Motmot. This female (lacking the black breast spot of the male) is memorable for being not only beautifully colored, but for us, for having been seen just prior to a major thunderstorm which swept the valley and us. With drenching rains and howling winds, the storm downed a huge tree at the park headquarters as it passed through.

This Tropical Rat Snake, estimated variously at 5-6’ was apparently a regular as he was quite unperturbed by us. As I’ve often said, birders see it all, and any snake is fine with me as long as he’s not a total surprise!

Here we also caught our first, though distant, views of Saffron Toucanets.

Early AM get-ups continued, as we worked our way to some days of more coastal habitats in Parana State, basing ourselves in the attractive city of Curitiba. En route there, we took the 10 min. ferry-ride from the scenic town of Cananeia to Ilha d. Comprida.
Rufous-capped Motmot


Tropical Rat Snake


Saffron Toucanet


Red-tailed Parrot

 The “restinga” (white sand) scrub and snags in the center of the island were home to these handsome Red-tailed Parrots, perched in the morning sun.

This is one more of Brazil’s endangered species. Though only listed as “vulnerable”, it is found just along the SE coast and its numbers are in decline.

The purple, red and yellow tail bands are really brilliant as the bird flares its tail to land.
Later that same day we found ourselves in a patch of marsh not far from the city, and with the expert assistance of Marcos Bornschien, we searched for the Marsh Tapaculo, which Marcos first discovered. In the late afternoon overcast, we clumped through the reeds and water, along a path freshly tromped by Marcos and Bret, to stand in front of a similarly flattened small area where we hoped the constantly calling bird would eventually appear. Alas, despite all efforts, it eluded us, though Bret did catch a glimpse of its head as the bird popped up right next to the speaker in a split second peek at the source of its “competitor”. Nonetheless, this was a wonderful experience for me – standing perfectly still in the midst of the marsh, for perhaps 30 minutes, all senses keenly tuned to surrounding noises and movements of the slightest dimension. It was an interlude in which to soak up the whole scene, sights, sounds & smells, as the late afternoon light subtly began to fade. Now this was a challenge, the stuff of fun birding, and though we never saw the little devil (a true Tapaculo, this one), we certainly had a close encounter with him!


Many-colored Rush Tyrant


Kaempfer's Tody Tyrant

 Thanks to Marcos and another young researcher, Bianca Reinhert, the next morning we were treated to superb views of another newly discovered species, (Marcos, again, with Bianca and her on-going research) the Parana (Marsh) Antwren. I think the photo which follows captures the essence of both the male bird in his habitat, and Bianca and her enthusiasm for her work.

Also seen that day were both the Many-colored Rush Tyrant, and the far less colorful but still cute Kaempfer’s Tody-tyrant. Previously known from only 2 specimens, the first field descriptions of Kaempfer’s were made in the 1990’s, and this is yet another critically endangered Brazilian endemic. Both photos are by Ricardo Belmonte-Lopes, another fine young Brazilian ornithologist. I’m sure you can tell from the photos which species is which!
The Whistling Heron was not a new species for me, but this photo of a male in full breeding plumage just had to be included here.

The following day we gained some fine new species in the antbird family. I have not yet really discussed this group of birds, as they can be daunting and confusing – so many similar names (Antbirds, Antwrens, Antvireos, Antshrikes), many subtle differences in plumage and song – and yet they are gems, each of them. The Parana Antwren is one such, seen above, but in total this trip, I saw 31 species in this family alone, of which almost all were new to me. It’s an exciting bunch, especially when taken one by one and when so ably introduced as Bret did for us. Here’s my favorite, seen later on in the trip.

The accepted common name for this bird is Large-tailed Antshrike. We all voted to change it to Starry-starry Night Antshrike!
Whistling Heron


Large-tailed Antshrike
A. Grosset

After an excellent lunch at Per Tutti Churrascaria (think endless buffet with non-stop grilled meats, a carnivore’s daydream!), we drove out to Vila Velha State Park, a totally different and magical environment atop the inland plateau.

The rolling hills NW of Curitiba are all about grasslands and cattle, with soybean fields featuring prominently too. Here in the park, however, Maned Wolves and Pumas are still seen, along with such special birds as Sickle-winged Nightjars and nesting Biscutate Swifts. That’s actually “bi-scutate”, as in double- shielded or –collared, not as in tea biscuit!

Unfortunately, I was unable to locate photos of these birds, even on the web. That fact just emphasizes the fact that we saw some very special birds indeed!
The following morning we tracked down the Canebrake Groundcreeper (impossible to say that correctly and quickly!), and the feisty little Plovercrest hummer, perched on his lek along the entry road to Curitiba’s zoo.

This was the knock-out violet-capped sub-species. We later also saw the brilliant green-capped one in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro State.


Plovercrest Hummingbird
Mangoverde.com

From Curitiba we flew on south to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sol State. This is a much-visited part of SE Brazil, and rightfully so, as it is blessed with green and pleasant mountain resorts, charming, up-market towns, and a stunning national park. Our hotel, the Veraneio Hempel, was one of my favorites. Though certainly not the fanciest, it is surrounded by wonderful cloud-forest habitat, there was no one else there, and both the food and the caipirinhas were the best!

Dinner plate-sized hydrangeas, also known as hortensias, thrive in this climate and are common here.

Among the magical birds seen in or near the grounds of our hotel, perhaps my favorite was the Speckle-breasted Antpitta. To be quite honest, I missed my first shot at seeing this bird – well, it would have been a sighting, one of those not even 10 second glimpses, but not a satisfactory one. So when Bret took us back to this bird’s territory for another attempt, I wasn’t about to blow it! Well, as it turned out, that afternoon the bird ended up staying with us for quite some time, and almost hopped into our midst at one point, too close to focus the bins. Yup, that again was a very special, close encounter, and one which will stay with me as a favorite birding memory. As I was pretty much frozen in place, I never was able to get my own photo, but do have a look at this web site, a video which will give you a very good idea of just how special it was to have the bird parading around our feet!

Speckle-breasted Antpitta

Our day birding up to and in the Aparados da Serra National Park was again crammed full of goodies. We bagged several species in the marshes en route, and amidst the lovely Aruacaria forests in the park, yet more appeared.

The steep canyon walls here are punctuated by waterfalls and topped with huge trees. The araucarias, by the way, are quite unusual trees. Many of us have seen them as the “Monkey-puzzle Tree”, specimens in formal gardens. Their various species are found both in S. America and in New Zealand, as Norfolk Island Pine, another member of the family. They are living testaments to the theory of Gondwanaland and Continental drift. This spectacular park in SE Brazil preserves the pre-historic abundance now absent in much of their range. These once majestic forests have been lost to logging, grazing for cattle and sheep, and to vast stands of introduced pines used for paper pulp.

Thanks to Virginia’s very sharp eyes, we found a migrating Peregrine Falcon perched on the opposite canyon wall. The following shot was taken through a birding scope. Can you find the falcon?

While in this area, we birded another small forest patch in the Sao Francisco de Paula National Forest, with amazing success. Among the gems here, the Mottled Piculet, a 4” woodpecker, was singing his head off and gave us unusually fine views. Later on in the trip, Bret was able to get the first known recordings of its drumming and song. Here’s another cute Piculet we saw quite well, the Ochre-collared:

Also a hit that morning was the Blue-bellied Parrot. This bird is usually barely seen in flight, but we were fortunate to have a stunner of a male come in, perch, and flash us his beautiful blue belly! As most of you know, I’m a sucker for blue…

Blue-bellied Parrot


Ochre-collared Piculet
A. Grosset

Tarantula Female


Rufous-capped Antthrush
A. Grosset

 Along the trail that day we found two female tarantulas working their way across the sunlit grassy track. The females are the big, hairy ones, while the males are tiny and insignificant. I can’t say that I would have cared for one of these girls as a surprise either!

It was a busy, birdy morning, which included an especially fine time with a Short-tailed Antthrush. With proper positioning off the trail, inside the forest, we waited, unmoving, while the bird slowly approached as its call was played. Eventually, he circled us many times, almost as if on a string, as he foraged along the forest floor. It was a magical 15 minutes or so. Close? Well, within 10-15’ – that will qualify, I think!

Here’s a Rufous-capped Antthrush, which also gave us outstanding views:
Our picnic lunch that day was again amidst the araucarias, where we found an obliging pair of Green-chinned Euphonias. The next day I located a pair nesting happily in a mossy, bromeliad-draped tree above the hotel parking lot. I watched for at least 10 minutes as they busily foraged for bits of hanging moss, which they took turns carrying to the nest hole. I could see them turning about in the half-finished nest ball inside the hollow, carefully placing each prized piece. Later on, we placed Bret’s video camera on the nest while we birded on the grounds, but the birds never reappeared. As I said, being in the right place at the right time has a lot to do with success at this birding business! They were likely off foraging for their last feed of the day and would resume building in the morning.

A morning drive back to Porto Alegre and a quick dash to a small park right next to the airport revealed a Blackish Rail poking through the reeds in full sight, bright sun enhancing his otherwise, well, blackish plumage. Here’s a web site:

Blackish Rail

Alas, my camera was packed for the flight. I would love to have had my own photo, as rails are not often seen so easily and so well.
The last internal flight of our trip took us back to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos Airport, the older, in-town one. Though this was our second landing here, I was still riveted by the horizon-to-horizon sight of endless high-rise apartment buildings. With a population rapidly approaching 20 million, Sao Paulo is mind-boggling in its urban sprawl. We were told that on any given day there are 5 million cars on the roads there. Judging by the traffic, that’s quite believable! Another riveting sight at the airport was the never-ending parade of attractive Brazilian women in high-heeled footwear – everything from strapless platform scuffs to pointy-fronted toe-killers. There was even one pair which sported Scarlet Macaws!

Driving out along the Anton Senna Hwy., we stopped for lunch at a more ordinary but still clean, busy, abundant churrascaria, and for a rendezvous with another graduate student and his team. Their bird, yet to be formally described to science, was another marsh-dwelling denizen still lacking a common name, but which will likely be called the Sao Paulo Antwren. To be enabled to see such a recently discovered species by those who will provide science with its specific details was indeed a privilege. Thank you, Marcos & Co. (a different Marcos – must be a great name for birders!)
A long and very winding road took us through the fog and down the eastern slope of the coastal range to the popular resort town of Ubatuba. Nope, not a tuba to be seen, but lots of gorgeous coastline here, forested mountains plunging down to aqua seas, bays with long, broad beaches, tiny inlets with pocket versions, and islands dotted along the convoluted shore.

We stayed in a small, clean and bright pousada about 4 or 5 blocks back from the beach in a quiet, more residential part of this town, which is packed on weekends and holidays with Paulistas heading to the seaside – they love their beaches, these Brazilians. That Friday evening there was a report of a 197 km traffic jam coming down from the city! The fact that it was our last day here before we began to find our way to the pousada’s discreet entrance without getting lost is no reflection on the monotony of the less main streets – or maybe it is, now that I think about it! At any rate, while here we dined each night on the waterfront, enjoying wonderful, fresh shrimp especially.


Violet-capped Woodnymph and Black Jacobin


Black Jacobin


Creamy-bellied Thrush Fledgling

 The foot of nearby forested slopes provided some good habitat, especially for hummers, which kept us riveted as they came into feeders at two local homes.

The Black Jacobins were definitely the tough guys on the block, but at least 10 others species were buzzing about too.

Also zooming around were a fair number of mosquitoes, though this part of Brazil is apparently not at risk for malaria. As in all venues on our trip, the local flowers were lovely.

One fun interlude revolved around the discovery of a newly fledged Creamy-bellied Thrush.

This little guy was clearly certain that if he simply froze in place, we couldn’t see him. As we left, he was still there, firmly on the ground and thus no doubt quite vulnerable despite his nearby parents.

Off again the next day, we were en route to the NW corner of Rio de Janeiro State, where the beautiful Itatiaia National Park is found. (“ee-tah-tee-ya-ya”) It covers a wide range of altitude, all the way up to 7500’, and is said to contain more than 400 native bird and many mammal species. The nectar and fruit feeders here a well known for the special crowd of birds they draw, and the higher reaches of the park for some vulnerable, range-restricted species, such as the Black-capped Piprites.


Stygian Owl
Fernando Cerra

 Conditions up here were drippy, breezy and cold, but we took shelter in the rustic Pousada Alsene for our picnic lunch, and at least managed quick views of the scenic “Black Needles” during occasional breaks in the weather.

These unique formations are natural magnets for climbers from around the world, and along the trail below them we found the green-capped Plovercrests and Itatiaia Thistletails.

The following night, given far better conditions, we returned a bit lower down for a “formal” picnic dinner, complete with tablecloth and candelabra. This was merely a prelude to an epic evening of owling. Though the Rusty-barred Owls eluded us (they were singing just beyond the forest fringe along the road), the Stygian Owl, after long and determined trekking and scanning on our part, finally showed itself.

We had been hearing single note begging calls from what we later determined to be 2 or possibly even 3 fledged chicks for at least an hour before we tracked down, and spot-lighted one of the adult pair, which came in low, wheeling over our heads in an awesome display of its 3’+ wingspan. Despite our efforts to attract it with tape, it was clearly busy hunting for its young, and only finally responded to Bret’s “wounded rabbit” squeak. (I really must practice that one!) Adding to the surreal nature of this sighting was the fact that it was just steps down the dirt track from a major truck inspection stop on the very busy road into Rio de Janeiro State from Minas Gerais! Trucks rumbling, exhausts steaming, dogs barking, and highway inspectors no doubt thinking we’d lost our minds – oh yes, it could hardly get more bizarre! We were a weary bunch heading back to the Hotel do Ype after midnight, but it was a fine day of birding.

The Ype (“ee-pay”) Tree is the yellow-flowered form of the Tabebuia, often seen in S. Florida landscapes. During our stay these sunbursts were in full bloom, dotting the hillsides around us.


Golden Chevroned Tanager


Red-breasted Toucan

 The view from our spacious, well-appointed A-frame chalets was lovely and birdy. Alas, I never quite found time to enjoy the fire which was laid and ready in my bedroom.

The next morning we got to “sleep in” for an unusually late breakfast at 7 – I must admit it was welcome that day. We enjoyed some birds unique to the bamboo thickets on the hillsides here on various days, as well as simply sitting and watching the wonderfully busy feeders at our hotel.
Here we could truly sit and feast our eyes on Golden-chevroned Tanagers (more blue birds!), and the spectacular Red-breasted Toucans. They, along with the Saffron Toucanets, enjoyed both fruit from the tray and insects which had met their end in homicidal flights to the porch lights the night before. The birds tossed those bugs down like popcorn, though one or two moths managed to escape.

Blue-naped Chlorophonias put in a last minute appearance, giving far better views than those I had seen in the mist-shrouded highlands of Panama.

Blue-naped Chlorophonia


Three-toed Jacamar

 After three busy days of birding Itatiaia, we tore ourselves away to head for one last birding area, in the mountains N. of Rio, around Teresopolis and Nova Friburgo. Both are cool and welcome resort escapes for city-dwellers. A single night’s stay in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro State’s highest city at almost 3,000’, positioned us for a special trip to the Minas Gerais border and a known nesting site for the Three-toed Jacamar. They were there, as promised!

These are clearly cousins of the African Bee-eaters, snagging plenty of bees and other insects in mid-air and, once having dispatched them with several swacks on a branch, diving into their nest-holes on the faces of high mud banks. They do indeed have three toes, while most other birds have 4. Not sure why!
Last but not least, we wended our way up steeply cobbled, seemingly little traveled roads, to the Caledonia Inn, perched high above Nova Friburgo and just below the 7000’ Pico Caledonia.

We were poised for an assault on foot the next day which promised to be a tough one, at least 3-4 hrs. up-hill, in search of the little known and seldom seen Grey-winged Cotinga. Only a single specimen of this bird can be found in the world, in a Sao Paulo museum, and its known range is restricted to only two mountaintops, of which Pico Caledonia is the more accessible. As it turned out, and much to our relief after too many wonderful Brazilian meals, our resourceful Brazilian guide, Gudo, located a nearby resident with a 4WD Toyota. Though it was surely meant to seat no more than 4, we managed to squeeze the 6 of us inside with the driver, just like the clown act at the circus, with Gudo riding the spare tire. Fortunately, the driver knew the very, very steep, disintegrating cobbled track well, and walked his vehicle gently up and over it all, with a far more than full load too! This surely made it possible for us to see, as we ultimately did, this very rare bird, for we were positioned just as the clear, sunlit morning skies fell prey to descending cloud, which clearly the birds find more secure, as both the female (great excitement!) and then the male (astounding!) zoomed in to their taped calls, both low down along the track, close by us and remarkably well seen. For a fascinating account of the scientific work to rediscover this bird, go to:

Grey-winged Cotinga


Black and Gold Cotinga

 Also seen later in the day were at least two Black and Gold Cotingas, the males singing all around us as we descended the slopes.

An immature Crowned Eagle was also a highlight, as he soared low over our heads, then majestically up and over the ridge. Even a quick glance reveals the tremendous power of these raptors, and we were truly treated to a fine display. A look at this web site will say it all:

Crowned Eagle

The final day of this wonderful trip was a long one on the road, but worthwhile to get to the vanishing coastal habitat of one last critically endangered species, the Restinga Antwren. Here’s a video of the male foraging. He’s very active, so look carefully!

Restinga Antwren

A fine pair showed well, and we zoomed off to a last blow-out luncheon at Marius Churrascaria, situated right on Copacabana Beach. It was a clear and brilliantly sunny day in Rio, and so we at last got to see Christ the Redeemer, with just a few clouds clustered at his feet, and Copacabana Beach, busy with volleyball and beach soccer, and the requisite crowds of bikini-clad strollers.

The incredibly sumptuous spread at Marius was loaded with fresh seafood – lobster-tails with leeks were divine – as well as salads, caviar, you name it, they had it in endless quantities and beautifully displayed.

Oh yes, there were excellent grilled meats too, of course. So much to try, so little room!!! Needless to say, it was a delicious and happy ending to our trip.

We headed for the Rio airport, with time to enjoy a hot shower in our day rooms there, and then, at last, having steeled ourselves to the inevitable airport crush, we went downstairs to brave the check-in, immigration and security lines, which were considerable. Though 3 hours early, Virginia and I were both quite glad to get on with this dreary aspect of air travel today, as we both scored upgrades for the long trip home - yesss! It made the overnight flight to Atlanta far more comfy, and enabled me to zoom up to the mountains the next morning.
I’ve tossed a lot of birds into the narrative this time. It’s simply impossible to relate the wonders of this trip without doing so. I could go on and on, with many more close encounters to detail, but I think you’ve got the idea by now!

Brazil is a delightful country in which to travel and bird. The food is safe and you can eat all the fresh fruits and veggies without fear of getting sick, always a plus, and quite a contrast to other Central and South American countries.

The people are friendly and with a bit of Spanish you can make your way. With Bret’s encouragement and help, I even began to pick up a bit of the proper Portuguese pronunciation. The roads and other infrastructure are quite good, though the main drag between Sao Paulo and Rio is a high speed, curve-packed motor raceway! The scenery can be quite spectacular and there is certainly a huge diversity of habitats.

Blue Manakin
A. Grosset


Gilt-edged Tanager
A. Grosset


Brazilian Tanager
A. Grosset


Red-necked Tanager
A. Grosset

 So, would it surprise anyone to hear that, yes indeed, I hope to return? There is so much yet to be seen here, so many more close encounters to seek out…

To close, here is a gallery of a few more gorgeous birds seen this trip, and with special thanks to Bret for his patient teaching, all photos in the body of this report are mine unless otherwise attributed.