Brazil Introtour
18-25 October 2006

Leader: Nick Athanas
Birders: Dawn and Doug Grafe

Photos by Nick Athanas, except for Dawn's Plovercrest.

This short tour visits a decent variety of habitats while based in just two lodges, so it's a nice introduction to Brazilian birds. Most of the time we were based in the Reserva Ecologica de Guapiassu (REGUA) at the really comfortable and friendly Guapiassu Bird Lodge. Rain tried to dampen our spirits during the first couple of days, and I'd like to think that it didn't succeed (the birding was still good!), but after it ended the weather was really comfortable for the rest of the trip. This was Dawn and Doug's first organized bird tour outside of the US, and since they were the only clients, they really got personal attention (how many other bird tour companies would run a scheduled tour with just two people?).

All of our flights arrived the morning of the 18th, and after we had met up and rented the car, we drove the two hours to Guapissu Bird Lodge for a terrific lunch. The rain started up just as we were leaving for our afternoon wetland walk, but fortunately wetland birds are not much bothered by it. We still saw a good number birds like Chestnut-capped Blackbird, Least Grebe, White-faced Whistling-Duck, and Chestnut-backed Antshrike before the rain got the best of us and we retreated back to the lodge for caipirinhas.

The wetlands at REGUA, with the lodge in the background.

Pouring rain the next morning forced us to change our plans, and we took a day-trip down to the Atlantic coast at Praia Seca; this turned out to be a wise move as the rain wasn't nearly as bad down there and we were treated to great views of a singing male Restinga Antwren along with Hangnest Tody-Tyrants and Lemon-chested Greenlets. The Brown Boobies were putting on a nice show and we even scoped a surprise Manx Shearwater from the beach. We checked the various coastal lagoons and salt evaporation ponds for shorebirds, herons, ducks, and gulls before heading back to REGUA. The rain was still tough, so we spent some time at the hummingbird feeders at the researcher's house; hummers love the rain and we were treated to great views of six species including Saw-billed and Rufous-breasted Hermits and Black Jacobin.

The rain continued next morning, but we persisted and headed up into the forest anyway. Despite the conditions we still saw a rather good assortment of birds including Yellow-eared, Yellow-throated, and Blond-crested Woodpeckers, Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant, White-eyed Foliage-gleaner; Blue Manakin, Unicolored, Star-throated, and Streak-capped Antwrens, and a mind-boggling assortment of tanagers like Turquoise, Green-headed, Red-necked, Flame-crested, Yellow-backed, and Golden-chevroned. The waterfall at the end of the trail was stunning - it was pouring down with far more volume than I've ever seen it before, and the wind at the base was almost enough to blow us off our feet!! Walking back down the trail we ran into two pairs of the recently reintroduced Red-billed Curassows, in good health but looking rather odd with their radio-tracking antennas protruding from their backs. That night Nicholas Locke, the manager of the reserve, gave us a fascinating presentation about the history of the reserve, their current projects and future goals.

The following morning we left early and took a long drive over the mountains to the Sumidouro area and finally left the rain behind us. The birds were out enjoying the nice weather with us and there was plenty to look at the whole day. The scrubby forest at the Three-toed Jacamar stakeout had plenty of jacamars (like the one feature to the left) along with a couple of nice surprises like Gray-eyed Greenlet and Crescent-chested Puffbird. We worked our way slowly towards Nova Friburgo, stopping whenever we saw birds. A pair of Streamer-tailed Tyrants put on an amazing show and become the favorite bird of the day, and one small patch of bamboo-laden forest along a side road was amazingly productive - we managed to see Ferruginous and Ochre-rumped Antbirds, White-shouldered Fire-eye, Red-eyed Thornbird, White-collared Foliage-gleaner, and Rufous-capped Spinetail all within a short period. We arrived at the Hotel Garlipp a bit early, so we drove up the Macaé de Cima road a few km's and managed to find a stunning Bare-throated Bellbird perched in the open, calling shockingly loud and looking very satisfied with the noise it was producing.

Pico Caledonia, at 2220m (7300 ft), is the highest peak in the area, and amazingly it has a road almost all the way to the top. Our car made it most of the way before it got too steep and we had to park and walk, but the weather was great and the birds really active. We had seen Diademed and Brassy-breasted Tanagers, Bay-chested Warbling-Finch, Mouse-colored Tapaculo, and Serra-do-mar Tyrannulet almost before we had gotten out of the car! They kept coming as we hiked up with Rufous-tailed Antbird, Yellow-browed Woodpecker, and several tyrannulets quickly added. As we reached the stairway to the top, the Itatiaia Thistletails put on an unprecedented show as we saw, with little effort, several birds singing their hearts out from tops of bushes; October is definitely a good time for them! We climbed all the way to the top of the mountain and enjoyed the fantastic view of the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range and the beautiful forest that still covers its southern slope. Biscutate Swifts were cruising around us virtually at arms length - never have I seen them so well, and probably never will again, the black mark through their white collar was visible even without binoculars. There was no sign of the Gray-winged Cotingas, but such a rare bird as this you can't hope to see every time. During lunch we watched the terrific hummer feeders at the Hotel Garlipp. Nine species of hummer were visiting including Sombre Hummingbird and Versicolored Emerald. A fruiting tree nearby brought in an amazing assortment of tanagers, thrushes, and even flycatchers. Later that afternoon we tried a different track lower down the mountain that was pretty active despite the damp, chilly afternoon. We enjoyed views of the unique Shear-tailed Gray-Tyrant, and managed to track down a Rufous Gnateater. A single Swallow-tailed Cotinga flew over but unfortunately no one else saw it before it vanished into the fog.

Macaé de Cima is great for montane species, and we started up the road early, stopping first for Dusky-tailed Antbird, a surprise Gray-bellied Spinetail, and a Plovercrest lek. We admired this amazing little hummer for a while, and Dawn managed to get nice photo of it (above). A Serra Tyrant-Manakin even came and sat in the open while she was digiscoping. Farther up the road we came to David Miller's private reserve, and we parked and walked up to his house. His property protects some of the best forest in the entire state, and we had a terrific run of birds in a really short stretch of road. Black-and-gold Cotinga, Hooded Berryeater, and Spot-billed Toucanet (photo below) were enough to leave us gasping, but they kept coming with Rufous-backed Antvireo, Sharp-billed Treehunter, Bertoni's Antbird, and many others also seen. We arrived at David's in time to shelter from a sudden rainstorm; David and his wife Isabel were great hosts as they talked to us about their reserve and their new book (in press) on the orchids of the Serra dos Órgãos mountains. That afternoon we drove back to REGUA and were finally able to enjoy a walk around the wetlands in beuatiful, warm, dry weather. 

We had another full day to bird the lowland forests of REGUA. This time it was fairly hot and humid, and the birds definitely were not as active as they were in the rain. With persistence we still tracked down some of the neatest birds in the reserve. We followed an ornate White-bibbed Antbird as it crept back in forth on the ground, singing constantly. Later on we finally found a Black-cheeked Gnateater (photo below), and nearby a mixed flock had an Eared Pygmy-Tyrant in it. But the biggest prize of all came much later, almost at mid-day, when I heard a call I was sure I'd never heard before. As I started recording it, Dawn and Doug quickly found it, and it turned out to be an Eastern Striped Manakin, the "title" bird of this report. This tiny beauty with the shockingly red cap was a lifer for me, and we all watched amazed as it called away right next to the trail, totally unafraid of us.

The last morning it was time to say goodbye to Guapiassu, but we did see a rather amazing number of birds right around the lodge in the hour before breakfast, including some new "trip" birds like Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Moustached Wren, and a Yellow-breasted Flycatcher (only recently found on the reserve, but now seemingly common). Dawn and Doug didn't have to be back to Rio until late in the afternoon, so we had time for some last-minute birding at the Serra dos Órgãos National Park near Teresopolis. The trail here was slow to start with, but later in the morning we hit some activity and found the endemic Pale-browed Treehunter and Brown Tanager as well as a nice view of a Sharpbill. Then it was off to Rio where I was able to find Dawn and Doug's hotel on the Copacabana and get back to the airport before the rush-hour traffic started. It was a great trip and I hope to see you again on a future tour!

A few more photos from the tour:

The Black-cheeked Gnateater I mentioned before.

A fascinating "horned frog" we found on the trails at REGUA.

A Rufous Hornero peering out of its nest.

This is one of the Crescent-chested Puffbirds we found near Sumidouro.

BIRD LIST
This list includes all the bird species that were recorded by at least one of us. Taxonomy and nomenclature follow: Clements, James F. 2000. Birds of the World: A Checklist. Fifth Edition. Vista, CA: Ibis Publishing Co., including updates.

Totals:
285 species seen
35 heard only

Abbreviations:
H=Heard only
(I)=Introduced species
(E)=Species endemic to Brazil
(nt)=Considered near-threatened by BirdLife International
(VU)=Considered vulnerable by BirdLife International
(EN)=Considered endangered by BirdLife International
(CR)=Considered critically endangered by BirdLife International

Site codes:
R=REGUA (Reserva Ecologica de Guapiassu) and nearby area.
S=Sumidouro area, including the road to Nova Friburgo.
M=Macae de Cima, including Hotel Garlipp and David Miller's reserve.
C=Pico Caledonia and the Sao Lourenzo track.
O=Serra dos Órgãos NP
P=Praia Seca and other sites on and near the coast.