Southeast Brazil:
Atlantic Rainforest and Savanna

1 - 18 October 2007

Leaders:
Nick Athanas & Scott Olmstead

Tour report by:
Nick Athanas

Photo right: Black Jacobin by Scott Olmstead
All photos were taken on the tour

Ask me what comes first to mind when I hear the world "Brazil", and I might mention the great birds, nice Brazilian hospitality, the Churrascurias, Caipirinhas, futebol, beaches covered with sun-loving locals, the beautiful landmarks of Rio, and the like. We saw all of this on our tour (though often from a distance!), but one of the more incredible features was the weather: The weather was good, and sometimes too good. A mild cold front for the first week of the trip gave us welcome temperatures in the lower elevations, a few clouds, but no rain. In fact, apart from a brief storm at Canastra, we had no rain at all for the entire trip. Once the front moved away, hot and dry conditions prevailed for most of the rest of our time, even up in the mountains. This made bird activity quieter than might normally be expected, yet we still managed to see a greater proportion of the endemics and regional specialties on this tour than on any previous one I have led. How often can you see every cotinga on the list including the ultra-rare Gray-winged? We had an amazing run on antbirds, missing only Great Antshrike, the most widespread of them all. The birds truly did perform spectacularly despite the drought, and we even had a few unforgettable mammal moments: a rare Oncilla in the road, that beautiful Maned Wolf at Caraça, and one lucky person even saw a troop of Muriquis, or Woolly Spider Monkeys: the biggest and one of the rarest of the New World monkeys.

Everything went smoothly, with a near total lack of logistical problems. Long drives are an unavoidable part of birding tours in Brazil, but the comfortable van, convenient restaurants, good luck with the traffic, and the occasional impromptu birding stop made them easy to bear. I still have not had a flat tire on a Brazil tour, a streak that I hope continues for many years. Our group was pleasant and entertaining, not to mention helpful with finding birds and getting people on them, and that always adds to the enjoyment (and the list).

Intervales State Park
Once we had all arrived in São Paulo (more or less on time, luckily), we drove the 4.5 hours to Intervales State Park. It may seem a bit out of the way, but the fantastic birding here always justifies it. We had a big flock even before we could dump our suitcases in our rooms, including the endemic Azure-shouldered and Golden-chevroned Tanagers. Eager to be out birding, we first called in a male Large-tailed Antshrike near the lodge that was too close to focus on, then went down to see one of the Swallow-tailed Cotinga nests that Luis, the local bird guide, had staked out (photo below). Later in the afternoon we birded near the research station, where the highlight was a Serra Tyrant-Manakin, the only one we saw well the whole tour.


Swallow-tailed Cotinga nesting at Intervales (Photo: Nick Athanas)
We had two full days at Intervales, and they were loaded with beautiful birds. Luis was, as always, very helpful in finding some of the local specialties. His knowledge of the local birds and their vocalizations is pretty impressive. We spent most of our time on the Carmo road, which descends through lush montane forest laden with bamboo. Here we saw Hooded Berryeater, Cinnamon-vented Piha, Giant and Tufted Antshrikes, Squamate, Ochre-rumped, and Bertoni's Antbirds, Green-chinned Euphonia, Saffron Toucanet, and some southern Atlantic Rainforest specialties like Ochre-collared Piculet and Scalloped Woodcreeper. The rare and endangered Black-fronted Piping-Guan was one of our most hoped-for birds, and we finally got it on the second day after having only glimpses on the first. A stop at Luis's Plovercrest lek near the start of this track was worth it to see the distinctive southern race of this cool little hummer, with its blue crest and white border around its breast (photo below).

Birding around the headquarters themselves can be surprisingly good, and we took some time after lunch to see the "soon-to-be-split" southern race of Red-eyed Thornbird and a nice Dusky-tailed Antbird.

A male Bare-throated Bellbird "bonking" at Intervales (Photo: Scott Olmstead)		A Plovercrest at a lek at Intervales (Photo: Nick Athanas)

In the afternoons we birded a different track with some surprisingly good mixed species flocks. We had great studies of two uncommon flycatchers, Oustalet's and Sao Paulo Tyrannulets, nearly side-by-side, as well as Ochre-breasted, White-collared, and White-browed Foliage-gleaners, Sharp-billed Treehunter, and out first Spot-backed Antshrike. Bare-throated Bellbird was easy to see along here, with males "bonking" from several open trees (photo above). At dusk, Luis's spot for Long-trained Nightjar was so good that we came back again a second night, where it put on the most amazing show, flying circles around us, undulating up and down almost as if it were being flown like the kites so popular among Brazilian children. Check out Scott's photo below; that tail is like the Energizer bunny, it just keeps... well, you get the idea. While I never took a vote, this seemed to be the consensus for "bird of the trip". It also happened to be Phil's 8000th lifer, a milestone that very few have ever reached, and well worth celebrating with a round of caipirinhas that evening.
 

Long-trained Nightjar at Intervales. (Photo: Scott Olmstead)
After a few failed owling attempts, we finally made the extra effort and spent a few hours after dinner on our last night. We hit the jackpot, first with a  fierce-looking Variable Screech-Owl very close, then, with a lot more work, a fabulous Rusty-barred Owl, looking down at us somehow sadly, giving it's amazing song (click here to listen).

Ubatuba
It was a long drive to get from Intervales to Ubatuba, but traffic through São Paulo was light, and we broke it up with a stop at a marsh east of the city for a couple of nice antbirds: the new population of Parana Antwren that could prove to be a new species, and a handsome Rufous-capped Antshrike. The birding around Ubatuba was really terrific, and the lingering cold front made it a lot more pleasant than it otherwise would have been. We spent our first morning at Folha Seca, which even without Jonas's feeders would be a top birding site. I was surprised to find that the bamboo here was seeding, and two nomadic seedeaters, Buff-fronted and Temminck's, proved to be surprisingly common here. A mind-blowing Blond-crested Woodpecker was next, but we were quickly distracted by our most hoped-for bird here: a Slaty Bristlefront sang in the open right beside the road for us.  After feasting our eyes on that, a big and beautiful White-throated Woodcreeper hitched up a tree nearby, and then soon afterward someone spotted a soaring White-necked Hawk, which was soon joined by another. A clearing was so full of birds that we hardly knew where to look - mostly common ones, but fun in any case to watch Red-rumped Caciques and several different becards nesting, with Piratic Flycatchers waiting to move in if the chance arose. White-chinned Sapphires and tiny Reddish Hermits buzzed around and a variety of tanagers came through the canopy. Later on we found some mixed flocks with the endemic Unicolored Antwren and Scaled Antbird, and found our only Crescent-chested Puffbird of the tour. Relaxing at Jonas's feeders was a nice respite, and we saw ten different hummers as well as tanagers, euphonias, and honeycreepers on the bananas. Jonas has invented a double-layer hummer feeder that seems to be bee-proof - maybe he should patent the idea!

Festive Coquettes are common visitors to Jonas's feeders. (Photo: Scott Olmstead)		Saw-billed Hermits are one of the most unusual and distinctive of all the hummers here - they are also common at the feeders. (Photo: Nick Athanas)

Our visits to the base of the Corcovado peak failed to turn up the hoped-for Russet-winged Spadebill, but we did find a distant Black-and-white Hawk Eagle and our best sighting of White-eyed Foliage-gleaner.

The Angelim private rainforest reserve was pumping as well. We saw a Buff-throated Purpletuft almost a soon as we arrived, and then tracked down a singing Spotted Bamboowren for a great view. Farther down the track we found a Pale-browed treehunter, then lucked into a great mixed flock with Black-capped Foliage-gleaner, Salvadori's Antwren, and Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant.  If that wasn't enough, we were treated to a view of a rare Buff-bellied Puffbird eating a huge katydid on the way back. (Watch Scott´s video here.)The last afternoon we headed back to Folha Seca, where a Mantled Hawk put in a brief appearance, then a few Blue-bellied Parrots flew over (though it was a rotten view). Better was the family of Fork-tailed Tody-Tyrants, where one very busy adult was trying to keep two fledglings fed.


A Buff-bellied Puffbird eating a katydid. (Photo: Nick Athanas)
On our way to the Guapi Assu Ecological Reserve (Regua), we had time to stop in the scrubby forest north of Perequê to look for the rare and local Black-hooded Antwren. While this bird alone is reason enough to go there, I have never had a slow morning at Perequê - this time we had Spot-billed Toucanets even before we got to the site, and in a neighboring tree were two Saffron Toucanets - now that is a hard combo to match. The Black-hooded Antwrens behaved well for us, as we all saw several males and a few of the group saw a female. After a few more nice sightings like Hangnest Tody-Tyrant, Frilled Coquette, Robust Woodpecker, and Rufous Gnateater, we settled in for the long drive to Regua (with a welcome stop at a terrific churrascuria).

REGUA
Thanks to the light traffic through Rio, we arrived a bit earlier than expected. After settling into the lovely Guapi Assu Bird Lodge, we had time to take a walk around the nearby wetlands. When I first visited Regua back in 2004, the wetlands were just a few small, overgrown ponds. There were some nice birds in them, to be sure, but what they've done in the last few years is nothing short of amazing! The place is now teeming with herons, egrets, ducks, grebes, rails, snipes, blackbirds, and plenty of others. There aren't only common birds here; in recent years, the Regua wetlands have become known as one of the best places to see the rare and imposing Giant Snipe. We saw them on two different evenings, and once we had two birds fly very low and close for an unusually good view. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

As we walked around enjoying the spectacle on the wetlands, we encountered an enthusiastic young birder named Eduardo Gelli. With his excellent English and impressive knowledge of the birds and their vocalizations, it was a shock to learn he was only 15! Later that night he gave us a nice slideshow of the birds of the region, very eager to share his knowledge with us. It was a pleasure to get to know him. That evening we also met Nicholas Locke and his wife Raquel, the managers of the reserve, who told us all about what was happening on the reserve, and as always, went out of their way to make our visit here one of the highlights of the tour.

A Whistling Heron on a lofty perch over the wetlands. (Photo: Nick Athanas)		White-faced Whistling-Ducks are now common residents. (Photo: Nick Athanas)

We spent the better part of a day on the Waterfall Trail. It's somewhat of a long walk, but the trail isn't too difficult. Birds came slowly but steadily as we encountered Southern Antpipit, Yellow-eared Woodpecker, lots of sharp Pin-tailed Manakins, and the Atlantic Forest races of Turquoise Tanager and White-flanked Antwren, both likely splits. After later morning, there was still no sign of the hoped-for Shrike-like Cotinga, when we finally reached the start of the Red Trail. Thanks to a rumor that there was a Russet-winged Spadebill up there, we decided to do the first few hundred yards of this very steep trail. No spadebill again, but it all became worthwhile when Adelai, one of the park rangers, came running up announcing that he had found a Shrike-like Cotinga. Fortune was with us again as the cooperative male sat singing by the side of the trail long enough for everyone to feast eyes upon it.

One of the many Pin-tailed Manakins we found on the Waterfall Trail. (Photo: Scott Olmstead)		The Shrike-like Cotinga that we had to walk up a few kilometers to see. (Photo: Nick Athanas)

Hoping to find Blue-bellied Parrot, Adelai and Phil carried on up the steep Red Trail while the rest of us went back down to the waterfall for lunch, then walked back down to the van. It was a bit of a shock when they caught up with us later, not having seen any Blue-bellied Parrots, but having encountered a troop of 15 Muriquis! This is the biggest and one of the rarest of all the New World monkeys, and not even Nicholas has ever seen this beast after living half his life at Regua.

We rose extra early one morning to make a special visit to Pico da Caledônia, the highest mountain on the east side of the Serra dos Ôrgãos mountain range. This mountain has become well known among birders lately, as has been found to be the easiest accessible site to find the ultra-rare Gray-winged Cotinga. A steep road goes all the way up to the narrow band of montane forest that this bird needs. With the help of Nicholas's powerful Land Rover, we got to within a few hundred yards of the site, and birded our way up the steep cobblestone road, enjoying nice views of Mouse-colored Tapaculo, Bay-chested Warbling-Finch, Serra do Mar Tyrannulet, Rufous-backed Antvireo, Rufous-tailed Antbird, Brassy-breasted Tanager, and a few others along the way. We heard the cotinga very quickly, and with the cloudy weather we thought that, with patience, we actually had a chance to see it. So began our vigil, as we scanned treetops trying to track the source of that ghostly call. Finally, after well over an hour, Phil, Keith, & Nicholas had an ever-so-brief view of a "probable" just instants before the clouds came down and enveloped the tree it was in. Over the next hour and a half, we had to wait for holes in the fog where we might finally see out over the canopy again. As it so often is with birding, patience was finally rewarded when Dick spotted it in the same tree, and this time the clouds stayed up long enough for everyone to get it in our scopes. A distant but clear view of this mega-rarity made it all worthwhile.

All too soon it was time to leave Regua behind, but on the way to Itatiaia, we went out of our way again for another endemic antwren, this one restricted to a narrow band of coastal scrub to the east of Rio. Fortunately Restinga Antwrens are common in their remaining patches of habitat, and we had no difficulty finding a confiding pair. A male Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike was a nice bonus before we headed on to Itatiaia.

Itatiaia NP
By the time we arrived at the hotel, the cold front had been pushed back by an area of high pressure that made it unusually warm even high up in the mountains. We feared that the hot and dry weather might make things difficult here, but our time at Itatiaia was as good as anywhere else we had been. We first started in the lower area of the park near our hotel, where White-bearded Antshrike, one of the scarcest of the Atlantic Forest endemic antbirds, was high on our target list after having unexpectedly missed it in Intervales. It wasn't easy, but we finally did have a terrific view of a male working in a bamboo tangle. Two pretty antthrushes, Such's and Brazilian, are usually easier to see here than elsewhere on the itinerary, and we managed great views of both with a little less difficulty than usual. A stunningly handsome male White-bibbed Antbird was also surprisingly easy as he paraded around a nice open bamboo thicket just off the trail. A passing birder very kindly showed us a roosting Tawny-browed Owl (Photo right, Scott Olmstead), which saved us the trouble of having to go look for it at night. The feeders at the Hotel do Ypê were slower than usual, but we did find a trip-exclusive Blue-naped Chlorophonia, even better views of a male Frilled Coquette, and some close views of several other tanagers that we had seen previously. Flowers around the Hotel Simon brought in the endemic Dusty-throated Hermit, a bird that had eluded us up until that point.

The higher parts of the park on the Algulhas Negras road were, if anything, even better than the lower areas. One of the first birds we found was a handsome male Black-and-gold Cotinga, sitting on a perfectly exposed branch and singing it's eerie wailing song (photo below, Scott Olmstead). Working up the road, we found flocks with Bay-chested and Red-rumped Warbling-Finches, Diademed Tanager, Thick-billed Saltator, Greenish Tyrannulet, and some other birds previously only seen up on Pico da Caledônia. Moving higher up the road, we finally found the flock we were waiting for: the one with the Black-capped Piprites in it. This scarce and enigmatic bird (photo from a previous trip here), which can't possibly be a manakin, is easy to miss up here, and it was nice to see it as well as we did. Higher up the mountain, the forest peters out into a dense brushland with a few araucaria groves. This is the haunt of the off Itatiaia Thistletail, and we walked around a marshy area and found quite a lot of these subtly pretty birds moving around in the scrub. The nearby araucaria grove gave us the expected Araucaria Tit-Spinetails, as well as possibly the best view ever of a singing Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper.

The poor state of the road kept us from going up any higher (the scenery is nice, but there aren't any key birds up there), so we drove back down and checked into our hotel at the start of the road. We planned a short afternoon outing to look for Speckle-breasted Antpitta. Finally at dusk, we heard one down the slope. Too late to see it, but we knew where to look the next morning! We were out there bright and early, and discovered to our surprise that it was not that difficult to go down off the road after the distantly singing antpitta. Even better, as we approached it, the understory grew thin, and we knew we had a shot at it. Within minutes we had out first glimpses, though it took a bit more time to get everyone a good view. The morning wasn't over yet, as just before we got back in the van, Joe spotted a cat 100 yards down the road, and incredibly it stayed there just long enough for eveyone to get binoculars on it! After some discussion and consultation of a mammal field guide, we all concurred that it was an Oncilla - a rare cat indeed and a lifer for all present! For several of the group, this featherless creature became the best sighting of the tour! Breakfast tasted a lot better after that, and we set off on the fairly long drive to São Roque, making good time and even having time for some afternoon birding (Toco Toucan, Sooty-fronted Spinetail, Hooded Tanager, Stripe-breasted Starthroat) before arriving at our hotel, the Pousada Barcelos, just before dark.

Serra da Canastra NP
Best known for it's Brazilian Mergansers, this area would be a fantastic birding destination even without rare ducks. The combination of cerrado scrubland, tall grasslands, gallery forest, and open fields gives a nice variety of birds, and complements the Atlantic Forest nicely. On our first full day, we concentrated on the lower parts of the park, where there is easier access to the São Francisco river and therefore better chances to find the critically endangered Brazilian Merganser. We arrived at the crack of dawn, trying to beat the crowds and ensuing clouds of dust that would inevitably appear on this holiday weekend. Our first try only turned up Muscovies, and we headed towards the main park entrance, which suddenly was opening an hour earlier as Brazil had switched to daylight savings time that very morning. Despite our rush, we did stop to look at a cracking Red-ruffed Fruitcrow and our best Red-legged Seriema before the gates. Much to our disappointment, the drought prevailing over much of Minas Gerais had left the Casca D'Anta waterfall not much more than a trickle, and water levels here were so low that it was not surprising there no mergansers. We did enjoy seeing a male Helmeted Manakin dressed like royalty as well as a few other birds in the gallery forest like Flavescent and White-bellied Warblers, Rough-legged Tyrannulet, and Rufous-headed and Gilt-edged Tanagers. Large numbers of Great Dusky Swifts were nesting around the waterfall, and it was nice to see them so well. Heading back out towards Vargem Bonita, it was now mid-day and we were starting to stress over the lack of mergs. A quick stop at a wooden bridge changed our fortunes abruptly as finally a pair of Brazilian Mergansers came screaming down river, flying right past us at close range! Great flight views, though brief. However an hour later we finally had a single bird swimming in the river, at exactly the same spot we had first checked at dawn with no success. It was a good day!

The upper parts of the park with its tall grasslands and vast open spaces are a world apart and totally unlike anything else on this tour. The park gates don't open until 8am, so we spent a productive hour and a half birding the cerrado below the entrance. We finally found a flock of the beautiful endemic Golden-capped Parakeet, and picked up a huge bonus, several Cinereous Warbling-Finches that came in to mob a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. With those under our belts, we passed through the gates into a different world. One of first birds was a Black-masked Finch (photo left, Scott Olmstead), which sat up in the open for at least five minutes! They only do this early in the morning, then go down into the grass and become very hard to find. Soon after, we started seeing the fantastic Cock-tailed Tyrants (photo above, Scott Olmstead). In fact, we saw more of them than I have ever seen in a single day, they seemed to be everywhere, the males looking a lot like toy airplanes as they flew around the grasslands. Working our way farther into the park, we stopped for evil-looking Gray Monjitas, cute Sharp-tailed Tyrants, and tried unsuccessfully to see a Brazilian Tapaculo. Fortunately in the same place we found our only Gray-backed Tachuri and several Tawny-headed Swallows.

These grasslands burn fairly regularly as part of their natural regeneration process, and one bird, the Campo Miner, has evolved to specialize in these recently burned areas. Thanks to the drought, we knew there had to be some burned areas somewhere, and Bruno, the manager of Pousada Barcelos, helpfully told us where to look. It was long, bumpy drive on a corrugated dirt to get there, but it was worth it! We quickly found one doing its hover display, then enjoyed watching one run around on the ground, occasionally perching up on termite mounds. While eating lunch, a bulky Red-winged Tinamou walked across the road, and Scott ran over to flush it, so we all got to see the red wings as it flew away. An afternoon walk through the grasslands failed to turn up any pipits, but we did flush up a Spotted Nothura, which flew away giving its distinctive ringing call.


A Campo Miner surveying its territory from the top of termite mound. (Photo: Scott Olmstead)
Caraça reserve
We headed back east, making a quick stop at a city park for a nice pair of Three-toed Jacamars (click for a photo from a previous trip), then passing the sprawling city of Belo Horizonte and continuing on to Caraça. This old and historic monastery has been converted into a lodge set amid spectacular mountain scenery. There is an odd mix of Atlantic Forest and scrubby savanna, and while the birding can be great, it is a beautiful mammal, the elegant Maned Wolf, that is really the star attraction here. For many years now, the monks have been putting meat out on the church steps every night to feed these wild animals, and they come in most nights. One look at these beasts and you realize that they are definitely not tame!


A Maned Wolf coming in to eat raw chicken on the church steps.
(Photo: David Pantle)
However, this was a birding trip after all, so we didn't spend all of our time admiring the huge puppies. One of the star birds here is yet another endemic antwren, the Serra Antwren, and we found it easily, along with other goodies like White-breasted Tapaculo, Pale-throated Serra-Finch, Drab-breasted Bamboo-Tyrant, more Swallow-tailed Cotingas, and out best view yet of Yellow-browed Woodpecker.

Serra de Cipó
This mountain range NE of Belo Horizonte was our last stop on the tour, and is best known for the canastero of the same name. The first afternoon, we did not worry about the canastero, and instead concentrated on other things, like the outrageous Hyacinth Visorbearer. We had seen one badly at Caraça, but this time we had some great close views of a male. A nearby road through some cerrado and farmland produced the hoped-for Yellow-billed Blue Finch, coming in from a huge distance to check us out, and then a single White-rumped Tanager (photo right, Scott Olmstead). Some last-ditch nightbirding was a hit as we got scope views of a singing Spot-tailed Nightjar, then called a Band-winged Nightjar in to land right in the road in front of us.

On our last morning, we made an effort to be high up the mountain at daybreak, hoping to hear the Cipó Canasteros singing at dawn. The wind was annoyingly strong, and at first we only had Stripe-tailed Yellow-Finch. We carried on until we found an area sheltered from the wind, and suddenly there was one singing close by. Soon we had seen two canasteros and heard another, and after watching them for a time we even found a nest. Scott examined it later and found that it had three eggs. With a little time left still, we went back down to the cerrado road and finally located a perched male Horned Sungem, with certainly made Joe the "hummer-aholic" very happy. We even saw about five more of them the rest of the morning! But time was up and we had to head for the airport in Belo Horizonte to catch our flights, and suddenly the trip was over, but memories will linger on for a long time to come.

	RHEAS	Rheidae
	Greater Rhea (nt)	Rhea americana	We saw about five in Canastra, where they are quite scarce.
	TINAMOUS	Tinamidae
	Solitary Tinamou (nt)	Tinamus solitarius	Basically guide only as I flushed one off a trail in Folha Seca.
H	Brown Tinamou	Crypturellus obsoletus
H	Small-billed Tinamou	Crypturellus parvirostris
H	Tataupa Tinamou	Crypturellus tataupa
	Red-winged Tinamou	Rhynchotus rufescens	Easily seen in Canastra this year in the recently burned grassland. Scott an over and flushed one for us so we could see the red wings in flight.
	Spotted Nothura	Nothura maculosa	One seen briefly in the road in Canastra, another one later flushed up while we were looking for pipits.
	GREBES	Podicipedidae
	Least Grebe	Tachybaptus dominicus
	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps
	GANNETS AND BOOBIES	Sulidae
	Brown Booby	Sula leucogaster
	CORMORANTS	Phalacrocoracidae
	Neotropic Cormorant	Phalacrocorax brasilianus
	FRIGATEBIRDS	Fregatidae
	Magnificent Frigatebird	Fregata magnificens
	HERONS, EGRETS, BITTERNS	Ardeidae
	Whistling Heron	Syrigma sibilatrix
	Capped Heron	Pilherodius pileatus
	Cocoi Heron	Ardea cocoi
	Great Egret	Ardea alba
	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea
	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula
	Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis
	Striated Heron	Butorides striata
	Black-crowned Night-Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax
	IBIS AND SPOONBILLS	Threskiornithidae
	Buff-necked Ibis	Theristicus caudatus	Best seen in a farm at Canastra with it's wings spread open.
	DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS	Anatidae
	White-faced Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna viduata
	Muscovy Duck	Cairina moschata
	Brazilian Teal	Amazonetta brasiliensis
	White-cheeked Pintail	Anas bahamensis
	Brazilian Merganser (CR)	Mergus octosetaceus	Not as easy as it has been the last few years, thanks to our bad timing to be there one a crowded holiday weekend. But we persisted, first having nice flight views of a pair flying down river, then finally getting one bird swimming at fairly close range.
	Masked Duck	Nomonyx dominica	Always nice to see these. They seem to be doing well in the wetlands at REGUA.
	NEW WORLD VULTURES	Cathartidae
	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus
	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura
	Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture	Cathartes burrovianus
	HAWKS, EAGLES, AND KITES	Accipitridae
	Gray-headed Kite	Leptodon cayanensis
	Swallow-tailed Kite	Elanoides forficatus	Many seen on the first four days of the trip, then none after that.
	White-tailed Kite	Elanus leucurus
	Rufous-thighed Kite	Harpagus diodon
	Plumbeous Kite	Ictinia plumbea
	Rufous-thighed Hawk	Accipiter erythronemius
	Bicolored Hawk	Accipiter bicolor	One bird seen in the cerrado at Canastra - the first time we've had it on this tour.
	Crane Hawk	Geranospiza caerulescens
	White-necked Hawk (E-VU)	Leucopternis lacernulata	A pair seen beautifully soaring at Folha Seca, where they stayed around for much of the morning.
	Mantled Hawk (nt)	Leucopternis polionota	Didn't do as well with this one, with one fairly quick flyover at Jonas's house in Folha Seca.
	Savanna Hawk	Buteogallus meridionalis
	Roadside Hawk	Buteo magnirostris
	White-rumped Hawk	Buteo leucorrhous	Beautiful eye-level flight views of this striking hawk while we were waiting for the Gray-winged Cotinga.
	Short-tailed Hawk	Buteo brachyurus
	White-tailed Hawk	Buteo albicaudatus
	Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle	Spizastur melanoleucus	Amazingly, we saw three different birds on three consecutive days in Ubatuba and Perequê. Normally we would be lucky to find just one on a trip like this.
	Black Hawk-Eagle	Spizaetus tyrannus
	FALCONS AND CARACARAS	Falconidae
	Southern Caracara	Caracara plancus
	Yellow-headed Caracara	Milvago chimachima
H	Laughing Falcon	Herpetotheres cachinnans
	Barred Forest-Falcon	Micrastur ruficollis
H	Collared Forest-Falcon	Micrastur semitorquatus
	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius
	Aplomado Falcon	Falco femoralis
	GUANS, CURASSOWS, ETC.	Cracidae
	Rusty-margined Guan	Penelope superciliaris	Phil spotted one up on the hillside from the wetland at REGUA.
	Dusky-legged Guan	Penelope obscura	Common and virtually tame at Itatiaia and Caraça.
	Black-fronted Piping-Guan (EN)	Pipile jacutinga	This threatened cracid was one of our main targets at Intervales. On the first day, we only had distant flight views, but on the second day, Luis found one very close to the trail for some nice looks.
	NEW WORLD QUAIL	Odontophoridae
	Spot-winged Wood-Quail	Odontophorus capueira	Heard by all, but Phil was the only one who actually got to see one.
	RAILS, GALLINULES, & COOTS	Rallidae
H	Rufous-sided Crake	Laterallus melanophaius
	Gray-necked Wood-Rail	Aramides cajanea
	Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail	Aramides saracura	Well seen several times, though the best was the pair running back and forth across the road at the São Gotardo.
H	Ash-throated Crake	Porzana albicollis
	Blackish Rail	Pardirallus nigricans	One was feeding totally in the open at the REGUA wetland. They aren't always this easy.
	Purple Gallinule	Porphyrio martinica
	Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus
	SERIEMAS	Cariamidae
	Red-legged Seriema	Cariama cristata	Surprisingly few, though we did pause to look at one on the side of the road as we headed for one of the merganser spots in Canastra.
	JACANAS	Jacanidae
	Wattled Jacana	Jacana jacana
	PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS	Charadriidae
	Southern Lapwing	Vanellus chilensis
	SANDPIPERS	Scolopacidae
	South American Snipe	Gallinago paraguaiae	Apparently a new arrival at the REGUA wetlands, but we probably saw at least three birds, including one displaying.
	Giant Snipe	Gallinago undulata	THE bird to see at the REGUA wetlands, and they didn't disappoint this year; we had two birds fly by surprisingly low and close in the spotlight after dusk on our second night at REGUA. We had also seen it poorly on our first evening there.
	Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca
	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularia
	Sanderling	Calidris alba
	GULLS	Laridae
	Kelp Gull	Larus dominicanus
	TERNS	Sternidae
	Sandwich (Cayenne) Tern	Sterna sandvicensis eurygnatha
	PIGEONS AND DOVES	Columbidae
	Rock Pigeon (I)	Columba livia
	Picazuro Pigeon	Patagioenas picazuro
	Pale-vented Pigeon	Patagioenas cayennensis
	Plumbeous Pigeon	Patagioenas plumbea
	Eared Dove	Zenaida auriculata
	Ruddy Ground-Dove	Columbina talpacoti
	Scaled Dove	Columbina squammata
	White-tipped Dove	Leptotila verreauxi
H	Gray-fronted Dove	Leptotila rufaxilla
	PARROTS	Psittacidae
	White-eyed Parakeet	Aratinga leucophthalmus	Common in the inland areas.
	Golden-capped Parakeet (E-nt)	Aratinga auricapilla	We sweated them this time, not even hearing them in the lower part of the park. We got them nicely early next morning while waiting for the park gates to open.
	Peach-fronted Parakeet	Aratinga aurea	Common in the inland areas.
	Maroon-bellied Parakeet	Pyrrhura frontalis	Numerous sightings.
	Blue-winged Parrotlet	Forpus xanthopterygius
	Plain Parakeet (E)	Brotogeris tirica	Very common, seen in many sites, and it is even an endemic.
	Yellow-chevroned Parakeet	Brotogeris chiriri	We stopped for a few en route to Canastra, and there were another two at the hotel in Cipó.
	Pileated Parrot	Pionopsitta pileata	While we had numerous flyovers, the two that Luis found eating palm fruits at Intervales were seen far better. One of them, presumably a young bird, had no red on the crown.
	Scaly-headed Parrot	Pionus maximiliani	Common in most areas.
	Blue-bellied Parrot (E-nt)	Triclaria malachitacea	Always tough to see well, and this year was no different. The only sighting was a brief flyover at Folha Seca, only seen by a few of us. Phil heard some at REGUA when he went with Adelae up the red trail (though I think seeing 15 Muriquis more than made up for it!)
	CUCKOOS	Cuculidae
	Squirrel Cuckoo	Piaya cayana
	Smooth-billed Ani	Crotophaga ani
	Guira Cuckoo	Guira guira
H	Striped Cuckoo	Tapera naevia
	BARN-OWLS	Tytonidae
H	Barn Owl	Tyto alba
	OWLS	Strigidae
H	Tropical Screech-Owl	Megascops choliba	Not pursued as everyone had already seen it.
	Variable Screech-Owl	Megascops atricapillus	Good luck with this one at Intervales, where a responsive bird came in very close.
	Rusty-barred Owl (nt)	Strix hylophila	We had given up when it finally started calling at Intervales; it finally came into a tree right next to the road and started singing it's weird song.
	Tawny-browed Owl	Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana	A roosting bird staked out on the Três Picos trail made it a cinch this year, and gained us some well-needed sleep that night.
H	Least Pygmy-Owl	Glaucidium minutissimum	Phil heard one with Adelae near the Muriquis at REGUA.
	Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl	Glaucidium brasilianum
	Burrowing Owl	Athene cunicularia
	POTOOS	Nyctibiidae
	Common Potoo	Nyctibius griseus
	NIGHTJARS	Caprimulgidae
	Short-tailed Nighthawk	Lurocalis semitorquatus
	Pauraque	Nyctidromus albicollis
H	Ocellated Poorwill	Nyctiphrynus ocellatus
	Band-winged Nightjar	Caprimulgus longirostris	Seen well near the restaurant in Cipó on the last night of the trip.
	Spot-tailed Nightjar	Caprimulgus maculicaudus	Ditto.
	Long-trained Nightjar	Macropsalis forcipata	For some this was the bird of the trip. While it was good the first night at Intervales, the show it put on at dusk the next day was nothing short of breathtaking. It was also Phil's #8000, a milestone few birders ever get to celebrate.
	SWIFTS	Apodidae
	Sooty Swift	Cypseloides fumigatus	More than usual this year - seen best at REGUA where a large flock was feeding very low over a nearby farm.
	Great Dusky Swift	Cypseloides senex	Several hundred at the Casca D'Anta waterfall in Canastra, where some were also nesting.
	White-collared Swift	Streptoprocne zonaris
	Biscutate Swift	Streptoprocne biscutata	It wasn't until Caraça near the end of the trip where we finally had good views of a flock.
	Gray-rumped Swift	Chaetura cinereiventris
	Ashy-tailed Swift	Chaetura andrei	Now usually called Sick's Swift, C. meridionalis, but this hasn't yet been adopted by the Clements list.
	Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift	Panyptila cayennensis
	HUMMINGBIRDS	Trochilidae
	Saw-billed Hermit (E-nt)	Ramphodon naevius	Always a trip favorite. We saw them in most lowland forest sites, but best at Jonas's feeders.
	Scale-throated Hermit	Phaethornis eurynome	Seen in most montane forest sites.
	Planalto Hermit	Phaethornis pretrei	A few in the interior, seen best at Canastra.
	Dusky-throated Hermit (E)	Phaethornis squalidus	Almost missed, but finally found feeding in a flower bed near the Hotel Simon.
	Reddish Hermit	Phaethornis ruber
	Gray-breasted Sabrewing	Campylopterus largipennis	We saw the isolated race diamantinensis in Caraça, which is endemic to the Espinhaço mountains.
	Sombre Hummingbird (E)	Campylopterus cirrochloris	Scarce this year. They were totally absent from Jonas's feeders, and only a couple were seen briefly elsewhere.
	Swallow-tailed Hummingbird	Eupetomena macrourus	Common.
	Black Jacobin	Florisuga fuscus	Lots of 'em.
	White-vented Violet-ear	Colibri serrirostris	Fairly common once we got up into Minas Gerais.
	Black-throated Mango	Anthracothorax nigricollis	Now regular at Jonas's feeders.
	Plovercrest (E)	Stephanoxis lalandi lalandi	The males of the two subspecies are distinctive and it is a potential split. The green crested birds we saw at Pico da Caledônia and on the Algulhas Negras road.
	Plovercrest	Stephanoxis lalandi loddigesii	The southern birds have blue crests and a white border around the black underparts. Luis found us a nice male at Intervales.
	Frilled Coquette (E)	Lophornis magnificus	Males at Perequê at the Hotel do Ypê, and a female in a flowering tree near the Hotel Simon.
	Festive Coquette	Lophornis chalybeus	Many at Folha Seca (mainly at the feeders), and another one in Intervales.
	Glittering-bellied Emerald	Chlorostilbon aureoventris
	Fork-tailed Woodnymph	Thalurania furcata
	Violet-capped Woodnymph	Thalurania glaucopis	A common resident of the Atlantic Forest.
	White-chinned Sapphire	Hylocharis cyanus	Common around Ubatuba and Perequê; we did not see it elsewhere this tour.
	White-throated Hummingbird	Leucochloris albicollis	Seen in all the montane forest sites, plus we had an unusual sighting of one near sea level at Perequê.