On the 28th we headed to our friends home in a suburb of Sao Paulo about 30 minutes to the north west where we spent our third night in Brazil. We had a wonderful home cooked meal and also saw some birds around their home: swallow-tailed hummingbird, rufous hornero, white-eyed parakeet, chalk-browed mockingbird, white-faced whistling duck flyover. The horneros build their nests on top of utility poles, very interesting to see if you don't know they do it: we didn't.
We had a great breakfast at Guapi Assu, got our packed lunch and spent a few minutes marveling
at two of the three hummer species that were regular at the feeders: swallow-tailed hummingbird,
violet-capped woodnymph. A group of common marmosets also came in to the feeders.
We then headed out to Serra dos Orgaos National Park where we were to meet our guide, Leo, at 8am, observing yellow-headed caracara en route. We met Leo and got to the suspended wooden path at the upper part of the park at 8:20 and started birding! We saw: rufous-backed antvireo, pallid spinetail, buff-browed peppershrike, sharp-billed treehunter, rufous-crowned greenlet, yellow-olive flycatcher, yellow-eared woodpecker, lesser woodcreeper, olivaceous woodcreeper, female pin-tailed manakin, star-throated antwren, red-crowned ant-tanager, maroon-bellied parakeet, female chestnut-bellied euphonia, rufous gnateater, black-throated trogon, rough-legged tyrannulet, surucua trogon, plain antvireo. We heard: plumbeous pigeon. We weren't able to do the entire wooden trail as a large tree had fallen and it was closed at some point. We started birding back to the lot on the wooden trail at 9:35. We saw: rufous-browed foliage-gleaner, variable antshrike, spot-billed toucanet.
It was now 10:15 and we birded the road from the parking area down and then back up, followed by lunch. Sophia spotted a blue manakin and we got great looks at this male as he sang and hopped around at eye level. We also saw brown capuchin monkey, mottle-cheeked flycatcher, brassy-breasted tanagers, white-barred piculet, white-rimmed warbler, white-browed foliage gleaner, rufous-bellied thrush.
After lunch we descended some by auto to Trilha Mozart Catao, or simply Mozart Trail. This trail ascends a hill for a good distance and stops at a point with some seats and a table giving great looks over the city of Teresopolis. We birded this trail for a while, taking leave from Leo for the day after planning the next day at about 3:30. We saw: white-collared foliage-gleaner, white-throated hummingbird, brazilian ruby, bananaquit, gray-capped tyrannulet, golden-crowned warbler, golden-chevroned tanager, hooded berryeater, spot-winged wood-quail, ochre-rumped antbird, lineated woodpecker, rufous-tailed (or Brazilian) antthrush, plain parakeet, green-barred woodpecker, ruby-crowned tanager, streaked xenops, sharpbill, chestnut crowned becard, white-throated spadebill, rufous-capped spinetail, brown tanager, scaled woodcreeper and brown tinamou.
We headed out to the Sumidouro-Carmo area early, about 6:30-6:45. After a good breakfast, got our packed lunches and headed out to the 'Paradise' shopping area to meet Leo and then we headed onward to the sites. Got to the first site at 9:35 where we had a very nice walk along a dirt road controlled by a gate which was locked. We saw: chestnut-vented conebill, southern rough-winged swallow, three-toed jacamars, black vulture, white-barred piculet, burnished-buff tanager, blue-black grassquit, ruby-crowned tanager, serra antwren, yellow-lored tody-tyrant, white-bearded manakin, cliff flycatcher, euler's flycatcher, blue dacnis, chalk-browed mockingbird, rufous-fronted thornbird, squirrel cuckoo, sapphire spangled emerald, blue and white swallow, kestrel, planalto hermit, hangnest tody tyrant, house wren, aplomado falcon, savannah hawk, long-tailed tyrant, brown-crested flycatcher, rufous-headed tanager, black-goggled tanager, ferruginous pygmy-owl (which was being mobbed and attracted a lot of birds), tropical peewee, double-collared seedeater, gray-eyed greenlet, pileated finch, purple-throated euphonia.
We devoured our lunch and headed out to the second and last site, arriving at 12:45. While the first side was noticeably drier than Serra dos Orgaos, the second site was very dry. We saw: chalk-browed mockingbird, streamer-tailed tyrant, firewood gatherers, saffron finch, blue-winged parrotlet, white-eyed parakeet, smooth-billed anni, rufous hornero, swallow-tailed hummingbird, blue and white swallow, tawny headed swallow (supposedly not to common here), and yellowish pipit. At 1:30 we moved a bit further down the road, where more trees were present. Here we saw: white-rumped monjita, chopi blackbird, smooth-billed anni, savannah hawk, blue dacnis, campo flickers, white-eared puffbirds, rufous hornero, swallow-tailed hummingbird.
Riding back to Leo's car at the Paradise shopping center, we saw: white-tipped dove, ruddy ground-dove, short-tailed hawk while using the restroom, crested oropendola, picazuro dove and social flycatcher. Total of 55 species for our time spent with Leo.
Leo would no longer be guiding us and we would be switching over to Adilei.
As he lived quite close to the lodge we met at the lodge, a bit latter than expected due to some
unforeseen circumstances and managed to do a little more feeder area birding than usual, starting at 7 am.
The marmosets came in again and we also saw: violaceous euphonia, orange-bellied euphonia,
burnished buff tanager, blue dacnis, brazil tanager (our first sighting of this beauty),
yellow-backed tanager and sayaca tanager. We hit the road at 7:45 am.
We were headed to Macae de Cima, to bird along a long moderately step road nearby David Miller's residence. On the way out we saw: tropical kingbird, blue-backed grassquit, whistling heron, southern rough-winged swallow, picazuro pigeon, blue and white swallow, lapwing, mockingbird and roadside hawk. The herons were in a field nearby the lodge and were difficult to see until you became aware they were regularly in this field and a careful look would spot them. We made a stop at the 'famous' banana stand which was full of birds, though on latter drive-bys we did not see many or even any birds. We saw: violaceous euphonia, orange-bellied eupohonia, green-headed tanager, azure-shouldered tanager, chestnut-bellied euphonia, ruby-crowned tanager, green honeycreeper, blue-naped chlorophonia. The brighter of these birds were new for us and simply spectacular in color. We arrived at the Hotel Garlipp turnoff and started heading up a dirt road in our car, stopping occasionally to look at some birds. We saw: rufous-collared sparrow, ruddy ground-dove, plovercrest (male and female), brassy-breasted tanagers and heard hooded berryeater and buffy-fronted seedeater.
We started our walk up the road, followed by a walk back down and a little bit of birding at Hotel Garlipp where a number of birds were bathing in a little draining half-pipe, taking our time and being rewarded for doing so. We saw: drab-breasted bamboo-tyrant, ochre-rumped antbird, golden-crowned warbler, olivaceous woodcreeper, brazilian antthrush, white-necked thrush, yellow-olive flycatcher, blue manakin, plain antivreo, gray-capped tyrannulet, black-goggled tanager, streak-capped antwren, buff-fronted foliage-gleaner, pallid spinetail, star-throated antwren, rufous-crowned greenlet, rufous-breasted leaftosser, rufous-browed peppershrike, scale-throated hermit, barred forest falcon (we later we see another/the same forest falcon with a brassy-breasted tanager in its clutches), black-and-gold cotinga (a spectacular male spotted by zeroing in on its singing), lesser woodcreeper, brazilian ruby, pale-browed treehunter, sharp-billed treehunter, rufous-capped spinetail, squirrel cuckoo, white-throated hummingbird, white-rimmed warbler, blue-billed black-tyrant, turkey vulture, social flycatcher, bananaquit, white-throated woodcreeper, scaled woodcreeper, pale-breasted thrush, kiskadee, masked water-tyrant, shiny cowbird, double-collared seedeater, swallow tanager, golden-chevroned tanager, plain parakeet. We heard: plumbeous pigeon, white-shouldered fire-eye (seen by guide), black-throated trogon, a loud rustling followed by a strong flight which may have been a dusky-winged guan, mouse-colored tapaculo, variable antshrike, greenish schiffornis, brown tinamou.
On the way to the lodge we saw a pair of burrowing owls near the dirt road going to Guapi Assu. We would have liked to see them longer, but a savannah hawk which was hunting came near them and they went into their burrow. We ended the day with a little wetlands birding just a skip away from our lodge room, seeing: purple gallinule, brazilian teal, greater ani, common moorhen, white-faced whistling-duck, muscovy duck, common tody-flycatcher, capped heron, cocoi heron, neotropical cormorant, wattled jacana, marsh tyrant (cuty), chestnut blackbird, amazon kingfisher, red-rumped cacique, brazil tanager, black-capped daconobus (a beauty), blackish rail, rufous-sided crake, yellow-browed tyrant and a channel-billed toucan. Phew, what a day! 91 species seen this day, 47 of which were new, including 10 new tanagers. Total species count for the three days is 166.
Today we were slated to do Pico da Caledonia, one of the tallest peaks in the ancient serra dos Orgaos range. We originally were going to use a driver and 4-wheel drive vehicle from REGUA but he was occupied in the morning so we decided to drive our car. We got off to a bit of a later start than we would have liked, and en route we saw: saffron finch, marron-bellied parakeet, brassy-breasted tanager, golden-crowned warbler, shiny cowbird and picazuro dove. With Adilei's assistance we managed to navigate Nova Friburgo and started climbing the peak road at 8:45 am. We managed to get a few birds while slowly negotiating the road. Eventually we came to a point where there were two large holes in the road and parked safely off the side of the road and began walking up the road to the peak. We saw: cinnamon tanager, pale breasted thrush, variable antshrike, diademed tanager (real beauty), mottle-cheeked flycatcher, large-tailed antshrike (great bird), black-and-gold cotinga (a female very close up and calm), bay-chested warbling-finch, shear-tailed gray tyrant, serra do mar tyrannulet, rufous-bellied thrush, streamcreeper (neat bird), mouse-colored tapaculo, highland elaenia, thick-billed saltator, rufous-tailed antbird, white-crested tyrannulet. At about 10:30 we started nearing the enclosed area near the peak, where over 600 stairs awaited us. There were some workers there who actually had to carry some heavy items up the stairs, taking multiple trips. Given this, my struggles didn't seem too bad, but it was a chore. The view from the top is spectacular. Near and on the peak we saw: velvety black-tyrant, itatiaia spinetail (apparently not often seen below the stairs), southern caracara, black vulture, white-tailed hawk. At noon we started our descent, no easier than the ascent. We took a break to watch some paragliders sailing off the mountain just as we were passing. After getting back to the car we had lunch and made a stop near a ranch where Adilei had seen red-legged seriema and we were fortunate enough to see two of these beautiful birds. We also saw white-throated hummingbird here. On the way back we saw along the route: crested oropendola, giant cowbird, guira cuckoo, yellow-headed caracara and roadside hawk. A 'quieter' day than the others, but some real treats, with 35 species. 18 of them were new so a total now of 184.
We spent about an hour birding the Wetlands upon return, seeing: planalto tyrannulet, yellow-chinned spinetail, blue-winged parrotlet, striated heron, green kingfisher, greater ani, ringed kingfisher, least grebe, chestnut-backed antshrike, kiskadee, muscovy duck, brazilian teal, white-faced whistling-duck, great egret, snowy egret, neotropical cormorant, wattled jacana, capped heron, reddish hermit, masked water-tyrant, rufous-sided crake, euler's flycatcher, white-headed marsh-tyrant. We heard: pale-vented pigeon, green-backed becard, fawn-breasted tanager and the guide caught a glimpse of a rufescent tiger-heron flying over some tall vegetation.
Our last day dedicated to birding started off early after a nice breakfast. Lila gave the guide, Reinaldo, and us a ride up to a road nearby and we birded this road for a while, seeing: blue dacnis, ruby-crowned tanager, house wren, yellow-browed woodpecker, blue-bellied parrot (a super treat), uniform finch, white-bearded antshrike (gorgeous bird), buffy-fronted seedeater, sepia-capped flycatcher, white-throated hummingbird, half-colloared sparrow (a treat), squirrel cuckoo, chestnut-crowned becard, ferruginous antbird, sharpbill, golden-crowned warbler, golden-chevroned tanager, scaled woodcreeper, black-tailed flycatcher, dusky-throated hermit, tawny-browed owl (we saw three of these wonderful owls roosting at a site that Lila and Reinaldo showed us). We went back to the lodge and took a walk on one of the trails accessible via a short walk from the lodge. Here we saw: oropendola, kiskadee, roadside hawk, pale-breasted thrush, social flycatcher, green shiffornish, spot-billed toucan, blond-crested woodpecker, white-bibbed antbird (real beauty), scythebill (great bird), olivaceous woodcreeper, channel billed toucan, brassy-breasted tanager, sayaca tanager, burnished-buff tanager,
We heard: pin-tailed manakin, blue manakin. We had a great lunch, spent some time admiring the activity at the feeders and made our way to Rio. On the dirt road driving out we saw a trogon (from the backside) and campo flickers.
| (1) | Lodges |
| (2) | Before Lodges - Rio to Sao Paulo and Sao Paulo to REGUA |
| (3) | After Lodges - Vale das Taquaras to Rio |
| (4) | Panama |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ||
| brown booby | 3 | |
| magnificent frigatebird | 2,3 | |
| least grebe | 1 | |
| anhinga | 2 | |
| neotropical cormorant | 1,4 | |
| striated heron | 1 | |
| whistling heron | 1 | |
| snowy egret | 1 | |
| great egret | 1 | |
| cattle egret | 1,2,3 | |
| capped heron | 1 | |
| cocoi heron | 1 | |
| white-faced whistling duck | 1,2 | |
| muscovy duck | 1 | |
| brazilian teal | 1 | |
| black vulture | 1,2 | |
| turkey vulture | 1 | |
| short-tailed hawk | 1 | |
| white-tailed hawk | 1 | |
| roadside hawk | 1 | |
| savannah hawk | 1 | |
| black-hawk eagle | 1 | |
| kestrel | 1 | |
| aplomado falcon | 1 | |
| barred forest falcon | 1 | |
| southern caracara | 1,2 | |
| yellow-headed caracara | 1 | |
| brown tinamou | 1 | |
| spot-winged wood-quail | 1 | |
| red-legged seriema | 1 | |
| rufous-sided crake | 1 | |
| blackish rail | 1 | |
| slaty-breasted wood-rail | 1 | |
| common moorhen | 1 | |
| purple gallinule | 1 | |
| wattled jacana | 1 | |
| southern lapwing | 1,2 | |
| rock dove | 2 | |
| ruddy ground-dove | 1,2 | |
| white-tipped dove | 1 | |
| gray-fronted dove | 1 | |
| picazuro dove | 1 | |
| white-eyed parakeet | 1,2 | |
| maroon-bellied parakeet | 1 | |
| blue-bellied parrot | 1 | |
| blue-winged parrotlet | 1 | |
| plain parakeet | 1,2 | |
| orange-winged parrot | 1 | |
| greater ani | 1 | |
| smooth-billed anni | 1 | |
| guira cuckoo | 1,2 | |
| squirrel cuckoo | 1 | |
| ferruginous pygmy-owl | 1 | |
| burrowing owl | 1 | |
| tawny-browed owl | 1 | |
| white-collared swift | 1 | |
| gray-rumped swift | 1 | |
| scale-throated hermit | 1 | |
| dusky-throated hermit | 1 | |
| planalto hermit | 1 | |
| reddish hermit | 1 | |
| rufous-breasted hermit | 1 | |
| saw-billed hermit | 1 | |
| black jacobin | 1 | |
| violet-capped woodnymph | 1 | |
| versicolored emerald | 1 | |
| plovercrest | 1 | |
| frilled coquette | 1 | |
| glittering throated emerald | 1 | |
| sapphire-spangled emerald | 1 | |
| somber hummingbird | 1 | |
| brazilian ruby | 1 | |
| white-throated hummingbird | 1 | |
| swallow-tailed hummingbird | 1,2 | |
| black-throated trogon | 1 | |
| surucua trogon | 1 | |
| ringed kingfisher | 1 | |
| amazon kingfisher | 1 | |
| green kingfisher | 1 | |
| three-toed jacamar | 1 | |
| white-eared puffbird | 1 | |
| spot-billed toucanet | 1 | |
| channel-billed toucan | 1 | |
| white-barred piculet | 1 | |
| yellow-browed woodpecker | 1 | |
| yellow-throated woodpecker | 1 | |
| yellow-eared woodpecker | 1 | |
| green-barred woodpecker | 1 | |
| campo flicker | 1 | |
| blond-crested woodpecker | 1 | |
| lineated woodpecker | 1 | |
| olivaceous woodcreeper | 1 | |
| white-throated woodcreeper | 1 | |
| lesser woodcreeper | 1 | |
| scaled woodcreeper | 1 | |
| black-billed scythebill | 1 | |
| itatiaia spinetail | 1 | |
| tail-banded hornero | 1 | |
| rufous hornero | 1,2 | |
| rufous-capped spinetail | 1 | |
| yellow-chinned spinetail | 1 | |
| pallid spinetail | 1 | |
| rufous-fronted thornbird | 1 | |
| firewood gatherer | 1 | |
| white-browed foliage gleaner | 1 | |
| buff-browed foliage-gleaner | 1 | |
| white-collared foliage-gleaner | 1 | |
| pale-browed treehunter | 1 | |
| buff-fronted foliage-gleaner | 1 | |
| sharp-tailed streamcreeper | 1 | |
| sharp-billed treehunter | 1 | |
| rufous-breasted leaftosser | 1 | |
| streaked xenops | 1 | |
| large-tailed antshrike | 1 | |
| white-bearded antshrike | 1 | |
| chestnut-backed antshrike | 1 | |
| variable antshrike | 1 | |
| plain antvireo | 1 | |
| rufous-backed antvireo | 1 | |
| star-throated antwren | 1 | |
| streak-capped antwren | 1 | |
| serra antwren | 1 | |
| ferruginous antbird | 1 | |
| rufous-tailed antbird | 1 | |
| ochre-rumped antbird | 1 | |
| scaled antbird | 1 | |
| white-shouldered fire-eye | 1 | |
| white-bibbed antbird | 1 | |
| rufous-capped antthrush | 1 | |
| rufous-tailed antthrush | 1 | |
| mouse-colored tapaculo | 1 | |
| rufous gnateater | 1 | |
| black-cheeked gnateater | 1 | |
| black-and-gold cotinga | 1 | |
| hooded berryeater | 1 | |
| pin-tailed manakin | 1 | |
| white-bearded manakin | 1 | |
| blue manakin | 1 | |
| southern antpipit | 1 | |
| yellowish pipit | 1 | |
| sharpbill | 1 | |
| green shiffornish | 1 | |
| chestnut crowned becard | 1 | |
| planalto tyrannulet | 1 | |
| rough-legged tyrannulet | 1 | |
| gray-capped tyrannulet | 1 | |
| highland elaenia | 1 | |
| white-crested tyrannulet | 1 | |
| serra do mar tyrannulet | 1 | |
| mottle-cheeked flycatcher | 1 | |
| ochre-bellied flycatcher | 1 | |
| gray-hooded flycatcher | 1 | |
| sepia-capped flycatcher | 1 | |
| drab-breasted bamboo-tyrant | 1 | |
| hangnest tody tyrant | 1 | |
| yellow-lored tody-tyrant | 1 | |
| common tody-flycatcher | 1 | |
| black-tailed flycatcher | 1 | |
| cliff flycatcher | 1 | |
| euler's flycatcher | 1 | |
| yellow-olive flycatcher | 1 | |
| white-throated spadebill | 1 | |
| tropical peewee | 1 | |
| blue-billed black-tyrant | 1 | |
| velvety black-tyrant | 1 | |
| yellow-browed tyrant | 1 | |
| white-rumped monjita | 1 | |
| streamer-tailed tyrant | 1 | |
| shear-tailed gray-tyrant | 1 | |
| masked water-tyrant | 1,3 | |
| white-headed marsh tyrant | 1 | |
| long-tailed tyrant | 1 | |
| cattle tyrant | 1 | |
| social flycatcher | 1 | |
| great kiskadee | 1,2 | |
| tropical kingbird | 1,4 | |
| grayish mourner | 1 | |
| brown-crested flycatcher | 1 | |
| golden-crowned warbler | 1 | |
| white-rimmed warbler | 1 | |
| rufous-browed peppershrike | 1 | |
| red-eyed vireo | 1 | |
| rufous-crowned greenlet | 1 | |
| gray-eyed greenlet | 1 | |
| blue and white swallow | 1,2 | |
| brown-chested martin | 1 | |
| white-thighed swallow | 1 | |
| tawny headed swallow | 1 | |
| southern rough-winged swallow | 1 | |
| black-capped daconobus | 1 | |
| house wren | 1 | |
| yellow-legged thrush | 1 | |
| rufous-bellied thrush | 1,2 | |
| pale-breasted thrush | 1 | |
| white-necked thrush | 1 | |
| chalk-browed mockingbird | 1,2 | |
| crested oropendola | 1 | |
| red-rumped cacique | 1 | |
| chopi blackbird | 1 | |
| shiny cowbird | 1 | |
| giant cowbird | 1 | |
| white-browed blackbird | 1 | |
| chestnut-capped blackbird | 1 | |
| great-tailed grackle | 4 | |
| bananaquit | 1,2 | |
| brown tanager | 1 | |
| cinnamon tanager | 1 | |
| black-goggled tanager | 1 | |
| rufous-headed tanager | 1 | |
| yellow-backed tanager | 1 | |
| brazilian tanager | 1 | |
| sayaca tanager | 1 | |
| azure-shouldered tanager | 1 | |
| golden-chevroned tanager | 1 | |
| flame-crested tanager | 1 | |
| ruby-crowned tanager | 1 | |
| burnished-buff tanager | 1 | |
| brassy-breasted tanager | 1 | |
| green-headed tanager | 1 | |
| red-necked tanager | 1 | |
| swallow tanager | 1 | |
| diademed tanager | 1 | |
| white-bellied tanager | 1 | |
| red-crowned ant-tanager | 1 | |
| red-cowled cardinal | 1 | |
| blue dacnis | 1 | |
| green honeycreeper | 1 | |
| purple-throated euphonia | 1 | |
| violaceous euphonia | 1 | |
| orange-bellied eupohonia | 1 | |
| chestnut-bellied euphonia | 1 | |
| chestnut-vented conebill | 1 | |
| blue-naped chlorophonia | 1 | |
| buff-throated saltator | 1 | |
| thick-billed saltator | 1 | |
| saffron finch | 1,2 | |
| buffy-fronted seedeater | 1 | |
| double-collared seedeater | 1 | |
| blue-black grassquit | 1 | |
| pileated finch | 1 | |
| uniform finch | 1 | |
| rufous-collared sparrow | 1 | |
| bay-chested warbling-finch | 1 | |
| half-collared sparrow | 1 | |
| house sparrow | 2 | |
| common waxbill | 2 | |
| hooded siskin | 2 |
| plumbeous pigeon |
| ruddy quail-dove |
| pale-vented pigeon |
| scaly-headed parrot |
| tropical screech owl |
| common pauraque |
| motmot |
| crescent-chested puffbird |
| unicolored antwren |
| bare-throated bellbird |
| green-backed becard |
| grey-headed attila |
| olive-green tanager |
| fawn-breasted tanager |
| grassland sparrow |
| leaf-nosed bat (best guess palla's long-tongued bat) |
| brazilian squirrel |
| common marmoset |
| brown cappuchin monkey |
| brown-throated 3-toed sloth |
| capybara |
| broad-snouted caiman |
| gecko |