Brazil: Serra das Araras, Pantanal of PoconÈ, Chapada dos Guimares,Itatiaia National Park and Ubatuba
September 5-20, 2000
My wife Laura and I endowed with frequent flier miles decided to make the most of them and journey to Brazil in search of birds and hopefully some large fauna. What really piqued our interest was the presence of a very accessible nest of Harpy Eagles at Serra das Araras in SE Brazil. We found a local guide, Braulio Carlos, via the Pantanal Bird Club's website. In addition to Serra das Araras we also booked a tour to of the Pantanal and Chapada dos Guimares. We would then fly back to Sao Paulo for a visit to Itatiaia National Park in the mountains and Ubatuba on the coast in search of Atlantic Rainforest endemics.
Our miles got us all the way to Cuiaba, the capital of Mato Gosso state via AA and TAM Airlines by way of Sao Paulo and Brasilia. Upon arrival we were met by a driver from the Hotel Diplomata located close to the airport which is simple but nice. Rooms for the night are about $52. Just down the street is Churrascaria Gaucho, a carnivore's dream come true. For $8 you can have all the grilled beef, pork and chicken you can eat and it is good! Be sure and try the grilled chicken hearts known locally as corazon. There is also a beer and pizza place next door and across the street.
Sept. 5 2000
Braulio met us in the lobby at six a.m. and drove us in his car the 150km from Cuiaba to where the we hoped to see the Harpy. En route we spotted a pair of Blue and Gold Macaws nesting in a cavity on a palm snag right next to the road. In the near distance we saw our first of many Toco Toucans. When we turned off the main road heading to our pousada (inn) we stopped to check the roadsides for birds-Magpie Tanager, Black-tailed Trogon, Chestnut-browed Peppershrike and Greenish Elaenia for starters. We passed many trucks and a limestone mining operation before arriving at our destination. Pousada Currupira d'Araras is in a lovely setting, has a large stone pool fed by a stream, a pond and small but comfortable rooms. It is very much a spa type of retreat. The food here is almost as good as the birding which is saying a lot. As we pulled up to the pousada we were greeted by numerous Southern Lapwings and Guira Cuckoos browsing through the pasture, White-throated Kingbird, Purplish Jay, Red-shouldered Macaw, Green-barred Woodpecker and the ubiquitous Rufous Hornero and Thrush like Wren..
We dropped off our bags and headed straight for the Harpy nest. We parked nearby and walked up to the nest located in one of the tallest trees. Nothing there but three other birders and their guide- Andrew Whittaker. We proceeded to beat about the high grasses surrounding the area. Braulio played a tape recording of the mother Harpy but got no response. It was getting quite warm now around 97 degrees F and about the same percentage of humidity. Bear in mind that due to insects we are wearing long sleeve shirts and pants so it is bloody hot! We head back to the pousada for lunch and siesta to escape the heat of the day. This would be the basic pattern we would follow for most of the trip.
At 3:30 we were back in the field birding our way to the Harpy nest. Sightings were of Plumbeous and Scaled Pigeons, Dusky-headed Parakeet, Epaulet Oriole, Masked Tityra and our first hummingbird-a Long-billed Starthroat. At the nest all was quiet, no sign of the Harpy. Braulio is unconcerned, he feels that the juvenile can't have wandered very far. It was last seen three days prior to our arrival at the nest with its mother so we remain hopeful. In the ebbing light we lured a Little Tinamou into sight with a shotgun mike and playback. Braulio pointed it out in the dense foliage using a laser pointer. He didn't put it on the bird but just to side. "Look to the left of the laser." There it was. Quite clever. Using tapes he also succeeded in calling in as darkness fell an Ocellated Poorwill and both Spectactled and Black-banded Owls which we enjoyed viewing through his scope with the help of a spotlight. On the way back to the pousada the road was awash in Pauraques.
Sept. 6
We are out in the field early fueled solely by tasty Brazilian coffee. We will have breakfast later. We follow a simple road cleared through the jungle as we listen to the dawn chorus. Using playback, we manage good looks at Buff-throated Woodcreeper, White-dotted Fireeye, White-eyed Attila and a White-tailed Trogon. A rustling of leaves high in the trees reveals our first primate- a Bare-eared Marmoset. Further down the trail we come upon Warbling Antbirds then Little and Red-stained Woodpeckers offer us a good comparison of their similarities. The miniscule Short-tailed Pygmy Tyrant is nearly as small as a bumblebee. Braulio records the call of what he believes is a Yellow-margined Flycatcher. According to the maps in Ridgley this bird is well out of range but later we find the recording matches the call on the CD Rom of Birds of Bolivia that Braulio has loaded on his laptop. If you haven't noticed by now Braulio is into gadgets and they make him a very effective birding guide.
Once again we follow the trail from the road to the Harpy nest. Hopeful we are but all is quiet. No sign of the big raptor but there are plenty of others around this morning. I point out a bird soaring above the canopy that turns out to be the second recorded Black-Hawk Eagle in this area. But there's more- Gray-headed Hawk, Plumbeous Kite, White and Bicolored Hawks and King Vultures help make up for the lack of a Harpy-almost.
In the afternoon we approach the nest from a different angle still hopeful that the Harpy juvenile hasn't left for good. On our approach we see White-eared Puffbirds, Dusky-headed Parakeets and Blue-headed Parrot. Cinnamon-Throated Hermits attack the tape player when Braulio plays a recording of these birds on the lek. Back at the Harpy nest tree we watch a Chestnut-eared Aracari plundering the pendulous nests of the Yelllow-rumped Caciques eliciting no reaction at all from the parents. We spend yet more time searching the area for the Harpy but no luck.
Sept.7
First thing this morning we arrive at the Harpy nest. Now we've tried different approaches and different times of the day and still no sign of the juvenile or the adults. Braulio has told us that this was one of the first Harpy nests discovered in recent times in Brazil and it made the TV news. This broadcast resulted in reports of three subsequent nests in the country as the locals realized what they had and how rare it is. The Harpy at Serra das Araras is unusual in that the forest cover isn't very dense.This area is but a small rivulet of Amazonia that reaches into SE Brazil and is bordered by deciduous forest. There is also a good deal of human activity here. The nest itself is in a tall tree just above a fence line located on a working ranch. The limestone mine isn't far as the eagle flies. Once a day there is a dynamite blast and twice a day we hear the air raid signal for starting and quitting time. For the last year and a half many birders have come here for their life Harpy as we have. We are disappointed but what can you do. Unless you go to a zoo there are no guarantees.
We head into the forest which is quite still this morning and very humid as well. Curiously the birding is slow unlike the past two days. We do see a Collared Trogon arguably the most lovely of the trogons. Also Striolated Puffbird, Cream-colored Woodpecker, Bare-necked Fruitcrow and Cocoa Thrush but not much more. In the late afternoon we try a new locale, a narrow limestone canyon but the birding remains quiet. Perhaps it is the humidity which increases higher as it start to thunder and rain.
We are ready to call it a day but Braulio trudges on trying another trail. Nothing. Finally we head back stopping at the nest one last time as darkness falls and our hopes for for the Harpy are now as dim as the light. We've given it our best shot. On the road back to the pousada we spotlight a Scissor-tailed and Little Nightjar amongst the throng of Paraque. It has been a long day and now we must drive the 150km back to Cuiaba. We soon learn that the roads of Brazil by night are the realm of the truckers who prefer to travel after dark. Harrowingly we pass many of these diesel spewing behemoths that are the main method of transportation of goods here.
Back in downtown Cuiaba at 8:30 p.m. we check into the Hotel Veneza which is so, so. We have pizza and beer across street and collapse into bed soon after.
Sept.8
This morning at breakfast provided by the hotel we meet Steve and Willy Campos who will accompany us on the next segment of our trip. A short time later Braulio arrives in a nine passenger VW bus(sans A/C) with a driver -Eugeno. Down the road we go in the direction of the Pantanal. The size of Georgia, this is the largest wetland in the world. We turn off the highway from Cuiaba onto a smaller road that leads to Pocone. We stop along the way to bird the roadsides. Our first Southern Screamers, Limpkins, Green Ibis and a Pearl Kite. Then I see a bird I had marveled at when studying the field guides prior to our arrival in Brazil-a Streamer-tailed Tyrant is every bit as striking as I had hoped. A White-tailed Goldenthroat hummingbird, White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, Red-crested Finch and Buff-necked Ibis are added to the morning's tally.
We stop at a fish restaurant in Pocone and afterwards gas up the van and a reserve supply tank and soon arrive at the toll gate for the Transpantaneira. This road was originally built to become a highway but later abandoned when maintenance of such a road would prove daunting. The dirt road is just wide enough for two vehicles to pass. Notable are the single track wooden bridges that are passable for the most part but are in varying degrees of disrepair. The elevated roadbed was built by scooping soil from the sides resulting in pockets that remain filled with water even at this time of year which is the dry season here. In these roadside pools are birds and other fauna, right from the start we are seeing great birds-Jabiru, Wood and Maguari Storks and a distant Greater Rhea are the big ones. Plumbeous, Bare-faced and Buff-necked Ibis are also present. Herons include Whistling, Capped, White-necked and Little Blue. Then there are the landbirds Rufous-rumped Seedeater, Crested Oropendola, Troupial, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Rufous Cacholote and Greater Thornbird. On this day we also see all five species of Kingfisher. Capybara and caimans are plentiful.
Arriving at the only roadside stand on this stretch of road we pause for cool refreshments which are a welcome relief on this very hot and humid day. Then we walk the planks leading to an elevated tower where we watch the sun set into the vast, flat alluvial plain which comprises the Pantanal. From the tower we hear and see our first pair of Hyacinth Macaws! After dark we tiredly make our way down the road, the day has been a long one and quite hot but this doesn't deter Braulio from breaking out his spotlight. We see a Common Potoo hunting from the top of a termite mound We also spot a Brocket Deer. We pass through a blue haze of smoke and see someone setting fires. At last the lights of the Fazenda Santa Theresa are a welcome sight. A quick shower in the deliciously air conditioned room helps restore our spirits as does dinner and a cold one. Afterwards we review our checklist for the day and I discover that on this day I've seen more new life birds than on any other occasion-47! This isn't my first trip to South America and I am finding Brazil extremely birdy.
Sept.9
We are out in the field by 6 a.m. to get some birding in before it gets too hot. From the fazenda we walk to the forest at the edge of the Pixaim River which runs beside our accomodations. The tape playback proves critical this morning in enticing out of the cover Helmeted Manakin, Mato Grosso and Band-tailed Antbirds, Chotoy, White-lored and Rusty-backed Spinetails. Stripe-necked, Pearly-vented and Spotted Tody-Flycatchers and Flavescent and White-bellied Warblers. Back at the fazenda we head for the small pool for relief from the midday heat. There's a fence around it, we are told, to keep out the caiman and capybara.
Later after lunch and siesta we board a small boat to bird the river. On the bank we spot a Pale legged Hornero and a displaying Sunbittern. A La Plata River Otter leaps into the water and we watch his bubble trail as he inspects the hull of our boat. Our boatman points out a large bird hiding under the cover along the riverbank. We manage good looks at an Agami Heron, in my opinion the most beautiful of all herons. We cross the river and come upon a family group of four Giant River Otters! Our boatman seems to be aquainted with them. He calls them in with series of gentle grunts and when they respond he rewards them with some small fish. They come right up to the boat and at one point I'm concerned that one of these quite large, squealing and grunting animals is going to leap into my lap. Being in the midst of these maginficent and playful animals is the highlight of our trip thus far.
As darkness falls Band-tailed Nighthawks skim the surface of the water seeking out insects. We see many sets of caiman eyes glowing in the beam of a flashlight all around us in the river. Later after dinner Braulio and I head into the night armed with headlamp and spotlight. This I think is one of his favorite things to do, shine the headlamp for eyeshine and sneak up and grab nightjars. The first one we catch is a good sized Nacunda Nighthawk who we discover is actually sitting on eggs. No nest of any kind. With the headlamp on we can see many sets of tiny eyes glowing, close inspection reveals them to be spiders. In addition to the Nacunda we easily grab Spot-tailed and Rufous Nightjars.
Sept. 10
Early this morning we depart the fazenda in the van but we don't get far as we spot a Red-billed Scythebill probing the holes in a fencepost with its long curved bill. A herd of Greater Rheas grazes nearby undisturbed by our presence. Flycatchers are busy this morning. Braulio uses a tape so we can hear the call and see the display of the Campos Flycatcher, later we will compare this with the new species of Suriri Flycatcher in the Chapada. A Xenopsaris, Rufous-fronted Thornbird, Yellow-chinned and Cinererous-breasted Spinetails and Blue-crowned and Black-hooded Parakeets and Scaly-headed Parrot round out the morning. We spend some time observing the antics of two pairs of noisy Hyacinth Macaws feeding in some palms. Back at the pousada we feed the pet Toco toucans out of our hand and are amazed at how gentle they are. At the feeder are Bay-winged and Giant Cowbirds, Saffron Finches and Yellow-billed Cardinals.
In the late afternoon we load up the bus and drive 50km further down the Transpantaneira birding enroute and picking up Striped Cuckoo and Lesser Seed-Finch. Just after sunset we arrive at Pousada O Pantainero. Rustic accomodations run by a family of Pantaneiros-the cowboys of Brazil. Electricity here is via generator(no A/C) which runs until about 10pm. The ranch dogs have been sleeping in our room which we share with a good sized Hyla Frog. A word of advice to the wise-Don't bring your non-birder spouse here on her vacation.
After dinner we head out into the night in the bus. Our hopes for this evening are in seeing a Jaguar. Not an easy mammal to see. We spend a couple of hours driving a side road off the Transpantaneira in the Jaguar Ecological Reserve looking for the eyeshine of a large mammal. We do see something sizable cross the road at one point but fail to relocate it. We play a tape of the eery sounds of a Jaguar but no luck. We do manage to get great looks through the scope at a Great Potoo perched in its cryptic pose high in a snag.
Back at the pousada we settle into our beds as the meager fan swings back and forth. Then the generator winds down. The night is very warm.
Sept.11
Up early to bird the same road we traveled the previous night. We observe a pair of Laughing Falcons being harassed by a pair of Bat Falcons. We spend some time watching a large group of Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys feeding in the canopy. They watch us in return. Braulio plays a tape and gets an immediate response from a Great Rufous Woodcreeper and we are surprised at how large it is. We return to the fazenda for breakfast and afterwards we bird the forested area across the way. Blue-crowned Trogon, Silver-beaked Tanager, Forest Elaenia and Flavescent Warbler are about all we come across.
In the afternoon we drive further down the Transpantaneira. Shortly after getting under way we meet another car and are informed that there is a bus stuck on one of the bridges ahead of us. When we arrive at this bridge, which is longer than any of the others, it looks to me as if it has collapsed. The bus is parked to the side of the road on the side we are coming from. So it looks as if it has all been cleared up.The bridge is broken but still usable we find as our driver heads across it undeterred. We come upon a large snake stretched across the road. It turns out to be a young Yellow Anaconda about 2 meters long. It moves away very quickly when we approach it on foot.
Birds are sparse. Conditions are quite dry here in the Pantanal during our visit and as a result we have seen almost no waterfowl. The Muscovy Ducks we come across here and a pair of Brazilian Ducks seen earlier will be the only ducks we see. Shorebirds are also largely absent, only Solitary Sandpiper and both Yellowlegs. We do see our first White-browed Blackbird before we turn around. We get back to the collapsed bridge and the bus is now stuck in the middle! I have visions of all six of us spending the night in the VW van. The men aboard the bus are frantically trying to free it with jacks and assorted planks. From a nearby shack comes a man whistling aboard a tractor who I suppose makes a profit rescuing vehicles off this bridge. Forty-five minutes later they manage to get the bus across the bridge and we are back on the road with a cheer.
In the night when the generator has wound down we sleep very little. The heat is one thing, the baying of the hound dogs outside our door is another, then the ranch cat proceeds to yowl. Not to be upstaged the Hyla frog in our bathroom is really loud, more of a scream than a croak. But the loudest of all are the Plumbeous Ibis who are nesting in the trees above us. They make a sound like the squealing skid of car tires. . We have to laugh.
Sept.12
Today is to be a transport day. We depart the Pantanal of Pocone and make the drive back to Cuiaba. In some of the roadside ponds we spot as many as eight different species feeding together. Jabirus, Great and Snowy Egrets, Wood Stork, White-necked, Whistling and Striated Herons, Roseate Spoonbill. A raptor flying parallel to the road lands in a snag and turns out to be our only Crane Hawk of the trip. A red flowering shrub brings us Buff-bellied Hermit. We arrive in Cuiaba and have lunch in an all you can eat place that charges by the pound. You are given a card and your food is weighed and recorded and you pay when you leave. We tank up on water, gas up the van and head towards Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park, a couple hours drive from Cuiaba.
On the approach we see the mesa upon which the cerrado bioregion is located. Fortunately with the increase in altitude comes the decrease in temperature and humidity. We arrive at our accomodations for the next two nights. The Hotel Laura Vicuna is nice. We immediately head for the pool which feels great after the drive up. At 3:30 pm we head back into the field. The avifauna is largely different here than our previous locales. We hear a Red-legged Seriema but fail to locate it. We do see White-banded Tanager, Horned Sungem, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Red-and-Green Macaws, and I'm excited to see Collared Crescentchest which brings my trip total up to four new families. We dine at a restaurant in town which is quite good. There are three main food groups in Brazil and they are meat, meat and meat. There is always plenty of food, one dish typically feeds two and the assorted side dishes of rice, beans, manioc and potatoes cover the entire table. We never had a bad meal.
Sept. 13
The morning is clear and sunny as we bird the Chapada along the road to Aguas Frias. The soil is here is very fine and rusty red and our clothing soon takes on this hue. Here we see the new species of Suriri Flycatrcher. The call is quite different from that of the Campos Flycatcher we saw earlier in the Pantanal as is its display which consisits of raising the wings as opposed to fluttering them. We also see Gray Monjita, Crested Black Tyrant, Black-faced, White-banded and White-rumped Tanagers, Curl Crested Jay, Coal-crested Finch and Green-winged Saltator. The big event are two Red-legged Seriema which respond to the tape playback by galloping assertively right up to us and demand to know who has invaded their territory. These birds are the only members of their family and a bit bizarre. The male hops up on to a shrub about 20 feet away and vocalizes quite loudly. Braulio is impressed, he has never seen a Seriema in full display this close before. I am excited about logging a fifth family.
For lunch we park the bus and hike a short distance to a restaurant located inside the park in an incredible setting. Outside tables look out to a lovely waterfall and pool in which you can swim. From our tables with beer in hand we bird. A Great Dusky Swift on the nest beside the falls. Pale-breasted Thrush, Thick-billed Euphonia. Braulio takes us down to the river behind the restaurant where he has spotted a Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper.
Later, after siesta, we go to the incredible Veu de Nova waterfall that plummets from the mesa into a deep valley. The sheer rock faces here are filled with roosting and nesting birds. White-eyed Parakeets are everywhere. A Yellow-ridged Toucan tries to raid their nests to noisy protests. We see our first Swallow Flycatcher and Blue-winged Macaw. As the sun sets the swifts come in like screaming jet fighters to roost behind the falls-White-collared, Biscutate and Gray-rumped. This is one of the most scenic settings I've ever had the opportunity to bird. Unforgettable vista.
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