Blue Eyed Birder: Brazil with Bird's Wildlife & Nature

A full day at Jardim that started well as we ambled down to the boats with seven Orange-cheeked Parrots in the gardens and a flock of Santarem Parakeets overhead while a Bare-necked Fruit Crow gave us a taste of things to come.

Orange-cheeked Parrots

The purpose of the river excursion was primarily to track down the super rare Cone-billed Tanager that is accessible here and almost nowhere else in the world.

We were taken into a secret world of a crystal clear hidden ox-bow lake and within just a few minutes a male Cone-billed Tanager was heard singing and soon picked up in the flooded forest. Not the most colourful bird but certainly very high on the rarity list. Two males and two rich brown female were found along in the margins.

Cone-billed Tanager - male

Cone-billed Tanager - female although I am wondering if the fluff on the nape and still growing outer tail feather may suggest juvenile?

There was so much else to see with a silently sitting Spotted Puffbird, zipping Long-billed Star-throat and Black-throated Mango; Lesser Kiskadees in the marsh grasses and a calling Trogon.

Spotted Puffbird

Black-throated Mango

Purple-throated Euphonia

Exiting the Oxbow

We puttered back onto the main river where amazingly Amazonian Umbrellabird, bobbly headed Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Red-throated Piping Guans and White-throated Toucans crossed (and were heard). It was good to be back on a river again.

Red-throated Piping Guan

A sandbank stop added Swallow-tailed Kite and Greater Yellow-headed Vultures, a red-bellied Black-tailed Trogon along with Grey Chested Dove and both Blackish Antbird and punky Glossy Antshrikes while a loop through the dry forest was challenging but very rewarding with a host of new species.

Black-tailed Trogon

Greater Yellow-headed Vulture

Blue and Yellow Macaw

Glossy Antshrike

Glossy Antshrike - full on eye glint!!

It was hot and sweaty and hard work but the new bird kept popping out with Bar-breasted Piculets, Flame Crowned Manakins, glaring Green Backed Trogon, White-lored Tyrannulet, Greyish Mourner, Yellow-backed, Paradise and Masked Tanagers were encountered although the Gould’s Toucanets were worth the effort staring up at the canopy and Rondonia Warbling Antbird won groovy name of the day. It was very much a bins not camera sort of day. See bird, raise bins, wow, gone again and the light was somewhat challenging at any height.

Green Backed Trogon

Red-shouldered, Blue-winged and Blue and Yellow Macaws greeted our return to camp only to be trumped by a male Razor-billed Curassow about to cross the river with his glowing red bill knob.

Razor-billed Curassow - I only had a couple of seconds!

All this was before lunch which of course included a side dish of newbies with the striking local race of Blue Grey Tanager, Green-tailed Goldenthroat, Sulphury Flycatcher and Pale-rumped Swifts while Swallow-wing Puffbirds showed much closer. Palm Swifts zoomed around the lakes.

Swallow-wing Puffbird

Palm Tanager

Blue Grey Tanager - anywhere else that would be a different species!

Sulphury Flycatcher

Some Orchids

It was incredibly hot and humid and the forest spring fed swimming pool beckoned. Red-throated Piping Guans and Speckled Chachalacas moved through the tree tops and hundreds of sulphur butterflies swirled in a co-ordinated tornado along the stream while we bobbed in the refreshing waters.

Spencer prancing through the Sulphurs!

Ciclid

Arapaina gigas

While in the natural jacuzzi pool we glanced up to see some very furry faces looking down at us and after the initial panic to get out of the water to grab optics, we were treated to prolonged views of at least four of the very rare Meittemeir’s Tapajos Saki monkeys. Even Eduardo had not seen them before.

Meittemeir’s Tapajos Saki

The post swim evening walk was very humid and the light was quite poor but Jonathan and Eduardo managed to find a wealth of forest dwellers with two new Hummers – Versicoloured Emerald and White-chinned Sapphire, a gang of Black-fronted Nunbirds, Natterer’s Slaty Antshrike, Dot Winged Antwrens, the mini chicken-like Rufous Capped Antthrush, Brown Winged Schiffornis, Moustached Wrens and Sick’s Swifts overhead.

Black-faced Dacnis

White-lored Tyrannulet

Red-legged Honeycreeper

A magnificent Scaled Pigeon

A Ferruginous Pygmy Owl was singing in the grounds and a Hauxwell’s Thrush popped into view as the light fell along with at least two stunningly cryptic Blackish Nightjars that kept moving just ahead of us down the path.