Highlights of Brazil's Atlantic Forest Nov 06—15, 2009
Posted by Kevin Zimmer
Kevin Zimmer
Kevin Zimmer has authored three books and numerous papers dealing with field identification and bird-finding in North America. His book, Birding in the American West: A Han...Related Trips
As always, Intervales State Park provided us with a wonderful week of birding in the heart of southeast Brazil's Atlantic Forest. In just seven full days of birding we tallied over 250 species, a number that is much more impressive when you consider that there were virtually no waterbirds involved. More impressive still is that over 100 of those species were either Brazilian or regional endemics. There are few places in the world where one can find so many endemic birds at a single location in just one week's time.
Beyond the numbers, it was so enjoyable to stay at a single site, surrounded by largely intact Atlantic Forest, and have the birds right at our doorstep. We had a nice chalet all to ourselves, with superb birding right off the balcony. This is certainly the only place I've been where you can have binocular-filling views of the spectacular Large-tailed Antshrike without ever leaving the balcony of your lodge! From this same balcony we could observe the nest-building behavior of a pair of Crested Becards, the foraging of Cliff Flycatchers, an incubating Sayaca Tanager, the comings and goings of a number of frugivores (including snazzy Chestnut-backed and Rufous-headed tanagers) to a nearby fruiting tree, and colorful Yellow-fronted Woodpeckers taking bananas from our feeder. Meanwhile, the resident Diademed Tanager, Rufous-crowned Greenlet, and Hangnest Tody-Tyrant provided a constant musical backdrop. During the one morning that rain hampered our activities, we simply birded off the covered balcony, using the tape recorder to lure in a range of things from Planalto and Gray-capped tyrannulets to Pallid Spinetails. And of course, from our perch we had an excellent vantage point for spotting raptors such as Swallow-tailed, Plumbeous, and Rufous-thighed kites as they wheeled above the treetops. There was also the crab-eating fox that prowled the driveway most nights.
One of our best finds came at lunch on our first full day in the park. Claude directed my attention to what turned out to be a male Fawn-breasted Tanager in the strip of second-growth woodland adjacent to the dining room. But in the process of identifying his bird, my eyes were drawn to another drabber bird nearby. It was a female Black-legged Dacnis, one of the rarer and seemingly more nomadic of all Atlantic Forest endemics. No sooner did I shout out the identity and location of the dacnis than a dazzling male popped into view nearby. The pair was collecting plant fibers, which they then carried to a nearby tree and began weaving into a hanging basket of a nest. Finding a nest of this rare bird was particularly significant, since there is still no published description of the nest (although Andy Whittaker, Ricardo Parrini, and I actually have such a paper in press.) Over the next two days we were able to observe both the male and female Black-legged Dacnis making trips to work on the nest.
No two trips to a spot as diverse as Intervales are ever the same. This year, I was struck by how several of the more common species (e.g. toucanets, Rufous-capped Motmot, puffbirds, Planalto Woodcreeper, Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher, and all euphonias) seemed not to be vocalizing, and, as a consequence, were either uncharacteristically inconspicuous, or missing in action altogether. Almost certainly, much of this was the result of the unusually heavy rains that the region had experienced throughout September and October. With early onset of rains (the true rainy season usually begins in November), many birds appeared to have initiated their breeding season a month or two ahead of schedule, meaning that the peak period of vocal activity had already passed. Harder to explain was the near total absence of most nightjars—we did not see or even hear a Pauraque the entire week. We still managed to get the spectacular Long-trained Nightjar, although it was much more elusive than usual.
In spite of these anomalies, we ended up with good views of the vast majority of expected species, with a number of notable highlights sprinkled in. Getting all five of the so-called "Big 5 Antshrikes" (Large-tailed, Tufted, Giant, Spot-backed, and White-bearded) in a single 24-hour period was pretty special. So too was seeing not one, but two impressive Black-fronted Piping-Guans in the same morning. Then there were the two pairs of Orange-breasted Thornbirds that treated us to prolonged point-blank studies. And how often does anyone get to look a Sooty Swift in the eye from 20 feet away as it sits on its nest? We caught the tail-end of a bamboo seeding event that delivered Buffy-fronted and Temminck's seedeaters and Uniform Finches—three nomadic bamboo specialists that can be common at a site one year, and then absent for the next ten. We did particularly well on skulking bottom-dwellers of the forest floor, getting nice studies of Rufous-capped and Short-tailed antthrushes, Slaty Bristlefront, Squamate Antbird, Mouse-colored Tapaculo, and White-breasted Tapaculo. The latter species deserves special mention, since we literally watched it singing from inside of a hole (right where Bruno said it would be), saw it leave when we approached closely, and then watched it return, like a burglar, to the scene of the crime, and resume singing from the same hole! After joking—tongue in cheek—about tapaculos being subterranean for years, I am now a believer!
We dealt with the intricacies of sorting out the myriads of tyrannulets, elaenias, and other flycatchers, many of which are endemics of the region. Included among these were such localized specialties as São Paulo, Bay-ringed, and Oustalet's tyrannulets, Atlantic Royal Flycatcher, and Rufous-tailed Attila. Cotingas were also well-represented, as we thrilled to multiple Hooded Berryeaters and Bare-throated Bellbirds, and one sensational male Red-ruffed Fruitcrow. Nocturnal forays yielded superb looks at the endemic Rusty-barred Owl and the more ubiquitous Tropical Screech-Owl, as well as numerous nice looks at Short-tailed Nighthawks and the aforementioned Long-trained Nightjar. In between were encounters with such prizes as Mantled and White-necked hawks (two spectacular endemic raptors); Plovercrests on two different leks; a Serra Tyrant-Manakin that was close enough to touch; eye-catching Red-necked, Green-headed, and Brassy-breasted Tanagers; Half-collared Sparrow; a furtive Red-and-white Crake that revealed itself to at least half of the group; and some Blue-bellied Parrots that managed to always stay just out of reach for all but Bruno and Claude.
Our biggest prize, however, came in the form of the nearly mythical Helmeted Woodpecker. Almost certainly the rarest woodpecker in all of South America, and arguably one of the rarest woodpeckers in the world, the Helmeted Woodpecker has eluded many birders and ornithologists with years of experience in the Atlantic Forest. Its distribution even within its limited range is highly localized, which, coupled with its unobtrusive behavior, makes it even more difficult to find. We’ve had good luck with finding this bird at Intervales in the past, but our last tour here missed it, as have most birding groups and independent birders who have visited in the past year. The local Intervales guides had apparently not seen or heard the species for over five months prior to our arrival. All of that considered, I did not have a very good feeling about our chances at the beginning of the week. When visits to a couple of the spots where we have seen them in the past failed to pan out, the outlook appeared even bleaker. Then came November 11. Passing through a stretch of the trail where I had seen Helmeted Woodpecker three years ago, I trolled with tape to no avail. Hours later, as we were headed back to the van, I played the tape again as we passed through that same area. Nothing. Then, just as we were starting to deal with some other bird, I heard a distant but unmistakable response. Helmeted Woodpecker! We repositioned ourselves slightly, and then played the tape again. Just like that, it was upon us, and with just one more hit from the tape, we had maneuvered the bird into an open tree for all to see. Wild red crest flared, the woodpecker hitched its way up the largely open trunk, calling as it went. Cameras clicked, video ran, time stood still, and then it was gone, leaving us to celebrate Judy's birthday surprise, and what was, without doubt, the bird of the trip.
You all were a fun and most congenial group, and made Pica-Pau a lively and rewarding hangout for a week's worth of superb birding. Many thanks also to Bruno, Luíz, and Caesar for their efforts. I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Intervales, and round 2 with the Spotted Bamboowren! I hope to see you all on future trips—after all, that Brazilian visa is good for five years, and there are still a ton of other birds to see!
Favorite Birds of the Trip (as voted by the group)
1. Helmeted Woodpecker
2. Black-fronted Piping-Guan
3. Squamate Antbird and Swallow-tailed Manakin (tie)