BRAZIL: AMAZONIA ON THE RIO ROOSEVELT JUNE 14–24, 2019 Alta Floresta Antpitta – Photo: Andrew Whittaker LEADER: ANDREW WHITTAKER LIST COMPILED BY: ANDREW WHITTAKER VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM BRAZIL: AMAZONIA ON THE RIO ROOSEVELT JUNE 14–24, 2019 By Andrew Whittaker Coming in to land at our wilderness paradise, the Pousada Rio Roosevelt– Photo: Andrew Whittaker Our Rio Roosevelt experience was as fantastic as ever. Nowadays, any truly pristine Amazonian wilderness experience (in the comfort of air-conditioned rooms) with an amazing panoramic air-conditioned restaurant overlooking the mighty river is a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience! We took off in our private charter flight from Porto Velho for a magical week in the exclusive plush Pousada Rio Roosevelt in the heart of the Amazon. We launched ourselves back in time to 1913–14, following in the footsteps of the famous US president Theodore Roosevelt on his famous River of Doubt expedition. Teddy himself actually walked the trail by the falls to our Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Brazil: Amazonia on the Rio Roosevelt, 2019 lodge base and camped on April 21, 1914 on its beach below the Santa Rita rapids where today the magnificent Rio Roosevelt lodge stands. The Santa Rita rapids certainly were a nightmare for Teddy’s expedition. –Photo Andrew Whittaker However, the great difference is that we enjoyed a luxury experience, 24-hour AC, delicious fresh fish meals, great Brazilian food, ice cold drinks, roasted Brazil nuts, and special freshly squeezed tropical fruit drinks and desserts so good as to die for. Certainly, very far from what Roosevelt, Candido Rondon (the famous Brazilian explorer), and George Cherrie (a famous American naturalist and explorer) and their men experienced! Afternoon panoramic of the Rio Roosevelt – Photo: Andrew Whittaker Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Brazil: Amazonia on the Rio Roosevelt, 2019 So famous was this expedition (to map the unchartered 1000-mile-long remote Rio da Dúvida, “River of Doubt”) that Brazil renamed it the Rio Roosevelt, in honor of the great man himself. Furthermore, in 1956 the Amazonian state of Rondônia was declared and named in honor of Cândido Rondon, while Cherrie (who collected specimens during the course of the expedition) including many new animals and insects, became famous too, with the likes of the sandy belt forest Cherrie’s Antwren named after him. Our first birding in Porto Velho Park was very rewarding with excellent studies of Turquoise Tanagers, Short-billed Honeycreeper, and Snow-capped Manakin. Other highlights included Blue-headed Parrot, Swallow-winged Puffbirds, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, and Southern Lapwing. Many of you had happily read the fascinating book about Roosevelt’s exploration of the River of Doubt, so were full of anticipation and great excitement as we boarded our private charter, our destination the famous pristine Amazonian wilderness of the Rio Roosevelt and our plush lodge. Soon we left behind the bustling town of Porto Velho, its murky white waters of the mighty Rio Madeira (visible on our left) before a vast green carpet of forest unfolded before us stretching to the horizon. Broken only by the huge Samuel hydroelectric dam, we were all mesmerized by the vast Amazon rainforest below, bisected by remote meandering rivers (both black and white water). Then we crossed the largest, the Ji-Parana (an important biogeographical barrier) too. Soon we began to spot mosaics of stunted sandy-belt campina forests and natural Amazonian savannahs bisected by taller gallery forest. This feature is what gives the name to the immense Campos Amazônicos National Park covering almost a million hectares, or 2.37 million acres, which is home to our lodge. After about one hour we started our gradual descent over the vast rainforest; soon we could pick out immense colorful pink flowering 150-foot emergents. At last there it was, our first breathtaking view of the remote and spectacular Rio Roosevelt! Its turbulent and infamous white-water rocky rapids were clearly visible amongst the black waters and the sandy beach of the lodge. Before we knew it, we had landed on the remote airstrip, the gateway to our Amazonian paradise, our home for the next exciting weeks of birding. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Brazil: Amazonia on the Rio Roosevelt, 2019 The group freshly arrived at our Amazonian paradise – Photo: Andrew Whittaker Hard to believe, looking back, that we enjoyed in fantastic comfort one of the most remote places, apart from the Antarctic, on our planet! Best of all, we had the Pousada to ourselves with air-conditioned comfort—simply a perfect base, enabling us to explore and enjoy this amazingly rich Amazonian wilderness and its mega wildlife in real comfort, where we were pampered and spoiled like royalty! As usual, the cuisine was first class; the highlight for all was an incredible variety of scrumptious freshly caught and traditionally prepared Amazonian fish dishes, Brazil’s world-class beef, Brazil nuts freshly roasted in the traditional ribeirinho way, exotic fruits, and freshly squeezed fruit juices (even Acai was collected for us to enjoy), along with famous Minas Gerais Cheese and fudge, not to mention those wonderful homemade desserts! All in all, a true gourmet’s delight, and all of us could not help but gain some weight. As usual, we were treated like royals, even having all our laundry done for us for free, as was the beer. Life cannot get much better! Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Brazil: Amazonia on the Rio Roosevelt, 2019 Our exceptional fish barbecue along the Rio Madeirinha - Photo: Andrew Whittaker Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Brazil: Amazonia on the Rio Roosevelt, 2019 After settling in and enjoying our first of many scrumptious meals, and after a midday break, when the afternoon temperatures began to fall, we explored the forest trail to the canopy tower. Our first bird was in-your-face, the much sought-after endemic White-breasted Antbird, as a pair roared in, and one landed so close that binos were not even required! One of several amazing sunsets we loved so much – Photo: Andrew Whittaker Most mornings we began our exciting days by motoring along the picturesque Rio Roosevelt as the forest awoke around us, followed by a pleasant walk along one of the several well-kept trails through towering rich rainforest. Countless birding highlights enchanted our walks while we searched for dynamic mixed-species understory flocks, the famous army ant swarms, productive fruiting trees, raptors and, of course, the amazingly high density of primates. Sadly, this year we were rather unfortunate not to bump into any army ant swarms; however, we did manage to see the endemic sought after White-breasted Antbird a few times, a true beauty. Topping our observations certainly were the spectacular studies of both of the rarely seen antpittas, Variegated and the recently described (2009) Alta Floresta, which were rightly voted as no 1 and 7th best birds of the trip. Prolonged scope studies of the Variegated, a probable split distincta, were truly memorable! Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 7 Brazil: Amazonia on the Rio Roosevelt, 2019 The spectacular Alta Floresta Antpitta – Photo: Andrew Whittaker Highlights were too many to include all here; however, two that really stand out were observing well two NEW as yet undescribed species! First, we enjoyed great studies of the exciting NEW Woodcreeper species (one I unraveled in the complex) with its formal description being worked on by my Brazilian friends. Second, another NEW unnamed taxon, this time of a Microxenops for which Kevin Zimmer and I are close to finishing the formal description, and we also enjoyed super looks too! Other noteworthy moments included wonderful looks at Amazonian Pygmy-Owl, Red-necked Aracari, Black-girdled Barbet, and Blue-cheeked and Great jacamars; great looks at Needle-billed Hermit; the delightful Snow-capped, Blue-backed (regina subspecies), and Red-headed manakins; Dwarf Tyrant Manakin; plus Rose-breasted Chat, Amazonian Royal Flycatcher, both the endemic Rondonia Scythebill and rare Hoffman’s Woodcreeper, Black-spotted Bare-eye and Manicore Warbling antbirds, Southern Chestnut- tailed and endemic Rufous-faced antbirds, and Ihering’s Antwren. We also marveled over the wondrous musical song (one of the best) of a skulky Musician Wren. I am sure the crazy high rainfall earlier in the year following a long drought caused most of the insectivores to breed early so, sadly, we experienced post breeding with many birds extremely unresponsive. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 8 Brazil: Amazonia on the Rio Roosevelt, 2019 An exciting new species of Microxenops being described by Kevin Zimmer and me - Photo: Andrew Whittaker Another highlight was our visit to the exciting newly constructed canopy tower, a short walk behind the lodge, at dawn. We were held spellbound in this odd mysterious realm, the canopy of terra firme forest, as unusual sounds and scents filled the air. At dawn the forest below awoke, while at dusk the night shift sang in. Colorful avifauna were all at eye level, where we enjoyed the mega bird of the trip, a majestic male Crimson Fruitcrow gleaming its vibrant colors in the scope atop its treetop perch, followed by a pair of Kawall’s Parrots (described as recently as 1989) all in the same tree! Other gems included Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Golden- winged Parakeet, Blue-headed Parrot, Tooth-billed Wren, Paradise Tanager, and Pompadour Cotinga, while a huge endemic Uniform Woodcreeper passed by below; and calling in the multicolored Red-necked Aracari into our tree to check us all out, as did several Bare-necked Fruitcrows. While sadly, at dusk, our Rufous Potoo would not respond, and a Southern Tawny- bellied Screech-Owl played hard to get.