Brazil: Birding and Photography Intervales, Chapada dos Guimarães, and Pantanal August 2 - 15, 2013 with Wayne Petersen Few countries can match Brazil’s truly incredible birdlife. It is immense - world’s fifth in surface area with six major habitats or biomes. A mecca for neotropical birding, Brazil boasts the second richest avifauna in the world with an incredible 1837 bird species and an amazing 230 endemics. Our trip starts in the coastal forest of the southeast highlands. Long isolated from other major rainforest blocks in South America, the Atlantic Forest has an extremely diverse and unique mix of vegetation and forest types causing an endemic hotspot with the highest number of endemic bird species in the World (over 160 species)! We end this tour in the world's largest tropical wetland – the sprawling, Pantanal floodplains – with an incredible diverse and dense array of animal species. Brazil is a stable country with excellent modern infrastructure, full of friendly Brazilians with an variety of tasty cuisine and of course, birds and nature galore. Therefore it’s no wonder Brazil has become a premier destination for bird watchers, nature lovers and nature photographers alike! Our co-leader and local guide is photographer Edson Endrigo , one of Brazil’s foremost bird photographers and bird guides. He has been a professional bird photographer since 1995, specializing in rare, threatened or little known species. Brazil birding ~ August 2013 DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY Day 1 – Friday, August 2nd : Arrival and transfer to Intervales State Park Please plan to arrive at the International Airport in São Paulo City by early morning to meet your local guide, Edson Endrigo. We will drive 4 hours to Intervales State Park and our lodge. Famous for its lush forest and the high quality of its birding, Intervales State Park is an important protected area. This fantastic park is located in the Serra de Paranapiacaba, about 120 miles southwest of Sao Paulo and home to a large number of species, largely due to the altitudinal gradient from nearly sea level to 3000 ft. elevation in the pristine forest. Highlights include Solitary Tinamou, Blue- bellied Parrot, Pavonine Cuckoo, Crescent-chested Puffbird, Rusty-breasted Nunlet, Helmeted Woodpecker, Spot-billed and Saffron Toucanet, Pale-browed Treehunter, Giant and White-bearded Antshrike, Squamate Antbird, White-breasted Tapaculo, Sao Paulo Tyrannulet, Buffy-fronted and Temminck's Seedeater, and the Black-legged Dacnis. After lunch we will bird in the forest around the lodge looking for birds such as the Black-legged Dacnis, Sharpbill, Large-tailed Antshrike, Hangnest Tody-Tyrant, Pin-tailed Manakin, Red-capped Parrot, Hooded Berryeater and many others. Night excursions often prove to be very productive with great chances of seeing Least Pygmy-Owl, Mottled, Rusty-barred Owl and Long-trained Nightjar. The lodge is located inside the park where we will have dinner and overnight. The lodge is located on a higher area of the park and consists of three separate building- Pica-Pau Lodge, Onça Pintada Lodge, and Esquilo Lodge. Each lodge contains basic accommodations and a private bath in each room. Days 2-5 – Saturday, August 3rd - Tuesday, August 6th : Intervales State Park These next three days will consist of an early breakfast and all day birding at Intervales, on trails in the Atlantic Forest. The Atlantic Forest is one of the most diverse forests in the world. In addition to its enormous biological diversity, the forest is home to a number of plants and animals that are to be found in no other part of the planet, making the Atlantic Forest unique. The forest originally covered an area of one million km2, in a strip running parallel to the coast from the state of Rio Grande do Norte to the state of Rio Grande do Sul, extending inland in some places. Because of its proximity to the coast, the Atlantic Forest has suffered a long process of degradation, starting in 1500 with the discovery of Brazil and continuing to the present day. As a result, only about 8% remains of the original forest and most of this is fragmented, with few areas of continuous forest. In addition to the birds mentioned above, target birds will include Robust Woodpecker, Rufous-capped Motmot, Bare- Travel with the Massachusetts Audubon Society 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 800-289-9504 Brazil birding ~ August 2013 throated Bellbird, Bertoni's Antbird, Ochre-rumped Antbird, Variegated Antpitta, Bay-ringed Tyrannulet, Brown Tanager, Blue Manakin, Black-billed Scythebill, Red-and-White Crake, Black Hawk-eagle, Yellow- fronted Woodpecker, Ochre-collared Piculet, Cinnamon Piha, Gray-bellied Spinetail and Oustalet's Tyrannulet. Nightime birding for owls and nightjar continue. Dinner and checklist. Day 6 – Wednesday, August 7th : Intervales State Park to São Paulo City We will start again with an early breakfast then we will bird until lunch looking for bird species that we have not yet seen and that we will not have a chance to see in the Pantanal. Then we will transfer to São Paulo City to a hotel near the airport. Day 7 – Thursday, August 8th : Chapada dos Guimarães National Park We will fly early morning to Cuiabá city, the capital of Mato Grosso state and transfer to Chapada dos Guimarães National Park. Chapada dos Guimarães sits atop the Brazilian Central Plateau, on a very scenic area comprised by cerrado scrubland bordered by huge sandstone cliffs and lush gallery forest. This land is home for many of the Cerrado's specialties, such as Greater Rhea and Red-legged Seriema, Horned Sungem, Collared Crescentchest, Rufous-winged Antshrike, Chapada Flycatcher and some rarities such as the Rufous-sided Pygmy-Tyrant and the Yellow-billed Blue Finch. The red sandstone cliffs are also home for Red-and-green and Blue-winged Macaws, Biscutate Swifts and some big raptors too, including Ornate Hawk-Eagles, Crowned Eagle and Black-chested Buzzard Eagle. After lunch we will visit Água-fria Road, a nice Cerrado area with good chances to see the Red-and-green Macaw, Peach-fronted Parakeet, White-vented Violet-ear, Small-billed Tinamou, Red- crested Finch, White-eared Puffbird, White-rumped and Black-faced Tanager, Black-throated Saltator and many others. Overnight at Pousada do Parque Lodge (www.pousadadoparque.com.br). This rustic lodge is a comfortable place, well located next to the park with fantastic waterfalls nearby. The rooms have private baths and air-conditioning. Day 8 – Friday, August 9th : Cerrado Early breakfast and birding all morning at Cerrado, a vast, tropical savanna eco-region, looking for birds such as the Pearl Kite, Pheasant Cuckoo, Guira and Hepatic Tanager, Moustached Wren, Rusty-backed and Large-billed Antwren, Band-tailed and Fiery-capped Manakin, Southern Antpipit, Campo Flicker, White-wedged Piculet, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Coal-crested Finch, Amazonian Motmot, Rufous- tailed and Brown Jacamar, and Curl-crested Jay. Night birding for Rufous and Scissor-tailed Nightjar, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, and Tropical Screech-Owl. Overnight at Pousada do Parque Lodge Travel with the Massachusetts Audubon Society 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 800-289-9504 Brazil birding ~ August 2013 Day 9 – Saturday, August 10th : Cerrado to Pantanal After an early breakfast, we will enjoy our last morning at Chapada dos Guimarães, with some birding until around 9:30 am then transfer to the Pantanal, an endless mix of backwaters, lakes, rivers, gallery forests and forested islands. Declared a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, it is South America's primary wildlife sanctuary. This fantastic biodiversity includes: 698 bird species, 80 mammals, 260 fish species and 50 reptiles Encompassing 250 000 square kilometres, this is the planet’s largest wetland and is home to some of the most spectacular concentrations of wildlife on Earth. Few places offer such an incredible diversity of mammals and birds in an environment as spectacular as this. The birding here is unrivalled and includes species such as the brightly colored Hyacinth Macaw, the stately Jabiru (the tallest flying bird in South and Central America), and various additional specials such as Greater Rhea, the impressive Great Rufous Woodcreeper, stunning Scarlet-headed Blackbird, Pale-crested Woodpecker, Bare-faced Curassow and the delightful Helmeted Manakin. It is also home to mammals such as the elusive Jaguar, Brazilian Tapir, Coatimundi, Giant River Otter, the porcine White-lipped Peccary and Giant Anteater among others. After driving about 2 hours on a paved road we will have our lunch in a restaurant on the way to Pantanal. After lunch we hit the Transpantaneira Highway, a dirt road that transects the northern portion of the Pantanal. The water ditches along the road attract a variety of birds and mammals and make wildlife sightings easier. On the way to the Araras Lodge we may see such species as Jabiru stork, Roseate Spoonbill, several species of Egrets, Plumbeous and Buff-necked Ibises, Southern Screamer, Savanna Hawk and many others. Other creatures might include Capybara and Caymans. Check in at the Lodge. We will bird around the lodge until the end of the day. The lodge, built in regional rustic style, offers 19 comfortable rooms with air conditioning with screened windows, ceiling fans, private bathrooms (cold and hot shower); a swimming pool with an adjoining covered area for meals, large verandas with hammocks, reading room, gift shop, bar, and restaurant. The excellent regional food consists of dishes made from the tasty meat and fishes of the Pantanal, as well as featuring organic salads, vegetables and seasonal fruits. Dinner and overnight at Araras Lodge http://www.araraslodge.com.br/ Day 10 – Sunday, August 11th Wake up early with the sounds of the Pantanal. The calls of the Undulated Tinamou, Hyacinth Macaw, Green and Plumbeous Ibis, Limpkin, Purplish Jay and many others will force you to jump early of the bed to go birding.