Welcome to Birdquest
JAGUARS & BIRDS OF BRAZIL I
Saturday 2nd August - Sunday 17th August 2008
Derek Scott
This tour was something of a new adventure for Birdquest, differing from our previous visits to central and south-eastern Brazil in its timing. We were here a couple of months earlier than usual, to coincide with the best time for finding Jaguars in the Pantanal. In theory, it was still the dry season, but in Brazil, as elsewhere in the world, the climate seems to be in a state of turmoil. It was raining heavily when we arrived in São Paulo and Cuiabá, and our two days at Intervales State Park in São Paulo State Park were blighted by almost continuous rain and mist. Early August is still ‘winter’ in southern Brazil, and few birds were breeding. Some of the South American migrants were only just beginning to arrive back on their breeding grounds, while most migrant waders from North America would not appear for another month. But these limitations on the birding were a small price to pay for the real chance of seeing a Jaguar – one of the most beautiful and at the same time most elusive of the big cats. Our quest for the Jaguar met with almost instant success, and by lunchtime on our first day along the Cuiabá River, we had enjoyed superb views of no less than three Jaguars – a male and a female together, and a lone male. Thereafter the focus of attention quickly reverted to birds, and over the next two weeks, we encountered a great selection of some of the finest birds that central and south-eastern Brazil have to offer. Our trip total of 369 species included those two great prizes of central Brazil, the almost mythical Brazilian Merganser and the magnificent Hyacinth Macaw, along with a whole host of Brazilian endemics, globally threatened species and other special birds such as Greater Rhea, Masked Duck, Chestnut-bellied Guan, Bare-faced Curassow, Boat-billed Heron, Sungrebe, Sunbittern, Red-legged Seriema, Yellow-collared Macaw, Golden-capped Parakeet, Great Potoo, Long-trained Nightjar, Giant Antshrike, Large-tailed Antshrike, Mato Grosso Antbird, Rufous Gnateater, Collared Crescentchest, Grey-backed Tachuri, Streamer-tailed Tyrant, Cock-tailed Tyrant, Sharpbill, White-naped Xenopsaris and Blue Finch. We also encountered a good selection of other mammals, amongst which two families of Giant Otters in the Pantanal and a Maned Wolf and three Giant Anteaters in the Serra da Canastra were especially appreciated.
