Santuário do Caraça: January 17-19

Originally, I had considered visiting Serra da Canastra, another national park and hallowed birding destination in the state of Minas Gerais, after my short trip to Serra do Cipó. The park protects large swaths of Cerrado grasslands, or campo limpo, providing excellent habitat for many bird specialties as well as spectacular mammals, such as the Giant Anteater and Maned Wolf. The reserve is also one of the few remaining sites for Brazilian Merganser, one of the continent’s most critically endangered birds. Considering its impressive reputation, and the not insignificant drive from Belo Horizonte, which is over six hours, I decided to postpone my visit until Aimee could join me on a later trip.

Searching through trip reports for another good birding site closer to the capital, I stumbled across the Santuário do Caraça, an eighteenth century monastery that has been converted into a lodge and nature park. Further research revealed that birders on tour through the region typically stop here for Serra Antwren, Velvety Black-Tyrant, and White-Breasted Tapaculo, and other Cerrado specialties they might have missed at Serra do Cipó, including Hyacinth Visorbearer, Gray-Backed Tachuri, and Pale-Throated Serra Finch. With over 10,000 hectares of protected Cerrado and montane humid forest habitat, including quite a few Atlantic Rainforest endemics, the sanctuary looked to be a promising as well as convenient site at just over two hours’ drive from Belo Horizonte.

A multi-day stay at the sanctuary is also an excellent value, as I secured a single room with shared bathroom in the Brothers’ Wing for only R$84, including three generous meals a day (incongruously, you can also enjoy a cold beer, even a shot of cachaça, at lunch and dinner). Boasting religious, historical, and natural attractions, the sanctuary is also a popular tourist destination for Brazilians, and although it was relatively uncrowded while I was there midweek, I have heard that the rooms, and the nature trails, frequently fill up during holiday weekends. Day visits for R$5 are also permitted from 7am to 5pm during the week and 8am to 5pm on weekends and holidays (one trip report I read recommended the Hotel Quadrado in nearby Santa Barbara as a good off-site lodging option).

A highlight of any visit to the sanctuary is the nightly feeding of Maned Wolves. This decades-old tradition first began when monks attempted to determine which local dogs were tipping over the refectory trashcans every night. The ritual has since evolved into a major spectacle as sometimes several wolves in succession climb up the stairs and feed on piles of raw meat in front of dozens of excited tourists. Flash photography, it appears, is permitted. On the first night I was there, the wolves didn’t arrive until well after 10pm, but I surprised one in the parking lot early the following evening as I returned to my car for a flashlight. Hopefully, I’ll cross paths with another one in a less contrived setting, perhaps at Serra da Canastra or Parque Nacional das Emas.

Living in Brasilia, in the urban heart of the Cerrado, I was coming to this site with a different perspective from most visiting birders, who I imagine are swinging west through Minas Gerais from the southeastern coast of Brazil. Especially having just come from a successful experience finding rocky Cerrado endemics at Serra do Cipó, I was focused on birding the humid montane forest and becoming more familiar with the sights and sounds of the Atlantic Rainforest. My targets included Serra, Dusky-Tailed, and Ochre-Rumped Antwrens, Pallid Spinetail, White-Breasted Tapaculo, Velvety Black Tyrant, and Serra do Mar Tyrant-Manakin, as well as Red-Ruffed Fruitcrow, Sharpbill, and Swallow-Tailed Cotinga, all of which are regularly reported seen.

The nature park contains a network of trails that visitors are free to explore independently provided they don’t head out too far up into the spectacular hills that encircle the sanctuary. Several good trails start near the monastery itself, including the Tanque Grande and Cascatinha Trails, both of which I birded multiple times during my stay. The Tanque Grande Trail is only 800 meters long, but it passes through good humid montane forest with a well-developed understory containing White-Shouldered Fire-Eye, Ochre-Rumped Antbird, and White-Breasted Tapaculo. Mixed flocks here can be exciting and seem to linger unusually long. The Cascatinha Trail is 2 km long and passes through a wider variety of habitat, including shrubby Cerrado and montane forest with a more developed bamboo understory, which was good for Dusky-Tailed Antbird and both Rufous-Capped and Gray-Bellied Spinetails.

My initial walk on the Tanque Trail started off magnificently with a mixed flock just after the entrance. Blue-Naped Chlorophonia, Velvety Black Tyrant, and Variable Antshrike were all present, while my first ever Swallow-Tailed Cotinga briefly appeared on a bare branch high above. Before I could really absorb the sight, it dropped out of view. Then a male Serra Antwren started calling just behind me, and it wasn’t long before I had an eyeful of this striking Formicovora species, clearly distinct from the Rusty-Backed Antwren by its black belly. Returning to the monastery at dusk, I surprised several Dusky-Legged Guans at the top of the steps and watched Black Jacobins feed one last time at a flowering tree before dark. Before heading to dinner, I circled around to the goose ponds behind the monastery where a Blackish Rail could be seen walking around on top of the vegetation on the left side of the pond.

Early the following morning I was back on the Tanque Grande Trail, grateful for the cold weather, as it seemed to keep the mosquitos at bay inside the forest. In the bamboo understory a group of Ochre-Rumped Antbirds foraged noisily in their territory, and up and down the trail White-Shouldered Fire-Eyes were vocalizing loudly. I found both easily in the growing light. Several times before I went to breakfast I heard White-Breasted Tapaculo calling from well beyond the trail, but then I encountered two separate birds nearly at my feet without having to resort to playback. The first tapaculo must have been a juvenile as its breast was confusingly tawny colored, but the second had a clearly bicolored appearance as well as a cute white eyering. A nice mixed flock included Scaled Woodcreeper, Buff-Browed Foliage-Gleaner, Black-Capped Antwren, Black-Goggled Tanager, and Surucua Trogon, but no Sharpbill.

After breakfast I spent several hours birding the bamboo understory on the Cascatinha Trail, finally getting good looks at a male Dusky-Tailed Antbird after nearly thirty minutes of waiting. I also encountered my first pair of Gilt-Edged Tanagers and was blown away by their incredible appearance. The Tangara of Southeastern Brazil must be among the world’s most colorful and intricately patterned birds. In the shrubby Cerrado along the trail, I found another aggressive male Serra Antwren, but failed to see or hear the Green-Backed Becard or Serra do Mar Tyrant-Manakin. Back on the Tanque Grande Trail in the evening, I had a similarly brief encounter with a Swallow-Tailed Cotinga and then watched as a flock of large swifts swooped overhead after coming from the rocky cliffs in the distance, either Biscutate or White-Collared Swifts (it was too difficult to discern whether the white collar was complete). Before calling it a day, I wandered around the Emporer’s Bath area and confidently identified Planalto Tyrannulet with the help of my iPod.

The following morning on the Tanque Grande Trail was slow, but I picked up a few new birds, including White-Throated Woodcreeper, Pallid Spinetail (a pair was vocalizing high in the canopy), Blue Manakin, and Hangnest Tody-Tyrant. I also came across a leaftosser in the semidarkness on the trail, but I wasn’t able to identify it any more specifically as it fled into the forest. Walking back for breakfast, I found a tanager flock with two more Atlantic Rainforest endemics, the Golden-Chevroned and Brassy-Breasted Tanagers. A final short walk down the Cascatinha Trail yielded a classic birding moment: first a Slaty-Breasted Wood-Rail came sauntering right up the trail, and then as it careened off into the forest, a Rufous Gnateater dropped down on the dirt nearby and hopped around like an antpitta before perching in a nearby tree for photographs. Before I was done with the gnateater, I noticed a feeding manakin nearby, which proved to be a female Pin-Tailed Manakin. This tantalizing sequence of birds made me realize that I could have spent another few days happily birding the reserve.

Notable birds seen: Dusky-Legged Guan, Blackish Rail, Slaty-Breasted Wood-Rail, White-Eyed Parakeet, Planalto Hermit, Fork-Tailed Woodnymph, Black Jacobin, White-Throated Hummingbird, Surucua Trogon, Scaled Woodcreeper, White-Throated Woodcreeper, Rufous-Capped Spinetail, Cinereous Spinetail, Gray-Bellied Spinetail, Pallid Spinetail, Buff-Browed Foliage-Gleaner, Variable Antshrike, Plain Antvireo, Black-Capped Antwren, Serra Antwren, White-Shouldered Fire-Eye, Ochre-Rumped Antbird, Dusky-Tailed Antbird, Rufous Gnateater, Blue Manakin, Pin-Tailed Manakin, White-Winged Becard, Planalto Tyrannulet, Hangnest Tody-Tyrant, Yellow-Lored Tody-Flycatcher, White-Throated Spadebill, Cliff Flycatcher, Velvety Black Tyrant, Long-Tailed Tyrant, Masked Water-Tyrant, Swainson’s Flycatcher, White-Bellied Warbler, Red-Eyed Vireo, Rufous-Browed Peppershrike, Black-Goggled Tanager, Ruby-Crowned Tanager, Burnished-Buff Tanager, Gilt-Edged Tanager, Brassy-Breasted Tanager, Magpie Tanager, Sayaca Tanager, Golden-Chevroned Tanager, Red-Legged Honeycreeper, Blue-Naped Chlorophonia, Purple-Throated Euphonia, Green-Winged Saltator, Lined Seedeater, Crested Oropendola.

Serra do Cipó: January 17, 2012

While planning a three-day weekend trip to Belo Horizonte, I realized that I would be within reach of several renowned birding sites in the state of Minas Gerias. So after Aimee and I spent a few days exploring some of the cultural and historic points of interests in the area, such as the beautiful colonial town of Ouro Preto, I struck out on my own in a rental car to do some serious birding while she returned to work in Brasília. My first stop was Serra do Cipó, a national park protecting rocky, high-altitude Cerrado, which harbors several bird species endemic to Brazil that are difficult to find anywhere else.

The primary targets here include the Cipó Canastero, an isolated ovenbird species that was only described in the late 1980's and is related to the canasteros of the distant Andes and Patagonia; the Gray-Baced Tachuri, a diminutive and delightful flycatcher that is local to high altitude, rocky grasslands; the Hyacinth Visorbearer, a small but tough hummingbird that braves these windy highlands; the Pale-Throated Serra Finch, a chunky and long-tailed finch that skulks in the bromeliads and shrubs; and the Cinereous Warbling-Finch, a more arboreal finch found in widely dispersed pairs. In addition to these country endemics, the site is also reliable for Blue Finch, Cinnamon Tanager, and Horned Sungem, among other Cerrado specialties.

Combing through trip reports on the Internet, I realized that Serra do Cipó is a classic hit-or-miss birding site, as birders either rejoiced or despaired over their experiences there. Apparently, the season and weather can greatly influence bird activity. It’s also a tricky site for independent birders to be successful at because it requires both good luck and intimate local knowledge, as it involves a fair amount of unmarked locations and route finding. Instead of the usual half day, I budgeted an additional day for my visit and prepared thoroughly in advance by collecting a lot of information about where and how to find each target species. I also made sure I had multiple audio recordings uploaded on my iPod, including all the different songs and contact calls of the specialties.

Given its proximity to Belo Horizonte (the two-hour drive is reasonably well signed, although passing through the town of Lagoa Santa is a little confusing), the national park is popular with Brazilians who typically enjoy the streams, waterfalls, and forested trails in the lower section. Most birders focus on the high altitude rocky grasslands, choosing to stay at one of several pousadas just beyond the town of Serra do Cipó (I stayed at Pousada Chapeu do Sol, which at R$100 for lodging and three meals a day was a good value if somewhat Spartan). John van der Woude, in his excellent site notes, recommends the more pleasant Pousada Chão da Serra, which is accordingly more expensive. I'm not sure whether the birding site I visited is actually in the national park though (I did not have to pay an entrance fee), and it's possible that I was trespassing on private land.

Although most of the specialties can probably be found along the roadside, the Cipó Canastero requires considerable effort and is frequently missed. Here’s my best attempt at directions. Drive approximately 4km uphill from Chapeu do Sol, riding up and over a summit, and park the car along the road near the 110 km sign. Crawl under the barbed wire fence on the right and search for a trail that leads up the rocky ridge for about two kilometers. The trail winds along unclearly past smaller rock outcroppings, and it branches off several times in different directions (biologists were clearly doing field work in the area when I was there, and there was also a small weather data-collection station set up along the first grassy plateau). As this is an open area though, in good weather it should be generally obvious how to follow the ridge up and to the right from the road. Eventually, the trail leads gently down to a second expansive grassy area bordered on the far end by a large rocky slope with many slanted boulders covered in moss and bromeliads.

My moment with the canastero only came after five hours of searching each modest rock outcropping in the area, exploring well beyond where I needed to. Happily, in the course of looking and listening for the canastero, I found several other target species, including a pair of Gray-Backed Tachuris, a Pale-Throated Serra Finch, and many beautiful Hyacinth Visorbearers. The weather was spectacularly clear and sunny, having stopped raining heavily for weeks only just a few days ago, and I was in high spirits wandering around by myself, feeling as if I were back in the high Andes where I lived for six years. Stripe-Tailed Yellow-Finch, White-Vented Violetear, Gray Monjita, Grassland Sparrow were common, and I also noted Aplomado Falcon and several Hellmayr’s Pipit (I’m identifying it here based on Nick Athanas’s 2008 trip report).

Finally, I arrived at the rocky slope described above and clambered over the boulders into the middle of the habitat (if you want good photos of birds, you can’t simply look from the edge unless you have a lot of glass; as always, it’s important tread lightly, though). Within minutes I was staring down at a Gray-Backed Tachuri and a Cipó Canastero foraging together right below me in the shrubs and bromeliads. I watched amazed as the canastero hopped among the rocks, disappearing only to reappear and call again. Aggressively territorial, the bird seemed hard to miss except for the fact that I had been searching for it all morning. After a few photos, I left it in peace.

I walked directly back to the car along the trail described above, stopping as I approached the road when I heard the distinctive call of the Blue Finch. An emblematic but elusive bird of the Cerrado, the male Blue Finch has captured my imagination, and I have often daydreamed of seeing it, especially while birding my local patches in Brasília. It was with great relish, then, that I scanned for it among the rocky slopes as it flitted about variously from perch to perch on boulders, shrubs, and trees. I finally took a well-deserved break and shortly realized that I was still missing a couple of key birds. Just as I was fortifying myself for another few hours of walking around the hilly terrain, I heard some excited bird chatter in a densely vegetated ravine nearby. A pair of Cinereous Warbling-Finches was foraging in the top of a tree, and then swooping in melodiously came a singing Cinnamon Tanager.

If Serra do Cipó is indeed a hit-or-miss site, then I had truly landed a hit, not only sweeping up all of the target species in one brilliant morning but photographing them too (photography is always easier in open grassy areas, but it still requires a degree of luck to get a decent shot, as my colleagues at Wiki Aves will no doubt attest). I bolted down my ample lunch at Chapeu do Sol and hit the road for Santuário do Caraça, an old monastery that has been converted to a nature park that contains a remarkable variety of habitat, including both Cerrado and Atlantic rainforest. I would need the extra day there, as I am relatively unfamiliar with the birds of southeastern Brazil, having only made one trip to REGUA in 2009.

Notable birds seen: Aplomado Falcon, White-Vented Violetear, Hyacinth Visorbearer, Cipó Canastero, Gray-Backed Tachuri, Gray Monjita, Brown-Chested Martin, Hellmayr’s Pipit, Cinnamon Tanager, Blue Finch, Cinereous Warbling-Finch, Grassland Sparrow, Pale-Throated Serra Finch, Yellow-Rumped Marshbird, Stripe-Tailed Yellow-Finch.

Jardim Botânico, Brasília: January 8, 2012

I woke up on Sunday morning well before dawn and sat in my kitchen having breakfast for a long while, waiting for it to get light. A Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl was calling from the trees outside the window of my apartment as I considered where to go birding and anticipated what I might see. Then a car roared up to the gas station across the street, which was closed, and the passengers got out to drunkenly serenade the neighborhood. An hour later in deciduous forest at the Jardim Botanico, I was shifting my attention around a mixed flock, suprisingly coming to rest on a Pale-Bellied Tyrant-Manakin, a confusing species I only recently became acquainted with last weekend in gallery forest near Chapada dos Veadeiros.

Later, I followed an Aplomado Falcon through campo sujo as it changed perches several times. Meanwhile, I could hear dozens of mountain bikers racing along the trails and dirt roads of the reserve and shouting across fields and through forests. I recently joined Wiki Aves, one of the world’s most popular birding websites, where the community of birders in Brazil, which is tens of thousands strong, shares photographs and audio recordings. There you’ll see amazing photos of some of the best and rarest birds of the neotropics and read hundreds of generous and supportive comments by other users. Even after a few months, I’m still apparently baffled by the overwhelming diversity of birds, and humans, in this country.

Notable birds seen: Aplomado Falcon, Fork-Tailed Woodnymph, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Rufous-Winged Antshrike, Black-Capped Antwren, Collared Crescentchest, Campo Suiriri, Gray-Hooded Flycatcher, Yellow-Olive Flatbill, Pale-Breasted Tyrant-Manakin, Helmeted Manakin, Masked Gnatcatcher, Rufous-Browed Peppershrike, White-Bellied Warbler, Flavescent Warbler, Guira Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Red-Legged Honeycreeper, Burnished-Buff Tanager, White-Lined Tanager, Plumbeous Seedeater, Red Pileated Finch.

Parque da Cidade, Brasilia: January 6, 2012

On occasion, I bring my camera to the Parque da Cidade in Brasilia to spend a few hours in the morning photographing birds (I carry it around discreetly in a plastic shopping bag for safety). While I’m walking or jogging there during the week, I also keep a watchful eye on the birds that reside in the park, sometimes noting an unusual bird passing through, such as Aplomado Falcon, Buff-Necked Ibis, and Whistling Heron. As far as birding patches go, it’s a productive site with a nice variety of Cerrado species that I don’t often see elsewhere, such as Gray Monjita, Firewood Gatherer, and White Woodpecker, the latter of which I was finally able to photograph today as a group of four or five birds were foraging garrulously with a mixed flock.

What originally drew my attention to the same mixed flock from a considerable distance away was the sight of a pair of stunning red and white birds, colored unlike any other bird in the region. The Ridgely-Tudor field guide for the Birds of Central Brazil doesn’t include the Red-Cowled Cardinal, but there was simply no mistaking the identification of these gorgeous birds or confusing them with the Red-Crested Cardinal, which is localized to the Pantanal in Brazil. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology includes Brasilia at the far western end of the distribution of this Brazilian endemic, but there’s a chance that the birds were released from captivity, as cardinals in general are popular here in the caged bird trade.

Chapada dos Veadeiros: December 31, 2011-January 2, 2012

Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros is the nearest significant reserve to Brasilia, and I had long romanticized about birding its rocky wilderness, which is home to standout Cerrado specialties such as the Blue Finch, Horned Sungem, and Brazilian Merganser. The park is famous for its steep cliffs, high waterfalls, and big skies, and its 650 square kilometers encompass all the different varieties of Cerrado habitat, especially campo rupestre. Access to the park itself is through a single entrance near the village of Sao Jorge, although some visitors chose to stay at Alto Paraiso instead, which is located along the main highway. While the park boasts several impressive tourist attractions, guided excursions are mandatory, and most birders prefer instead to explore the various private reserves bordering the park.

With access to a car for the holiday weekend, Aimee and I decided it was finally time to visit the region, even though the wet weather didn’t bode well for finding the Brazilian Merganser. Instead of rolling the dice in the park, I opted to stay at a pousada on the northern side near the town of Cavalcante, which is 90 km past Alto Paraiso. In doing so we would hopefully avoid a rowdy New Year’s celebration, finding some peace and quiet instead. The tranquil Pousada Vale das Araras protects approximately 40 hectares of gallery forest, and the surrounding hills and cliffs are blanketed with undisturbed Cerrado habitat. The owner enjoys birding himself and is eager to point out avian attractions along the trails of the reserve as well as on the grounds of the pousada, which are landscaped with native plants that beckon a variety of parrots, toucans, tanagers, flycatchers, and hummingbirds.

I’ve already spent a fair amount of time birding in gallery forest in Central Brazil, but a few casual walks along the trails yielded a number of new species for me. The transition habitat along the beginning of the trail network has relatively few tall trees, but the dense groundcover holds a number of inconspicuous bird species, including Undulated Tinamou, Chestnut-Capped, or Henna-Capped, Foliage-Gleaner, and Pale-Bellied Tyrant-Manakin, all of which I saw reasonably well (there’s a bit of a disagreement concerning the English common name for the foliage-gleaner, as the Ridgely-Tudor revision has seemingly failed to catch on). Aimee and I also had great looks at a male Helmeted Manakin along this stretch, which perched for a prolonged period at eye level after playback. This area was particularly good for mixed flocks, with Orange-Headed Tanager, Rufous-Tailed Jacamar, and Green-Winged Saltator among the highlights, and I had a brief encounter with a Veery as well as a Planalto Hermit here, too.

Around the chalets there were a number of fruiting trees attracting Chestnut-Eared Aracari, Purple-Throated Euphonia, and Yellow-Chevroned and Peach-Fronted Parakeets, all of which created quite a din during the otherwise quiet afternoon hours. The midday rain slowed activity down as well, and I took it easy for once, choosing to catch up on my reading. In a recent edition of the New Yorker, there is a fascinating article on reforestation in Central Africa that highlights the recent grassroots success in Niger and lambasts the idea of a Great Green Wall of trees fencing in the Sahara Desert. Ultimately, the article suggests that there is no correct method for fighting the worldwide battle against desertification, only regional solutions that take into account the different financial, natural, and human resources available in each country, be it China, Oman, or Burkina Faso. Despite its still considerable rate of deforestation (in 2004 it was the highest in the world), Brazil wasn’t even mentioned.

The following morning I had planned for us to explore more of the park itself, but the weather was poor and it continued to rain through the afternoon. We stopped a few times along the road between Calvalcante and Alto Paraiso, looking for Cock-Tailed Tyrant in the larger sections of campo limpo, but bird activity was practically nonexistent. A pair of White-Rumped Monjitas braved the high winds along the highway, and we also found a flock of scarce Yellow-Faced Parrots along the road to Sao Jorge. The latter road is only partially paved, and once the asphalt ran out, I decided to turn our compact car around and return to Brasilia. We would simply have to explore the park itself on another visit, although it was a shame to come all this way and not even once troll for Blue Finch in the rocky terrain. Pousada Portal da Chapada, located at kilometer 9 along the road to Sao Jorge, will almost certainly be my first destination on our next visit. Brazilian bird guide Rafael Teixeira, who can be contacted at rafaelsaojorge@yahoo.com.br, is reportedly a good resource for searching for the merganser, a mission that is best undertaken during the dry season.

Notable birds seen: Undulated Tinamou, Yellow-Chevroned Parakeet, Peach-Fronted Parakeet, Yellow-Faced Parrot, Planalto Hermit, Rufous-Tailed Jacamar, Black-Fronted Nunbird, Chestnut-Eared Aracari, Toco Toucan, Narrow-Billed Woodcreeper, Henna-Capped Foliage-Gleaner, Plain Antvireo, Black-Capped Antwren, Sepia-Capped Flycatcher, Ochre-Lored Flatbill, Southern Antpipit, Bran-Colored Flycatcher, Pale-Bellied Tyrant-Manakin, White-Rumped Monjita, Black-Tailed Tityra, Helmeted Manakin, Veery, White-Bellied Warbler, Flavescent Warbler, Orange-Headed Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Purple-Throated Euphonia, Swallow Tanager, Green-Winged Saltator, Black-Throated Saltator, Crested Oropendola.