Birding in Mato Grosso and Brazil
Birdfinding information and guided tours in Amazonia and beyond
"Blue November": Exploring the Rio Azul
02 - 08 November 2008 (7 days)
The
São Benedito II river is known locally as the Rio Azul, or Blue River.
It is thus called due to its crystal clear waters which we'll enjoy as we travel its length in search of the grotesque Bald Parrot, a Brazilian endemic restricted to an area centred on the remote southwest corner of the state of Pará. This odd parrot managed to elude scientific detection for quite some time, finally being described to science in 2003! The abundant
birdlife here is just the tip of the iceberg. We'll spend our
afternoons drifting silently down this blue river, spotting a diverse
array of Amazonian fishes, aquatic mammals such as Giant Otter,
Capybara and Brazilian Tapir, and even sting rays. We'll be relaxing on
the river in the afternoons and at our rustic but comfortable lodgings
in the evenings (perhaps with a caipirinha
in hand) because our mornings will be full as we spend 5 days at this
ornithologically unknown location which must hold nearly 500 bird species in
all. We should manage to find more than 300 species during our visit,
amongst them Bald Parrot, Hyacinth
Macaw, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, White-browed Hawk, Razor-billed
Curassow, Hoatzin, Curl-crested Aracari, Pavonine
Quetzal, Crimson Topaz, "Tapajos" Hermit, Green-tailed Goldenthroat,
Brown-banded Puffbird, Black-girdled Barbet, Great and Paradise
Jacamars, Dusky-cheeked Foliage-gleaner, Yellow-browed Antbird, Glossy Antshrike, Bare-eyed Antbird, Black-spotted Bare-eye,
Dusky-tailed Flatbill, Pale-bellied Mourner, Snow-capped Manakin, Fiery-capped Manakin, Flame-crested Manakin,
Black Manakin, Cinnamon Manakin-Tyrant, Tooth-billed Wren, Guianan
Gnatcatcher, Short-billed Honeycreeper and more.
Come visit a true wilderness area with us.
Itinerary:
DAY 1: I'll meet you at the airport in Alta Floresta at 14:00 when the TRIP Linhas Aereas flight arrives from Cuiabá. We'll transfer immediately to the Pousada Rio Azul, a four hour drive from Alta Floresta. Dinner at the Pousada Rio Azul.
DAY 1: I'll meet you at the airport in Alta Floresta at 14:00 when the TRIP Linhas Aereas flight arrives from Cuiabá. We'll transfer immediately to the Pousada Rio Azul, a four hour drive from Alta Floresta. Dinner at the Pousada Rio Azul.
DAY 2: We'll begin our first morning at the Rio Azul in a small patch of stunted campina, a type of shrubby forest found in white sandy soils. We'll try to get the specialties in as quickly as we can before the sun really begins to bake: Bronzy Jacamar, Natterer's Slaty-Antshrike, White-fringed Antwren, Black Manakin, Pale-bellied Mourner, Lesser Elaenia, White-naped Xenopsaris, Plush-crested Jay and Black-faced Tanager are all here. Green-tailed Goldenthroat and Amethyst Woodstar attend the many wildflowers at low levels along the birding track. The true spectacle of the morning will be the impressive numbers of macaws and parrots we'll see flying over the as they commute from roosts to feeding areas. Amongst the dozen or species to expect will be many Blue-and Yellow and Scarlet Macaws, White-eyed Parakeets, Orange-winged Amazon, Yellow-crowned Amazon and the poorly known Kawall's Amazon. We may also get our first looks at the grostequely compelling Bald Parrot, a species first described to science in 2002 from this region. The species is often seen flying over the low campinas in singles or pairs.
Before lunch we'll bird from the lodge clearing with the telescope and a cold drink, where we may find Bat Falcon, several species of swallows and swifts, and perhaps a Bare-necked Fruitcrow or Spangled Cotinga perched at the forest edge.
After lunch and a break during the intense early afternoon heat, the birding will begin mid-afternoon along the short path to the river's edge. Between the lodge and the boat we may find Blue-necked Jacamar or a Yellow-browed Antbird. River edge species such as Striped Woodcreeper, Glossy Antshrike, Streaked Antwren and Cinnamon Attila should make a quick look at a small oxbow lagoon worthwhile before we climb into the boat for our first look at the Rio Azul. The recently split Madeira Parakeet occurs in large flocks along the course of the river, and our boat trip should also produce White-banded Swallow, Red-capped Cardinal, Swallow Tanager and perhaps a Red-fronted Piping-Guan or even a Brown-banded Puffbird as we drift downstream with the motor turned off. As we return to the lodge at dusk we should see Short-tailed Nighthawk hawking the myriad insects over the river; Ladder-tailed Nightjar is als.o possible.
In the evening at the lodge, you'll taste your first of a number of delicious Brazilian dinners. The Pousada Rio Azul lies in Brazil's first and only state-mandated sport fishing reserve, and aside from catch-and-release they are permitted to fish a small quota for sustenance. Thus our meals will often be as fresh as possible despite our remote location! After the meal, we'll review the day's sightings and fill in our checklists over tasty caipirinhas.
DAY 3: Waking up before dawn is a daily ritual for the naturalist in Amazonia. Thankfully we'll clear our bleary eyes with plenty of coffee, juice and a buffet breakfast each morning before the forest-falcons, tinamous and woodcreepers stir the first strains of the dawn chorus. This morning we'll head back to the river, but not before trying for the Black-banded and Red-billed Woodcreepers which pass through the lodge clearing each day at dawn and dusk.
Our morning boat ride will take us to the forest reserve of a neighbouring ranch where we will bird the extensive stands of Guadua bamboo found within the selectively logged forest here in search of a number of species restricted to this special Amazonian habitat. Birding along the river before we reach the bamboo, we'll concentrate on finding a star bird of the Rio Azul - the spectacular Crimson Topaz. This ruby-and-gold giant is the largest
hummingbird
in Brazil and second largest in the world. On both of our trips in 2007
we found multiple individuals of this species along the river at a
couple of locations. In October 2007 we saw no fewer than 5 in a single
day! Other birds we should see from the river and on the short trail we
walk to pass a set of rapids include Sunbittern, Great Black-Hawk,
Speckled Chachalaca, Hoatzin, Sulphury Flycatcher and Spotted
Tody-Flycatcher amongst a variety of toucans and aracaris, swifts and
parrots - the river itself is an excellent place to see Bald Parrot.A complex network of old logging roads crisscross the forest where we make landfall, and we'll use these roads and a couple of short trails to bird the bamboo. This habitat holds a number of specialist species, several of which are only found only in SE Peru and east Amazonian Brazil. These include the globally threatened Chestnut-throated Spinetail, Dusky-cheeked and Chestnut-crowned Foliage-gleaners, Manu Antbird, Striated Antbird of the subspecies (likely to be split as a separate species) and Dusky-tailed Flatbill. The logged terra firme forest here has White-throated Tinamou, Pavonine Quetzal, Paradise Jacamar, Tawny-throated Leaftosser, Black-faced Antthrush, Chestnut-belted Gnateater, Purple-throated Cotinga, White-browed Purpletuft and Tooth-billed Wren. After a full morning's birding we'll return to the lodge for a well-earned lunch and a rest.
After the break we'll climb into the lodge's truck and drive out into the open country of the nearby cattle ranches to look for a host of birds which have adapted to the man-made pastoral landscapes: Least Grebe, White-tailed, Snail and Pearl Kites, White-tailed Hawk, Orange-winged Amazon, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Grassland Sparrow and Red-breasted Blackbird are all out here. A stop at a man-made reservoir will have our best views of dozens of Red-bellied Macaws as they come to roost. Afterwards we'll drive up to a small hill overlooking the reservoir and a narrow strip of riparian forest dominated by palm trees, where we wait for the appearance of individuals from a small local population of Hyacinth Macaws. This bird is typically considered a specialty of the Pantanal, but there is a healthy population on the Serra do Cachimbo, the range of hills where the Rio Azul rises. Several pairs occur in the matrix of pasture land and riparian forest corridors on the ranches near the pousada, and we'll make a special effort to see this magnificent threatened macaw, the largest parrot in the world. Spotlighting on the way back to the lodge may turn up a Great Potoo or a Little Nightjar.
DAY 4: This morning we'll return to the same neighbouring ranch by truck, using their access roads to reach the other side of the bamboo-dominated forest reserve. While a number of the specialties are the same, it's always a good idea to have two shots at the best species! A stop at the edge of the forest may produce Laughing Falcon, Red-necked Aracari, and Spix's Guan. In the past we have found Blackish and Manu Antbirds side by side at this location, along with Plain-crowned Spinetail and Large-headed Flatbill. Typically this stretch of road is so productive that we walk only a few hundred metres along it in the course of a morning's birding, progress being crushed by large mixed flocks and single singing skulkers. The bamboo-forest mosaic here is good for Chestnut-winged, Dusky-cheeked and Pará Foliage-gleaners as well as Broad-billed Motmot, Great Jacamar and Collared Puffbird. We may see a mixed flock form before our very eyes as a White-winged Shrike-Tanager calls them together; Rose-breasted Chat, Dusky-capped Greenlet, Sclater's Antwren and Rufous-tailed Xenops may heed the call, and they could be joined by Black-capped
and Pink-throated Becard.On the drive back for lunch we'll stop briefly at the ranch's reservoir, where we may find a Black-backed Water-Tyrant or Chestnut-bellied Seed-Finch.
The afternoon will be dedicated to a loop trail from the lodge clearing through seasonally flooded igapó forest and taller transitional terra firme-type forest. Key species are White-bearded Hermit, Golden-crowned Spadebill, Rufous-faced Antbird and Dot-backed Antbird in the igapó, and Pavonine Quetzal, White-bellied Tody-Tyrant, White-crested Spadebill, White-crowned and Fiery-capped Manakins and the fabulous Musician Wren in the tall forest. Arriving back to the clearing at dusk we should see Blackish Nightjar as it awakens on its day roost, and a late walk down the entrance road could turn up a Little Tinamou or Razor-billed Curassow as they forage along the edges of the track.
DAY 5: We'll start the morning with a look for the Yellow-browed Antbird which holds a territory near the lodge before starting our trail, an old road once used to transport boats around one of the many small rapids on the Rio Azul. The beginning of this track has been a good spot in our scouting trips for the Tapajós Hermit, a bird which has yet to be formally described as a full species. This species has been reported from the region as Dark-throated Hermit, Little Hermit and Hermit sp. nov., but it will apparently be described as Phaethornis aethopyga and named the Tapajós Hermit. It is common enough at the Pousada Rio Azul, where it is even at times found at the edges of the lodge clearing! Other key species along the wide trail include Brown-banded Puffbird, Black-faced Antbird, Chestnut-belted Gnateater, Snow-capped Manakin, Guianan Gnatcatcher and Short-billed Honeycreeper. We'll walk as far as the river's edge, where we should find the handsome Flame-crowned Manakin in the stunted igapó.
In the afternoon we will either return to the stunted forest we birded on the first morning to mop up any specialties we may have missed the first time around, or we'll bird the taller campinarana forest alongside the stunted stuff. Our targets will include the scarce and poorly-known Cinnamon Manakin-Tyrant (I still prefer the name Neopipo!) as well as Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin and the area looks excellent for Rusty-breasted Nunlet. A wood-quail of uncertain specific identification has been seen a couple of times in this forest. Canopy flocks at the edges may hold Black-girdled Barbet, Tooth-billed Wren, Guianan Gnatcatcher and White-vented and Rufous-bellied Euphonia.
After dinner and once the generator has been shut off, we'll go for an optional night walk in search of owls and nightjars. Possibilities include Spectacled Owl, Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl, Blackish and Silky-tailed Nightjars, Pauraque and Ocellated Poorwill.
DAY 6: Today's birding will be dictated by our needs more than anything else. While it is impossible to do more than merely sample the rich avifauna of a southern Amazonian locale such as the Pousada Rio Azul in just a week, certainly we will find a few key species or species groups on which to focus during our last full day at the Rio Azul. Our final afternoon will probably be spent cruising the beautiful 'blue' (actually crystal clear) river, enjoying the plentiful birdlife and diversity of interesting Amazonian fish just below our boat. A special farewell dinner will be awaiting at the lodge, and we can celebrate a wonderful week over caipirinhas and a final recap listing session.
DAY 7: An early start will see us on the road after breakfast, to allow us a leisurely drive back to Alta Floresta. We'll keep an eye out for open country species such as Aplomado Falcon and Burrowing Owl. A stop at a small marsh may yield Ash-throated or Rufous-sided Crake, and a larger old flooded woodland has Muscovy Duck and Fork-tailed Palm-Swift. A final stop at a Mauritia palm swamp near Alta Floresta will be made for the specialist Point-tailed Palmcreeper. We'll have you in Alta Floresta in time for a quick lunch before checking in for the TRIP flight back to Cuiabá.
PRICE: The cost of this tour is $1650 USD/CAD per person, starting and ending in Alta Floresta. We will be happy to advise regarding domestic flights to help the tour begin and end smoothly. Just one participant is required for this tour to run.
DIFFICULTY: Fairly easy. All birding is done from flat trails, roads or a small boat. The heat and humidity, combined with long birding mornings, can wear Northern birders down. We will always in the afternoons after lunch during the heat of the day before starting out as bird activity starts to pick up again. A small fold-up portable chair or stool can be extremely useful.
CLIMATE: Hot and humid. November is a transitional month between the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rains. It will probably rain during our stay, but at this time of year the rains fall mostly overnight and sometimes in mid-afternoon.
ACCOMMODATION: Fairly good. The cabins at the Pousada Rio Azul are rustic but have air conditioning. Power is provided by a generator which is turned on before and after meals, and on request for hot showers and charging batteries.
For inquiries as to availability and pricing in other currencies, please contact us via e-mail at sclateria@yahoo.ca.
lead photo copyright Hotel Pousada Rio Azul
Bald Parrot photo copyright Scott Olmstead
Bald Parrot photo copyright Scott Olmstead
