Rick Simpson Birding Services

A week or so ago, when I was heading for São Paulo to show off our bright shiny new NGO for the first time in public, another bird guide from Taubaté, called Rafael Fortes, was here in Ubatuba. He is an excellent guide, birder and photographer. On this occasion he was at Fazenda Angelim with another friend Luiz Carlos Ribenboim, when he found a Shrike-like Cotinga! Of course I had no way of getting there and with the week following being spent with Tim Appleton, I was stymied.

Shrike-like Cotinga © Rafael Fortes.

As soon as we got back to Ubatuba, at the first opportunity Elis and I went to Fazenda Angelim, and BINGO! We saw it, it was still there. Let’s hope it winters! This was a lifer for me and one I never expected to see in Ubatuba. Having said that, last year Nick Athanas found one near Folha Seca, and only last month I said that we should start listening out for them as they tend to come to lower elevations in the winter.

I’m not confident that the bird will be around for long, especially as the next day we went there again and didn’t hear it, maybe it was just waiting for me to see it! Despite not hearing or seeing the Cotinga we were treated to a woodpecker bonanza with a pair Yellow-fronted being seen and then Lineated, Robust and Blond-crested all together!

Yellow-fronted Woodpecker.

Lineated Woodpecker © Rafael Fortes.

Robust Woodpecker © Elsie Rotenberg.

Blond-crested Woodpecker.

Photos on this page, except where indicated © Rick and Elis Simpson.

I recently attended the Brazilian equivalent of the British Birdwatching Fair, not as RSBS but as a representative of the Ubatuba Birdwatching Centre which has now gained official NGO status and is now known as UBWC/DACNIS.

Tim Appleton with the UBWC/DACNIS team; Elsie (President), Peter (Vice President), Andréa (volunteer), yours truly (chief cook and bottlewasher) and Elis (Secretary). Only Odette is missing from this photo, she was off attending a lecture at the time.

There was a lot of interest and support for the project which was most encouraging.

Last year when I was in the UK attending the BBF I invited Tim Appleton the organiser to come to Brazil to attend the Brazilian version. He accepted the invite, and the Brazilian organiser Guto Carvalho was thrilled that he was willing to come. I was still rather surprised when it all eventually worked out!

Tim speaking on the opening day of Avistar.

After the fair, Tim joined me and Elis on a birding trip to Intervales and Itatiaia with a final day in Ubatuba. It was most successful; any of you who have not yet had the pleasure to know Tim personally let me tell you this is a most affable and humorous man with a huge heart, a gentleman among gentlemen. Needless to say we had a great time… oh yes! We saw a few birds too.

Spot-breasted Antvireo.

At Intervales it rained quite a lot, but it didn’t interfere too much with our birding. We were escorted by Faustino, who as usual was excellent, finding almost everything we were after. Some of the most memorable birds were; Red and White Crake; a pair of day-roosting Tropical Screech Owls; Black-throated Trogon; Ochre-collared Piculet; White-bearded Antshrike; Ochre-rumped Antbird; Serra do Mar Tapaculo; Sharpbill; Hooded Berryeater; Cinnamon-vented Piha; Wing-barred Piprites; Serra do Mar Tyrant-Manakin; Bay-ringed, São Paulo and Oustalet’s Tyrannulets; Drab-breasted Bamboo Tyrant; Three-striped Flycatcher; Sirystes; Brown Tanager and Buffy-fronted Seedeater.

Me, Faustino and Tim at Intervales.

We then moved to Itatiaia where the sun blessed us with its presence for the three days we were there. The first day we went up the Trés Picos trail which was very productive, some of the highlights being; Robust Woodpecker; White-bibbed Antbird; Such’s Antthrush; Bertoni’s Antbird; Black-billed Scythebill, Rufous-backed Antvireo; Black-capped Piprites; Scaled Woodcreeper and Magpie Manakin.

Such's Antthrush.

Bertoni's Antbird.

The second day saw us walking the track between the Itatiaia Park Hotel (which is now closed) and the road. (We wanted to walk the Jeep trail, but the park is not currently allowing official access.) One of the best half hour’s birding ever was provided when a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl broke from cover an sat in view whilst being mobbed by every bird in the area; the real star being a Black-eared Fairy. The track was awash with Fork-tailed Tody-Tyrants, they were  everywhere. Back at the feeders we were treated to close up views of Blue-naped Chlorophonia and Saffron Toucanet among many other jewels.

Blue-naped Chlorophonias.

Saffron Toucanet.

Last morning at Itatiaia and up to the Agulhas Negras road. The Black and Gold Cotingas didn’t show themselves, but were sure heard them, none however close to the road. Other highland species that we were treated to were Thick-billed Saltator; Serra do Mar Tyrannulet; Diademed Tanager; Bay-chested and Red-rumped Warbling-Finches; Plovercrest; Rufous-tailed Antbird and many Itatiaia Thistletails which were very common and showed well. Added to this list were good views of a perched White-rumped Hawk and a pair of Blue-winged Macaws that flew over calling vigorously. We then descended to Ubatuba.

Plovercrest.

Magpie Tanagers.

In the morning we stopped at the airport to see if the Buff-necked Ibis was there, it wasn’t, but we got stunning views of the Yellowish Pipit that haunts the grassy area, plus two Aplomado Falcons and some Burrowing Owls.

Yellowish Pipit.

Moving on we went to the Rancho Pica Pau where we quickly found a Buff-throated Purpletuft, even before we had parked the car. In all we saw at least four birds.

Buff-throated Purpletuft.

We then left there and went to Jonas’ house at Folha Seca taking with us the customary sugar and bananas. Before we got there we stopped at the spot for Spotted Bamboowren and eventually Elis managed to show Tim the bird.

Elis showing Tim the Spotted Bamboowren.

After this Tim filled his boots photographing the hummers before it was time for us to move on.

Tim photographing hummers at Jonas'.

We stopped at Salesópolis and Biritiba Mirim on the way back to the airport. Salesópolis lake was rather full so we didn’t see too much of interest there, but Biritiba Mirim produced the São Paulo Antwren at both sites (only heard at the second). A quick stop at the marshy pond near Mogi das Cruzes for the Rufous-sided Crake, picking up a superb Streamer-tailed Tyrant on the way and then it was time to return Tim to the airport for his flight home.

Streamer-tailed Tyrant.

All photographs on this page © Rick and Elis Simpson.

I have just received an e-mail from Venezuela telling me that Phil has finally got himself another garden tick, bringing his list to a good round 80. The species? A really pretty hermit called Sooty-capped Hermit. Here is a picture from Phil’s archives of the species.

Sooty-capped Hermit.

Nice one Phil!

Photo © Phil Gunson.

I recently had the pleasure of the company of Terry and Karen Lairmore from Texas. Terry is an enthusiatic hummingbird photographer and came to Ubatuba specifically for this purpose. Of course we spent an agreeable day at Jonas’ house where Terry took this photo of me and Jonas hard at work.

It's a tough life and no mistake. © Terry and Karen Lairmore.

The following day we went up the Serra do Mar to the Reserva Guainumbi just outside Ubatuba. Here at the top of the mountain there is a different selection of hummers to be seen, namely Glittering-bellied Enerald, White-throated Hummingbird and Scale-throated Hermit all pictured here and White-vented Violetear which is not shown.

Glittering-bellied Emerald.

White-throated Hummingbird.

Scale-throated Hermit.

My thanks go to Karen & Terry for their great company and the use of their photographs and to João Marcelo and the staff at Guainumbi for a pleasant day there.