Rick Simpson Birding Services

Staistics for the start of the year; Apartment list 82; Ubatuba list 333; Brazil list 745; World list 2046.

January.

RSBS tours 2, one locally in Ubatuba for three days and the other longer over twelve days that took me to Perequê, Itatiaia, Campos do Jordão and Intervales aswell. Apartment list 84 – Orange-winged Parrot, Saffron Finch; Ubatuba list 334 Orange-winged Parrot; Brazil list 745; World list 2046; year list 314.

February.

RSBS tours 1, two day tour in Ubatuba. The month was spent entirely witin Ubatuba; only five year birds were added, the best being Salvadori’s Antwren. Apartment list 86 – Rufous Hornero, Plain Parakeet; Ubatuba list 334; Brazil list 745; World list 2046; year list 319.

March.

RSBS tours 5, two of one days, one of two days, one of three and one of four days. Again mostly spent in Ubatuba, but with a day trip to Perequê and to the Guainumbi Reserve at the top of the Serra do Mar, also stopped off along the Biritiba Mirim/Salesópolis route; lots of new raptors for the year Osprey, Grey-headed Kite, White-necked Hawk, Collared Forest-Falcon, American Kestrel and Aplomado Falcon; other good birds were Dark-billed Cuckoo, Nacunda Nighthawk and Rough-legged Tyrannulet; without doubt the best bird was found by two visiting Swedish birders, this was Brown Noddy, which turned out to be a first for Ubatuba and the state of São Paulo. Apartment list 86; Ubatuba list 339 - American Kestrel, Brown Noddy, Sandwich Tern, Short-tailed Antthrush, Giant Antshrike; Brazil List 747 – Sandwich Tern, Brown Noddy; World list 2047; year list 353.

Brown Noddy, Praia do Cedro, Ubatuba. 13/3/2010. 1st record for São Paulo State.

April.

RSBS tours 3,  one of one day and two of two days. Another quiet month spent mostly in Ubatuba with a brief visit to Campos do Jordão and the Guainumbi Reserve; best bird added, another raptor, Crane Hawk. Apartment list 87 - Chestnut-belied Euphonia; Ubatuba list 339; Brazil List 747; World list 2047; year list 353.

May.

RSBS tours 0. May is Avistar month, and this year I had the pleasure of a tour immediately after it with Tim Appleton M.B.E. whom I had wangled an invite to the event for. We went to Intervales, Itatiaia and last to Ubatuba. Some good birds were added and raptors again featured strongly with Hook-billed Kite, Snail Kite, and Mantled Hawk; other good birds included Red and White Crake, Blue-winged and Red-shouldered Macaw, Long-trained Nightjar, Black-eared Fairy and my second lifer of the year Shrike-like Cotinga, also known as Elegant Mourner Apartment list 87; Ubatuba list 340 – Elegant Mourner; Brazil list 748 – Elegant Mourner; World list 2048 – Elegant Mourner;; year list 390.

Shrike-like Cotinga or Elegant Mourner. Fazenda Angelim, Ubatuba © Rafael Fortes.

June.

RSBS tours 1, first day of a three day tour going into July. This month I went to Serra da Cantareira and Rio Grande do Sul, and there got a hatful of ticks boosting the year list enormously. Too many good birds to choose a favourite, but the Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant stands out among them. Apartment list 87; Ubatuba list 340; Brazil list 783 – White-tufted Grebe, Great Grebe, Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross, White-chinned Petrel, Maguari Stork, Chilean Flamingo, Black-necked Swan, Coscoroba Swan, Speckled Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, Silver Teal, Rosy-billed Pochard, Long-winged Harrier, Chimango Caracara, Plumbeous Rail, Spot-flanked Gallinule, White-winged coot, Red-gartered Coot, American Oystercatcher, Hudsonian Godwit, Grey Plover, Two-banded Plover, Rufous-chested Dotterel, Brown Skua, Brown-hooded Gull, Yellow-billed Tern, Snowy-crowned Tern, Common Miner, Curve-billed Reed-haunter, Wren-like Rushbird, Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant, Austral Negrito, Spectacled Tyrant, Correndera Pipit. World list 2080 – White-tufted Grebe, Great Grebe, Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross, White-chinned Petrel, Maguari Stork, Chilean Flamingo, Black-necked Swan, Coscoroba Swan, Speckled Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, Silver Teal, Rosy-billed Pochard, Long-winged Harrier, Chimango Caracara, Plumbeous Rail, Spot-flanked gallinule, White-winged coot, Red-gartered Coot, Two-banded Plover, Rufous-chested Dotterel, Brown Skua, Brown-hooded Gull, Yellow-billed tern, Snowy-crowned tern, Common Miner, Curve-billed Reed-haunter, Wren-like Rushbird, Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant, Austral Negrito, Spectacled Tyrant, Correndera Pipit; year list 460.

Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant, Mostardas, Rio Grande do Sul, 16/6/2010.

Half year totals.

RSBS tours 12. Apartment ticks 5, Ubatuba ticks 7, Brazil ticks 38, World ticks 34; Year list 460.

Photos on this page © Elis Simpson unless otherwise stated.