I have to confess that this business of setting up and running a birdwatching centre is exhausting, frustrating and sometimes simply depressing. You wouldn’t have thought that such an innocuous thing could cause so much stress would you? However, not everyone is enthusiastic about the project, some are sceptical and one even downright hostile!
So, it is sometimes good to have some ‘downtime’, to forget about all that has to be done and just get on with doing some birding.
The first was when a good friend of my garden list ‘rival’ in Venezuela, Phil Gunson, came to visit. Mikko Pyhälä is the Ambassador for Finland in Venezuela, Colombia and the Caribbean. How he has any time for birding is beyond me! Despite his elevated status, he is a down to earth, friendly and charming man, not to mention a enthusiastic and experienced birder. We spent an all-too-short time together the weekend before last.
Mikko and I in action (that's about as active as I get!) © Elis Simpson.
Mikko’s aim was to see as many of the endemics as he could in the time available, hoping that other birds would fall into place as we searched for them. On Saturday Elis and I picked him up from the airport and brought him down to Ubatuba. In the morning we went to Fazenda Angelim. We did OK there with most of the targets co-operating, but the highlight I think was watching the Blue Manakins lekking, the dance is both amusing and intriguing at the same time. A group of four or five males line up along a branch close to a female. They shuffle along the branch in her direction, when they get to the front of the queue, they leap into the air, hover in front of her briefly, and then return to the back of the line. This continues for some time, all the while they make a most peculiar nasal noise. When the display is over, the lead male makes a strident ticking noise, and it all stops rather abruptly. Sometimes the performance is repeated several times, sometimes the birds all disperse and go about their business.
From there we moved on to Ubatumirim where there is a reed marsh, the main reason for going there was to see the Unicoloured Blackbirds, but Mikko was also pleased to actually see a singing Bare-throated Bellbird, albeit at a distance through the scope and a young dark bird at that. The best moments were with the crakes. I’m not sure what species are actually at the marsh as I have only recently started visiting regularly, but I knew there were Ash-throated Crakes there as Elis and I had seen them recently. We had a Rufous-sided Crake call close to us and with gentle persuasion he came really close, but stayed hidden for the most part, giving tantalising glimpses and moving the vegetation almost at our feet. Suddenly the Ash-throated Crake called from close behind us on the other side of the track, as we approached we flushed it and it flew a short distance back to the marsh, where it continued to call. I heard too what I think was Red-and-white Crake. The songs of this and Rufous sided are similar, but discernible, however I would prefer to see the bird to be sure when claiming a new bird for Ubatuba. This will have to wait for another day. Whilst investingating the putative Red-and-white Crake, not one but two, Ash-throated Crakes took flight over the marsh close by.
Unicoloured Blackbird © Markus Lagerqvist
Next morning saw us up at the top of the hill on the Serra do Mar. We have not explored this very thoroughly yet, but the small bit we have looked at has been most productive. Being just inside Ubatuba it is also very useful for adding Ubatuba ticks. The highlights for us that live down below are Ferruginous and Ochre-rumped Antbird, Rufous-backed Antvireo, Pallid Spinetail, White-collared Foliage-gleaner, Rufous-crowned Greenlet, Short-tailed Antthrush and Hooded Berryeater among others. On this occasion we only heard the foliage-gleaner other than that we got all but the Ochre-rumped Antbird, not sure what happened to him!, On the way out we came across a Short-tailed Antthrush on the track, it sat up on a tree and sang to us before flying off into the forest. We also heard a Solitary Tinamou several times, but it was not very close.
Hooded Berryeater © Elis Simpson
We then went to Folha Seca via the Sertao da Cotias, along the road close to Rio Escuro we came across a Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth being shepherded across the road by some local folk, we got some excellent stock pictures of this beast.
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth nearing the safety of the forest © Elis Simpson
After Folha Seca we headed back to São Paulo, stopping along the way, first at Salesópolis and then at Biritiba Mirim. At Salesópolis the water level in the reservoir was even lower then before, there were loads of Yellowlegs. In total there were about 50-60, some were very distant so difficult to identify to species through the heat haze, but it seemed to me that most were Greater Yellowlegs this time, perhaps about 80% of them anyway. There was also a Black Skimmer loafing on one of the mud banks. Just as we were about to leave three Pectoral Sandpipers flew in, two Snail Kites flew by and a Sooty Tyrannulet gambolled around at the water’s edge. We moved on.
Two Pectoral Sandpipers with a yellowlegs sp. © Elis Simpson
At Biritiba Mirim we were successful with the São Paulo Antwren getting quite good views, the Orange-breasted Thornbirds (Red eyed to us old fogies) were less co-operative, one came in very close, but remained hidden, briefly flying just once. For me though the confirmation of Long-tailed Reed-Finch in the area was the highlight. I had seen them once before at the other marsh, but not since.
We then took Mikko back to São Paulo and returned to Ubatuba, tired but happy and relaxed.
Mikko celebrates ticking Firewood Gatherer on the way back to São Paulo © Elis Simpson