Espirito Santo
Nothing much has changed since Forrester’s day. To get there, drive north from Linhares along the BR 101, pass through the town of Sooretama, pass the entrance to the Reserva Natural da Vale do Rio Doce and after a few more kms turn left at a sign to IBAMA, Reserva de Sooretama (this is not the IBAMA post beside the BR 101 where it cuts through the forest). In December 2004 a gate was installed at the beginning of the road across the reserve to restrict access to the day time, from 6:00am to 6:00pm. I do not know whether it is possible to get permission to go in outside this period.
You need permission to visit the reserve and recently this has not always been forthcoming or is subject to conditions and restrictions. Write to Sr. Eliton Lima, Diretor da Reserva Biológica de Sooretama, at eliton.lima@bol.com.br or rebiosooretama@hotmail.com. There is no longer accommodation available in the IBAMA compound.
For further information on this site see John van der Woude’s site notes and maps.
Reserva Natural da Vale do Rio Doce (”Linhares”)
Since the Companhia do Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) was privatised it has invested heavily in this reserve. There is a visitors’ centre, a hotel and more than 100km of good tracks through the forest. The CVRD has also taken over the administration of Sooretama. Rooms at the hotel cost from R$110 (US$38) per double room with air conditioning but without private bathroom to R$220 (US$75) for a very comfortable double room with private bathroom (both prices include full board for two people). The cheaper rooms are only available for groups. There is an additional charge of US$30 / person / day to enter the reserve, in your own vehicle with a guide, whether you are staying at the hotel or elsewhere. If you decide not stay in the CVRD hotel you will find cheaper accomodation in the town of Linhares, 30 km to the south.
Birding is better at Linhares than Sooretama because of the much better access to the forest and because poachers are kept out. In three visits to Sooretama I have never seen the Red-billed Curassow Crax blumenbachii but have had it regularly at Linhares. However, some birds, such as Plumbeous Antvireo Dysithamnus plumbeus and Striated Softtail Thripophaga macroura, are easier to find at Sooretama. Write to rnvhotel@cvrd.com.br (tel. (27)-3371-9797 or 3371-9799) for accomodation or permission to enter the reserve.
For further information on this site see John van der Woude’s site notes and maps.
Santa Tereza (”Nova Lombardia”)
To get permission to visit the reserve send an e-mail to the Diretor, Reserva Biológica Augusto Ruschi (the new name of the reserve) at eduardomignone@gmail.com or rbaruschi@hotmail.com or just turn up at at the admin building (”Warden’s house” on Forrester’s map) and chance your luck at getting permission on the spot. This has worked for me. Forrester’s directions to get to the reserve are a little inaccurate: replace “take the Colatina road out of town” by “at the end of the one-way street through town (in the Colatina direction), where it becomes two-way, turn right up a cobbled ramp behind the bus station and…”. There is no longer a humming bird reserve at Ruschi’s house. The feeders were transferred to the Museo Mello Leitão, in town, but the last time I saw them they were not being filled regularly. In December 2000 there was a disastrous flood in Santa Tereza and the situation is probably even worse now.
The reserve is a good place to see Wied’s tyrant-manakin Neopelma aurifrons, from which the Serra do Mar tyrant-manakin Neopelma chrysolophum has recently been split.
For further information on this site see John van der Woude’s site notes and maps.
Conceição do Castelo
The only way to see what appears to be the last surviving population of six cherry-throated tanagers Nemosia rourei is to visit the Fazenda Pindobas IV with the two biologists employed there, Ana Cristina Venturini and Pedro Rogério de Paz. They charge US$200 per day plus expenses, and will pick you up at Vitória airport. Write to them at originalisnatura@originalisnatura.com.br. The tanagers are becoming increasingly difficult to find. So far most people have seen the birds on the first day, one group saw them on the second, and in January 2001 we didn’t see them at all. There are a number of other interesting Atlantic Forest species in these forest remnants, particularly cinnamon-vented piha Lipaugus lanioides.
Vargem Alta / Caetês
The Hotel Fazenda Monte Verde, 31 km north of the town of Vargem Alta, has a steep 4 km trail through good Atlantic forest.
A few kms from here a second site has recently been discovered for Cherry-throated Tanager Nemosia rourei in forest at Caetês. Keith and Marlis Sneden have provided the following instructions on how to get there:
In the village of Castelinho, located 6.2 km south of the Hotel Monte Verde, going south, turn off to the right onto a dirt road. A public telephone is located at the turn-off. The dirt road veers downhill to the right, goes across a wooden bridge and passes by a sawmill before it goes uphill along the right side of a valley and enters forest. Follow the dirt road until you see a locked gate on the right, immediately before a bridge over the river, approx. 2.5 km from the paved road [note that about 100 m before this gate there is another gate with a house at the end of the driveway]. A track behind the locked gate passes through forest for about 3 km. The gate mentioned for the site for Cherry-throated Tanager is about 2 km from the locked gate. There is nobody at the site whom one can ask for permission to enter but be warned there have been reports of birders having unpleasant altercations and even being threatened with violence by people who, though not the owners, believe they are entitled to limit access.
There is an interesting article on this site on the Neotropical Bird Club website.
