Paraná
Turn left off the main BR116 at the signpost, 390 km from São Paulo and 35 km before Curitiba. At the start the road is flat with areas for grassland species (Lesser Grass-finch Emberizoides ypiranganus, and Great Pampa-finch Embernagra platensis, for example). After 3 km there is a turning to the right signposted to Quatro Barras which is said to be good. After a further 4 km, just where the road drops down the serra, turn right and double back along a rough but driveable track. Pass some semi-demolished buildings on your left and you should find Canebrake Ground-creeper Clibanornis dendrocolaptoides without difficulty, especially if you play a tape. If you don’t have a tape, watch out for a series of loud “crek” notes.
The forest, at about 900m, is almost untouched and quiet for recording. In the breeding season there are Bare-throated Bellbird Procnias nudicollis and Hooded Berryeater Carpornis cucullatus calling all over the place, Mouse-colored Tapaculo Scytalopus speluncae and White-breasted Tapaculo S. indigoticus side by side, Giant Antshrike Batara cinerea, Rufous-backed Antvireo Dysithamnus xanthopterus Pale-browed Treehunter Cichlocolaptes leucophrus Grey-capped Tyrannulet Phyllomyias griseocapilla Azure-shouldered Tanager Thraupis cyanoptera, Brassy-breasted Tanager Tangara desmaresti and lots more. There is plenty of bamboo and I see no reason why one shouldn’t find Purple-winged Ground-dove Claravis godefrida there. On my last visit Edson Endrogo found the rare Blackish-blue Seedeater Amaurospiza moesta.
There is also excellent birding lower down. Drive to the bottom of the serra and in São João da Graciosa fork right towards Morretes. In Porto de Cima, before Morretes, immediately after crossing a long, narrow bridge over the Rio Nhundiaquara, turn right and drive along the rough track that follows the river up into the forest. We drove up to about 300m. It was pissing with rain and we saw practically nothing but Parrini says in drier conditions the site is first class.
The best place for accommodation is probably Antonina (fork left in S. João da Graciosa).
Curitiba / São José dos Pinhais
The small range of the Wetland Tapaculo Scytalopus iraiensis is limited to a number of marshes in and near the city of Curitiba. Most of these are suffering from urban expansion and the type locality has been flooded by a dam.
Probably the best site is the Fazenda São Pedro in São José dos Pinhais, a neighbouring municipality to Curitiba. . To get there turn right off the BR-376 from Joinville at km 622.5 onto a small dirt track beside a wall with “ARGUS AVES” painted on it (coming from Curitiba you will have to drive several kms further on and make a “retorno”). After 1 km fork left and immediately right. After a further 1.5 km the gate of the Fazenda São Pedro is on the left. Ask at the house for permission to enter (the gate may be locked) and drive along a farm track for 1.5 km till you get to an open grassland. In July 2002 we found three tapaculos at the far end of the grassland which replied to playback of the song (posted on Worldtwitch (http://worldtwitch.virtualave.net/new_world.htm) ; the song is so like that of Mouse-coloured Tapaculo Scytalopus speluncae that the latter’s song would probably attract iraiensis) but they did not show. The birds would probably be more responsive later in the year.
In this grassland we found Sickle-winged Nightjar Eleothreptus anomalus, Sharp-tailed Tyrant Culicivora caudacuta, Long-tailed Reed-Finch Donacospiza albifrons and Lesser Grass-Finch Emberizoides ypiranganus.
The Baia de Guaratuba extends 25 km inland from the sea and is a well preserved area of mangroves and reed beds, bordered by flooded forest. This is excellent habitat for a large number of water birds and also for a few restricted range species like Paraná Antwren Formicivora (formerly Stymphalornis) acutirostris, Wren-like Rushbird Phleocryptes melanops and Many-colored Rush-Tyrant Tachuris rubrigastra, and species that are common further south but less common in the southeast like Unicolored Blackbird Agelaius cyanopus and Yellow-winged Blackbird Agelaius thilius.
To visit the bay you must hire a boat. The best place is the “marina do Ananias”, telephone (0xx41) 442-2539, (the owner, Ananias Santos, is prefeito (mayor) of Guaratuba), 4 km north of the bus station (”rodoviária”), past the airport. In August 2002 the cost was R$130 (US$43) for the day. Ask for Jorge to drive your boat as he is used to taking Marcos Bornschein and Bianca Reinert, who discovered the antwren, to work with the birds. The Portuguese names for the species are “bicudinho” (Paraná Antwren), “bate-bico” (Wren-like Rushbird) and “papa-piri” (Many-colored Rush-Tyrant). All three can readily be found in the reed beds (”pirizais”) in the bay, about half an hour from the marina. The antwren is also common in reeds and long grass near the water throughout the bay area.
At the “ponte”, where the pipe carrying Guaratuba’s water supply crosses the river, an hour from the marina, you will find Kaempfer’s Tody-Tyrant Hemitriccus kaempferi in the forest along the right bank and Paraná Antwren in the grass and reeds by the bridge.
It is quicker and cheaper to look for the antwren by car—see under Garuva—but you will need a boat for the rushbird and rush-tyrant.
I live in São Paulo but lived for several years in Curitiba. I am just an amateur and certainly not a twitcher.
Your notes on the Estrada da Graciosa are quite frankly bizarre. The best plan is to whizz down the BR277 (toll) motorway just before dawn and then work your way back up the Graciosa stopping at each of the barbeque points before the “farofeiros” are awake. You should see hummers, toucans, tanagers, euphonias, trogons, etc. etc. Sorry, no latin names, no packdrill.
Have a picnic breakfast taking in the view over the Baia de Paranagua.
Alternatively go down the Graciosa with the same stops then push on to Morretes for a wander round (big kingfisher if you are lucky) and an early barreado.
In São Paulo, Paranapiacaba??
Season´s greetings
Simon Bee