BRAZIL November 2008: On to Ubatuba.

Our next stop was the coast at Ubatuba, a busy resort popular with day trippers from as far as Sao Paulo. Ubatuba preserves some Atlantic Forest at sea-level, allowing us to see a few species not available in the foothills of the national parks such as Itatiaia. Plenty of hotel availability and easy access to the birding sites means Ubatuba is very popular with visiting birders.

Laughing Falcon at Fazenda Angelim, Ubatuba November 2008.

We spent a couple of days birding the fazendas at Angelim, Capricornio and Folha Seca and added some rare birds to our trip list. The key bird here though is a diminutive member of the Cotinga family: Buff-throated Purpletuft. We couldn't find any at the traditional site at Fazenda Angelim but thanks to some local information from Rick Simpson (see links at side of page) we saw at least one bird nearby.


It's a pretty rotten picture of a great bird but theyre tiny and always near the tops of the trees. Oh, and it was overcast and I had a bit of a cold (can't think of any more excuses). Other highlights? Well, there were many but Spot-billed Toucanet, Rufous-tailed Attila, Bare-throated Bellbird, Red-necked Tanager, Pale-browed Treehunter and Rufous-capped Antthrush were memorable.

Rufous Gnateater at Fazenda Angelim, Ubatuba November 2008.

This little gem gave us great views as it popped up in response to playback. Gnateaters can be a bit tricky to see but the chance to digiscope one was unexpected to say the least.

I must mention the evening we spent in the company of Rick at the hotel. He's great company and knows his patch really well. We go back a long way (20+ years!) and used to go twitching together as founder members of the "Herts Tarts". He's a great bird guide and if you're in Ubatuba look him up, get him to show you a few birds and tell him I told you to. Check out his website Rick Simpson Birding Services or pick up one of his cards in the many hotels in Ubatuba. You won't regret it.

More on Ubatuba later ......