BRAZIL 2009: Itatiaia - Out 'n' About.

Walking the Tres Picos Trail, Itatiaia NP 25 September 2009.

So away from the hotel (if you can drag yourself away), there's plenty do in Itatiaia NP. A day excursion to the highlands of the Agulhas Negras Road produced Large-tailed Antshrike, Rufous-capped Spinetail, Ochre-fronted Tody-Flycatcher, White-rimmed Warbler, Golden-winged Cacique, White-spotted Woodpeckers, Diademed Tanager, Red-rumped Warbling-Finch, Shear-tailed Grey-Tyrant, Serra do Mar Tyarnt-Manakin and Pallid Spinetail all within a few metres of our first stop in a howling gale that must've produced the Leach's Petrels off Heysham it was so strong that morning!
Brassy-breasted Tanager, Black & Gold Cotinga, Rufous-backed Antvireo, Thick-billed Saltator, the exquisite Black-capped Piprites, Plovercrest, Itatiaia Thistletail and Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper were all added to the list before the weather closed in and ended this Atlantic Forest Endemic-fest on 23 September. Does it get any better than this? Maybe in the Pantanal ......

Bertoni's Antbird, just one of several Drymophila antbirds to search for in Brazil's Atlantic Forests.

Dusky-legged Guans outside the Ype at dusk outside the Ype, Itatiaia NP.

Plenty of bamboo-dwelling Buff-fronted Seedeaters and Uniform Finches around again this year and we managed to drag out Fork-tailed Bamboo-Tyrant, Ferruginous (see closely related Bertoni's above) and Ochre-rumped Antbirds from the depths here with the smart Star-throated Antwren making an appearance. Despite a rather cloudy and overcast day the Tres Picos Trail was very productive this year - Slaty Bristlefront and Rufous-breasted Leaftosser the skulkers lured out from the forest floor with Eduardo's deft playback techniques; Black-capped Foliage-Gleaners in the understorey and Gilt-edged Tanagers and Yellow-legged Thrushes in the canopy of fruiting trees. Brazilian Antthrush creeping along the deck below us to add to our Such's Antthrush near the hotel the previous day, made up our Chamaeza set. Exhilerating stuff indeed.
Back at the Ype the Dusky-legged Guans were waiting and as dusk fell stunning Tawny-browed Owls showed near the cabins.

Hotel do Ype at dusk - time for a beer? No, still Short-tailed Nighthawk and Tawny-browed Owl to get!