BRAZIL 2008: Chapada dos Guimaraes 15 - 17 August.

Chapada 2008 (from top): View from the Pousada Penhasco, Penhasco rooms, White-rumped Tanagers, Rufous-sided Pygmy-Tyrant, Black-throated Saltator, Cerrado on the Lago Azul Road, Chapada Flycatcher, Streamcreeper habitat and Common Potoo.

Most of the group opted to stay on in Brazil for the Chapada extension. We stayed at the beautiful Pousada Penhasco for its location and stunning views. We birded the Cerrado and forests in the Chapada area recording a wide variety of birds characteristic of the region. These included Tataupa Tinamou, King Vulture, Aplomado Falcon, Red-legged Seriema, Scaled Pigeon,
Blue & Yellow Macaw, Red-shouldered Macaw, Blue-winged Macaw, Red & Green Macaw, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Yellow-faced Parrot, Pheasant Cuckoo, Pavonine Cuckoo, Striped Owl, Common Potoo, White-tailed Goldenthroat, Horned Sungem, White-vented Violet-ear, Blue-crowned Trogon, Brown Jacamar, White-eared Puffbird, Pale-breasted Spinetail, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Large-billed Antwren, Rusty-backed Antwren, White-backed Fire-eye, Collared Crescentchest, Band-tailed Manakin, Helmeted Manakin, Fiery-capped Manakin, Crested Black-Tyrant, Sirystes, Rufous-sided Pygmy-Tyrant, Chapada Flycatcher, Green-backed Becard, Curl-crested Jay, White-banded Tanager, White-rumped Tanager, Plumbeous Seedeater, Wedge-tailed Grassfinch.

BRAZIL 2008: The Pantanal 12 - 14 August.

Pantanal 2008 (from top): Hyacinth Macaws, Long-tailed Ground-Dove, dinner at Pouso Alegre, Plumbeous Ibis, birding the Pantanal forests, Jabiru and Hotel Mato Grosso on the banks of the Pixaim.

The Pantanal though is justifiably the grand finale to this tour and the world’s largest wetland didn’t disappoint. Right from our first stop with Streamer-tailed Tyrant to the boat trip on the Pixaim where we ended our first day, the birding was simply fantastic. Pantanal birds included Jabiru, Hyacinth Macaw, Red-throated Piping-Guan, Chestnut-bellied Guan, Bare-faced Curassow, Southern Screamer, Sungrebe, Sunbittern, Red-legged Seriema, Large-billed Tern, Long-tailed Ground-Dove, Scaled Dove, Hyacinth Macaw, Yellow-collared Macaw, Tropical Screech-Owl, Common Potoo, Band-tailed Nighthawk, Little Nightjar, Scissor-tailed Nightjar, Nacunda Nighthawk, Planalto Hermit, Buff-bellied Hermit, Blue-tufted Starthroat, Green & Rufous Kingfisher, American Pygmy-Kingfisher, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Toco Toucan, White-wedged Piculet, Campo Flicker, Green-barred Woodpecker, White Woodpecker, Golden-green Woodpecker, Pale-crested Woodpecker, Planalto Woodcreeper, Great Rufous Woodcreeper, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Red-billed Scythebill, Chotoy Spinetail, Cinereous-breasted Spinetail, White-lored Spinetail, Rusty-backed Spinetail, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Greater Thornbird, Grey-crested Cacholote, Mato Grosso Antbird, Planalto Slaty-Antshrike, Rusty-backed Antwren, Large-billed Antwren, Band-tailed Antbird, Helmeted Manakin, Streamer-tailed Tyrant, Rufous Casiornis, Rusty-fronted Tody-Flycatcher, Tawny-crowned Pygmy-Tyrant, Scarlet-headed Blackbird, Solitary Black Cacique, Rusty-collared Seedeater.

BRAZIL 2008: Carajas 5 - 11 August.

Carajas 2008 (from top): Harpy Eagle, Hyacinth Macaw, Red & Green Macaw, Jatoba Park Hotel and rooms.

Carajas is simply a superb Amazonian birding destination. Undoubted highlight was the Harpy Eagle though subsequent attempts to view this bird were unsuccessful so perhaps we were luckier than first thought when we ambled up to the bird on out first try! Black-bellied and Chestnut-belted Gnateaters, Black-chested Tyrant, White-tailed Cotinga and Purple-breasted Cotinga head the cast here. Sharpbill, Spangled Cotinga, Blue-cheeked Jacamar, Great Jacamar and Red-billed Pied-Tanagers are just a few of the “also-rans” at Carajas and once again the local Hyacinth Macaws stole the thunder from their friends in the Pantanal later in the tour.

We stayed in the comfortable Jatoba Park Hotel (air-conditioned) in Carajas this year.

We have now recorded 275 species at Carajas during the 2007 and 2008 tours. A full list will be posted on the Toucan Birding Tours website in due course.

Carajas will feature in the 2009 program. Please see the website for details.

BRAZIL 2008: Brasilia 4 & 5 August.

Spot-backed Puffbird, Brasilia 5 August 2008.

Southern Lapwing, Brasilia 5 August 2008.

Overnight in Brasilia allowed us to visit Brasilia NP and the Cerrado areas just outside the capital. Birds recorded included Planalto Foliage-Gleaner, Spot-backed Puffbird, White-banded Tanager, Variable Antshrike, Rufous-winged Antshrike, White-bellied Warbler and Campo Suiriri.

BRAZIL 1 - 14 August 2008.

Toucan Birding Tours group at REGUA (Photo by Douglas Allchin).

The REGUA wetland, August 2008.

We started our 2008 Brazil departure at REGUA again this year with an introduction to Atlantic Forest birding. Key species located at REGUA on 2nd and 3rd August included Capped Herons, Black & White Hawk-Eagle, Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail, Reddish-bellied Parakeet, Plain Parakeets, Scaly-headed Parrot, Tropical Screech-Owl, Tawny-browed Owl, Common Potoo, Saw-billed Hermit, Violet-capped Woodnymph, Surucua Trogon, Rufous-capped Motmot, Crescent-chested Puffbird, Spot-billed Toucanet, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Yellow-eared Woodpecker, Thrush-like Woodcreeper, White-throated Woodcreeper, Lesser Woodcreeper, Wing-banded Hornero, Ochre-breasted Foliage-Gleaner, White-eyed Foliage-Gleaner, Rufous-breasted Leaftosser, Spot-backed Antshrike, Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike, Spot-breasted Antvireo, Star-throated Antwren, Unicolored Antwren, Scaled Antbird, Streak-capped Antwren, White-shouldered Fire-eye, White-bibbed Antbird, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Slaty Bristlefront, Bare-throated Bellbird, Swallow-tailed Manakin, Pin-tailed Manakin, Russet-winged Spadebill, Grey-hooded Attila, Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher, Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant, Grey-hooded Flycatcher, Long-billed Wren, Yellow-legged Thrush, Rufous-crowned Greenlet, Blue-naped Chlorophonia, Chestnut-bellied Euphonia, Green-headed Tanager, Red-necked Tanager, Golden-chevroned Tanager, Brazilian Tanager, Olive-green Tanager, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Rufous-headed Tanager, Green-winged Saltator, Black-throated Grosbeak.

REGUA features in our Atlantic Forest tour commencing on 1 November 2008 (still a few places available).