Sao Paulo , BRAZIL Dec. - 2006
Black Jacobin, Black-capped Donacobius, Yellow-rumped Marshbird
Over the 2006 Christmas holidays I traveled to the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil with my wife to meet Matt Martin, an old friend who is residing there now. This was not a birding-only trip but I spent one or two hours per day of casual birding in the field and I was able to observe the most common species at a very relaxed pace. Booking a guide over Christmas holidays was difficult so Matt (a non-birder) agreed to take me to the Atlantic Rainforest for a whole day of birding. Our stay was spent at two locations: a coastal cottage in Peruibe near the Atlantic Rainforest and a farm house in Ourinhos in the dry interior of the state . Ourinhos is about a 5 hour drive west of Sao Paulo City. Two recommended field guides I purchased and studied before the trip were: All the Birds of Brazil by Souza and Aves da Grande Sao Paulo by Develey . Both books were very helpful and the Souza guide may seem dated with primitive sketches but in my opinion essential until a new field guide comes out. Birding without a guide proved to be challenging but very rewarding and I felt very prepared going in. Some birds were I.Ded from photos after the trip with the help of internet friends.
Day 1 December/20/2007 Sao Paulo City / Peruibe, Brazil
From frigid New Jersey USA, we landed in the massive airport at Sao Paulo City . In the airport parking lot I was dizzy with anticipation! It is mid-summer in Brazil. I spotted my first birds immediately in the parking lot , unmistakable Fork-tailed Flycatchers which were abundant here and Black Vultures overhead. Matt drove us to coastal Peruibe where we would spend the next 3 days just relaxing, drinking and doing a little sightseeing. The drive to Peruibe produced my first lifer of the trip, several elegant Southern Lapwings along the roadsides . When we made it to the cottage we were greeted by very active and aggressive Swallow-tailed hummingbirds which were giant by hummingbird standards at over 7 inches (18cm) long .These birds have an impressive deep purple and green plumage and a long swallow-like tail. They were so scrappy that two of them chased each other into the house the next evening . I had to capture and release them by hand. Other birds seen on the first day were all common: Great Kiskadee , Ruddy Ground-Dove , and lifer Eared Dove. Around the house I met my first ever Furnariidae : Rufous Horneo ! There were several Rufous Horneo nests around too which were large oven-shaped adobes made out of mud constructed high in the trees.
Nice images of cool birds- looking forward to more from a place I need to get to.