Another place on the 'want to visit list'!
Just spent 4 days at Parque do Zizo (www.parquedozizo.com.br), a private reserve in SE Brazil. It's located at the southern portion of the state of Sao Paulo and it is part of the largest countinuous Atlantic Rainforest reminescent. Its altitude varies from 550 to 650 meters and most all of its forest are primary.
I left my home in Sao Paulo city at 7:30 AM and arrived at the park under a mediocre weather by 11:00 AM (stopped at the road for breakfast). Access is possible with any kind of car to a place near it where you can safely leave your car, the rest of the trip (10 minutes) is done on a 4 x 4 of the park, because the road on this last part is very muddy (on purpose).
The temperature was around 11º C, foggy and drizzly. Hardly a good weather for birding or photography, but nonetheless the nice feeder beside the dining area was busy, with frequent visits of several tanager species as well as a couple woodpeckers. After a couple days the weather improved a lot.
The forest trails of the park are just wonderful. They are very well maintained and pass through some magnificent forest, river margins, waterfalls, etc. There are several trails and to cover them all you'd have to stay at least some 6 days in the park. One of them, the "trilha do pau oco" passes through a lowland type of forest, with wet soil and lots of slow flowing streams and extremelly rich vegetation. A very rare type of forest. Here you can often find bird several species bathing in the late afternoon on these small calm streams.
My favorite trail is the "trilha do rio ouro fino" though, wich goes marging the Ouro Fino River for some part (a wonderful waterfall too) and then up the mountain where you have some very great views of the under canopy of primary forest. Lots of elusive forest birds here! The end of it has lots of bamboo thickets where you easily see bamboo specialists.
As for other animals, there are lots of mammals in the reserve. Wild dogs comes near the lodge everyday to feed on leftovers and fruit. Tapirs are common but very wary, so actually seeying one is difficult, you will see lots of footsteps though. Jaguar are also present and have been seen a few times. Other mammal worth noting are Muriqui Monkeys, highly endangered. They inhabit the Ouro Fino forests, I have seen them once.
The lodge itself is great. It's rustic but comfortable, with amazing food. It's run in a very ecological way. The lodge caretakers and employees are wonderful.
A short list of species seen. I don't actually keep a list so there may be some I don't remember... also some I didin't identify (specially flycacthers and swallows).
Spot-winged wood-quail: scared a few at the ouro fino trail.
Slaty-breasted wood-rail: a pair lives near the pond and a few others in swampy areas inside the forest. Easy to see.
White-tailed kite: seen en-route to the park.
Mantled hawk: an adult soaring at eye level, seen from the end of the main trail, where you have a huge vista of forest and forest only.
White-necked hawk: soaring over the lodge area.
Harri’s hawk: an adult seen en-route in plain view, sitting on a tree beside the dirt road.
Roadside hawk: common en-route.
Black hawk eagle: soaring over the lodge.
Yellow-headed caracara: seen en-route.
Southern caracara: common en-route.
Picazuro pigeon: common.
Plumbeous pigeon: common.
Squirrel cuckoo: twice near the lodge.
Maroon-bellied parakeet: noisy flocks seen everyday.
Scaly-headed parrot: seen frequently either flying in small groups or on top of trees near the lodge.
White-tailed trogon: near the gates of the park, over the Ouro Fino river, and beside the lodge.
Black-throated trogon: seen twice near the Ouro Fino river.
Channel-billed toucan: once in the Ouro Fino trail.
Red-breasted toucan: many times near the lodge.
White-spotted woodpecker: a couple times beside the lodge.
Yellow-fronted woodpecker: this gorgeous bird is a frequent visitor to the feeder.
Blond-crested woodpecker: another amazing bird that visits the feeder often.
Lineated woodpecker: seen once exploring a tall cecropia tree in front of the lodge.
Plain-brown woodcreeper: this ant specialist was seen following a group of white-shouldered fire-eyes (as always).
Scaled woodcreeper: a tame one seen at the pau oco trail.
Olivaceous woodcreeper: a pair exploring a tree beside the lodge (got a photo of one taking a moth).
Lesser woodcreeper: seen a couple times following mixed flocks.
Rufous-breasted leaftosser: seen at the beginning of the ouro fino trail.
Sharp-tailed streamcreeper: seen a couple times at the Ouro Fino river. One seems to live under the wooden bridge at the entrance of the park.
Rufous-capped spinetail: common inside the forest.
Buff-fronted foliage-gleaner: seen at the jatobá trail.
White-collared foliage-gleaner: rather common bird, readily attracted by playback.
White-eyed foliage-gleaner: seen a couple times, seems to nest on holes on the steep banks inside some parts of the ouro fino trail, as well as in the main access road.
White-bearded antshrike: this vulnerable bird is quite easily seen at dense bamboo areas, readily attracted with playback.
Plain antvireo: common.
Ferruginous antbird: another common bird near bamboo.
Dusky-tailed antbird: at the main trail.
Streak-capped antwren: at the mid levels of the pau oco trail.
Star-throated antwren: a group of these birds seems to bathe every late evening at the calm waters of a tiny stream at the pau oco trail.
White-shouldered fire-eye: a tame family group seen at the main trail. They are very curious birds, often one would fly to the edge of the trail and look me up for a few seconds, moving their tail up and down.
Short-tailed anttrush: heard all the time, tried to bring one in with playback. It was taking a while so I eventually lost interest and changed lenses to photograph a tree… of course that was when it appeared right in front of me, in perfect view… then vanished, oh well…
Mouse-colored tapaculo: a pair seen and photographed in some very dense ground vegetation. A first documented one for the park.
Eye-ringed-tody-tyrant: seen at the main trail.
Ochre-faced-tody flycatcher: a couple times at the main trail.
White-throated spadebill: rather common.
Gray-hooded flycatcher: seen bathing near the pau oco trail.
Black-tailed flycatcher: seen following a mixed flock.
Crested black tyrant: seen en-route.
Long-tailed tyrant: common around the lodge, catching flies from exposed trunks.
Gray monjita: seen en-route.
Vermillion flycatcher: a pair stopped at the lodge during its miggration for a few days. Easily seen.
Great kiskadee: common en-route and near the lodge.
Three-striped flycatcher: seen once near the lodge.
Hooded berryeater: heard all the time, attracted one for a brief momment with the playback at the ouro fino trail.
Swallow-tailed cotinga: a male seen on an exposed branch right over the lodge's roof!
Blue manakin: seen bathing in the pau oco trail.
Blue-and-white swallow: nests on the lodge's roofs.
Southern house wren: common around the lodge.
Long-billed gnatwren: once at the start of the ouro fino trail. Saw it roosting.
Rufous bellied trush: common near the lodge. May venture on the feeder sometimes.
White-necked trush: seen at the ouro fino trail.
Rufous-headed tanager: near the lodge.
Red-necked tanager: once near the feeder.
Green-headed tanager: extremelly common, will enter in the kitchen for food bits.
Blue dacnis: common at the feeder.
Azure-shouldered tanager: common at the feeder.
Palm tanager: feeder.
Yellow-chevroned tanager: feeder.
Red-crowned ant tanager: common in the forest.
Olive-green tanager: feeder, always in troops of 10 or more.
Ruby-crowned tanager: in the forest a few times.
Black-goggled tanager: visited the feeder once, otherwise seen following mixed flocks.
Magpie tanager: the most amazing tanager, frequent visit to the feeder.
Rufous-collared sparrow: common near the lodge.
Uniform finch: very common both near the lodge and in the forest. Several are making nests at the lodge area.
Riverbank warbler: seen at the ouro fino river twice.
Red-rumped cacique: they make nests over a tiny pond near the lodge. Comes to the feeder often.
Golden-winged cacique: make nests near the lodge.
Heard but not seen (at least that I remember now):
Solitary tinamou
Black-fronted piping guan
Rufous-capped motmot
Gray-hooded attila
Cinnamon-vented piha
Sharpbill
Bare throated bellbird
Some PHOTOS here (more to be added soon):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/151522...157601954797748
Good report and some absolutely wonderful photos. Makes me want to go back to southeast Brazil now!
An enjoyable report & some cracking images.
Another place on the 'want to visit list'!