Brazil
I lived in Rio de Janeiro for most of 2018 and, unfortunately, didn’t take many pictures during that time. I was more dedicated to climbing the boulders and granite monoliths scattered throughout the city. The camera came out every now and then, but mostly on climbing trips. The big exception was an excursion to the Pantanal, accompanied by my parents and a good friend, where we went out looking for birds and animals for a week or so.
São Bento do Sapucaí
This is a surprisingly mountainous area in the state of São Paolo which is great for climbing and birding alike. Some friends and I spend a long weekend sleeping in a horse barn and trying different climbing areas. I got out in the mornings to see what birds I could find and wasn’t disappointed. Unfortunately, I only have a few pictures from here, which don’t quite capture the biodiversity that was around, but was thrilled to see my first Seriema. These generally aren’t my best shots, so I took some liberties with the editing and am quite happy with how they turned out.
Species:
1. Saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola); 2. Tropical kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus); 3 & 4. Southern mockingbird (Mimus gilvus); 5. Rufous-collared sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis); 6. Red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata)
The Pananal
The Pantanal is massive, wet, and chock full of animals. My parents, who are always up for an adventure, came along for the ride, and we went with these guys who were great. At 150,000 square kilometers, it’s hard to get a feeling for the size of the area. What I did get a sense for is the amount of wildlife. It seemed like nearly every fence post had either a hawk or a kingfisher on it, and I eventually had to resign myself to mere observation instead of taking pictures of every single bird. We had places to go, after all.
Species:
1. Greater rhea (Rhea americana); 2. Wattled jacana (Jacana jacana); 3. Guira cuckoo (Guira guira); 4. Amazon kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona); 5. Plumbeous ibis (Theristicus caerulescens); 6. Ringed kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata); 7 & 8. Crested caracara (Caracara plancus); 9. Yellow-billed cardinal (Paroaria capitata); 10. Limpkin (Aramus guarauna); 11. Chestnut-eared aracari (Pteroglossus castanotis); 12. Black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
1. Blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna); 2. Silver-beaked tanager (Ramphocelus carbo); 3. Southern screamer (Chauna torquata); 4 & 5. Hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus); 6. Toco toucan (Ramphastos toco); 7. Black-capped donacobius (Donacobius atricapilla); 8. Wood stork (Mycteria americana); 9. Common black hawk (j) (Buteogallus anthracinus); 10. Jabiru (juveniles) (Jabiru mycteria) and Rufescent tiger heron (Tigrisoma lineatum); 11. Blue-throated piping guan (Pipile cumanensis); 12. White-headed marsh tyrant (Arundinicola leucocephala); 13-15. Black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
Serra do Cipó
I spent my last few weeks in Brazil in Serra do Cipó, one of the best climbing spots in the country. It’s located a few hours from Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais. There are some good hiking loops, waterfalls galore, and tons of birds to admire - not to mention the limestone towers that brought me there. On rest days, I took my camera out to find some of the local species, and enjoy the scenery. I stayed with Magrão at the Abrigo G3 (info here, or just google it). It’s worth the trip even for non-climbers/birders.
Species:
1 - 3. Ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum); 4. Cinnamon tanager (Schistochlamys ruficapillus); 5. White woodpecker (Melanerpes candidus); 6 & 7. Toco toucan (Ramphastos toco); 8. Gray pileated finch (Coryphospingus pileatus)
Profiles
I just made this for fun using some close-up shots from around the country.
1. Plumbeous ibis (Theristicus caerulescens); 2. Smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani); 3. Bare-faced/whispering ibis (Phimosus infuscatus); 4 & 5. Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria)
