Manaus and Amazonia NP 2022 - Cruising the flooded forest of the Rio Negro

Birding in South America always starts with a pre 5 am coffee, today we would share an early coffee with dozens of triathletes who were getting ready to compete in today's races on the river and roads, fortunately we would take a short drive to the banks of the Rio Negro to catch a boat that would take us on a days river cruising in search of some specialised species that hopefully will be feeding within the tree tops at eye level.... yes eye level. 5 mtrs below the vast expanse of the flooded Rio negro are where the trees are grounded, it will take another 5 months for the river to actually drain back to normal levels..... nature is really incredible. 

No bus stops around here, your only going to find a boat stop. Early morning waiting for a boatman

ready to board our boat with a mind blowing sunrise to sail into...... it doesn't get much better

Not too far up river we sailed across to be now on the Manaus side of the Rio Negro, we took a side tributary where we were followed by at least two Pink River Dolphins, while in the dawn light probably over a dozen Band tailed Nighthawks swooping over and around us feeding up before going to roost. This morning I was out at the back of the boat so was conscious that I may miss a few species as they may have flown before the back markers could get their eyes on the target, however out front of the boat and to the left I caught a glimpse of a Sungrebe come up to the surface and quickly retreat behind a small island. A small flock of Festive Parrots flew across the boat and away, lots of Yellow Rumped Caciques and a Large billed Tern did likewise. Our driver guided the boat slowly towards the edge of an island where we parked up and watched good activity in front and to the side of us for the next hour. A Pale vented Pigeon, and a perched Red-capped Cardinal started proceedings while a pair of flighty but showy (if that is at all possible...) Black-crested Antshrikes that stayed with us for the duration. A Striated Heron flew behind us and landed on a small island however it didnt keep anyone's attention as all the activity was right in front of us. Spotted tody-flycatcher, Blue-tailed Emerald, Slender footed Tyrannulet and the wonderful Cherries Antwren, although it wasn't a lifer for me it is a smashing bird to see for a second time. Short crested Flycatcher, Striped Woodcreeper, Greater Kiskadee unfortunately I missed the Amazonian Tyrannulet (back seat bogey bird). The incredible and huge Long Billed Woodcreeper was another bird high on my trip list and this one gave superb views , as we set off towards the flooded Varzea forest numerous Greater Ani`s flew around as we passed a perched Roadside hawk, who was now more intent on being a Riverside hawk. 

Long-billed Woodcreeper

As we approached the flooded forest, it really is hard to describe how incredible this was. The driver had to manoveur a twenty foot boat through and round tangles, branches, tree trunks dense dense foliage all while he kept all  his passengers dry and safe, he did very well. However before he did this he had stopped just on the edge of the forest where Pablo eventually was able to call in a Klages Antwren which is really the specialty bird of this part of the river, so it was a success to see it pretty quickly, a pair of Green Tailed Jacamars perched just in front of us for a good five minutes and we bagged a Leaden Antwren before we moved on and navigate through the forest. 

Leaden Antwren

Green-tailed Jacamar

this is where I dipped the Ash-breasted Antbird, being at the back has it s downside

a fairly easy passage through the flooded forest on this occasion

The only trip sighting of a Crested Orependola was just before we entered the forest and then came to a sudden halt, partly because we were stuck and would have to pull ourselves through the tangles (remember we are still in a twenty foot boat) and partly because we were trying to locate a Black-chinned Antbird, which we eventually did, all awhile a  incredible Common Potoo had been perched high above us with one eye wondering what all the commotion was about, while the other eye tried to get some sleep.... And of course our third Potoo species in the past 12 hours, absolutely mind blowing. Add a Zimmers Woodcreeper, Green Kingfisher and Blackisk Antshrike this was a brilliant area to visit. We moved on down some channels and into another tight spot of flooded forest and we tried hard for yet another Antbird, this time an Ash Breasted that I missed from the back of the boat... damn. A Cinnamon Atilla and a flighty Varzea Schiffornis that must have given itself a mighty headache as it crashed left and right, yet another Woodcreeper appeared this time a Streaked Woodcreeper. 

Common Potoo

Zimmers Woodcreeper

Flooded forest on the Rio Negro

We backed up and out finding another channel to cruise down, we stopped to get onto a pair of Snethlages Tody-Tyrants of which one flew down fairly close above our heads we continued where we would have one of the highlights of the tour. This is where we cruised into the lek of a dozen or so Wire-tailed Manakins. It was madness, buzzing bees everywhere, incredible sight to watch them going through their rituals without actually pissing each other off too much, I only saw a single female watching on. It wouldnt have been too hard to stay here for an hour or two much, it was non stop action, and we must not forget that Pablo called out a Speckled Spinetail while all this was going on. 

Wire-tailed Manakins

A Waved Woodpecker briefly flew over and climbed a trunk. Meanwhile above us a Brown throated three toed Sloth had quickly in a sloths sort of quick-way climbed down from its branch and out of sight.  There was still time to cruise to yet another dense patch of forest where Pablo again had a spot for a specialist species, this time a Streak-throated Hermit. There were at least two individuals calling and one was fairly close to us. We had to stand up ensuring we didn't rock the boat and try to get onto this diminutive creature in this foliage in the shadowy gloom, while on water.... of course it was difficult, and most of us got a descent view however Pablo and the boat driver decided to try around the back of this tree which meant maneuvering out backwards, he did and we got a good vantage point to see the second calling individual perched up for a few minutes. Once we rejoined the main river we set off back to the hotel but not before a Great-black Hawk and Plumbeous Kite both circled above the river. A terrific morning with almost all specialty species seen, a constant tick over of sightings made for an enjoyable boat ride back. What a morning, certainly the best yet.

Brown Throated Sloth

Dont rock the boat..... Holding steady looking for a Streaked Hermit in the thick forest

Selfie with the team heading for lunch and a beer after a very successful morning with Nick, Jeff and Bart leading the celebrations, while Chris and Ian think about a cold beer and our driver thinking we are all mad

Normal procedure for lunchtime as we settled for lunch and either had a siesta or did a spot of birding around the garden. Again Black-billed (or Flood Plain) Thrush was seen also and a first for the trip a small flock of Orange-fronted Yellow Finch, at first we thought they were Saffron finch. This afternoon we were back on the water but now going up river and staying on the Anavilhanas National park side of the river. Again there were a couple of specialties of this area that we were in search for, this time I was in the front of the boat, what could go wrong? All along the way up river we saw dozens of perched Swallow-winged Puffbirds, a new species for the trip while Grey breasted Martins and White winged Swallows hawked all around, the large and unmistakable Ringed Kingfisher passed in front of us on its way across the vast expanse of the Rio Negro towards Manaus, while we picked up Brown-chested Martins as well. 

Orange-fronted Yellow Finch

reflections of a flooded forest on the Rio Negro

The main target here was a Brown headed Greenlet and only a few individuals are located in this area. Pablo tried half a dozen known locations all of which were fruitless, a big dip for today. A Hook-billed Kite flew over and was mobbed for a short while, while Swallow tailed Kites and Plumbeous Kites made for at least a little activity. We again cruised down a channel hoping for an upturn in action but the birding had pretty much slowed down in the heat and what seemed to be the only bird activity in the area were a party of 8 Black fronted Nunbirds that flew over our heads and congregated behind us high up for a while. It wasnt completely lifeless as a small selection of species showed over the next two hours with another Zimmers Woodcreeper, Blue Dacnis, Squirrel Cuckoo (the first of the trip), Green backed Trogan, Yellow Headed Caracara, a pair of White throated Toucans perched, and at last I got to see an Amazonian Tyrannulet for the first time as it zipped in and out of the edge of a small island. Two Orange cheeked Parrots flew over our boat and out of sight but just before packing in an afternoon saver for myself as we found three Ivory-billed Aracari. As we headed back up the river to our hotel we watched a Bat Falcon taking bats on the wing while Band Tailed Nighthawks in their dozens came out to hunt. The setting sun gave us a perfect backdrop to what was overall a good day but a the afternoon couldnt live up to the mornings fare, although saying that I personally added  two life birds to my list.  

unfortunately looking into the sun at this Ivory-billed Aracari

Sun setting on the Rio Negro 

Manaus and Amazonia NP 2022 - 42 meter canopy birding

 A fairly early start to drive the forty minutes to the edge of Manaus city to the Musa tower. A 40+ meter high tower that looks out north into the vast Adolpho Ducke reserve towering over the canopy while giving incredible views back south to the metropolis that is Manaus city. 

Early start to beat the sunrise and day trippers to the Musa botanical gardens and canopy tower

We arrived 40 minutes before the sun would start to rise and climb the 42 meter metal structure. Every 10 meters there is a viewing platform so you can observe the wildlife at different elevations, we headed straight to the top to catch the Macaws leaving their roost sites. As the light gently broke so did the silence as streams of Scarlet Macaws flew in squadrons another 30 meters above us and the canopy, these were quickly joined by five Red bellied Macaws that landed a mile away and out of sight. Not to be outdone a few Red and Green Macaws flew noisily past. 

Sunrise over the reserve from the top of the Musa tower

It still fascinates me why Macaws are always first up, maybe they are the bird worlds alarm clock to make sure no-one sleeps in.... 

Wakey Wakey - Scarlet Macaws always the first to leave their roosts

Early morning and with the sun still very low in the sky it was certainly time for all the big guns to be out, next were a fabulous pair of Red Fan Parrots. They perched up on a large bare snag some 300mtrs away and preened then preened each other, every now and again we would catch the raised fan, wonderful study through the scope, unfortunately they were just out of range for anything other than a few record shots.

Red fan Parrots (in full display, absolutely brilliant)

 As the light started to pick up so did the bird life. White-throated Toucans are certainly conspicuous not only by their size but with their huge white throat that stands out against any backdrop. At least two pairs kept us company for the duration of the morning. 

White-throated Toucan

The Palm Tanager can be found in pretty much most habitats in South America and it should be no surprise that they found flying to and perching on the Canaopy tower structure more to their liking than actually foraging amongst the trees, every few minutes back and too they came. There was now fairly continuous activity with Green Honeycreeper, Spot-backed Antwren, Band Rumped Swifts, Piratic Flycatcher, Guianan Tyrannulet, White Lored Euphonia and a smashing Spotted Tanager which all started to move through the canopy. We found that sometimes moving down the tower to the platform below would get an eye level view of a passing birdwave. A Plumbeous Pigeon flew through the mid canopy at speed while a Versicoloured Emerald flitted amongst the foliage looking for flowering trees. 

White-lored Euphonia also known as Yellow-bellied for obvious reasons

Spotted Tanager although in the right location is fairly common, was high on my trip list

Guianan Tyrannulet

As the air warmed up hundreds of vultures could be seen over a vast distance, mostly towards the city skyline. Other raptors could be seen on and  off with at least three Double Toothed Kites a Short tailed Hawk and a pair of Black faced Hawks that perched up giving incredible scope views and some not to bad photo opportunities although from a great distance, however one did make a flyby that took me by surprise as it flew over the tower so I only got the back end view. 

Black faced Hawks 

As the morning progressed the heat built and the birding slowed, we still had good sightings but it was a little harder in the heat, the list of  species that still showed were Black tailed Tityra, Flame crested Tanager, distant scope views of Guianan Puffbird, Black spotted Barbet, we only heard a Gilded Barbet .... the big miss of the morning was the Glossy Backed Becard which was also a heard only, Surprisingly we only had a few tree top sightings of Monkey species with Guianan Red Howler Monkey and more Brazilian bare faced Pied Tamarins that picked their way through a fruiting tree.a few hundred meters away. Blue headed Parrots, a Zone tailed Hawk quickly passed through, Golden winged Parakeets, Green backed Trogan and Black Tailed Trogan. Probably the last bird from the tower was a stunning Guianan Toucanet, a nice way to end the morning..... or so we thought!

Black tailed Trogan

an incredibly smart Guianan Toucanet

Black tailed Tityra with the finishing touches for the nest

We left the tower and immediately heard a Variegated Tinamou, yes I know you always hear Tinamous but rarely see one. On this occasion a site guide took up the challenge to try to get us onto this one, 15 minutes of wading through the bush and tangles Pablo managed to tape it in near enough for us all to get crippling views of an absolute stunning creature..... my first seen Tinamou, what a lovely way to end the morning. The gardens were now busy with day trippers (although the tower never got busy at all albeit a few other birdwatchers), we headed to a cafe for a fresh fruit juice and where we got to see our only Snake sighting of the whole tour, a Black headed centipede Snake.

somewhere in there is a Tinamou

stunning artwork at Musa botanical gardens

Some images of a successful morning

looking down onto the team. Bart, Pablo, Jeff, David, Chris..... Ian out of shot

Musa canopy tower rising above the Amazon canopy

We headed back to the hotel for lunch and to pack as we would spend a large portion of the afternoon travelling across to the south of the Rio Negro to Novo Airao where we would be based for three nights at the very pleasant Amazonia Park Suites. However we were now joined by Nick who had been delayed on his return from his trip to Uganda and ended up missing a flight, he woke up after a few hours sleep to get on the tour bus to cross the Rio Negro. 

hmmmm Hotel Tarantula, Amazonia Park suites...... I wonder why

my bedroom bottom left

A small siesta, a little garden birding where we picked up Silver beaked Tanagers, Ruddy Ground Dove, Bannaquit and Black billed Thrush (ssp Flood Plain Thrush).

We did manage a few hours trail birding on the Ramal do guarda chuva trail but it was getting towards dusk and our main targets we would try for a little later on as we needed some moonlight rather than fading sunlight. I tried desperately to get onto a Black-faced Antbird but failed, the rest of the team got some sort of view and I also dipped on the Cinerous Antshrike.... fading light and ropey eyes obviously dont mix well.... However I did manage to see Black banded Woodcreeper, White-throated Puffbird, Common scaled backed Antbird. 

Pablo then produced some magic, of course a little tape work is needed to generate a call but in amongst the tangles and dense vegetation he went in search, three minutes later he invited us in to see a magnificent Rufous Potoo perched on a dead snag. Stunning. Stunning Stunning and for me a close call for the bird of the day with the Variegated Tinamou. Pablo wasn't quite done yet as ten minutes later he heard and found very high up and perched partially obscured a White winged Potoo. Two stunning species to finish a wonderful day, I had dipped the White winged Potoo in North East Brazil a number of years ago so this was a highly prized sighting. We headed back to the very comfortable hotel Tarantula for a beer or two and a nice late evening meal. 

mobile phone capture of a Rufous Potoo..... it doesn't get much better eh, oh well

Manaus and Amazonia NP 2022 - The long delay is finally over

 Well it only took two years to finally get the green light for a once in a lifetime trip taking in the image provoking Amazon. Jeff my birding and travel pal and myself actually booked this trip three years ago but of course Covid and the resulting restrictions changed the world for a time. I put my check list in a drawer and forgot about the whole thing for two years. Of course things change and time passed to allow world travelers to dust off their travel boots and documents and hit the airways.

Actually getting out of Manchester on a short hop to London Heathrow proved incredibly difficult after two aborted attempts, one actually at the gate as we and the plane were ready to leave before being sent home with our cases. Long story short we eventually arrived at Heathrow the next day with two minutes to spare at the boarding gate to leave for Rio de janeiro..... would our cases arrive with us..... we will find out in a little over 12 hours time.  Yes they did!! At least I will have a change of cloths in the hot and humid jungles. We were to travel around the Manaus Amazon area with a tour leader and a group of fellow birders from the UK and Netherlands, two of which (David and John) we met on the plane to Rio. A shortish connection at Rio and we were on our way to Manaus, the capital of the Amazonian region in the heart of Amazonia which lies on the banks of the Rio Negro and Amazon Rivers. We arrived at the Ibis Airport Hotel at something past 3am and pretty much went straight to bed. We were to meet our guide late morning in the hotel where we would lunch and get a half days birding in as a pretour taster. John, Jeff and myself couldn't really sleep so after a small breakfast we headed out onto the road ...... a busy main road! really only hoping to find at least a few species to whet the appetite. Black Vulture in the dozens circled above and far off into the distance, while a Roadside Hawk flew directly over the hotel. Ok so the Black Vultures were to become pretty irrelevant as the trip would unfold, but this is day one, we were excited to be here and its been a few years since I saw a Black Vulture..... bring them on. We couldn't find away into the small woodland across the road so after dodging some busy and fast flowing traffic we crossed to the otherside and walked away from the hotel to where a line of bushes, shrubs and small trees bordered the dual carriageway. It turned out to be ok, nothing spectacular here but a good selection of everyday south American birds. 

Two Black Vultures outside my hotel window..... two  of many

Of course the first one was a Tropical Kingbird, and a few more ..... a handful of Yellow browed Sparrows fed on a military base outfield  while a pair of Chestnut bellied Seedeaters fed in roadside long grasses. A small unidentified Tyrannulet flew past me while the common Blue Grey and Palm Tanagers reminded us that we were in South America and not beside the M6 in the midlands. We crossed back across the road to another patch of woodland and Scrubland, where a long tailed species flew out and over our heads, probably a Fork tailed flycatcher. Two Smooth billed Ani perched alongside us on a fence giving good portrait views while a Chivvi Vireo sang in a huge tree. At this point it had certainly warmed up and it seemed like a good excuse to retire to the air conditioning of the hotel and to see if David had got up. David was up and now me met another fellow group member, Bart from the Netherlands. Quick introduction and off out again basically to the same patch of shrubbery and woodland. We added Greater Yellow headed and Turkey Vultures, Grayish Saltator, Blue Black Grassquit which also perched up on the fence line, Ruddy ground Dove and a probable female Guira Tanager (The only one we would encounter on the whole trip). The bird of the morning for myself though was the Swainsons Flycatcher which was a life bird for myself. I managed to get onto a Yellow headed Caracara and a Variegated Flycatcher while the rest of the team drank coke and Coffee in the aircon. 

  male Chestnut-bellied Seedeater

Grayish Saltator

Smooth billed Ani

Variegated Flycatcher

Lunch time came as did our guide Pablo. Nice guy, pretty good English and a sense of humour.....      we would be looked after I am sure.

Our transport also arrived a 16 seater air conditioned minibus, perfect, as did another guide Pricilla who would travel with us for the day and guarantee us entry to the reserve as she held the permits. So early afternoon we were off to the outskirts of Manaus city where we would visit the Aldopho Ducke Reserve. It was locked, gates chained and after a bit of head scratching and a phone call we found that the chain and lock were merely wrapped round and not locked....happy days. Within a few yards of leaving the minibus we were met by three very confiding Brazilian bare-faced Pied Tamarins that looked down on us from dense and high mature trees, a couple of very poor record shots are all I could muster. 

Pied Tamarin

Yellow-billed Jacamar

L-R John, Pablo, David, Pricilla, Bart (Jeff out of shot)

A Chestnut rumped Woodcreeper gave close and good views as did one of the more common and widespread trogans a Green backed Trogan. For about an hour the birding was pretty good with Paradise Jacamar, Yellow Billed Jacama, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Streaked Flycatcher, Black Tailed Tityra, a pair of Black Spotted Barbet and a few Yellow Rumped Caciques. In the distance a Variegated Tinamou called almost constantly as we bagged a coupe of fantastic species. Ochre Bellied Flycatcher, Guianan Woodcreeper, Todds Sirystes, White throated Toucan, four Yellow tufted Woodpeckers and a very handsome but diminutive Buff cheeked Greenlet. The weather was about to break as it became very dark and eventually the rain started. It cost us half an hour or so as we took shelter under the trees while we took a coffee break from the back of the minibus. The rain let off but the birding continued with a few more species before the light eventually became too dark. A single Golden headed Manakin gave good views even though it was in dense foilage, probably the bird of the afternoon as we got onto a Red-billed Pied Tanager (this would be our only sighting of this species on the tour). A final flurry of birds as we walked towards the gates and the main road with a Guinan Trogan and Green Aracari. 

Golden-headed Manakin

It was a decent afternoon only shortened with a little rain and a loss of light, we returned to the Hotel Ibis for an evening meal and a cool beer, complete our first species log and to meet up with two more travel companions Ian and Chris who had now joined us from another trip in Brazil so were a day later than ourselves. Tomorrow we get up early and travel  the 45 minutes to the Musa tower and some serious dawn birding at 42mtrs high

Completing the days log with John, Jeff and David

Cheers John

 

Barn Owl 3

Another update 

Persistence paid off when one of the youngsters eventually showed. I think this is the adult female as well. The male preened in the tree above the nest hole. I presume there maybe other juveniles still hunkered down, but this one looks like it’s ready to take some long flying lessons very soon.

Barn Owl 2

 Another post and update

Still only seen the one adult and this evening pretty much the same result as most other visits before dusk. Sits happily, nods off, scratches, looks round and sometimes is bothered to actually look at me. 

 

 

Barn Owl

A nice local bird at an undisclosed site. Had a pleasant hour with it last evening, it only flew once probably to strtch its wings and resumed its perch where in nodded off every now and again while keeping alert to the noisy Chiffchaffs that flitted around the same tree.