As was a common theme on most of this trip, we were on the move almost every day. Day 2 would start at Forquilha to mop up the species we missed on the previous day and then we headed out to our next destination of Guaramiranga with some stops along the way. Basically this means we would be heading back southeast towards our starting point of Fortaleza but staying more inland this time.
The general route we followed on Day 2 although I cannot be sure of the specific roads.
Boat-billed Flycatcher - this species was fairly common but always in ones and twos throughout the trip.
Great Antshrike female.
Moustached Woodcreeper!!! This time our target was accommodating and put on a show for us. I took a thousand photos of this endemic but I will spare you and post only a couple.
This species is Vulnerable per the IUCN criteria with a relatively small range in this region of Brazil.
Screaming Cowbird - the Wiki page for this species would lead you to believe their range is restricted to the southwest of Brazil, but eBird tells another story. Perhaps they are expanding with the expansion of agricultural land. To be honest I would have a hard time separating this from the Shiny Cowbird but Brad (guide and owner of Agami Tours) apparently heard it call.
Spot-backed Puffbird - this Caatinga specialist has a wide range in Brazil and we did see a couple on the Pantanal trip too, but they are not too common.
Crested Becard
With the main target in the bag, we headed to our next stop also in Forquilha, called Acude Arrebita. Basically this was a privately owned ranch overlooking a large lake which hosts several species of Crake. We started by birding a grove of trees with some moving flocks.
White-naped Jay
Green-backed Becard
Hooded Tanager - the light was not great for photography.
Pale Baywing - This is a northeast Brazil endemic and a sister species to the Grayish Baywing we saw in the Pantanal.
Plain-breasted Ground-dove - similar to Common Ground Dove but lacking the scaly patterns on the breast.
Snail Kites are super common in the right habitats in South America, but I cannot get enough of them.
Green-barred Woodpecker
Rufous-sided Crake - we tried hard for multiple species of crake and heard three of them, but only this one made a brief appearance.
Wattled Jacanas have a striking lime-yellow wing pattern in flight.
Streaked Flycatcher
Chivi Vireo - South America's version of Red-eyed or Yellow-green Vireos.
Rufous Cacholotes
White-faced Whistling-Ducks!
Cobalt-rumped Parrotlet
Cactus Parakeet - a Brazilian northeast endemic but quite common.
It was getting very hot in this spot so we had some refreshments provided by the farmer in the shade. I love when we are able to partake in the foods that the locals eat and here we were able to sample some of the local cheese and corn tamale-like pastry. Yum!
Back on the road!
Audrey and I kept a running list of birds along the way, mostly at gas stations so that we could see our route in our eBird Trip List. I will share the complete trip list so you can see the graphic on my last post.
Gray-breasted Martins were common at gas stations throughout the trip.
We stopped at a great little roadside restaurant about half way to our next destination and it happened to have some bird activity around the back.
Picui Dove
Streaked Flycatcher
One common thing you will see throughout the trip is bird pictures where the bird's mouth is open. You may think this is because I caught them singing or calling, but actually they are panting because it was HOT!
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Common Tody Flycatcher
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
I should have taken pic of the restaurant, because it was one of the nicer ones we visited. We got back on the road for another 3 or so hours drive to Guaramiranga at the Hotel Alto da Serra. We arrived early enough in the afternoon to bird the hotel a bit and then up the slope for some quick stops before dinner in town. Guaramiranga is at about 865 meters elevation (2837 feet) and is near to Pico Alto (3655 feet) which is the highest elevation spot in the state of Ceara.
Guianan Tyrannulet - as the name implies this tyrannulet is found further north in Guiana but it spills over into northeast Brazil.
Red-necked Tanager - this eye-popping tanager is mostly found in the Atlantic forests of the southeast of Brazil, but we caught them in their northern limits here.
Blue Dacnis
Versicolored Emerald
In the little town of Guaramiranga, we stopped at a little pond.
Masked Duck! This was a long overdue lifer for me. And a drake at close range to boot!
Yellow-chevroned Parakeets destroying this local's banana crop.
We headed further up the slope and stopped at an overlook which provided some eye-level views of a roving flock.
Golden-crowned Warbler
Short-crested Flycatcher
Variable Antshrike - a widespread species but the best looks I ever had up to now.
Zone-tailed Hawk
Red-necked Tanager
Blue Dacnis
Social Flycatcher
Burnished-buff Tanager
Gray-breasted Parakeet!! This was the biggest target bird for this area and in fact has a tiny range centered here. They have a Threatened status per IUCN criteria and are the benefactor of some serious efforts to protect them including the building of nest boxes. There is a hotel up the slope from Guaramiranga where seemingly the whole population of these birds hangs out. This is where we ended our birding for the day before heading down to Guaramiranga for dinner.
Pale-breasted Thrush
Gould's Toucanet! This bonus bird was calling as the sun began to set and we were able to entice it in.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel and settled in for the night. I went to sleep listening to a pair of Spectacled Owls outside the hotel room. Don't worry dear readers, we would meet this owl again the next night.
