Brazil Travel Diary - p 219 September 2004
Late this morning another little tanager, Blue-naped Chlorophonia, showed up at the banana tray. Like the euphonias, it's usually found in treetops - this is the first time I've seen them come to bananas.
A bird that one wouldn't expect
at a fruit tray, Blond-crested Woodpecker, visits several times a day. I manage a
photo of the male on the trunk of a papaya tree. Like our Northern (Red-shafted)
Flicker in North America, he sports a red moustache that is absent in the female.
In addition to the feeder birds, the open lawn behind the lodge
showcases lots of flycatchers: Great Kiskadee, Rusty-margined Flycatcher,
White-throated Spadebill, and Gray-hooded Attila. During my first two days here the
weather was cool and overcast, at which time the remarkable Spot-billed Toucanets put in
an appearance They haven't been seen since, although I occasionally hear them
calling. White-tailed Trogon also calls from the forest and once ventured into the
garden. A little Streak-capped Antwren gleans insects in the trees around the
feeder.
20 September 2004
On every trip, I take photos of birds that were not on my "shopping list"
of species that I wanted to photograph. But I just couldn't resist the Masked
Water-Tyrant, who struck a "Hey, look at me!" pose. It's a common
open-country flycatcher in these parts. Two that are regularly seen are building a
nest in an Araucaria (southern hemisphere hoop pine) tree in the garden.
The tree is next to the swimming pool, so I suppose it's natural that a water-tyrant,
usually found near water, should choose it.
20 September 2004
The lodge bird list includes an impressive 14 hummingbirds, 7 of which are endemic
to the Atlantic Rainforest. Although Andy maintains sugar-water feeders around the
garden, the most colorful hummers, including Violet-capped Woodnymph, Saw-billed Hermit,
and Brazilian Ruby, are, to be honest, not very cooperative. More obliging are the
two common ones, both endemic: the all-too-aptly named Sombre Hummingbird and the
Black Jacobin. The latter has some iridescence on his wings, but really does look
all black, except of course for that white tail, which it flashes to great advantage when
feeding or threatened by the Sombre. All in all, a very handsome bird.