We were woken by a cacophony of sound as the Wood-rails, Chachalacas and Guans began to stir, luring us out despite the darkness. We set off for a walk around the gardens at 6am, not travelling far, but finding plenty of birds. There was a feeding station situated close to the rooms, where the Guans and Chachalacas roamed freely, whilst a great congregation of doves, Grey Baywings and Chopi Blackbirds and Shiny Cowbirds gathered to feed on the food supplied. A Crested Oropenola dropped in to a nearby tree to join the melee.
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| Chaco Chacalacas |
In the trees, several noisy Thrush-like Wrens gathered, and a Red-billed Scythebill showed rather better than yesterday, alighting on a post in an open space. Several Chesnut-billed Aracaris flew in to the trees near the feeders, but did not come down.
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| Chestnut-billed Aracari |
After breakfast we set off for a walk on a trail around the grounds. We were pleased to see a family group of raccoon-like Coati Mundis coming out of a nearby tree. We had seen a single animal disappear into the vegetation, but some walkers on the other path gradually flushed them and we were astonished to see around nine of these lovely mammals skip out and head off into the distance. Later we also spotted an Agouti, like an enormous Guinea Pig, which appeared on the lawn for a few moments before retreating.
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| Coati Mundi |
On the bird front, a Black-tailed Tityra showed very well, lingering at the top of a bare tree, colours gleaming in the bright sunshine. In some pine trees we watched Chopi Blackbirds, Purrplish Jay and Saffron Finches feeding, and several pairs of Thrush-like Wren appeared to be nesting here too. Suddenly a pair of Toucans flew into the tree right in front of us, and we were able to watch them feeding for several minutes. Despite their large bills, they appeared to be stripping the outer parts off the tree fruit and dropping them to the floor, then throwing their heads back to toss down the fruit inside. The other striking observation was the translucency of their bills in the sunshine. It felt a privilege to observe this behaviour and they were absolutely stunning birds, with their huge size and beautiful colours.
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| Black-tailed Tityra |
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| Toco Toucan |
We continued on through a narrow woodland path. Branco pointed out a tree with a symbiotic relationship with wood ants, and made a small incision in the bark to demonstrate how this worked. Continuing on our way, a Yellow-billed Flatbill was in a pathside tree and a beautifully marked Lizard crept through the vegetation. Back at the accommodation, a pair of Chalk-browed Mockingbirds foraged on the open ground.
Before long, it was time to set out for our transfer to our next accommodation at Chapada dos Guimares, moving slowly down the track to savour our last views of the marshland birds, especially the gorgeous Spoonbills. We stopped at Pocone on the way for lunch and to drop off our excellent local guide Branco, who had been with us throughout the trip. We took in a local festival with Branco, a horseback battle of sorts between the Moors and the Christians, although we didn’t really see any action beyond horses and riders in fancy attire parading around the grounds, but it was a colourful and exciting affair with a flamboyant atmosphere.
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| Roseate Spoonbill |
We had a couple of stops on the way for a White Woodpecker on a field side post, but unfortunately at some distance, and a rather more obliging Great Potoo blending surreptitiously into a branch hanging over the road. The scenery in Chapada dos Guimares was spectacular, with towering sandstone cliffs a blaze of burnt orange in the late afternoon night. We finally arrived at the national park as dusk was descending, disturbing a number of Pauraque from the track as we approached our accommodation, catching good views in the headlights.
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| Great Potoo |
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| Chapada dos Guimares |
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