(tour: FON/BR-4A, '12)





Brazilian Merganser

During this tour, among the gems in Minas Gerais that we'll seek 
will be avian endemics and specialties.

Among them, the rare Brazilian Merganser
(we've seen it during this tour in the past - one time as many as 7.)


And others including the Cipo Canastero, Brasilia Tapaculo, 
Three-toed Jacamar, and Cock-tailed Tyrant. 


Also during this tour, there should be 
an assortment of Mammals.
Among those previously, and to be expected during this tour:  
Maned Wolf, Giant Anteater, and various monkeys,
including the Northern Muriqui,
the largest primate, other than Man, in the New World. 

Giant Anteater 

Tour to be led by Armas Hill, who has traveled & birded in Brazil 
many times, with 50 visits to the country, since 1982.

Links:

Itinerary   (price follows):

Mon: Oct 29  Departure from North America, or elsewhere. International overnight flight to Brazil, to Sao Paulo.

Tue: Oct 30  Arrival in Sao Paulo, Brazil. From there, a connecting flight to Belo Horizonte, or arrival there, if possible, on an international flight directly from the U.S. 
Belo Horizonte is in Minas Gerais, the largest state in Brazil, and where we'll be spending this entire tour. Travel, from the airport, to the area of the Serra do Cipo National Park. Overnight at pleasant accommodations, near the park entrance.

Wed: Oct 31  Exploration in the area of the Serra do Cipo National Park. The higher parts of the park are true campo habitat. The lower parts are a mixture of cerrado and gallery forest - with some spectacular waterfalls and gorges. And, yes, some very interesting birds. Among them, 4 Brazilian endemics: the hummingbird known as the Hyacinth Visorbearer, the Gray-backed Tachuri, Buff-throated Pampa-Finch, and the Cipo Canastero. The last of these species was discovered only as recently as 1985.
Some other bird species to be sought in the area include: Lesser Nothura, Long-trained Nightjar, Horned Sungem, Checkered Woodpecker, Serra Antwren, Collared Crescentchest, White-winged Black-Tyrant, and White-naped Jay. Giant Snipe and Cinereous Warbling-Finch occur. The plant-life in the Serra do Cipo area is interesting as well. Overnight, again, by the Serra do Cipo Park entrance.

Thu: Nov 1   After some morning birding, travel back to Belo Horizonte, and then east to the Rio Doce Park, a place with perhaps the largest single tract of Atlantic Forest (the "Mata Atlantica") in southeastern Brazil. There's both primary and secondary forests, with numerous and interesting birds, from the Minute Hermit to the Great Potoo. Golden-capped Parakeet occurs. Overnight either in or close to the park.

Fri: Nov 2   A full-day of birding in and around the Rio Doce Park. More time to look for the specialty birds of the region such as: Crescent-chested Puffbird, Tail-banded Hornero, Black-cheeked Gnateater, and Cinnamon-vented Piha, just to mention a few. Again, an overnight in or near Rio Doce.

Sat: Nov 3  A short-trip, after some morning birding, west, to the Caraca Natural Park, near Belo Horizonte. In a beautiful mountainous region, one of the most idyllic settings in Brazil. Our two overnights at Caraca will be at a monastery. After the sun sets, it'll be worth remembering that Caraca is a famed location for the Maned Wolf. Some of these elegant, shy, and rare animals have come for years, after dark, to the steps of the monastery, where food has been put for them. During the day, one of the nicest of the numerous birds at Caraca should be the exquisite Swallow-tailed Cotinga.

   

Monastery in the hills at Caraca (above)
and Maned Wolf (below) as seen there after dark.
(Both of these photos taken during a FONT tour.)

Sun: Nov 4  A full-day in Caraca National Park, a location exceedingly good for birds. 
Both Brasilia and White-breasted Tapaculos are said to occur. More easily seen are Gray-breasted Sabrewing and an assortment of antbirds (mostly southeast Brazil specialties).  
Also possible is the  Brazilian Laniisoma (a rarity that has been known as the Shrike-like Cotinga).  
Other birds, in their appropriate habitats include: the Red-eyed Thornbird and Streamside Lochmias (a bird that has been known as the Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper). After a nice birding day, another night at the monastery.

Mon: Nov 5  This day, travel west for a very special objective - one of the rarest of the world's birds, the Brazilian Merganser, at a special place, the Serra da Canastra National Park.
Hopefully, we'll see it (the merganser, that is - as we have during 6 FONT tours in the that area, from 1997 thru 2008). We'll certainly try. The entire population of the Brazilian Merganser has recently been estimated at just about 200 birds.
We'll definitely be able to explore and enjoy the pristine grassland habitat, with an assortment of birds and mammals, and with clear streams (favored by the merganser) atop a high plateau. Around the perimeter of the vast plateau there are over two dozen waterfalls, favored by various species of nesting and roosting swifts. The Brazilian Merganser occurs at the top and the bottom of one of those waterfalls. This remote area of Brazil is a tremendous place.
Overnight in the area of Serra da Canastra.

One of the waterfalls at Canastra National Park, 
photographed during the FONT tour 
in Minas Gerais in March 2008. 

Tue: Nov 6  The first of two days in the area of Serra da Canastra. During our previous tours, in this region, in addition to the merganser, we've also seen some other "special birds" such as the: Cock-tailed Tyrant, Sharp-tailed Grass Tyrant, Black-masked Finch, Ochre-bellied Pipit, and Brasilia Tapaculo.

During one of our recent tours in the region, we enjoyed wonderful looks at a pair of Crowned Solitary Eagles. other notable birds such as Red-legged Seriemas, Toco Toucans, White Woodpeckers, and Least Nighthawks were seen in numbers. During another recent tour, the rare Sickle-winged Nightjar was seen.

Canastra National Park is a striking place - as noted, a vast grassland atop a high plateau, where in addition to birds, mammals included the Giant Anteater, Giant Armadillo, and Maned Wolf.

Overnight again in the area of Serra da Canastra.           

A Cock-tailed Tyrant.
photographed during the FONT tour
in Minas Gerais in March 2008.

Wed: Nov 7  Return, during the day, to the Belo Horizonte area, but we'll spend our this, our last night, and following morning, not in the city, but rather a few miles to the south, in a fine hotel atop a forested hill, above one of the most interesting places in Brazil, the historic city of Ouro Preto. 
At the hotel, there will be numerous birds, notably hummingbirds and tanagers.    
    

            

The historic city of Ouro Preto (above). 
And one of the tanagers in the area,
the Brassy-breasted Tanager,
a Brazilian endemic (below)

Thu: Nov 8   After an enjoyable morning in the area of Ouro Preto, a flight in the afternoon from Belo Horizonte to Sao Paulo, to connect to international flight departing Brazil, or, if applicable, an international flight from Brazil departing Brazil.

Fri: Nov 9  Morning arrival (after overnight flight) back in North America.


Or, for those who wish, an Optional Extension to Mato Grosso do Sul for Birds & Animals of the Pantanal:

Thu: Nov 8  Flight(s) from Belo Horizonte to Campo Grande in Mato Grosso do Sul. Overnight in Campo Grande.

Fri: Nov 9  From Campo Grande, we'll travel west into a region rich in wildlife, and especially birds, the Pantanal. We'll be in the southern portion of the Pantanal.

The accommodations and the meals at the lodge, where we'll be staying in the Pantanal, are good indeed, but teh best aspect of the tour would be the close accessibility, when we'll be there, to some spectacular wildlife. Our travel in the Pantanal, in the area of the lodge, would be on vehicles designed for good wildlife observation, during day-trips and night-trips, and by boat. There will be 2 overnights at the lodge.
The lodge where we'll be staying in the Pantanal is about 150 miles from Campo Grande. There will, of course, be birding along the way, both ways, between Campo Grande and the Pantanal.     

Sat: Nov 10 thru Mon: Nov 12  Our diversified experience in the Pantanal, with birds (many birds!) and other nature. There are lists of the birds and other wildlife of the Pantanal (that we have seen during our previous tours) elsewhere in this web-site (see links above).
But, now, we'll note here that just a few of the birds would be: Hyacinth Macaw (the largest macaw in the world). Golden-collared Macaw, Great Rufous Woodcreeper, Red-billed Scythebill, Helmeted Manakin, and the Mato Grosso Antbird.

What can be particularly spectacular are the large concentrations of waterbirds. Ducks can be numerous in certain rice-fields. During our previous tours, we've seen many whistling ducks, comb ducks, and some others, Other aquatic birds, numerous in the Pantanal, would be: egrets, herons, ibises, and storks (Wood and Maguari Storks, and the biggest of all, the Jabiru). Also in the mix would be Limpkins and Roseate Spoonbills.        
Landbirds, in the trees or in the air, would be parrots and parakeets, and raptors of various kinds.

Possible at dusk, and after dark, would be 2 species of Potoos (the Great and the Common), nightjars & nighthawks, and an owl or two. During our previous tours, we've enjoyed tremendous looks, after dark, of Striped Owls and Barn Owls.

Mammals after dark should be those that are common, such as fox and bats, but it has to be noted that there are JAGUARS in the area. 
With good luck, we'll see one .....  as we did in September 2006, August 2007,  March 2009, & August 2011 when we saw that big elusive cat. We'll be making during our stay, if necessary, two night-time excursions for it, and other creatures. Pumas can also be seen (with luck).
During one of our recent tours, we had, during excursions on two nights, nice looks at as many as 7 Ocelots, a Pantanal (formerly Pampas) Cat, 2 Brazilian Tapirs, and a Maned Wolf, in addition to other animals including: Marsh Deer, Crab-eating Fox and Crab-eating Raccoon, and a favorite, the Giant Anteater. During one of our stays at the lodge, we saw as many as 8 Giant Anteaters.
Another anteater, the Tamandua, is also possible. During the day, monkeys and marmosets can be seen in the trees and groups of peccaries can be seen on the ground. Numerous caimans will be in and near the water. And maybe an anaconda, as we've seen in the past.

During our overnights in the Pantanal (and after our evening excursions), we should hear, from the lodge, an assortment of sounds including those of limpkins, owls, potoos, and nightjars. At dawn, howler monkeys.

Our last night (Mon, Nov 12), in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, would be back in the city of Campo Grande. Overnight, there, would be convenient to the airport.             

Tue: Nov 13  The flight from Campo Grande to Sao Paulo, connecting to international overnight flights home from Brazil (arriving in North America the a.m. of Wed: Nov 14).  


Price for the Oct 29 - Nov 8 Tour : US$ 2,895 per person, based upon double-occupancy.
Single supplement (when applicable): US$ 395.

Price for the Mato Grosso do Sul Extension until Nov 13:  US$ 1,695 per person, based upon double occupancy.
Single supplement (if applicable): US$ 265.
   

Includes:   
All overnight accommodations.
All meals.
Ground transportation in Brazil.

Does not include:    
Drinks and any other items of a personal nature.  
International flights to/from Brazil and domestic flights within Brazil.