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This Black-eared Fairy was constructing a nest at Virua National Park. Photo by guide Micah Riegner.

The state of Roraima in northern Brazil is a land of biotic extremes: a Tepui archipelago in sea of palm-ribboned savannas, cerrados, campinas, and majestic hardwood forest. For several years Bret and I have talked (dreamed) of scouting out this remarkable corner of Brazil and this year we did just that, along with 10 other lucky birders. We drove through some awe-inspiring landscapes, saw some impressive birds, overshot a couple turnoffs (we eventually got to where we needed to go!) and managed to keep our feet dry most of the time, despite the paucity of dry land due to a prolonged rainy season. The trip was punctuated by many highlights; we were dazzled by a male Ruby Topaz, bewildered by whirling flocks of Tepui Swifts over Serra do Tepequem, and stunned by the crisp white dots lining the undertail of Rio Branco Antbird!

Our adventure began in the city of Boa Vista, where we birded some gallery woodland on the outskirts of town. Lesser Horneros patrolled the wet grass while White-chinned Swifts streamed by overhead, probably on their way to roosting sites in the mountains. The next morning, we shot north on the BR-174 through flat, flooded savannas where Bret called out a Bearded Tachuri (the brevipennis form, that is), a tough-to-see tyrannic of pristine grasslands. Our stop along the Rio Uraricuera was extremely productive. It didn’t take long before we had Hoary-throated Spinetail, Slate-headed Tody-tyrant, Fuscous Flycatcher and Flavescent Warbler too close for binos! Continuing north toward Serra do Tepequem, the marshes were dotted with Jabirus, Whistling Ducks, and the occasional Savanna Hawk.

Serra do Tepequem was delightful, to say the least. We struggled getting through our first lunch there because we were continually interrupted by Sooty-capped Hermit, Red-shouldered Macaws, and Tepui Swifts swooping low right in front of us! At Mirante da Paiva, the edge of the plateau, the fog lifted exposing a tremendous gorge and rolling forested hills as far as the eye could see. Mike spotted a pair of Red-and-green Macaws eating clay; they were mere specks on a distant cliff. That same afternoon we were surprised to find a Tiny Hawk, which was just fabulous through the scope. We could even see that dark red eye. Tepequem turned out to be fabulous for raptors. The following day we saw Short-tailed Hawk, a dark morph White-tailed Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawks, Double-toothed Kite, and over 60 Swallow-tailed Kites streaming overhead.

Our original plan was to leave Tepequem and arrive in Boa Vista in time for lunch and continue to Caracarai, but that didn’t quite happen as there was just too much to see, so we ate at a little restaurant off the BR-174. Our first stop along the Rio Amajari yielded Azure Gallinule, a Hoatzin on a nest, and close views of Cinereous Becard. Farther along, we came across our first of 7 Giant Anteaters traversing the open Cerrado grasslands and a pair of Sharp-tailed Ibis, a bird we had been hoping to find.

Our time in Caracarai was split between visits to Virua National Park and boat trips on the mighty Rio Branco. Our first morning we drove down the Estrada Perdida or the “Lost Road.” It was constructed as the original path of the BR-174 linking Manaus to Boa Vista but was abandoned because of flooding and loss of construction equipment. Turns out it’s great for birding! As soon as we got out of the van we heard the distinctive song of White-naped Seedeater, a bird only known from campinas (white sand savannas) of Brazil and Venezuela. Bret called it in and we could even see the little white crescent below the eye. We also flushed a White-tailed Nightjar in our attempts to see the seedeater. On our way back for lunch we stopped to check out three large birds that were on the road ahead of us. They were Crestless Curassows! We piled out of the van and saw them through the scope before they ducked into the vegetation. Virua is probably the best place to see this elusive cracid of northern South America.

We decided to take two boat trips on the Rio Branco for two reasons: because few birders have spent much time on the Branco and because boat trips are a fun, relaxing way to see a lot of birds. Our first trip we went upstream from Caracarai on a clunky blue boat dragging 2 voadeiras (metal motor boats). We explored a narrow igarape (creek) where we had encounters with Dot-backed Antbird and Striped Woodcreeper. We then swung around to an island where we saw the first Scarlet Macaws of the trip and a group of Bare-necked Fruitcrows with impressive blue facial skin. On our second boat trip we ended up just taking the voadeiras downstream, to visit some islands where we saw Lesser Wagtail-Tyrant, Amazonian Umbrellabirds, White-bellied Piculet, and Klages’s Antwren.

For many of us, the highlight of the trip was seeing the Rio Branco Antbird. It was a bird we looked for all morning on our first boat trip, but just couldn’t find it. That afternoon we walked a side road near the bridge at Caracarai and, sure enough, we found a pair that put on quite the show—white dots and all. Not only that, we even found the nest, a small woven cup above the water. Bret waded into the water up to his waist in order to get some close-up shots of it because it’s probably undescribed.

Our final morning of birding around Caracarai found us along the Estrada Cujubim, a dirt road winding through a variety of habitat types. The best bird of the morning was Willis’s Antbird, actually, three of them foraging close to the ground. We even saw one catch a moth. After packing up, we drove back to Boa Vista and concluded the tour in Manaus the following day.

Despite all that water we had to work around, we pulled off a smooth, dry, trip. Special thanks to Elias for helping with the food shopping, Paulo for showing us around, Gerusa for preparing some delicious meals, and Carlos for getting us where we needed to go, even if that meant looking for onion fields outside of Boa Vista. Bret and I would like to thank you all, too, for joining us on this adventure. We had a fabulous time and look forward to birding with you again.

Até logo!

Micah

KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant

Birding at Serra do Tepequem. Photo by guide Bret Whitney.

Sharp-tailed Ibis is a strange-looking bird and the only member of its genus. It occurs in savannas throughout northern South America. We were lucky to see a pair along the drive back from Tepequem. Bret managed to snap this photo as they flew along the road.

This Red-shouldered Macaw was right outside the restaurant at Tepequem. Photo by guide Micah Riegner.

This Golden-headed Manakin was feeding on small Melastome fruits off the side of the road. Photo by guide Bret Whitney.

White-naped Seedeaters only occur in Campinas. We were eye to eye with this bird along the Estrada Perdida at Virua National Park. Photo by guide Bret Whitney.

This Linnaeus's Mouse Opossum was seen on our night walk at Virua National Park. These diminutive marsupials feed on fruit, insects, and whatever else they can catch. This one froze right in front of us allowing us to get close-up views. Photo by guide Micah Riegner.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Totals for the tour: 326 bird taxa and 13 mammal taxa