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Cock-tailed Tyrants are restricted to native grasslands and although we enjoyed good looks at them on the main tour, it was on the extension that we were able to really spend time appreciating their uniqueness. Photo by guide Marcelo Padua.

It definitely rained on our parade this year. Some heavy rains just before our extension and a little more while we were at Canastra actually made for some terrible conditions for Mergansers, as they tend to move into smaller streams under these circumstances and become hard to find. So my worst fear came true and we could not find a single Merganser to put on our list (first time ever!), but we did not make the long trip to Canastra in vain, as our time spent here had some spectacular scenery, fabulous food, amazing wildflowers and some incredible birds to keep us entertained while were there.

We arrived at the small town of Sao Roque de Minas with a bang, for we saw a pair of Chaco Eagles perched right by the road and enjoyed great looks at them before they flew off and were chased by the bravest Kestrel I have ever seen. Our first lodge had the rare Stripe-breasted Starthroat in the garden, and the upper reaches of the park provided views of goodies such as Ochre-breasted Pipit, Cock-tailed Tyrants right outside the window of the car, and the scarce Tawny-headed Swallows going in and out of their nest. There was also a Brasilia Tapaculo that paraded in the open in front of a perplexed bunch of birders. Our visit to the lower area of the Canastra region was spent mostly scanning the river, but we had great looks at a number of birds while doing it, including Helmeted and Pin-tailed Manakins, among others. Our second lodge provided a taste of some of the best home cooked meals in Brazil, but also produced range restricted goodies such as Rufous-capped Motmot and Golden-Capped Parakeet.

Missing the Merganser was a hard hit for me, but I think every one of us can agree that it was all worth it, and given the chance we would do it all again.

All the best,

-Marcelo Padua

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

Chaco Eagles are scarce anywhere they occur and seeing them is a rare treat, so we were very pleased to find a pair of birds perched right by the road on our way to Canastra. Photo by guide Marcelo Padua.

Tapaculos are notorious for being shy and hard to see, but I guess this Brazilia Tapaculo did not get the memo. Photo by participant Rick Thompson.

Inga trees are the next best thing after a hummingbird feeder, and this Swallow-tailed Hummingbird was just one of a few species that were visiting this tree at Canastra. Photo by guide Marcelo Padua.

This Chalk-browed Mockingbird had found something juicy to feed on and was strategizing on how to break it up. Photo by participant Rick Thompson.

The landscape at Canastra is one of the high points and we enjoyed great wildflowers, beautiful vistas and rocky outcrops that looked like massive gardens. Here a part of our group enjoys the views of the Casca D’anta Waterfall. Photo by guide Marcelo Padua.

Toco Toucans are always fun and even after seeing many of them on the main tour we remained intrigued by their flamboyant presence. Photo by guide Marcelo Padua.

Saffron Finches are very widespread and their plumage varies quite a bit. The birds we saw at Canastra belong to the brasiliensis subspecies. Photo by participant Rick Thompson.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Totals for the tour: 125 bird taxa and 2 mammal taxa