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September, 2018 was to be “all-on Manaus” for me and Marcelo Barreiros, as we geared up for the first of two back-to-back tours in the heart of the Amazon. Our first group outing was a leisurely afternoon birding walk around the grounds of the lovely old Tropical Hotel, where we were pleased to spot a lingering (austral winterer) White-throated Kingbird and, right at the close of the walk, a Variable Chachalaca that posed for excellent views. A couple of our folks who had come in a day early had also seen some Brazilian Bare-faced Tamarins on the hotel grounds that morning. The Adolfo Ducke Reserve, at the northeast edge of Manaus, was our opening forest venue, and it was a beauty! Four species of toucans showed up at fruiting trees right at the entrance, including Green Aracari and Guianan Toucanet, and a handsome pair of Black-spotted Barbets joined them as Red-bellied Macaws streamed by overhead. Farther along the road we were treated to exceptional views of a pair of Marail Guans that sat for the scopes, a couple of Caica Parrots that came in to recording playback (always great to see perched!), a brilliant Yellow-billed Jacamar perched low for a couple of minutes of admiration, a silent Guianan Puffbird, a singing Amazonian Pygmy-Owl being mobbed by a Tiny Tyrant-Manakin, Chestnut and Golden-green woodpeckers, White-eyed Tody-Tyrant, Painted Tody-Flycatcher, and several very cooperative Yellow-green Grosbeaks. In a class by itself was a Variegated Tinamou that suddenly dashed out into the middle of the road to grab a large insect it had spotted running along, allowing those that were immediately aware of the bird’s actions to get an extraordinary view of it. But the crown jewel that morning was a young Harpy Eagle that stayed put just long enough for everyone to get it, before it winged away into the forest!

A very early start from the hotel next morning enabled us to get to the famed INPA tower, some 50 kilometers north of Manaus, near daybreak despite the fairly nasty (but mostly dry) dirt road. Before we even headed in on the trail, we were stopped by the loud, ringing notes of a Red-billed Woodcreeper! It was fabulous to pick that one up, as we’d not even heard it at Ducke. That morning atop the tower was glorious, highlighted by a trio of Red-fan Parrots and some Dusky Parrots perched in great light; super-close Guianan Toucanets (and loads of other species) in a fruiting tree right beside the tower; a couple of mixed-species flocks that yielded a properly impressive Curve-billed Scythebill, Guianan Woodcreeper (split of Lineated Woodcreeper complex), Olive-green and Guianan tyrannulets, Spangled and Pompadour cotingas, Ash-winged, Pygmy, and Spot-backed antwrens plus excellent views of such upper-canopy waifs as Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, Buff-cheeked Greenlet, and even a Dotted Tanager! En route north to the little town of Presidente Figueiredo, we stopped to scope a pair of Point-tailed Palmcreepers and several Sapphire-rumped Parrotlets, and also enjoy some other birds around an extensive grove of Mauritia palms. Then, following an over-flowing lunch spread (we were more than ready for it, having had breakfast absurdly early!) and check-in at Mari Mari, our home for four nights, it was time to meet one of the world’s great birds: Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, on its home turf. We made the short hike into the display area of the birds, crossing the beautiful, blackwater creek (great for a cool dip on a hot afternoon) on a brand-new footbridge. Minutes later we were thrilling to the sight of 6-8 male birds at and below eye-level only a few yards away! Back at the lodge dining area, we discovered that the açai palms were loaded with ripe fruit, attracting many birds, including four species of toucans, more cocks-of-the-rock including a number of immatures, and both Spangled and Purple-breasted cotingas! That show was truly spectacular, all four days of our visit (and it continued even into the second tour, a couple of weeks later).

Birding is excellent around Presidente Figueiredo, especially along several well-developed trails inside tall forest that eventually lead to hidden waterfalls. Also important for birding are some “campinarana” and “campina” woodlands, which are low-stature habitats growing on sand and often somewhat flooded owing to a layer of bedrock just beneath the lichen-covered and grassy ground layer. Mention of some of the best birds we encountered in the area must include a shy but cooperative Black-faced Hawk, a stunning male Crimson Topaz (check out the video, below!), a diminutive Golden-spangled Piculet and a massive Red-necked Woodpecker, wonderful encounters with Blue-and-yellow, Scarlet, and Red-and-green macaws, Bronzy Jacamar, Ferruginous-backed Antbird (so close!), a handsome male Chestnut-belted Gnateater, a Rufous-tailed Xenops, a nesting Whiskered Flycatcher, the little-known Pelzeln’s Tody-Tyrant, great views of a rarely seen Pale-bellied Mourner, Saffron-crested Tyrant-Manakin, dancing Golden-headed Manakins, shy Black Manakins, Cocoa and Black-billed thrushes, a thoroughly delightful Musician Wren, and both sexes of Red-shouldered Tanager. Sadly, we were unable to get a Capuchinbird into view, and Guianan Red-Cotinga was equally uncooperative – both were heard in the distance a couple of times, but refused to budge.

We made it back to Manaus in time to board the Tumbira mid-afternoon, and got settled into our rooms right away – pure happiness! It is so satisfying to unpack knowing you won’t have to repack for over a week! As we steamed up the great Rio Negro, at a point where the river is more than 10 kilometers wide(!), we chatted with our trusty guide, Rafael, and had a meet-and-greet with the 7-person crew of the Tumbira, with a briefing on how everything works on the boat, safety on board, etc. Caipirinhas on the house helped us get in the spirit of this wonderful river adventure. Our first outing came right after dinner, when we loaded into the “canoes” (two long, wooden boats with outboard motors) for a spotlighting foray on a small tributary to the east bank of the Negro. As we motored quietly past a small village beneath a black, starry sky, we were awed by the sight of a tremendous storm on the horizon, with great flashes and flickers of lightning illuminated billowing thunderheads every couple of seconds. We soon had Band-tailed nighthawks perched just a meter off the water, then spotted some impressive amphibians: a Gladiator Treefrog, an enormous Cane (Marine) Toad, and a beautiful Smoky Jungle Frog. Some kind of a possum scampered away before we could identify it. The highlight of the evening was a Sungrebe we found on its night roost, a couple of feet above the water. The lobed, and sharply banded feet of Sungrebes are amazing! With that storm possibly approaching, we thought it prudent to head back to the Mothership, and we made it in good time. We motored through much of the night to reach our birding destination for tomorrow morning.

We awoke, at about 04:30, deep within the Anavilhanas archipelago, which now forms Anavilhanas National Park. I showed everyone a satellite image of our position in the labyrinth of islands, which was very impressive. First on the docket was a predawn attempt for Spectacled Owl, then a look at the two species of Band-tailed Nighthawks that are breeding side-by-side in this region. We scored big on both of those goals, and I must say, our view of a pair of Spectacled Owls sitting side-by-side and singing in the spotlights was absolutely the best, most satisfying view I have ever had of that great bird – and I have seen a lot of them over the years (check out the video, below)! We were back to the Tumbira and up on the top deck for a 5:45 breakfast, which was perfectly timed to accompany the dawning of the day. Festive Parrots were calling and flying all around, and we saw several other birds from our elevated “floating tower” perch. Several Crestless Currasows boomed in the still-dark forest, but we were not quite lucky enough to get to see one.

Going ashore, we soon discovered that the islands had very recently been exposed by the dropping level of the Rio Negro, but it turned out to be just dry enough for easy walking with rubber boots. Slowly but steadily, a fine set of birds, some of them river-island specialists, came by or responded to recordings, allowing everyone to get a good view of almost all of the numerous species around us. Before it became light enough to see well in that tall, rather dark forest understory, a male Wire-tailed Manakin magically appeared on a thin branch only a few feet from us. It turned out to be a big day for those manakins, as they were fired and wired up, quite vocal, and doing some display posturing at several points along our walk. Among several antbirds were Blackish-gray Antshrike, Klages’s Antwren, Leaden Antwren, and Black-chinned Antbird, and we saw Black-crested Antshrike, Klages’s Antwren, and Ash-breasted Antbird even better that afternoon. It was perfect to get to study the very similar Straight-billed and Zimmer’s woodcreepers within the span of a few moments, and Rusty-backed and Speckled spinetails got us out of the blocks on the island furnariid list. Both Varzea Schiffornis and Scale-breasted Woodpecker materialized out of the woodwork, “on demand”. Two great hummers in there were Streak-throated Hermit and Blue-chinned Sapphire. We had so much fun playing in the mud!

That afternoon was really fun as well. After motoring smoothly through the maze of Anavilhanas islands, we made our way across the Negro to the west-bank town of Novo Airão, where most of the traditional river boats around Manaus, including the Tumbira, were built. Here we visited a floating dock where some 15 individual Amazon River Dolphins (aka Pink River Dolphins, Inia geoffrensis) have become habituated to receive fish-feedings at regular hours on 3-4 days each week. It was a fantastic experience to see them up close and even touch their “beaks”, under the tutelage of a local professional guide. This project has become important in involving the local people in preservation of the animals, and we were delighted to contribute to it. Immediately after that, we transited around to a small tributary of the Negro to reach a spot where a family of Spix’s Night Monkeys have a diurnal roost in a big, hollow tree. Sure enough, at least two were there, but only one of them was curious enough to keep looking back at us as the cameras clicked. Our final outing that busy day was back on the Anavilhanas, where we made a late-afternoon canoe trip that was highlighted by a pair of Giant Otters cavorting along the edge of the lake, and the above-mentioned antbirds.

That night we moved a long distance up the Negro, to put us into position for a dawn breakfast on the top deck at the mouth of the Rio Jaú. As we munched on fresh fruits and pão de queijo (cheese bread), dozens of Large-billed and Yellow-billed terns and a few Black Skimmers flew around the boat, calling, anxiously awaiting the river to drop and expose sandbars where they could begin nesting. Both Amazonian River Dolphin and the smaller Tucuxis were feeding in the shallows around the boat. Soon we had signed in at the guard station at the entrance to Jaú National Park. With everyone present on the top deck, we motored smoothly upriver, scanning the banks for toucans, raptors, macaws, and other birds. Our first stop was less than an hour ahead, in chavascal woodland, which is characterized by low-stature forest with lots of thin trees but low species diversity growing in terrain that is flooded by the blackwater Rio Jaú for much of the year. Before long we had our bin’s on a lovely pair of Amazonian Antshrikes (gray-crowned subspecies cinereiceps), followed by Lafresnaye’s Piculets, a Brown-headed Greenlet that cooperated beautifully but didn’t stay quite long enough for everyone to get it, a brief look at a female Ruby Topaz (rare in Jau), a Yellow-crowned Manakin that did sit nicely, and finally a fine view of the undescribed sister-species of Pelzeln’s Tody-Tyrant inhabiting the right bank of the Rio Negro, which is always challenging to spot. Also exciting there were some Giant Otters that coughed and snorted at us for a couple of minutes at very close range – a real treat to encounter this iconic Amazonian beast twice on our tour!

We then continued our way upriver, actually moving along quite quickly owing to water levels in the park being higher than average for the date. There was a bit too much rain for productive birding that afternoon, so we gathered in the dining room where I gave a short talk on the origins of the Amazonian avifauna, and current distribution patterns that must have been shaped in large measure by certain paleohistorical events. Fortunately, the rain let up sufficiently for us to go ashore in search of Rufous Potoo, and, after a fair amount of reconnaissance, we did indeed find a bird on a foraging perch that sat nicely for prolonged scope views. A White-winged Potoo reluctantly called a few times, but we couldn’t get it to come into the dead snags we had chosen for perches, and it thus remained out of sight. Another day and half in Jau produced most of our hoped-for targets, especially Tawny-tufted Toucanet, Ocellated and Bar-bellied woodcreepers, Cherrie’s Antwren, and the rarely seen Para (Rio Negro) Gnatcatcher.

Departing Jau National Park, we traveled through the night en route to the Rio Solimoes, which is the name for the Amazon River upriver of its confluence with the Rio Negro. We lost an hour or so to an engine problem, but our crew did a good job of keeping us on course for this important day of whitewater island birding. There was more than enough water in the big rivers to make for an easy passage through the shortcut between Manaus and the Solimoes at Marchantaria Island, and we had fun birding from the top deck at dawn, with everyone spotting new birds on all sides. Before long we had completed the rather narrow crossing to the upstream end of huge Marchantaria Island, which is among the richest birding islands in all of Amazonia. Much of the land there had only recently been exposed by the dropping river levels, so we had some rather tricky walking to do in that fresh mud. Despite the limited walking area, we managed to pick up most of the island specialist birds during the course of the day, including lots of Short-tailed Parrots and Tui and White-winged parakeets, Green-throated Mango, Black-and-white Antbird, Lesser Hornero, White-bellied, Dark-breasted and Parker’s spinetails, River Tyrannulet, Island Fuscous Flycatcher (subspecies fuscatior), and Bicolored and Pearly-breasted conebills, with a pair of Chestnut-vented there making it a three-conebill morning! We had lunch over the fabled Meeting of the Waters, where the Solimoes is joined by the Negro to form the Amazon River, which flows some 1200 kilometers to the Atlantic Ocean. Rafael gave us an informative summary of the river dynamics at this amazing spot, explaining how the differences in water temperature (a function of turbidity determined by sediment loads), acidity levels, and speed of flow, among other factors, delays thorough mixing of the waters for some 400 kilometers downriver.

We anchored off of Manaus that evening and awoke early the next day to visit the new MUSA (Museum of the Amazon) tower in a corner of the Ducke Reserve. A couple of hours up there, broken by a fairly hard but passing rainstorm, was quite good, producing scope views of many birds including a young Ornate Hawk-Eagle Marcelo spotted, Black-bellied Cuckoo, Amazonian Pygmy-Owl, Golden-collared and Red-necked woodpeckers, Caica and Red-fan parrots, excellent views of Black-banded Woodcreeper, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, and a greatly appreciated Dotted Tanager at spot-on range. The tower was a fitting close to our birding. That afternoon found us downtown to visit the beautiful Manaus Opera House, with a final checklist session and dinner back on the Tumbira. After some time to pack up, we made a leisurely transfer to the airport for flights home.

Marcelo and I had a wonderful time birding with you all, and we thank you very much for joining us for Rio Negro Paradise: Manaus, we hope to see you back in Brazil for more great birding adventures! Marcelo will send out our birdlist with some excellent imagery very soon!

Com grandes abraços – Bret and Marcelo

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

Agami Heron by tour participant Myles McNally.

The group having a good time during a canoe trip. Photo by participant Myles McNally.

Black-spotted Barbet, male, by participant Myles McNally.

This female Green Aracari was coming to the açai palms at Mari Mari. Photo by participant Myles McNally.

Short-tailed Parrots were abundant on Marchantaria Island, but hard to see in leafy treetops! Myles McNally managed this nice shot of a pair.

Ferruginous-backed Antbird - one of the greatest antbirds seen on our tour. Photo by tour participant Myles McNally.

Chestnut-belted Gnateater, to perfection! Photo by tour participant Myles McNally.

Variegated Flycatcher, by participant Myles McNally.

Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock is a virtual "guarantee" on this tour! Photo by participant Myles McNally.

Spotted Tanager, by participant Myles McNally.

Dotted Tanager - one of the "mega" tour highlights! A beautiful male perched for a couple of minutes close to the MUSA tower. Photo by participant Myles McNally.

Several Amazon River Dolphins have become habituated to receiving meals for a couple of hours a day on 3-4 days a week, when local people and tourists have a chance to experience them up close like this. Photo by participant Myles McNally.

Portrait of a Giant Otter, by participant Myles McNally.

This Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth was hanging out on Marchantaria Island. Photo by tour participant Myles McNally.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Totals for the tour: 408 bird taxa and 15 mammal taxa