Early Bird!

FEBRUARY  16^th

An early start was the order of the day. A trip with Becca into the Atlantic Forest with locating the Capuchin Monkeys on top of the priority list...with the odd bird thrown in along the way!

As I was walking along the dirt track a woodpecker was seen in silhouette and was not identified. Further down the tracka  Potoo made two low sweeps across the road and then disappeared from view. That’s a good start to the day I thought to myself!

Becca found a Pale Crested and a Robust Woodpecker who both seemed to be enjoying each others company. Perhaps birding is beginning to rub off on her!

(Pale-crested Woodpecker)

(Robust Woodpecker)

A Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture was added to the trip list before we visited the feeding platform but sadly the monkeys were not playing ball today.  I kept a party of birds busy with playback which had a Ferruginous Pygmy-owl join in with the chorus line.

(Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture)

Once back at the base Mark told me he had seen a flock Great Egret over the lagoon early morning. The rain clouds were gathering and a walk around the lagoon was postponed as the heavens opened mid afternoon! Once the weather had cleared I grabbed Jo and off I went to the lagoon for the close of the days play. The flock of Great Egret obligingly re-appeared at the E end of the lagoon. I managed to photograph the Striated Heron who attempted to play hide and seek with me before returning to the reed-bed. A Neotropical Cormorant seemed to be having difficulties drying its wings as it bobbed about on the water.

(Striated Heron)

A night out with the gang in Santa Barbra closed the day off. The price of beer is stupidly cheap here 12,000G for a litre bottle of Brazillian beer and it wasn’t bad either!