If you have read these web postings of mine before, you will surely remember that Brazil is my favorite S. American country for travel and birding. So when the opportunity arose to spend Christmas week at a remote rain-forest lodge, my friend Virginia and I began working with Field Guides leaders and friends, Bret Whitney and Marcelo Padua, to add some extra days at two of the less frequently visited national parks. They put together an entirely new trip, called “Backcountry Brazil”, which was quickly filled with 6 other birders keen to hit some of the more remote corners of this vast and varied country. We would follow that with “Christmas at Rio Roosevelt”, another trip which was sold out way in advance.
The first part of the trip took us to Serra da Canastra National Park. With 150,000 acres, Canastra is one of the most biologically important and beautiful of Brazil’s parks. The “serras” (hills/plateaus) offer access to vast areas of “cerrado” habitat: open grasslands with few or no trees and shrubs, as well as rocky areas which are also grassy but which support a variety of woody, fire-resistant plants. Several of the birds which we hoped to see there are dependent upon the periodically fire-ravaged grasslands for their preferred breeding habitat. At the foot of the serras there are semi-humid forests to be explored as well.
In order to reach Canastra, we flew non-stop from Atlanta to Brasilia, and then on to Belo Horizonte, the capitol of the state of Minas Gerais. It was a long drive from there west to the park, but as you will see from the following photos, the scenery, plants, animals and birds were stunning.
Encounters with three species here stand out in my memory. First, the Brazilian Merganser, a critically endangered species with an estimated population of less than 250. Canastra National Park is a stronghold for “the duck”, as we came to refer to it, and so we were hopeful that we would find one or two. However, on a previous trip here, Marcelo had searched high and low for three days and never found a single bird, so our fingers were definitely crossed. On our first, gorgeous, sun-filled day atop the plateau, we birded as we drove along the dirt track, but there was an urgency in Bret’s approach, as he was eager to get to the end of the plateau before 9:30. Local observers had told him that a pair might often be seen in the pool at the top of a large waterfall before the time of morning when the first visitors get to that spot. (By the way, we did not see another person up there during out visit – it was delightful to have it all to ourselves!) As we approached the pool in our 4WD vehicles, 2 faint specks slowly became, maybe, possibly…yesss, “the ducks”! We pulled up to get scopes on them and proceeded to enjoy our good fortune for a long, long time.
We later saw a family of 6 more sunning themselves on sandbanks in the lower part of the river. “I’d rather be lucky than good”, as Bill often says, and we were indeed lucky to see 8 of these rare birds.
The wildflowers were lovely, and commanded attention too, but the “critters” really grabbed me. I had always wanted to see a Giant Anteater in its habitat, and the plateau offered many opportunities for just that. Though I had seen one on a previous trip to Brazil in the forest north of Manaus, I hadn’t yet had a clear view of the whole animal. Well, this trip certainly made up for that! We were able to watch individuals tracking and feeding on ants and termites in the waving grasses – difficult at times to tell fore and aft of the animal, though the chest pattern is quite handsome and the tail looks like a hair-extension for grass.
Then, third but not least, we really got lucky with sightings of two Maned Wolves in the dwindling light just after sunset. The first loped across the road and jumped up onto a rocky outcrop nearby, giving us a full profile before it turned its head to assess its observers, then bounding down and off on the other side of the rocks. Wow! What a perfect and thrilling encounter! Its long, black-stockinged legs and black mane were stand-out features, as were its piercing eyes. But then, a few minutes later, a second wolf was spotted trotting along in the grass on the right side of the road! This one had a noticeably long, white tip to its tail. It too gave us a long, hard look before disappearing, silently, into the night. Alas, given the lack of light, I knew could not get any photos, and that realization meant that I could just sit back and absorb the magical views of two very special beasts. These animals are solitary except in breeding season, and require large, uninterrupted ranges for their nocturnal hunting. They are threatened both by hunting and loss of habitat.
Meanwhile, back to the birds and other animals on the plateau. Here are a few of the many species I was able to photograph. Needless to say, the flora and fauna were spectacular and I hated to leave!
Our drive around the bottom of the serras brought us close to one of the lower entrances to the park, and to a new and special pousada as well. Here, in the moist forests, we enjoyed wonderful hospitality and more special birds and animals. At the end of our 2 night stay, we said farewell to Canastra, and I was sorry to leave, but I had a feeling that our next venue, Chapada dos Veadeiros, would be an adventure as well…
Flying back through Brasilia, we next drove north to the Chapada dos Veadeiros (which translates approximately to plateau of the deer-hunters), a seldom-visited park with a complex geological make-up. Its rocky ridges and limestone canyons also contain vast areas of grasslands, Mauritia palm swamps and waterfalls. Unspoiled cerrado habitat is dwindling in Brazil though here the specialized plants and birds survive, along with endless wide-open vistas. Into each life some rain must fall, as my mother used to tell me, and we did run into a fair amount during our stay here, but we made use of those days by travelling farther afield to search out some more of the avian specialties of Goiás State.
There was one bird in this area that all of us, including our Brazilian leader, Marcelo, hoped to see – the Dwarf Tinamou. At 5.3 inches, this little skulker is seldom seen by anyone, as it is most reluctant to fly, and instead skitters noiselessly through the tall grass in which it lives, feeding on insects and tender shoots. A nearby school for disadvantaged children (which also teaches Esperanto) had a large land-holding which included a lovely patch of cerrado. We felt we might have a slight advantage as the area had recently burned, as it does naturally. The grasses were not quite as tall as usual, and a bit more sparse as well. With a well-orchestrated group effort directed by Bret, which included our driver and local guide Raphael, we were able to locate and surround a singing bird. As we formed a circle and slowly closed in on it, none of us were able to see it at all – frustrating! When we got closer, however, we rushed the site and the bird actually flew! Great excitement, as even this in-flight sighting was rare. But that was not to be the end of it, as Bret wanted us all to get a better look. Having seen where the bird landed, we once again formed a circle around that spot and crept up on it oh so carefully, eyes glued to the ground in hopes of finding the bird frozen in place. This time - success!! Even within 5 feet it was difficult to see the bird, for its cryptic markings served it well, but here’s a photo just to prove that he was indeed there. Great celebration ensued and the bird raced away through the grass, moving not a single blade. That was one tough day at the office for the Dwarf Tinamou!
Our travels took us through Brasilia, the capitol of Brazil. Our driver suggested a whirlwind tour of this planned city, which was mandated by Brazil’s constitution, and designed by a Brazilian, Oscar Niemeyer. The purpose of the new capitol was to be a link between the interior peoples and assets of the country with the bulk of the population dwelling in the cities along the coast. Brazilians are justifiably proud of their capitol, which now has a population of 3.2 million (inclusive of satellite towns). Niemeyer seems to have had a great affinity with flight, and many of his buildings convey a sense of floating in air and upward motion.
From Brasilia we flew NW to Porto Velho, capitol of Rondonia State. The city is of great economic importance as it sits on the mighty Rio Madeira, over 2000 miles long and the biggest tributary of the Amazon. From here, the immense volume of soy beans grown in Mato Grosso is transported in huge rafts of covered barges to a point on the Amazon where the crop is loaded onto ocean-going ships for worldwide trade.
The State of Rondonia is named after Colonel Rondon, the Brazilian officer who led the Roosevelt Expedition on the Rio da Dúvida, “River of Doubt”. While it was thought that the river might intersect the Madeira, no-one really knew for sure where this river would end and it had not been explored or mapped. After his presidential term ended, Teddy Roosevelt, with his son Kermit, set out to explore it from start to finish. The expedition is grippingly detailed in a fine book, “River of Doubt”, which I highly recommend. During the grueling trip, Rondon honored Teddy by bestowing the name Rio Roosevelt on what turned out to be a significant but rapid-filled tributary of the Madeira. A small fishing lodge on its banks was to be our home for the next week, which would include our Christmas celebration.
Getting there is half the fun, at least when it involves a charter flight into the jungle! We flew in at mid-afternoon, and were soon settled into our very comfortable cabins, situated right on the riverbank above a lovely beach. The Roosevelt Expedition had run into major rapids requiring a long and exhaustive portage, and the tree under which Roosevelt sat to make his journal entries is still there on the beach outside the lodge.
Each day here our group of 9 set out on a different forest trail, usually taking three motorized skiffs either up or downstream from the rapids. We never encountered another soul on the river or in the forests, and were completely and happily surrounded by rainforests which has been untouched for millions of years. As does the Rio Madeira, the Rio Roosevelt serves as a bio-geographical barrier to many species, and we were privileged to explore the differences in avian populations on the right and left banks of this beautiful river. Given the comforts of the lodge which awaited our return each day for lunch and dinner, we could not have had a more excellent week!
The birds and animals were remarkably approachable, as they have seldom, if ever, been hunted. We had tapirs and deer walking non-chalantly within 50’, 10 species of primates overhead, curious to see us and scolding fearlessly, and birds to make a birder’s heart sing. On many days our guides caught fish for our lunch and dinner (the food was excellent, with lots of veggies and fruit and always a meat choice on the buffet too :).
We celebrated Christmas with caipirinhas in hand as we did our list, followed by a fine roast turkey dinner. On Boxing Day our memorable encounter with a Zigzag Heron family proved to be a trip highlight for all. Though I had seen this bird before, it had been in deep shadow, as is usually the case for a species which typically fishes under the overhanging vegetation and roots along backwater forest streams. This time, however, we were able to get scope views of an adult below us, perched in full daylight. To top it off, we found its mate and offspring as well, in their stick nest just above, at eye level for us. It is a sight seldom seen by birding groups and we had a difficult time walking away from it after long and delighted observation!
Our week at Rio Roosevelt Lodge went all too quickly – it is a very rare and cherished experience to be so far away from “civilization”, so “off the beaten track”, in this day and age. I would happily return to this riverine paradise, and to the wide-open vistas of the Chapadas dos Canastra and Veadeiros.
You may want to look at the 3 short videos I’ve posted on UTube, at the following addresses:
Giant Anteater, Chapada da Canastra
Along the Rio Roosevelt
Butterflies on the beach, Rio Roosevelt Lodge