In Search of a Big Mac

This talk wasn’t about Andy Swash’s search for fast food, but a tour around Brazil culminating in finding the Hyacinth Macaw.  Brazil is the largest country in South America - itself sometimes referred to as the “bird continent”, the continent with the widest range of bird species.  Andy’s tour took us to three parts of Brazil: first, the Itatiaia National Park, which is situated between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo; next to the Iguacu Falls, on the border with Argentina, and finally to the Pantanal, a wetland half the size of France. 

His first stop was a hotel in amongst the forest in the Itatiaia National Park.  Around the hotel, there was an astonishing variety of birds - at least 200 species have been seen, reflecting the tremendous range in altitude and type of forest.  The richness of the birdlife reminded me of the Asa Wright Nature Centre in Trinidad, where I was fortunate to stay a couple of years ago.  Andy had brought back a stunning set of photographs of birds, such as tanagers, flycatchers and hummingbirds (including Black Jacobin, Brazilian Ruby and the tiny Frilled Coquette).  Along the forest trails he encountered various antbirds, such as the Plain Ant-Vireo which fed on insects disturbed by marauding ants.  Other photos included the wonderfully named Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper and the brilliant male Blue Manakin. 

On to Iguacu Falls - they must be incredible to visit, with waterfalls stretching 3 miles around the rim of an enormous bowl.  In the forest around the falls (sadly, a lot less extensive than it once was), there was an amazing variety of butterflies, including the Snapper, that makes a snapping sound with its wings as it flies.  Not to forget the birds, including the Great Dusky Swift, that nests behind the falls.

The final part of Andy’s trip was an adventurous drive along a road into the heart of the Pantanal - a road seemingly famous for its ramshackle bridges.  In one case the bridge was completely missing, but a tractor was thoughtfully provided for drivers to pull their cars across the muddy creek!  The Pantanal is flooded for much of the year, and it only readily accessible between about August and October.  But, it is the place to go to see all sorts of wetland birds, such as the Anhinga, Plumbeous Ibis, Limpkin, Capped Heron, Sunbittern, Jabiru and Boat-billed Heron.  Not forgetting the Snail Kite, which specialised in eating the local apple snails in true raptor style.  As they drove along the road Andy and his wife happened to meet up with some old friends headed to the same destination (it’s a small world), then between them their two cars got 3 punctures.  They had to all squeeze in one car, ending up at what seemed like an abandoned hotel at the end of the road.  Still, it all worked out well in the end - with repaired tyres, and a good view of not one, but three, of the fabled Hyacinth Macaws.

Richard Swinbank