New trail.
A new trail has been opened at the centre. The ‘Mandioca Trail’ was an exisiting trail that ran from the bamboo area to the river via the manioc patch – ‘mandioca’ is the Tupi (local indigenous tribe), name for manioc. At the river it meets the ‘River Trail’, which runs along the river edge to the property boundary, which is also being prepared for public access.
Capped Heron.
A really exciting sighting the other day was Capped Heron. This bird perched in a tree close to the observation area, it didn’t stay long, but Elis was quick enough to get this great record shot.
Other recent good birds include White-necked hawk, Swallow-tailed kite , Buff-bellied Puffbird, and Streaked Xenops.
Buff-bellied Puffbird.
The Buff-bellied Puffbird was perched on top of the old tree by the fishing pool. It seemed to be minding its own business when suddenly a Tropical Kingbird set about it. This was then joined by its partner, then a pair of Fork-tailed Flycatchers, emboldened by the kingbirds salvo, joined in followed immediatley by a pair of Black-crowned Tityras. At this point the puffbird gave up and left.
Three young Variegated Flycatchers are in the nest by the obs. area, the house wrens have four healthy chicks now, the Chivi Vireo continues to sit as a Rufous-bellied thrush nest was located today in a palm by the fishing pool. The Pauraque continues with her brood of two chicks. The large Chestnut-crowned Becard chicks that were photographed yesterday hanging from the nest hole seem to have flown. A pair of Buff-throated purpletufts are feeding a recently fledged youngster.
All photographs on this page copyright Rick and Elis Simpson.
02/11/2009 Folha-Seca, Ubatuba, São Paulo; Bicoloured Hawk – gavião-bombachina-grande – Accipiter bicolor; Rafael Fortes, Claúdia Komesu.
18/11/2009 Ubatuba Birdwatching Centre, Rancho Pica-Pau, Ubatuba, São Paulo; Capped Heron – garça-real – Pilherodius pileatus; Rick Simpson, Elis Simpson.
30/11/2009, Ubatuba airfield, Ubtauba, São Paulo; Buff-necked Ibis – curicaca-comum – Theristicus caudatus; Rick Simpson, Elis Simpson et al. Long staying individual remained on and off all month.
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The new trail will soon be open to the public, work is continuing to bring it up to standard. We walked the trail today and were delighted to find several Unicoloured Antwrens, singing Grey-hooded Flycatchers, Scaled Antbirds and of course Reddish Hermit; and all this at 10.00 in the morning on a rather hot and stuffy day.
Baby Southern House Wren struggling from its shell.
The wrens have hatched their first chick in the camping electricity box. We saw it today in the act of breaking out of its shell when we checked on the nest. The Pauraque still sits on two eggs, they must be due to hatch soon too. The Variegated Flycatcher still sits upon her nest high in a tree by the observation area. Many young birds are coming to the feeders now, notably Green-headed Tanagers, and at the bottle feeders are some young Black Jacobins with their rufous throats.
Photo copyright Rick and Elis Simpson.
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One of the most important aspects of the UBWC is the library of reference books available to the public about birds and related subjects. We have received a good number of books already, and today we received three more splendid volumes donated by Avisbrasilis.
They are:
Books donated by Avisbrasilis.
1. Cubatão as cores da vida – Maria Cecília Furegato. Cubatão. The colours of life. This book is about the wildlife to be found in the famously polluted area of Cubatão near the coast in São Paulo and how life has clung on there despite adversity. It is a story of recuperation and an example of industry working with nature to ensure the future of the natural environment.
2. Aves de Fernando de Noronha – Robson Silva E Silva. The birds of Fernando de Noronha. A lavishly illustrated book about the birds that live on and around the island of Fernando de Noronha and the other islands that comprise this remote archipelago. From the majestic Red-billed Tropicbirds and other spectacular seabirds, through migrant shorebirds to the endemic Noronha Vireo and Elaenia. Some fantastic photography of some fascinating birds.
3. Guarás vermelhos no Brasil – Robson Silva E Silva. The Scarlet Ibis in Brazil. A beautiful illustrative book about this magical species in twelve chapters describing everything from its life and daily routines to its taxonomy and distribution. Needless to say the photos are nothing short of spectacular.
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Spot-billed Toucanet.
A number of new species were recorded today at the centre, at least new for the centre since it opened. A Squamate Antbird sang near the observation area as did an Azure-shouldered tanager, which didn’t come down to the feeders unfortunately. A Laughing Falcon was seen near the bamboo stand and the bird of the day was this male Spot-billed Toucanet.
The feeders and bottles continue to attract more customers, with the number of Black Jacobins increasing dramatically since the first one a few weeks ago.
The Pauraque continues to brood her two eggs under the fruit tree, and of course we had our daily dose of Buff-throated Purpletuft.
Spot-billed Toucanet photo Copyright Rick and Elis Simpson.