Mato Grosso, Brazil: Jun 19—Jul 01, 2009

Chapada dos Guimaraes — Photo: Kevin Zimmer

Tour of the fabled Brazilian Pantanal, one of the premier wildlife spectacles in the world. Seasonally flooded savannas brimming with birds and mammals; easy birding in one of the birdiest locations on the planet, for spectacular Hyacinth Macaws, Jabirus, Bare-faced Curassows and many others. Time also in scenically spectacular Chapada dos Guimaraes, where campo and cerrado specialties abound.

Lying in the seasonally flooded basin of the Paraguay River, the vast lowlands of the Pantanal are home to countless numbers of waterbirds, raptors, and other wildlife. The abundance and diversity of large mammals—capybara, marsh deer, black howler monkeys, giant anteater, Brazilian tapir, giant otter, crab-eating fox, coatimundi, ocelot, and even the rarely seen jaguar—coupled with throngs of herons, ibis, storks, raptors, and kingfishers—is reminiscent of Africa.

Among the prizes we will seek are Greater Rheas, Snail Kite, Maguari Stork, Jabiru, Plumbeous Ibis, Southern Screamer, Chaco Chachalaca, Blue-throated Piping-Guan, Chestnut-bellied Guan, Bare-faced Curassow, Sunbittern, Sungrebe, the incomparable Hyacinth Macaw, Golden-collared Macaw, Black-hooded Parakeet, Turquoise-fronted Parrot, Toco Toucan, Pale-crested and White woodpeckers, Great Rufous Woodcreeper, Chotoy Spinetail, Red-billed Scythebill, Gray-crested Cacholote, Mato Grosso Antbird, Yellow-billed Cardinal, Orange-backed Troupial, and others.

The Chapada is situated near the western rim of Brazil's Planalto Central—a land of beautifully eroded and fractured red rimrock formations, drained by spectacular waterfalls and dissected by deep ravines containing fingers of Amazonian forest. Huge Greater Rheas and bizarre Red-legged Seriemas frequent this open country where the melancholy whistles of Red-winged Tinamous may be nearly drowned out by the rollicking duets of the endemic White-rumped Tanagers. Special attention will be made to locate the newly described (2001) Chapada Flycatcher discovered by Kevin Zimmer and Andrew Whittaker. Other species that we hope to see include Crowned Eagle, Blue-winged Macaw, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Little Nightjar, Biscutate and Great Dusky swifts, Dot-eared Coquette, Horned Sungem, Checkered Woodpecker, White-eared Puffbird, Rufous-winged Antshrike, Rusty-backed Antwren, Collared Crescent-chest, Helmeted Manakin, Curl-crested Jay, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, White-banded Tanager, Yellow-billed Blue Finch, and Coal-crested Finch.

Good accommodations and good food throughout; easy terrain; most birding along lightly traveled gravel roads or on good, flat trails; full mornings of birding, with significant post-lunch breaks on most days; some afternoon boat trips; generally warm to hot, dry climate.