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us, in the floating mat of vegetation, hundreds of Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Lined Seedeaters fed
on the seeding grasses and then one by one we picked off most of the specialities. These included a
number of Little and Spot-breasted Woodpeckers, a stunning male Green-throated Mango, several
Lesser Horneros, Dark-breasted, numerous White-bellied and Red-and-white Spinetails, the abundant
Spotted Tody-Flycatcher, several River Tyrannulets and a small group of Pearly-breasted Conebills.
Meanwhile a number of Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures sailed ominously around us and Blackcollared
and Savanna Hawks and a number of Snail Kites fed. We then headed to the western and
more mature end the island, where the taller cecropias dominate the woodlands, in search of
Castelnau’s Antshrike which we duly found. As the temperature rose and bird activity diminished we
headed to the Igarape Janauari where, parked up in the flooded forest, we saw a number of lovely
Capped Herons, a worried looking Green Ibis, a Slate-coloured Hawk, a few Short-tailed Parrots, a
single Chestnut-capped Puffbird, a pair of Long-billed Woodcreepers and a pair of Zimmer’s
Woodcreepers at point blank range together with a Striped Woodcreeper. After a pleasant lunch in
the shade of the flooded forests we returned to Marchantaria to see more river island birds before
heading back to Manaus.
After our exploration of sites around Manaus it was time to move on to São Gabriel da Cachoeira, a
frontier town located on the banks of the upper Rio Negro. Our flight from Manaus provided us with
stunning views of both the Anavilhanas Archipelago and Pico Neblina. On arrival we headed out
along the Strada Cucui in search of our first target; the Fiery Topaz. Once on site we had little time to
wait before its harsh chattering calls gave away the presence of our bird and before long we were
enjoying fantastic views of this dazzling species; bird of the trip for many. We also found Yellowtufted
Woodpeckers, White-lored Euphonia, White-necked Jacobin, Great Antshrike and numerous
Slender-footed Tyrannulets. Although there has been a lot of forest clearance adjacent to this road it
still produces regular sightings of a number of important species in the area as we were to find out
ourselves during a subsequent visit. We then headed to town for the first of several excellent meals at
the Dona Iris restaurant on the beachfront. After a short break and lunch we visited the Abacaxi trail
near town. This trail runs through a variety of white sand forests and scrubby campinas in a shaded
tunnel of vegetation and we were to visit this trail on a number of occasions over the following days.
Picking through the flocks we came across a pair of Amazonian Antshrikes and numerous Mousecoloured
Antshrikes along with both Cinereous and Dusky-throated Antshrikes. These flock leaders
gave away the presence of many other understorey species including White-flanked, Grey and Longwinged
Antwrens, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, White-crowned and Golden-headed Manakins, Wedgebilled
and Olivaceous Woodcreepers and a number of others. Often in tow, interestingly enough,
there are usually a good selection of canopy species that included, on this occasion, the range
restricted Yellow-throated Antwren and equally localized Brown-headed Greenlet along with a pair
of stunning Ringed Woodpeckers.
On three of our days in São Gabriel we visited the west bank of the Rio Negro to work two excellent
trails through extensive terra firma forests. Although birding in terra firma forests is not easy we did
see an excellent selection of species. We spent two full days exploring the network of trails behind
Snr Moises house and which is known as the Moises trail. We managed to see a great variety of birds
that started with a pair of Yellow-browed Antbirds, a Spot-backed Antbird and a pair of Dusky
Antbirds. Walking into the forests we found Cobalt-winged Parakeets and Orange-cheeked Parrots as
well as brief views of a Tiny Hawk and then it began to rain. We retreated to Snr Moises house for
the remainder of the morning and an early lunch. After lunch we found a Chestnut-capped Puffbird
sat soaked on a branch while a Lesser Seedfinch sang. We then headed back out again onto the trails
to find a small flock of Maroon-tailed Parakeets, several Straight-billed Hermits at a large lek along
the trail followed by a number of Reddish Hermits a little further on. The trail runs through a small
area of tall campina where Grey-bellied Antbird was found a week before holding territory but in
spite of searching we failed to find it. However, we did find a pair of White-necked Puffbirds and a
single Yellow-billed Jacamar lurking in the undergrowth. We had great views of Amazonian Barred
and Ocellated Woodcreepers, several Fasciated Antshrikes, Stipple-throated and Rufous-tailed
4 Birdquest: Amazonian Brazil 2011