This was the day we had been waiting for, for a very long time! After a quick cup of coffee at 04:20 we left in a couple of 4-wheel drives and drove to a viewpoint to wait for daybreak. Walking along the path we disturbed a Scissor-tailed Nightjar and had a couple of views.
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| This is the setting for the macaws |
As the day slowly brightened we could hear the macaws stirring in the canyons below us and once it was light enough Ciro put his scope on a pair of Lear’s Macaws perched in a cactus not too far away. We watched them for quite a while before walking in a different direction and down to the edge of a big red sandstone canyon where dozens of macaws suddenly took flight and flew along the canyon below us. Wow!
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| Lear's Macaw - classified as Critically Endangered |
Over the course of the next couple of hours we watched several pairs of Lear’s Macaws flying to and fro below us and often at eye level. What stunning birds they are! There were also several pairs of Turquoise-fronted Amazons flying around and several groups of Blue-crowned Parakeets, as well as a Campo Troupial feeding below us. As far as birding experiences go, this is right up there with the very best. You are literally in the 'middle of nowhere' watching one of the rarest birds in the world.This bird is listed as Critically Endangered and only lives in interior of northeast Brazil - so it is a bit of an adventure just to reach this area. And what a beautiful bird!
We returned to the lodge for a 07:30 breakfast during which time a Laughing Falcon was seen perched some distance away. So we eventually left this wonderful area after breakfast back at the lodge and set out on the 550km drive to Lencois and our next hotel, arriving at 6.30pm. A long drive indeed!
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