photography – Michael's Place

Brazil – orchids

Whenever we travel we are always on the lookout for orchids. Typically we are finding terrestrial orchids in Michigan. But once you are in the tropics epiphytic orchids are the norm. Many of the lodges that I visited in Brazil brought orchids in and had them in trees for guests to see. Here are aContinue reading “Brazil – orchids”

Dia de los Muertos and insects

I have been intrigued with Dia de los Muertos since I first leaned about it in the 1970s. This celebration is the perfect mix of ancient Mexican beliefs and Christian beliefs. One year in the early 1990s I was at Palenque, Mexico for the celebration and it was amazing. But now, thinking about death theContinue reading “Dia de los Muertos and insects”

Brazil: Birds, Food and People

I’m sitting here writing this on Halloween in Ann Arbor, but thinking about the last days in Brazil which was two weeks ago. Surucua Tanager. on our final day of birding before heading back to the USA. Sayaca Tanager. White-winged Becard. Fawn-breasted Tanager. Golden-crowned Warbler. Pinnated Bittern – our last bird of the trip. OverContinue reading “Brazil: Birds, Food and People”

Ubatuba, Brazil: Day-3

Here’s a Black-collared Hawk from a few days earlier. It got a red-bellied piranha as an afternoon snack. Golden-chevroned Tanager at the feeders at the lodge. Green-headed Tanager. Black-chinned Gnateater on the boardwalk trail at our lodge. After doing the boardwalk trail we headed off to another site that was extremely birdy. Blackish Rail, upContinue reading “Ubatuba, Brazil: Day-3”

Ubatuba, Brazil: Day-1

We flew to São Paulo from the Pantanal then the next day drove to Ubatuba on the Atlantic Coast. How could things get better? We’ll to start with as we were going through town we spotted a family of at least three Burrowing Owls. While food in the Pantanal was OK, meals here were spectacular.Continue reading “Ubatuba, Brazil: Day-1”

Ubatuba, Brazil: Day-2

We spent a late afternoon into early evening at Jonas’ Hummingbird House. We were there at the same time as others, and all enjoyed the birds. There were fruit feeders and nine hummingbird feeders. The feeders were often visited by multiple species simultaneously like the three species here. Brazilian Ruby, an attractive little hummer. Black-neckedContinue reading “Ubatuba, Brazil: Day-2”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-7

A group of Monk Parakeets nesting under a Jabiru nest. This was the first time that I’d seen a Plumbeous Kite perched, rather than soaring. Some 30 years ago I was leading a tour in Mexico and took some of the group around a bend in a river. We missed the Sungrebe while those whoContinue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-7”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-6

It was time to move lodges and settle into a new place. The feeders here were covered with Nandy Parakeets and finches. Campo Flickers made good use of old termite mounds for nesting. Chestnut-bellied Guan. I really like finding nests. The bird on the left is a Crested Oropendola at a nest. On the rightContinue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-6”

Pantanal, Brazil, Day-5

Here are our leaders Edson and Tom. I’ve known Tom since the mid-1980s and really enjoy birding with him and his wife Kathi. Edson is a spectacular Brazilian birder and guide. His ear for sound is amazing. Between Edson and Tom very few, if any birds went undetected. Nothing like starting the day on theContinue reading “Pantanal, Brazil, Day-5”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-4

It’s time to get out onto the rivers and head into the marshes in search of jaguars. There were a number of these floating hotels along the main river near Porto Jofre. The sandbars often had interesting birds like this Large-billed Tern. There were Jabiru everywhere. Giant River Otters were seen in small groups lurkingContinue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-4”