Ibirapure Park, Sao Paulo, November 2012

Late arrival, traffic and an unfamiliar hotel conspired to make me late this morning, so I tried an odd tack and had a nap instead. Mid-afternoon, I caught a bus down Brigadiero Luis Antonio St. to Ibirapuera Park.

As ever, Rufous Hornero, Rufous-bellied Thrush and Sayaca Tanager vied to be first on the list and had all been included before I even arrived at the gate. Blue-and-white Swallows flew over the lake by the pedestrian entrance near the Monumento as Bandieras (Google Earth ref; 23°34'50.09"S 46°39'40.17"W), but I was not able to adequately identify the swifts.

 

Great Kiskadees hawked from the bushes and trees overlooking the water, anxious to keep young bellies well fed.

A small flock of Maroon-bellied Parakeets fed in the bushes as I crossed the small bridge at the bottom of the lake. On the bank of the second lake, a flock of Black Vultures were resting, but their peace was being shattered by a pair of very irritable Southern Lapwings who were screaming and dive-bombing the vultures.

I went to see what the fuss was about and found two enchanting, leggy chicks. The vultures had moved on at my approach. Strangely, the lapwings calmed down and appeared to have no qualms about my presence, even allowing one of the chicks to approach within two meters.

The coral trees were in leaf, but had no flowers. Subsequently, the usual numbers of Bananaquits, Swallow-tailed Hummingbirds and Plain Parakeet were much lower than usual, but a couple of each were seen as I approached the metal bridge. From high above the water, I was able to scan along the line of trees, but could only find Picazuro Pigeons today. Further on I found a hot-spot on the southern stretch of bank on the upper lobe of the second lake. Cattle Tyrants were chasing around through the wispy grass looking for insects while a young Chalk-browed Mockingbird waited on a palm frond for his dinner to be shipped in.

My red-letter bird of the day came in the shape of two Narrow-billed Woodcreepers chasing each other around in the branches. It was difficult to know if they were two competing males or whether all the activity was part of a courtship.

The lower lobe of the lake was rather quiet and unproductive today. Feral cats were out in force by the fenced off section of bank and only an Eared Dove and a Tropical Flycatcher were added to the list from this area. Mind you, the common birds were still being seen with Rufous-bellied Thrush, Rufous Hornero and Sayaca Tanager still easy to find.

I crossed the metal bridge again and headed straight on through the buildings. A small, yellow flycatcher caught my eye and I had to take a good look and check through the field guide to identify a brood of Rusty-margined Flycatchers calling for their parents. Rufous-collared Sparrows and Shiny Cowbirds were seen around the buildings

The small bridge (at Google Earth Ref; 23°34'59.82"S  46°39'41.50"W) that separates the two lakes proved to be the hot-spot of the day with more than 23 of the 30 birds seen on this visit found within 50 meters of the bridge. On the second pass, another Narrow-billed Woodcreeper was seen. Rufous-browed Peppershrike were here and an Amazon Kingfisher was almost photographed.

 Birds seen; 30

Pied-billed Grebe 1, Neotropic Cormorant 60, Great Egret 3, Snowy Egret 1, Striated Heron 2, Black Vulture 50, Common Gallinule 6, Southern Lapwing 4, Picazuro Pigeon 10, Eared Dove 1, Maroon-bellied Parakeet 2, Plain Parakeet 10, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird 3, Sapphire-spangled Emerald 1, Amazon Kingfisher 2, Rufous Hornero 20, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper 3, Cattle Tyrant 2, Great Kiskadee 15, Rusty-margined Flycatcher 5, Tropical Kingbird 2, Rufous-browed Peppershrike 2, Blue-and-white Swallow 20, House Wren 2, Rufous-bellied Thrush 50, Chalk-browed Mockingbird 5, Bananaquit 3,  Sayaca Tanager 25, Rufous-collared Sparrow 1, Shiny Cowbird 8.

For a previous post from Ibirapuera Park and Sao Paulo, follow the link below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/sao-paulo-august-2009.html

Visit the dedicated Central and South America Page for other posts from Sao Paulo including Sao Paulo Botanical Gardens and Cantareira Forest.
 

Please be very aware of personal security while walking alone. Regular security patrols offer some comfort and give the park a safe feel, but pedestrian entrances are not guarded, allowing free access to all. Taxis take about 5 – 10 minutes from Ave Paulista and are reasonable priced. Taxis will probably stop at the security gate at Google ref; 23°34'59.57"S 46°39'27.47"W unless requested otherwise. It may be possible to find a taxi here for the return, but it is not an official rank.