Due to a lot of travel and work, this blog has skipped a whole breeding season at Sítio do Cervo - apologies. But we can return with some exciting and significant news. One of the five threatened bird species recorded here, the White-necked Hawk (Leucopternis lacernulatus) has previously only ever been spotted as a single individual, either perched by the track or riverbank, or circling overhead. But this weekend, I saw from our bedroom balcony that a pair of them were circling together in the morning, their brilliant white plumage glistening in the sun.

This morning as I made a conscious effort to get them close enough together in the camera frame to make a decent picture, I was amazed to catch a third individual of the same species. If you look closely at the photo here (click to enlarge), you will see that they are making spectacular aerobatic displays. I gather from an expert who contacted me via the excellent Wikiaves website, that this is typical behaviour of breeding pairs defending their territory. That suggests that there is a nest either in the forest here or very close by - possibly across the river. It's a surprising discovery as White-necked Hawks are generally associated with extensive areas of primary forest rather than relatively small fragments such as this one.

The species count at Sítio do Cervo is currently up to 217, thanks in no small part to a visit in November by the Ecuadorean bird guide Lelis Navarette of Neblina Forest tours. An amazing professional who is ranked among the top birding guides in South America, Lelis had barely stepped out of the car and he was finding me new species - among them this Variegated Flycatcher (Empidonomus varius) which I subsequently caught on camera next to the barbeque area, catching what looks to be a moth.


Lelis - who also happens to be a thoroughly nice man - had a good day here finding endemic species for his client, and had his first-ever sighting of a Yellow-legged tinamou, the near-threatened species whose spooky hoot is heard all day from the forest during spring and summer here, but which is notoriously hard to see. 

A final bit of news - the Southern Lapwings that breed in the open area of the farm each year have somehow managed to protect their four chicks from the hazards of hawks, turkey vultures, wildcats and dogs. They grow amazingly quickly, and at just 5 weeks after hatching are not much smaller than their parents, but still very fluffy and cute.