"I See You"

This "I See You" is in our Jabuticaba tree in our back yard.



He has a drink of water many times each day.




He is very much aware of me and the camera all the time.




Sometimes he just sits and watches me. He is puffed up because he eats the dog food on our verandah . But his favourite foods are the nuts in the Restaurant Tree and the Jabuticaba Berries.The "I See You" or "Great Kiskadee" (Bem-te-vi in Portuguese) is one of the most beautiful and attractive birds in South America. The popular name "Bem-te-vi" comes from the three notes in its singing that sound like "I've Seen You" .

To the "Tupi" (native Indian tribe) it sounded like "Nei-Nei"; to the "Guarani" (another Indian tribe) it sounded like "Pitangua".




Here is one in a tree in front of our house.





Here is another on the power lines.








We call this the Restaurant Tree because so many different birds feed there all day. They all love these nuts. The I See You come in early morning frm about 5:00 to 8:00, and again in late afternoon, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30. There are many there and they make a loud racket. They seem to be having a great party every day.



This couple visit our Jabuticaba trees in the back yard. They are there every day





This is a small one, probably quite young.




They are very distinctive with their yellow breast and black mask.






Sometimes they are difficult to see even when out in the open like on this roof.







Every morning I am wakened by the I See You's singing. Our bedroom window looks out on the Jabuticaba trees and several I See You's greet the sunrise every morning. Their voices are quite loud so we do not need alarm clocks.

They truly are very beautiful.



Photos by Urso Branco

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Blue Herons

The first time I saw a Blue Heron in Águas da Prata was at night (around 10:30 p.m.) He was fishing. I was on the foot bridge and he was about three meters away. He watched me intently as I took his photograph using flash. Look at his long neck! They hang out near the foot bridge over the pond in Praça Basílio Ceschin.






The next time I saw a Blue Heron he was under the foot bridge fishing.





Notice how short his neck is. Is he the same bird? I don´t think so.





Then I saw this fellow with the White Heron. The white had just caught two fish at the same time. She dropped on behind that small bush and the Blue Heron stole it.





A few days later I saw the two together again.





He just stayed there and watched me take his photo near the foot bridge.





I had always wondered if there was more than one Blue. This fellow flew in on the other side of the foot bridge. So now I was certain there were at least two.





Then along came this fellow.





Like the others he watched me intently as I approached taking his photograph.





I was able to get as close as 2 meters (6 feet) to get this excellent. detailed photo.



So now we know there are three Blue Herons in Águas da Prata. They are, "No Neck", "Medium Neck" and "Long Neck" *SMILE*





Photos by Urso Branco

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Parrots in our backyard

There was a very loud raucous noise outside my window today, as in many other days.

It was a couple large green parrots. We see many of the smaller ones and they are also loud and roucous but these big ones are amazing.

Here they are just three meters away squawking so much you can't ignore them.




They were looking around the Jabuticaba tree for any left over fruit.





They entertained me for over an hour.





They are very pretty.





It is amazing to see how acrobatic they are at times.








Photos by Urso Branco

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Heron Fishing

I was walking through the park and came across the Heron fishing.

She is very adept at fishing and spends a lot of time in the lake here in the park looking for breakfast, lunch and supper.

Here she is wading in the lake, on the hunt.





She is graceful in or out of the water or flying. She is my favourite model.





She walks in the water, going back and forth looking for just the right fish.





Someone threw bread in the water for her. It was just a temporary distraction for her.





She caught two fish and came out of the water.





But she dropped one behind that bush and the Blue Heron scooped it up.




So she went back to the hunt for more fish.





She strutted on shore, proudly, for a while.




Then it was back to the shore to continue the search.





Back into the water.





Searching! Searching!





Wow! She got one. Look at her thrust into the water to get it. The pigeons watch her perform.





She even had a gallery on the bridge watching the action.




It is always a delight to watch her in action. She puts on quite a show.





Photos by Urso Branco

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Herons, Herons, Herons!

I had a surprise the other day. I saw the Heron from a long way off and came to take some photos of her. To my surprise there was the Blue Heron that usually fishes at night with her.





The White Heron walked a short way off and turned to look straight at me. She was probably thinking, "Oh there is that guy with the camera again! I must look my best for him."





The smaller Blue Heron watched me closely.





She also turned to look right at me. I think she was trying to say, "I am beautiful too! Take my photo!"





Here is a unique photo of both Herons up close, together.





I was amazed at how close I was able to get to take these photos without a telephoto lens.





As I walked around she just stayed there and watched me.





Suddenly there was a flurry of wings as another Blue Heron joined us.





Notice the difference in build of the two Blue Herons. This one has a long neck.





This one has a short neck and a stocky build. Are they related?





She also turned to look right at me as I took her photo.




Remember this sign, in a previous post?




Well these five boys can't read I guess. They were fishing for quite a while. Look at the Heron watching them in the background on the right side of this photo.


These Herons are always a delight to watch.




Photos by Urso Branco

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Our Canaries

Meet our Canaries. Christy and Phebo.




In the beginning of November Christy was staying close to the nest.




She wouldn't let us see what she was sitting on.




Even Phebo was kept away.




Two weeks later, on November 25, we saw what all the excitement was about.




A tiny baby had been hatched. Here you can see it peeking shyly over the nest, under the careful eye of Mom.




It was still shy but getting big for the nest.




"Stop pointing that camera at me!"




Final the debut! On November 26. This seems a little suspicious. There are always many sparrows around the cage. Hmmmmm! I wonder?




The first family portrait on November 30 with Mom - Christy, Dad - Phebo, and the baby.




Judy went to the breeder where she saw many canaries with a few that looked like sparrows. The breeder explained it happens and Christy's dad was probably dark like a sparrow. So mystery solved.




Photos by Urso Branco

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Heron - Caught and Freed

I was taking photos of my favourite subject, the Heron, when I got this great photo. She is very beautiful in flight.


If you look closely you can see a tape of some kind fastened to her upper left leg. It was about 4 to 8 meters long. She had been caught somewhere.




You can only see it when the sunlight is behind her. It is fastened high on her left leg.




Sometimes you cannot see it at all because it is transparent.




Here it is quite clearly visible. I tried to catch her to release her from this dangerous tape. As she walked across the sidewalk the tape dragged behind her. I was not successful.




The next morning Judy and I went back to the park to try to get her and remove the tape. We brought some bread to lure her. She loves bread. It makes a great snack with the fish!




On close examination we discovered the tape had already been removed. Wonderful!




So we threw the bread in the water and watched her hunt.




The fish were eating the bread and she was hunting the fish. But she had competition. There was a Blue Heron under the foot bridge also watching the action.




Here is the Blue Heron from the other side. She is exactly like the Blue Heron I used to see in Toronto in Taylor Creek.


They both watched the fish and they both dove after the fish and had a real party.
As the saying goes, "All's well that ends well!"



Photos by Urso Branco

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A Pescadora

A Pescadora, the Fisherwoman, is Our Beautiful Neighbour (see that post below). This is a collection of the fisherwoman stalking and catching fish in the pond and river in the Praça Basílio Ceschin in Águas da Prata. Then she rests and also goes for a flight around town.



I was able to get very close to her for this photo.





She fishes in the pond most of the time.





She stands still and studies the waters intently.



She crouches for the kill.





She is often seen in this pose.



She walks around the pond searching for the best location.







Sometimes she even hunts in the river.




Apparently she cannot read! The sign says Fishing Prohibited". *SMILE*





It is a treat to see her catch a fish.





This fish was farely big and put up a struggle.





But it is no match for her skill.





After a fine meal she may retire to the tree tops.






Or, as can be seen here, she may take a leisurely flight around town.












She is a delight to watch and photograph no matter what she is doing.




Photos by Urso Branco

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Pigeons in Águas da Prata

We have many pigeons here in Águas da Prata.Some are very pretty like this one. There are also many white pigeons here. Of course we have the dark ones as well.




They are everywhere, on the streets, in our yard, on our roof and in the parks.





This pretty white one is frequently seen on this bridge in the The Praça Basílio Ceschin.





Where is this pigeon's head?






Ah, there it is!





There are many white pigeons in the The Praça Basílio Ceschin.





Here is an all white. Lovely!





This couple are attractively coloured.





Peck! Peck! Peck!




These two, and others, frequent our back yard. Normally the cats would try to kill them, but we have too many dogs around here for that.




Here is Attila, protector of the birds. He pays no attention to the birds in our yard. They are there to eat Jabuticaba or bird seed that Judy throws into the yard.




Photos by Urso Branco

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Small Green Birds

This little Green Bird is often seen with the Little Blue Birds and that makes quite a contrast. They are sometimes hard to see because they are the same colours and shadings as the leaves.

Their colours are very much like that of a green budgie and they are the same size as a budgie.





Where is he? Click on the photo to enlarge it. He is right in the middle. Great camouflage eh?





Here he is on a branch with his back to you.





They are really very pretty.



When they come to feed in the "Restaurant Tree" they often come in big gangs. We know that because we hear them. We don't see them.





Photos by Urso Branco

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Cat Tail

This beautiful bird is recognized by its large tail and how it uses that tail. When it lands the tail goes straight up just like a cat. Some times when it is walking around it does the same thing. Hence the name, Cat Tail. It is most predominate. They average about 12" in length including the tail. Now that Spring has arrived we see many of them in Águas da Prata.




When they fly their tail spreads out to reveal magnificent white and black tail feathers as seen here.




Usually I see them one at a time. But today I saw two together and a third close by.




They were not as timid as some birds. I was about 4 or 5 meters away and used the telephoto lens to get these photos.




Whatever they were looking for these two searched for it together.




But this one was nearby, about three meters away, hunting too.




They searched for quite some time.





The couple did not seem to worry about the third CatTail because he kept his distance.














These were seen in the the Praça Basílio Ceschin in Águas da Prata We often see them around our house too.


Photos by Urso Branco

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Swallows

These are Bug Eaters. They are probably Swallows of the Hirundo family. They are extremely difficult to photograph because of their aerial acrobatics. They fly very very fast, swooping and diving.

They arrived in Águas da Prata in large numbers last week, in early September. Some stay around all year but the show up in large numbers in Spring.

They are most welcome here because they eat bugs. They eat while flying and there are hundreds of them flying around the trees in the square just a half block from our house.




They are very small and these photos were taken with a telephoto lens. I have many photos of empty sky. It is difficult to track them.




Some times I see dozens and by the time I click the shutter they have flown out of view.




Here are a series of photos showing their aerobatics.





























This is a rare photo of them sitting still.




The one time you are sure to see many sitting still is when a storm is beginning. When storms approach they are very busy catching insects. They gather in large flocks on the wires across the street from our house.

On some occasions there wires are so full of swallows some must fly continuously awaiting a place to sit. What a party!

Because they are so difficult to photograph I have not been able to get a good closeup of a swallow.



Photos by Urso Branco

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Little Dark Blue Birds

There are dozens of these Blue birds in the square only half a bock from our house in Águas da Prata. They are so dark they look black.

We see them walking on the streets. They are ground feeders. I don't know their name but they just arrived last week in early September.




Here you see them walking in the street.




I don't know what they find but they keep searching.




They gather around this area in a flock of 20 or 30.




I have been trying to get a really good photo of them but they never stand still.




In this photo you get a good idea of the relative size of them.




You can compare them with the sparrows here.




They really look black.




Here you see one in the park.




He was kind enough to stop and pose for me.



I am amazed to see how many there are around town. It takes a certain light to see they are actually blue, but they sure do look black to me most of the time.



Photos by Urso Branco

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Sanctuary - Foz do Iguaçu

In Foz do Iguaçu, in Santa Catarina State, there is a theme park for birds. It is not really a sanctuary but the birds are protected there in a captive environment. They have many visitors there to see the waterfalls and the birds.

We saw many different species ther and these are just a few of them.





We know the names of some of these birds but no all of them.




























This heron is just like the one in Águas da Prata. See the post in this blog "Our Beautiful Neighbour"













There were several Emu's in this park.



















There were lots of Toucans also. These same photos are in the post in this blog "Toucans"


















Photos by Urso Branco

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Mourning Doves

This is the familiar Mourning Dove like we have in Canada. There are lots of them in Águas da Prata with their haunting and mournful cry.

They have two sizes here. They have the same colour and markings yet the second kind is almost twice the size of this one shown here.




This one is perched in a tree.




We see them in many places such as this one on the power lines. But this particular one is the large variety. Apparently they are common on farms where they eat lots of corn and grow big.




This pair were spotted on as roof top.




These are two young doves with lighter colouring.





Are you taking my photo again?




I am beautiful aren't I?




A common resting place.




Sometimes they visit the park.




A stroll in the park can be quite pleasant.




From up here I can watch everything that is happening.






Photos by Urso Branco

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Sanctuary - Poços de Caldas

This is an exotic crowned crane of the family Gruidae, a Balearica pavonia from Africa. It is sometimes referred to as the Paradise Bird. Crane fossils have been found that are 40 million years old.

In December 2003 we visited a Bird Sanctuary in Poços de Caldas at the invitation of the Guarda Verde (Green Police) They are equivalent to Canadian Game Wardens, responsible for the forests, the birds and the animals in and around Poços de Caldas.

We have here a series of photos we took that day showing exotic and extremely rare birds. Some will surprise you.




Urso Branco poses inside the Sanctuary with Descio on my right and Afonso on my left. They were our guides throughout our visit.




What is a sanctuary without peacocks eh?




There were many birds that I didn't known their names.




These were the most exotic birds in the sanctuary. Here are three photos of them.





Do you recognize them?




They are Canada Geese! *SMILE*




Many more photos here will have no comment.














Our daughter Lucia, the vetrinarian, talks with Afonso and Descio.









See the Tapir in the background?









This large pond serves as a pool for many birds of many species.






















































This is another extremely rare and exotic bird. It is, of course, a North American Turkey.




Afonso has some sport with an Ostrich.









Judy says hello to a Paradise Bird or Balearica pavonia, a crane.




Afonso talks to the Ostriches.




One Ostrich talks back.




He comes in for a close look.























This sanctuary also has several animals living there, such as the Tapir. It is a wonderful place to visit and we are thankful in having had the priviledge of visitng all the facilties in this sanctuary as a guest of the Guarde Verde.



Photos by Urso Branco

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Hawk - Elias

Meet "Elias". Back in Dec 2003/Jan 2004 Judy had a unique house guest when she lived in Poços de Caldas. Her daughter Lucia is a vet. The Guarda Verde (Green Police) in Poços de Caldas would bring injured animals or birds they found to Lucia to save them.

Often they ended up in Judy's house. She became the unofficial "Recovery Nurse" after surgery. Her house often becomes a "Convalescent Hospital". You could find almost anything in her house.

This time it was a hawk they named Elias. His wing had been broken. These hawks are common in Brasil and resemble the Black Vulture in size and flying or cruising style. They can often be seen soaring over the mountains in Águas da Prata





Elias came to "The Hospital" along with some other birds and animals. This was the recovery room.





Lucia had pinned his wings and he survived. But he was never to fly again.




He could hop around though. Once he recovered he liked to sit in the window and watch all the dogs and turtles in the front yard.




Judy was supplied with special gloves for handling Elias. His sharp claws actually did punctuyre these thick special Hawk gloves.





It was time to take Elias to a sanctuary. A local farmer agreed to look after him.




See how big his wing was.




And see the adoring look he gives his "nurse"!



This is the farm where Elias was to stay.




He was brought to the farm in this cage and allowed to rest until he got comfortable. Yes, that is a dog's nose in the lower left corner checking him out!





This is Elias' new house. Look who his neighbours are. Could that be future dinner next door?





A few hours after arrival Elias steps out to inspect his new home.


Elias was well looked after but many months later he escaped and walked away, never to be seem again.


Here are a couple photos of a hawk sitting on a fence post in the wild.




This Hawk was photographed on the fence post by Urso Branco. They are difficult to photograph because they don't stay around people too much.




Photos by Judy Kennedy

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Blue Bird

This pretty little Blue Bird, name unknown, is a frequent visitor to our Jabuticaba tree in our backyard in Águas da Prata. They love the Jabuticaba berries.

Later in the year when our "Restaurant Tree" in front of our house has seeds, many of them appear along with many other species. They are a delight to watch.




When I took this photo I only saw one Blue Bird. However if you look close you will see two.




It wasn't until they flew away that I saw there was two of them. The second is hard to see in this photo but he/she is to the right and down from the first one.




This appears to be a different kind of Blue Bird. His colour is more intense.




This one is more common.




They have a feast of the Jabuticaba Berries.




When the fruit is in season we see many visitors daily.




This series of photos was taken looking out my office window over the grapevine.




Sometimes they are hard to see.




They stay around for quite a long time.




They seem to be watching me.




Sometimes you see on ore two and some times more.




I think there are at least four types come to visit our trees.


Photos by Urso Branco

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Shameless Maria - Vagabond

Do you recognize these cute little white and black birds? I don't know why they are called Shameless Maria or Vagabind but there are lots of them here in Águas da Prata.

They rarely fly, and only short distances. They are usually found walking or running along the ground. They are often found along the river having a drink. They are about 7cm tall and are seed eaters.




This is a small collection of photos of them on the streets near our house.



















Occasionally they are seen in trees, but because of the small size they are hard to see.









Now that Spring is here in Águas da Prata we see more and more every day. We see them on the streets.

















We see them in the parks.




We even see them on the sidewalks at the Chalets.












These pretty little birds are not only everywhere they are ubiquitous!!



Photos by Urso Branco

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Name Unknown

This pretty bird and its mate were spotted near our house in Águas da Prata.

I don't know what its name is but if you do, drop us a line in the comments area or in the chat box.




Here they are on the steps of a house that is being renovated.




They flew around a lot looking for nesting materials.




They were nervous when I pointed the camera toward them.




You can see he followed my every movement.




He flew up to the top of the post.




She stayed on the gate post.




Then they went together onto the power lines.




They just didn't want me around. *SMILE*





Photos by Urso Branco

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Urubu - Black Vultures

Urubu are the Sanitary Engineers of Brasil! They can be seen soaring over the farms and mountain tops looking for a tasty meal. I can see them every day from our verandah over the mountain near our house in Águas da Prata.

It is difficult to photograph them soaring because in the pictures they just look like dots against a vast sky. They are wonderful to watch riding the updrafts over the mountain. They can soar for a very long time without flapping their wings.

These are Falconiformes, Cathartidae (new World Vultures) or Black Vultures. They used to be more than welcome in South America because they and others of the specie cleared away all decaying matter thus helping to spread of disease.





We were out on a country road and came across these Urubu having a tasty meal on the side of the road. There were about 25 of them. We saw them on the way to visit a farm and five hours later, when we returned, they were still there so we stopped and took these photos.

They are all black so they don't photograph well and it was late in the day so they look like silhouettes against the sky. Some were one the ground and the rest were in about 8 trees waiting their turn.




Most were up in the trees.


































Here are a couple sky photos near our house




These are difficult photos, particularly on a bright sunny day.




Photos by Urso Branco

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Parrots

To see these large parrots (Macaws) you either have to visit a jungle such as the Pantanal or Amazon, or go to a bird sanctuary. There are many kept as pets in Brasil.

They are loud and raucous and with a rasping voice but they are very beautiful.



Parrots are of the Psittacidae family, a specialized bird with short hooked bills. They vary in size from 7.5 cm to the large Macaws at 100 cm. They are mainly restricted to the tropics. There are 330 species of Psittacidae in 60 genera and six to eight sub-families.

These four photos were taken in Foz do Iguaçu at the Bird Sanctuary at Itaipu. You could hear their loud noisy call from just about anywhere in the sanctuary.




They can be extremely brightly coloured. The most predominant colours are Red, Orange and Blue, but they vary widely.




These birds are quite large. With their long tail they can be up to a meter long.




Photos by Urso Branco

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Toucans

Toucans of the family Ramphastidae vary in length from 30 to 61 cm, They range from Vera Cruz in Mexico to Southern Brasil, Northern Argentina and Paraguay.

These toucans have an enormous laterally compressed bill and an enormous name too, Toco Toucan.

They are sometimes difficult to photograph because they make very little noise flying. It is only when they are overhead or almost past you realize they are toucans.




This toucan is flying over our house. I was lucky enough to have my camera with me at the time.




The following toucans were photographed in a nature preserve in Foz do Iguaccu (at Itaipu), in Paraná State in Southern Brasil.




These particular toucans are very tame as they are protected and see many people daily.




This fellow is magnificently coloured.




Toucans are mostly forest birds. Their large bills permit them tio reach far for fruit.




We have several toucans in and around Águas da Prata. They are frequently seen flying overhead on their way to the forests around town. They nest high up in trees using natural holes or enlarged woodpecker holes.




Photos by Urso Branco

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Humming Birds

Hummingbirds are of the Trochilidae family of which there are 319 species. They are nectar drinking birds who got their English name by the noise their wings make. In Portuguese they are called Beija-Flors (kisses flowers).

The ones we see here most are about 7 to 9 cm long. They are very easy to attract to a home by putting out feeders. They are very loyal to your feeder as long as you keep filling it.




We often see them perched in trees around Águas da Prata.




When you put out a feeder it usually takes a day or two for them to find it. This is a series of evening photos of Hummingbirds at feeders in a restaurant in southern Brasil.




They are very active and usually do not perch to eat.




Sometimes you see several at a feeder.




When all the seats are taken, some hover like little helicopters waiting for their turn.




They are a delight to watch.




This, along with many others. is a feeder inside a restaurant. You can watch the Hummingbirds while you eat.




When we have the feeders around the house in summer the Hummingbirds drain them all every day.




They often fly into my computer room and look around. Even an Urso Branco doesn't scare them away. *SMILE*




This one flew into the bathroom.




He rested on the shower wall.




The love to come around for a late evening snack just after sunset.



They head right for the nectar.




Then he backs up to swallow the nectar.




Then back for more.




Then the nextmorning they are back again.




We have several feeders but this on one the veranda was very popular.





We had many around. They waited turns to get the nectar.




They always have to keep an eye out for the cats.




They never stayed long because of the cats. They just came back over and over again.


We had a feeder at the dining room window but the cats could reach it easily so we had to move it.

We have one over the back verandah. It is safe because the dogs are there and the cats won't go near the dogs.



Photos by Urso Branco

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Mr. and Mrs. Green

These small green parrots are very common in Brasil. They usually travel in couples but at playtime they fly in flocks of 10 to 20 here in Águas da Prata. They make a lot of noise, especially when flying.




This was an orphan rescued by the Guarda Verde in Poços de Caldas. When he matured they let him go.




There are not many in town now in winter, but they return in large numbers in September.

Photos by Urso Branco

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