Stopover - Atlanta

On my way back from Brazil to Europe I had a few hours stop over in Atlanta, USA.. Enough time to go and see the Atlanta Aquarium (it’s supposed to be olne of the biggest in the world). On the way there I walked across the Olympic Park and saw a big flock of Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum)

I was able to get a few good shots of this ‘Lifer’.

Also managed a few snaps of the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).

Atlanta Aquarium…

And here’s a few shots from the Aquarium.

They have two really huge tanks 1. belonging to the Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) (They have four of these majestic beauties – 3 females and 1 male);

2. belonging to a wide range of fish from the open ocean including one Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) (the biggest fish in the world) – Only three Aquariums in the world have enough space to house these gentle giants.

And to end here’s some more pics…

Here's an overall map of all the exhibits at the Aquarium. Courtesy their website.


Check the link of the aquarium here - http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/

Brazilian Butterflies

I also managed to get some decent snaps of Butterflies on my trip to Brazil.

First the ones from Brasilia:Yellow Angled-Sulphur Anteos maerula (Fabricius, [1775])

White peacock Anartia jatrophae (Linnaeus, [1763])

Longtail Codatractus aminias (Hewitson, [1867])

Not Identified as yet...

Phlegia Metalmark Stalachtis phlegia (Cramer, [1779])

Longtail Codatractus aminias (Hewitson, [1867])

Mexican Fritillary Euptoieta hegesia (Cramer, [1779])

I'm not sure of this one but I think its a Monarch Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, [1758])

And a couple from Rio de Janeiro:

Not Identified as yet...

Tropical Buckeye Junonia evarete (Cramer, [1779])

Unidentified Brazilian Dragonflies

And like the butterflies here's a couple of unidentified Brazilian Odonata.

One from Brasilia:

And one from Rio de Janeiro:
Help - Anybody ?

Birding in Brazil (01 of 03) - BRASILIA

Just back from an amazing 20 days in Brazil!

I had been there as part of some research that I am doing on the city of Brasilia as part of my studies. However, I did manage to seek in some time for birding a bit in the different cities that I visited and not to mention since this was my first visit to South America almost all the birds I saw were 'lifers' for me :)

Since I spend almost 10 days in the capital city I got more opportunities to see the local bird life here the most. I have divided this post of the birds of Brasilia based on the different locations were I spotted and clicked them at.

I shall start with the ones I saw along the monumental axis of the city.

I caught these Southern Lapwings (Vanellus chilensis) changing nesting duties on the main lawn of the parliament complex.

Was this Chalk-browed Mockingbird (Mimus saturninus) on the avenue with all the ministry buildings.

And my first hummingbird - I snapped this Swallow-tailed Hummingbird (Eupetomena macroura) inside the ministry of foreign affairs.

Ans as I was getting out of the foreign affairs ministry I saw this Striated Heron (Butorides striatus) dashing across the beautiful blue sky (extra beautiful since I was coming from a gloomy European winter)


The place I spend the most amount of my time in Brasilia was at the University campus.

This huge campus is nice and green and has various patches of slightly different habitats and therefore a nice range of bird life.

I start the bird pix from the university with the most common bird in the campus and probably in the whole country- the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)

Also saw quiet a few Chalk-browed Mockingbird (Mimus saturninus)

Green-barred Woodpecker (Colaptes melanochloros)

Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)
Rufous-bellied Thrush (Turdus rufiventris)
And the Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani) has to be one of my favorites from Brazil (they almost seem like a humble version of the crows we have back in India).

Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)
(this is a bird that I would see later on in all the other cities as well)

Rufous Hornero (Oven bird) (Furnarius rufus)

This is a picture of nest made by the Rufous Hornero pictured above, thus giving it the nickname Oven bird. The nest of the Ovenbird has a very interesting cross-section. (read more about it here - http://www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/rufous%20hornero.html)

I also got very good close up views of the Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia)

It surely is a splendid bird!!
The Guira Cuckoo (Guira guira) reminded me a lot of the behavior of babblers back home in Kerala, India

Next stop for birding the residential axis of the city.

All the residential area of the city is made up of Super Quadras (in English Super Blocks) aligned along an axis. These Quadras are made up of 3-6 floor high housing blocks layed out in an almost garden setting. Therefore, making most of the city interesting area of watching birds.

Here once again I saw the majestic Swallow-tailed Hummingbird (Eupetomena macroura)

The above pigeon has been corrected to Picazuro Pigeon (Patagioenas picazuro) - from what was early identified as Scaled Pigeon (Columba speciosa). Thanks to the help of Mr.Rasmus Boegh !!

Just on the outskirts of the city in almost any direction lies huge areas of open green grasslands which are ideal conditions of Raptors and as expected I saw quiet a few of them.

The Crested Caracara (Polyborus plancus) is surely a very interesting raptor that I saw quiet a few times just outside the city.

And last bird pix from Brasilia is the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) the largest bird found on the Brazilian soil and quiet appropriately I saw this in the lawns outside the presidential palace.

Here is an overall image of the city as seen from my plane as I left this wonderful city. Strangely enough from up here the city itself looks like a soaring bird!

Birding in Brazil (02 of 03) - SALVADOR

My next stop in Brazil was the city of Salvador further up north along the coast. The city was a strange mix of two Indian cities that I knew - Goa and Mumbai - (the colonial past of the Portuguese empire and hence the similarity to Goa and the scale and chaos quiet similar to Mumbai).
However, I did get to see quiet a different variety of birds from that in Brasilia.

Starting with the Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca) that spend most of their day in the trees just outside my hotel window. (Once again corrected by Mr.Rasmus Boegh !!)

I also snapped this Straight-billed Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus picus) from the same spot in my hotel very close to the beach.
I caught this Masked Water-Tyrant (Fluvicola nengeta) checking for some food in a small grass patch further inside the city.

However, I did get my only good views of any Brazilian mammal in a small forest patch inside the compound of the Sarah Kubitschek Hospital - the Common Marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)