Brazil - The Amazon - June 2026 - Day 2 - Marchantaria boat trip and up to Presidente Figueredo

After the storm at Manaus

An early start saw us take a taxi down the CEASA port in Manaus. Our boatman Herculano was coming across the river to pick us up, but just as we arrived and he might have been leaving the most immense electrical storm blew in from the west. Under the corrugated roof of CEASA the noise was deafening, this was not weather to be out on a boat and we had choice but to wait it out. Just as you thought it could not become more intense it did exactly that. Incredible, and actually quite exciting despite being frustrating. The shed we were in was the loading area for the ferry across the Rio Negro and Amazon to connect with the southbound road. For a road supposed to undriveable there was a lot of traffic but I suppose that most of it wasn't going very far, just connecting to the communities on the south side. There were plenty of small boats too, but everyone was simply waiting as the rain thundered down. The gutters became rivers, then torrents - the ground here is sloped down to the river bank for the roll-on-roll-off ferries - low affairs with no superstructure, just a floating platform really. We spent the time we unexpectedly had to have little breakfast as the skies lightened and the rain and wind began to ease. And of course we started to note birds as well. Short-tailed Swift were over the water, a Black-crowned Night Heron flew by as did a Ringed Kingfisher, Large-billed Tern and Osprey. It was still only just gone six so we had probably only lost half hour. Meanwhile Brad and Herculano kept in touch, both wanting to know what the weather was like on the other side that they could not see.

Team Amazon - Bob, Richard & Brad (L-R)

Leaving Manaus

We were on our way by about 6.20am, heading across the water to the Furo de Catalão, a channel through the river islands to the Amazon proper. What was genuine island and what was floating vegetation was hard to distinguish but there were birds everywhere. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck were on a small island with eight Brazilian Teal, and as we approached Nacunda Nighthawks rose and flew ahead of the boat. Wattled Jacana padded along some floating greenery, with Snowy Egret and a Striated Heron, and a Yellow-headed Caracara was overhead. Even out here you get parrots, with two fly-by White-winged Parakeet, two Chestnut-fronted Macaw, and a pair of Festive Amazon in a tree, most of which was probably underwater. An Oriole Blackbird spotted by Richard showed nicely in the early morning sun.

Rio Negro river community

Matupas on the Amazon

A little further on, at a site called Ponta de baixo, Herculano slowed the boat down and we started to bird the Marchantaria properly, seeking out individual species that live here and only here. The floating vegetation here held numerous Yellow-hooded Blackbird, and amongst these Brad was able to tempt out Azure Gallinule and Purple Gallinule, the former a really tricky species. Things were off to a good start. In a quiet lagoon Herculano stopped the engine and switched to an oar. This proved the ideal way to see birds. We tracked down Green-throated Mango and Olive-spotted Hummingbird here, and close by were some roosting Ladder-tailed Nightjar which we were able to maneuvre quite close to. The real specialities here are the Antbirds and Furnarids, and with Brad clearly working to a mental list we gradually added them all. Black-and-white Antbird, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Red-and-white Spinetail, White-bellied Spinetail, Dark-breasted Spinetail, Straight-billed Woodcreeper and a Zimmer’s Woodcreeper were all seen in vegetation just above the water. There were also Spotted Tody-Flycatcher, a Little Woodpecker, a Spot-breasted Woodpecker, White-winged Becard and Cinereous Becard. It wasn't even 7am.

Yellow-hooded Blackbird

Azure Gallinule

Oriole Blackbird

Festive Amazon

Black-and-White Antbird

Ladder-tailed Nightjar

As we carried on we passed Horned Screamer on the side of the bank, the only ones we were to see. Out on the river we could see more Large-billed Terns and some Black Skimmer, meanwhile the vegetation had perched Cocoi Heron and Straited Heron. The number of parrots continues to astound in this watery landscape, with Short-tailed Parrot, Tui Parakeet, and White-winged Parakeet. It was around here that I also saw my first Hoatzin, a much wanted bird. More furnarids were seen on the edges of the Ilha Nova, including three Dark-breasted Spinetail, two Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Red-and-white Spinetail, White-bellied Spinetail, and two Parker’s Spinetail in some tall reeds. Also excellent views of Lesser Wagtail-Tyrant.

Red-and-white Spinetail

White-bellied Spinetail

Lesser Wagtail-Tyrant

By mid‑morning we arrived at the innundated Ilha da Marchantaria, but we couldn't even land the boat, there was no point getting off. I think I got as far as putting my wellies on but they were not needed. There were more Hoatzin here, along with five Buff-necked Ibis and Great Black Hawk, Savanna Hawk and a Roadside Hawk. We anchored the boat in the strong current for great views of Short-tailed Parrot and the Hoatzin. Further on we took a narrow channel called the Paraná Xiboreninha, a short cut to where we were having lunch. Along here were our first Chestnut-eared Aracari. Good numbers of Flycatchers here as well, with Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher, Olive-faced Flatbill, Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet and Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet alongside the ever present Great Kiskadee and White-throated Kingbird.

Hoatzin

Short-tailed Parrot

We parked the boat at the floating restaurant and walked through the shop to the boardwalk. Our timing was excellent and we had the place - the Parque Ecológico Janauari - to ourselves. Two Great Potoo were noted at the start, and as we went deeper in the birding got better and better with Black-fronted Nunbird, two Spotted Puffbird, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Cream-coloured Woodpecker, two Long-billed Woodcreeper, Striped Woodcreeper, a Straight-billed Woodcreeper, two Zimmer’s Woodcreeper. At the far end of the boardwalk was sheltered lagoon with Amazon water lily pads - the Victoria amazonica species made famous by English aristocrats in the 1800s, and latterly by Kew Gardens. We had a fine buffet lunch at back at the restaurant, our timing once again excellent as we were just finishing when the first boats of Manaus day-trippers started to arrive.

Great Potoo

Black-fronted Nunbird

Striped Woodcreeper

Spotted Puffbird

Tui Parakeet

A Spintail, probably Striped....

We made a quick stop at the Meeting of the Waters, where the black Rio Negro meets the white water Solimoes to become the Amazon. For many miles the northern water remains black, the southern side a muddy brown, they are quite different temperatures as well. Gradaully they blend into one to form the mightly Amazon.

The Meeting of the Waters

Herculano dropped up back at the port shortly after midday and we returned to the hotel to pick up our stuff and pack the vehicle for the trip north to Presidente Figueredo. But first came the big twitch. Agami Heron. I forget how much time we spent, fruitlessly, searching for Agami Heron in the Pantanal - and this is the bird Brad's company is named after!! It was stinking hot in Manaus, and as we made our way to the National Institute of Amazonian Research at the Bosque da Ciência. There is only one pond here and after a quick look at some Amazonian Manatee in a tank we headed straight to it, Richard striding ahead as always when a 'big' bird is in the offing. I don't think we were really expecting it to be there, but surely this was it, under a rock on the left hand side. I casually pointed it out, directions deliberately a little vague to see how many expletives I could get out of him. I wasn't entirely sure myself to be honest, it was under an overhang but for a supposedly invisible bird was essentially out in the open and the only obvious bird in sight although later we would also pick up Black-crowned Night Heron, a Striated Heron and a Cocoi Heron. Richard stayed reasonably calm in the circumstances but nonetheless it was good to see a bit of classic behaviour. The bird stayed in the same spot the entire time we were there, an overhanging rock on a tiny ornamental island the only habitat that, to the bird, felt like a dark cool forest. What it was doing there I have no idea, but juvenile birds presumably disperse and work their way down streams and rivers, and occasionally, like this one, hit civilisation. We tried to work out where we could best photograph it from but the answer was nowhere. A sudden squall forced our retreat to the car, my umbrella helped a bit, but no amount of actual dampness could dampen our high spirits after this unexpected success.

Agami Heron. Look at that bill!

We hit the road at about 3pm for the drive north out of Manaus. Brad made good time, and so at about 4.30pm we pulled into a petrol station on the outskirts of Presidente Figueiredo. These places don't scream birds, but anywhere where you are near the edge of forest is going to be good around here and so it proven. Swifts overhead were Band-rumped Swift and Fork-tailed Palm Swift, and on the southern edge Hummingbirds fed. The star of the show was a Crimson Topaz, but Long-tailed Hermit and Black-eared Fairy were pretty cool too, The real prize here is Point-tailed Palmcreeper, and there were a number of the correct palms in the neighbourhood. We could hear the bird calling, but Brad said the only time we would likely see it would be as it flew between the crowns. How odd then to find it in a bare-branched tree some way from the relevant palms - we got amazing scope views before it flew towards us and vanished into a palm crown before creeping up the top of a frond. Another bird then followed it - excellent! Also here were Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Lineated Woodpecker, Chivi Vireo, Variegated Flycatcher, Sulphury Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Small-billed Elaenia and Fulvous-crested Tanager.

Point-tailed Palmcreeper

We pulled into our lodge, the Pousada Paraiso do Calango Azul at around 6pm in a habitat totally different to that we had birding in the morning, with a whole new set of birds. This was the Guianan Shield, and we had two full days in which to try and do it some kind of justice. In the meantime Caipirinhas all round.