We’ll probably see over a dozen species of clearwings, here Ithomia agnosia, attracted by the Heliotrope that we hang in the forest understory. Photo: Rich Hoyer
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that an eco-lodge harboring one of Amazonia’s most diverse bird assemblages is also a hotspot for butterflies. While ornithologists and birders have been coming here for nearly 20 years, only a few pioneering butterfly watchers and photographers have been to this spot, and they’ve found it to be superb (see the list of over 1700 butterflies by clicking on the Bird List link above). Trails branch out into a jungle wilderness right outside our cabins; additional habitats are only a short boat ride away; and there is a spectacular observation tower built specifically for birding but also providing unusual access to little known canopy butterflies. Amazingly, and thanks to Cristalino Jungle Lodge, all this abundance comes with comfortable accommodation, excellent food and an experienced and friendly staff.
Birding and butterflying are naturally compatible with early morning outings to witness the highest bird activity and by spending the warmer hours watching and photographing butterflies. To be sure, there are a few cool-hour butterflies that we may see only in the morning, while some days, especially with inclement weather, bird activity extends well into the later hours. However mono-maniacal lepidopterists will be able to single-mindedly pursue butterflies with Jim Brock all day if they wish. Having a single base of operations and two leaders gives participants the flexibility to pursue whichever activity makes most sense, unbroken butterflying or alternating the butterflies with birds as they present themselves.
Day 1: The tour begins at 6:00 p.m. in Cuiabá. After brief introductions we’ll go to dinner at a classic Brazilian churrascaria. Night in Cuiabá.
Day 2: Depending on the time of our short flight north to the town of Alta Floresta, we may have time for a quick morning excursion to the open country habitats near Cuiabá for birds not present in the wetter and more forested northern areas of Mato Grosso, such as Savanna Hawk, Southern Lapwing, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Guira Cuckoo, Campo Flicker, Yellow-billed Cardinal and Rusty-collared Seedeater. In the afternoon we’ll be glad to finally arrive at the welcoming Floresta Amazonica Hotel. The temptation to enjoy our first refreshing caipirinha, the Brazilian national cocktail, may be outbid by the butterflies active in the hotel garden, which could yield some longtails, grass skippers or perhaps even something as exotic as a ruby-eye. Night in Alta Floresta.
Day 3: We’ll begin our birding this morning in the forest patch by the hotel, surprisingly productive for many species. Examples of species seen here include Tiny Hawk, White-browed Hawk, Scarlet Macaw, Golden-winged Parakeet, Rufous-necked Puffbird, Chestnut-tailed Antbird and Spangled Cotinga, and we may be lucky to see the pair of Harpy Eagles that have been breeding here in recent years. By late morning we’ll board our bus for the bumpy but productive drive to the boat launch on the Rio Teles Pires. We’ll make the most out of this ride, with obligatory stops for open country and marsh birds, as well as for the Point-tailed Palmcreeper, which inhabits the Mauritia palm groves. If it has rained recently, the presence of any puddle parties in the road will be certain to have us screaming for the driver to stop around every corner. If we can keep ourselves from getting carried away, we’ll arrive at the Teles Pires River in the early afternoon and take the short boat ride across this tributary of the Amazon and then up the much smaller, black-water Cristalino River just another 10 minutes upriver to our lodge. After a welcome drink and brief orientation meeting, we’ll settle into our rooms. Night at Cristalino Jungle Lodge.
Days 4-9: We’ll have six full days to cover the available options from our base. It may seem like all monotonous forest at first glance, but there’s more than meets the eye; trails branching out just outside our bungalows lead through various kinds of forest. Some lead through tall terra firme forest where we could see mixed flocks containing Streaked Xenops, White-eyed Antwren, Rufous-capped Nunlet and shade-loving Mesosemia eyemarks. One trail passes through several patches of bamboo with its attendant specialties, such as Large-headed Flatbill, Curve-billed Scythebill, Manu Antbird and many others. Some interesting satyrs use this bamboo as their larval food plant, and the spectacular tiger-mimic metalmark Stalachtis calliope can be quite common here (it looks like a heliconian, but we’ll notice that it lands on the undersides of the leaves). Another trail leads to a peccary mud wallow (the saleiro), often very good for a wide variety of forest butterflies that like the extra sun and minerals found here, such as crackers, sailors and eighty-eights, and the view of the trees here can be good for seeing mixed flocks of tanagers and foliage-gleaners.
Even better for tanagers and other canopy-loving birds is the 50-meter tower that overlooks the rainforest. A dawn spent here is a magical experience. Spangled and Purple-throated Cotingas, Tooth-billed Wren and Kawall’s Parrot are some of the specialties we hope to spot from here, but it’s here we’ll have perhaps the best chance of attracting something as fancy as a Prepona butterfly to a well-placed bait. We’ll have the opportunity to return to the canopy tower several times.
We’ll also board our small outboard motor boats for short rides to various areas along the Cristalino River. We’ll inspect puddle parties of butterflies on the beaches, hinting where perhaps Tapirs or other animals made a visit overnight or where a river turtle just dropped off its log perch. Not far from the lodge are several trails reachable by boat, one leading to a scrubby hilltop of exposed rock (the Serra), where the species mix is totally different; a new species of poison-dart frog was discovered here not long ago. Another trail has additional stands of bamboo, while yet another features one particularly large Brazil Nut tree. We may even go as far as an area of water hyacinth-filled oxbow lakes a couple hours upstream where Hoatzin, Red-bellied Macaw and Varzea Schiffornis are additional possibilities. From the boat we will look for Zigzag Heron and keep our eyes on the exposed perches where the likes of Black Hawk-Eagle and even the very rare Crested Eagle are occasionally seen.
Not to be forgotten is the possibility of finding an army ant swarm, an encounter that could boost the list by several species. Many species of birds attend these swarms for the easy pickings: as the ants scour the leafy forest floor taking all manner of small invertebrates back to the growing colony, larger insects, spiders and lizards outrun the swarm only to be snatched up by the waiting birds. Some species are so specialized that they are rarely found away from such ants, and the local Bare-eyed Antbird is the hallmark species at Cristalino; but the mix could include several woodcreepers, ant-tanagers, Black-spotted Bare-eye and others. But there’s even more to it than that. Not long ago lepidopterists, among them co-leader Jim Brock, discovered that a whole suite of fast-flying skipper species are also found nowhere else other than with these ant swarms. It turns out they hone in on the reliable supply of droppings left by the antbirds, and we can get good views of them by placing fake droppings made of simple spit wads on the leaves. It doesn’t get any cooler than that.
Throughout the week, we’ll also employ rotten fruit, rotten fish and other techniques to draw in an amazing diversity of butterflies. If we find some, we’ll hang a branch of heliotropium in the forest understory to attract the chemical-dependent males of many species of clearwings of several genera, such as Godyris, Hypoleria and Rhodussa. We’ll have fun later in the evening trying to identify them from our photographs.
We’ll offer at least one evening walk into the forest, where Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl, Crested Owl and the hilarious vocalizations of several frogs may await us.
Nights at Cristalino Jungle Lodge.
Day 10: After a final morning at Cristalino we’ll depart for Alta Floresta in time for our flight and our farewell dinner in Cuiabá. Night in Cuiabá.
Day 11: The tour concludes this morning in Cuiabá.
Updated: 31 January 2008
Prices
- 2008 price about $4,450
- Single Occupancy Supplement $340
Notes
Maximum group size is 14 participants with two leaders. Both leaders will accompany the group irrespective of group size.