CHANGES TO THE ITINERARY MUST BE UNANIMOUS—unless all the target birds have been seen. So when Andres asked if we would be willing to forego the scheduled four-hour detour back to the steamy coast and then through Rio just to see another antwren in favor of a more relaxed driving day, everyone except Bill thought it was a no-brainer—although he doesn’t remember objecting . . . or even seeing the Restinga Antwren!
Algulhas Negras Mountains at Dusk
Room with a view, but no internet—Hotel do Ypâ
A-frame Cabins at Hotel do Ypâ
So we arrived here at Itatiaia National Park after dark despite our 5:30AM departure. Poor Eduardo was totally knackered! The rest of us were stiff from the long ride and bruised from the rough roads, not to mention mightily pissed-off at Bill. The Hotel do Ypâ is more lodge than hotel and consists of a dozen or so hillside A-frame chalets from an earlier, more refined age. The views are to die for, the chalets charmingly simple and the food and service A+. Wifi sucks but with hummingbirds swarming the feeders and dozens of Dusty-legged Guans wandering the grounds, we hardly noticed.
Frilled Coquette on his favorite Lantana flower
After a full 8-hours sleep and a great breakfast we started off on a 3½ mile downhill hike. It felt especially quiet but by the time we returned we had logged 45 species. The bird of the day—perhaps the bird of the trip—was waiting for us when we returned to the lodge, the Frilled Coquette. Truly spectacular.
