Our collaborators in Rio!
Part of the reasoning for our recent August trip to Brazil was meeting like-minded researchers. This time, we were hosted by Professor Karine Bueno Vargas and her husband Claudio Nuernberg Junior at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ). Professor Karine spearheads biogeographical and landscape studies at the Department of Geography and is interested in our landscape assessment methodology - LAP index - and our use of indices for assessment, climate adaptation and for educational training. Karine is doing some fantastic work in promoting biogeography including such interdisciplinary applications. She is vice-president of the Ibero-American Society of Biogeography (Sociedad Iberoamericana de Biogeografía) and on the board of directors of the Brazilian Association of Biogeography (Associação Brasileira de Biogeografia).
It was wonderful to visit the univeristy campus at UFRRJ at Seropédica, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. This is definately one the largest university grounds in South America and features specialized research laboratories and extensive training areas, botanical gardens etc. Complete with huge open landscapes with much livestock and especially many horses! (Estamos no Brasil!). We did some birding one very rainy afternoon and also walked in the field the following morning. It was really fascinating to be able to see the campus, its artificial lakes and wetlands, meet students and opportuniteis for fruitful collaboration here.
I present some snapshots of our short visit to - UFRRJ and our natural history trips nearby (in Rio and the surrounding coast). We really feel so much gratitude for being able to live such an experience. Being in Brazil was a dream come true for us.
Photos from the University
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| Vassiliki with Karine and students at the lab. Note the Brazilian Neo-colonial architecture in the background. |
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| Next to our accommodations at the very nice Hotel Escola - UFRRJ we had wonderful views of the school's horses and stables and the countryside. The Unviersity was founded in 1910 as a college for agriculture and veterinary medicine, establishing agricultural education in Brazil. These early roots have shaped its focus and direction ever since. |
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| These are African oil palms creating an interesting cultural landscape. |
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The capybaras are very friendly here. They are overlooking the Lake of Istituto do Agronomia; Lago do IA (which I though was.... Artificial Inteligence...IA in Brazilian).
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| Lago do IA (22°45'31.6"S 43°41'41.7"W). The largest artificial waterbody on campus, a real hotspot for birds. Of course we suggested it as on on eBird and got it official. |
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Huge roost of cattle egrets (garça-vaqueira) at Lago de IA.
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| Of course, the ''flamingo-coloured spoonbill'' (colhereiro) - Roseate Spoonbill. |
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| White-faced Whisltling Ducks (Ireré), these we have seen in Africa too. |
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| Of course, all those nasty ticks (carrapatos) are handled by this bird, an immature Yellow-headed Caracara (carrapeteiro) on a sleeping Capybara. |
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| In 11 days of travel in Brasil we saw only three wild mammal species and very few signs of wild mammals near habitation (could this be due to over-hunting?). But the Capybara is abundant, even in urban settings. Despite the ''scare'' associated with their ticks. |
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| The campus was full of parrots! This one is one of the commonest, the White-eyed Parakeet - Periquitão-Maracanã (Photo I took at further afield at Itatiaia). |
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| Nice to meet Brazilian students! |
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| The main building - Pavilhão Central - and surrounding landscape. The university has an area of approximately 3024 hectares, making it one of the largest such university ground in Latin America. On the right you see Lago de IA which we suggested as an eBird hotspot! (photo by Drone Carioca https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuwVOA8G8eo) |
Rio De Janeiro
Spent just two rainy nights in Rio. Big marvellous city - want to go back!
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| Cristo Redentor! On the last day, the morning sun finally shone and we got this pic! This is an emblem of Rio - Christ the Redeemer; it was completed in 1931, an art-deco statue 30 meters proud on a mountain peak 700 meters high. Of course, it faces East. |
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| Rainy Rio - the Center of Town. We found a fantastic restaurant here and also visited a bookstore. |
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| First time in Copacabana...Everybody is here! |
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| You must go for the sunset at Pedra do Arpoado. |
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| Pedra do Arpoado. |
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| Later, some yoga at Pedra do Arpoado (very stormy) |
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| And the moon over Copacabana beach. |
