REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 11 July

With a meeting arranged for this afternoon followed by a sorte to decide where to site a new hide, birding was once again restricted to the wetland and trails near the lodge. Today turned out to be one of the quietest days for bird activity I've experienced at REGUA, but we still had a few reasonable sightings. An Azure-shouldered Tanager over the lodge is a very low altitude record and good numbers of Yellow-legged Thrushes around are mainly altitudinal migrants, moving lower the escape the low temperatures higher up the mountains.

At the wetland 2 Greater Ani, 4 Masked Duck, 1 Striated Heron, 1 Snowy Egret, 4 Wing-banded Hornero, 3 Black-capped Donacobius and 2 Brazilian Tanager were the pick of the bunch, and 1 White-flanked Antwren, 2 Unicoloured Antwren, 1 Plain-winged Woodcreeper, 1 Black-capped Foliage-gleaner, 1 Plain Xenops and 1 Grey-hooded Flycatcher were the highlights along the Brown Trail. The São José Trail was even quieter with a White-necked Hawk being the only noteworthy bird seen. Frustratingly we twice heard a Red-ruffed Fruitcrow but couldn't see it.

Still, all was not lost. A two hour night walk around the wetland resulted in great views of a male Scissor-tailed Nightjar singing from a termite mound (with another 2 heard) as well as several Pauraque and 2 Tawny-browed Owl heard.