Final day at REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 22 September

With heavy rain continuing this morning, the planned pre-dawn visit to the wetland had to be postponed, and instead I spent the morning photographing more hawkmoths attracted to the mothwall overnight (and a few unidentified moths that superfically look like hawkmoths), as well as helping Adilei download and organise his photos.

Manduca diffissa petuniae, Guapi Assu Bird Lodge, 22 September 2012. This
one is beating it's wings to raise it's body temperature in preparation for flight.

I did manage a couple of hours birding this afternoon around the wetland and along the light blue and Forest Trails. Avian highlights were a male Blue Ground-Dove at the wetland, and even better, excellent views of a male Ruddy Quail-Dove along the Forest Trail (around posts 150-200), really close to the lodge (yet another forest interior species slowly returning to the area as the reforested areas mature)! Unfortunately though I didn't manage any photos of either.

In the wet conditions, very few butterflies were flying but I did find an Orsis Bluewing Myscelia orsis, some Clausina Clearwings Episcada clausina striposis and three species of skipper taking shelter from the rain - a Dorantes Longtail Urbanus dorantes, a couple of probable Common Banded Skippers Autochton neis, and one species I have yet to identify from photos. I also found a large black and white, and rather cool, leafhopper.

Clausina Clearwing Episcada clausina striposis, light blue trail, REGUA,
REGUA, 22 September 2012

Treehopper Membracis dorsata, light blue trail, REGUA,
22 September 2012. Unfortunately there wasn't
enough light to use a smaller aperture, so the
depth of field is very narrow in this image.

All too soon it was time to head back to the lodge to finish packing and then catch our transfer with Alcenir, REGUA's trusty driver, back to the airport for the flight home. This trip was without fail the quietest, in terms of bird activity, I have ever experienced at REGUA. September is usually much busier, with a lot more breeding activity evident, but the consensus is the prolonged dry spell has something to do with this. Nowhere, it seems, is escaping the effects of climate change.

Despite much of the birding being a little disappointing, I still saw some excellent birds (including a long overdue lifer), and the lack of bird sightings did help me to focus on Lepidoptera and Odonata, which was my aim on this trip after all. The diversity of moths at REGUA is particularly staggering and completely overwhelming, even ignoring micro-moths. With no identification guides to the area available and very little information on the web, we could be looking at many undescribed moth species each night. Hopefully it won't be long before I can come back to this amazing place and study these orders in a lot more detail.