REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 3 November

A much better day today with the morning spent birding the Waldenoor Trail. 2 Swallow-tailed kites were a REGUA tick for me but unfortunately remained very high. Also seen here were 1 Whistling Heron, 2 Mantled Hawk, 2 Blue-winged Parrotlet, Plain Parakeet, Grey-rumped Swift, Sick's Swift, a nice male Frilled Coquette, 1 Surucua Trogon, 2 Rufous-capped Motmot, 3 Rufous-tailed Jacamar, 1 White-eared Puffbird, 2 Crescent-chested Puffbird, 1 Yellow-eared Woodpecker, 1 Yellow-browed Woodpecker, 1 Spot-breasted Antvireo, 2 Planalto Tyrannulet building a nest, 1 Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet, 1+ Piratic Flycatcher, 2 Variegated Flycatcher, 1 Fork-tailed Flycatcher, 1 Dusky-capped Flycatcher, 1 Pin-tailed Manakin, 1+ Green-backed Becard, 3 Chestnut-crowned Becard, 2 White-winged Becard, 3 Crested Becard, 1 Olive-green Tanager, 2 White-bellied Tanager, 1 superb male Rufous-headed Tanager, 1 Tropical Parula and Orange-bellied Euphonia.

We are currently building a new canopy hide at REGUA and Nicholas and I climbed the scaffolding to check out the view (photo below). There are no canopy towers in this part of the Atlantic Forest and this will be awesome when it is finished. 2 early Swallow-Tanager and 13 Masked Duck were seen at the wetland, and 2 Rusty-margined Guan were back on the fruit feeders at the lodge this evening.

Photo by Helen Cavilla

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 2 November

The rain finally stopped overnight but heavy cloud and low temperature kept bird activity very low. Birding the Waterfall Trail and the Elfin Forest Trail today was slow going, and, frustratingly, photographic opportunities were non-existent. Highlights were 1 Shrike-like Cotinga, 1 Russet-winged Spadebill, Saw-billed Hermit, 1 Crescent-chested Puffbird, 1 Spot-billed Toucanet, a pair of Plain Antvireo, 1 White-throated Woodcreeper, 1 Black-capped Foliage-gleaner, 2 Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, 2 Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, 2 Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant, 1 Whiskered Flycatcher, 1 White-rumped Monjita, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Greyish Mourner, 1 Pin-tailed Manakin, 1 White-thighed Swallow, 1 White-rumped Swallow, 1 Yellowish Pipit and 3 Red-legged Honeycreeper. A Rufous-thighed Kite hunting over the lodge late evening was a nice finish to the day.

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 1 November

Another very wet and cold day at REGUA with little bird activity. We decided against any of the forest trails and took another walk around the wetland. 4 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, 3 Muscovy Duck, several Masked Duck, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, 2 Tropical Screech-Owl, several White-collared Swift, White-chinned Sapphire, 1 Amazon Kingfisher (quite a scarce bird here), 2 Wing-banded Hornero, 1 Short-crested Flycatcher, Brown-chested Martin, 2 Grey-breasted Martin and several Chestnut-capped Blackbirds were about the best of the birds seen. Around the lodge, 1 Greenish Elaenia, the Green-winged Saltator, 1 Streaked Flycatcher, 2 Maroon-bellied Parakeet, 1 Long-billed Wren, a stonking male Red-legged Honeycreeper and 1 Yellow-backed Tanager were the highlights.

Greenish Elaenia. The first record for Rio de Janeiro state was found here in May
2008.

Bored with getting soaked we decided to go machete shopping, but I just couldn't decide which one to get! The rain is forecast to clear tonight so hopefully we'll be able to bird the forest tomorrow.

This amazing local shop near Matumbo sells just about everything and has a
whole range of machetes hanging up over your head as you walk in! Photo by
Helen Cavilla, aka 'Lodge Master'. I have to acknowledge her as photographer
otherwise she'll only get the arse!

Back to Brazil

Not had the best start to this trip! We finally arrived in Brazil yesterday afternoon rather than Saturday evening as planned, thanks to Iberia delaying our connecting flight in Madrid by 18 hours and shoving us in a crap hotel overnight, and today (31 October) saw very heavy rain for most of the day, restricting birding opportunities. A brief walk around the wetland this morning did, however, produce a REGUA tick in the form of two Grey-necked Wood-Rails. I've only heard them once at REGUA in the past, so this was a welcome addition to the patch list. Other 'highlights' on this rather highlight-less morning were 1-2 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, 14 Masked Duck, a nice adult Rufescent Tiger-Heron, 2 Capped Heron, 1 Ringed Kingfisher, a Greater Ani, 1 Black-capped Donacobius and a noisy colony of nesting Red-rumped Caciques. This afternoon the lodge garden was also very quiet apart from a fly-over Ringed Kingfisher and good numbers of hummingbirds enjoying the rain: 10+ Black Jacobin, 1 Reddish Hermit and several Rufous-breasted Hermit, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Violet-capped Woodnymph and Glittering-throated Emerald. In the evening 2 Rusty-margined Guan appeared on the fruit feeders.

Hummers do love the rain. Black Jacobin is a summer migrant to REGUA and
there's plenty around at the moment.

Cotingas and Manakins

Just received my complimentary copy of Cotingas and Manakins by Guy Kirwan and Graeme Green. It's always nice to see some of your own photos published in a book, and I'm really pleased to have photos of Blue Manakin and Shrike-like Cotinga published in this incredible monograph. The amount of information on each species is monumental, and the plates, by Eustace Barnes, are simply stunning! This is without doubt the definitive work on these Neotropical families and if you are interested in Neotropical birds then I strongly recommend you buy a copy. I can't put it down, and the timing couldn't be better as I'm off to Brazil tomorrow morning. Check out the plumage of the Shrike-like Cotinga (Elegant Mourner) chick in the plate below (click to enlarge)!

Update on new Long-tailed Potoo ID feature

I've finally submitted a paper to the Neotropical Bird Club, describing in detail a previously unknown feature I observed last year in south-east Brazil on a couple of Long-tailed Potoos Nyctibius aethereus. The tips to the scapulars, wing coverts, tertials and some of the mantle are sharply upturned on Long-tailed Potoo (click on the photo below to enlarge), whereas on all other potoo species the feathers lie flat. This feature is not mentioned in the literature or shown in any field guide illustrations, but a study of photos and museum specimens of all seven potoo species found the feature to be unique to Long-tailed Potoo, and therefore a useful identification feature in the field.

Three subspecies of Long-tailed Potoo are currently recognised: the nominate N. a. aethereus, found across south-east South America (previously split as Large-tailed Potoo); N. a. longicaudatus of Amazonia; and N. a. chocoensis of the Chocó region of west Colombia and north-west Ecuador. I found upturned feathers on aethereus and longicaudatus, albeit less pronounced on the later, but unfortunately I couldn't find any photos or skins of chocoensis. Hopefully the paper will be accepted and published in either Cotinga or Neotropical Birding next year.

A quiet autumn afternoon at Staines Moor

Moderate north-westerlies and showers produced a few migrants at Staines Moor this afternoon: a flighty male Stonechat (photo below) at the north end associating with 3 Northern Wheatear, 40 Meadow Pipit, 40 Linnet, 3 Chiffchaff and 1 Yellow Wagtail (heard overhead). Also seen were 2 Reed Bunting, 10 Goldfinch, 1 Kestrel and 1 Kingfisher and a Little Egret on the Colne.

Also 1 Eurasian Sparrowhawk was noted on Stanwell Moor.