Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 9 June

We decided to push ahead with today's planned trip to Rio de Janeiro despite the continued heavy rain. I was hoping to get some decent photos of the habituated Channel-billed Toucans that inhabit Rio de Janeiro's Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro), but decided there was no point taking my DSLR considering the current weather conditions.

We logged a few species from the minibus as we entered Rio via the President Costa e Silva (or Rio–Niterói) Bridge including 1 Cocoi Heron, 2 Little Blue Heron, a Brown-hooded Gull, several South American Tern and close views of the ever present Magnificent Frigatebirds. We met Nicholas, Raquel, Robert and Micaela Locke at about 8:30 at the Botanical Garden and immediately dived into the new cafe for an espresso and a pain au raisin, temporarily avoiding the monsoon conditions outside.

Splashing around the partly flooded gardens we managed close views of several Rusty-margined Guan, 7 Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail and 5+ Channel-billed Toucan - three species that are very shy elsewhere, but otherwise birding was difficult with little in the way of activity and further sightings totalled just 1 Cocoi Heron, 1 Great Egret, many Black Vulture, 1 Southern Caracara, c8 White-eyed Parakeet, 1 Wing-banded Hornero, 3 Masked Water-Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, 1 Southern House Wren, several Rufous-bellied Thrush, 1 Pale-breasted Thrush, 2 Palm Tanager, several Green-headed Tanager, 2 Rufous-collared Sparrow, 6 Saffron Finch and 2m Double-collared Seedeater, with both Maroon-bellied and Plain Parakeets being heard only. A troop of around 8 Brown Capuchin Monkeys Cebus apella and a Brazilian Squirrel Sciurus aestuans made up slightly for the lack of bird sightings. Despite the weather the botanical garden was excellent and I really enjoy birding here whenever I get the chance (proper posts about birding in Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro here and here).

The Avenue of Royal Palms

Meu bom amigo Adilei and me in Rio Botanical Garden (Photo by Rachel Walls)

Magnificent Frigatebirds constantly patrol the skies over downtown Rio

Phallus indusiatus, Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro

In the afternoon the rain eased a little, so being complete masochists we decided to visit Forte de Copacabana - a military fort at the southern end of Copacabana Beach and one of the venues for Rio+20 - where we could be sure to find some strong onshore winds to get battered around in. Birding from the end of the fort was actually pretty good, with many Brown Boobies streaming north close inshore in strong south-easterlies, along with 4 Kelp Gull and 2 South American Tern, and a mental Snowy Egret trying to catch fish in perhaps the most exposed spot in Rio! Hoards of Magnificent Frigatebirds and Black Vultures were constant companions over the tower blocks of downtown Rio and a single Ruddy Ground-Dove and House Sparrow feeding amongst the Feral Pigeons completed the day's list.

Rio+20 venue under construction at Forte de Copacabana

Bonkers! REGUA supporter Sue Healey, Nicholas Locke and me looking good and
battling the wind at Forte de Copacabana in Rio. (Photo by Rachel Walls)

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 8 June

Torrential rain for most of the day mean't I got hardly any birding in at all! However, the lodge garden did produce an exceptional flock of 13+ Black-legged Dacnis, as well as 2 Scaly-headed Parrot over, 2 Burnished-buff Tanager, 4 Blue Dacnis and 3 Violaceous Euphonia. A brief pause in the rain allowed just enough time to dash to the wetland where the only noteworthy birds seen were 13+ Greater Ani, a lone Muscovy Duck and 4 Black-crowned Night-Heron before it started raining again. Unfortunately the forecast for this weekend doesn't look much better. So much for this being the dry season in south-east Brazil!

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 7 June

The weather cleared enough for a morning trip to Waldenoor – an area of higher altitude selectively logged primary forest purchased by REGUA in 2008. Birding from the back of the trusty old blue Toyota Landcruiser along the dirt road from the main REGUA entrance to the trail head produced some of the usual open country birds, including 4 Burrowing Owl, 3 White-eared Puffbird, 4 Campo Flicker, 2 Chalk-browed Mockingbird and a Blue-black Grassquit, along with 2 Ringed Kingfisher.

Burrowing Owl

A fairly large mixed-species flock at the top of the road included 3 Plain Parakeet, 1 Squirrel Cuckoo, 1m & 2f Surucua Trogon, 2 Crescent-chested Puffbird, 1 Yellow-throated Woodpecker, 1m Unicoloured Antwren, 1 Olivaceous Woodcreeper, 2(1H) Streaked Xenops, 2-3 Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, 1 Planalto Tyrannulet, 1 Tropical Pewee, 1+ Chestnut-crowned Becard, 1 Red-eyed Vireo, 2 Rufous-bellied Thrush, good numbers of Green-headed Tanager, 1f Burnished-buff Tanager, 3 Blue Dacnis, 1f Chestnut-vented Conebill, 1 Buff-throated Saltator, 2+ Golden-crowned Warbler, 2 Red-rumped Cacique, 5 Violaceous Euphonia, a pair of Orange-bellied Euphonia and lots of Tropical Kingbirds. A Saw-billed Hermit visited nearby banana flowers, a lek of 5m Blue Manakin gave a fantastic display, and overhead 5 White-eyed Parakeets flew over.

Tropical Pewee, Waldenoor, 7 June 2012. A scarce winter visitor to south-east
Brazil, present at REGUA between May and September.

Further up the track 2 Plain-winged Woodcreeper gave brief views, but 1 Yellow-olive Flycatcher, 1 Greyish Mourner, 1m Black-capped Becard, 1m Flame-crested Tanager, 1f Black-goggled Tanager and 1m Red-crowned Ant-Tanager showed well.

On the Waldenoor Trail itself we added 2 flyover Scaly-headed Parrots, several Grey-rumped Swift, 2 Violet-capped Woodnymph, 2+ Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, 1 Yellow-eared Woodpecker, 1 Cliff Flycatcher, 1 Bananaquit, 1m Ruby-crowned Tanager, 4 Azure-shouldered Tanager, 2 Golden-chevroned Tanager and 1m Chestnut-bellied Euphonia. But the highlight was an excellent male Green-backed Becard at close range which showed well enough for a record shot before the rain began to fall again.

Male Green-backed Becard

The weather closes in on the Waldenoor Trail

The dirt road back to REGUA produced a few notables. A Reddish Hermit and 2 Blond-crested Woodpecker showed during a drink stop at the machete shop in Estreito, and at Matumbo 1 Cocoi Heron, 1 Laughing Falcon, 1 very distant Limpkin and 2 close Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture were around the fish farms, and 7+ Southern Caracara were in the fields. At the REGUA entrance a Roadside Hawk posed for photos.

Roadside Hawk

In the afternoon persistent heavy rain restricted birding to the lodge garden, where 4m & 1f Black-legged Dacnis associating with a flock of 60+ (including at least 10m) Swallow Tanager was particularly noteworthy, and a flock of 100 Red-rumped Cacique moving through was a good count.

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 6 June

Heavy rain for most of the day made birding very difficult to say the least. Rachel and I decided to team up with Sue Healey and her group to bird the Waterfall Trail. An American Kestrel and 2 of the regular Burrowing Owls were seen on the dirt road to the trail head at Casa Pesquisa, but once on the trail it began to rain heavily and before being forced to turn back we had managed to see only 1 Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant, 1 male Blue Manakin and 1 Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, and hear Spot-billed Toucanet, Scaled Antbird and White-eyed Foliage-gleaner.

A superb immature Bothrops jararacussu trying its best to warm up on a wet rock in the middle of the trail, went a long way towards making up for the poor weather. These highly venomous, and potentially deadly snakes are very well camouflaged and almost all of our group had stepped over it before it was spotted!

Immature Bothrops jararacussu, Waterfall Trail, 6 June 2012. Bothrops is a genus
of pit vipers found throughout Latin America. 32 species are recognised, but at
one time all were considered conspecific and were often referred to collectively as
fer-de-lance or lanceheads, although nowadays this name is only applied to the
Mexican species B. lanceolatus. Two species of Bothrops have been recorded
at REGUA, the other being B. jararaca.

Back at the lodge, 2 Black-legged Dacnis, a few Swallow Tanager and a Reddish Hermit in the garden, and a White-necked Hawk and 7 Channel-billed Toucan scoped from the veranda on the nearest forested ridge, brightened the day a little.

In the afternoon it stopped raining just long enough for a dash to the wetland where 3 Blue Ground-Doves (2m, 1f), 1 male Black-legged Dacnis, 1 immature male Red-legged Honeycreeper, 1 Blackish Rail, 3 Yellow-browed Tyrant and several Blue-winged Parrotlets were seen.

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 5 June

Slightly overcast and cooler conditions today produced a little more activity. A decent mixed species flock at the wetland included a pair of White-bellied Seedeater, a female Green-backed Becard, 1 White-winged Becard, 1 Yellow-browed Tyrant, 1 White-barred Piculet, 1 Chestnut-backed Antshrike, 1 Tropical Parula, 1 White-bearded Manakin, 1 Chestnut-vented Conebill, 2 Violaceous Euphonia, 2 Sayaca Tanager and singles of Brazilian, Palm and Yellow-backed Tanagers. Elsewhere around the wetland 1 Rufescent Tiger-Heron, 7 Capped Heron, 1 Striated Heron, 1 Muscovy Duck, several Blue-winged Parrotlets feeding on cecropia fruit, another Yellow-browed Tyrant, 1 Grey-breasted Martin and a Black-capped Donacobius were also seen.

Female White-bellied Seedeater

Male Chestnut-backed Antshrike

Muscovy Duck

Blue-winged Parrotlet feeding on cecropia fruit

A flurry of activity around the top of the canopy tower produced 1 Squirrel Cuckoo, 1 Violet-capped Woodnymph, 1 Red-eyed Vireo, 2 Black-goggled Tanager, 2 Flame-crested Tanager, 1 Fawn-breasted Tanager, 3 Blue Dacnis, 1 Chestnut-vented Conebill, 1 Tropical Parula and a pair of Orange-bellied Euphonia, but calling Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Channel-billed Toucan both remained out of sight.

The Canopy Loop, a short circular trail at the start of the São José Trail that leads to the canopy tower, is a regular wintering site for one of REGUA's speciality birds - Shrike-like Cotinga. I had just left the tower and was making my way along the trail when I found a male calling close to the trail. Hoping for a decent photo I climbed back up the tower and the bird came in but frustratingly remained very obscured in the trees. By now it was almost midday and bird activity much reduced. The only notable sightings on the Canopy Loop on the way back to the lodge were a White-barred Piculet and a White Witch Moth Thysania agrippina on the side of a tree.

The canopy tower overlooks secondary lowland humid forest

View from the top of the canopy tower overlooking the Guapiaçu valley

The Canopy Loop - a regular site for Shrike-like Cotinga between April and August

White Witch Moth Thysania agrippina, Canopy Loop,
5 June 2012. This moth is believed to have the largest
wing-span of any moth or insect in the world, with a
record wing-span of 280 mm.

Back at the lodge, a female Rufous-tailed Jacamar performed brilliantly in the garden, however, the highlight of the day was a Bat Falcon that circled the wetland twice in the evening before heading off. Bat Falcon is rare at REGUA and this is my first record here.

Female Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Female Rufous-tailed Jacamar

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 4 June

It is unusually hot and humid at REGUA at the moment and birding around the wetland was very quiet. The new hide produced 11 Muscovy Duck perched up in a secropia tree, 3 Rufescent Tiger-Heron, just 3 Black-crowned Night-Heron, 1 White-tipped Dove (these are difficult to see here), 16+ Greater Ani, 1 White-chinned Sapphire, 2-3 Ringed Kingfisher, 1 Wing-banded Hornero, 2 Yellow-chinned Spinetail, a pair of Southern House Wren feeding young at a nest in the hide and 10 Red-rumped Cacique. 10 Blue-winged Parrotlet feeding on fruiting trees along the Wetland Trail gave incredible views but there were few other birds of note, with 7 Capped Heron, 1 Yellow-browed Tyrant, 1 Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher, 1 Yellow-bellied Elaenia and just a single Least Grebe being about the highlights.

Blue-winged Parrotlet

Another White-tipped Dove, 2 Flame-crested Tanager and a Yellow-backed Tanager were noted along a very quiet Forest Trail, and by the time I reached the Canopy Loop there was even less activity, but 2 Fawn-breasted Tanager, 3 Flame-crested Tanager, 1 Tropical Parula, 1 Yellow-throated Woodpecker and a Chestnut-backed Antshrike were seen and a Shrike-like Cotinga was heard calling but didn't show. A Red-rumped Agouti Dasyprocta leporina paused briefly on the trail before noticing me and scarpering. It's good to be now seeing these mammals, a main quary of hunters, regularly around the reserve.

The new canopy tower is now open and the view from this sturdy concrete structure across the forest canopy to the Guapiaçu valley is stunning. The only birds of note seen from the tower were a Surucua Trogon and a Grey-rumped Swift, but then it was the quietest time of day. I can't wait to experience a flock from the top!

This quiet day finished with a surprising and long overdue lifer in the form of a immature male Blue Ground-Dove along the Forest Trail on the way back to the lodge.

Blue Ground-Dove

Dawn at REGUA

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 3 June

Arrived at REGUA's Guapi Assu Bird Lodge in south-east Brazil late last night, and it was straight to work this morning so not much time for birding today. A look around the lodge garden revealed very little activity on the fruit feeders with just 1+ Burnished-buff Tanager and a Red-rumped Cacique in attendence. This is surprising for this time of year when the feeders at REGUA are usually busy with many species having moved to lower elevations for the austral winter. The hummer feeders were a little busier with 1 Rufous-breasted Hermit and several Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Violet-capped Woodnymph and Glittering-throated Emerald. A Giant Cowbird in flight over the lodge is a good bird for REGUA and a small troop of Common Marmoset Callithrix jacchus stopped by to feast on the bananas.

Common Marmoset Callithrix jacchus at the lodge feeders, REGUA, 3 June 2012.
This species is not indigenous to Rio de Janeiro state and has pushed out the
native Buffy-tufted Marmoset C. aurita (which has yet to be recorded at REGUA)
through competition and hybridization.

A quick visit to the wetland in the afternoon found 55 White-faced Whistling-Duck, a very good count, 3 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, 5 Capped Heron, 2 White-rumped Swallow and around 2000 Cattle Egret coming in to roost at dusk which made a spectacular sight. 1 Pauraque was also flushed from the path.

Dusk at the REGUA wetland