Pauraques at the wetland: 10 October

Not much birding done today, but had time for a walk around REGUA's rapidly maturing restored wetland. Spent some time watching and photographing 2 incubating female Pauraques - one sitting on two eggs, the other on a single egg. The second bird (pic 2) was quite nervous and, nesting right on the edge of the trail, a little vulnerable to disturbance. Amazing birds, and fantastic to observe them at close quarters.

Female Pauraque incubating two eggs

Second female incubating a single egg on one of the unmarked trails

The nest is a barely discernible scrape in the leaf litter, but the egg not as camouflaged as I expected.

Nice facial hair!

Also at the wetland, 1 Rufous-sided Crake, 5 Neotropical Cormorant, 2 Capped Heron, a singing Chestnut-capped Blackbird, 1 Blackish Rail (H), 1 White-chinned Sapphire, 1+ Ringed Kingfisher, 2 White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, 1 Rufescent Tiger-Heron, 2 Short-crested Flycatcher, a Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher building a nest were noted.

Warmer and sunny today, and much better at the lodge moth wall this morning. 1 superb fresh Xylophanes tyndarus hawkmoth was the highlight, and a cracker butterfly was also present. At the lodge, a probable Sharp-shinned Hawk flew over briefly, and a White-browed Blackbird was noted along the dirt road to Casa Pesquisa.

Xylophanes tyndarus on the moth wall

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 9 October

Much sunnier today with no rain, but still very cool. Still very few moths coming into the moth wall, with a huge saturniid, an Automeris larra, being the highlight.

A walk up the Casa Anibel Trail today was also quiet, but a small ant swarm towards the top of the trail attracted a pair of Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, 2 Black-goggled Tanager, 2 Thrush-like Woodcreeper, and a White-necked Hawk. 1 Blonde-crested Woodpecker, 1m Surucua Trogon, 1 Plain Xenops, another Thrush-like Woodcreeper, an immature Blue Manakin, 1 Boat-billed Flycatcher, and a Rusty-margined Guan (with another heard) were also noted on the trail.

A Burnished-buff Tanager was noted in the lodge garden, and long the the dirt road road to Casa Pesquisa, 2 White-rumped Monjita, 1-2 White-rumped Swallow, 1 Rufous-capped Motmot and a Savanna Hawk were logged.

Automeris larra, REGUA moth wall

Automeris larra, REGUA moth wall

In the afternoon this superb Syssphinx molina silkmoth was found resting by the garage light at Nicholas and Raquel's house.

Female Syssphinx molina at Nicholas and Raquel's house this afternoon

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 8 October

Spent the day birding an area of REGUA known as Waldenoor. A male White-shouldered Fire-eye and a pair of Black-tailed Tityra were the highlights on a rather quiet visit. Other birds noted include 2 Blue-winged Parrotlet, several Plain Parakeet, 4 Scaly-headed Parrot, 1 Grey-rumped Swift, 2 Saw-billed Hermit, 1m Rufous-tailed Jacamar, 1m White-flanked Antwren, 2 Streak-capped Antwren, 1 Plain-winged Woodcreeper, 1 Grey-hooded Flycatcher, 1 Sepia-capped Flycatcher, 1 Planalto Tyrannulet, 1 Yellow-olive Flycatcher, 1 Streaked Flycatcher, 1 Variegated Flycatcher, 2 Large-headed Flatbill, 2m Blue Manakin, 4 Chestnut-crowned Becard (including a pair at a nest), 2(1H) Red-eyed Vireo, 1 Bananaquit, 1+f Black-goggled Tanager, 1m Ruby-crowned Tanager, 2 Azure-shouldered Tanager, Golden-chevroned Tanager, 3 Green-headed Tanager, 7+ Red-necked Tanager, 1m Yellow-backed Tanager, 2m Blue Dacnis, 3 Violaceous Euphonia, 1 pr Orange-bellied Euphonia and 1 pr Chestnut-bellied Euphonia. Also, 2 White-eared Puffbird, 2 Cliff Flycatcher and a Fork-tailed Flycatcher were noted on the dirt road from Matumbo to Waldenoor.

Female Black-tailed Tityra

Female Black-tailed Tityra

Huge longhorn beetle sp. I hope to find out which species soon.

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 7 October

Spent the day organising signs around the Wetland and Forest Trails that we marked out and mapped back in 2011. Little birding done, but birds seen at the wetland include 1 Common Potoo roosting/nesting by post 300 of the Wetland Trail, 1 Lemon-chested Greenlet, 1m Brazilian Tanager, 1 White-necked Heron, 11 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (my highest site count), 1 Blond-crested Woodpecker, 1 singing Chestnut-capped Blackbird (most seen here are roosting birds), and a Streaked Flycatcher (one of my favourites). A Rufous-tailed Jacamar was also noted along the Forest Trail.

This evening 2 Tawny-browed Owls showed very well in Nicholas and Raquel's garden.

One of this evening's Tawny-browed Owls

A few bugs at REGUA: 6 October

Spent a very enjoyable morning walking the first kilometer of the Waterfall Trail photographing some cool bugs with Rachel, Sue and Nicholas. Highlights were a superb Brazilian Crab Spider Epicadus heterogaster in the orchid garden (these things mimic white flowers in order to ambush pollinating insects), a male Long-tailed Bromeliad Guard Leptagrion perlongum - a member of the Coenagrionidae family or Narrow-winged Damselflies, and the second record for REGUA (many thanks to Tom Kompier for help with identification), and several species of tortoise beetle (Cassidinae). Bird highlights along the Waterfall Trail include 1-2m Temminck's Seedeater (a long overdue lifer) and 1m Sooty Grassquit feeding on seeding bamboo, 1 White-eyed Foliage-gleaner, and a Yellow-green Grosbeak.

Brazilian Crab Spider Epicadus heterogaster, Waterfall Trail

Brazilian Crab Spider Epicadus heterogaster, Waterfall Trail

Male Long-tailed Bromeliad Guard Leptagrion perlongum, Waterfall Trail - the second record for REGUA

Male Long-tailed Bromeliad Guard Leptagrion perlongum, Waterfall Trail

At the REGUA conservation center the MV light had attracted two hawkmoths: a Xylophanes chiron nechus and a Manduca diffissa petuniae.

Xylophanes chiron

Manduca diffissa petuniae

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 4 October

Arrived at REGUA very late last night and spent most of today taking it easy catching up with our good friends Nicholas, Raquel and Adilei. No birding today but 2 Blonde-crested Woodpecker and 2 (H) Tawny-browed Owl at Nicholas and Raquel's house, and a Fork-tailed Flycatcher and a Burrowing Owl nearby were a nice start to the trip. At the Conservation Centre, c.13 White-eyed Parakeets, 2 Orange-winged Parrots and a Green-barred Woodpecker (H) were noted, and the hummer feeders at the lodge were busy with lots of Black Jacobins, Swallow-tailed Hummingbirds, Violet-capped Woodnymphs and Glittering-throated Emeralds. Also notable was a Red-cowled Cardinal just outside the reserve entrance. Rained quite heavily for much of the day so no photos.

Variation within Square-spot Rustic

Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa is a very common moth throughout Britain, flying in August and September. But every year the huge variation in colour and pattern found in this species really throws me - not helped by varying degrees of wear. I've put this plate together showing some of the variety I've seen, and hopefully other mothing novices will find this helpful. Many thanks to everyone on Twitter (#teammoth) for their invaluable help with identifying these tricky little buggers over the last month or so.

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All these pics were taken in Worcester Park, Surrey.