Mothing at home: 23/24 July

Had the moth light on at home last night, but despite the very warm temperature and seemingly every other moth trap in the country overflowing with moths, the haul in Worcester Park was pitiful to say the least:

1 Silver Y Autographa gamma
1 Least Carpet Idaea rusticata
2m Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria
1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata
3 Riband Wave Idaea aversata, 1 typical form and 2 ab. remutata
1m Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar
1 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella
1 Apple Leaf Miner Lyonetia clerkella
1 Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata
1 Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis
5 Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis
1 Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella
1 Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella
1 Blastobasis adustella
Lots of Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella

Silver Y Autographa gamma, Worcester Park, 24 July 2016

Camera trapping at REGUA: 11-16 July

Rachel and I put the camera trap out in two locations at REGUA last week - two nights in the forest just off the trail to the São José Tower (11th/12th-12th/13th) and then three nights along a stream in the forest along an unmarked trail off the Forest Trail (13th/14th, 14th/15th and 15th/16th), baiting both sites with bananas. I messed up the positioning of the camera on the São José Tower trail so nothing worth posting from that site, but I managed to capture a few nice videos from the forest stream site (to watch in HD click on the cog icon, click on Quality and the select the highest resolution).

Forest stream

This is the same stream along which I have placed a camera trap in the past, but this time the camera was placed further upstream into the forest.

Rusty-margined Guan Penelope superciliaris, 15 July 2016. Rarely encountered around the lodge area trails just a few
years ago, today Rusty-margined Guan are occasionally seen around the wetland and up to 4 birds visit the lodge
feeders daily.

Yellow-headed Caracara Milvago chimachima, 15 July 2016

Pale-breasted Thrush Turdus leucomelas, 14 July 2016

Red-rumped Agouti Dasyprocta leporina, 14 July 2016

Capybara Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris, 14 July 2016. Capybara appear to range widely from the wetland at night.

Atlantic Forest Nectomys or South American Water Rat Nectomys squamipes, 15 July 2016

Atlantic Forest Nectomys or South American Water Rat Nectomys squamipes swimming past, 15 July 2016

A small fruitbat species attracted to the bananas, 14 July 2016

Big-eared Opossum or Brazilian Common Opossum Didelphis aurita, 15 July 2016

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 16 July

Our last day today. Rachel and I spent few hours walking around the Wetland Trail but we again failed to find the f/imm. Sungrebe that was seen by guests at the far corner of the wetland a few days ago. But we did see the male Sungrebe again, as well as 1 Scaly-headed Parrot over, 1 White-necked Heron, 2 Anhinga, 4 Muscovy Duck, 1 Ringed Kingfisher, 1 Striated Heron and lots of Capybara.

Along the Forest Trail we encountered a nice mixed species flock that contained more forest interior species (indicative of how successful the reforestation here has been) including 1 Golden-crowned Warbler (my first record along this trail), 2 Yellow-throated Woodpecker, 2 (1m, 1f) Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, 3 Green-headed Tanager, 2 (1m, 1f) Black-goggled Tanager, 2 Streaked Xenops and 1 Olivaceous Woodcreeper. Also noted were the more usual forest-edge/scrubland species including 3 (1m, 2f) Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike, 1 Chestnut-backed Antshrike, 1m Chestnut-vented Conebill, 1 Yellow-eared Woodpecker, 3 White-barred Piculet, 1 Rufous-tailed Jacamar, 1f Yellow-backed Tanager and 1m Violaceous Euphonia.

Female Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike Thamnophilus ambiguus, feeding at ground level along the Forest Trail, 16 July 2016

So another fantastic trip to REGUA comes to an end. Although I had a lot of work to get through and didn't have much time for birding, I had a great time seeing how successful the reforestation around the lodge area has been. I won't be leaving it so long until the next visit.

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 15 July

Another day working on the Portuguese REGUA website. Spent a couple of hours in the lodge garden this morning where I managed some nice shots of a Rufous-tailed Jacamar that was taking out the moths leaving the moth wall, along with 2 Southern House Wren. 2 Giant Cowbirds perched in the eucalyptus on the edge of the lodge garden are my first record at the lodge, and 1m Purple-throated Euphonia visiting the feeders with 2 (1m, 1f) Blue Dacnis was the best of the other birds present.

Photographed some interesting moths at the moth wall, including some potential new additions to the REGUA moth list, but more on this is a later post.

Male Rufous-tailed Jacamar Galbula ruficauda, lodge garden, REGUA, 15 July 2016

Record of 1 of 2 Giant Cowbirds Molothrus oryzivorus together in the lodge garden, 15 July 2016

A few hours spotlighting around the wetland this evening produced an excellent but yet another frustrating avian find. While photographing tree frogs at the wetland (by post 650 of the Wetland Trail) a Stygian Owl started calling (approximately by post 850). I quickly moved towards it and got quite close before it moved across the lake to the roughly where the tapir pen is being built. Despite the bird calling for over 10 minutes it didn't respond to playback (although I didn't have speakers with me and so the playback was very quiet) and I didn't see it - the theme for this year it seems - finding good birds by sound only. This is only the 3rd record for Rio de Janeiro State and the 2nd for REGUA, following 1 seen well on 31 July 2011 at the REGUA wetland (just a few day after I flew home from a two week trip, grrrr).

Anyway, found 5 Hypsiboas semilineatus tree frogs in the vegetation around the edge of the water, showing an incredible diversity of colouration and size - check out the individuals below seen this evening and compare to the one in the lodge garden on 8 July.

Hypsiboas semilineatus, REGUA wetland, 15 July 2016

Hypsiboas semilineatus, REGUA wetland, 15 July 2016

Also noted while spot-lighting were 4 (2m, 1f, 1) Pauraque, 3H Tawny-browed Owl, 12 Broad-snouted Caiman, several Capybara, lots of Neotropical Cichlid Geophagus brasiliensis fishes, and 2 roosting Ghost Yellow Eurema albula sinoe butterflies (many thanks to Jorge Bizarro for the identification).

Ghost Yellow Eurema albula sinoe, REGUA wetland, 15 July 2016

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 13 July

Retrieved the camera trap today from a site chosen in the forest just off the trail to the São José Tower, only to discover on return to the lodge that I had completely misjudged the positioning and placed it too high up and close to the bananas I'd put down - live and learn! The camera recorded 2+ Big-eared Opossum Didelphis aurita and several small bats dropping down to eat the bananas I'd left out.

A walk along the Forest Trail produced a nice mixed species bird flock that included 1 male Black-goggled Tanager, 1-2 Fuscous Flycatcher, 1 Grey-hooded Attila and 1H Southern Antpipit (the first time I've recorded these species along this trail) along with 1 Tropical Parula, 1m Crested Becard, 3 (2m, 1f) White-flanked Antwren, 2m Chestnut-vented Conebill and 1 Yellow-throated Woodpecker.

At the wetland, 1 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, 33 White-faced Whistling-Duck, 3 Muscovy Duck and a Broad-snouted Caiman hauled out on an island.

Male Black-goggled Tanager Lanio melanops, Forest Trail, 13 July 2016. This forest interior species is currently fairly common along
the Forest Trail and around the wetland - an indicator of the success of the reforestation at REGUA.

Fuscous Flycatcher Cnemotriccus fuscatus, Forest Trail, REGUA, 12 July 2016

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 11 July

Rachel and I put the camera trap out today, just off the trail leading to the São José Tower and baited the area with bananas - let's see what comes in? Walked to the site via the Forest Trail and had a nice winter mixed species bird flock that included 1 Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant (yet another forest interior species moving into the area), several Black-goggled Tanager, 1 Sepia-capped Flycatcher, 1m Crested Becard, 1 Yellow-backed Tanager, 2-3 Squirrel Cuckoo, and 1f White-bearded Manakin.

On the wetland, 2 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, 2 Anhinga, 8 White-faced Whistling-Duck, several Muscovy Duck, several Brazilian Teal and an adult Rufescent Tiger-Heron were logged, and over the lodge several Biscutate Swift were quite low mid afternoon.

A couple of hours walking the Wetland Trail after dark was unsurprisingly very quiet for nocturnal bird activity, producing just 1f Pauraque (down to 2 metres in torch light) and 2H Tropical Screech-Owl, along with a roosting Purple Gallinule, 2 Capybara and an incredible 41 Broad-snouted Caiman - by far my highest count here and only one short of the REGUA record!

Female Pauraque Hydropsalis albicollis, REGUA wetland, after dark 11 July 2016 (taken using a torch - no flash)

1 of 41 Broad-snouted Caiman Caiman latirostris at the REGUA wetland this evening. Amazing to think that just 11 years go the
wetland was farmland, and none of these reptiles have been introduced.

Roosting Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica, 11 July 2016

Several Neotropical Cichlid Geophagus brasiliensis were seen in the wetland by torch light - a common Atlantc Forest endemic of calm
water and species frequently kept in aquariums. Many thanks to Thiago Barros of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) for
the identification.

REGUA, Atlantic Forest, Brazil: 10 July

A quiet but still very good morning at the 'Waldenoor' area of the reserve, situated up valley from the tiny settlement of Estrieto. A Red-cowled Cardinal from the truck in the village of Matumbo on route got the day started, before walking the Waldenoor Trail which produced 1m Frilled Coquette and 1 Pale-browed Treehunter (both at 'Waldenoor's house'), 1 Planalto Woodcreeper, 1 Scaled Woodcreeper, 4 (1H) Star-throated Antwren, 2 (1m, 1f) Surucua Trogon, 2 Cliff Flycatcher, 2 (1m, 1f) Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, 1 Grey-hooded Attila and 1H Grey-fronted Dove.

A walk along the Lower Veludo Trail down to the now legendary 'machete shop' produced 2+m White-shouldered Fire-eye and several f Black-goggled Tanagers around an ant swarm, 1m Spot-breasted Antvireo (and 1 prob. f glimpst), 1 Streak-capped Antwren, 1 Blond-crested Woodpecker, 2-3 Yellow-green Grosbeak, 2 Sepia-capped Flycatcher, 3 (1 ad. m, 1 imm. m, 1f) Blue Manakin, 1 Green-headed Tanager, 1m Chestnut-vented Conebill, 1m Violet-capped Woodnymph, 1 Yellow-eared Woodpecker, 1 Olivaceous Woodcreeper, 1 Golden-crowned Warbler, 1H White-throated Woodcreeper, 1H Rufous-breasted Leaftosser, and 1 prob. 2 Swainson's Flycatcher were in trees by the shop.

Checked out the derelict house at Waldenoor and found 2 Black Myotis Myotis nigricans bats roosting inside and a particularly 'interesting' spider.

2 Black Myotis Myotis nigricans, derelict house at Waldenoor, REGUA, 10 July 2016