Latest News
Here is the latest news from REGUA and Guapi Assu Bird Lodge. For older news see the news archive page.
08 May 2009
April bird sightings
Birding highlights from around the reserve in April include:
4x4 Track to Casa Anibal: Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Sooretama Slaty Antshrike, Spot-breasted Antvireo, White-bibbed Antbird, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant, Grey-hooded Attila and Turquoise Tanager.
Elfin Forest Trail: Mantled Hawk, Blue-bellied Parrot, Least Pygmy-Owl, Buff-bellied Puffbird, Giant Antshrike, Salvadori's Antwren (now a regular bird on the reserve - see photo below), Ferruginous Antbird, Ochre-rumped Antbird and Large-headed Flatbill.-lp.jpg)
São José Trail: Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Least Pygmy-Owl (see photo below), Saw-billed Hermit, Rufous-capped Motmot, Crescent-chested Puffbird, Spot-billed Toucanet, Yellow-eared Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Woodpecker, Spot-backed Antshrike, Sooretama Slaty Antshrike, Spot-breasted Antvireo, Ferruginous Antbird, Scaled Antbird, Streak-capped Antwren, White-bibbed Antbird, Rufous-breasted Leaftosser, Plain-winged Woodcreeper, Lesser Woodcreeper, Black-billed Scythebill, Black-capped Foliage-gleaner, Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, White-eyed Foliage-gleaner, Plain Xenops, Streaked Xenops, Eared Pygmy-Tyrant, White-throated Spadebill, Greyish Mourner, Large-headed Flatbill, Grey-hooded Attila and White-necked Thrush.
Waterfall Trail: Black Hawk-Eagle, Tawny-browed Owl, Rufous-capped Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Unicoloured Antwren and Slaty Bristlefront.
Wetland and adjacent trails: Muscovy Duck, Masked Duck, Rusty-margined Guan, Capped Heron, Collared Forest-Falcon (see photo below), Grey-fronted Dove, Orange-winged Parrot, Tropical Screech-Owl, Tawny-browed Owl, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Reddish Hermit, Violet-capped Woodnymph, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Channel-billed Toucan, Sooretama Slaty Antshrike, White-flanked Antwren, Unicoloured Antwren, Rufous-winged Antwren, Scaled Antbird, Streak-capped Antwren, White-bibbed Antbird, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Plain Xenops, Grey-hooded Flycatcher, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Southern Antpipit, Greenish Elaenia, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Euler's Flycatcher, Greyish Mourner, Moustached Wren, Long-billed Wren, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Black-legged Dacnis, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Red-rumped Cacique and Blue-naped Chlorophonia.
30 April 2009
Matumbo corridor protected
The purchase in March of a 40 hectare plot of land brings to the end almost eighteen months of hard work negotiating the purchase of a network of small land holdings to create a corridor of protected land between REGUA and the estate owned by our friend Carlos Lemgruber. In total REGUA has purchased 334 hectares from 12 different families using funds donated by the World Land Trust, American Bird Conservancy and the IUCN National Committee for the Netherlands.
Some of the purchases were extremely complex due to the uncertainty of land boundaries and the number of family members that claimed a share in each plot, however as always, Nicholas' perseverance and diplomatic skills eventually resolved all the issues. This area is critical to REGUA's ambition to ultimately join up the reserve with the land owned by the Primatology Centre but it was threatened by the gradual spread of small houses and subsistence farms along the tracks radiating from Matumbo.
These purchases bring the land protected by REGUA to 6,949 hectares, although in reality the actual size is likely to be significantly greater than this as historically land deeds have understated the sizes in order to minimise state taxes. Meanwhile REGUA is already working on its next purchase, the 675 hectare Lemgruber estate using money raised by the World Land Trust and BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums).
23 April 2009
March sightings
Highlights of bird sightings around the reserve in March include:
4x4 Track to Casa Anibal: White-necked Hawk, Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, Variegated Antpitta and Slaty Bristlefront.
Elfin Forest Trail: Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Salvadori's Antwren and Russet-winged Spadebill.
São José Trail: White-bibbed Antbird, Plain-winged Woodcreeper, White-throated Woodcreeper, Lesser Woodcreeper, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Southern Antpipit, Greyish Mourner and 2 Shrike-like Cotinga.
Waldenoor: Mantled Hawk and Yellow-fronted Woodpecker.
Waterfall Trail: Buff-bellied Puffbird, Giant Antshrike, Rufous-capped Antthrush, Rufous-breasted Leaftosser, Scaled Woodcreeper, Southern Antpipit, Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant and Azure-shouldered Tanager.
Wetland and adjacent trails: Tataupa Tinamou, Masked Duck, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Whistling Heron, Collared Forest-Falcon, Limpkin, Blackish Rail, White-eyed Parakeet (a flock visiting the Lodge garden), Blue-winged Parrotlet, Orange-winged Parrot, Tropical Screech-Owl, Pauraque, Tufted Antshrike, a pair of Black-legged Dacnis feeding young (see photo below), Sooty Grassquit and Pileated Finch.
Mammal sightings around the reserve include up to four Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths seen in a day and Tayra.
05 April 2009
REGUA visits Muriqui stronghold
Our project manager Nicholas Locke, has recently returned from a trip to the remote Caratinga Biological Station located in the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural - Feliciano Miguel Abdala (RPPN-FMA) in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The Reserve is run by Preserve-Muriqui - a charity dedicated to protecting the critically endangered Woolly Spider Monkey or Northern Muriqui Brachyteles hipoxanthus. The Muriqui is the largest endemic mammal in Brazil and one of the 25 most threatened primates in the world. It is estimated that only around 500 remain in the wild and about a third of these are found at RPPN-FMA. Preserve-Muriqui offer opportunities for researchers and volunteers. For more information go to the Preserve-Muriqui website. To read more about Nicholas' visit see the March 2009 newsletter.
01 April 2009
New reptiles for REGUA
During November 2008, REGUA had a visit from Cambridgeshire zoologist, Chris Knowles. For his four week visit, five camera traps were used to photograph and film as many species as possible. Mostly Chris was looking for snakes and other reptiles and with this he had much success. Fifteen species of reptiles were identified and within this number three were new for the reserve: the Atlantic Coralsnake Micrurus corallinus (see photo below), Pale-necked Whip Snake Chironius laevicollis and the extremely rare Small-headed Worm Lizard Leposternon microcephalum. Finding these species indicates that there is really a huge diversity of species that are rarely seen at the Reserve. In addition to the reptiles, Chris was able to film Capybara, Paca, Crab-eating Fox and several opossom species, although unfortunately the heavy rain in the forest claimed a few of his camera traps!
30 March 2009
New REGUA newsletter now online
The latest newsletter is now available. Nicholas Locke, our project manager, reports on the very latest developments across all areas of the REGUA project, including: school visits, the Young Rangers programme, Agenda 21, tree planting, reintroduction and tourism. Click here to download it.
24 March 2009
February bird sightings
February is the end of our summer and the breeding season is now coming to a close. Sightings in February include:
4x4 Track to Casa Anibal: A juvenile Tawny-browed Owl (see photo below), a pair of Salvadori's Antwren, Slaty Bristlefront and Rufous-breasted Leaftosser.
São José Trail: Ruddy Quail-Dove, Sooretama Slaty Antshrike, White-bibbed Antbird and a immature male Hooded Berryeater seen singing just behind the wetland (a species normally found at a much higher altitude).
Waldenoor: Crescent-chested Puffbird, Slaty Bristlefront, Red-necked Tanager and Rufous-headed Tanager.
Wetland and adjacent trails: Tataupa Tinamou, Masked Duck, Striated Heron, Whistling Heron, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Grey-headed Kite, Rufous-thighed Kite, Limpkin, Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail, Russet-crowned Crake (see photo below), Giant Snipe, Dark-billed Cuckoo, Striped Cuckoo, 2 Tropical Screech-Owl (at the usual roost site), Striped Owl, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Green Kingfisher, Rufous-capped Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Tufted Antshrike, Chestnut-backed Antshrike, Sooretama Slaty Antshrike, White-flanked Antwren, Wing-banded Hornero, White-winged Becard, Lemon-chested Greenlet, Long-billed Wren, Black-capped Donacobius, Hooded Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, an influx of Swallow-Tanager (with counts of over 30 birds), Red-legged Honeycreeper, Lined Seedeater and Red-rumped Cacique.
Macaé de Cima: Plovercrest, Bertoni's Antbird, Hooded Berryeater, Black-and-gold Cotinga, Greenish Schiffornis, Cinnamon Tanager and Bay-chested Warbling-Finch.
20 March 2009
Volunteers needed to teach English at REGUA
We are seeking volunteers to teach English to local children taking part in our Young Rangers programme and our staff. You will need to be organised, motivated, self-reliant and an possess excellent communication skills. Ideally you will have previous experience in teaching English and a basic knowledge of Portuguese would be advantageous. Volunteers would be required to spend at least two months at REGUA. If you would like get involved then please email an informal CV to Nicholas Locke at aregua@terra.com.br.
21 February 2009
Mapping volunteer required
REGUA is currenly looking for a volunteer to help out with mapping around the reserve. At present, very little of the reserve has been accurately mapped and we are in need of accurate maps of trails as well as various plots of land for possible purchase. If you have mapping skills, software to create maps from GPS co-ordinates, and would like to spend some time volunteering in the Brazilian rainforest, then we would like to hear from you. Please contact Nicholas Locke at aregua@terra.com.br.
17 February 2009
REGUA on Facebook
REGUA now has it's own Facebook web page. Facebook is the most popular social networking website and is currently ranked the 8th most visited website in the world! Therefore Facebook can be used to further increase REGUA's web presence, and the message of conservation. Our Facebook page includes information about REGUA and our conservation work, as well as photo galleries, video clips and links to our partner's Facebook pages. Registered Facebook users can also leave messages on our 'Wall'.
To check out our Facebook page click on the link below:
13 February 2009
REGUA timeline updated
To read a summary of milestones reached in 2008, and find out what REGUA has achieved so far, see our updated timeline page.
09 February 2009
Help wanted with identifying moths
Over the last few years we have been taking photographs of the huge diversity of moths found around the reserve, in order to develop a database of the species present. Unfortunately there are no field guides available and so identification is often a difficult and slow process, and many species remain unidentified. If you are a keen lepidopterist and would like to help us identify the many mysterious moths we have photographed, then check out our new web page of unidentified moths.
26 January 2009
Giant moths at REGUA
The title for the largest moth in the world is usually awarded to the Atlas Moth Attacus atlas, however this can be misleading. Whilst the Atlas Moth may be the largest in terms of total wing surface, the White Witch Moth Thysania agrippina is believed to have the largest wing-span of any moth or insect in the world, with a record wing-span of 280 mm. The Atlas Moth is native to Asia but now occurs in South America, however its distribution and status is uncertain. To our knowledge the Atlas Moth has only been recorded once at REGUA, in August 2008 at the Lodge (see top photo below). The White Witch Moth is found throughout Latin America, as far south as the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. At REGUA there have been regular sightings of the White Witch Moth in the forest and around the Lodge (see bottom photo below).
20 January 2009
New REGUA newsletter now online
The December 2008 newsletter is now available. In this issue, project managers Nicholas and Raquel Locke, report on their time at the BirdLife International World Conservation Conference in Buenos Aires last September, as well as the latest on protection, restoration, reintroduction, education, research and tourism. Click here to read it.
04 January 2009
Birds new for REGUA in 2008
2008 turned out to be an excellent year for new birds at REGUA. 10 new species for the reserve were recorded - Little Blue Heron, Crowned Eagle, a storm-blown South American Tern (see top photo below), a vagrant Greenish Elaenia, Small-billed Elaenia, Swainson's Flycatcher, Thrush-like Schiffornis, Eastern Slaty Thrush, Magpie Tanager (see bottom photo below) and a pair of nest-building Golden-rumped Euphonias. With a bird list now standing at 436 species, REGUA has possibly the highest bird diversity of any site in the Atlantic Forest. Hopefully 2009 will see even more new species added!
