Suggested Itinerary

The birding trails at REGUA offer world-class birding in superb surroundings, covering a variety of habitats ranging in altitude from 30m to 1300m above sea level. For a five day stay at the lodge we suggest the following itinerary, which is designed to maximise the number and variety of birds you can see here in this time span. The itinerary can be undertaken either on your own or with our bird guide if you prefer and of course it can be adjusted to meet your needs, depending on how intense you want your birding to be. Trail maps are available for a number of our trails to help you plan your stay and complete bird lists for each trail are available on request. If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Day 1: REGUA Wetland and Nursery Trail. We spend time early morning checking out the feeders around the lodge gardens for an introduction to the more common birds. White Woodpecker is regular, along with Blue Dacnis, Violaceous Euphonia, Rufous-bellied, Creamy-bellied and Pale-bellied Thrushes, Great Kiskadee, Chalk-browed Mockingbird and Red-rumped Cacique. Tanagers usually present include Brazilian, Burnished-buff, Ruby-crowned, Sayaca and Palm and hummers include Swallow-tailed Hummingbird and sometimes Black Jacobin. Rufous-tailed Jacamars often sally for insects behind the pool and a variety of raptors can be watched soaring overhead. The rest of the morning we spend on the short trails in the forest around the lodge. We will have an excellent chance to view White-bearded Manakins leking as well as Channel-billed Toucan and endemics such as Long-billed Wren, Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher and Crescent-chested Puffbird. After a well earned lunch back at the lodge we shall spend the afternoon at the extensive restored wetland. An amazing 127 bird species have been recorded here since the wetland was created in May 2005 and the new observation hide offers superb panoramic views over the wetland and surrounding forested slopes. Least Grebe, Capped Heron, Black-capped Night-heron, Rusfescent Tiger-Heron, Great Egret and Purple Gallinule are common, as are White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, Tail-banded hornero, Yellowish Pipit, Yellow-chinned Spinetail and Chestnut-capped Blackbird. We shall also look for other species such as Ash-throated Crake, Limpkin, White-faced Tree-Duck, Masked Duck, Chicli (Spix´s) Spinetail, Sooty and Yellow-browed Tyrannulets, Lesser Kiskadee and Lined and Yellow-bellied Seedeaters. As dusk falls we can watch Cattle Egrets arriving at their roost and search for displaying Giant Snipe and lurking Caiman. Back at the lodge we have a great chance of seeing Tawny-browed Owls in the garden after dark.

Day 2: The Waterfall Trail. After an early breakfast, we’ll drive a short distance to the start of this excellent forest trail, where we can bird our way to a spectacular waterfall to have a picnic lunch. The forest here is packed full of mouth-watering birds and we have an excellent chance of seeing such species as Blue-winged Parrolet, Scaly-headed Parrot, Spot-billed Toucanet, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Pale-browed Treehunter, White-flanked Antwren, Unicolored Antwren, Scaled Antbird, Rufous-capped Antthrush, Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher, Slaty Bristlefront, Sharpbill, Shrike-like Cotinga, Pin-tailed and Blue Manakins, Southern Antpipit, Blue-naped Chorophonia and many many others. We will also check out the feeders at our research centre Casa Pesquisa, where the endemic Saw-billed Hermit is usually relatively easy to see amongst the numerous other hummers present and a whole range of tanagers are also usually in attendance. The waterfall itself is beautiful and it is safe to swim in the pools here if you wish.

Day 3: Day trip to Macae de Cima (off-reserve). Today we’ll take a drive to a private high altitude forest reserve which provides easy access to several higher elevation species. When singing, Black-and-gold Cotinga can be heard everywhere and see have a very high change of seeing this beautiful cotinga during the day. Other target species here include Yellow-browed Woodpecker, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Black-billed Scythebill, Hooded Berryeater, Rufous (Brazilian) Antthrush, and Bay-chested Warbling-Finch. The reserve has a number of excellent hummingbird feeders that attract jewelled marvels such as Scale-throated Hermit, White-throated Hummingbird, Brazilian Ruby and even the incredible Plovercrest. The hummers here are very tame and a photographer´s dream. We will take a picnic lunch and arrive back at the lodge in time for a well-deserved meal (alternatively we can visit an excellent nearby Churrasceria (BBQ restuarant) instead).

Day 4: The Lost Trail. Another action-packed day of birding on the reserve´s trails. We can either bird this trail for half a day to return to the lodge for lunch, or take a picnic lunch for a longer day in the field. We take a short 4x4 drive up to 400m where we will be in prime position for the mornings birding. Starting at a viewpoint overlooking the Guapi Assu Valley, we will look for the near-threatened Mantled Hawk, Maroon-bellied and Plain Parakeets, Long-tailed Tyrant, Black-tailed Tityra, Long-billed Wren, Brassy-breasted Tanager and Yellow-green Grosbeak. We then walk steadily up into primary forest to search for Black Hawk-Eagle, Frilled Coquette, Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, Bare-throated Bellbird, Rufous-winged Antwren, White-bibbed Antbird and Swallow-tailed Cotinga among others. If we are lucky we will encounter an ant-swarm which are usually accompanied by a host of Tanagers, Woodcreepers, Woodpeckers, Antbirds, Flycatchers and even hawks! Heading back to the lodge we will pass through farmland which supports numerous (Southern) Crested and Yellow-headed Caracara, Aplomado Falcon, Barn and Burrowing Owls, Cliff Flycatcher, White-rumped Monjita, Grassland Sparrow and White-browed Blackbird.

Day 5: Unplanned - at REGUA or off-reserve. Today we can either walk another trail at REGUA, visit another site off-reserve or revisit a trail (perhaps to try for a species we have not yet seen). There are many superb trails at REGUA. A highly recommended but difficult trail (which would be a full day out) is the stunning high altitude Elfin Forest Trail. This brings you through pristine primary forest up to minature eflin forest along a mountain ridge. The scenery is awe-inspiring and well worth the effort to get here. Being higher altitude, the birding can yield many unusual birds such as Solitary Tinamou, Spot-winged Wood-Quail, Blue-bellied Parrot, Saffron Toucanet, Rufous-capped Spinetail, Rufous-breasted Leaftosser, Sharp-tailed Streamcrepper, Tufted Antshrike, Ferruginous Antbird, Ochre-rumped Antbird, Short-tailed Antthrush, Black-and-gold Cotinga, Brown Tanager and Green-chinned Euphonia. In addition, several primate species can be seen and Three-toed Sloth is regularly encountered. Whatever your choice, you will be sure to have a memorable bird-filled day that will leave you eager to visit us again.