Still been lots of rain around over the past week, but things seem to be slowly improving with the sun shining today!

The days are now becoming cooler and the activity on the lodge feeders is beginning to increase. We are now having daily sightings of both Spot-billed and Saffron Toucanets and the Blue-naped Chlorophonias have also returned. Slaty-breasted Wood-Rails are now also using the feeders on a daily basis, where they learnt to eat bananas we will never know! Certain species have been moving in mysterious ways lately with birds turning up at altitudes that we dont usually expect to see them. The strangest record has to be of a Slaty Bristlefront on the Cedae Trail, we usually record this species above 1.100 metres, but we were lucky enough to see a female Bristlefront at just 600 metres in altitude!

Other highlights for the past have included Pied-billed Grebe, 3 Black and White Hawk Eagles over the lodge, 3 Red-legged Seriemas, 2 Tropcial Screech Owls on the Wetland excursion, 3+ male Plovercrests, Rufous-capped Motmot in the lodge grounds, Crescent-chested Puffbird, Yellow-eared Woodcpecker, daily sightings of Blond-crested Woodpecker on the lodge feeders, Sharp-tailed Streamcreepers under the bridge by the lodge, fantastic views of Black-billed Scythebill on the Cedae Trail, Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike, all 6 of our Drymophila antbirds - Ferruginous, Bertonis, Rufous-tailed, Ochre-rumped, Dusky-tailed and Scaled Antbirds, both Rufous and Black-cheeked Gnateaters, Slaty Bristlefront, Serra do Mar Tapaculo (for some!), 6+ Swallow-tailed Cotingas Black and Gold Cotinga, Hooded Berryeater, Pin-tailed Manakin, Serra do Mar Tyrannulet, Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant and Chestnut-headed and Diademed Tanagers.

Yellow-eared Woodpecker. John O'Sullivan