STYGIAN OWL

STYGIAN OWL
Agosto 2009-08-19

Our guests had gone for a long walk, one afternoon meaning to be back at the Lodge a bit after night fall. I left them at the river bank. It was to be like a 4 miles walk. Having waited till it was really dark and they had not returned, we took the car, and took 2 torches so as to give to them, in case they had none and wanted to continue their walk. When we met them, they were in ecstasy having seen a couple of Long-tailed Nightjars flying over their heads for a few minutes, while they had a good look in the last evening lights. They proceeded on with their walk, all happy with their findings when a ‘swoosh’ went over their heads again. With their torch (a little one they were carrying, they saw the Stygian Owl. This owl had only one previous sighting in 1985 for the State of Rio de Janeiro, also in this region – it had been done by us! That night we had a glass of wine to celebrate this happening.

Accipiter Poliogaster, Gray-bellied Hawk

Accipiter Poliogaster, Gray-bellied Hawk

Lately we have seen two interesting hawks: (Leucopternis polionotus) Mantled Hawk who soars at low height over the trees in the forest up in the mountains of our State. The other one is (Accipiter polyogaster) Gray-bellied Hawk. It can be found in practically all of Brazil but little is known about it and it is rarely seen. We saw it at Mato Limpo near our Lodge.

SLOTH IN THE VALE DAS TAQUARAS

SLOTH IN THE VALE DAS TAQUARAS

Last April a huge sloth appeared on the ground of our garden, slowly moving towards a nearby wood. On the ground it was very vulnerable but once on the trees it soon disappeared by the branches and trunk, camouflaged. This sloth, with long black hair down its neck, is quite rare.