23 April Regua

We got up early and breakfasted and set off on an early morning guided walk with the bird guide. We saw loads and took lots of pictures. It last 5 hours but felt like no time at all. The weather had chirped up and the sun was shining. Clouds are lowering over the mountains. In Porto Alegre it had been spring so the birds behaviour was all frantic springtime nest building and mating, whereas here there is no breeding season as such and we did see some mating and nesting behaviour but also a lot of birds were just hanging about.
I can't believe we have the place to ourselves for the next few days. It is so peaceful except for the cooks (three sisters, alike and unalike) who sing constantly.
After supper we had a night guided walk for two hours. It was incredibly dark. Up above us the night sky was incredible. Different constellations from ours at home winked down on us with no light pollution to mar its splendour. My neck got constant exercise as I kinked it back to gaze in wonder at all those other suns, onward and further into the depths of the darkness.
We walked down the road to where there was a reliable burrowing owl on a post. Paul took a photo of it as the torch lit it up. We walked back round the lake where the torch picked out many eyes staring back at us from the water surface, these were all caymans and there were a fair few out there! On the way back to the lodge we saw two armadillos crossing the path in front of us and were given glimpses of glow worms or fire flies twinkling in the gloom of the forest.Read more