It’s always the same with all our guests wishing to go night birding looking for Atlantic rainforest owls at REGUA. Even if we have a large number of “Murucututu’s” the Portuguese wonderful onomatopoeic word for the Tawny-browed Owl, the scarce Black-banded Owl is the one species everyone wants to see. Found unexpectedly in the large forest fragment known as Onofre Cunha land – for those who have visited us, a large area of relatively undisturbed lowland forest – by Mieko and Igor Camacho two years ago, the Black-banded Owl Strix hulula is the ultimate prize for long days birding after dinner. We just received a second super torch from our past guests Janet Duerr and Steve Shaffer from Athens, Ohio, and went looking for the owls yesterday. Just getting out of the Toyota pick-up we walked 10 paces to hear the unmistakable cry from above. Adilei, his sight as keen as a puma, looked up and in the very dim light he caught sight of something. The beam lit up and before our eyes was this magical bird, his orange toes and orange beak contrasting from his black barred belly feathers. The cameras light up for us to register this moment and we leave to look for the Murucututu. A glowing feeling of satisfaction swells. Birding at night is magic!!