Farmland safari


 

Habitats: Wet pasture, agricultural fields, rivers, and forest fragments.
Duration: Half day, returning to the lodge for lunch
Departure: Early morning
What to take: Binoculars, camera, sunscreen, hat, water, sturdy walking boots, and a waterproof jacket. A telescope is also useful but not essential.
Useful info: Transport is via pickup retrofitted with basic wooden benches in the back. Participants will need to be able to climb in and out of the truck over the tailgate via a small step. Limited seating is available in the cabin. This excursion takes in a variety of habitats found along the dirt roads outside REGUA. This is a hot environment with very little shelter from the sun, therefore we strongly recommend an early start and plenty of sunscreen, water and a hat.
Price: US$35 per person

This is an easy half day excursion along the dirt roads around REGUA to explore the agricultural land, wet pasture and rivers where a large number of bird species typically associated with open country can be found. With the reforesed areas at REGUA now well established, many of these species are now quite difficult to see on the reserve, with forest species moving in. This enjoyable short tour is a great way to take in the mountain scenery and depending on the precise route there is an option to visit to a local shop.

Target species:

Whistling Heron
Savanna Hawk
Harris’s Hawk
Great Black Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Limpkin
Ash-throated Crake
South American Snipe
Scaled Pigeon
Guira Cuckoo
Striped Cuckoo
Burrowing Owl
Toco Toucan
White Woodpecker
Campo Flicker
American Kestrel
Aplomado Falcon
Blue-winged Macaw
Peach-fronted Parakeet
Rufous Hornero
Rufous-fronted Thornbird
Cattle Tyrant
Fork-tailed Flycatcher (August – December)
Bran-coloured Flycatcher
Streamer-tailed Tyrant
White-rumped Monjita
White-rumped Swallow
Long-billed Wren
Chalk-browed Mockingbird
Yellowish Pipit
Grassland Sparrow
Masked Yellowthroat
White-browed Meadowlark (Blackbird)
Red-cowled Cardinal
Grassland Yellow-Finch
Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch
Long-tailed Reed Finch

Streamer-tailed Tyrants <em>Gubernetes yetapa</em> (© Leonardo Pimentel)
Streamer-tailed Tyrants Gubernetes yetapa (© Leonardo Pimentel)
Whistling Heron <em>Syrigma sibilatrix</em> (© Alan Martin)
Whistling Heron Syrigma sibilatrix (© Alan Martin)
Long-billed Wren <em>Cantorchilus longirostris</em> (© Alan Martin)
Long-billed Wren Cantorchilus longirostris (© Alan Martin)
Fork-tailed Flycatcher <em>Tyrannus savana</em> (© Alan Martin)
Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana (© Alan Martin)