The Pantanal - Brazil 2016

We found we had finally got a bathroom frog, which unlike some, we don’t mind at all, same as a room gecko, no tropical trip is complete without one.

We were joined over breakfast and the daily bird feeding by the photo-group, with group leader waxing lyrical about the ‘amazing light’…so amazing it happens most mornings there. However, fair enough, it was good and did illuminate the pair of Toco Toucans superbly (now I’m using hyperbole).  

Plan for this morning was much the same as yesterday, and we had another session with the swooping birds taking the fish and a lazy cruise downstream this time for more bird shots.

We did get a reasonable view of both an agame heron and a sungrebe, to add to the collection.

The agame was the most challenging, it likes to hide in branches overhanging the water's edge, so it was difficult to get a clear view of it. We attempting several times to inch our way closer & closer, but the colourful heron would go deeper into the branches! All too late we did spot one behind us out on top of a tree in full sunlight... but it flew before either of us could get our cameras up to our eyes!

The sungrebe, however, was very kind and posed nicely in some calm water giving Liz a bonus reflection for her shots of it.

Then back to the lodge for lunch, before an afternoon drive to try and see another giant anteater in the safari vehicle.

We slowly drove back to the entrance and headed north along the Transpantaneira. We saw plenty of termite mounds lit by the afternoon sun, marsh deer, parakeets and hyacinth macaws but alas no anteater.

It's all about timing...

For our return to the lodge and today's sundowner, Naun had timed it well to coincide with the setting sun and alonf with the dusty atmosphere, it made for some nice landscape shots. We stopped just into the entrance to the Lodge, off the Transpantaneira, and enjoyed our drinks whilst watching the sky change from blue, to orange to red. I made the whole group laugh by saying getting great sunset shots was all about timing….and then missed the best shot as a large bird flew across the scene as I was opening my can of beer! 

Still it was a great way to end our last full day in the Pantanal, and we returned to the lodge for our last Brazilian dinner, which was very good, washed down with a good many Caipirinhas, as we enjoyed chatting with our tour group buddies about travels past and future plans.

We again enjoyed the ‘amazing light’ for one last morning of lazy bird photography over breakfast.

The Toucans made their usual appearance along with the bare-faced curassow pair... the southern caracara was course no more.

On the other side of the lodge were the smaller birds, palm tanager, saffron finches & yellow-billed cardinals.

We met up with Naun & the others for another guided wildlife spot. This time it was a morning walk in the forest, again to try and spot the marmosets. Whilst we failed in this mission, we did see the Potoo was again in his tree, and spotted some fresh jaguar tracks, amongst others (coati), on the trail, confirming that guests do occasionally see them here, usually hunting along the river banks. There were also a number of woodpeckers and tree creepers, difficult to photograph as usual, hiding behind the branches and trunks.