Brazilian Pantanal & Iguazu Falls Naturetrek Tour Report 27 June - 12 July 2013 Jaguar hunting Toco Toucans Capybara and Yacare Caiman Tapir crossing the road Report & images compiled by Braulio Carlos Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Brazilian Pantanal & Iguazu Falls Tour Leader: Braulio Carlos Participants: Tim Gordon Astrid Spoden Rita Andrews John Cranmer Pamela Cranmer Susan Gunning Denise Temperilli Gillian Sturgess Debs Hind David Robinson Margaret Allan Brian Davies Diana Davies Day 1 Thursday 27th June En route to South America Day 2 Friday 28 June The group arrived with at Cuiabá. It was 3:00pm on a sunny day, when we started our journey to the Pantanal. The 100km paved road from Cuiabá to Poconé gave us an idea of what was coming in terms of wildlife, especially birds. A Toco Toucan was flying by; a couple of Greater Rheas were grazing, and the sun set very quickly. We had a short stop in Poconé to use restrooms and to eat. From Poconé, we changed vehicles, now we were on an open safari vehicle in the hope of spotting any wildlife. Soon after our spotlight was on, a couple of Ccrab-eating Foxes were seen sitting calmly along the road. It was a good start! Many Yacare Caiman were seen when our spotlight was shining on their eyes in the water. Along the road, far in the distance a greenish eye moving in a peculiar way jumped out of the road, we could not see what it was, but soon another greenish eye crossed the road, and this was a feline, still too far to go into species, but certainly a small cat. Another movement in the bush – it was the largest terrestrial mammal in Brazil, a Tapir, feeding on fresh leaves; with its heavy body, thick neck, humped forehead that leads into a short, erect mane, rounded tipped ears, and quite a long snout used as a periscope to smell any potential danger or food. We were all delighted with this sighting and the dark sky was packed with stars... A second South American Tapir was seen in the distance, walking away into the forest. We also saw many Capybaras, the world’s largest rodent, blocking the road, as well as Scissor-tailed Nightjar flying over the truck, and a pair of Great Horned Owls that welcomed us at our first lodge. © Naturetrek September 13 1 Brazilian Pantanal & Iguazu Falls Tour Report Day 3 Saturday 29th June Our second day started with a short walk in the surroundings of our lodge. Hyacinth Macaws were playing in a tree, Toucans were all over, from the colourful Chestnut-eared Aracari to the odd-looking Toco Toucan, a noisy Crimson-crested Woodpecker was drumming on its tree, and we had a close up view of Blue-fronted Amazon, and a booming group of Greater Rhea’s. Several species of birds were nesting, among them Great Horned Owl, Jabiru Stork, Plumbeous Ibis, and Peach-fronted Parakeet. Several Yacare Caimans were basking in the sun, and we were very lucky to see the rare pantanal endemic - the Paraguay Caiman Lizard, the only aquatic lizard in the area. Siesta time after lunch was used for some to find an Azara’s Agouti and black-and-white Tegu Lizard, both residents near the restaurant. A game drive at the end of the afternoon and beginning of night was awarded with several sightings of Brown Brocket Deer, the smallest deer in the pantanal, two more South American Tapirs, this time mother and son, and several Crab-eating Foxes. A Pauraque, a type of nightjar, was seen along the road. and a single Giant Anteater walked alongside one of our vehicles! Day 4 Sunday 30th June Our third day started very early, in order to see hundreds of egrets and herons coming to fish…the cacophony of hundreds of birds must be heard to be believed. Nacunda Nighthawks were still on the hunt, trying to catch their last meal. But our morning was just beginning, and soon after we saw White-lipped Peccary, and the pair of Brazilian Tapirs seen the previous night, they walked gently in front of our vehicles. A Purplish Jay was eating the ticks from a Brown Brocket, and we saw more Brown Brockets too, a male and female. A big group of South America Coati were running and holding their ringed tails high, and another Paraguay Caiman Lizard was moving from one pond to another looking for snails. We also saw a Red-spotted Tortoise. Several birds were seen including Orange-backed Troupial, Vermilion Flycatcher, Toco Toucan, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Hyacinth Macaw, Blue-and-yellow Macaw and Crested Oropendola displaying. We had a short walk in the forest which gave us marvellous views of Black-tailed Marmoset, the smallest monkey in the pantanal, first a group was moving in the under the canopy, and then the magic moment, the Alfa male coming lower and lower branch until nearly the touching ground - the local bushman, who saw the marmoset coming down to us could not believe his eyes! Then came the pantanal endemic – the Mato Grosso Antbird, which was over our heads literally, one more stop and this time we found White-wedged Piculets, the smallest woodpeckers - what a show to see the red forehead of the male. A little bit further a Rufous-tailed Jacamar hunting butterflies was obscured by a Pale-crested Woodpecker, and to end our morning a Hooded Capuchin Monkey climbed high into the trees to watch our group. A long break after lunch and then we were back to the open safari vehicle for another game drive, seeing countless Tapiti (Brazilian rabbits), even two being chased by a Crab-eating Raccoon! Another Crab-eating Raccoon exploried the edge of a pond, and we saw more Brown Brockets, Crab-eating Foxes and “our” two South American Tapirs! 2 © Naturetrek September 13 Brazilian Pantanal & Iguazu Falls Tour Report Day 5 Monday 1st July We started our journey to Porto Jofre after an early breakfast and faced some rain to start with…soon after the rain was gone but the cold south wind was still present, but it was still good for bird watching – we saw Southern Screamer, Scarlet-headed Blackbird, Purple Gallinule and a group of Hyacinth Macaws flying around our vehicle was a magical moment. Marsh Deer in all its forms were seen; male with antlers, male with velvet antlers, male without antlers, and a female and juvenile. We arrived at our destination for lunch, our boats were already waiting for us, and soon we were sailing the Cuiabá River with the hope of seeing Jaguars. Boats were coming back with thumbs down, a bad sign. A lot of birds were along the river, but we were focussed on trying to find a Jaguar on our first boat ride. The sun was going down, some Yacare Caiman and few Capybaras were along the river and quite far away was a shape of maybe an otter or a tapir crossing the river…so we put the binoculars on it and it was a Jaguar swimming across! We sped up the boats, but the Jaguar was also keen on going to the other side of the river - our first boat arrived and managed to see bushes moving, but the Jaguar was already on the other side, walking fast along the river edge, we found a small clearing and the Jaguar walked through, a glimpse for a third of the group. The other two boats arrived but it was too late, the Jaguar was determined to move fast. That afternoon we were the only ones who saw the Jaguar, a glimpse but still a Jaguar… Day 6 Tuesday 2nd July Our fifth day started very early for breakfast and the sky looked like it may rain. We spent the whole morning chasing Jaguars that never came, but birds included Black Skimmer, Large-billed Tern, Yellow-billed Tern, Pied Lapwing, Collared Plover, Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, Squirrel Cuckoo, Southern Screamer brought some smiles to our intrepid group, and we also saw a Black-and-gold Howler Monkey at the start of the morning. We were out for the day, and our “master chefs” who are also our boat pilots, prepared a truly Brazilian barbeque in the remotest corner of the river, in the middle of nowhere eating the best meal - simple, rustic, delicious and in paradise! We floated down the stream, no sound of engines just the cacophony of the pantanal: Chaco Chachalaca, Purplish Jay, Ringed Kingfisher, Cocoi Heron, Black-collared Hawk, Orange-backed Troupial, Yellow-rumped Caciques, Crested Oropendola, White-lored Spinetail and dozens of other birds! We looked for the endangered Giant River Otters. These otters are web-footed, dense furred and with a broad, flattened tail that is encapsulated in its genus name (Pteronura deriving from the Greek for “wing tail”), and it is classified as globally threatened. We found a nice pair of Giant River Otters fishing, and had plenty of time to study their behaviour. Despite being sociable creatures, and living in cohesive families, they do not share their fish, once an individual had a fish, it would grab it with its web-foot and then just swallow it to the last scale, while the others individuals were just watching, but this is how they survive and this is the way it is with Mother Nature. Day 7 Wednesday 3rd July The sixth day seemed perfect for jaguars, but we did not have the whole day.