July 2018
When one thinks about Brazil the first image that usually comes to mind is the Amazon – that long, winding, brooding but powerful river that flows from west to east through seven countries (Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean 6,437 kilometres [4,000 miles] from the Amazon’s headwaters high in the Andes mountains of Peru). One also thinks about the lovely beaches of Rio de Janeiro and, of course, the throng-draped beauties therein! However, one tends to forget about the other parts of the huge country of 8.5 million square kilometres (the world’s fifth largest country by area) comprised of six major ecosystems which together sustain some of the world’s greatest biodiversity.
One of these ecosystems is the Pantanal – the world’s largest tropical wetland area – 195,000 square kilometres. It lies in the Amazon Basin, a large concave depression of the earth’s crust south of the Amazon River, lying pretty much in the centre of the country. 80% of it is submerged during the rainy season; in the dry season, when we visited, the water recedes resulting in a large number of lagoons and forested areas hosting an even larger number of waterfowl, birds and wild animals: 1,000 bird species, 400 fish species, 300 mammalian species, 480 reptile species, and over 9000 different subspecies of invertebrates. These include jaguars, giant river otters, caimans, giant anteaters, capybaras, hyacinth macaws, jabiru storks and a host of other birds – all in abundance.
Wetlands
[Click on image to enlarge]
Our flight from Vancouver to Chicago was delayed by two hours which resulted in missing our overnight flight to São Paulo. We overnighted in Chicago and eventually reached our destination, a lodge west of the city of Cuiabá in central Brazil. Fortunately we only lost a half day of the trip and, according to the other participants (four other photographers), we didn’t miss much.
We finally reached our final destination, Porto Joffre, where we spent five glorious days ‘hunting’ jaguars on the Rio Cuiabá and its tributaries Rio Negro, Los Hermanos and other lesser river systems. It is a fisherman’s paradise with a variety of fish being caught. We had lots of catfish to eat in various forms – and all very good.
Sunrise
I now can understand (I think) the mentality of the big game hunter as he seeks to find the majesty of the wild animals he’s hunting. There is the seeking and stalking of the animal, the thrill of the chase and the final denouement of the shoot – in our case, with our cameras. Good heavens, am I that close to the heart and mentality of a big game killer?! Can the same be said of the birder, that seemingly mild and milquetoastian individual depicted in so many ways? Hesitatingly I would say yes, having experienced the response of a birder who has been interrupted while bird watching! The ire can be just as bad as anyone’s when interrupted in something in which he or she is deeply engrossed!
Chestnut-eared Aracari
Black-Collared Hawk
The jaguar is an imposing and wonderful animal to behold. It is the biggest cat species in North and South America, followed by the cougar and is very similar to the African leopard. This spotted cat closely resembles it, but is usually larger and sturdier. It ranges across a variety of forested and open terrains, but its preferred habitat is tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest, swamps and wooded regions. The jaguar enjoys swimming and is largely a solitary, opportunistic, stalk-and-ambush predator at the top of the food chain. As a keystone species it plays an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and regulating prey populations.[Wikipedia notes]
They come down to the river to keep cool, bathe, copulate on the beach and hunt. We experienced several attempts, some of them successful, of the jaguar hunting its prey – caimans primarily (slower to reach than, say, a capybara, the largest of the rodent family) or a bird. The patience, the stealth, the quickness of its pounce and lunge are something to see. Fortunately we were able to see all of this from the safety of our boats floating out on the river with our cameras and telephoto lenses pointing and waiting for something to happen.
Jaguar
While looking for and waiting for the jaguar we were entertained by the plethora of birds in the area. In fact, so many that I’ll need help in identifying most of those shot. I’m not a very good bird photographer – it’s easy to capture the large birds (especially when they’re perching) but for the little ones … give me a break. And I’m useless when they’re flying! I certainly need more practice. Anyone willing to sponsor me on a birding trip somewhere exotic such as Costa Rica would certainly be appreciated! Use it or lose it, as they say.
Jabiru Stork
All in all, this portion of the trip was an exciting adventure and one not to be forgotten.
Iguassu Falls
Magnificent. That one word captures it all. More impressive than both Niagara Falls and Victoria Falls in Africa without question.
Since we had travelled all the way to South America (travelling distances always look so easy on a map but when reality sets in ….!) we decided to travel a bit further south to the border between Brazil and Argentina to view this wonderful scenario. Nature has provided us with a marvellous work of art.
Located in Iguassu National Park and staying in a hotel within the park boundaries we enjoyed the luxury of viewing the falls before the park opening to outside visitors. This gave us an opportunity of taking our time with our shots without being jostled or bothered by others. I know, I know, this sounds elitist but there are times when one appreciates taking advantage of such an opportunity (particularly when one sees the hordes of people coming in buses at nine o’clock in the morning in a steady stream and continuing until five in the afternoon. Over one million people visit Iguassu Falls each year).
A few specifications on the falls: there are 275 waterfalls (stacked up one against the other) along a stretch of 2 kilometres; the falls are three times as wide as Niagara Falls and wider still than Victoria Falls and measure 82 metres in height.
The hotel discourages anyone from going beyond the well-lit grounds at night for fear of wild animals (what other kind are there in that part of the world?). Lucy wished to go out early in the morning one day to catch the sunrise but was prevented from doing so by the closed front doors of the hotel. She was told that a jaguar had been seen lurking about so going outside was forbidden. Having seen them in the north she did not readily dispute their decision!
But we did see another rare animal – the coati. It looks like a cross between a raccoon and a weasel. And it’s rather obnoxious due to its being habituated to humans. We had been warned about its obtrusiveness and so we simply kept out of their way (they seem to travel in family packs) but the hordes of visitors were unaware of their behaviour. So these animals would brazenly climb up on the railing of the fence and, should anyone with a backpack or handbag or anything within it smell of anything like food, the coati would begin to try and get into it – and quite often successfully. Off it would run down the hill with other coatis following in the hopes of getting part of the prize. It reminded me of monkeys in parts of the world who do the same thing (I had a sandwich stolen out of my hand in Kuala Lumpur many years ago by a monkey. It scared the hell out of me!). To many, of course, this was hilarious; to the victim, not so much.
Coati
This was a relaxing and pleasant three day stay and a good ending to our trip. It’s always nice to end such a trip – in spite of its 4:30 a.m. rises every day and going to bed at around 8:00 pm. Funnily enough, we got more sleep on that portion of the trip than we usually do at home! As I said, ending the trip on a relaxing note which prepares us for the sometimes hectic pace after arriving home and getting ready for the next stage of life.
I believe that the most important phrase in any language is “Thank you”. Whenever I travel I make it a point to learn that phrase in the language of the country I am visiting. And so I say “Obrigado” to those in Brazil who helped make our trip a wonderful and enjoyable success.