We flew from Sao Paolo to Cuiaba this morning (about 2 hours). We met our local guide (Tadeo) and our driver (Cesar), and drove 2.5 hours on bumpy paved roads followed by very bumpy dirt roads to our lodge in the northern Pantanal. The last part of the drive was slow because we kept getting out to see and photograph the birds, caimans and capybaras at each little water hole along the road. We saw 51 species of birds during the drive!
Then at the lodge we were surrounded by parrots (5 kinds), toucans, hawks, woodpeckers and small songbirds. There are caiman just beyond the pool and rhea in the front entrance meadow. This part of the Pantanal suffered from dry conditions and wildfires in 2020, and so far 2021 is the driest in 150 years. This concentrates the water sources making it easier to view wildlife, but takes an enormous toll on the whole ecosystem.
After a delicious home-style lunch and a siesta, we walked about a mile over raised boardwalks to watch the sun set from a fire tower; along the way we saw some additional birds and the elusive black-tailed marmoset.
Pictured: Green-barred Woodpecker, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Black-tailed Marmoset.
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