May 15th at Barranco Alto
After enjoying breakfast to a gorgeous sunrise, we set out on horseback to help the real cowboys move the cattle to town for sale. Actually, we were just following along to watch. There were horses in front and a mixture of some older cattle and many young bulls, over 140 head all together. The cowboys all had lambs' wool hides under their saddles and each was dyed a vibrant color, mostly reds and oranges. There were about eight cowboys for this herd.
They were underway and we were following behind. Every once in a while, one bull would try to get away and one or two cowboys would chase it down and return it to the herd. There was a lot of whip cracking and once even a lasso being used to bring down a bull. This was the real stuff and fascinating to watch.
As the cowboys and herd went one way, we continued on our way through the bush. I saw Hyacinth Macaws overhead and in trees. I was getting better at spotting them. We didn’t see too much in terms of wildlife, but had an enjoyable outing. I think I’ll be a little sore tomorrow.
Afternoon/evening outing:
We again went out in the jeep. This time we are seriously in search of Jaguar, but a Puma will do. New tracks have been spotted in an area that is 20 hectares in size, so it’ll take a lot of luck; Jaguars cover a large distance, but we set off with high hopes.
We don’t spend too much time looking at the other sites, but do see an American Kestrel, similar to a very small falcon, which is brown with a striped face. Later we see a bright yellow Campo Flicker woodpecker and then a small group of collared Peccary. There is a very large group of Blue-crowned parakeets sitting together in a tree. All of a sudden they all start flying together; what a sight. As we continue, we see a lone pink bird, the Spoonbill. Like the flamingos, its color comes from what it eats.
We come upon a large group of Capibara. Several mothers have babies suckling. We travel a long distance and finally decide to walk a bit. We see an old Jaguar track then further on newer tracks; but we don’t see any large cats. Oh well, it was a long shot.
98% of the Pantanal is privately owned. Many are farms like this with tourist accommodations. They have to follow country and conservation guidelines which most do, but some unfortunately don’t and with such a vast area, it’s very difficult to regulate. These wetlands are really amazing and need to be conserved.
We saw lots of crab-eating foxes during this trip and at night, on the way home, we see more. Suddenly there are two Tapir in the dirt track in front of the jeep. We stop and watch them with the spotlight. At first they stop, then continue walking towards the lake where they walk right in and start swimming. At first the criss-cross each other, swimming, then start in the same direction swimming the width of the late. Fascinating.
We return to the lodge happy with all that we have seen, ready for another wonderful dinner.
After enjoying breakfast to a gorgeous sunrise, we set out on horseback to help the real cowboys move the cattle to town for sale. Actually, we were just following along to watch. There were horses in front and a mixture of some older cattle and many young bulls, over 140 head all together. The cowboys all had lambs' wool hides under their saddles and each was dyed a vibrant color, mostly reds and oranges. There were about eight cowboys for this herd.
They were underway and we were following behind. Every once in a while, one bull would try to get away and one or two cowboys would chase it down and return it to the herd. There was a lot of whip cracking and once even a lasso being used to bring down a bull. This was the real stuff and fascinating to watch.
As the cowboys and herd went one way, we continued on our way through the bush. I saw Hyacinth Macaws overhead and in trees. I was getting better at spotting them. We didn’t see too much in terms of wildlife, but had an enjoyable outing. I think I’ll be a little sore tomorrow.
Afternoon/evening outing:
We again went out in the jeep. This time we are seriously in search of Jaguar, but a Puma will do. New tracks have been spotted in an area that is 20 hectares in size, so it’ll take a lot of luck; Jaguars cover a large distance, but we set off with high hopes.
We don’t spend too much time looking at the other sites, but do see an American Kestrel, similar to a very small falcon, which is brown with a striped face. Later we see a bright yellow Campo Flicker woodpecker and then a small group of collared Peccary. There is a very large group of Blue-crowned parakeets sitting together in a tree. All of a sudden they all start flying together; what a sight. As we continue, we see a lone pink bird, the Spoonbill. Like the flamingos, its color comes from what it eats.
We come upon a large group of Capibara. Several mothers have babies suckling. We travel a long distance and finally decide to walk a bit. We see an old Jaguar track then further on newer tracks; but we don’t see any large cats. Oh well, it was a long shot.
98% of the Pantanal is privately owned. Many are farms like this with tourist accommodations. They have to follow country and conservation guidelines which most do, but some unfortunately don’t and with such a vast area, it’s very difficult to regulate. These wetlands are really amazing and need to be conserved.
We saw lots of crab-eating foxes during this trip and at night, on the way home, we see more. Suddenly there are two Tapir in the dirt track in front of the jeep. We stop and watch them with the spotlight. At first they stop, then continue walking towards the lake where they walk right in and start swimming. At first the criss-cross each other, swimming, then start in the same direction swimming the width of the late. Fascinating.
We return to the lodge happy with all that we have seen, ready for another wonderful dinner.
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