Going Big in Brazil 2018 - A big trip in search of some of Brazil’s biggest beasts!

[michael-ibk]

Many thanks for your part @SafariChick, I´ve been enjoying this report a lot (and will continue to do so). You really had some exceptional sightings, Ant-Eaters, Tapirs, Jaguars, Ocelot and even Giant Armadillo - I really need to return to Brazil.

[SafariChick]

Don't forget to add pumas to that list of sightings! Thanks @michael-ibk - glad you enjoyed it!

[kittykat23uk]

1 October 2018

 

I met up with our guide Rene and our new tour participant, Bob @Wildship . After breakfast we were on our way to Caraca  Monastery the trip took a few hours, but the drive as quite scenic.  Located between the towns of Catas Altas and Santa Bárbara, with 11.233 hectares, it is a Brazilian Province of the Congregation of the Mission (PBCM in Portuguese) property. Caraça, as it is commonly called, is a “center of spirituality and mission, culture and education, environmental conservation, leisure and tourism” Further information about the monastery can be found here.

 

PA010163   Santuario do Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010164  Santuario do Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010171  Santuario do Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We were here of course to see the maned wolf that is known to visit the monastery at night but the surrounding forest has far more on offer to those who care to put in the effort to hike around. Rene is an accomplished birder and tried his best to find me a plethora of new birds.

 

PA010052 Maned wolf Track by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Santuario do Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010056 Wasps by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

In the afternoon we headed out on our first hike.  Some of the birds we saw were simply exquisite. especially the tanagers with Gilt-edged Tanager being particularly gaudy!

 

PA010070adj Long-tailed Tyrant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010073 Gilt-edged Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010079 Gilt-edged Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010093 Gilt-edged Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010121 Female Yellow-legged Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010128 Southern Rugh-winged Swallow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010131 Pale-breasted thrush. by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Around the grounds of the monastery, saffron finches were common due to food being left out to attract them as were the smart-looking rufous-collared Sparrows.

 

PA010137 Saffron Finch by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010143 Rufous-collared Sparrow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010145 Rufous-collared Sparrow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Others needed more coaxing out, like this Golden-chevroned Tanager- but worth the effort to find.

 

PA010142 Golden-chevroned Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Male and female Swallow Tanagers are strikingly different, this is the female:

 

Female Swallow Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010198 Rufous Hornero by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Hummingbirds were a big draw for me here, although they are not so diverse as in Ecuador or Costa Rica there are still a few gems to be seen. This one is seen in the Pantanal, but others that we saw were more localised:

 

PA010184adj Fork-tailed Woodnymph by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The gardens overlook a forested mountainside, here too we saw a plethora of birds:

 

PA010204 Female Blue Dacnis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010221 Blue-black Grassquit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010224 Grey-eyed Greenlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010225 (3) adj copy Grey-eyed Greenlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Rene coaxed out this trio of beauties into the semi-open:

PA010236 Saffron Finch, Burnished-buff Tanager & Blue Dacnis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010238 Blue Dacnis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

A miniaturised woodpecker also put in a brief appearance.

 

PA010251 White-barred Piculet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Most of these birds were seen before we even headed out onto the trails. The surroundings of the the monastery are very peaceful however, and the gardens attract so many colourful avian visitors that one could be forgiven for chilling out and taking it easy during the day!

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2019 by kittykat23uk

[Treepol]

@kittykat23uk beautiful tanagers around the monastery. The tanager family has so many members, some with amazing colours and the Gilt-edged is a star. 

[kittykat23uk]

@Treepol yes absolutely! The Tanagers are indeed an interesting and varied group of birds.  Rene is a very knowledgeable birder and he really tried his best to show me as many birds as he could find. Since pretty much everything was new to me, Rene helped me a lot by keeping a record of everything he was showing sand sent me an ebird list for each day we were out. I'll share those later. Of course I managed to photograph only a few of the brids that I saw as we were birding in forest for the most part. There are a number of different length trails that you can hike around the reserve. 

 

PA010262 Spix's Spinetail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010272 Ochre-rumped Antbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010273 Ochre-rumped Antbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010276 Female Swallow Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We also searched unsuccessfully for titi monkeys. But we did manage to connect with a troupe of Capuchins. They weren't too happy to see us and set about peeling off bark from the trees and hurling it at us! 

 

PA010363 Brown Capuchin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010370 Brown Capuchin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010373 Brown Capuchin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010409adj Brown Capuchin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010420 Brown Capuchin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010433 Brown Capuchin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010450 Brown Capuchin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

One stunning bird species we saw but I never got decent photos of was the blue mannakin. These gorgeous little gems sadly stuck to thick cover. Other birds were more accommodating. 

 

PA010482 Southern Beardless Tyrannulet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

One very unusual looking bird is the Swallow Cotinga. Rene was very pleased to show me this one. Unfortunately my photos are a bit out of focus and don't really do him justice :

 

PA010507 Swallow-tailed Cotinga by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010509 Swallow-tailed Cotinga by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

On our way back to the monastery we encountered a tarantula which I admired, from a suitably far distance..   

 

PA010521 Tarantula by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010528 Tarantula by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010551 Gecko by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010468 adj Rufous-headed Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited January 27, 2019 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

After a sumptuous buffet meal we all gathered on the terrace eagerly awaiting the arrival of the "Mane" event. Every night, around seven o'clock the priest puts out a tray of chicken for the maned wolves. Usually only two regulars are seen, a mated pair.  This tradition began in Caraça in May 1982, when some trash cans were found messed up and knocked down. Brother Thomaz, who nowadays lives in Belo Horizonte, told Father Tobias, his superior that must have been dogs. Father Tobias found that hard to believe, thinking that a dog would not have climbed up the hills so often. Then, they started to observe and found out that the big dog who was messing up the trash cans from Caraça’s Sanctuary was in fact a Maned Wolf, Chrysocyon brachyurus. Then, they started putting a meat tray on each gate, and in the morning they were found messed up. After while, they brought the trays closer to the church stairs and for a while the wolves were fed downstairs until they decided to bring the tray up. The tray was put upstairs, the priest came upstairs and the wolf came upstairs! The wolves are accustomed to the priest's gently coaxing "Guara, Gaura" he would say to encourage the animals to approach the waiting crowds. 

 

Despite this habituation, the wolves remain nervous, at least at the beginning of each feeding session and it takes some time for them to get the confidence to approach. Unfortunately for us, on our first evening only the male approached very briefly, grabbed a mouthful and then disappeared off into the night.  We waited and waited but the wolf didn't reappear, it was drizzling and cold. It was a delight to see this beautiful animal, but I failed to get any keepers for that night. Thinking that we were due to be up early for birding the next morning (6 am) and knowing we had two more nights, around 10pm I headed off to bed. 

[kittykat23uk]

2nd October 2018

 

We met up at 6 am for a walk before breakfast. Nothing like some hardcore birding to start the day!  

 

PA020552 adj Stained-glass Windown at Caraca Monastery by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020559 (2) Rusty-margined Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020571 Masked Water Tyrnat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020587 Female Variable Antshrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020620 Male Variable Antshrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020592 (2) Yellow-bellied Elaenia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020608 Rufous-browed Peppershrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020623 (3)adj Plumbeous Pigeon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020635 Euler's Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Best bird of the morning goes to the second trogon of the trip:

 

PA020640 (2)adj Surucua Trogon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020648 Hangnest Tody-Tyrant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020657 (2) adj Rufous-headed Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020684 (2)adj  Surucua Trogon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

On the way back the Swallow-tailed Cotinga put in another appearance but was distant.

 

PA020694 adj Swallow-tailed Cotinga by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020698 Yellow-legged Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We arrived back for breakfast at around 0745. 

 

PA020699 Cliff Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

When we met up with Christa over breakfast she smugly proclaimed her personal late night encounter with the wolves. Well, I felt temporarily gripped off over that news but I suppose that you can't win 'em all. I just had to hope that we'd get a more prolonged sighting over the next couple of nights...  

[kittykat23uk]

We headed out again after breakfast, taking a different trail. Popcorn is put out on the boundary wall that overlooks the escarpment in front of the monastery and attracts dusky legged guans. I particularly like this shot.

 

PA020727 Dusky-legged guan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

It took a while for us to leave the monstery grounds as we kept stopping for more birds. 

 

PA020737 adj Velvety Black Tyrant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020755 (2)adj Highland Elaenia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020759 Flower by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020761adj Mottled-cheek Tyrannulet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020775 Blue Morpho by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020793 (2) Short-crested Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020847 Brazilian Ruby by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

On the way back Rene found us a very unusual tanager, this looks much more like a magpie than most and it's no surprise that it's called a Magpie Tanager is it??

 

PA020925 Magpie Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Around the monastery can be found a few species of hummingbirds. The most common seemed to be Sapphire Spangled Emeralds. 

 

PA020999 adj Sapphire-spangled Emerald by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021072 Sapphire-spangled Emerald by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021292 Sapphire-spangled Emerald by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021403 Sapphire-spangled Emerald by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021407 Sapphire-spangled Emerald by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021420 adj Sapphire-spangled Emerald by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021447 adj Sapphire-spangled Emerald by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021478 (3) Sapphire-spangled Emerald by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

A bigger species is the Planalto Hermit

 

PA021095 adj Planalto Hermit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021097 adj Planalto Hermit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021098 Planalto Hermit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021117adj Planalto Hermit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021129 adj Planalto Hermit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021183 adj Planalto Hermit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021193 adj Planalto Hermit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Planalto Hermit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021209 Planalto Hermit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021278 wasp? by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[offshorebirder]

Lots of great photos, but the displaying Gilt-edged Tanager is absolutely amazing!

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

 

 

~ @kittykat23uk

 

The ultimate three-in-one image.

 

Love it!

 

Thank you for posting such a remarkable photograph.

 

Tom K.

[kittykat23uk]

@Tom Kellie Thanks!

 

Clouds were building around Caraca 

 

20181002_141643 Santuario do Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

20181002_141712  Santuario do Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

20181002_141734 Forest view from the monastery by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We were out again at about 1530. Firstly finding Dubois's Seedeater.

 

PA021495 Dubois's Seedeater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Then hiking one of the longer trails we found some more new birds.

PA021508 adj Chestnut-crowned Becard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Then a little skulker, the Dusky-tailed Antbird

PA021522 Dusky-tailed Antbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr  

 

We hiked above the forest line into open scrub, finding Pale-Pampa Finch

 

PA021529 Pale-throated Pampa Finch by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021536 Pale-throated Pampa Finch by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The views were quite spectacular. 

PA021547 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

I mentioned before about the female Swallow Tanager, well here she is again, with her partner in tow.

PA021560 adj Swallow Tanagers by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021566 Swallow Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021581 Variegated Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021587 adj White-throated Kingbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021613 (3) Shear-tailed Grey Tyrant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

On the way back I briefly spotted a blackish rail, but it quickly disappeared. 

 

We arrived back and I prepared to wait for the wolves, hoping they would make an appearance before we headed in for dinner. Whilst I waited on the border wall, I watched a little house wren hopping about.

 

PA021630 House Wren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021643 House Wren by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

~ @kittykat23uk

 

Quite apart from the wealth of bird images, the landscape mode photograph of Santuario do Caraca is striking.

 

The clouds, the blue windows, the trees, the spire — all so vivid.

 

And a house wren! What a lovely capture!

 

Throughout the years I've failed to ever once photograph any wren. You've shown how it's done.

 

Tom K.

 

 

[kittykat23uk]

My tactics paid off and I was rewarded with an early sighting of the Maned Wolf. The wolf trotted up a grassy slope before veering off into the forest again.  I was really pleased with these two shots, being a lot more natural looking than those that are achievable on the patio where the food is place.  Reluctantly, as it was getting too dark to see I retired to get some dinner before, hopefully the wolf came to enjoy his. 

 

PA021665 Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021673 Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Clouds were gathering and the weather looked ominous. After dinner I was disappointed to be greeted by a torrential downpour as I returned to wait for the wolves. I pulled up a chair and sheltered in one of the doorways of the monastery's main building. 

 

There are two entrances to the patio from the dorms which face each other. In between these is the archway to the chapel itself. Normally the tray of food is placed in the middle of the patio, which allows guests to sit around it in a circle, a respectful distance from the wolves. The archway faces the steps, from where the wolves approach. So the archway is arguably the best place to wait for the wolf, as you don't get people in your shots. 

 

Whilst the rain was coming down the food tray was placed inside the archway so, given how nervous the wolves seemed to be, in my mind it was definitely not  the place to be sitting whilst the food tray was there and so I hung back trying to give the wolf some space.  Unsurprisingly the wolves didn't approach until the weather eased off sufficiently for the tray to be placed in its usual spot. Then, sure enough our male wolf gained the confidence to make his move and grab himself some dinner. After a few passes, once the wolf seemed suitably relaxed, I joined some of the others in the chapel archway and got a few good shots. 

 

PA020282 adj Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020286 adj Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA021686 Moth by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[Tom Kellie]

 

 

~ @kittykat23uk

 

That's a terrific image!

 

The black lower legs and feet stand out in contrast.

 

What I love is how you've captured the left front leg as if in a minuet step, gracefully about to place the foot down.

 

With the lichen-covered stone balustrade as a backdrop, it's such an evocative scene.

 

When I saw this, I had to tell you how much I like it!

 

Tom K.

[kittykat23uk]

Thank you @Tom Kellie more to come

[kittykat23uk]

3rd October 2018

 

Today followed a similar itinerary to the previous day with early morning birding followed by breakfast, followed by another walk and lunch, then a bit of down time before an afternoon hike. In the early morning we covered the forest spotting more different hummers. 

 

20181003_052337 Santuario Do Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA031690 Slaty-breasted Wood rail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

This is one of the more beautiful species

PA031705 adj Violet-capped Woodnymph by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

There must be a lot of birds that eat ants, based on the names of some of the families, ant-shrikes, ant-wrens and ant-bird to name a few

 

PA031725 Variable Antshirke by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA031747 adj Ferruginous Antbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA031748 adj Ferruginous Antbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Rene got really excited when he found us the much sought-after Red-ruffed Fruit Crow

 

PA031769 adj Red-ruffed Fruitcrow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA031835 White-barred Piculet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

So we'd seen some great birds even before breakfast. 

 

After breakfast we headed out again.

PA031850 butterfly by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA031861 flowers by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We stopped at a tree that was attracting a wealth of hummers, but they all kept their distance. The best I managed was a Black Jacobin:

 

PA031876 Black Jacobin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA031882 Black Jacobin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA031905 (2) adj Yellow-legged Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We took a hike to a waterfall. I spotted this Lizard before cooling my tired feet in the cold water of the falls.

 

20181003_100710 Waterfall by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

20181003_100853 Waterfall by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

PA031923 Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

A tiny gem flitted in a distant tree.

PA031927 Masked Yellowthroat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA031932 Butterflies by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Then it was back to the monastery for lunch before a bit of down time around the grounds.  

 

There's a little souvenir shop that sells t-shirts and wolf pin badges, amongst more religious artefacts. 

[kittykat23uk]

Around the Monastery there was a third species of hummer that I'd so far failed to get photos of, so this was my time to rectify this and I staked out some flowers that it seemed to favour.

 

PA032041 adj White-throated Hummingbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA032042 adj White-throated Hummingbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA032044 adj White-throated Hummingbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

In the afternoon we took another more strenuous hike, this time Rene focused our birding on the higher altitude areas in the search for some special gems. 

 

PA030291 Views around Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA030294 Views around Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA030297 Views around Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA030302 Views around Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA032077 Pale-throated Pampa-Finch by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA032085 adj Green-winged Saltator by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We kept hiking up and up this trail and the terrain was getting tougher with scree and steep boulders to navigate. At one point I decided I was quite high enough and said to Rene and Bob that I would wait there for them to come back. I think Rene was a bit surprised by this but with the accident in Japan fresh in my mind I really didn't want to risk breaking a leg or my camera lens again! 

 

But it didn't matter, the views were spectacular enough where I was and while I was waiting I noticed some hummers whizzing around and would you believe it, but weren't these our target birds? 

 

PA032092 Young Male Hyacinth Visorbearer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Of course the female was more accommodating than the male!

PA032132 (2) adj Female Hyacinth Visorbearer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA032140 (2) adj Female Hyacinth Visorbearer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA032205 Female Hyacinth Visorbearer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA032208 Female Hyacinth Visorbearer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Of course let's not forget the other group of showy birds, the tanagers! and this one was one of the more stunning members of that family! 

 

PA032236 Hepatic Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Another pretty little bird is this one, the Blue-naped Chlorophonia

PA032239 Blue-naped Chlorophonia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

But one I really hoped for was to get a decent shot of an adult male Hyacinth Visorbearer. Unfortunately the last of the evening light was fading away before we got close enough to this one and I really don't feel these photos do justice to this marvel of a little bird:

 

PA032269 adj Male Hyacinth Visorbearer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA032276 adj Male Hyacinth Visorbearer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020212 Views around Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA020220 Views around Caraca by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited January 29, 2019 by kittykat23uk

[offshorebirder]

I agree with @Tom Kellie - the “trio of beauties” is exquisite!

 

Thanks very much for this outstanding trip report @kittykat23uk and @SafariChick.

[Tom Kellie]

 

 

~ @kittykat23uk

 

Wow! By the above photo, you've answered a question I've had since I was a teenager, fully half a century ago.

 

My home had many varieties of gladiolus. My mother would cut bloom spikes for placement in the church sanctuary.

 

I wondered if hummingbirds would visit those gladiolus with warmer, reddish colors, but I never observed anything like that, although hummingbirds visited other flowering plants in the yard.

 

The superbly clear photograph tells the story.

 

Thank you!

 

Tom K.

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks @Tom Kellie yes the gladioli were very popular with the hummers. 

 

After dinner it was again time for our nightly vigil and today I really wanted to give it my all. The number of guests staying at the monastery had swelled over the past two nights with the addition of a student party who were in the area conducting mammal trapping and other wildlife surveys and on our final night we were joined further by a group of birders. As a result, the wolves took longer to get the confidence to approach. 

 

PA030316 adj Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Twice we were treated to a very detailed presentation by the priest who spoke little English and so he had Rene and one of the students translate for him into English. He told us pretty much everything there is to know about the wolves. 

 

The maned wolf's evolutionary relationship to the other members of the canid family makes it a unique animal.  The maned wolf is not closely related to any other living canid. It is not a fox, wolf, coyote, dog, or jackal, but a distinct canid, though, based only on morphological similarities, it previously had been placed in the Canis and Vulpes genera. Its closest living relative is the bush dog (genus Speothos), and it has a more distant relationship to other South American canines (the short-eared dog, the crab-eating fox, and the 'false foxes' or Pseudalopex).

 

Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Electrophoretic studies did not link Chrysocyon with any of the other living canids studied. One conclusion of this study is that the maned wolf is the only species among the large South American canids that survived the late Pleistocene extinction. Fossils of the maned wolf from the Holocene and the late Pleistocene have been excavated from the Brazilian Highlands.

 

A 2003 study on the brain anatomy of several canids placed the maned wolf together with the Falkland Islands wolf and with pseudo-foxes of the genus Pseudalopex. One study based on DNA evidence showed that the extinct genus Dusicyon, comprising the Falkland Islands wolf and its mainland relative, was the most closely related species to the maned wolf in historical times, and that about seven million years ago it shared a common ancestor with that genus. A 2015 study reported genetic signatures in maned wolves that are indicative of population expansion followed by contraction and that took place during Pleistocene interglaciations about 24,000 years before present.

 

PA030303 adj Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

In Latin the name is Chrysocyon brachyurus, which means “short tail golden animal”. It’s called Guará in Portuguese because in Tupi-Guarani, the native indians language, guará means “red”. It has a golden body; its paws and nape hair are black; its tail, throat and part of the face are white as is the inside part of its ears, which move like a radar, catching every sound and movement.

 

It’s the largest South America canid, it can be found from the South of Amazon to Uruguay, except for the coast, the high peaks or Mata Atlântica. The female stands almost 90cm tall and the male stands almost 95cm. And from the tip of its muzzle to the tip of its tale it is 1.45m long.

 

Its legs are long to make its movements easier, since it is an animal from Cerrado, a typically Brazilian open landscape. The Maned wolf is not an animal from the dense woods, it is from the fields. It wanders on roads and trails and anywhere where there is low height vegetation. By the way, those who go for a walk on Belchior’s Bath, Pinheiros, Tanque Grande (Big Tank), Prainha, Cascatinha and Bocaina, will be able to easily see the maned wolf footprints on the trails. Its footprints are composed by four fingers, the middle ones are a little bit  closer, you can see the pad sign and the claws. There are not too many open fields around the monastery though so the wolves here seem strangely our of place.

 

PA010052 Maned wolf Track by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Maned Wolves live about 16 years.  Its mean weight is about 25kg and when it is hunting it walks around 30Km per night. It is a nocturnal habits animal; it is more agile at the night-fall and at dawn. In the daylight it rests in areas of grass fields. It does not live in burrows. Maned wolves are omnivorous and they prey on small animals and birds. It will hut for food in spite of the food that priests offer it and so it is not fully dependent on the nightly handouts.

 

Among the small animals, it eats mice, opossums, rabbits, guinea pigs, snakes and frogs. It  crunches everything up and needs animals fur and birds' feathers to help its peristaltic movements of its digestive system. It also eats fruits like fruta-do-lobo (“wolf’s fruit” as it is known in Portuguese) or lobeira (“wolf’s plant”- Solanum lycocarpum), peach, passion fruit, guava, etc. Furthermore, it is attracted by strong smells, like fruits and rotten food, which is why it keeps messing trash cans up.

 

PA032281 Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The maned wolf has solitary habits; it does not live in a pack like wolves. It does not howl, it barks. In Caraça there is usually just one pair of habituated wolves as there is only space for a singe wolf territory, which they mark with their urine. The Caraça´s wolf couple needs 2.500 hectares (2.500 soccer fields) to live. It is almost all the Cerrado landscape that they have here. The monastery's property is approximately 11233 hectares, but the wolf is an animal which lives in Cerrado landscape; it does utilise the Mata Atlântica and the high peaks.

 

PA030319 adj Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The breeding season is in April and May. This has been determined by observations at the monastery that it is the time when male and female start walking together. They even go upstairs to the church and eat together from the same tray. The gestation period lasts from 62 to 65 days. The puppies, around 1 to 3, are born dark grey and are left in holes, sometimes termite-holes, to be protected. They are fed by their parents for approximately 2 or 3 months. Their parents regurgitate the food to nourish them. After a while they start going for little walks with the female. When they are 5 or 6 months old they start learning how to hunt and to climb the church stairs in Caraça. A female maned wolf was seen pushing a puppy upstairs with her snout once.

 

PA030320 adj Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

When they reach 1 year old, reaching their sexual maturity, they lose their family relationship and keep just a gender relationship. Then they start disputing the territory where they lived before as a family. Males fight against each other, and females fight against each other. The winners dominate the territory and expel the other wolves, which will look for other Cerrado fields to survive.

 

The night when the most wolves were seen in Caraça, was the night that 5 of them appeared together: three puppies eating from the tray, while the female was watching them from upstairs and the male was urinating on the palm trees, marking the territory. Because of what Caraça and other institutions do, promoting the peaceful coexistence with the maned wolf, it is not on the list of animals threatened with extinction anymore. It is still on the vulnerable list though.

 

PA030352 adj Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA030355 Maned Wolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

When the wolves weren't around it was nice to socialise with the students, they showed us some photos of the creatures they had been finding on their surveys. Then one of them found this little tree frog. in the evening, popcorn and hot drinks are provided to keep guests comfortable. 

 

PA030307 Frog by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Bob and I waited until the crowds died down on both nights and had some great views of the wolves. One night, when I returned to my room I found it had been invaded by glow worms, it was quite surreal lying in my bed with bright flashes of neon green light all around me. 

 

So that was our last night in Caraca and I had achieved my goal of seeing that last of my BIG mammal targets. Now all I needed was to get some more nice birds and hopefully find @Wildship a nice anteater. But little did I know that there was a surprise bonus mammal in store for me at our final destination....

Edited January 30, 2019 by kittykat23uk

[Tom Kellie]

~ @kittykat23uk

 

I'm moved by the above post.

 

The detailed information, presented with clarity and comprehensiveness, is very special.

 

Not to mention the generous assortment of photographs of Chrysocyon brachyurus.

 

In 1973 I was a student in Argentina. Someone told me about the maned wolf, having seen it near their estancia in northeastern Argentina, Corrientes Province.

 

Since then I've wondered about it, but until your post, never had any clear sense of the species.

 

When the university resumes next semester, I'll share this masterful post with interested life science students.

 

Many heartfelt thanks!

 

Tom K.

 

[lmSA84]

Great TR - and I’m very envious of brilliant collection of birds! 

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks both. here's a couple of videos of the wolves;

 

 

 

[kittykat23uk]

4 October 2018

 

We were up early for our drive the next day to Serra da Canastra. The monastery had laid out a small breakfast for us so I had a few bits and took a couple of things for later in the journey. We were on the road not long after 05:00.  At 8:00 am we arrived in Belo Horizonte. Driving through I shot a few street scenes from the minibus. Not my usual kind of thing, but I was drawn by the interesting Graffiti. 

 

PA040362 Belo Horizonte by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040359 adj Belo Horizonte by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040356 Belo Horizonte by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040373 Belo Horizonte by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040376 Belo Horizonte by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040378 Belo Horizonte by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040379 Belo Horizonte by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040385 Belo Horizonte by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We pulled into a hotel where we met our new guide, the lovely Mariana Vabo. Mariana is a biologist,  from São Roque de Minas at the foot of the National Park and has her own business Abra-Canastra Expedições.  She continued on with us and we said our goodbyes to Rene.

 

We were originally meant to have Rene continue with us for the remaining three nights but he later advise me that he had a diary clash and that Mariana would be our replacement. I was initially concerned by this turn of events, but Rene put my mind at rest advising that Marian was in fact far more familiar with the area than he was and would ensure we had a great time. The recommendation proved to be spot on! I felt a sisterly bond with Mariana right away and she was a delight to spend time with.  

 

PA040402 Mariana & Myself by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We arrived just before 14:00 in São Roque de Minas where we had a delicious buffet lunch. We then drove the short distance and checked into our rooms in pousada Barcelos. This was effectively a B&B, we ate out lunch and dinner every day at several different, but all excellent local establishments whilst here. After settling in and taking a quick dip in the pool, we assembled for a drive to a local area for birding late afternoon. We were transported in a modified hatchback car - it was a little cramped and a little low to the ground to be particularly effective for wildlife drives, so it was good that we got out and birded a lot of the time. Our driver was Gabriel. 

 

Gabriel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040007 Butterfly by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Before heading out, Mariana handed us a little pocketbook covering the 100 most common birds in the Serra da Canastra ecosystem. It came in very hand for our trips out! 

 

PA040011 Chestnut-capped Blackbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040026 (2) adj Chestnut-capped Blackbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040042 Dubois's Seedeater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040047 Dubois's Seedeater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

One of the best birds of this afternoon session were the Curl-crested Jays, I thought they looked very funky with their little crests.

 

PA040063 Curl-crested Jay by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040122 Masked Water-tyrant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040127 Black-throated Saltator by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040169 (2) adj Black-throated Saltator by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040183 Grassland Sparrow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040114 Rusty-margined Guan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Our last stop of the afternoon gave us some spectacular views of the surrounding area:

 

PA040391 Serra do Canastra National Park by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040393 Serra do Canastra National Park by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040394 Serra do Canastra National Park by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040404 Sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040416 Sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA040419 Sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

That evening we went out to one of the local restaurants and had a delicious a la carte meal. This mad a nice change from the buffet style we'd been so accustomed to over the past three weeks and gave us a chance to try some local dishes. 

[kittykat23uk]

5 October 2018

 

The next morning we were at our B&B in Canastra, having a rather delicious breakfast. There were some moggies that were hanging around. All of a sudden Bob jumped up from the breakfast table and shot out the door muttering that a cat was chasing after something. Of course I followed straight away and was surprised to see a rather angry looking gremlin facing down the cat! I was overcome with excitement as I realised it was an opossum! Of course I didn't have my camera so I raced back to my room hoping I wouldn't be too late. Thankfully it was right by the breakfast room and I was back in time to snap a few shots of this cute little critter. This was I believe my very first Marsupial and ticked my box for whacky, cute and unusual so it tops the highlight list especially as it was completely unplanned.

 

PA050195 (3) White-eared Opossum by Jo Dale, on Flickr 

 

PA050195 White-eared Opossum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050199 (2) White-eared Opossum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050199 White-eared Opossum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Well that was a fantastic start to the day! Then we were of with Mari and Gabriel to explore the park for the day. 

 

Serra da Canastra National Park is in the south west of Minas Gerais to the north of Rio Grande. It is in the Cerrado biome. The park was created on 3 April 1972.. It is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). It lies in the municipalities of São Roque de Minas , Sacramento , Capitólio , Vargem Bonita , São João Batista do Glória and Delfinópolis in the state of Minas Gerais. The park has an area of 71,525 hectares and 173km of perimeter. 

 

The park lies on the watershed between the San Francisco and Parana rivers. It preserves the headwaters of the San Francisco River , which flows east from the park. In the south it feeds the Rio Grande and in the north the Araguari River , which rises in the park and is a tributary of the Paranaíba River . The Rio Grande and Paranaíba flow west and join the Paraná. 

 

Altitude ranges from 750 to 1,490 meters (2,460 to 4,890 ft). On this our first full day we explored the top on the park and it's high grasslands. The road cuts through the highest part of the park from east to west for more than 60 kilometers (37 mi). The park includes areas of scenic beauty such as cliffs with dramatic waterfalls, including the Casca D'anta, the first waterfall of the San Francisco River, with a drop of 186 meters (610 ft). Other attractions are the Pedras and the Curral de Pedras. Lookout points can be accessed by car via dirt roads in good weather. The highest peaks are almost 1,500 meters (4,900 ft).

 

Temperatures range from 1 to 29 ° C (34 to 84 ° F) and average 18 ° C (64 ° F). Average annual rainfall is 1,250 millimeters (49 in), unfortunately for us, we seemed to be there during a rather damp period.  Vegetation is mostly rocky cerrado on the plateaux, with clumps of riparian forest in the valleys and ravines. ^[4] There are 45 endemic species of flora. 

 

Fauna include bush dog , pampas deer , maned wolf , giant anteater , otter , titi , giant armadillo, cougar. The very rare endemic Brazilian merganser, draws birders from far and wide, but is very elusive. I had  personally chosen this place for the itinerary to give a second chance of Maned wolf, which can sometimes be seen on the high plateaux and for further chances of Giant Anteater, which @Wildship was very keen to tick off. Aside from that, for some reason I was led to the impression that armadillos should also be fairly common here,  but as it happened this is probably not the case and we did not see many more mammals. The birdlife, however was pretty spectacular.  The park is classified as IUCN protected area category II (national park). It has the objectives of preserving natural ecosystems of great ecological relevance and scenic beauty, enabling scientific research, environmental education, outdoors recreation and eco-tourism. It was also a very peaceful park to travel in, with very few visitors while we were there. 

 

We stopped any time Mari or one of us spotted any birds and mammals. 

 

PA050272 (2) Cinnamon Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050294 Chalk-browed Mockingbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050302 adj Burnished-buff Tanager by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050317 Black-throated Saltator by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050311 Chopi Blackbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

One  sought-after bird is the Blue finch and Mari was especially thrilled to find us a couple of individuals

 

PA050325 adj Blue Finch by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Also sometimes known as the Yellow-billed Blue Finch, a rather unnecessarily long name, this Cerrado endemic is almost confined to Brazil, where it ranges from the state of Maranhão in the north as far south as Sao Paulo, albeit always being a local and uncommon bird, with a small extension of its range into eastern Bolivia. The slender yellow bill is immediately distinctive in all plumages, as it is only breeding-plumaged males that are clad in bright cobalt blue; note also their dull reddish legs. Females, in contrast, are chiefly rufous-brown above, streaked dusky over a buffy whitish background below. In the post-breeding season, both sexes gather into small flocks, which feed unobtrusively on the ground. However, when nesting, males perch prominently atop a low perch, on a tree or rock, uttering their sweet, thin songs for prolonged periods, both during the morning and afternoon. Blue Finches inhabit open grassy cerrados and the species is undoubtedly declining due to the widespread and virtually unchecked conversion, degradation, and fragmentation of such grasslands due to agricultural expansion.

 

PA050340 adj Blue Finch by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050357 Pale-vented Pigeon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050370 adj Plumbeous Seedeater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050380 adj Plumbeous Seedeater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050395 Wedge-tailed Grass-finch by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA050400 Wedge-tailed Grass-finch by Jo Dale, on Flickr