A return to the Pantanal Sept. '22: The best-laid plans oft go awry....

[janzin]

A quick update, I heard back from the Jaguar ID project! And they identified that last jaguar (that graces my opening as well) as Alira, a 2.5 year old female cub of Ti. Now that I hear the name I do remember that Raquel did tell us, but I neglected to write it down (or remember.) 

 

[Alexander33]

Thanks for another very enjoyable report, Janet. It’s got me excited about our upcoming trip in August (3rd time)!
 

Photography question: I’m kind of in the same boat as you (pun intended).  I have a Z9 and the 500 PF, but I’ve avoided getting the 100-400 in the hope that the much-awaited 200-600 (a more useful focal range for my purposes) might be released and available by the time we go. But having used the 100-400 on this trip, would you take it again even if the 200-600 were an option?

[janzin]

Interesting thought. I don’t think it would make sense to take both the 500pf and the 200-600 so if I had both, I’d probably just take the zoom. And probably wouldn’t need the 100-400 as I don’t think I shot much at the very short end. That’s assuming the quality and speed of the 200-600 is on par with the 500. 
 

but I don’t think you need to worry about it because the chances of it being available by August seem nil   You could always rent the 100-400 for the trip. 

[TonyQ]

@janzinthank you for a wonderful report and your superb photos have been a pleasure to see

[Treepol]

@janzinI've really enjoyed following your report and the beautiful photos.

 

It seems that the jaguar research has stepped up since my last trip in 2013, the researchers had arrived but were absent for part of the season. I'm also surprised at the naming of individual cats, and did you write somewhere that there is a published guide too?

 

Lovely birds of the Pantanal brought back many happy memories. Thanks for sharing your photos and memories.

[Alexander33]

2 hours ago, janzin said:

but I don’t think you need to worry about it because the chances of it being available by August seem nil   You could always rent the 100-400 for the trip. 

Sad, but so true!

[pedro maia]

Great TR with outstanding pictures, it took me back to one of my favourite places.

[janzin]

13 hours ago, Treepol said:

@janzinI've really enjoyed following your report and the beautiful photos.

 

It seems that the jaguar research has stepped up since my last trip in 2013, the researchers had arrived but were absent for part of the season. I'm also surprised at the naming of individual cats, and did you write somewhere that there is a published guide too? 

 

Lovely birds of the Pantanal brought back many happy memories. Thanks for sharing your photos and memories.

Thanks @TreepolYes, there's a guidebook (actually online there seems to be two books, but the one I got is the orange cover which seems to be more current. On the river they charged me $10 US for it. You can buy it online but I don't know about shipping. https://www.jaguaridproject.com/jaguar-guide 

 

The researchers seemed very active, we saw them on the river, taking notes and photos, every day.  And I follow them now on Facebook, they just posted a current report of 128 individuals seen this season. https://www.facebook.com/jaguarIDproject

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by janzin

[madaboutcheetah]

Excellent images, @janzin- Thanks for writing this up!! 

[Kitsafari]

as always, lovely photos from you. the variety and beauty of the birds are just stunning but the jaguars are just something else.  Thank you for the TR!

[Jil]

What a wonderful report.....loved all the photos...thank you so much for sharing

[WildSpotter]

On 12/30/2022 at 7:51 AM, janzin said:

The 2nd morning started out with a bang. We headed directly to a channel where there had been two mother jaguars, each with two cubs, apparently hanging out on and off for the last few days. (The cubs are not tiny cubs, about six or seven months old.)

 

We rounded the corner and practically before I could even get my camera up we came upon the hunting jaguar mother.  Unbelievably I was quick enough to get what is probably my best jaguar photo of the entire trip.

 

 

This is Medrosa, also known as Amber because of the color of her eyes.  Her cubs are Rio and Marcela, who we'd spend time with later. The other mom in this channel was Patricia, and her two cubs Krishna and Kasimir. We'll see them later too

 

Immediately after this she dragged her catch into the woods.  After a very short while she reappeared on the top of the bank. (Did she eat it that fast, or bring it to the cubs...not sure.)

 

 

 

 

I'm going to leave this post short as there is much more to come. 

 

 

What a fabulous set of images! The most stunning portfolio that I have seen from a single trip! The jaguar with the caiman in its mouth is absolutely incredible, though so many of your other images stood out to me as well. 

 

It seems like an amazing trip, even though it did not go as planned which I am sure added stress on all sides. I am curious if you would try booking again with Pantanal Trackers in the future, or only work with Pantanal Jaguar Safaris (in spite of the cost differential)?

 

Thank you for sharing such a detailed report and the beautiful photos!

[janzin]

On 10/2/2023 at 12:22 PM, WildSpotter said:

 

 

What a fabulous set of images! The most stunning portfolio that I have seen from a single trip! The jaguar with the caiman in its mouth is absolutely incredible, though so many of your other images stood out to me as well. 

 

It seems like an amazing trip, even though it did not go as planned which I am sure added stress on all sides. I am curious if you would try booking again with Pantanal Trackers in the future, or only work with Pantanal Jaguar Safaris (in spite of the cost differential)?

 

Thank you for sharing such a detailed report and the beautiful photos!

Thank you for your kind comments. Given some of the issues we had (and NOT because of the health issues) and reports I've heard from others who had similar issues (hotels not booked as stated, difficulty in communication etc.) I'd stick with PJS in the future. However, if budgets are tight and cost is a primary concern, I would say Pantanal Trackers is still worth a shot.

[WildSpotter]

On 10/3/2023 at 10:54 AM, janzin said:

Thank you for your kind comments. Given some of the issues we had (and NOT because of the health issues) and reports I've heard from others who had similar issues (hotels not booked as stated, difficulty in communication etc.) I'd stick with PJS in the future. However, if budgets are tight and cost is a primary concern, I would say Pantanal Trackers is still worth a shot.

Thank you for sharing your honest feedback, much appreciated!