Northern Pantanal in search of Jaguars (July 2023)

[Whyone?]

Sorry for the hiatus....stuff happened!

 

To finish off at Aymara, they offer a number of on-site activities - there is a small river / creek which you can either canoe or take a small motor boat along - we canoed at dawn and it was a lovely, gentle experience.

 

 

 

We were able to get some nice views of birds along the way...

 

Belted Kingfisher:

 

Snail Kite....eating a snail!

 

 

 

Roseate Skimmer

 

We also enjoyed short guided hikes, though we saw little animal life on these

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Late afternoon on our third day at Aymara, an open-backed truck rolled-up and we joined what would be our companions for he next 10 days.  Most of these poor folks had by now been travelling for in excess of 24 hours, the last 3 of which were on the truck bouncing along the dusty Pantanaria Highway and looking at their disheveled appearance and slightly glazed expressions, we felt our early arrival in Brazil was a very fine plan indeed!

 

We drove on another hour to Pouso Alegre, arriving shortly after dusk.

Edited August 19, 2023 by Whyone?

[Whyone?]

Pouso Alegre:

 

After the nicely furnished and comfortable accommodation at Aymara, Pouso Alegre came as something of a shock - the rooms were somewhat spartan, but there was a (very noisy) ac unit and the beer was cold and the food nice enough.

 

We had just 2 nights here (plenty to be fair!) so just one full day.  It is a birders paradise, and time was spent driving the limited number of roads on the property and walking.

 

Dawn

 

 

Juvenile Great Black Hawk eying up Tiger Herons recent catch.

 

 

Tiger Herons

 

Wood Stork

 

Green Ibis

 

Orange Winged Parrot

 

Yellow-billed Cardinals

 

Some things weren't birds!!

 

Black-tailed Marmoset

 

Caiman (ridiculous numbers on the property!)

 

We did glance two or three tapir, but not long enough for even rubbish photos!

 

Azaras's Capuchin

 

....and some things were birds, but were down right weird...I'm looking at you (Great) Potoo!

 

Rufous Hornero ('oven bird') nests in the saddle store

 

 

We also had some really nice views of the charismatic Toco Toucan

Edited August 18, 2023 by Whyone?

[Whyone?]

The road to Porto Jofre

 

We departed Puoso Alegre for the bumpy 3-4 hour drive to Porto Jofre where we would be transferred by boat to the 'Jaguar Flotel', navigating in excess of 140, largely very rickety wooden bridges along the Transpantaneira Highway as we went.

 

 

There were delays and distractions along the way, and it was possible to snatch a few photos as we bounced along.

 

Tip: if you are traveling along the Transpantaneira Highway in an open sided vehicle,  keep something to hand to cover your face (and camera) - it is dusty, especially as other vehicles pass.  It is also busier than similar roads I've travelled on in Africa, so the frequency of 'dust events' rather higher!

 

Caiman spotting as we crossed bridges was easy!

 

Caiman Island

 

 

Good Giant Anteater country....sadly no  Anteaters to be seen

 

A nice spot - male Marsh Deer

 

 

Locals going about their business...

 

...sometimes quite photogenticaly!

 

A big surprise for me on this trip were the spectacular flowering trees - Pink Ipe and (yellow) Cambara in the photo above.

 

Peach fronted Parakeet alighting in Cambara tree.

 

Lesser Yellow Headed Vulture (I think?!)

 

Eventually encouraging signs!

 

 

 

Bags on one boat, us on another and we are off!

 

It took half an hour or so to reach the Flotel and I couldn't help but survey the banks of the river with some concern...we would be spending 8 hours in a boat for each of the next 4 days looking for Jaguars along these luxuriantly vegetated river banks. Used to the relative openess of the African bush in the dry season I seriously wondered how the heck were we going to spot anything??

 

Not the Flotel...

 

....but that is!

Edited August 19, 2023 by Whyone?

[Atdahl]

Love the pictures @Whyone?

 

Spotting Jaguars along those banks is not easy but some of my favorite pictures from our trip long ago are of jaguar in the foliage.  I am sure you will be sharing plenty of sightings with us coming up!

 

Alan

[offshorebirder]

On 8/3/2023 at 3:20 PM, Whyone? said:

More birds I'm afraid folks

 

No need to apologize.   Your Curassow photos from the previous page are choice!

[Kitsafari]

oh those marvellous curls on the currasows' heads! i'm enjoying the photos and storytelling. 

[Whyone?]

14 hours ago, Atdahl said:

Love the pictures @Whyone?

 

Spotting Jaguars along those banks is not easy but some of my favorite pictures from our trip long ago are of jaguar in the foliage.  I am sure you will be sharing plenty of sightings with us coming up!

 

Alan

Thank you kindly Alan....fingers crossed for the sightings!

[Whyone?]

@Kitsafariand @offshorebirder- please you liked the currasow's, I agree they are fine looking birds 

[Whyone?]

Southwild Jaguar Flotel

 

The flotel is a great set up - 3 or 4 separate boats linked together, moored on the banks of the Cuiaba river, providing excellent accommodation in the heart of 'Jaguar land' as they call it (which to me sounds like it should be part of a theme park!)

 

 

Guest accommodation is in the section to the left of the photo (we stayed in the room on the upstairs deck, to the far left).  

 

The large section to the right of this contains, kitchen, staff quarters, the bar, eating area and a meeting room which was used to great effect with the resident naturalist, Xavi to give an entertaining and informative lecture about one of the 'local' animals....so Giant Otter, Caiman, Hyacinth Macaw and of course Jaguar on each of our 4 nights.   The metal section to the far right houses generators.

 

Xavi is excellent, a young English chap, full of energy and enthusiasm, running a number of scientific programs as well as ensuring day-to-day operations on the Flotel run smoothly.  One of his programs involves tracking and identifying Jaguar's and from this developing family trees.  I know that naming wild animals is contentious with some here, and I understand why, but in this instance I personally found it extremely helpful for understanding family relationships.  I also enjoyed playing a small part in the ongoing study - we were all encouraged to take 'head shots' of Jaguars we saw and to email them to Xavi as we returned after each trip - he would then  identify each individual using each cats unique facial markings and present these to us each evening before the lecture.  If you find a new cat....you get to name it! 

 

Ever the optimist, I was wracking my brains for appropriate (!) names for 'my' jaguar and was disappointed to hear that 'Mick' had already been taken!

 

So this is the sort of thing Xavi needed to ID cats:

This is 'Shy', a young male....more of him later.

 

However, I am getting ahead of myself...domestic arrangements on the flotel were extremely comfortable, this is our cabin, I've never slept in such a huge bed!!!  Food was excellent and the barman made a mean Caipirinha - a great way to end each day.

 

 

Sliding doors to a small balcony.

 

Days started early, which was fine by me, especially as they tended to do so in fairly spectacular fashion...

 

 

 

The first morning, with the bonus of a Tapir swimming across the river alongside the Flotel.

Edited September 19, 2023 by Whyone?

[Alexander33]

@Whyone?

 

We’ve just returned from the Pantanal ourselves, so I’m especially enjoying your report. Looks like a great trip for you so far (though, I have to say, I don’t envy you traveling down the Transpantaneira in an open-sided vehicle!). 
 

Eagerly awaiting more. 

[Whyone?]

Thank you @Alexander33- it'll be very interesting to compare notes!

 

It was not the most comfortable of journeys, that is for sure....but it did provide a few photo opportunities that would have been more difficult / impossible in a lower / closed vehicle, so 'swings and roundabouts' as far as I was concerned.

[Kitsafari]

The Flotel looks like a brilliant and most comfortable way to journey along the Pantanal!

[Whyone?]

16 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

The Flotel looks like a brilliant and most comfortable way to journey along the Pantanal!

Definitely a great way to base yourself in the heart of 'jaguar Land' IMHO (I must be getting soft in my old age!)  though the Flotel stays put and daily wildlife viewing (2x ~4 hour trips) is done in small, light open boats which are both fast and able to get down the small channels, of which the Cuiaba has many. 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Whyone?

[Whyone?]

As mentioned, our time was spent on small boats, sometimes moving along the main Cuiaba river, but more often exploring the many narrow channels which feed into it.

 

The days followed a nice pattern - up early, breakfast and then off for four hours or so to see what we can see.

 

Return for lunch and a little down time, and then repeat - out for 4 hours or so until the sun sets, returning for a welcome shower, change, caipirinha (or two!), dinner and discuss they days sightings with Xavi,  followed by the evening lecture. 

 

It must be said, even after the previous few days, the birdlife is spectacular...

 

Exploding Great Egrets...

 

...Leaping Striated Heron...

 

...and wonderful Guira Cuckoos

 

But what of Jaguar's?

 

Well, the ability of our guide (Marcos Felix) and boatman 'Jaguar' John to spot these cats was astonishing.

 

Our first Jaguar was a female called 'Ryan' .  She was fine with the boat (soon to become 'boats') as were most of the cats we saw.

 

 

 

 

As with any 'safari' getting a good sighting of your most wanted animal early in the trip is great for taking pressure off everyone.

 

We were lucky / fortunate to have such good guides - it meant that we often spotted cats before anyone else and were able to have some quality time with a 'private' Jaguar.  However, the boat drivers do share sightings...with predictable results!

 

I'd be lying if I said i didn't enjoy these exhilarating high speed jaunts, particularly through narrow channels, but it certainly has an undesirable environmental impact - noise and wake.

 

But back to a 'private' Jaguar - an extremely fleeting sighting (maybe 30 seconds...I was lucky to get the only photo), but one which made a great impression on me.

I of course knew that Jaguar's are bigger than Leopard's, but this young (~2-3 year old) male, 'Lika' left me gob-smacked - just look at the way he is built, more like a bear than a cat!!!

 

In his excellent evening lecture on Jag's, Xavi explained that they aren't built for speed or agility.  They stalk their prey, get very close and kill in a single leap.

 

We encountered Lika later in the day as light faded - he was positioned immediately above a Giant Otter holt, with 5 Otters in the river in a very high state of agitation.  Great interaction to watch, but light really not there for taking photo's so I just enjoyed the spectacle!

 

Otter's and Jaguar's really don't get on. Apparently if a Jaguar is in the water, 5/6 adult Giant Otter's stand a very good chance of overwhelming the cat, and given the opportunity, they will try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 21, 2023 by Whyone?

[Alexander33]

9 hours ago, Whyone? said:

I of course knew that Jaguar's are bigger than Leopard's, but this young (~2-3 year old) male, 'Lika' left me gob-smacked - just look at the way he is built, more like a bear than a cat!!!

Exactly. I once had a guide in South Africa tell me that there is no difference between a leopard and a jaguar. After having seen both, I beg to differ!  Great sighting. 

[Whyone?]

10 hours ago, Alexander33 said:

....After having seen both, I beg to differ!....

Likewise!

[Whyone?]

The next few days fell into a very agreeable rhythm...up before dawn - breakfast - out on the river for 4 hours or so - lunch - back out on the river until sunset - sundowners on the river - back to the Flotel - shower - Caipirinha - dinner - lecture - sleep.

 

A few highlights:

 

Sunrises always spectacular:

 

Naturally, there were birds!

 

Ringed Kingfisher

 

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

 

Juvenile Wattled Jacana

 

One of my favourites, Boat-billed herons

 

 

 

Black-capped Donacobius

 

Black-crowned Night Heron

 

 

 

Very distant Bat Falcon

 

...and a whole tree full of Wood Storks

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Whyone?

[Whyone?]

Giant Otters all looked like they were possessed, but were a joy to behold and a nightmare to photograph!!!

 

 

 

Variously eating Pleco, Barred and spotted Sorubim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Whyone?

[Miss Biscuit]

That bill does look like a boat.

I love the otter pics! They do look possessed. 

[Whyone?]

Jaguars...yes there were more Jaguar's!

 

7 different individuals seen in total, some sighted on several occasions. In fact, we didn't have a single 4 hour trip out without seeing at least a couple of Jaguars. 

 

Male 'Shy' in particular provided some wonderful photo opportunities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point he disappeared into the undergrowth and then reappeared in the river:

 

 

He stalked a Capybara on the other bank (not considering the light for us photographers!!!) 

 

But missed!

 

Shaking dry:

 

Any now showing more consideration for us photographers!!!

 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Whyone?

[Whyone?]

We were also fortunate to see two mating pairs of Jaguar's:

 

'Whitney' and Florence' (Florence soon to be re-named!)

 

 

'Patricia' ...

 

....and, showing his age a little, 'Merlin'

 

We spend some quality time in the company of 'Ernest' estimated to be the largest known Jaguar on the planet - a magnificent cat:

 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Whyone?

[Whyone?]

Yacare Caiman thrive here...and because of this, so do the Jaguar's

 

Fine creatures and I found them to be an awful lot more obliging when it came to having their photo's taken than either their Nile Crocodile or American Alligator cousins, which is perhaps slightly surprising as they, unlike croc's and gators,  are regularly predated!

 

One of my favourite photo's of the trip:

 

 

 

 

Some, like these individuals, had teeth from the lower jaw projecting through their upper jaw

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Whyone?

[Whyone?]

A few other creatures from this section of the trip:

 

Green Iguana

 

 

Crane Hawk

 

Great Pondhawk

 

Cormorant

 

Pied Lapwing

 

Proboscid Bats

 

Adult and juvenile Tiger Heron

 

 

...and of course, Capybara.

Edited August 29, 2023 by Whyone?

[janzin]

Interesting that (by name at least) you saw an entirely different set of jaguars than we did last September.

[Whyone?]

9 minutes ago, janzin said:

Interesting that (by name at least) you saw an entirely different set of jaguars than we did last September.

 

@janzinYes indeed....I'm not sure how universally used the names are?   On the other hand, there are something approaching 200 identified and currently active Jaguars on the database we had access too....but back to the first hand (!)  some cats are rather more confiding than others - 'Ryan' and 'Shy' we saw most days and both were completely unbothered by the boats so you'd expect them to appear on more peoples 'sighted' lists.

 

Edit: Flicking through your (excellent) photo's, they do all look like different cats to the ones we saw.

Edited August 29, 2023 by Whyone?