Pantanal and Caracas - Day 13 29/7 - Bello Horozonte - Sanctuaria

Monday.

Out at 6.15 and a scan from the gardens at the front. Sev birds. Walk back for breakfast and as Marcelo had suggested packed lunch we cooked up omelettes and eggs and the collected extra bread roll and banana, plus some biscuits for lunch. We kitted up and set off down the steps and onto the Titi monkey trail -a long one that the runners from Sunday had come down. The trail forked after a short while and we climbed steadily upwards, stopping for birds as we went. Hummer, Around 12.30 we turned round and retraced our steps to an open area with rocky outcrops for lunch. We continued on down, trying for birds, stop for tapAculo, which was very obliging! Kept on back to sanctuario, collected some drink, got into the van and went back to the  river/waterfall area where we saw the sooty ? and bf and I paddled before retouching to get into position before 6 in case the wolf came in early. Sat around till 6.30, went for quick dinner leaving Alan on guard and waited for food to be put out after the Mass.

Returned about 7.15 with the food ready and the scrape and tap routine being performed. Nothing much happened for about an hour when the C EFs came around, one of them became brave enough to come to the top of the stairs and grab a bone. The priest came out again and went thru scraping and tapping and calling the wolf. He then gave another 40 minute monologue, with a few questions taken at the end. He went off and we settled to a glass of cold, sweet red wine in celebration. At about 9.45 a whisper went round that it was coming and then, it was back on the forecourt, going straight to the tin without taking the slightest notice of the dozen or so people around. It went through the same routine of grabbing and crunching and then going to the top of the steps to stare down the track before going back to the tin. By 10 it had enough and went. A magical experience.

Pantanal and Caracas - Day 12 28/7 - Bello Horozonte - Sanctuaria

Sunday.

We were up and out for 6.15 for a walk around the garden before meeting up with Marcello for a walk along a circular trail over the Bridge of Pigs. There was lots of activity through the garden and near forest. We managed to see Red-necked Guan, Sulphur* and three Slaty-breasted Wood-rails, Black Rail and Masked Water-tyrants around the pools and Olivacaous Woodcreepers, Buff browed Foliage-gleaner and Orange-eyed Thornbirds among others on the trails. 

We strolled back through the football pitch/helicopter pad and had an amazing flock of Gilt-edged Tanagers, which flitted through the evergreens, before returning to the refectory for breakfast.

Breakfast was in a different, smaller refectory with a wood fire stove on which you cooked your own eggs or omelette, with ready made batter. Breads, cakes and fruit were available and a flask of black tea, the best I’ve had in Brasil.

After breakfast we walked the Piscina Trail to a rocky outcrop through low scrub looking for the endeminc Gray-backed Tachyuri and Pale-throated Pampa-finch. We also found a Volcano Lizard which lives on the larva lumps in the cracks and crevices.

We had maned wolf smell and footprints but not sightings, unfortunately. Some birds, plus great views. We walked back to the road to find the bus driver had gone so we had to slog it back for lunch.

This afternoon Brenda and I stayed to look round while David and Alan went by bus to a river trail with some new birds. We gathered for a rapid dinner and then another vigil. We learnt that the Wolf had come in at around 6.00pm gobbled a few bones and gone so we gathered things together rapidly and went to the courtyard. It wasn't quite as cold as yesterday and we several cups of tea, popcorn. Nothing by 11.30 so we turned in. Talking to someone next day, he’d waited till 1.25 and seen nothing.

Pantanal and Caracas - Day 11 27/7 - Bello Horozonte - Sanctuaria

Saturday.

We flew to Bello Horizonte where we were met at the airport by our guide, Marcelo Vasconcelos and a comfortable mini bus for a 3 hour drive to Caraces. We checked in to our accommodation, which was in part of the monastry outbuildings and then went for lunch. This was a buffet selection with lots of salad, vegetables and hot meat dishes to choose from. We walked one of the trails in the afternoon. It was very different looking, very dry and with leafless trees. 

Several birds. Lots of skulks things. 

At 6.30 we went to the courtyard to wait for wolf. We took a quick dinner in the refrectory, with long tables and wooden chairs and then back for long wait. It was very cold, and as it was the weekend there were 100+ watchers spread around the courtyrd. The numbers slowly disappeared through the evening. Around 7.30 one of the monks came out with tray of chicken legs, dropped on floor, then scraped it forward three times, rocked the tray a few times and then scraped it back. A bit more waiting, with two crab-eating foxes moving back and forth, which, apparently, would stop the wolf coming in. A priest came out and repeated the process, plus calling out for the wolf. He also explained that the we should keep reasonably quiet until the wolf came in otherwise it might spook. 

He then spent nearly an hour talking about the history of the monastery and its care for the maned wolves but as it was all in Portugueses it was completely unintelligent to us. As we waited we were told of hot drinks and popcorn just along the corridor. Around 10.ish the cold and long hours began to tell and Brenda and Allen decided to go in but a young lady persuaded us to give it to 11.00. We came inside as it was marginally warmer and just before eleven I glanced out the window and there was the wolf coming up the track. Just as I was trying to WhatsApp Alan/Brenda, Alan came along, just to check, he ran back for Brenda and we all went out slowly and quietly and sat around the tin taking photos, without the wolf taking any notice. It seemed oblivious to the flashlights popping around it.  It scrunched up the chicken bones, kept going back to the steps to check, eventually, around 11.20 it walked to the top of the steps and went off into the night. One of the more amazing but bizarre experiences.

Pantanal and Caracas - Day 9 25/7 - Flotel and back to Hotel Matize

Thursday

We were up for our 5.30 breakfast before setting off at 6.00 for our last river trip. We drove up to the  river confluence and took the right hand fork. We had a slow drive through a side tributary where our driver spotted a jaguar head,  he gently manoeverd the boat farther away so we could see over the bank  where there was just the head visible. Then a second one was spotted close by. The first beast got up and came closer to have a look, which gave better views before it turned round, stretched and walked away along the bank. As a gang of boats had turned up, we moved away and carried on birding the bank. We came back round the loop and saw that the boats had moved but there didn't seem to be any views of the jaguars . 

We drifted round more areas and then went for third jag. It was sitting in the middle of a marsh at the end of one of the no thru backwaters with its back to us most of the time. There were a lot of boats there and it was difficult to get a good view, our boatman manoeuvred us to the edge but although the views weren’t too bad we looked at ways to get better. Brenda tried to get on to the bank but slipped and slid into the waters edge. She sat on the boat and brought her legs round and was back in the boat, with wet, muddy feet. 

The jaguar moved off and we turned round and headed back along other waterways, birding in various spots with three more Southern Screamers, Little and Squirrel Cuckoo,  including a bush full of boat-billed herons. Soon it was time to go back for lunch and our ride back to hotel Matiz. We had an hour after lunch so we sat up on deck and scanned round before packing up the transport boat with our luggage which went off, then we got back in and made our way back to Porte Joffre, stopping off for Yellow Anaconda, which was very hard to see in the bushes close to the edge but pointed out by another boatman. We also saw Great Antshrike and Short-crested Flycatcher. 

We transfered to the van for drive the back to the hotel Matiz. A couple of stops where we managed to see Scarlet-headed Blackbird and Marsh Deer  and then we were back at the hotel. 

We checked in, went for dinner at 7.00 where we met up with a group form Norfolk, and also met Sidnea and chose dinner, then Xavier arrived with his family and we enjoyed Caprinos all round. We had a good chat before we went out for a quick walk round, hearing a Great Horned Owl which we eventually found by torchlight sitting up on the radio tower, joined by a second one, before we retired to bed. 

Pantanal and Caracas - Day 8 24/7 - Flotel

Wednesday.

We were up for breakfast at  5.30 before setting off at 6.00 for our morning boat ride. There was a slight delay because of green kingfisher giving stunning views beside the boat. We boarded our boat, sorted out our geer and set off, We had a bit of a ride around, then we were off. We came round a corner and a gang of boats were all parked up facing the bank. There were two jaguars fighting and growling in the bushes. They gave reasonable views but no photos before they dissappeared into the bushes. While there, Alan saw an animal cross the river, and then three otters were spotted, fishing along the riverbank 

We pottered on, when a second call had us driving to where a jaguar was swimming along the water's  edge, it then climbed up the bank and away. 

There was a call for jaguar on a bank. A fourth sighting was of one deepest in the bushes, just loafing, but it got up and went. 

We drove around in some of the inlets and smaller tributaries, with birds such as Sungrebe, Southern Screamer, Vermillion Flycatcher, Rough-winged Swallows and a Wattled Jacana

We were heading downstream when we stopped for some capybara, loafing on the edge of the river, one of them made us jump when it splashed into the river and surfaced right by the boat. 

We then had a high speed chase back upriver for amazing views of a jaguar hunting along a=the bank. At one point it splashed down the bank into the reeds but didn’t come out with anything. It spent a lot of time meandering along the bank, seemingly oblivious of the boats keeping station with it. 

Back for lunch.

After lunch and a move to our 'proper cabins', much less spacious but perfectly OK we met up at 2.30  for our afternoon ride. We dipped on two sightings but then joined a throng to watched one come down to the water before walking along the bank, among the trees. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon cruising round different waterways and short canals. We scanned around for birds and came across thibgs like Bronzy Jacamar, Great Blue and Rufescent Herons, Orange-backed Troupial, Black-backed Water Tyrant and Blue-and-white and Rough winged Swallows and Kingfishers. We aslo had good views of a Capuchin Monkey moving around the tree branches. We were back around 6.00 and then dinner at 7.