Trip reports

Indoor meeting:THE PANTANAL THE BIGGEST WETLAND IN THE WORLD

Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)

Tuesday, 7 April 2009

Eric McCabe, a professional wildlife photographer who has travelled extensively abroad, treated us to an account of a visit he and his wife made to Brazil where he began his trip with a visit to the Pantanal, the biggest wetland in the world. The Pantanal, with an area in excess of 140,000 square kilometres, or twice that of Scotland, lies mainly in western Brazil but extends across frontiers into Bolivia and Paraguay. The Pantanal is home to hundreds of bird species, including kites, hawks, macaws and toucans as well as a large variety of mammals and reptiles. For the past two hundred years cattle ranching has existed alongside the wildlife. Not only is the Pantanal the largest wetland, it has some of the biggest animals of their kind in the world, such as the the largest snake [the giant anaconda], the largest parrot [the Hyacinth Macaw], the largest stork [the Jabiru Stork], the largest toucan [the Toco Toucan], the largest otter [the giant river otter], the largest rodent [the capybara] and the largest anteater [the giant anteater].

It was a long journey, with a flight from Paris to San Paulo then two more long internal flights, culminating in the inconvenience of their luggage taking thirty-six hours to catch them up.

As the wet season is from November to April, they chose August as a time when it would be dry and warm. In the grounds of the first lodge at which they stayed were Oven Birds which build more or less spherical mud nests that resemble an old-fashioned oven. Palm trees had been planted in the grounds so that their seeds would attract the impressive Hyacinth Macaws. A number of species of parakeet also frequented the grounds.

In this area were Great Horned Owls, the same species as in North America. Crested Cuckoos moved about in parties, one photograph showed fourteen huddled together in a tree at dawn with their feathers parted to allow the heat of the sun to reach the skin. This species is not parasitic but cares for its own young. A Greater Rhea was also seen, the only one of the trip, as was a Laughing Falcon. Amongst mammals seen were bare-ear marmosets.

Dotted about the plain were termite mounds. Campo Woodpeckers chisel these open to feed on the insects which swarm to the hole to repair the damage. The Snail Kite, which has huge talons, a common bird in the Pantanal, feeds on golden apple snails and crabs.

They moved to an Eco Lodge where was found a Sun Bittern, interesting on two accounts, being the sole representative of its family and in having a most impressive display. A large pool in the area held caimans, some showing well on a sand bank. As the water evaporated, the pool contracted, making fish easier to catch. This attracted many Great Egrets, which stood around the edge, as well as a variety of other birds including Jabiru Storks, Large-billed Terns, Rosy Spoonbills with their beautiful pink plumage, Night Hawks and Maguari Storks which are similar to White Storks and feed on frogs.

The third place at which they stayed was a more conventional hotel surrounded by woodland. From it they explored rivers by boat, seeing various species of kingfisher some with most impressive beaks. On the river bank were Grey-necked Wood Rails. Cabybaras were not too common but small groups were seen in the river. The eyes, ears and nostrils set high on the head showed they were well adapted to swimming. Giant otters are fed fish from tourist boats, making them very tolerant of people but it is the juveniles that generally come to take the food.

North of the Pantanal is Guimares National Park in the Cerrado savannas where there are Long-tailed Flycatchers and Swallow-tailed Kites. The latter associate in small groups and gather nesting material by flying into trees and breaking off branches as they pass through. Burrowing Owls take over burrows dug by other species such as ground squirrels. An amazing bird was a Puff Bird a small, rotund, multicoloured ball of fluff. Red-legged Tinamous feed on frogs and insects and are kept as pets as, apparently, they make good look-outs. Prints on a sandy path showed a pattern of three toes on the back foot and four on the front, identifying the mammal as a Brazilian tapir.

The last part of the trip took them south of the Pantanal to the Sheraton Hotel. Under the trees in the gardens, coatimundis foraged for fallen figs and on a branch was a Tocu Toucan, the model for the Guiness symbol. The massive bill has a honeycomb structure to reduce its weight. A Nacunda Nighthawk [a species of nightjar] flew in and dropped to the ground on which it settled to roost. Agoutis, normally shy as they are prey species, sought nuts on the forest floor. Several species of humming birds were seen on a visit to the Jardin de las Picaflores - 'flower pickers' was a different description of humming birds.

As daylight faded a huge flock of Great Dusky Swifts congregated in front of a large waterfall through which the birds plunged to roost on the vertical rock face behind the water. Then at dawn the birds flew out in a mass. Eric's excellent photographs of what had been an a fascinating trip were much appreciated by the audience who saw birds new to most, if not all, of the them.