Brief update from Brazil.

We never found a Giant Anteater before leaving The Pantanal but you never get everything.

White-eared Puffbird

We spent today in Matto Grosso in cerrado scrub forest north of Cuiba.  This is a good place for finding different birds and we added a few to our tally.  White-rumped, Shrike-like and Black faced Tanagers all located. We also found a lovely White-eared Puffbird.  A pair of Burrowing Owls also provided amusement and photo opportunities.

Burrowing Owl

We are off to the Atlantic Forest for a couple of days and just before we left a group of superb Swallow-tailed Kites soared overhead,

Swallow-tailed Kite

More news coming soon.

More News from Brazil 1

Male Helmeted Manakin

After a walk around the Lodge we set of after breakfast into the impressive gallery forest by the river.  This is the most testing of birding with mostly only glimpses of birds in the shadows.  It takes a lot of concentration and hard work in intense heat and attending insects.  Our Tour Manager Xavier Munez of Neblina Forest Tours is  used to this and he assisted us to see several antbirds but the highlight was Helmeted Manakin.

Blue-crowned Trogon - also found in the Gallery Forest

Back at the Lodge there are plenty of birds to be seen especially around the feeders.  One that always causes a gasp is the Orange-backed Troupial an absolutely stunning South American bird.

Orange-backed Troupial

We did another river trip this afternoon and evening but still our target the Giant River Otter eluded us.  We did enjoy plenty of birds and found the Large-billed Tern.

Large-billed Tern

We are an eccentric crowd and as we made off down river Mark Howarth sported a black umbrella against the now blistering heat of the sun.

Mark under his umbrella

We failed again to find any Giant River Otters but did see a number of good birds including the enormous Great Potoos flying owl-like over the river.  Nacunda Nighthawks and huge Bulldog Bats saw us home in the dusk.

A Great Potoo discovered camouflaged at its daytime roost

Tomorrow we move south.

More News From Brazil 2

At last we have found a strong signal so I can update the news from our trip in the Pantanal.  Indeed we have finished the Pantanal leg of our trip and we leave in the morning to visit a part of the Matto Grosso Forest.  We have had a tremendous time so far with two wonderful days with Jaguars one of our main targets.  We found two impressive males resting up on separate days and were able to get reasonable photographs.

The first male Jaguar waking up to find us watching it.

The second male seemed to have a damaged right eye.  Maybe as a result of a fight with another male.

We also had three wonderful meetings with groups of Giant River Otters,  This fabulous animal is enormous compared with our European Otter and hunts in very vocal groups.  They are inquisitive and  can come very close.

Giant River Otter giving us the once over

Giant River Otters are voracious hunters and need 30lbs of fish a day.

 The third target mammal was Brazilian Tapir and some of our group had seen one earlier but all eventually caught up with a mother and her young but they quickly vanished into the forest.

Brazilian Tapir

We have missed Giant Anteater but have one last chance in the morning before we head north.

Hello from Brazil

We are now four days into a trip in the Pantanal.  This has to be one of the best wildlife experiences in the World and we are certainly enjoying every minute.  We have seen nearly 200 species of birds so far including the threatened Hyacinth Macaw.  This species has been near to extinction but eco tourism has helped to raise its numbers by local people seeing value in the bird.  Their efforts are improving the lot of the World's biggest parrot.

Hyacinth Macaw 

The Pantanal is also home to the World's largest stork the Jabiru and pairs of these somewhat grotesque birds are seen standing on enormous nests.

A pair of Jabiru

Our quest for mammals is proving a bit more difficult.  A boat trip today failed to turn up any Giant River Otters but some of our group did catch a glimpse of a Brazilian Tapir.  There were also dozens of the giant rodent Capybara lining the river banks,

Capybaras

There are so many beautiful birds here but my favourite of the day has been the Toco Toucans.  These extraordinary birds creep around in the canopy uttering belching sounds.  Today they have been particularly co-operative revealing their astonishing beaks.

Toco Toucan

More news as internet connections allow.

This and that!

I received an email from another of the companies advertising Turtle Dove shoots.  Olive Branch Tours tell me they have stopped running these tours altogether.  Well that's good news.

Jabiru Storks at the nest - a numerous species in the Pantanal

Well tomorrow evening I fly out from Heathrow to Brazil.  With a few friends we will enjoy a couple of weeks mostly in the Pantanal with Jaguar and Hyacinth Macaw as two of our targets.  Watch this space.

Postscript for Turtle Doves.

Turtle Dove

I have just been told that David Bowring have removed the page from their website which advertised Turtle Dove shooting in Morocco.  On the assumption that this means they will now not press on with this I congratulate them.

British Companies arrange the Slaughter of Turtle Doves in Morocco

I was horrified today to discover that at least three British Companies are organising tours to Morocco to shoot Turtle Doves.  This species is one of the most threatened in the UK and thousands of pounds of tax payers money is being spent encouraging farmers and other land owners to manage their land to try and arrest the serious declines.

Turtle Dove

Sadly there is nothing illegal about this practise but it is piece of crass insensitivity that shows how out of touch some people are.  The language in the websites is pretty sickening and some of the images and the claim that bags are restricted so that a viable population remains is rubbish.  The Turtle Dove probably does not have a viable population anywhere in the World.

Turtle Dove

Wouldn't it be bizarre if some of the land owners receiving agri-environment payments in the UK were the same individuals taking up places on these trips to shoot the birds as they migrate through Morocco?  Now that would make my blood boil.  The websites of the companies involved are:

www.davisbowring.co.uk

www.roxtons.com

www.olivebranchtours.com

Why not have a look and if you feel like me email them with your thoughts.  I have done so but received no reply yet.