Although hot and dusty, we are pleased to be travelling in the open truck rather than in an enclosed air-conditioned vehicle. It enables us to feel part of the environment and take photos along the way. There is such an abundance of bird life here. I do not think I have ever seen such a density of raptors, so there clearly is plenty to eat. A rhea takes a drink at a pool. They are not such a common sight so we stop for photos.
The aim is to make as few stops as possible as it will take 5 hours to reach Porto Joffre but we have to stop for a baby anaconda which is crossing the road. Bruno then proceeded to pick it up to give us a better view. I think some of us felt this was a bit bold and hoped he had identified it correctly!
We also stopped for a southern screamer and two maguari storks which are rare sightings here.
The only mammals we saw were cattle and a lone marsh deer.
We finally arrive in Porto Joffre at 13.15, have a quick toilet break and then board a boat to take us the twenty minute journey north on the Cuiaba River to our accommodation for the next four nights – South Wild’s Naturezas houseboat. It only has 7 rooms so we have exclusive use. It is very comfortable and moored in a stunning location on the river.
We have lunch, settle into our rooms and freshen up with a blissful shower before heading out in search of jaguars. We do not need to go far. A mass of boats indicates that a jaguar has been sighted and we nose our way into the water hyacinths lining the banks. Amber is lying on the bank no more than 15 yards away. She is the daughter of Patricia and born in 2016. The light is fading but photos are still possible.
I knew from You Tube videos that the boat crowding around a jaguar sighting can be bad but I am not sure that any of us were prepared for the reality. Quite horrific and the boats include a BBC crew with a huge camera on a gantry.
We return to our boat feeling elated at seeing a jaguar but disturbed by the number of boats and really hope that not every viewing is going to be like this.
An early start sees us back on the river and very quickly we find Amber posing beautifully on a branch. There are a lot less boats but the BBC crew are already there.
The light is perfect and I am delighted with my photos.
Amber finally tires of being photographed and sidles off into the bush. After only 5 minutes we spot another jaguar on the river bank. It is Ousado who wears a radio collar because his paws were badly burned in fires in 2020. The collar was put on him to check he was alright but was meant to drop off after 3 months. It has remained stubbornly attached but makes him easy to identify. He is thought to be 11 years old. We only see him for a couple of minutes but he treats us to a nice big yawn.
Minutes later we see yet another jaguar swimming across the channel and then proceeding to hunt. This is Browser who is the son of Amber. He shows us a full range of behaviour, including hunting when he pounces into the water plants just feet from us. He does not actually make a kill but it was exciting to watch. We also see Ginger, sister of Amber, swimming across the river. Four jaguars in the space of an hour. Quite remarkable!
Our morning treats are not over though. We see egrets flying elegantly and one obligingly caught a frog just as I pressed the shutter. Jabiru storks are catching fish, capybara sunning themselves, the scenery is just breath-taking and very unusually a howler monkey is down on the ground.
As if that were not sufficient, we once again encounter Amber on our way back for lunch.
No jaguars presented themselves on our afternoon excursion but it was nonetheless enjoyable for that. We started by seeing a black-capped heron. Probably one of the most lovely birds I have ever seen. We were not particularly close so it was challenging to capture, but we all spent a while trying.
The final result, of all the bathing, results in a glamorous bird ready to party, but just missing the handbag. It reminds me of Big Bird in Sesame Street😂
We pootle about the backwaters admiring the bird life and tranquility. Yes – I said tranquility. It is only when jaguars appear that boats swarm in, seemingly out of nowhere, like wasps honing in on a honey pot.
Every day on the river brings new experiences. It is indeed wonderful to encounter a jaguar, and it was the main purpose of my trip…
so named by the native people Yag-uar meaning ‘One Bite” as it kills by a single bite through the skull. Jaguars in The Pantanal are slightly different in that they mainly hunt caiman and actually aim their bite behind the skull, which is too thick to puncture
… but there is so much more to see, as our next afternoon on the Pixiam River illustrated. But I get ahead of myself. We are up bright and early and the usual fauna presents itself. However, this being The Pantanal, there is always something new to observe.
I am particularly delighted to capture this sequence of photos of a caiman catching a catfish.
A black-capped donacobius is hunting for insects. It is close but moves very quickly through the water plants. Fortunately, we have all the time in the world and eventually nail some great shots.
We leave the narrow channel and head back for lunch. However, this place always offers more. We hear capybara alarm calls. A capybara is in the water looking very scared.
A jaguar is swimming towards it
The capybara makes landfall and so does the jaguar (it is Ousado).There is a bit of a Mexican stand-off. The element of surprise has gone. We watch the interaction until Ousado eventually abandons the hunt, climbs the bank and disappears into the vegetation.
We head out early at 15.00 with the intention of trying to find giant river otters. Bruno has seriously under-played our expectations by saying we are unlikely to see them so we are unprepared for the magic to come. First we see a jaguar resting in the shade. This is Marley. He does not look likely to move any time soon so we carry on with our journey upriver.
An anhinga dries its wings in the sun
Then we see the giant otters ahead. Wow! They are playing in the waterside plants – difficult to film but every so often they make a brief appearance.
Then they cross the river to their den, where they continue to play and groom each other, before retiring for the night.
Our last day on the river still presents us with some new sightings. We set out after an early breakfast and immediately see a neotropical otter. They are much smaller than the giant river otters and much more elusive. This is a very rare sighting.
A toco toucan takes flight
We find a colony of skimmers and spend some time trying to capture them in flight with very mixed results. However, perseverance does eventually pay off.
A capybara grazes nonchalantly amongst the water hyacinths. They are beautiful plants but grow very rapidly and constantly block the channels, which need to be frequently cleared.
A jabiru stork sits on his nest and then obligingly flies for us.
The boat docks on a sandbank for some of us to take a comfort break. We see a fresh jaguar paw print so are on full alert! Rosa Botterill takes a team photo. Thank you Rosa😀.
Two more capybaras sit on the far bank looking somewhat apprehensive. The reason becomes obvious when we spot Harry, skulking through the undergrowth. He was identified this year so not much is known about him.
When we first see Harry there are only a couple of boats but quickly they appear. Harry clearly does not appreciate the audience and retreats from view. There really needs to be some from of regulation to limit the boats at any sighting. It is hard to see that all the activitiy is not affecting the jaguars’ behaviour.
On the way back for lunch, Ginger is relaxing behind some vines.
A kingfisher catches a small catfish…
….and Amber swims with her two cubs following her along the bank.
I would describe that as a pretty action packed morning!
The afternoon commences with a sighting of Marley in The Black Channel. The first thing that we see is a hoard of boats. I count 15 including the TV crew. Marley is sitting in the shade but soon gets fed up with the disturbance, walks away, pooping as he leaves. It says it all. We decide to leave him in peace and find a quieter pursuit but many of the boats stay. It’s grim.
My mood lightens when I see this beautiful great egret take flight.
There are two capybaras in the water and they are making loud alarm calls. They are clearly distressed and swim towards our boat for safety. In fact one of them actually swims under the boat. There must be a jaguar around but we cannot see it.
Our final excursion ends with the sighting of a laughing falcon, swallows darting over the water, the obligatory ringed kingfisher and a spectacular sunset. Sunset shot is courtesy of our guide Bruno.
We say goodbye to our home for the past four nights. The weather has changed. It is cool with a fresh breeze and it is a chilly boat ride back to Porto Joffre.
Leave a Reply