Brazil Day 1 - Bacury

It seems we have unknowingly created a trend of traveling to countries whose names are 6 letters long and start with a "B".  It started with trips to Belize in 2008 and 2010.  But, recently the trend has gotten a bit out of control. In 2016 we went to Brazil and then in 2017 AND 2018 we went to Borneo.

All of these trips were really good even the one with an over abundance of mosquitoes (I'm talking to you Belize 2010!).  So, instead of bucking the trend we decided to keep riding our luck and plan a trip to Brazil again.  While the last Brazil trip was fantastic (lots of Jaguars and Tapirs), I just wasn't satisfied with our one distant look at a Giant Anteater.  So, my goal for this trip was to have at least one great encounter with this incredible animal.

Originally, the plan was to visit the Atlantic forests outside Sao Paulo to look for some rare monkeys and then visit two lodges in the Southern Pantanal to maximize our Giant Anteater opportunities.

But, before my planning got too detailed, I discovered that our Borneo traveling buddies Bill and Peggy wanted to share in all the fun (and Caipirinhas!).  Well, that was great since we could share the cost of transfers and private guides and, more importantly, share all the fun with some great friends.  Plus, thanks to Peggy's suggestion, we added a weekend in Rio to the itinerary to finish up the trip.

So, the final plan looked like this:

• Fly USA to Sao Paulo
• 3 nights Fazenda Bacury (private bird guide)
• 1 night Campo Grande
• 4 nights Fazenda Baia das Pedras (private guide)
• 4 nights Barranco Alto (private guide)
• 1 night Campo Grande
• 2 nights Rio de Janeiro (private bird guide)
• Fly Rio to USA
• Drink many Caipirinhas along the way

I must say that we executed that plan very well.  Especially that last bullet. 

So, on a sunny morning in Tucson at 8AM we took off for the airport bound for Sao Paulo.  Once again we sprang for business class seats since I'm too tall for coach.  However, since United sucks, our first leg to Houston was in Economy. But, it was only 2.5 hours which wasn't too bad.  

Once in Houston we had almost 6 hours to kill and we spent it in the new United polaris lounge which was fantastic.  It had comfortable seats, was uncrowded, and had good food.  Plus, we grabbed seats by the window overlooking the airport terminals so we could see all the planes coming and going. It was fascinating to watch everything that goes on just for one plane's arrival.

Since the United polaris lounge was so nice, I was hoping for an equally nice polaris business class flight to Sao Paulo.  Boy, was I mistaken.  I don't know who designed their hard product but it's horrible for something that is brand new.  Instead of United "Polaris" it should be called United "No-roomis".  The food was pretty lousy as well.  I could spend a whole post outlining all the poor things about United "No-roomis" but the bottom line is that we got to Sao Paulo on time and all our luggage was waiting for us.  

Also waiting for us was Carlos Henrique who we hired to be our bird guide for our time around Sao Paulo.  Carlos was not only an outstanding guide but a great guy to hang out with.  He is also a herpetologist and knows his mammals pretty good as well.  He is highly recommended for anyone looking for a guide in the Sao Paulo area and can be reached via his website: www.carduelis.bio.br/

We loaded all our luggage into Carlos' small rental Fiat SUV (it all barely fit) and we headed out of Sao Paulo towards Fazenda Bacury.  The trip took almost 5 hours but we did stop for a sit down lunch.

Fazenda Bacury is a working cattle ranch like most Fazendas in Brazil.  However, the owners Carlos Leoncio and his wife have protected huge portions of Atlantic forest on their property.  The reason I wanted to visit Bacury was because it's the best (and maybe only) place to see the largest spider monkey in the world which is called the Southern Muriqui.  It is also home to some other rare mammals like the Buffy-tufted Marmoset, Black-horned Capuchin, and Hoary Fox.  But, seeing any of these species would be unlikely especially the primates.  And, of course, there would be lots of new bird species to see.

Here is an aerial view that shows the location of the Fazenda and the Atlantic Forest that they have protected (Reserva Florestal):

The Fazenda itself is very nice.



It has at least 4 bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining area, a living room, and a huge enclosed patio.  We had the whole place to ourselves since Carlos Leoncio only books it out to one group at a time.





Our room had two twin beds which were, of course, too short for me.  But, I am used to thrusting my legs out to loosen sheets so they can dangle off the end.

The grounds of the Fazenda are very nice and alive with birds.  But, in the harsh afternoon light only this shot of a Saffron Finch was decent:



At around 4PM we headed off to the forest which is about a 10 minute drive away from the Fazenda.  Along the way we passed by cattle pastures where Burrowing Owls peeked out at us. It reminded me a lot of Point Reyes in Northern California with the pastures, Burrowing Owls, rolling hills and fragments of forest.  There is only one narrow dirt road through the main section of forest and it's only accessible through some private gates so we had the whole place to ourselves as we slowly drove down that one road. 

About 10 minutes after entering the forest Karen yells out "Marmoset!".  Carlos Henrique stopped the car and looked out and agreed something was out there so we all got out and looked for movement in the thick trees.  A minute or two later Carlos confirmed that the Buffy-tufted Marmosets were around. We spent the next 15 minutes or so trying to get a clear look at one but all we saw were flashes of black or a bit of tail.  Finally, one of them crossed the road and I managed to get a shot of most of it:



It's not the best looking Marmoset but it's EXTREMELY rare.  Carlos Henrique has been coming to Bacury a handful of times a year for over 10 years and only saw them once before.  So, Karen gets a gold star for spotting one from the slow moving car.

We didn't have much time left before dusk but we did manage to see some new bird species before returning to the Fazenda for dinner.

The food at Bacury was outstanding.  Tonight's dinner was a pasta dish with beef and broccoli and some cheese empanadas that were delicious.  Once we were done with dinner Carlos Henrique pushed a little button sitting on the table and a bell rang in the kitchen.  All of a sudden, the cooks came out, took our dinner plates away, and delivered dessert.  At that moment I fell in love with that button.  A dessert bell! What an awesome invention.   I have to get me one of those.

The dessert was lime cheesecake which was a great way to end our first day.  After the long travel and excitement of seeing the Marmosets, none of us had any problem falling asleep.

Brazil Day 2 - Bacury

We were up at 5:45AM for breakfast after a decent night's sleep.   Breakfasts were pretty typical Brazilian style with ham and cheese, breads, yogurt, and of course cake.  Cake for breakfast is a wonderful Brazilian tradition and who was I to pass it up on a daily basis.

Once the sun came up, the grounds came alive with bird life.

Narrow-billed Woodcreeper:


White-wedged Piculet:


Little Woodpecker:


Rufous-headed Tanager:


We also encountered a frisky dog that continually jumped up on Karen and she complained about getting kissed by it.  "As if Alan wasn't bad enough" was Bill's tongue in cheek reply...

At about 8:30AM we headed back to the forest where we spent a few hours driving and walking around.  We saw no mammals but lots of birds including this wonderful endemic Crescent-chested Puffbird who had just caught a bee:



We hung out at the Fazenda mid-day and walked the grounds a bit.  I was lucky enough to spot this Rufous-capped Motmot, which is a rare sighting on the ground apparently:


The Swallow-tailed Hummingbird was not a rare sighting since it spent all day guarding the feeder:


At around 2:30, Carlos Henrique took us to a marshy area near the Piracicaba River which is more of a lake since it had been dammed. We saw lots of cool birds but nothing else.  These Streamer-tailed Tyrants were my favorite birds of the day:



Unfortunately, other flying creatures (mosquitoes) were out in huge numbers and forced us back to the car.  So, we ended the day going back to the forest where we got a better look at the cool Crescent-chested Puffbird:



Today, we waited in the forest until after dark to try to see some of the nocturnal creatures.  We did have good luck when Carlos heard and then called in this Tawny-browed Owl:


Back at the Fazenda, we went searching for nocturnal creatures again and found another owl.  This is a Tropical Screech Owl:


We also had some nesting Barn Owls and a Common Paraque on the grounds but no mammals.

Dinner included a chicken dish, rice and beans, and a vegetable dish that I can't remember.  You will have to excuse my memory because towards the end of dinner I couldn't help but fixate on the dessert button.  Carlos saw me looking at it and when the time came, he slid it over to me and gave me the honors. "Ding Dong"....The kitchen doors opened and out came dessert.  I will never get tired of that.

Dessert was a fantastic peach pie and chocolate ice cream which I devoured wholeheartedly.  I certainly wouldn't be losing ANY weight on this trip.

Brazil Day 3 - Bacury

Today we woke up before the alarm a little after 5AM.  I just wasn't tired enough to ignore the hard short bed I was sleeping in. We aren't used to firm beds but they are the norm in Brazil.  There was a Common Paraque outside our room calling as we were getting ready which is a nice way to ease into the day.  But, the coffee I had right after that was even a better way.

I have failed to mention the weather so far.  In a word, it was perfect.  The nights and mornings were cool and a bit windy. But, the days were clear and in the 70's.  It was hard to complain about that.

Today, we had a boat trip planned.  So, at 8:45AM we left for Tanqua which was a nearby town where we would jump on the boat.

On the way, one of the many resident Burrowing Owls was out:


The boat trip can be summed up in two words..."birds" and "cows" because we saw lots of both.

Here are a few of the birds and cows that we saw:


Cocoi Heron:


White-backed Stilt:


Fulvous Whistling Ducks:


It was interesting to see how high the water gets in the wet season.  Here you can see the shoreline and the dead debris from the last wet season:




Bare-faced Ibis:


One of these ducks doesn't belong:


Savanna Hawk:


All in all, it was a really nice boat trip and it was cool to see some water birds that we wouldn't have otherwise gotten a chance to see.

Once again, I took a mid-day stroll around the grounds of the Fazenda to see what was out.

Curl-crested Jay:


We spent the whole afternoon in the forest and driving around some of the local roads. One of the cowboys (Luis) came with us to increase the number of eyes looking.  The goal was to find the Southern Muriqui and maybe even a Hoary Fox.  Interestingly enough, Luis has worked at the Fazenda for years and has only seen the Buffy-tufted Marmosets twice.  So, our sighting a few days back was truly a very lucky one.

Here is a look at the narrow road through the forest:



Unfortunately, we struck out on the Southern Muriqui but did get brief looks at the Black-horned Capuchin.  So, we ended up seeing two really rare primates at Bacury and didn't see the one that is "common".  I guess that's a decent trade off.

As we drove around some of the roads, our guide heard a Helmeted Manakin so we got out and finally lured it into photo range:


Not far from this spot, Karen found a Puma track but there were no signs of the creature that left it.  There was a small pond nearby and Carlos was trying to call out a rail or crake of some kind.  But, the call was quite humurous to me with a low rumbling and then high pitched squeaks.   I commented that I thought it sounded like a flatulent dolphin.  I figured that would be an easy thing to spot...just search the water for a stream of bubbles...

Right at dusk, as we were approaching the Fazenda, Luis spotted some eye shine in one of the fields.  We stopped to take a look and it turned out to be a Hoary Fox.  We all got good looks but my only decent photo was taken at ISO 25,600 and is a really noisy.  But, my wife insists that I post it so she won't forget about the experience:

Dinner consisted of chicken tetrazzini and rice which was very good.  But, no one paid any attention to dinner because sitting in the middle of the table was...the dessert button.  Tonight, I believe it was Bill that had the honors and like clockwork the doors opened and out came some Apple Pie for dessert. It was going to be REALLY hard to leave Bacury.

Looking back, there are so many things to like about Fazenda Bacury.   The food was varied and every dish was superb.  Carlos Leoncio and his wife were delightful to talk with and were excellent hosts.  The grounds were large and filled with bird life.  And, of course, the Atlantic Forest was fantastic to hike and drive in.  We were a bit disappointed to not see the Southern Muriqui but seeing the Capuchin and Marmosets made up for that.

Regarding bugs, there were a few mosquitoes around dusk in the forest and lots around the marshes at mid-day.  We also did have a few tiny ticks on us (mostly me) so the normal bug prevention methods are recommended.

Overall, we had a great time at Bacury and would return in a minute if we ever go back to Brazil.  It would be worth it not only to try to see the Southern Muriqui but to also enjoy the fantastic food and to ring that dessert button one more time.

Brazil Day 4 and 5 - Getting to the Pantanal

After another nice breakfast, at around 8AM we said our goodbyes to the folks at Fazenda Bacury and Carlos Henrique drove us back to Sao Paulo for our flight to Campo Grande.

As I mentioned before, Carlos is a great guide and we highly recommend him to anyone coming to the Sao Paulo area for birds, herps or even mammals.

The notorious traffic in Sao Paulo wasn't bad at all until we got to within viewing distance of the domestic airport.  It took a little over 3 hours to get there from Bacury but another 45 minutes to go a matter of a few blocks.  It was ridiculous but we had plenty of time before our flight so there was no stressing.

After an uneventful GOL flight and 30 minute taxi ride, we arrived at the Hotel Prime Deville in Campo Grande.  It was now 2 PM (since we gained an hour from Sao Paulo) and we were pretty hungry.  So, we ordered some sandwiches from room service which were very good.

At around 4PM, we met Peggy and Bill and walked a few blocks to a nearby park.  Our future Pantanal guide, Stefan, who lives in Campo Grande recommended a visit to this park which is officially called Parque das Nações Indígenas.  It's huge with lots of walking paths and we saw a surprising amount of wildlife including Capybara, Coati, Azare Agouti, Burrowing Owls, and quite a few other birds.

Where's a Capybara crossing sign when you need one:


Capybara Sunset:


We had drinks and dinner at the hotel.  Both were good when they finally arrived but the service was excruciatingly slow.  It took over half an hour to get our drinks and the bar wasn't even crowded.  But, since we had no where else to go, we just chatted and waited.  Once dinner was over we retired early for the evening to catch up on sleep and prepare for our long journey to the Pantanal tomorrow.

The next morning we were up early since we had arranged to meet Stefan at the hotel at 7AM.  One of the reasons for going back to the Pantanal was to see Stefan who was our guide at Barranco Alto on our previous trip to Brazil.   We really hit it off last time and wouldn't think of anyone else guiding us on this trip.  This time, we booked him to guide us at Baia das Pedras AND Barranco Alto.  He would have to use all his patience to put up with us for 9 days!

Of course, Stefan was right on time as was the transfer vehicle Baia das Pedras had booked for us. After introductions, warm greetings, and hugs we watched as our driver Jefferson tried to load all our luggage into and onto the truck.  He eventually did it, but it was a really tight fit and poor Bill volunteered to take one for the team and sit in the far back chair.  Luckily, it was only supposed to be a 6 to 7 hour drive!

In actuality, the drive was less than 6 hours because we arrived at Baia das Pedras (which I will call BdP from now on) at 1:30PM and didn't leave Campo Grande until about 7:30AM.  That included a few GREAT stops along the way and I don't mean just the pee breaks which were GREAT in their own relief inducing way...

There are really 3 sections of road you drive on.  About 2.5 hours on paved roads, 2 more on graded dirt roads and 1.5 on dirt tracks that would be a stretch to call a "road".  The scenery driving into the Pantanal is very nice but the reason we decided to drive in was to maximize our chance to see wildlife. So, even on the paved sections of road our senses were on alert for wildlife. 

After around two hours, and still on the paved part of the road, we spotted a Giant Anteater.  So, there was lots of yelling to stop.  But, Jefferson explained through Stefan that he couldn't stop on the paved road at all.  It was too dangerous.  But, that he could stop once we got beyond the paved road and onto the dirt roads.  Once we heard this, a collective groan went up (OK, maybe only I groaned).  But, we understood and hoped that wouldn't be the only Giant Anteater we would see.

Well, we didn't have to worry about that because not long after starting on the dirt road we spotted another one.  This time Jefferson stopped and we all got out to get closer looks.



It was on the other side of a fence, mostly back lit, and in some tall grass so getting good pictures was challenging.  Interestingly, if you didn't see it from the side, you might not even know what it was if you were driving by quickly.



This encounter made us quickly forgot about the one we didn't stop for but I was still secretly hoping for an even better encounter.  After all, that's why I came back.

Not long afterwards I got my wish and my whole trip was made.  We spotted another Giant Anteater and this one was on the good side of the light.



So, we hopped out of the car where Stefan gauged the wind.  After deciding we were downwind he asked if we wanted to get closer.  A more hearty collective "YES!" you will never hear.  So, we climbed through a fence and got to within maybe 50 yards of it.  It paid no attention to us and just started wandering closer.



And closer...



It got so close that I could no longer get the entire animal in the frame at 200mm.  So, I went for some closeup shots like this one which really show its claws.



Next, the Giant Anteater just kept lumbering towards me and once it got less than 10 yards away I backed off.  Shortly after that it turned and wandered in a different direction so we left it in peace. What a fantastic encounter!  That was the reason I came back!  And, unlike the F#$@$ Tarsier (Yes, that is a real species of Tarsier) in Borneo, the pressure to see this animal was gone before it even had a chance to build.

The rest of the drive was great since we saw many South American Coati, Collared Peccaries, White-lipped Peccaries, a few Pampas Deer, and lots of birds.  But, Jefferson was on a schedule since he wanted to get us to BdP for lunch so he didn't stop for anything after this despite all the "Oh...oh...oh" cries from us (especially from Peggy) upon seeing something new.  But, I think we ended up having good views of all of these animals later in the trip so we didn't need to feel any angst after all.

At one point, we saw our first Greater Rhea walking on a nearby hill, but as we zoomed past the Greater Rhea disappeared over the hill and Bill had the line of the drive "It's a Gone-a-Rhea"...

Baia das Pedras (BdP) is a 13,000 hectare working cattle ranch like almost all other Fazendas in the Pantanal.  It is owned by Rita and Carlos who have lived there most of there lives.  In fact, Rita's siblings own surrounding farms so her family must protect 30K+ hectares of the Pantanal, which is amazing.



Here is the main house where we stayed and ate all our meals.  Yes, those are Buff-throated Ibis on the roof:



Our room was very comfortable and we ended up sharing it with some frogs that spent the daytime behind the mirror or in the shower and then came out when the sun went down.  Rita said that there is no way to keep them out but we didn't mind them at all.



Our room was right next to the kitchen and dining room so there was some noise early in the AM but we were always wide awake by then due to the natural "avian" alarm clocks that went off at dawn each day.

After a very good lunch, I wandered around the grounds a little bit and was amazed at all the bird life found in the trees.  Parrots, Parakeets, Macaws, Cardinals, Woodpeckers, Woodcreepers, the list goes on and on.  The mid-day light was a bit harsh but I did manage to take some photos.

Hyacinth Macaws:


Bee Hive:



Yellow-chevroned Parakeet:


Here is a pair of teenage Yellow-chevroned Parakeets that went up to "The Point" to make out.  I guess they didn't count on the paparazzi being there...



At 3:30, Stefan took us on a walk outside the Fazenda to see what was out and about.  There were certainly a lot of sheep around.  But, if you look carefully, you will see that there was something else out in the pasture as well...



Yup, another Giant Anteater and just like the last one it didn't pay any attention to us allowing us to get close for some more pictures.



I like this shot because it shows what a little mouth it has:


If you hadn't realized it already.  There are going to be LOTS of Giant Anteater pictures in this trip report.

Here's one where you can actually see the tongue:


What a magnificent tail:



Of course, there was more to see on the walk besides this Giant Anteater.

Like this Jabiru nest close to the Fazenda that had 3 chicks in it:




And these Campo Flickers:



Here is a Yacare Caiman taking advantage of the dwindling sunlight:


Blue and Yellow Macaws:


Next we saw a lifer Six-banded Armadillo scampering along the ground.   It moved out of sight before we could get too many pictures however.  Good thing we saw a few more later on.



Towards the end of the walk, there was a group of horses in the trees and out in front of them staring us down was a white mule.  It didn't look very happy and was really paying close attention to us.  It was time to turn around anyway but I was secretly glad we didn't venture closer to this ornery looking mule.

It also got pretty cold at the end of the walk so we decided to skip a night drive since Rita didn't think the animals would be out in the cold.

Back at the Fazenda, we were asked if we would like a drink before dinner.  Boy, they didn't know us very well did they?  Needless to say we responded to that question with a chorus of "Hell yeah".  So, Rita made up a batch of Caipirinhas for us.  The Caiprinha is Brazil's national cocktail and is made with a sugarcane spirit called Cachaca, sugar, crushed lime and ice.  They are GREAT and Rita makes some really good ones.

As our delicious Caipirinhas were beginning to take effect, Stefan asked if anyone was interested in going horseback riding during our stay.  So, thinking back to our mule encounter earlier, I turned to Karen and asked "Do you want to ride the ornery mule?".  Without missing a beat, Bill looks at me and says "So, that's what you call it?".  It took a second or two for that line to sink in.  But, when it did we completely lost it. 

I was eventually able to compose myself for dinner which consisted of catfish, a cheesy cauliflower dish, and rice and beans.  It was all excellent.  If lunch and dinner was any indication we wouldn't be going hungry at BdP.  I did secretly miss the dessert button though...