When The Bell Tolls

Thursday 8 March

We were both awake before the alarm, so there was no problem getting up after all. There were signs that a few midges had been in the room during the night, but it was much better than yesterday afternoon. Breakfast was a bit of a dire affair, as far as I was concerned, but Colin had cornflakes and scrambled egg on toast. Part of the problem was that the butter was rancid – at least, we both thought so, but its made here on the farm so maybe that’s how they eat it – so I ended up with half a small slice of white bread (I had inadvertently put butter on the other half, which was when I smelt it) with some jam and orange juice.

Our first activity which began at 07.00, was a walking tour of the farm. We met our new guide Carol and the field guide Ossi (?) who had lived in the Pantanal all his life. We were also introduced to a Swedish couple who would be joining us on the safari - they had arrived yesterday evening - only in the end, the man was not feeling too well (he was exceedingly overweight and seemed to be suffering from the heat) and so declined to walk. We sauntered out on to the road near where the cowboys keep their riding gear, and immediately saw a couple of varieties of ibis and crested caracara on the lawns and in the trees lining the road.

Our first stop was to see the Hyacinth Macaw Project, one of three research projects currently being undertaken on this fazenda, and we were given a short slide show by one of the researchers on the work they are doing. For the past sixteen years they have been studying hyacinth macaws – the largest of the macaw species – to prevent it from becoming extinct. The birds usually return to the same nest year after year, so a number of artificial wooden nest boxes have been put up in tall trees all over the farm to encourage the birds to settle here. These are then visited regularly and the findings recorded. The hyacinth macaws usually lay two eggs, but only manage to rear one chick every two years. Sometimes as part of the project, if the chicks are born significantly different in size, the biologists are able to remove one from the nest and swap it with another chick where there is the same problem , so that all four have an equal chance of survival. The small chicks would be ignored by their parents and consequently perish, but they are quite happy to look after two birds of the same size, even if one isn’t their own. This also helps to increase the macaw population. The young chicks stay with their parents for at least a year, learning how to find food. The birds eat mainly one kind of nut – the acari - which is a fig size fruit, found hanging from the palm trees in large grape-like bunches. Other birds and animals pluck the fruit from the bunch and eat the hardish, green outer layer. The kernel is then discarded on the ground near the tree. The macaws collect these and break through the extremely hard outer layer of the kernel with their strong beaks, to find the two or three small white nuts inside, which is the part they eat.

The project is also working at educating as many people as possible about the birds – by informing pet shops and the like that people should not sell them as pets, by encouraging the native Indians not kill the birds to use the feathers for headdresses - one headdress can take the feathers of eighteen birds - and speaking to others who purchase the beaks to make jewellery or carve ornaments. We did our bit by buying Tshirts advertising the cause. While at the project building, a group of children, between 5 and 8 years old, came along and presented the Swedish lady and myself with small pink hearts decorated with tiny rolled flowers and glitter, all made out of a thin foam material. These were presents for Lady’s Day – a day that is celebrated all over Brazil. It was very touching.

The other two projects currently being pursued at this fazenda are the study of the life and habitat of yellow chevroned parakeets, which are not in danger of extinction here at present, but they are in other parts of the world. And secondly the jaguar project – there were only a handful of jaguars on this estate when the project started a few years ago, but now it is estimated that there are between thirty and forty. The project has managed to persuade local farmers not to kill these big cats, when they have killed one of their cattle. Instead a foundation will reimburse the farmer with the cost of a new cow, so long as there is evidence that the cow died from a jaguar attack – photos and other documentary evidence are required. About two hundred cattle are killed every year on the Caiman fazenda alone, from attacks by these big cats. But public opinion against fur products has also assisted in the success.

It was now time to continue our walk. Just along the road, at the small bridge crossing one of the rivers draining from the lake, Ossi spotted jaguar footprints in the dusty earth that he said had been made last night, and we trailed them some way before they veered off into the forest. It had three quite large pads around the central pad, which were all clearly defined in the sand. Ossi also showed us where he had seen a jaguar dragging off a large capybara just a couple of weeks ago. Jaguars only kill to eat, unlike the pumas which will kill for sport.

We walked on into the forest, all the while seeing more birds – woodpeckers - crimson crested, yellow headed and white – kingfishers, parakeets and chachacalacas, which are always seen in pairs – the male and female have a different call, but together they make one continual and very loud “song” – a bit like someone practicing the same few notes on the drums incessantly. Quite often pairs will sit in different trees in one area and will try and outcall each other, which ends up sounding very much like an irate debate with everyone speaking at once.

We also spied a couple of troupes of capuchin monkeys which we hadn’t seen anywhere in the Pantanal yet. These monkeys usually lives in large family groups and are very entertaining as they scamper along branches and make death-defying leaps from one tree branch to the next. We continued walking through the forest until we came to a lake, with a bridge over a small rocky waterfall leading to another small river. As we approached we saw a ringed kingfisher sitting on the railing of the bridge chomping on the fish he had just caught. On the opposite side of the bridge, on a stretch of sand beside the river, Ossi started making the call of the caiman, loud almost honking guttural sounds, and bouncing some dead wood off the ground near the water. Very soon a couple of caiman started lumbering out of the river on to the bank, stopping just a metre or so away from our feet! As he continued to call, more and more caiman appeared, until there were ten, either just in the water or on the beach. Caiman do not see or hear very well, and therefore respond mostly to vibrations on land. Carol had collected a long stick (obviously kept by the fence for the guides to use) and touched the caiman’s skin, showing it was hard and horny on its head, back and tail, but the neck and sides were soft and dimpled when prodded (the caiman didn’t seem to mind this intrusion at all). She also tapped its mouth at the side and the animal obliged by opening it’s large jaw so that we could see that the tongue blocks the passage to the stomach when the mouth is open, but opens to let food pass through as the mouth closes. Like crocodiles and alligators, they are often seen sitting on the bank with their mouths open, which allows them to cool down. The caiman’s tongue and gums are creamy coloured and they lose their teeth about eight or nine times during their lifetime – which can be up to seventy or so years. In the 1980’s one million caiman were culled per year in the Pantanal, but now no animals are allowed to be killed in this region, and it is estimated that there are now around 3.5 million caiman living in the Pantanal, making it the largest concentration of crocodilian in the world.

We left the caiman in peace and retraced our steps through the forest, watching the antics of many birds and monkeys on the way. On the bridge where we had seen the jaguar’s paw prints, we saw a large lizard, with green and yellow blotched scales, about a metre long – know as the caiman lizard – although its scales are much more highly coloured than the dark grey caiman skin. It slowly made its way across the bridge, and detoured round us closer to the river, before disappearing into the undergrowth. We then visited the small museum, which showed how the area had developed, particularly since the founding of Brazil in the 1560’s. The Pantanal has been a National Park since the 1980’s and many institutions are supporting the research work that is carried out all over the region every day.

We were very hot and sticky when we got back, so jumped in the pool to cool down – only having half a dozen steps to walk from the room was a clear incentive. We swum around for a while, and then I blogged till lunch. We were presented with another typical Brazilian meal, including a tasty bowl of chicken parmigiana with a variety of salads and vegetables and of course rice and beans. Colin was in heaven for dessert, as there was strawberry blancmange – with glace cherries which did nothing for the dish. He had a large portion and went back for seconds! I spent the afternoon blogging and Colin listening the last of his Sharpe’s tales of war, until the bell rang for juice and doughnuts as an enticement to join another afternoon safari.

We and the Swedish couple joined Carol in the truck with the same driver as yesterday. Just as we were departing Carina from reception came up and gave the other lady and me a chocolate bonbon with a message saying “Happy Ladies Day from all at Caiman Lodge” – this really is a big day for women in Brazil.

We followed the same safari routine as yesterday, of driving for about an hour, walking for the next hour and then returning to the lodge slightly more quickly than the outward journey. As we left, dark clouds were rumbling in and we feared rain was on the way. We saw lots of birds again, which we stopped to watch, as the Swedish couple had not been with us yesterday. We did see a few new birds and Colin spotted a mockingbird – a small tawny creature, sitting on the wire fence. We saw more capuchin monkeys when we walked, happily playing in the branches of the taller trees. We were serenaded by the tapping of the woodpecker and a four-way chorus of chachacalatas. The clouds hovered overhead for most of the outward journey and the walk, but by the time we were returning the skies had cleared and there would be a beautiful sunset over the lake. But the midges were arriving again too. We decided to shower, change and read a bit in our room before dinner. But the bugs were getting in, in large numbers, so before the bell tolled, we asked reception to send the maid to spray again. Dinner was another unrelaxing affair – with bugs flying everywhere. The white china contained many of these meatless morsels, even when we arrived, and I was the person to close the mesh doors as best I could, when one door was off its runners – the dining room staff seemed oblivious. Responding to the bell almost at once, meant that there was a chance to select some food before the bugs found it, but it was touch and go. By the time Colin reached dessert he had to cut the top layer of the vanilla blancmange off, before serving himself with a portion – unfortunately the vanilla version was nowhere near as good as strawberry!.

Our evening activity was a slide show about the ecology of Caiman Lodge. Three more people had arrived this afternoon whilst we were out, so our numbers were swelled to seven. There was a slide showing that the Pantanal region was larger than Belgium, Holland and Switzerland combined – probably like half of France - with the lodge being situated in the far south. The River Paraguaia is the border to the west, while the small range of hills inland from the coast marks the eastern limit. The Amazon basin is as far as it goes north and the Aquidauna river is the southern boundary. The main industry in the region is cattle farming, which has been happening since the 18th century, when Portuguese farmers brought over cattle from India to make their fortunes. Most farms are now also involved in eco-tourism in some way to extend their income and save the habitat from extinction. We saw pictures of lots of birds and mammals, most of which we have been lucky enough to see either here or at Rio Negro.

Getting to and from the “cinema” was another battle with the midges, and we saw bats feasting themselves silly around the lights – they just couldn’t swing round fast enough for another mouthful. There were slightly less on the return journey, but we were not sure that was entirely due to the bat consumption. We have another early start tomorrow – I am having another go at horseriding. Colin has declined to take part in the activity – he was nearly told to the stand in the corner or write lines of “I must take part in all activities” – because of the adverse effect on his hips whilst we were in the Andes foothills. True, there are no mountains here – about 100 metres is the highest rise – but the ride is for three hours and that seemed a bit long to Colin. He will puzzle and listen to his book by the pool instead.