The 2023 Brazil Journals, Chapter Eighteen

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Chapter Eighteen

A Photo Album

  

• “A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” -Eudora Welty
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• “Photography is the story I fail to put into words.”
  – Destin Sparks
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Sometimes there is no story; sometimes, it's all about the experience and the photos and those proverbial thousand words.

  
  

  If I write a chapter for every game drive we take, I will still be writing them long into 2024.   By then you will have lost interest in and so will I.
  
  
  So, the time has come to combine several game drives into one all-encompasing chapter with few words.   Lucky you.
  
  
  First, read again the two quotes above.   They say everything.  I don't grab just any old quote to lead these stories;   I choose one that is appropriate to the story.
  
  
  
  

  Lest you think I am not giving Fazenda Barranco Alto lodge its due, when the trip ends I feel it is my favorite of the five places we stayed. And not only for the many food items with passion fruit, though that certainly was a plus for them.

  
  

  So, here we go:

  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  An unidentified bird I thought was pretty.

  
  

  
  

  

  A basket for limes at the lodge.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Cattle tyrant.   This flycatcher is a member of the tyrant family of birds, known for their courageous and aggressive defense of their nests and territory.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  

  A scaled dove with chick in a nest right outside my window.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Center of Heart of Flame plant.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Heart of flame.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Roadside hawk.   Such an ordinary name for a beautiful bird.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  A kiskadee.   Like all birds in the tyrant flycatcher family, kiskadees are courageous when defending their nests.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Hyacinth macaws enjoying fruits of the palm.
  
  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Like all parrots, hyacinth macaws eat back-handed, i.e., eating on the outside of their claw,

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Burrowing owl.   These owls dig underground nests.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Blue-fronted parrot.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Another blue-fronted parrot.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  White-backed stilt.

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Cocoi heron.  A large bird.   Very similar to the African Gray heron.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Capybara and black cowbird.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Capybaras are the largest rodents in the world and are quite friendly.   Unlike most rodents, they swim well and enjoy water.

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  None of us took a full photo of the massive 4x4 truck that drove us around.   This photo by Virginia is the closest we have.   That's me in the front row of three rows of seats.   We needed a ladder to climb into it.   Octavio is standing on its running board.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Cow.   The Barranco Alto is a fazenda--a working ranch.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Capybara
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Capybara

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Capy in the water

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Caiman in black and white.   Don't let its smile fool you

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  This colorful bird is a chestnut-eared Aracari.   It's about 17 inches long and eats not only fruit, but eggs and nestlings of other birds, as well as small mammals.    It was the only one we saw during the entire trip, so this was pretty special.
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Pampas deer.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  The beautiful vermillion flycatcher.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Octavio opens the gate into another field.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Maguari stork.    Standing almost four feet high, these large storks inhabit wetlands.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Sunset
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  A cool bridge we crossed to get to a copse of trees where there was a pygmy owl.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  In search of the pygmy owl.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  The same bridge.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Goofy-looking caiman.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  The ranch buildings.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Roadside hawk at evening.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Roadside hawk.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Rufous Horner peeking out of the nest it's building.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  The construction project.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Imagine how many bits of material went into construction of this nest.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Gathering the horses in the morning mist.

  
  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  The ranch cowboy.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  A rare sighting of a black-banded owl.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  

  

  Black vultures.