Wildlife Viewing stories and photos from ecotravels in South America!

Having traveled all over the world to see wildlife, from Asia to New Zealand, Brazil gets my vote as one of the best places to see excellent wildlife. Hyacinth Valley, located in the interior of Brazil, has some of Brazil’s most unusual wildlife, and is perhaps the world’s biologically richest savanna. Bordered by the Pantanal wetlands on the west and the Amazon River on the north, this region is just beginning to hit the radar screen as an eco-tourism destination. It has everything from Capuchin Monkeys, Hyacinth Macaws, Maned Wolf (an endangered species that looks like a long legged fox) to Toco Toucans (the bird on the cereal box). We visited both sites that make up the conservation system, Hyacinth Valley and Greenwing Valley. At Greenwing Valley Camp, a viewing blind allowed us to watch Brown Capuchin Monkeys. Scientists have called these brown capuchins “Einstein monkeys” when they discovered them selecting stones from a riverbed and hauling them hundreds of yards to a clearing. As we sat inside the blind, group of about 20 of these monkeys, who only weigh about 13 pounds, lift a 5 to 6 pound stone, heave them over their heads and then slam the rock on the palm nuts to get the meat inside. You can’t help but marvel at the energy they used to open such a small nut! As we sat inside the blind, there was lots of stone throwing going on and chattering between the monkeys. We also hiked through the property where we saw a Great Potoo bird that blends in so well he looks just like the tree. I kept having to say to my guide-What? Where are you looking? Yet the bird was just a few feet from us on a tree branch but it was impossible to see without our guide knowing where to look. After several hours of watching monkeys, and nature hiking, my guide asked if I wanted to go swimming in the lake. Sure! Soon they rounded up our horses and we followed a trail down to a stunning secluded clear lake fringed with palm trees, red cliffs and blue skies- simply beautiful. Several huge mango trees also lined the shore line and we ate sweet sun ripened mangos while sitting in the lake. What a life! At Hyacinth Valley large flocks of bright blue Hyacinth Macaws fed at a favorite spot, a palm tree loaded with nuts. From a custom-built photo blind we watched at 5:30 am as the first macaws arrive to eat. It was worth getting up early for! The macaws hopped to the ground, selected a palm nut, and then returned to the bushes to crack the nuts. Manipulating the nuts with tongues thick as thumbs, they opened the palm nuts in their powerful beaks with explosive cracks. Rays of soft light illuminated the birds as they fed on their staple palm nuts and playfully jockey for position on favorite perches in the trees that surround the blind. Viewing dozens of the world's largest and most spectacular parrots in their natural environment is pure magic. The time spend in this natural playground will stay with you forever. At night, after an excellent dinner under the thatched dining hut, we relaxed in hammocks and caught a look at the endangered Maned Wolf. They hunted mice along the edges of the grounds. The lodge manager could spotlight the wolf without disturbing the animal so we got a great view. Local farmers dislike the animals since they raid the chicken coop. As the Toucan use to say in the commercials “follow your nose where ever it goes” but in this case be sure to follow it to Brazil’s cerrado now and see the wildlife. With the equivalent of two and a half soccer field’s worth of savanna disappearing every minute, the cerrado is disappearing fast.