After breakfast, we left Pousada Rio Claro and headed for Porto Jofre, which lies at the end of the Transpantaneira. Porto Jofre is the Holy Land for those in search of jaguars. Pantanal jaguars are the largest jaguars in the world. The bountiful food supply and lack of serious predators has been very good for these beautiful cats.

There are many other amazing creatures that also live in the area around Porto Jofre—especially birds. Paulo is known internationally for his encyclopedic knowledge of Brazilian birds and other wildlife, and he shared many interesting facts about the flora and fauna that greatly enriched my trip. [He is also kindly checking my bird identifications for posts here—thank you, Paulo!!!]

Capybaras are often spotted with birds sitting on their backs or heads. Their feathered friends are not always very well-behaved, as you can see from the white spots on the capybara’s back. But NOTHING seems to bother these rodents very much. They are the most placid animals I’ve ever seen…

Although I confess that these two images made me reconsider that assessment. They reminded me of family photo sessions where Mom is trying to get everyone to behave and she’s about to lose her mind in the process. Here dad (left) and teenaged daughter (right) appear to be on the outs with one another, and Mom (center) is wishing she was somewhere else having a glass of wine.

But Mom eventually manages to get them to pose, even if Dad and Daughter are refusing to look at one another (or the photographer) and none of them looks particularly happy!

After we visited with the capybaras, we stopped at a nice resort for a break. There were gorgeous birds EVERYWHERE!

These tiny yellow-billed cardinals were some of my favorites. They were present just about everywhere we went on the trip, and they were just as cheerful as they could be. They are particularly pretty in large flocks, where their bright red heads shine like rubies in the sun.

Until we reached Porto Jofre, I could say with perfect confidence that the Chaco Chacalacas were by FAR the noisiest birds I’d ever heard. They love to sing the song of their people—loudly and in chorus. But they have one competitor for loudest bird, and that’s the Hyacinth Macaw (see below).

It was lovely to find that toucans are every bit as gorgeous in person as they are on the Fruit Loops box!

This Palm Tanager was NOT happy with the Giant Kiskadee trying to get in on the papaya action. As for me, I was thrilled to find that I had actually managed to freeze that Kiskadee in motion!

This Chaco Chacalaca was much prettier than the others I photographed above—but every bit as raucous.

Caciques build the most interesting nests!

I think this is a female Crimson-Crested Woodpecker. All I could think about when I was hitting the shutter button was the old Woody Woodpecker sound…

The highlight of the afternoon was the arrival of the Hyacinth Macaws. They have a permanent expression that says “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!” They also look as if they are going to break into a tap dancing routine at any moment…