[Disclosure: This is one of my favorite photos of the whole trip!]
If you’re a bird lover you should go to Brazil’s Pantanal. Even if you’re not a bird lover, even if your feelings are ambivalent, you won’t leave the Pantanal disappointed. We spent a few wonderful days in the Pantanal and although we saw more caimen (like alligators) than we ever want to see again, caught piranha’s and even spotted those funny little capybara’s all over the shore, the most memorable part of the trip were the birds. An incredible and diverse variety of birds. We were so incredibly happy that we had lugged our DSLR camera all over the Americas, if only for the Pantanal. Our bird photographs from the region are some of the best animal ones of the trip.
Since we have a few photographers out there, let me say that this photo hasn’t been touched up in anyway. We were shooting from a slow moving canoe in low in the water. At nearly every bend in the river we came upon a bird that often took flight just as we arrived, making it easy to practice these kinds of shots! If you look closely at it’s feet you can see the water droplets!
To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.
IF YOU GO: We accessed the Pantanal from Cuiaba and frankly it was the reason we took our trip to Brazil. From there our tour started and we drove for what seemed like hours to the lodge on the Rio Mutum. The accomodations were nice, but be prepared for bugs. We heard nightmarish stories afterwards from folks that had done cheaper “camping” tours. Like so many things, check on the time of year before you decide you can sleep in a hammock! As my mom says, if you think something small can’t make a difference think about a mosquito!
Tijmen says
I always love places that have lots of birds singing and flying around. The best place I have been so far when it comes to seeing lots of different birds is Ulva Island in New Zealand. Its a small bird sanctuary under the South Island where you can see some rare species
Jillian says
Tijmen, Thanks for the tip! We’ll have to check it out if we get to NZ!
Rease says
I am not a bird person but sometimes when you see really unique, beautiful birds, you just can’t help but be amazed. Great photo!
Jillian says
Thanks! I’m not a birdwatcher, but I did get pretty into it while we were in the Pantanal. As you said, the birds were unique and beautiful, it was hard to not be drawn in!