Brazil 2025 part 6

   Our next three days at San Francisco ranch go like this. Up at 4:30, eat breakfast at five o’clock, load on the touring truck at 5:30.  We are taken back to headquarters around 11:00 a.m., eat lunch at noon, try to take a nap before going on our afternoon drive which starts at 2:30. Back to the ranch at 5:30, eat supper at 6:00, back on the truck by 6:30 and do a night drive that ends around 10 p.m.!

    The first day we meet up with a research team that are studying Crab-eating fox and Ocelots to see how each species is doing on this ranch compared to other parts of the Pantanal. The team have live traps set and are trying to capture a crab-eating fox whose collar has lost power. The team leader has informed Fred that they have captured two foxes, (neither one turns out to be the collared fox) and we go to the first area to watch them release the canine. The fox is amazingly calm until they open the cage door. When the cage door is opened the fox bolts for freedom and never looks back. We meet up with them at the second site and again, no agitation in the cage by the fox, but as soon as the door is open the little fox is a blur as it runs from the human spectators.

   This afternoon Paul and Fred end up in a contest on who can find the most Marsh Deer. The deer are an endangered species but not on this ranch. The deer do so well here because of the ranches main crop which is rice. There are water canals and boggy areas that the deer love plus they graze in the rice fields.

At the end of our afternoon drive as the sun is nearly down our driver spots a giant anteater! These are the oddest-looking creatures! The anteater is in a pasture, and the South African man asks if we can try to get closer to the anteater on foot. Fred agrees that this will be okay. It is a hopeless attempt as the anteater keeps walking away from us faster than we can close the gap. Once we are in the pasture Fred spots a second anteater on the edge of the field. You can tell it is an anteater, but it is not close enough to document with a photo. Paul had hoped we would see an anteater, so he is quite happy.

     We do not see much on our night drive and Fred tells us we have the misfortune of a full moon while we are here. During a full moon mammals are not moving around much. We do see a couple of foxes, plus a barn owl diving for prey. The highlight was spotting a cayman killing a huge snake in one of the canals. No chance for a photo darn it.

     Today the native South Africans are going home so our group is down to six. This morning, we see myriads of beautiful birds, a couple of fox, and Marsh deer. Fred tells us that we have seen nearly two hundred species of birds!  

    We arrive in the parking lot and discover that a busload of people has arrived for a day at the ranch and they are waiting to eat lunch. Thankfully Fred has arranged for us to be at the head of the lunch line.

    This afternoon it is really hot which is not made any more comfortable by the hot wind that is blowing. Thank goodness for my neck cooler. Again, we see lots of birds plus the Marsh deer contest is continuing. Fred is winning. The rest of us are helping Paul if we see a deer that Paul overlooked. We point out to Fred that he has an advantage because he is sitting on the chair that is affixed to the top of the truck cab which gives him a clearer view. He just shrugs his shoulders and laughs.

   Tonight, the Indian couple decide not to go with us on the night drive. The man seems to be bothered by mosquitos, but Paul and I have not been bothered by the pests. They chose the wrong night to stay behind because we have not driven far when our spotter finds a giant anteater. We sit and watch the animal nosing around in a pasture for a while then move on. Amazing.

    Towards the end of our night drive the truck driver picks up speed. Our spotter and the driver are talking excitedly to one another. Soon our spotter shines his light on a walkway that is built out into a boggy field (these walkways are made to allow people to get through the marshes). There is a magnificent jaguar walking on the wooden structure. The big cat soon disappears into the darkness. We had no expectations of seeing a jaguar here, so this was an incredible bonus. We were all getting a little sleepy, but this certainly woke us up!

    On our third day we have a unique experience of watching the farm crew loading fertilizer into a plane. We watch as the plane takes off and begins dropping the fertilizer on the wet rice fields. Paul and I have also enjoyed looking at the farm equipment that we have encountered on these drives. The San Francisco Ranch is 15,000 hectares which is nearly 37,000 acres! Fred told us there are around 7500 head of cattle, counting cows, calves, and feedlot animals. I do not remember how many acres of rice they had. Fred also informs us that fifty percent of the ranch’s income comes from tourism.

   Later we sit and watch as some cowboys are moving a herd of yearling bulls. They are bringing them out of a pen onto the road. All goes well until one bull suddenly decides he does not want to leave the pen. After evading the two cowboys on horseback several times, the bull attempts to go through the fence. He is unsuccessful in getting through so the renegade gives up and walks through the gate. We watch as the cowboys and cattle move on down the road then return to the lodge for supper. These cattle were headed for a feedlot. They do not steer their bull calves.

    Tonight, our game drive was very sparse though we did watch a pair of crab-eating fox hunting in some tall grass next to the road. Although the pair worked hard, they came up empty.

    This morning, we begin our long journey home. We eat breakfast at five and return to our room to finish packing. Paul left our room for some reason and soon came back in to inform me that there was a Hyacinth Macaw in a tree behind our building. I grab my camera and get some shots of the beautiful bird. Paul tells the other people in our group about the Macaw, and they all go unpack their cameras to photograph this hard-to-find Macaw. A great way to end our time here.

    The Colorado couple and Fred are not going with the Indian couple and us to the airport because their flights are later. We take a photo with Fred; tell him he was a great guide and give him a well-earned tip. We say goodbye to Fred and the couple from Colorado and load up for our last road trip in Brazil.

   Our trip home was a long one but the complete opposite of the debacle of getting to Brazil, meaning it all went smoothly. It was a great trip but as always so good to get home.