The Flickr Hotelpantanalmatograsso Image Generatr

Owls are one of my favorite subjects to photograph. This one was found just outside of the lodge rooms with an early morning snack :)

Ferruginous-Pygmy Owl

Widespread and generally common little owl of tropical lowlands, often seen and heard during the daytime. Favors open tropical woodland and edge, second growth areas with trees (including towns, even cities with wooded parks), tropical pine savannas. Persistent whistles and mobbing bands of small birds often draw attention to pygmy-owls, which can be perched up on open snags or buried deep in cover. Color varies from rusty to grayish overall, but all color types have fine whitish streaks on crown (not spots) and numerous, narrow dark tail bars.

Hotel Pantanal Mato Grasso, MT Brazil
August 23, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

This is a series of images taken last summer in the Pantanal of Brazil. We came upon this juvenile Rufescent Tiger-Heron that had captured some kind of prey. After several minutes it gulped it down!

Rufescent Tiger-Heron

This medium-sized heron is found around swamps, marshes, and sluggish streams at lower elevations. Usually seen singly. Adults are distinctive with their bright rufous head and neck. Juveniles are buffy with uneven black barring. Juveniles essentially identical to juvenile Fasciated Tiger-Heron, but note different habitat.

August 21, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

This is a series of images taken last summer in the Pantanal of Brazil. We came upon this juvenile Rufescent Tiger-Heron that had captured some kind of prey. After several minutes it gulped it down!

Rufescent Tiger-Heron

This medium-sized heron is found around swamps, marshes, and sluggish streams at lower elevations. Usually seen singly. Adults are distinctive with their bright rufous head and neck. Juveniles are buffy with uneven black barring. Juveniles essentially identical to juvenile Fasciated Tiger-Heron, but note different habitat.

August 21, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

This is a series of images taken last summer in the Pantanal of Brazil. We came upon this juvenile Rufescent Tiger-Heron that had captured some kind of prey. After several minutes it gulped it down!

Rufescent Tiger-Heron

This medium-sized heron is found around swamps, marshes, and sluggish streams at lower elevations. Usually seen singly. Adults are distinctive with their bright rufous head and neck. Juveniles are buffy with uneven black barring. Juveniles essentially identical to juvenile Fasciated Tiger-Heron, but note different habitat.

August 21, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

This is a series of images taken last summer in the Pantanal of Brazil. We came upon this juvenile Rufescent Tiger-Heron that had captured some kind of prey. After several minutes it gulped it down!

Rufescent Tiger-Heron

This medium-sized heron is found around swamps, marshes, and sluggish streams at lower elevations. Usually seen singly. Adults are distinctive with their bright rufous head and neck. Juveniles are buffy with uneven black barring. Juveniles essentially identical to juvenile Fasciated Tiger-Heron, but note different habitat.

August 21, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

This is a series of images taken last summer in the Pantanal of Brazil. We came upon this juvenile Rufescent Tiger-Heron that had captured some kind of prey. After several minutes it gulped it down!

Rufescent Tiger-Heron

This medium-sized heron is found around swamps, marshes, and sluggish streams at lower elevations. Usually seen singly. Adults are distinctive with their bright rufous head and neck. Juveniles are buffy with uneven black barring. Juveniles essentially identical to juvenile Fasciated Tiger-Heron, but note different habitat.

August 21, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

This is a series of images taken last summer in the Pantanal of Brazil. We came upon this juvenile Rufescent Tiger-Heron that had captured some kind of prey. After several minutes it gulped it down!

Rufescent Tiger-Heron

This medium-sized heron is found around swamps, marshes, and sluggish streams at lower elevations. Usually seen singly. Adults are distinctive with their bright rufous head and neck. Juveniles are buffy with uneven black barring. Juveniles essentially identical to juvenile Fasciated Tiger-Heron, but note different habitat.

August 21, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

Besides all of my Ecuador pics left to sort through I have plenty of Brazil images from last Summer to edit. Here are some from a very memorable evening.

This beautiful cat is an Ocelot. The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40–50 cm (16–20 in) at the shoulders and weighs between 7 and 15.5 kg (15 and 34 lb) on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. Carl Linnaeus scientifically described it in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized.

August 22, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

Besides all of my Ecuador pics left to sort through I have plenty of Brazil images from last Summer to edit. Here are some from a very memorable evening.

This beautiful cat is an Ocelot. The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40–50 cm (16–20 in) at the shoulders and weighs between 7 and 15.5 kg (15 and 34 lb) on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. Carl Linnaeus scientifically described it in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized.

August 22, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

Besides all of my Ecuador pics left to sort through I have plenty of Brazil images from last Summer to edit. Here are some from a very memorable evening.

This beautiful cat is an Ocelot. The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40–50 cm (16–20 in) at the shoulders and weighs between 7 and 15.5 kg (15 and 34 lb) on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. Carl Linnaeus scientifically described it in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized.

August 22, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

Besides all of my Ecuador pics left to sort through I have plenty of Brazil images from last Summer to edit. Here are some from a very memorable evening.

This beautiful cat is an Ocelot. The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40–50 cm (16–20 in) at the shoulders and weighs between 7 and 15.5 kg (15 and 34 lb) on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. Carl Linnaeus scientifically described it in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized.

August 22, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

We were lucky to get such great looks at this beautiful bird. They don't come out in the open like this very often. We observed this individual foraging for ants along the river bank before it jumped up on this branch.

Strikingly patterned but very skulking bird of forest borders, thickets, and tangles in humid tropical lowlands; uncommon. Heard much more often than seen; typically sings from dense vine tangles. Song suggests some trogons, but ends with a quiet snarl audible at close range. Male is black above; female is rusty above. Both have clean white underparts, bright red eyes, stout hooked bills, and crests that can be raised or lowered.

Pixaim River - Poconé, MT Brazil
August 22, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

Near Threatened. Large forest guan found in far southeastern Peru, Bolivia, southwestern Brazil, and northern Paraguay, often along rivers. Plumage is mostly black with a white face, crown, nape, and wing patch. It has a bare patch of skin on the throat that may be light blue or white. On older birds this skin patch ends in a wormlike wattle that dangles below the neck. Formerly treated as a subspecies of Blue-throated Piping-Guan; it can be distinguished by the pure white (not buff-streaked) crown and nape, paler blue or white throat patch, and the wormlike wattle (on adults). In some areas, including the Pantanal, individuals with blue and red throat patches can be found; these are likely hybrids with Red-throated Piping-Guan. Mostly arboreal, but sometimes descends to the ground to feed or drink. Song, often given at dawn or dusk, is a rising series of clear whistles. Occasionally rattles its wings loudly in flight.

Pixaim River - Poconé, MT Brazil
August 21, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

Near Threatened. Large forest guan found in far southeastern Peru, Bolivia, southwestern Brazil, and northern Paraguay, often along rivers. Plumage is mostly black with a white face, crown, nape, and wing patch. It has a bare patch of skin on the throat that may be light blue or white. On older birds this skin patch ends in a wormlike wattle that dangles below the neck. Formerly treated as a subspecies of Blue-throated Piping-Guan; it can be distinguished by the pure white (not buff-streaked) crown and nape, paler blue or white throat patch, and the wormlike wattle (on adults). In some areas, including the Pantanal, individuals with blue and red throat patches can be found; these are likely hybrids with Red-throated Piping-Guan. Mostly arboreal, but sometimes descends to the ground to feed or drink. Song, often given at dawn or dusk, is a rising series of clear whistles. Occasionally rattles its wings loudly in flight.

Pixaim River - Poconé, MT Brazil
August 21, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

One of the challenges of photographing from a boat is the movement. All the images I took in Brazil from a boat were hand held. In most cases I tired to use a high shutter speed to compensate for any movement. Sometimes that was not possible, as with these images. I had to be rock solid as these were taken at 1/400s at ISO 4000.

Ringed Kingfisher - Male

Largest kingfisher in Americas with exceptionally enormous bill and raucous calls. Blue-gray with shaggy crest, white collar, and rufous belly. Male and female similar, but note different breast pattern: entirely rufous on male, while female has blue-gray band bordered by white. Often conspicuous, searching shallow water for fish from a prominent perch and chattering noisily when disturbed. Singles or pairs are also often observed flying high overhead and giving loud "keck" calls. Nests in burrows excavated in banks, generally along watercourses.

Pixaim River - Poconé, MT Brazil
6:15am August 22, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

One of the challenges of photographing from a boat is the movement. All the images I took in Brazil from a boat were hand held. In most cases I tired to use a high shutter speed to compensate for any movement. Sometimes that was not possible, as with these images. I had to be rock solid as these were taken at 1/400s at ISO 4000.

Ringed Kingfisher - Male

Largest kingfisher in Americas with exceptionally enormous bill and raucous calls. Blue-gray with shaggy crest, white collar, and rufous belly. Male and female similar, but note different breast pattern: entirely rufous on male, while female has blue-gray band bordered by white. Often conspicuous, searching shallow water for fish from a prominent perch and chattering noisily when disturbed. Singles or pairs are also often observed flying high overhead and giving loud "keck" calls. Nests in burrows excavated in banks, generally along watercourses.

Pixaim River - Poconé, MT Brazil
6:15am August 22, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

Besides the boat rides we took when looking for jaguar we also went out looking for wildlife on a motor boat at one other location. I took advantage of some beautiful morning light when I captured this hawk resting adjacent to the river.

Roadside Hawk

Well-named, the common roadside hawk in tropical lowlands of East Mexico and Central and South America. Often seen on wires, phone poles, posts out in fields. Adult has staring pale eyes, streaked breast contrasting with barred belly. Immature streaked below, much like many other immature hawks, but its tail has broad and fairly even bands. Flies with rather quick, stiff wingbeats, recalling a Red-shouldered Hawk or an Accipiter; noisy flight display mainly in late winter-spring.

August 22, 2024

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.