Horses corraled at dawn, with a thatched cabin and antique wagon. The horses are the "Pantaneiro" breed, adapted to the hot and humid lowlands. Originating with the Iberian horses brought to the first fazendas during the colonial period, these horses are unique through natural selection.
Each morning we set out in small boats to look for wildlife. The camera I had planned on using for this trip fell and broke the first night in Brazil. It was stuck at F/7.1 and ISO 800, which seemed to work perfectly for dawn and dusk views on the water.
Gliding silently, the caiman seems to have a milder temperament than a croccodile or alligator. This individual was hanging around for a reason, can you see his smile? On our last morning the boat staff "baited" hawks and fish eating birds for the group. This was considered desirable because the bird photographers could get action shots of the big birds grabbing the fish. In my innocence I was shocked that this was how they got those shots. It was not something you'd find in a national US park, but again, there are few rules in the places I visited in Brazil. The men greatly enjoyed doing it and the of course the birds loved it too. At one point one of the men decided to bait the caiman. This was astonishing, he held the fish as high up as he could and the caiman leapt straight up out of the water to catch it, at least 5 feet up. I was praying the reptile had good aim & did not accidentally take the man's arm off. Here we were in this great and vast wilderness and man and beast had developed a relationship similar to the one we have with our dogs and cats when we yell "cookies". All the birds and animals knew from the moment the boat was in position that treats were on the way. The big birds positioned themselves on the other side of the river on a tree snag. They flew in for the fish and then went back to their perch ready to fly at the thrown fish again. Of course PBS has finally let us in on how they make those amazing animal documentaries with "willing individuals" (animals).
