— The most desirable species for eco-tourists who visit the south of Brazil, where I was recently, are hyacinth macaw, jabiru stork, harpy eagle and jaguar.  Our group of 14 saw three out of four, missing only the big cat.

The eagle was in a bird park and was a magnificent specimen, with a wingspan of about 6 ½ feet, double crest on the head and weighing probably 20 pounds.

We saw numerous hyacinth macaws, the world’s largest flying parrot, entirely blue with black under the wings and bright yellow circles around the eyes.  They soar and glide with an easy grace.

And we not only saw jabiru storks, the official bird of the Pantanal, but we saw them on their huge, eagle-like nests with babies being raised.  The adult stork is over four feet tall, is mostly white and has a featherless neck which is black with a bright red pouch at the base.  A most striking bird, it stands tall in its big-stick nest, feeding a family that usually consists of three chicks.

We saw all manner of birds, some familiar from the U.S., such as roseate spoonbill, vermillion flycatcher and great kiskadee.  Many were new and exotic to me, including yellow-rumped cacique, peach-fronted parakeet, rufous-tailed jacamar, blue-fronted parrot, guira cuckoo and bay-winged cowbird.

I particularly enjoyed an explosion of American wood storks, rocketing into the air from a marsh with flashing black and white wings.  And a rufescent tiger heron, standing still as a statue in the buttery, late afternoon sun on the banks of the Rio Claro as our boat glided by, just feet away.

That boat ride was one of my favorite parts of the trip.  We not only saw great birds, but a baby river otter swam by squealing and in the background you could hear the deep, guttural grunts of its mother, a giant river otter.  The afternoon light lent a magical touch to water hyacinth blooms and made for some very lovely reflections.

While the jabiru storks were the largest birds we saw, probably the smallest with the largest name was the rusty-fronted tody flycatcher.  It takes all kinds.

The lodges where we stayed did not maintain sugar-water feeders like many do in Costa Rica and Ecuador so we did not see large quantities of hummingbirds up close and personal.  However, one lodge did pitch out food to attract crowds of yellow-billed and red-crested cardinals, plus numerous doves and pigeons.

We saw the giant potoo, a bird that looks much like a tree branch and blends in to the point of near invisibility.  Squawking chachalacas were all about and monk parakeets were much in evidence.

My favorite woodpecker was the pale-crested, it reminded me of a blow-dried blonde.

I could go on and on about the tyrants and toucans, herons and hawks, terns and  tinamous.  Suffice it to say, we saw a wondrous collection of flying feathers.

But lest you think all was perfection on the trip, let me assure you there were glitches along the way.  I had a number of insect bites, despite slathering myself daily with repellant.

One of our group was scratched by a pet cat at one of the lodges.     

It was darned cold on our first day at Iguassu Falls and at night in Chapada, a blanket was sorely needed.  Luckily, I had packed some heavy clothes.

And finally, it’s a long way from Austin to Sao Paulo.  Some days were spent completely in transit, either flying for stretches of up to 9 ½-hours, or waiting around in airports.

On the other hand, the insect bites weren’t fatal, the cat was sort of cute, and now that I’m back in 100-degree heat, those few chilly days were not bad at all.  Also, while the flights were long, at least they still feed you for free on international flights and on flights within Brazil.  Nothing fancy, but it sure beats paying for stale pretzels.

So overall, I had a fine old time and heartily recommend Brazil.  Birds, beef, beer and beauty – it’s a wonderful combination.