After a lazy breakfast Christi and I amble down the country lanes of C.C. Pellegrini to the boat dock where our guide, Jorje, then zooms us off across the Esteros del Ibera in a speed-boat, the wind in our hair. Wetlands are by their very nature a magnet for evil, nasty, biting bugs, but the good news is the bastards can’t keep up with the speed boat – yippee! It is also cooler today, so my camera does not fog every few minutes. As Jorje approaches a likely spot he cuts the engine and we glide along in relative silence (although between you and me, I have sneaking suspicion the wildlife still realizes there are humans about).
Our wildlife spotting is spectacular, on a par with Noel Kempff Mercado NP in Bolivia. According to Jorje adult capybara and adult caiman have no predators (human or animal) and more often than not they do not budge as the speedboat approaches. Indeed, caiman are basking in the sun and oblivious to our approach – we could reach out of the boat and touch them. On one occasion a colorful caterpillar strolls around the head of the caiman, and the caiman barely blinks and we watched spell-bound from about two-feet away. Next up is a rufous heron who poses perfectly for us, while we snap away like mad things. The capybaras are equally docile and I get close-up photos under every condition I can think of. A fantastic morning’s wildlife viewing ends with some more distant views of marsh-deer. Nothing much happens in the afternoon – it’s siesta time – but to be honest I’d rather be out and about photographing the wildlife. I pace Rancho Ibera like a caged animal desperate to be free.
At 4 pm, under dark, cloudy skies, we finally leave our hotel on a nature walk. We watch an interesting documentary about the ecology of the Esteros del Ibera at the visitor center, which is located at the entrance to town, and then explore a nearby nature trail. Sod’s law the skies open as soon as we leave the visitor center and Christi and I stumble along the slick trail during the downpour. We are attacked relentlessly by vicious mosquitoes of biblical proportions. On the plus side we do see a family of howler monkeys, although the poor light makes photography difficult. Wildlife photography is certainly not for the faint-hearted nor for those folks who enjoy their creature comforts.
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart, a gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching, laugh-wrenching tale.
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