Bird 1 - Hyacinth Macaw (ID'd by matching mole)
Bom dia! Bem-vindo à Aurora Coro de hoje.
As some of you know, I spent three weeks in Brazil in October, specifically in the Pantanal and Cerrado region. The Pantanal is the largest wetlands in the world, covering more than 80,000 square miles. Most of the Pantanal is in Brazil (shared between the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul), with small areas in Bolivia and Paraguay. The Cerrado is the plateau surrounding the Pantanal, consisting of 740,100 square miles of savannas and uplands from which the Pantanal waters are derived. As with the Pantanal, the Cerrado is contained mostly within Brazil, with small extensions into Bolivia and Paraguay.
We learned and observed so much during our time in Brazil - about the threats to the Pantanal and Cerrado from habitat loss and conversion of vast swaths of the Cerrado into monoculture agriculture, the huge economic divides that are evident while driving through the countryside and cities, and the deep divisions among scientists studying the jaguars about most ethical and efficatious means of collecting data about their behavior.
I am intending to write more about these topics but in the 10 days since we returned home, I've only begun to sort through photos and notes in addition to getting back to work, attending a family birthday party and a Central Valley Kossacks meet up, not to mention getting caught up in the final days of the election...
So, more substantial diaries will have to wait. For today, following in the tradition established by angelajean, today's diary will be an interactive bird identification exercise. I'll post a variety of photos from our trip and you'll post your IDs in the comments. Apologies to those with slow/dial up connections. The first bird is at the top.
Not familiar with birds of South America, you say? Try Cornell's Neotropical Birds site for a little help.
Let's continue below.
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