Everyone was up early and excited to begin our first full day in the Pantanal. We saw wildlife everywhere – capybaras, peccaries – many bird species including crested orapendola, rufous hornero (ovenbird), jacanas, black-hooded parakeets, white woodpeckers, buff-necked ibis, rhea and campo flicker. When we arrived at the trailhead, we saw a group of coatis and a spectacled owl almost before we got out of the truck. A short walk revealed even more: crimson-crested woodpecker, yellow-chevroned parakeets, a giant anteater and more.

This afternoon we took to the water for a canoe excursion. We saw different wildlife here than we saw in the forest that morning: jacanas, anhingas, cormorants, roseate spoonbills, jabiru storks, muscovy ducks and our first monkeys. Fino, one of our guides, made what seemed like an impossible spot from across the lake — several brown capuchin monkeys in the top of a tree.

After dinner, a spotlighting safari revealed many new, nocturnal animals. I was surprised at the number of giant anteaters we saw. We spotted a total of eight of these endangered animals in our short drive, including a mother with her baby on her back. We also had a good view of a lesser anteater as he walked along the edge of the road and climbed a tree.