Brazil, July - August 2022: Cristalino Lodge

 Brazil, July - August 2022: Cristalino Lodge

Leaving the serene Piuval, we made our way by van, airplane, and boat to the marvelous Cristalino Lodge in the northern part of Mato Grosso. Cristalino seems to have it all: rivers, rainforest, canopy towers; antbirds, eagles, parrots. The rooms are luxurious and the food is wonderful. Our Brazilian guide Francisco had sharp eyes and impressive control of the boat. Some of these identifications were made by way of iNaturalist. In particular, that site has a group focused on Butterflies of Cristalino.

Amazonian Pygmy-owl

Anchored Water Hyacinth

Army Ants crossing the path

Band-tailed Antbird

Base of Tower 1.

Black-girdled Barbet

Black Caracara. According to Mark,
the loudest bird in the Amazon.

Blackish Nightjar. Snoozing on the
roof of the lodge

Blue-headed Parrot. Feeding in the canopy
here, we had many through the trip

Burrowing Owls. Drawn to Mato Grosso 
by all the ag lands.

Doxocopa lavinia. The camera doesn't
do it justice.

Doxocopa lavinia. 

Capped Heron. Glowing colors on the head

Carmine Skimmer at the lodge

Chestnut-fronted Macaw. At Ilha Ariosto

The tropical hardwoods
at Cristalino Lodge

The sign at the boundary
of Cristalino Preserve
- no fishing allowed

Crowned Slaty-flycatcher from the canopy tower

Dawn at the canopy tower, while Mark
searches for the next colorful creature to fly by

Relaxing on the vine chair

Forest Giant Owl. I don't think the camouflage
works on this one.

Francisco, local guide par excellence

Giant Ameiva eyeing us at the lunch table

Green-backed Trogon

Green Ibis - showing what it's made of

Green Ibis, busy at work

Lineated Woodpecker in the canopy

Proboscis Bats clinging to a tree
leaning over the Rio Cristalino

Nacunda Nighthawk - a marvelous nightjar
found in broad daylight on a rock in the river

Narrow-winged damselfly sp

Salapia signata - - a large, cool bug in the forest

Orange-barred Pixie

Passiflora tholozanii, a passionfruit flower radiating deep in the forest

Plumbeous Kites surveying the river

Pyrrhopygopsis socrates - quite dashing
for such a philosophical creature

Red-throated Piping-guan, on a high branch
over the river

Greater Sac-winged Bat

South American Tapir

South American Tapir

Tapir swimming away

Spangled Cotinga

Spectacled Caiman

Spotted Tody-flycatcher

Sunset at the canopy tower

Swallow Tanager. One of the common
birds in the Pantanal, but striking

Variegated Flycatcher

Versicolored Emerald

White-banded Swallows.

White-cheeked Spider Monkey

White-eyed Parakeet

White-necked Puffbird

White-winged Shrike-tanager at the Pocinha

Confused birders at Ilha Ariosto.
Tanager? No, tyrannulet.
Nonsense, it's a trogon!

At Tower 2, the spirit of Ted
ensures us good luck

Marching into Pocinha Francisco
to look for late afternoon antbirds

Entering the blind at Pocinha Francisco

Northern Woodland Racer -
a young one basks on the trail
near the lodge

Agathina Emperor, on Jerry's arm.

Tree biodiversity as seen
from the canopy tower

Tower 1 at Cristalino. There be
birds up those stairs.

Sunset lighting up the canopy

Sunset at the tower

Tree biodiversity, part 2

The peaceful Rio Cristalino

The sun sets on another action-
packed session on the tower

Francisco and Mark

Black Vulture saying good
morning to Dawn at the top of the tower