In June 2003 we traveled to Brazil, first joining a birding trip offered by Victor Emanuel Nature Tours in the state of Mato Grosso, and then spending a few days in the state of São Paulo to visit with Robert’s cousin Bettina Ried and her family.
The VENT trip, led by Steven Hilty and Andrew Whittaker, started in Cuiabá, and first brought us to the Pantanal, the seasonally flooded lowlands that are the drainage of the Paraguay River. There we stayed in the family-owned Hotel Fazenda Santa Thereza along the Río Pixaim, and one night at Pousada Piuval. We then went on to the Planalto, or Brazilian tablelands, into the drier chapada habitat and the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, staying at the beautiful Pousada Penhasco. “Birds of the trip” included the spectacular hyacinth macaw and the (rare) yellow-faced amazon parrot. At the conclusion of the VENT trip, we returned to São Paulo, and braved the drive out to the suburb of Valinhos to visit the Ried family. Following are our photos from the trip, such as they are.
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