Dusk falling in the Pantanal
Listen to the rich soundscape of the Pantanal as the sun sets over the world’s largest wetland.
It’s 6pm and we’ve been exploring the wilderness of the Pantanal all day. The heat and humidity have been relentless, making it difficult to function and work in this amazing environment. Fortunately sunset brings a bit of relief from that. Unfortunately the heat was also keeping mosquitoes and other biting insects at bay, and now they are all out to feed. As I walk briskly on the shores of an unnamed salt lake, I try to ignore the clouds of mosquitoes and focus on the soundscape instead.
It’s definitely livelier than during the day, but not by a whole lot. Sadly, this extremely dry rainy season seems to be affecting all living creatures. There are short bursts of activity, but then it all goes back to a rather sparse and understated atmosphere. One sound catches my attention. When I stop to take a closer listen, our guide Fernando tells me it’s the call of young caimans. It’s a soft mewing sound, but it travels well above the water surface. The best way to record it would be to set up a rig on the edge of the water, and luckily Fernando has a couple of wooden poles he can plant there for me to put my mics on. I’m happy I decided to record so close to the water. Beyond the little calls of caimans, the soundscape of the salt lake is an absolute treat for the ears. I love the mix of reflections from the lake itself and the forested edges. There’s also the added benefit that I can listen to it without being bled dry or carried away by swarms of mosquitoes. As a bonus, I manage to capture a handful of adult caiman calls