by Robin Clegg

Sunday 10 September 2006
Endemol team and I meet Neiva at the hotel and drive to the airport for flight on six-seater plane to Araruna Lodge, a former scientific station which now accommodates 'bio-tourists' for extra income. The manager Rodrigo speaks fluent English. In the afternoon we drive around the stunning countryside and find hyacinth macaw nests within 10 minutes. There's lots of wildlife such as armadillos, cattle and boar-like creatures roaming around.

We scout several nesting sites and there's plenty of choice for filming. Endemol are keen to film Cezar climbing the tree using a rope pulley system, to see how many eggs/chicks there are in each nest. Generally, if there's more than one egg in each, the project takes them back to the lab/incubator for safe keeping before returning them to a different nest where another pair of macaws will nurture them. Apparently the practice of Macaws 'adopting' chicks they find in nests is common, even when they've been handled by humans. Cezar really looks the part and would come across well on film. It's fascinating to watch him climb the trees so effortlessly especially when you know how hard it really is.

Monday 11 September
Leave at 5am to go downriver as the sun comes up. It's a beautiful scene with an abundance of wildlife including birds, otters and crocodiles. Endemol really happy with location and talk about filming the celeb floating downstream - this would show the beauty and diversity of Pantanal, and as we only see six macaws this would illustrate the fact that they are rare. In the afternoon we go horse riding to scout for more locations. Endemol would want to get a shot of the celeb on horseback in search of the macaw. Scenery is breathtaking as we wind our way through wetlands, dry plains and forest which are home to jaguar, ocelot, caiman (crocodiles), tapir and giant anteater.

Tuesday 12 September
There's a close relationship between cattle and macaws, as the birds feed on the seeds the cattle regurgitate. We don't see any but Endemol are interested in filming this inter-reliance if possible. We visit an observation tower from where the beauty of the wetlands can be filmed. Then a 20-minute flight to Caiman where the hyacinth macaw or 'Arara Azul' project and an eco-tourist resort are based.

We meet WWF-Brazil liaison officer Eduardo who accompanies us as we monitor nests around this 53,000 hectare farm. Cezar and Grace climb trees to bring the chicks down, weigh, measure and tag them. Endemol want to film all this. They're also looking to film the celeb interacting with a chick in the wild. In the evening Nieve gives a presentation on the project's work. I chat with her and Eduardo regarding how the recce has gone and she's mostly happy.

Wednesday 13 September
We scout more nests and discuss the balloon sequence. The hot air balloon with the WWF logo would be filmed from the ground as it takes the celeb across the Pantanal plain looking out for macaws in flight. This would be a great opportunity to show the logo in a fantastic setting.

Filming the macaws

Friday, 27 October 2006
We catch a small plane from Campo Grande, in the western Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, to a tiny lodge a three-hour drive from the nearest village, in a place called Ararauna.

Then the film crew arrive, with Michael Portillo, who is to be the presenter of the hyacinth macaw film. The crew consists of cameraman Chris, his assistant Dave, soundman Paulo, assistant producer Gustavo, director Diene, and Lucy who makes sure everything runs smoothly, and that enough make-up is applied to those appearing on camera.

Next to arrive is biologist Neiva Guedes, the driving force behind the Hyacinth Macaw Project. She first became aware of how close to extinction the hyacinth macaw was when, 19 years ago, she was on a university field trip in this region of Brazil – the Pantanal. She then made it her life's work to monitor and increase the numbers of this rare bird.

The first piece of filming centres on Neiva meeting Michael, with a little help from translator Paula. They meet where project workers are putting up an artificial nest in the hope that a pair of macaws will raise a chick. One of the contributing factors behind the decline of this species is the alarming rate at which farmers are cutting down manduvi trees, in which the birds normally nest, to make more room for their cattle to graze.

The sizeable bird box is hoisted up the tree and attached. Michael is invited to nail the identity tag to the tree so the team knows when it was put up and where it is located.

During the afternoon's filming, Michael and Neiva chance upon a group of macaws in a tree. To see these birds in their natural environment is simply breathtaking. Their blue feathers and golden markings are amazing, and they look so graceful in flight. To hear them calling to one another sounds other-worldly – it's sad to think that there are only about 6,000 of them left in the wild, and that they could be wiped out completely in the near future.

More birds arrive at this spectacular setting as the sun begins to go down. Neiva explains that they are a very social species that mate for life, and each night up to 30 birds sleep in this one huge tree.

Saturday, 28 October 2006
We're up early to look for macaws on the banks of the river. It's best to start early because by 9am the temperature is well over 30 degrees. It is so beautiful and serene gliding along the river, but we don't spot any macaws. We see plenty of crocodiles and even a few giant otters looking for food. For some light entertainment we use bamboo rods and red meat as bait to tempt the piranha that are abundant in these parts. The plan is to cook them in a soup for dinner!

In the evening a traditional barbecue is prepared along with the fish soup, and we meet some of the people who live and work in the area. After a few caipirinhas – a traditional Brazilian cocktail – people start dancing to the local musicians, who play songs from the region into the night.

Sunday, 29 October 2006
A farmer and his cowboys come to meet Michael and Neiva, along with about 350 head of cattle. Chris films the herd being driven across a river, which looks like something out of a western. Michael sits on a horse as he talks to Lau, a local landowner. One of the aims of the project is to educate locals – particularly farmers – so that they understand the importance of the manduvi tree to the breeding of these birds. Lau is a convert, but Neiva faces an uphill struggle to convince other landowners to stop destroying these trees.

After lunch the crew travels about 30 minutes by plane to Caiman, a 53,000 hectare farm that houses an eco-resort and is the base for the Hyacinth Macaw Project. From here project workers Cesar and Grace monitor about 50 nests dotted around the farm. WWF part-funds the project, but it struggles to continue. Any money raised through Extinct will help support all hyacinth macaws living in the Pantanal.

Monday, 30 October 2006
As dawn breaks we head out to film Michael going up in a hot-air balloon to look for macaws. The WWF balloon takes him over stunning scenery and, from out of nowhere, six macaws circle the balloon. This has to be the best way to observe this amazing bird in flight!

We visit a vast stretch of land that has been burnt to make way for cattle. Apart from destroying their habitat, such slash and burn kills all wildlife that cannot escape the flames. It is another practice that the project is fighting to stamp out.

Later, we try to fix a mini camera to the side of a nest, to film a chick, but a sudden heavy shower puts paid to that idea.

To monitor the macaw population, the project records how many eggs and chicks are in certain nests. In the afternoon we follow project workers as they tag, weigh and measure a three-month-old chick. It has already started to grow a fine plumage of blue feathers, but it will be some time before it is strong enough to fly. Its concerned parents squawk from a nearby tree but Neiva tells us they will be back to care for the chick as soon as we leave. Everyone is keen to get moving as the mosquitoes are out in force this afternoon; camera assistant Dave thinks he has been bitten by a tick.

Tuesday, 31 October 2006
The balloon takes Michael for a second flight. Rather than filming from the basket, the cameraman is in a Cessna plane to film aerial footage of the flight. This works well, especially as the sky is brighter than the previous day; the flight is livened up when the balloon crash-lands in a field next to a power line. Danger is avoided and the balloon is airborne again; but it lands far away from any road, and it is some time before the recovery vehicle finds the balloonists.

When two chicks hatch in one nest it is normal for the weaker one to be neglected by the parents, which often leads to its death. News comes in that such a situation has arisen, so the project team takes us to the nest. Michael is given the opportunity to 'rescue' the chick, under the watchful eye of Cesar. The tiny chick looks so helpless; it has pink-coloured skin where blue feathers will grow in time. It smells slightly of coconut and, on being rescued, is whisked away to an incubator back at the base where it will be fed every two hours until it becomes healthy enough to be returned to a nest. It will then be monitored, to ensure it is not rejected.

Wednesday, 1 November 2006
After farewell drinks which saw Chris fall in a swimming pool fully clothed clutching a glass of red wine, members of the crew begin to make their way back home. A few of us stay to film more macaws and some of the other amazing wildlife that lives in the Pantanal – such as armadillo, anteater and capivara, which look like a cross between a dog and a gerbil.

It has been such an amazing experience to see hyacinth macaws in their natural environment. They are so much more beautiful than I ever imagined and I just hope they are still around in years to come, for future generations to enjoy.