A trip to Argentina is always
exciting, but for some reason I always seem to go at the same time of year. I
am a couple of weeks late during this visit as May turns to June and the
weather has been cooler than I recall. It was beautifully bright during the
day, but I needed a couple of layers during the early morning.
After a few weeks of struggling for
photographs, I have managed to get a few to cheer my cynical eye. A few red-letter birds were added to the life-list,
including one that has evaded me for a while, the Great Grebe.
A trip to Costanera Sur on a busy Sunday afternoon brought a list of 40+
including the grebe. It seemed that the birds were fewer and further between
than on previous trips, but the list was bulked by the waterbirds on the Laguna
de los Copios. This area of reeds has been quite dry on my last couple of trips,
so it was great to see that it was flooded this week with Plumbeous Rail, Ringed Teal and Spot-flanked
Gallinule found there.
The full day off was spent at Ribera Norte Ecological Reserve with a
fall back plan to include Vincente Lopez
in case the first site was flooded. Luckily the recent rain had not inundated
Ribera Norte and I was able to visit both reserves. Notable birds included 2 Rufous-sided Crake, 2 Diademed Tanager and another
Plumbeous Rail!
A trip total of 76 was not as many as
I had hoped for. I need to check up on the effects of migration in the area. I
suspect that a lot of birds will have travelled north to follow the longer days
and the insects that prefer warmer conditions. Flycatchers (apart from
Kiskadees) were not easy to come by and there seemed to be far fewer icterids
compared to previous visits.
I will link to the posts when they
are published.
In the meantime, visit the dedicated Central and South America Page for more posts from Buenos Aires.
Birding, Birdwatching, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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