News - August 2018
Wing speculum
(Top) The ringed teal with its quite distinctive white circle and (bottom) the yellow-billed teal with its broad central black band flanked by an upper ochre band and by a lower whitish one
Fight between a caracara and Harris's hawks
Quite a fight between a caracara and several hawks near the Middle Path in direction to Viamonte. A Harris's Hawk flied low with something in its feet, a ball of vegetal fibers similar to a nest. A Southern Caracara was chasing him. The chase lasted one or two minutes. They crossed the Lizard Path and the caracara tried to get hold of the nest. Suddenly two other hawks appeared and other 4 or 5 raptors which I could not distinguish and which were very excited. The hawks attacked the caracara, which kept trying to get the nest. All this scene on the wing.
The caracara stopped for an instant, and so did the hawk, but the rest lasted little. Again the chase began and the hawk flew towards the Gull Pond. We lost sight of them.
Tachycineta Swallows
Both are quite alike and at this time of the year both may be found. The Chilean Swallow visits us in winter and the white-rumped swallow already turns up in small groups since early August. By the end of February white-rumped swallows leave.
Both Tachycineta species are small and the same size, white ventrally and have a white rump. The most evident difference is the white eyebrow, though their quick and tireless habit of flight makes it difficult to see. Both are blue but the white-rumped swallow may have a green tinge as well. Photos may be of great help for identification but it requires skills in photography
Hybrid Whistling-Duck
![]() 28-8-18 © Marco Fidalgo
A new hybrid of fulvous and white-faced whistling-duck. We can see characteristics of both of them
![]() 28-8-18 © Marco Fidalgo
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Flora | |
Bugweed
Solanum granulosum leprosum ![]() © J. Simón Tagtachian
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Bugweed
Solanum granulosum leprosum ![]() © J. Simón Tagtachian
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Ball moss
Tillandsia recurvata ![]() © J. Simón Tagtachian
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/Loquat
Eriobotrya japonica ![]() © J. Simón Tagtachian
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Lemon
Citrus limon ![]() © J. Simón Tagtachian
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London plane
Platanus x acerifolia ![]() © J. Simón Tagtachian
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Pleurotus ostreatus
![]() 17-8-18 © RAP
![]() 17-8-18 © RAP
![]() 17-8-18 © RAP
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A board by the Reserve's Authorities warning about this viper. We must be careful when walking and where one stops. Avoid getting too close to the edge of the paths. As we can see it easily blends in among the grasses. So it may pass unnoticed and we may bother the viper. Thereafter come the consequences.
Scarlet-headed Blackbird
Amblyramphus holosericeus
22-08-18 © Ricardo Palonsky
Searching in any hole for food
NO TE PIERDAS ESTA SALIDA:
PLANTAS NATIVAS Y AVES
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New bird species
Seedeaters and finches
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Brotogeris chiriri
11-08-18 © Cora Rimoldi
It was easy for the parakeet to extract the seeds from the cotton-like substance of the fruit of the silf floss tree since its leathery cover had already been removed. We can see how it peels the seed and drops the shell.
The water in the Gull and the Duck Ponds
4-8-18 © Cora Rimoldi
Duck Pond
4-8-18 © Cora Rimoldi
Gull Pond
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This microlepidopteran (almost 2 cm) is known as plume moth because of the fringed margins of the wings as seen in the marked area. It has long legs and the wings keep a T-shaped form when at rest, which might easily be confused with a mosquito. It belongs into the family Pterophoridae and this individual is possilbly Stepnotilodes sematodactyla.