News - August 2015
A few more butterflies
Tropical Parula
Setophaga pitiayumi
30-08-15 © Favio Gustavo Belotto
As I was greeting Walter, a security guard of the reserve, another guard approached him with a tropical parula he had found fallen on the ground. Walter took it to the Rehabilitation Center. I was very glad to see such good disposition towards the bird.
03-04-15 © Federico Andrés De Maio
Series of photos by Hugo Aguilar
Photos of August beginning with a Vermilion Flycatcher, first photo of the 2015-2016 season. He adds the Grey-breasted Martins and as a bonus a July straggler.
Germán Pugnali tells us that "..in fact it was the humpback whale which took me to the reserve. I saw it in the docks at aprox 9 am. I took some photographs, though never in open waters. The best was a video I took just as it was leaving the docks in the direction of the piers. From there on I tried to follow it from the Recs but with no luck. I could only see the Prefectura boats, which makes me assume the whale was near. I do not know whether it did swim into open waters.
As I was trying to spot the whale I met Christian Bisiau. Only a bit later the tern flew over the fishermen's pier. We saw a slim Sterna with long wings and very long rectrices. It was pale grey with a black hood (may be partial) and a long and thin bill. I consulted with Luis Pagano and we believe that the chances to consider it other species but a Sterna hirundinacea are low. I took some photos but they are not conclusive.
As I was trying to spot the whale I met Christian Bisiau. Only a bit later the tern flew over the fishermen's pier. We saw a slim Sterna with long wings and very long rectrices. It was pale grey with a black hood (may be partial) and a long and thin bill. I consulted with Luis Pagano and we believe that the chances to consider it other species but a Sterna hirundinacea are low. I took some photos but they are not conclusive.
04-08-15 © Germán Pugnali
29-08-15 © Eduardo Carreyra
Zully, Ignacio and I were writing the bird list meticulously and minutely in the penultimate viewpoint on Canal Sudeste before reaching the river when we saw three individuals flying over the canal from the settlement to the river. They flew three times in circles near our position, as if they were watching the place but flew to the river and we lost sight of them.
It is time to put the winter birds list away and take out the summer birds' one. We already have two swallows and almost the vermilion flycatcher. It has not been watched in Costanera but very near at Ribera Norte.
Atypical Ducks 3 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Both in Atypical Ducks and in Atypical Ducks 2 and in Pekin Duck some commentaries are made on their characteristics and history of these domestic ducks. We know they come from the same species Anas platyrhynchos and that they are the result of domestication by man. For this reason they are not included in field guides and are not well appreciated in reserves. This Pekin male had already mated with its pair in January 2015. They were not lucky since all eggs disappeared. Further attempts to breed were not detected till Nicolás registered this event with a change of actors on Tuesday 18th. He tells us that the mallar duck and the pekin duck were navigating in the pond and the other pekin duck was a bit far away. Within a fraction of a second the mating scene begins. The female shows receptive, the male mounts her, grasps her by the neck with the bill and after mating, the triumphal clousure. ¿What will result of this union if it thrives? We will be attentive. |
Campo Flicker
Colaptes campestris
27-08-15 © J. Simón Tagtachian
Photos in video format
Views of Coypu Pond ![]() 21 de agosto - El agua sigue sobre la vereda ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Work by Ezequiel Núñez Bustos on the Butterflies of the RECS ![]() |
Green Kingfisher
Chloroceryle americana
17-08-15 © Federico Andrés De Maio
17-08-15 © Federico Andrés De Maio
And on Monday the reserve was open
the lake duck was still there and more....
Rain aftermath at the RECS It has been raining for a week now. This phenomenon covered a wide area and flooded several towns, which resulted in over a 10.000 evacuees mainly from the Provincia de Buenos Aires. At the reserve rainfall raised the water level of the pond flooding the sidewalk. ![]() ![]() See more photos of the rain aftermath and the sidewalk flooded on a previous occasion |
© Claudia y Diego Bastías
Almost a new mammal species
It certainly passed very near, but we have no record. Unusual, unexpected this whale surprised everybody. It entered the harbour at the north end, where the Buquebus terminal is, through Grierson Bridge into the Dam 4. where the Marine is. Specialists of different organizations and National Organisms along with Prefectura Naval Argentina monitored the state of the animal and tried to guide it into open waters. Freshwater is not the appropiate environment for this whale and a long stay could put it into risk. Fortunately they seemed to have done it.
Three blackbirds
Here three of the common blackbirds in the reserve. The three of them are males. As a bonus the female of the Unicoloured Blackbird. It is the easiest of all three to identify. As soon as the other two show we will see the differences