News - February 2016

February 02, 2016 23:05

Great southern white

Ascia monuste automate

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

27-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Caulonia groundstreak

Calycopis caulonia

20-02-16 © Claudia Vilma Mon

Snout

Libytheana carinenta

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Lesbia sulphur

Colias lesbia

27-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Heliceoides form

Mexican silverspot

Dione moneta

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Leaf-footed bug

Holhymenia histrio

27-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Golden Silk Orbweaver

Trichonephila clavipes

28-01-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Katydid

Hyperophora major

14-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Spur-throated grasshopper

Dichroplus elongatus

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Paper wasp

Polistes sp.

14-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Band-eyed drone fly

Eristalinus taeniops

21-01-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Rosy-billed Pochard

Netta peposaca

22-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Nenday Parakeet

Aratinga nenday

25-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Scene of great and snowy egrets

Snowy Egret

Egretta thula

22-02-16 © Nicolás Giorgio

Nicolas tells us that "This morning I was walking along the outer side of the Coypu Pond when I saw an unusual number of egrets at Parrilla Don José. It was a group of 70 individuals foraging and moving actively in the pond. They barely flew about. I had never seen a group this big! Since I had previously seen young fish near this area I thought this could be their food ...
An awesome scene!"

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

22-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Three exotic and toxic plants

They are toxic because they are exotic. All the plants have chemical compounds to defend themselves and some of them may be toxic to us. In this case it coincides that besides being toxic they are exotic.
The degree of toxicity depends on the amount one consumes, of the age of the consumer, of the part of the plant ingested, of its elaboration. Many of these chemical compounds are used to make medicines which should be taken in the appropriate dose. Both in children and old people effects tend to worsen since physiological functions are not either developed or are diminishing.
Remember them anywhere you may find them

Pokeweed
Phytolacca americana

20 2 16 © Sergio cusano

Native to the east of the United States. Family Phytolaccaceae. It shares the genus Phytolacca with our ombu tree.
With different degrees of toxicity all the components are toxic, roots, stems and fruits. Ii is advisable to remove this plant from gardens or nearby domestic areas so that children may not be tempted to ingest the fruit due to the aspect and colour. This weed should be manipulated using gloves since the sap toxins may permeate the skin and cause allergies.

Nerium
Nerium oleander

13 2 16 © J. Simón Tagtachian
Native possibly to the southwest of Asia. Family Apocynaceae. It is a very showy plant seen in gardens and parks. All its parts are toxic if ingested. Its sap also contains allergenic substances which can cause dermatitis. This plant is in the Willow Path

Ricino
Ricinus communis

11 2 16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

11 2 16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian
Native to North Africa or India. Family Euphorbiaceae. Most species of this family are toxic. (See Pencil plant Euphorbia tirucalli). Its seeds are very toxic. Ingestion of two seeds may cause the death of a child, ten of an adult.
Castor oil is obtained from the seeds. This oil has been used in kids as a purgative till half a decade ago. The oil loses the toxicity in the heating process, when the ricine, the toxic component, is destroyed. Today the oil has industrial use.
This plant is invasive and scattered all over the reserve.

Momento de pececitos

We have been finding young fish everywhere. Insects are difficult to determine, much more are fish which are underwater. We thank Guillermo Ivan Spajic for helping us in the identification

Live bearer

Cnesterodon sp.

28-11-15 © J. Simón Tagtachian

16-02-16 © Nicolás Giorgio

These livebearers are found in rivers, lagoons, etc. with aquatic vegetation. They are called livebearers since they give birth to live young. The male has a modified anal fin through which the semen is inserted in the female. They feed on mosquito larvae, worms, aquatic insects, etc.

Ten-spotted livebearer

Cnesterodon decemmaculatus

16-02-16 © Nicolás Giorgio

The fish with the small black stripes

Diademed Tanager

Stephanophorus diadematus

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Green Kingfisher

Chloroceryle americana

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Long-winged Harrier

Circus buffoni

20-02-16 © Gustavo Masuzzo

Whistling Heron

Syrigma sibilatrix

20-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Unicolored Blackbird

Agelasticus cyanopus

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Stripe-backed Bittern

Ixobrychus involucris

20-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Southern Screamer

Chauna torquata

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Screaming Cowbird

Molothrus rufoaxillaris

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Lake Duck

Oxyura vittata

20-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Black-backed Water-Tyrant

Fluvicola albiventer

20-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

20-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

White-lined Tanager

Tachyphonus rufus

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Yellow-browed Tyrant

Satrapa icterophrys

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

White-winged Coot

Fulica leucoptera

20-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Appearances may be deceiving

In this photo both the beautiful model and the beautiful egret have an articulation half way through the leg. We know that the model's is the knee. In egrets and birds in general this is .... Enteráte cómo es la pata de las aves

Wattled Jacana

Jacana jacana

16-02-16 © Nicolás Giorgio

Bare-faced Ibis

Phimosus infuscatus

30-01-16 © Nicolás Giorgio

Southern Screamer

Chauna torquata

16-02-16 © Nicolás Giorgio

With great egret on the left and cocoi heron on the right

Banded longwing

Heliconius erato phyllis

14-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Silverdrop

Epargyreus tmoli

11-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Syma sister

Adelpha syma

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Southern buckeye

Junonia genoveva hilaris

07-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Southamerican lady

Vanessa braziliensis

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Lesbia sulphur

Colias lesbia

14-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Heliceoides form

Common yellow

Eurema deva

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Lyssipoides metalmark

Riodina lyssipoides

14-02-16 © Claudia Vilma Mon

Fiery skipper

Hylephila phyleus

14-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Gulf fritillary

Agraulis vanillae maculosa

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Claudina crescent

Tegosa claudina

14-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Blwck witch

Ascalapha odorata

14-02-16 © Claudia Vilma Mon

Four othopterans

Leaf katydid

Ligocatinus spinatus

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

The Order Orthoptera is formed by two groups: Ensifera or mainly called crickets and Caelifera or grasshoppers. The most basic form to tell them apart is the length of the antennas. Crickets have more than 30 segments, grasshoppers, less than that. That is long and short antennas

Spur-throated grasshopper

Dichroplus elongatus

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Lubber Grasshopper

Chromacris speciosa

07-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

These two lubber grasshoppers are caeliferans and belong into the family Romaleidae. Having striking colours is characteristic of this family, which serves as a warning to predators.

Lubber Grasshopper

Zoniopoda tarsata

14-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Small-billed Elaenia

Elaenia parvirostris

14-02-16 © Claudia Mon

White-crested Tyrannulet

Serpophaga subcristata

14-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Creamy-bellied Thrush

Turdus amaurochalinus

14-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Bitterns at the Rescue Center

Two bitterns were taken to the Rehabilitation Center

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

13-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Silvia González discovered it flying and luckily everybody had enough time to enjoy it.

Long-tailed Reed Finch

Donacospiza albifrons

13-02-16 © Claudia Mon

White-eyed Parakeet

Psittacara leucophtalmus

13-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus savana

13-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Lots of fork-tailed flycatchers flying everywhere. Are they gathering to go back to the north of South America?

By this time in 2012 I witnessed a mass migration .

Masked Duck

Nomonyx dominicus

13-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Photographed very early in the morning this female was not seen during the whole day

Wattled Jacana

Jacana jacana

13-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

The jacana also took the chicks out to eat early in the morning

Great Egret

Ardea alba

13-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Spot-flanked Gallinule

Gallinula melanops

13-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

A hard bird to find lately

Shiny Cowbird

Molothrus bonariensis

13-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Six juveniles changing into the adult male plumage were foraging in the sidewalk strips. All of them have different degrees of black.

Ultramarine Grosbeak

Cyanoloxia brissonii

13-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus savana

13-02-16 © J. Simón Tagtachian

A fork-tailed flycatcher Tyrannus savana and a tropical kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus.swooping

Striated Heron

Butorides striata

11-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Great egret Ardea alba and striated heron Butorides striata to compare sizes

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

11-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Black-backed Water-Tyrant

Fluvicola albiventer

09-02-16 © Claudia Mon

Orphan ducklings

Six orphan ducklings wanted to join a ringed teal family and were rejected by the adults

Rufescent Tiger-Heron

Tigrisoma lineatum

03-01-16 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro

Second nest of tiger-herons of this season. It is very far and concealed. Anyway the activity of the two chicks may be observed.

Yellow-chevroned Parakeet

Brotogeris chiriri

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Bare-faced Ibis

Phimosus infuscatus

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus savana

11-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Common Gallinule

Gallinula galeata

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

11-02-16 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Rufous-bellied Thrush

Turdus rufiventris

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Red-gartered Coot

Fulica armillata

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Wattled Jacana

Jacana jacana

11-02-16 © Sergio Cusano

Adult with juvenile

09-02-16 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro

The father and his four chicks feeding very actively

Checkered Woodpecker

Veniliornis mixtus

10-02-16 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro

Nest building

Royal moth (Citheronia brissotii meridionalis)

Citheronia brissotii meridionalis

09-02-16 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro

Views

11 2 16 © Sergio Cusano

New and old families and more juveniles

Wattled Jacana

Jacana jacana