{"id":1042,"date":"2014-10-27T12:59:40","date_gmt":"2014-10-27T15:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/?p=1042"},"modified":"2014-10-27T12:59:40","modified_gmt":"2014-10-27T15:59:40","slug":"saturday-morning-at-laguna-rosales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/archives\/1042","title":{"rendered":"Saturday morning at Laguna Rosales"},"content":{"rendered":"

Click on any image for a slide show or scroll down to read the (illustrated) narrative.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Ashy-headed<\/a>

Ashy-headed geese flying over Laguna Rosales<\/p><\/div>\n

In today\u2019s blog I have combined and edited comments and observations from Scarlett Eastman with my own, and as always I am grateful to Scarlett for these, for her guiding skills (and for keeping the list as we go). Most of the comments below regarding comparative observations at Rosales is the work of Scarlett, and I thank her for it.<\/p>\n

\"Scarlett<\/a>

Scarlett the botanist, photographing a yellow-flowering bush<\/p><\/div>\n

Dateline:\u00a0<\/strong>Saturday 25 October. The weather was clear with some non-threatening white clouds and a brisk wind as we left Scarlett\u2019s home in La Vega at about 07.00, and stayed so all day although it did become quite hot around midday. We headed first for the Laguna Rosales, on the road to Lolog; spent some hours in the woodland there; completed a circuit of the lagoon; and finally came back via<\/em> Calle Gingens, where we stopped by several chacras and walked the mallin<\/em> a while.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A Long-tailed Meadow-lark high up in a tree fanfares us into Laguna Rosales<\/p><\/div>\n

We had in fact visited Laguna Rosales almost exactly a year ago, and on this visit we kept fairly close to the same itinerary. We were struck on our earlier visit by how few waterfowl we observed on the lake and shoreland, and it was very gratifying to see the great \u2018come-back\u2019 since our last survey. Past surveys (in 1999, 2000 and 2001) had recorded large numbers of birds but last year was very disappointing.<\/p>\n

Anyway, this year was much better than October 2013. We saw Brown-Hooded Gull nesting again\u00a0in the reeds on the western tip of the lagoon, something not seen for the last ten years. Andean Ruddy Duck and Lake Duck were not yet up the millennial count of sixty-five to eighty individuals nesting but we were able to count some eighteen Lake Duck. These may have been nesting but we shall have to wait for a future visit to check for nests in the reeds.<\/p>\n

\"Lake<\/a>

Lake Duck aka Argentina Ruddy Duck on Laguna Rosales<\/p><\/div>\n

We didn’t see any species of Grebes (<\/em>Mac\u00e1). Again, at the millennium a couple of pairs of Great Grebe (Mac\u00e1 Grande aka Huala, Podiceps major<\/em>) and several pairs of White-tufted Grebe (Mac\u00e1 Com\u00fan, Rollandia Rolland<\/em>) were regularly observed. Scarlett had seen a pair of White-tufted Grebe last year on the eastern tip of the lagoon and as recently as last winter had seen a single bird; on this visit we saw none. Pied-billed Grebe (<\/em>Mac\u00e1 Pico Grueso, Podylimbus podiceps<\/em>) would also be regularly seen in the past but we saw none last year or this.<\/p>\n

\"141025-pato-barcino-3-Laguna-Rosales\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We did see Coots last year, both the White-winged coot (Gallareta Chica, Fulica leucoptera<\/em>) as well as the Red-Gartered Coot (Gallareta Ligas Rojas, Fulica armillata<\/em>) and this year\u00a0the numbers seem to have slightly increased: we noted\u00a0some half dozen Fulica leucoptera<\/em>, but did not make a detailed survey. And we didn’t see any\u00a0Black Cormorant (Bigu\u00e1, Phalacrocorax brasilianus<\/em>) at all.<\/p>\n

\"Red-gartered<\/a>

Red-gartered coot, out of the water for once<\/p><\/div>\n

Highlights of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

We started the day with a Saffron Finch (Jilguero Dorado, Sicalis flaveola)<\/em> which was on the feeder on Scarlett\u2019s window; not the most common of birds but Scarlett always seems to have them around.<\/p>\n

The highlight at the Laguna Rosales was probably the male Rufous-tailed Plantcutter (Rara, Phytotoma rara<\/em>). We heard plenty of these but only saw the one.<\/p>\n

\"Rufous-tailed<\/a>

Rufous-tailed plantcutter, sadly suffering from camera shake<\/p><\/div>\n

We also heard lots of Black-throated Huet-Huet <\/strong>(Huet-Huet, Pterotochos tarnii<\/em>) and Chucao Tapaculo<\/strong> (Chucao, Scelorchilus rubecula<\/em>) but only caught a glimpse of the former scurrying through the undergrowth, his size and upturned tail helping to identify him. Sadly no photographs of these last two, but they are hard to see and even harder to photograph.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A pair of Ashy-headed Geese …<\/p><\/div>\n

\"...<\/a>

… and a pair of Upland aka Magellan Geese<\/p><\/div>\n

As stated above, the number of waterfowl on the lagoon was considerably up on last year. We saw large numbers of geese and ducks, and a fair few coots too.<\/p>\n

\"Red-gartered<\/a>

Red-gartered coot, out of the water for once<\/p><\/div>\n

Of course we saw many of the more common birds too: in particular the Black-faced Ibis<\/strong> (Bandurria,Theristicus melanopis<\/em>) were out in force.<\/p>\n

\"It's<\/a>

It’s hard to get away from the Black-headed Ibis<\/p><\/div>\n

Laguna Rosales is a beautiful spot, and not just for birding. We saw countless rabbits, a few hares and were fortunate enough to see\u00a0a coypo, swimming close to \u00a0the bank. This is an indigenous animal, and the sighting was a first for me. I only had time for a rapid shot, somewhat obscured by the foliage, but it will serve as a register.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A coypu, swimming in the lagoon.<\/p><\/div>\n

There were also many horses grazing on the marshland around the lake. Being a border town (with Chile) San Mart\u00edn maintains\u00a0a garrison and \u2013given the mountainous terrain\u2013 horses are still a vital part of training and military operations, although it must be admitted they are also used to play polo on their own polo\u00a0field\u00a0at Laguna Rosales. The military seem to have a lot of horses; they also keep large numbers at the barracks on the Lolog road, near my house in Alihu\u00e9n.<\/p>\n

\"Army<\/a>

Army horses grazing in the marshland<\/p><\/div>\n

On the way home we drove along calles Gingens and Bello, stopping off at a couple of smallholdings to walk the premises. One of the farmers was an old friend of Scarlett\u2019s, Pablo McKinley, who sat us down to cold beer, particularly welcome as the day had hotted up considerably. We spent a pleasant moment there, while he and Scarlett\u00a0bemoaned the changing face of San Mart\u00edn since they both came here many years ago. It is true the town is changing character and is not what it was, and for some the urge is strengthening to move further south.<\/p>\n

\"Black<\/a>

Black vulture, with the atmosphere they always bring ..<\/p><\/div>\n

Pablo had told us of a Great Egret on his land (which we were unable to find) but were lucky enough to get good views of a small group of land-based Black Vultures (Jote Cabeza Negra, Coragyps atratus<\/em>), several colourful Austral Parakeets (Cacha\u00f1a, Enicognathus ferrugineus<\/em>) feeding\u00a0in a Mait\u00e9n tree and a very confident Hellmayr\u2019s Pipit (Cachirla P\u00e1lida, Anthus hellmayri<\/em>) who seemed happy enough to pose for us at close quarters all afternoon.<\/p>\n

\"Hellmayr\u2019s<\/a>

Hellmayr\u2019s Pipit, happily posing for a photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Teros were in full occupation of this land and dive-bombed us in the false belief that we were a threat to their territory. Wrens too were plentiful, and a pleasure to behold.<\/p>\n

\"One<\/a>

One of the Tero population divebombing us<\/p><\/div>\n

\"...<\/a>

… and a wren flying off rather more delicately<\/p><\/div>\n

The pretty little Black-chinned Siskin<\/strong> (Cabecitanegra Austral, Carduelis barbata<\/em>) was very much in evidence during the day and is a fitting image to close on.<\/p>\n

\"Black-chinned<\/a>

Black-chinned siskin, with the Jeep in the background<\/p><\/div>\n

Here is a complete list for the day, in alphabetical order. We recorded 33 species.<\/p>\n

Bandurria (Theristicus melanopis<\/em>) Black-faced Ibis<\/strong>
\nCabecitanegra Austral (Carduelis barbata<\/em>) Black-chinned Siskin<\/strong>
\nCacha\u00f1a (Enicognathus ferrugineus<\/em>) Austral Parakeet<\/strong> \u00b18
\nCarpintero Pit\u00edo (Colaptes<\/em> pitius<\/em>) Chilean Flicker<\/strong>
\nCauqu\u00e9n Com\u00fan (Chloephaga picta<\/em>) Upland Goose<\/strong> male and female \u00b110
\nCauqu\u00e9n Real (Chloephaga poliocephala<\/em>) Ashy-headed Goose<\/strong> \u00b120
\nChimango (Milvago chimango<\/em>) Chimango Caracara<\/strong>
\nChingolo (Zonotrichia capensis<\/em>)\u00a0Rufous-collared Sparrow<\/strong>
\nChucao (Scelorchilus rubecula<\/em>) Chucao Tapaculo<\/strong> (heard only)
\nCodorniz de California – (Callipepla calif\u00f3rnica<\/em>) California Quail<\/strong>
\nComesebo patag\u00f3nico (Phygilus patagonicus<\/em>) Patagonian Sierra Finch<\/strong>
\nDiuca (Diuca diuca<\/em>) Dicuca Finch<\/strong>
\nDiuc\u00f3n (Xolmis pyrope<\/em>) Fire-eyed Diucon<\/strong>
\nFio\u00a0Fiof\u00edo Silb\u00f3n (Elaenia Elaenia albiceps<\/em>)\u00a0White-crested Elaenia<\/strong>
\nGallareta Chica (Fulica leucoptera<\/em>) White-winged coot<\/strong> 6
\nGallareta Ligas Rojas (Fulica armillata<\/em>) Red-gartered Coot<\/strong> \u00b18
\nGaviota Capucho (Larus maculipennis<\/em>) Brown-hooded Gull<\/strong> \u00b150
\nGolondrina Patag\u00f3nica (Tachycineta leucopyga<\/em>) Chilean Swallow<\/strong>
\nGorri\u00f3n (Passer domesticus<\/em>) House<\/strong> Sparrow<\/strong>
\nHuet-Huet (Pterotochos tarnii<\/em>) Black-throated Huet-Huet<\/strong>
\nJilguero Dorado (Sicalis flaveola<\/em>) Saffron Finch<\/strong>
\nLoica (Sturnella loyca<\/em>)\u00a0Long-tailed Meadowlark\u00a0<\/strong>
\nPato Barcino (Anas flavirostris<\/em>) Speckled Teal<\/strong> \u00b110
\nPato Maicero (Anas ge\u00f3rgica<\/em>) Yellow-billed Pintail<\/strong> 4
\nPato Overo (Anas sibilatrix<\/em>) Southern Wigeon<\/strong> \u00b18
\nPato Zambullidor Chico (Oxyura vittata<\/em>) Lake Duck<\/strong> \u00b118
\nRara (Phytotoma rara<\/em>) Rufous-tailed Plantcutter<\/strong> (male)
\nRatona (Troglodytes aedon<\/em>) House Wren<\/strong>
\nRatona Aperdizada (Cistothorus platensis<\/em>) Grass Wren<\/strong>
\nTero (Vanellus chilensis<\/em>) Southern lapwing<\/strong>
\nTordo Patag\u00f3nico (Curaeus curaeus<\/em>) Austral Blackbird<\/strong>
\nTordo Renegrido (Molothrus bonariensis<\/em>) Shiny Cowbird<\/strong>
\nZorzal (Turdus falcklandii<\/em>) Austral Thrush<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Click on any image for a slide show or scroll down to read the (illustrated) narrative. In today\u2019s blog I have combined and edited comments and observations from Scarlett Eastman with my own, and as always I am grateful to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-birds","category-for-fb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1042"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1071,"href":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1042\/revisions\/1071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}