News - May 2015
| Yellow-chinned Spinetail Certhiaxis cinnamomeus  © Carlos González Ledo |
| Rufous-sided Crake Laterallus melanophaius  © Carlos González Ledo |
| Wren-like Rushbird Phleocryptes melanops  © Carlos González Ledo |
| White-lined Tanager Tachyphonus rufus  Male © Carlos González Ledo |
| White-lined Tanager Tachyphonus rufus  Female © Carlos González Ledo |
| Assorted fauna and two flowers | |
| Golden Silk Orb-weaber Nephila clavipes  Posing as an insect © Sergio Cusano |
Bumblebee Bombus sp.  © Sergio Cusano |
| Tailed Sulphur Phoebis neocypris neocypris  © Mario Martín Chimento |
Ghost Yellow Eurema albula sinoe  © Mario Martín Chimento |
Coraliomela quadrimaculata  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
Band-eyed drone fly Eristalinus taeniops  © Sergio Cusano |
| Creole frog Creole Frog  © Dolores Fernández |
Coypu Myocastor coypus  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Shrimp Plant Justicia brandegeeana  © Carlos González Ledo |
Purple secretia Tradescantia pallida  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| New butterfly species: Ocola Skipper Panoquina ocola ocola  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Least Grebe Tachybaptus dominicus  © J. Simón TagtachianOn the last day of May Diego Carús found it. It had not been seen for some time |
| Snail Kite Rostrhamus sociabilis   © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Green-winged Saltator Saltator caerulescens  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus  © J. Simón TagtachianAdulto abajo, inmaduro arriba |
 © Dolores Fernández © Dolores Fernández © Sergio CusanoIt is quite common to see this little frog in the outskirts of cities and also to find them inside our houses, especially in humid places like bathrooms. In Sergio's photo the frog is on one side of a chemical bath. Adhesive disks facilitate climbing. |
| New bird species: Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus    © Hugo AguilarPrimer registro fotográfico de esta especie |
| Some more photos by Hugo Aguilar |
| American Kestrel Falco sparverius  © Hugo Aguilar |
| White-tipped Plantcutter Phytotoma rutila  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Sayaca Tanager Thraupis sayaca  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Ultramarine Grosbeak Cyanocompsa brissonii  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Yellow-billed Cardinal Paroaria capitata  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Red-crested Cardinal Paroaria coronata  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Hooded Siskin Sporagra magellanica  © Hugo Aguilar |
| White-lined Tanager Tachyphonus rufus  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Nenday Parakeet Aratinga nenday  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Masked Gnatcatcher Polioptila dumicola  © Hugo Aguilar |
| New butterfly species: Long-tailed Skipper Urbanus proteus proteus  © Hugo Aguilar © Mario Martín Chimento |
| And now the last butterflies of May | |
| Red Peacock Anartia amathea roeselia  © Hugo Aguilar |
Syma sister Adelpha syma  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Eurytulus Scrub-Hairstreak Strymon eurytulus  © Hugo Aguilar |
White-patched Duskywing Chiomara autander autander  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Cassius Blue Leptotes cassius  © Hugo Aguilar |
Hermes Satyr Hermeuptychia hermes  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae marcellina  © Hugo Aguilar |
Southamerican Lady Vanessa braziliensis  © Hugo Aguilar |
| Blue-billed Black-Tyrant Knipolegus cyanirostris  © Dolores Fernández © Elsa y Guillermo |
| Fawn-breasted Tanager Pipraeidea melanonota  © Elsa y Guillermo © Dolores FernándezWe thank members of the COA La Plata who warned us and we hope they will send their photographs to include. |
| Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus   Will it migrate norh o will it stay? © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| New butterfly species: Laurentia Emperor Doxocopa laurentia laurentia  © Mario Martín Chimento |
| Ocola Skipper? ¿Panoquina ocola ocola?  © Sergio CusanoIt seems to be an Ocola Skipper but the angle does not show the length of the wings, which is conclusive. According to Ezequiel, our consultant, this butterfly is normally found in Autumn and says he saw on his last visit to the RECS but did not take a photograph. We leave as a may be. We hope to find it again, take a better picture so that there are no doubts |
| Last butterflies of May | |
| Banded Longwing Heliconius erato phyllis  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
Ghost Yellow Eurema albula sinoe  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Juno Dione juno juno  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
Julia Dryas alcionea iulia  © Sergio Cusano |
| Cassius Blue Leptotes cassius  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
Yellow Lazy Actinote carycina  © Sergio Cusano |
| Ithra Crescent Ortilia ithra  © Sergio Cusano |
Dichrous Skipper Theagenes dicrous  © Sergio Cusano |
| Claudina Crescent Tegosa claudina  © Sergio Cusano |
Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus  © Sergio Cusano |
| Coscoroba Swan Coscoroba coscoroba  © Nicolás Giorgio © Elsa y GuillermoSeveral coscoroba swans can be seen in the pond. Among the last to arrive there is a family with members. Parents and five young. Young still showed some brown colouring on their bodies. Today are white. The pair left the young and went for a stride. The male displayed his wings in upright position and the female, shy, stayed behind. |
| White-tipped Plantcutter Phytotoma rutila  Macho juvenil © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Sooty Tyrannulet Serpophaga nigricans  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| White-banded Mockingbird Mimus triurus  © Claudia y Diego BastíasOur injured mockingbird is still alive. Being tailless is not that important. It will grow again but the absence of the superior mandible complicates the grasping of the food. How can it feed? Diego recorded this © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| White-faced Ibis Phimosus infuscatus  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Buff-winged Cinclodes Cinclodes fuscus  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Maguari Stork Ciconia maguari  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Scarlet-headed Blackbird Amblyramphus holosericeus  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Campo Flicker Colaptes campestris  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Grey-necked Wood-Rail Aramides cajaneus  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Masked Gnatcatcher Polioptila dumicola  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Blue-black Grassquit Volatinia jacarina  © Claudia y Diego Bastías On May 19th Diego photgraphed this bird on Canal Viamonte Path where the lantanas are the meeting point for butterflies. There it was feeding on moths. The bill did not fit for a small bird usually seen in Costanera. He consulted Jorge La Grotteria and Luis Pagano who coincided that this was a juvenile Blue-black Grassquit. This young may have not migrated back to the north. This species comes to the south to reproduce and at that time it is found in the center and north of the country till the Provincia de Buenos Aires. Male and female look quite different. The male is shiny bluish black and the female is brown, generally speaking. It is typical of this bird to jump up from its perch showing its white axillaries and underwing coverts. Jorge told us that a register of this bird had been sent to his web site www.ecoregistros.org. This female was photographed on April 11th by Martín Ferrari, whom we thank for letting us share it here. Ideal to see the characteristics of a female. Brown at the back and buff below with heavy streaks. Weak eyering.  © Martín Ferrari |
| Great Grebe Podiceps major  © Sergio Cusano© Cora Rimoldi |
| House Sparrow Passer domesticus   © Sergio Cusano© Cora Rimoldi Sometimes a puddle of water, other times a puddle of loose ground. Sparrows get dusty by wriggling vigorously on the ground and flattering their wings so that dust forms a cloud to fall on their bodies. It is believed that they do so to control parasites and/or to remove oily substances from their feathers. |
| Sharp-billed Canastero Asthenes pyrrholeuca © Claudia y Diego Bastías Difficult to see, but at least spotted by its vocalization |
| Cattle Tyrant Machetornis rixosa  © Sergio Cusano |
| White-crested Tyrannulet Serpophaga subcristata  © Sergio Cusano |
| Snowy Egret Egretta thula  © Sergio Cusano |
| Narrow-billed Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes angustirostris  © Sergio Cusano |
| Double-collared Seedeater Sporophila caerulescens  © Sergio Cusano |
| With their mouths full |
| Calandria grande Mimus saturninus  Eating the fruit of Melia azederach © Sergio Cusano |
| Masked Gnatcatcher Polioptila dumicola  With a succulent insect © Sergio Cusano |
| Green-barred Woodpecker Colpates melanochloros  Catching ants © Sergio Cusano |
| Unicoloured Blackbird Agelasticus cyanopus  With a fruit of... © Sergio Cusano |
| Giant Wood-Rail Aramides ypecaha  © Sergio Cusano |
High tide    © Sergio Cusano |
| Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus  © Claudia y Diego Bastías © Sergio Cusano |
| Sooty Tyrannulet Serpophaga nigricans  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| White-lined Tanager Tachyphonus rufus  Hembra © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Coscoroba Swan Coscoroba coscoroba  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Yellow-chinned Spinetail Certhiaxis cinnamomeus   Always moving around the giant arrows © Nicolás Giorgio |
| Sooty Tyrannulet Serpophaga nigricans    © Nicolás Giorgio |
| Creamy-bellied Thrush Turdus amaurochalinus  © Nicolás Giorgio |
| Ultramarine Grosbeak Cyanocompsa brissonii  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Butterflies and moths of May | |
| Southern Fritillary Euptoieta hortensia  © Sergio Cusano |
Julia Dryas iulia alcionea  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Celmis Satyr Ypthimoides celmis  © Sergio Cusano |
Melanchroia aterea  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Common Yellow Eurema deva  © Sergio Cusano |
Monarch Danaus erippus  © Sergio Cusano |
| Mexican Silverspot Dione moneta  © Silvia González |
Gulf Fritillary Agraulis vanillae maculosa  © Silvia González |
 © Sergio CusanoBefore the two butterflies separately. Mexican Silverspot is a butterfly from the north area of the country. Along with Sergio we discovered this butterfly in the reserve last year. It has been here ever since. and plenty of individuals can be seen. The Gulf Fritillary belongs to this area and is very common in the reserve. Look at the differences of size, colour and the lack of silvery spots on Mexican Silverspot. |
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| Southern Buckeye Junonia genoveva hilaris  © Sergio Cusano |
Bella Mapwing Hypanarthia bella  © Sergio Cusano |
| April stragglers | |
| Snout Libytheana carinenta  © Victoria Mansilla |
Leucanella viridescens  © Victoria Mansilla |
| Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak Strymon bazochii  © Victoria Mansilla |
Common Lazy Actinote pellenea  © Victoria Mansilla |
| Green Lacewing Chrysoperla externa  © Sergio CusanoThis insect belongs in the Family Chrysopidae of the Order Neuroptera. It is calles lacewings and they may be geen or brown. Those of this family are green. The wings of the adult are translucid and they rest in a gable roof-like way on the body. They are also named "stinkfly" due to the nasty smell they expel when threatened. These insects are quite beneficial to man since both the larvae and the adults predate voraciously on aphids, butterfly larvar and mite.  © FlorIt is characteristic of this family the way they lay eggs. The female protects them from predators sticking them to peduncles. This peduncle is a drop of an adhesive substance which is attached to a stalk and extended moving the abdomen upward. It forms a thread which becomes rigid. The egg is deposited at the tip. This is an egg deposition of a chrysopid, but we do not know whether it belongs to this species. |
| Mourning Sierra-Finch Phrygilus fruticeti   © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Sharp-billed Canastero Asthenes pyrrholeuca  As Diego says; "This brownish ball is a canastero"© Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Southern Screamer Chauna torquata  One out of a group of 10© Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Spotted Rail Pardirallus maculatus  Photograped on May 3rd © Daniel Zelener |
| Blue-billed Black-Tyrant Knipolegus cyanirostris  Female © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Diademed Tanager Stephanophorus diadematus  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant Tachuris rubigastra  © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| White-banded Mockingbird Mimus triurus  © Claudia y Diego Bastías  © Daniel Zelener  © Claudia y Diego Bastías Tailless and with most superior mandible broken. What may have happened to this mockingbird? Photos taken on May 7th, 9th and 11th |
| Birds of the survey We keep adding species. Up until now there are 113 species. See the results |
| Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant Anairetes flavirostris  © Álvaro Ortiz Naretto |
| Spotted Rail Pardirallus maculatus  © Daniel Zelener Ringed bird © Daniel Zelener |
| Ringed Kingfisher Megaceryle torquata  © Elsa y Guillermo |
| Striped Owl Pseudoscops clamator  © Leo Crudo © Sergio Cusano © Gustavo F. Brahamian |
| Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium brasilianum  © Paloma Borghello |
| Cinnamon Teal Anas cinnamomeus  Female © Laura Dodyk |
| Hepatic Tanager Piranga flava  Male © Mario Martín Chimento Female © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Scarlet-headed Blackbird Amblyramphus holosericeus  © Luis Monti |
| Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana  © Sergio Cusano © Gustavo F. Brahamian |
| Sayaca Tanager Thraupis sayaca  © Silvia Ana González |
| Greyish Saltator Saltator caerulescens  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Great Pampa-Finch Embernagra platensis  © Silvia Ana González |
| Rufous-sided Crake Laterallus melanophaius  © Álvaro Ortiz Naretto © Sergio Cusano |
| Yellow-chevroned Parakeet Brotogeris chiriri  © Sergio Cusano |
| Cocoi Heron Ardea cocoi  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Wren-like Rushbird Phleocryptes melanops  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Plumbeous Rail Laterallus melanophaius  © Gustavo F. Brahamian © Sergio Cusano |
| Blue-and-white Swallow Pygochelidon cyanoleuca  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Spectacled Tyrant Hymenops perspicillatus  © Silvia Ana González |
| Blue-and-yellow Tanager Pipraeidea bonariensis  © Mario Martín chimento |
| Masked Gnatcatcher Polioptila dumicola  © Mario Martín chimento |
| Checkered Woodpecker Veniliornis mixtus  Female © Álvaro Ortiz Naretto |
| Rufescent Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma lineatum  Juvenile © Álvaro Ortiz Naretto |
| Yellow-winged Blackbird Agelasticus thilius  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Rosy-billed Pochard Netta peposaca  © Silvia Ana González |
| Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor  © Sergio Cusano |
| World Migratory Bird Day The World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on the second weekend of May. The objective is to raise awareness about the conservation and habitats of migratory birds. This year's theme is "Energy: Make it bird-friendly". It emphasizes the need of technologies which bear in mind migratory birds. Migratory birds are affected by the generation and distribution of these sources and cause great mortality to them. To celebrate the occasion the COARECS invited observers to make a bird count.  Very early in the morning  View of the Coypu Pond at 7:36 am. © J. Simón Tagtachian View of the Coypu Pond at 7:47 am. © Sergio Cusano View of the Duck Pond at 8:18 am. © Álvaro Ortiz NarettoAt mid morning the climate looked better.  Meeting Point at 10:45 am © Álvaro Ortiz NarettoAt 1 p.m. everybody gathered at the Visitors' Center for the bird count.  © J. Simón Tagtachian © J. Simón TagtachianThe count showed a total of 108 bird species, an encouraging figure in itself. The final result was 110. To see the results |
| Variable Oriole Icterus pyrrhopterus  © Daniel Zelener |
| Ringed Kingfisher/strong> Megaceryle torquata   © Claudia y Diego Bastías |
| New butterfly species: Plain Longtail Urbanus simplicius  © Victoria Mansilla |
| New butterfly species: Red Peacock Anartia amathea roeselia   © Sergio Cusano |
| Wood Stork Mycteria americana On Sunday, 5th of May at midmorning I filmed this group of woodstorks climbing on to thermal currents to begin their journey to the north. I immediatley associated the scene to their migration. It is by late summer (and this year they stayed till the very end) when these big flocks can be seen. This scenario is not seen when they arrive here possibly because they separate previously, but when they leave they gather in certain places and if you are at the right moment and place you can enjoy this magnificent view. Se aconseja verlo a pantalla completa © Cora Rimoldi This group was ascending the thermal current, which means they overnighted at the reserve. There were approximately 75 individuals. I suppose they must have arrived on Friday and had to stay due to the rain. On Sunday, instead, the day was beautiful. At mid morning day they took off with the aid of thermal currents. I only saw this group, but luckily from another position Daniel and Martín observed another group flying from the south and tell us these two groups joined.  © Daniel Zelener © Daniel Zelener © Daniel ZelenerDaniel's photos were taken at 10:26. This is the group flying from the south. Almost 65 individuals total this group. An hour later they saw a bigger flock also flying from the south. 180 individuals formed this group and there were six stowaway roseate spoonbills  © Daniel Zelener Photos taken at 11:39 © Daniel ZelenerBut this is not the end of the story. On Monday Diego photographed another group which was ascending the thermal current. This means there must have been more bouts of woodstorks and this group descended here to overnight.  © Claudia y Diego bastías320 woodstorks either passed or stayed at the reserve during migration as is accouted for by the photos, but I believe there were too many more. This fact makes us evaluate the importance of this reserve. Not only for the life it supports and we daily see but for those that use it as a stopover to rest or feed. The woodstork is one these examples. It does not stay long at the reserve but overnights here in their migration journey. Get to know and spread the potentialities of the reserve helps to reinforce its values. |
| Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Least Grebe Tachybaptus dominicus  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| Yellow-chinned Spinetail Certhiaxis cinnamomeus  © Sergio Cusano |
| Great Pampa-Finch Embernagra platensis © Cora Rimoldi |
| Straneck's Tyrannulet Serpophaga griseicapilla  Identified by its song © Sergio Cusano |
| Scarlet-headed Blackbird Amblyramphus holosericeus  Juvenile © Sergio Cusano |
| Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata  Juvenile © Sergio Cusano |
| Brazilian Teal Amazonetta brasiliensis  © J. Simón Tagtachian |
| White-tufted Grebe Rollandia rolland  With a full mouth © Sergio Cusano |
