It is hard to know which moment to pick
as the highlight of this post. It could have been the long-awaited Great Grebe or
the surprise Plumbeous
rail. After looking at Red-fronted Coots all morning, it came as a shock
to find that they qualified for the red-pen too. The Guira Cuckoos performed as usual and at last I remembered how to
work my camera. So it was a good day all round.
Compared with previous visits, the list was slightly low at 44, but I put much of that down to birds migrating north, though in truth I have no clue about the migratory habits of the Argentinian avifauna. The list made it past the 40 mark by virtue of the waterfowl that had come to enjoy the flooded Lago de Los Copios along the inland promenade.
I was only able to cover a limited
area of the reserve today as I had come straight from the flight and therefore
had a late start. I checked the promenade and the southern trail.
I started by moving north to south
along the promenade which was already quite busy on a Sunday morning. Personal
security was at the front of my mind for much of the day and I tried to be as
discrete as possible with my camera, but this area comes under the watchful eye
of the Navy and they have a reputation for dealing firmly with miscreants. So
the crime rate here is lower than in other parts of the city, but nevertheless,
it doesn’t do to flaunt these things.
I waited until I could access the
lower walkway that drops to level with the water along the southern third of the
promenade (It is usually gated, but the catches are in poor condition and an
inquisitive tug will usually result in the gates swinging invitingly open).
Work has been going on here to drag much of the weed from the water. Small
roosting islands have been built from heaps of the weeds and White-faced Whistling Ducks were using
them to roost. A closer look revealed Brazilian
Teal, Ringed
Teal and a single Rosy-billed
Pochard. Despite the Ringed Teal being written in red, I am quite familiar
with them as they feature in a local wildfowl collection. The Rosy-billed
Pochard was the first one that I had seen since finding them here as a life
bird over 18 years ago.
The edges of the reeds and the open
water were frequented by gallinules and coots. Common Gallinules greatly outnumbered the Spot-flanked Gallinules, but it was the latter that I lavished
attention on. Red-fronted
Coots were easy to see and I didn’t realise that I was trying to
look past this life bird to find the other coot species that are common here.
As I was trying to make a Red-gartered Coot into a White-winged Coot, a movement in the
reeds caught my attention and a rail darted across an open spot. Red and
sky-blue patches at the base of the bill were easily visible which gave me the
ID for a Plumbeous
Rail.
Two Coscoroba Swans roosted at the edge of the reeds and Silver Teal fed, shoveler-like from the
surface of the water. Red-gartered preferred the southern end of the open water.
The Laguna de Los Copios is not
always wet and has had almost no water at all during my last couple of visits,
so the waterfowl are not a permanent fixture here, but a real pleasure when
they are on site.
The southern entrance to the
Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve is at the end of the promenade at Google Earth
ref; 34 36 59.64S 58 21 23.23W I wanted to walk the southern loop, but the
reserve was very busy and the bird numbers were low.
A steady stream of people was heading
towards the picnic area that looks out over the coast (Google Earth ref; 34 36
23.12S 58 20 47.08W). It seems that watching the sunset from the beach is a
popular attraction for the local Buenos (although of course the sun sets
inland, not over the water). A Southern Caracara took refuge at the top of a
tall metal structure. This structure has proved productive in the past with
American Kestrel and Chimango Caracara.
I pulled off to the right halfway along the path
towards the picnic area and looped round the southern section of the reserve.
Even so the paths were still very busy and did not give up much bird life,
though a Small-billed Elaenia popped
up for a moment in response to a “pish” and a Hooded Siskin ventured out onto a thin branch during a lull in the traffic.
A small flock of Bay-winged Cowbirds fed from the characteristic plumes of Pampas
Grass that can be seen around the reserve. Picazuro Pigeons were very common and many were seen flying over as they began looking
for roosts in the early evening. This one was found at the picnic site and
looked as if it had come to take in the party atmosphere.
I was about to take a quick snap of
the crowds on the shore when I noticed a movement on the water beyond. I
replaced the Canon with the Bushnell’s and was delighted to see a Great Grebe,
just off the rubble beach.
This was a bird that I have hoped to
see on each of my visits here, but up until now had been unlucky. It is not a
rare or difficult bird, but it was at the northern extent of its range and I
was at the southern limit of mine, so this is the only place that our paths are
ever likely to cross.
The grebe was fishing close in to the
shore and allowed me to sit on a chunk of rock on the water’s edge as it went
about its business.
I returned to the south entrance and found the promenade packed with people. They had come to shop at small stalls laid out on the pavement and to eat and drink at the small parrillon cafes. It would have been virtually impossible to bird along the promenade in these conditions, so bear this in mind if you are here on a weekend. The morning and early afternoon had been quiet enough, but the evening was extremely busy.
Bird list for Costanera Sur; 44
White-faced Whistling Duck 12,
Coscoroba Swan 2, Ringed Teal 4, Brazilian Teal 15, Silver Teal 8, Rosy-billed
Pochard 3, White-tufted Grebe 2, Pied-billed Grebe 1, Great
Grebe 1, Neotropic Cormorant 15, Cocoi Heron 1, Great Egret 3, Southern
Caracara 4, Chimango Caracara 2, Plumbeous Rail 1,
Common Gallinule 60, Spot-flanked Gallinule 3, Red-gartered Coot 7, Red-fronted Coot 25, Southern Lapwing 1, Wattled
Jacana 3, Kelp Gull 20, Picazuro Pigeon 140, Eared Dove 1, Nanday Parakeet 25,
Monk Parakeet 30, Guira Cuckoo 8, Green-barred Woodpecker 2, Rufous Hornero 5,
Small-billed Elaenia 1, Spectacled Tyrant 3, Great Kiskadee 25, Blue-and-White
Swallow 10, House Wren 1, Rufous-bellied Thrush 5, Creamy-bellied Thrush 1,
Chalk-browed Mockingbird 15, European Starling 8, Golden-billed Saltator 2,
Black-and-Rufous Warbling Finch 1, Rufous-collared Sparrow 10, Bay-winged
Cowbird 6, Hooded Siskin 5, House Sparrow 3.
A quick visit on the morning of our
return flight added a few birds to the list and brought another lifer in the
form of a Long-winged
Harrier. The light is against you early in the morning as you walk
along the promenade and even at daybreak there were joggers and a few left-over
revellers from last night. A Harris’s
Hawk flew across the low weeds at the northern end, betraying the presence
of a few ducks, including a couple of Yellow-billed
Teal.
I reached the southern gate just
after 08.00 and it was punctually open. A Rufescent
Tiger-heron stood in the deep shadow and a Chequered Woodpecker obligingly made itself obvious in a dead tree.
The north gate was open on this occasion (Tuesday morning at 10.00), but I
cannot vouch for its opening times.
Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve
consists of a large area of reclaimed land on the shore of the Rio Plata/ South
Atlantic Ocean, close to the docks area of Buenos Aires. The reclaimed area has
annexed the once magnificent promenade from the big water of the coast. The
promenade, though still magnificent in its faded glory now looks out onto reedbeds
and freshwater wetland (Lagos de Los Coipos). There is open water at the
southern end depending on the recent rains and the vigilance of the park
workers who were raking out a lot of weed this weekend.
It is a popular spot for joggers and cheap cafes cater to the less energetic. This area becomes extremely busy on weekend evenings. It is accessible at all times with a low wall separating the 2km public walkway from the Lagos de Los Coipos.
The main body of the reserve is the reclaimed area. A good path runs all the way round the inside of the reserve with a couple of short cuts through the centre. A complete circle is about 8kms. Two large lakes have pretty much been clogged with reeds and in my four visits have never had any visible open water, just a wide expanse of reeds. Most of the interest comes along the paths which are lined with woodland, scrub and pampas.
The reserve has a gate at the
southern end of the promenade (Google Earth ref; 34 36 58.45S 58 21 18.90W. It
opens at 08.00 and closes at dusk. A gate at the north end of the promenade is
not as reliable. I believe that it is only open at weekends. If you are on
foot, it is easy to skip the fence here if necessary.
The reserve is also popular with
joggers and walkers who will often greet you amicably as they pass.
For previous posts from Costanera
Sur, follow the links below;
Visit the dedicated Central and South AmericanPage for more posts from Buenos Aires, including Ribera Norte and Parque Tresde Febrero.
Birding, Birdwatching, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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