Reserva Ecologica Vincente Lopez is a small park on the shore of the Rio Plata/South Atlantic
Ocean, to the north of the city of Buenos
Aires. It includes lawns looking out across the water with a lightly wooded
area in the north. The main attraction is a fenced area that contains thicker
woods surrounding a small lake with a short boardwalk through its marshy top
end.
I arrived here today in the late
afternoon hoping that the gate to the fenced sanctuary would still be open. It
opens at 09.00 until 17.00, every day. I took a clockwise route quickly totting
up birds including Rufous-collared
Sparrow, Rufous-bellied Thrush
and Blue-and-Yellow Tanager.
The lake was completely covered with
weed. Greater Kiskadees, Rufous Horneros and even Cattle Tyrants fed from the floating
vegetation. A single Wattled Jacana
must have felt that it was on very solid ground.
The bridge that crosses a
corner of the lake has fallen into disrepair, but it can still be partially
used to get out over the water for a good view of the lake. Today, it was so
choked that any ducks or water-birds would have moved on to find clearer water elsewhere.
The trail passes through a ribbon of
thick woods that surround the lake. A pair of Grey-necked Wood-Rail was seen through the fence before the trail
drops down onto the short boardwalk. This proved to be the hot-spot of the
evening. Sayaca Tanager, Masked
Gnatcatcher, Black-capped
Warbling-Finch, Tropical Parula
and Small-billed Elaenia were all noted
here in a frantic few moments.
By the time I reached the gate to go
home, it was nearly 17.00 but the gate was already closed and padlocked. I was
just about to shimmy over the top (it would have probably looked more ungainly
than “shimmy” might suggest) when I took a second look at the mechanism. Though
locked, the padlock was not engaged in the locking bar and I was able to escape
in a much more dignified manner than might otherwise have been the case.
Bird list for Reserva Ecologica Vincente
Lopez; 26
Southern Caracara 1, Chimango
Caracara 2, Grey-necked Wood-Rail 2, Wattled Jacana 1, Kelp Gull 2, Pale-vented
Pigeon 2, Picazuro Pigeon 40, Nanday Parakeet 15, Monk Parakeet 4, Gilded
Hummingbird 1, Green-barred Woodpecker 1, Rufous Hornero 5, Small-billed
Elaenia 3, Cattle Tyrant 2, Great Kiskadee 10, House Wren 4, Masked Gnatcatcher
6, Rufous-bellied Thrush 20, Chalk-browed Mockingbird 6, European Starling 5,
Tropical Parula 2, Blue-and-yellow Tanager 2, Greyish Saltator 1, Black-capped
Warbling Finch 1, Rufous-collared Sparrow 6, Variable Oriole 2.
This reserve is only very small and
would be unlikely to keep a keen birder occupied for more than a couple of
hours. It is a good follow-on site if you are visiting Ribera Norte, just up
the road (or a good alternative if Ribera Norte is closed due to flooding as is
sometimes the case). The entrance is across the tram lines at Google Earth ref;
34 2925.54S 58 28 52.19W. Follow the path around to the right to find the
fenced sanctuary beyond the running track. There is no security provision at
Vincente Lopez.
The railway runs from the main station Retiro in Buenos Aires
city to Tigre. Get off at La Lucila Station and continue north for 4 blocks and
turn right at the underpass onto Av. Parana. The reserve is 1.25 kms east from
here.
For a previous post from Vincente
Lopez, follow the link below;
Visit the dedicated Central and SouthAmerica page for more posts from Buenos Aires including Costanera Sur and
Ribera Norte.
Birding, Birdwatching in Buenos
Aires, Argentina.
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