Costanera Sur otra vez, 9/13/23

I wanted to get an early start on my first morning in Bueunos Aries but it was not to be.  In fact during the whole trip I found it hard to get out before 9am.  So anyway I finally got back out to Costanera Sur.  A pair of Wattled Jacanas were always doing guard duty near the entrance to the park.

White-tufted Grebes looked for goodies inthe water lettuce.

The Southern Screamers were still at the nest.

A local birder pointed out the Black-necked Swans also had a nest nearby.

I soon picked up a couple of lifer ducks, my first Yellow-billed Teal.  The barring on the head and the general compact teal shape identifies this species from the similar Yellow-billed Pintail.

And I got my first Brazilian Teals.

My first lifer woodpecker was this compact Checkered Woodpacker acting much like a Ladder-backed.

A little later I found the local "yellow breasted" race of the Green-barred Woodpecker.  This one was pretty tame and I showed it to a local school group that was passing by.  Some of the students were visibly moved by this cooperative beautiful "carpintero".

I did some pishing and pygmy owl tooting near a tangle of vegetataion and drew out a pair of Masked Gnatcatchers.

Also present were Rufous-and-black Warbling-finch, Golden-crowned Warbler and a calling brown and rufous furnarid.  Merlin IDed it as a Sooty-fronted Spinetail.  That was my guess also.

A huge rail loped acros the tail.  My guess was Giant Wood Rail and a little manipulation of lighting on the computer seems to support that ID.  Also present in the area is the large Gray-cowled Wood Rail.

I met a local birder who had a Guilded Sapphire staked out at a blooming aloe patch.  The field guide does a poor job of illustrating this species.  The rufous chin spot is a good field mark.

A noisy Rufous Hornero and it's Spanish oven (horno) like nest.

Black-capped Warbling Finch was a new one for me.

A local birder who had recently moved to Buenos Aires from Spain told me where to find a Rufescent Tiger-Heron nest.  Pretty cool.

Hooded Siskins feed on dandelion seeds on this early spring day in Buenos Aires.

The local Saffron Finch is not as brightly colored as those I have seen in Ecuador.  They were working on dandelions also.

Cattle Tyrants looked like kingbirds but preferred feeding from the ground.

A flock of forty Nanday Parakeets fed on loguats and chinaberries.

I finally made it to the far end of the park where I found this friendly Chalk-browed Mockingbird.

A soaring rator stumped me with its dark head.  Otherwise it reminded me of a Roadside Hawk.  Well checking the field guide revealed that Roadside Hawks down here have black heads.

Picazuro Pigeon enjoying the introduced loquats.

Finally I found the much wanted Narrow-billed Woodcreeper.

And the much wanted Red-crested Cardinal.  This was my only one for the trip.

I finished up the day with a pair of Ringed Teal, another species I have seen in zoos.  I wonder if species from the temperate subtopical climate of Buenos Aires are more cold hardy and able to take the cold weather in North American Zoos.

My three full days at Costanera del Sur turned up 68, 68 and 65 species.  How is that for consistent effort?

Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, AR

Sep 13, 2023 9:21 AM - 4:51 PM

Protocol: Traveling

6.367 mile(s)

68 species

Southern Screamer  3

Black-necked Swan  4

Ringed Teal  2

Brazilian Teal  2

Silver Teal  25

Yellow-billed Teal  2

Rosy-billed Pochard  20

Lake Duck  12

White-tufted Grebe  25

Pied-billed Grebe  3

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  10

Picazuro Pigeon  15

Eared Dove  3

Gilded Hummingbird  3

Giant Wood-Rail  1

Spot-flanked Gallinule  2

Common Gallinule  10

Red-fronted Coot  60

Red-gartered Coot  5

White-winged Coot  5

Limpkin  6

Southern Lapwing  1

Wattled Jacana  3

Neotropic Cormorant  20

Rufescent Tiger-Heron  2    Adult and new young on nest

Cocoi Heron  1

Great Egret  2

Snowy Egret  2

Roadside Hawk  1

Harris's Hawk  4

Checkered Woodpecker  3

Green-barred Woodpecker  2

Crested Caracara  5

Chimango Caracara  1

American Kestrel  1

Monk Parakeet  10

Nanday Parakeet  50

Narrow-billed Woodcreeper  1

Rufous Hornero  5

Sooty-fronted Spinetail  1

Straneck's Tyrannulet  2

Vermilion Flycatcher  1

Yellow-browed Tyrant  1

Cattle Tyrant  3

Great Kiskadee  12

Gray-breasted Martin  5

Chilean Swallow  6

Masked Gnatcatcher  15

House Wren  15

European Starling  8

Chalk-browed Mockingbird  1

Rufous-bellied Thrush  10

Creamy-bellied Thrush  1

Hooded Siskin  2

Rufous-collared Sparrow  40

Shiny Cowbird  4

Grayish Baywing  7

Tropical Parula  3

Golden-crowned Warbler  8

Hepatic Tanager  1

Red-crested Cardinal  1

Yellow-billed Cardinal  3

Black-capped Warbling Finch  2

Sayaca Tanager  3

Black-and-rufous Warbling Finch  5

Saffron Finch  7

Bluish-gray Saltator  1

Golden-billed Saltator  1