Health

Hello my friends.

These past few weeks have been hard on the family. My dad has been hospitalized again and he's facing surgery tomorrow morning once more (if the doctors finally agree on that) A few dozens of tumours need to be removed from the abdominal area. He's 58 years old but his actual health condition is not great, so it has become a life threatening surgery at this point. But it is needed.

To those of you who pray, I ask for a prayer tomorrow morning to guide the doctors hands and hearts. To those of you who don't, I ask to send positive thoughts for the very same reason. The past 10 proved that every little positive thought and healing wish or prayer counts.

I have to go now, hope to be posting soon, and more cheerful and bird-full too.

Hugs to you all. THANK YOU!

Berisso

A few weeks ago I posted about the birds we found in Costanera Sur and La Plata, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Almost 30 lifers in an unexpected birding spot.

A few days later, we met Julio Milat, from the Museo Ornitológico Municipal de Berisso. He took us on a 3 hour field trip that was really awesome.

First we stopped to see this amazing and heavy construction. Parakeets made it and now all sorts of birds take advantage of it! The owner of the property is very concerned because the structure is weak and may not be able to hold all that weight for long.


It was a very nice day, sunny and clear. Tommy, my cousin Justina and I followed Julio and asked a lot of questions. Tommy took off with the camera (all pics of birds are his) while I stalked Julio notepad in hand asking him to help id this or that bird.

Masked Yellowthroat

Another big bunch of lifers came out of that trip. In order to list them, I used a local field guide, "Birds of Buenos Aires" by Tito Narosky / Christian Henschke. Some of the names didn't match the ones on other lists, so I asked David J. Ringer to help me clarify a couple of woodpeckers names to add them on my Birdstack list. THANK YOU David!

Golden-breasted woodpecker

So, here they are, Argentinian name first, then English, then Scientific (according to Narosky's guide):

1) Cotorra – Monk Parakeet – Myiopsitta monachus
2) Torcaza – Eared Dove – Zenaida auriculata
3) Golondrina ceja blanca – White-rumped Swallow – Tachycineta leucorrhoa
4) Fío fío – Fío fío pico corto – Small-billed Elaenia – Elaenia parvirostris (lifer!)
5) Mosqueta olivácea – Mottled-cheeked Tyrannulet – Phylloscartes ventralis (lifer!)
6) Hornero - Rufous Hornero – Furnarius rufus (lifer!)
7) Chingolo - Rufous-collared Sparrow – Zonotrichia capensis
8) Tero común – Southern Lapwing – Vanellus chilensis
9) Zorzal colorado – Rufous-bellied Thrush – Turdus rufiventris
10) Zorzal chalchalero – Creamy-bellied Thrush – Turdus amaurochalinus (lifer!)
11) Carpintero bataraz chico – Checkered Woodpecker – Picoides mixtus
12) Pijuí plomizo – Chicli Spinetail – Synallaxis spixi (lifer!)
13) Benteveo común – Great Kiskadee – Pitangus sulphuratus
14) Chiflón – Whistling Heron – Syrigma sibilatrix (lifer!)
15) Misto – Grassland Yellow-finch – Sicalis luteola (lifer!)
16) Corbatita común – White-collared Seedeater – Sporophila caerulescens (lifer!)
17) Torcacita común – Picui Ground-dove - Columbina picuí
18) Tordo músico - Bay-winged Cowbird – Molotrhus badius
19) Gorrión - House Sparrow – Passer domesticus
20) Pirincho – Guira Cuckoo – Guira guira
21) Calandria grande – Chalk-browed Mockingbird – Mimus saturninus
22) Ratona común - House Wren – Troglodytes aedon
23) Golondrina barranquera – Blue-and-white Swallow – Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
24) Carpintero campestre – Campo Flicker (the guide showed it as Field Flicker) – Colaptes campestris (lifer!)
25) Tijereta – Fork-tailed Flycatcher – Tyrannus savana (lifer! what a beautiful bird!!)
26) Crespín – Striped Cuckoo – Tapera naevia (lifer! but only heard)
27) Biguá – Neotropic Cormorant – Phalacrocorax olivaceus/brasilianus
28) Picaflor común – Glittering-bellied Emerald – Chlorostillbon aureoventris
29) Golondrina parda - Brown-chested Martin – Phaeoprogne tapera
30) Cachirla común – Correndera Pipit – Anthus correndera (lifer!)
31) Milano Blanco – White-tailed Kite – Elanus leucurus (lifer!)
32) Suirirí real – Yellow-browed Tyrant – Satrapa icterophrys (lifer!)
33) Estornino pinto – European Starling – Sturnus vulgaris (lifer!)
34) Carau – Limpkin – Aramus guarauna (lifer!)
35) Sirirí colorado – Fulvous Whistling-duck – Dendrocygna bicolor (lifer!)
36) Sirirí pampa – White-faced Whistling-duck – Dendrocygna viduata
37) Pato picazo – Rosy-billed Pochard – Netta peposaca (lifer!)
38) Pato capuchino – Silver Teal – Anas versicolor (lifer!)
39) Pecho colorado – White-browed Blackbird – Sturnella superciliaris (lifer! beautiful!)
40) Varillero congo – Chesnut-capped Blackbird – Agelaius ruficapillus
41) Varillero negro – Unicolored Blackbird – Agelaius cyanopus (lifer!)
42) Pollona pintada – Spot-flanked Gallinule – Porphyriops melanops (lifer!)
43) Carancho – Southern-crested Caracara – Polyborus plancus
44) Gavilán planeador – Long-winged Harrier – Circus buffoni (lifer! stunning flight!)
45) Pecho amarillo común – Brown-and-yellow Marshbird – Pseudoleistes virescens (lifer!)
46) Cuervillo de cañada - White-faced Ibis – Plegadis chihi (lifer!)
47) Cuervillo cara pelada - Bare-faced Ibis – Phimosus infuscatus (lifer!)
48) Pato maicero – Yellow-billed Pintail – Anas georgica (lifer!)
49) Carpintero real común – Golden-breasted Woodpecker – Colaptes melanolaimus (this one I couldn't find on other lists, but seems to be the southern version of the Green-barred Woodpecker - Colaptes melanochloros)
50) Jilguero dorado – Saffron Finch – Sicalis flaveola
51) Varillero ala amarilla – Yellow-winged Blackbird – Agelaius thilius (lifer!)
52) Doradito común – Warbling Doradito - Pseudocolopteryx (lifer!)
53) Halconcito colorado – American Kestrel – Falco sparverius (lifer! super cute!)
54) Taguató común – Roadside Hawk – Buteo magnirostris (lifer!)
55) Chimango – Chimango Caracara – Milvago chimango (lifer!)
56) Tordo renegrido – Shiny Cowbird – Molothrus bonariensis
57) Cigüeña americana – Maguari Stork – Ciconia maguari (lifer!)
58) Caracolero – Snail Kite – Rostrhamus sociabilis (lifer!)
59) Arañero cara negra - Masked Yellowthroat - Geothlypis aequinoctialis (lifer!)

Justina, Julio, Mel, Tommy

It was one of the highlights of the trip. Amazing 3 hours, so many birds, so many lifers, so much fun!