Argentina field notes, v1505
Page 217
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Transcription
JPMyers 1973 Journal Tower Llanos area, Estancia Miedland, 35 Km S of Juancho, Pucia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. 18 December Cont'd Looking W across a section of the blind, ~50m of length, I stopped when light conditions became too poor. Remained in the tower for night sleeping After a poor night (e.g., bowing owl woke came up at 0230, hearing overhead—quite an apparition—and then landing on the blind) but fortunately with no rain nor attack by cow (they shake the tower considerably when they come to scratch on it). Up at 0530, with the sun on the horizon. Clear sky, temp = 52°; NVC=260ft. A low fog covers the whole visible area; in the tower I'm almost above it. Immediately took sample of Grid 5 & 6. While then I was attacked by cows, they continued across Arroyo after with the help of a few flying stakes from the tower. Grid 4 read at 0600 and 0605. I continued to read grids through the morning until 1200, when I air-peeded me up. Because of cows, at ~0930 I had to get down where them away, + thus lost the grids. Any did not sample for an hour. At ~1000 I noted large flocks of golden and bufflier started flying over the fields; they continued this way until my departure (see r.p. accent) totals for Grid counts of 19 December at Tower Llanos: Grid 4 (6 samples) 4a (5x5 units) (10 samples) [Species, no. (range), total]: Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 2.4 (1-6) 24; Golden Plover, 1.0 (0-3) 10; Correndero Pipit 0.4 (0-2) 4; Cow 0.4 (0-2) 4. 4a is contained within 4b, the former being 4 25x25m units marked into 5x5 units. Thus, the totals of 4b include those of 4a. 4b totals: Buff-breasted: 5.1 (2-10) 51; Golden Plover, 1.0 2.3 (1-5) 23; Correndero Pipit (5x5) 0.6 (0-2) 6; Cow 1.8 (0-7) 18. Grid 7 (6 samples) total Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 1.0 (2-10) 41; C-plover 1.7 (0-3) 10; Correndero Pipit 1 (0-2) 6; Mole Humus bonariensis 2 (0-1) 1; Cercos Sicalia 0.5 (0-3) 3; Cow 1.2 (0-2) 4. Grid 5 (3 runs): Wrenup 3 (0-5) 9; Golden 3 (0-8) 9; Micropalama 0.7 (0-2) 2; Arenaria interrupta 0.3 (0-1). Grid 6 (2 runs) Wrenup 0.5 (0-1) 1; (oldan 0.5 (0-1) 1; Southern Lapwing 1 (0-2) 2; BH Gill 1.5 (0-3) 3. The major discovery of this season at the tower is the amount (frequency) of intra-specific aggression between Bufflier, and its apparent space-specificity, i.e., territoriality (see r.p. accent). I now have strong indications for the existence of territoriality in Tryngite eutricha, Calidris melanotos, C. fuscicollis, and C. bairdi. At the same time, it appears that not all birds of each species are territorial—all of the