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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