SPMgeus 1974 Journal Tower Llanos Atacama, Mendoza, 35 km S. of Juanchoy road, Pilo de Machuaga, Provincia Buenos Aires, Argentina 12 February arrived. It was impossible to count because of the many obstruction provided by vegetation >20 AVlegs; >10 tAlegs; >10 S. lapwings; a flood of over 50WR, plus 2 small floods of 18+ birds each; >20 Pectorals (probably a gross under- count). No Stilt sandpipers (I have not seen any for several weeks) near any golden plovers. We remained at the swamp until 2030. Small flights of sandpipers + Yellow legs continued to come in; NONE left. The behaviour of the large flood of 400+ Pectorals was particularly suggestive of roosting birds. One Painted Singe - foraging in shallow water, open till patting the mud - seen about 1830. While sitting on the roof I saw 113 buff-breasted sandpipers flying E and 2 flying west. None of these showed any inclination toward landing in the swamp. The birds going east (biggest group was 4 birds) continued over the swamp, settling in the Llanos area I discovered yesterday, the other 10 continuing until (it looked like - very far) they reached the brush-edge habitat / short-grass habitat where we had our November camp. Recall that a friend traffics coming in by camp then to escort. Atacama, Mendoza, Pilo de Machuaga, Provincia Buenos Aires, Argentina 15 February 0930 Araceli Huri, the caretaker's daughter, brought horses around for the 3 of us. She, Lois + O put the next 5.5 hours searching for sandpipers in an area to the N.E.+N from the farmhouse; the morning was cool (30s) and severy, with cumulus clouds building & blowing over during the morning, wind light from S, growing to moderate by 1500. From the farmhouse we went WNE along the line of windmill, reaching the second windmill by 1130. We searched back and forth across the strip of short grass habitat which lies between the brush-edge to the W + beginnings of bare land to the E. To the W we also went as far as through the brush edge to the line of swampy lagoons extending parallel N-S. In the short-grass habitat there were no golden plovers. Our previous observations (since our arrival in November, and until now, last trip out here was before trip to Ascension, i.e. before 28 January) there have always been numerous golden crakes in this area. We found a total of 6 buff-breasted sandpipers - Their numbers are also down considerably. Along the line of swamps, particularly in the vicinity of the first windmill, even small flocks of White rumps. No more than 50 were seen along the stretch. However, we certainly missed some as their ponds and mud flats are invisible from a distance in locales the brush grass (grassed edge) in which they roost & extends to the edge of the numerous small lagoons;