JPMyers 1974 Journal Estancia Wedeland, 35 km S. of Tandil by road, Pilo de Madariaga, Provincia de Bs Aires, Argentina 23 August Evening- I noted that this morning I saw that they were placing the fields to the W of Tower Clones across the Arago. Tonight I learned that they are to plow Tower Clones itself!!! What a disaster. Not only does this destroy the bat buffer habitat on the Estancia and the usefulness of the tower, but it also makes the linear grid inaccessible. I did know that it will be the first time that T.C. has been plowed, something I suspected strongly anyway. An important question about the effect of agriculture is raised: if plowing disturbs the habitat, does the short-grass community reappear in time, and if so, how long? What does this imply about the effect of agriculture on bat population, etc? [Learned that 5 Felis colocolo (sp) - the gato de los pajonales - were caught near the Mouth of Canal 7 into Laguna Mar Chiquita, 2 km N of Mar Chiquita by road, Pilo de Mar Chiquita, Provincia de Bs Aires, Argentina 24 August Arrived at the end of the road at 10 AM. Cloud cover= 20%, slight SW wind, warming after a temp. of 3°C at dawn at Wedeland. The water level here in the laguna is low, reading 1 cm below Red 2 on the water gauge out past the mouth. There is a small (5-10') of shiny, boggy mud border between open water and the vegetation. There are large expanses of water 1-2" deep. Our states from 2 april remain (see journal), but there is no exposed mud by them. The mudflat which branches off of the laguna near the 'leaser channel' (see map journal p66) also has a narrow mudborder, but is otherwise 'solid water'. Kimmer island is covered. However, birds are perched there, and many sparrows are out in the middle of the laguna obviously standing on a shallow bottom. Spp present: shorebirds: Vanellus chilensis Charadrius falklandicus 25 Calidris fuscicollis 30 Calidris bairdii 10 Calidris canutus 20 (flying by) Limosa haemastica 10 Micropalama himantopus 26 Himantopus himantopus 30 Tringa flavipes 2 Black-shore Others. Coscoroba black-necked swan Fulica Cocoi heron Common egret Netta peposaca Anas georgica Rallus sanguinolentus Phalacrocorax olivaceus Larus maculpenna