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April
9th,
2018
Los
Pantanos de Villa
28
Celsius, sunny with very little wind. Northerly on Monday, South-west
on Tuesday.
Off
to Los Pantanos de Villa nature reserve once more with target birds
to consider. Rob Williams mentioned hearing a Peruvian Pipit
yesterday, the bird having been split recently from Yellowish Pipit.
So finding one is a priority. Rob had identified a likely place but
first I want to spend some time looking for another target bird,
Least Bittern.
Dragonflies,
herons and Pied-billed Grebes are on Laguna Genesis, the smallest
lagoon and closest to the reception but no sign of any Least Bittern.
I am joined on the circular walk by two young girl volunteers,
Bear(Beatrix) and Leslie. Both are good company and together we
search for birds.
Leaving
the girls at the reception after an hour or so walk, unsuccessful in
the hunt for the tiny bittern, I head off for the dry, salting
vegetation areas in search of the pipit. Under the barbed wire fence
near to the iconic white water tower, I search yet the only real
creature of note is a four centimetre long fly of some sort.
I manage
to photograph it's fearsome front but it has gone when I try to sneak
around to it's other side.
The
usual assortment of waders are in what remains of some small pools
that were excellent and much larger back in 2013 and 2014. Back then
this area had large, shallow pools but now most of these have dried
up and have been replaced by a number of horses. Back then there was
only one small wooden house. Well a house of sorts, more like a large
shed but now there is a whole compound with fences for horses. I
remember that back in 2014 the owner chased me off with vitriolic
Spanish abuse and the threat of a dozen or so dogs. The dozens of
Puna Ibis and Black-necked Stilts have gone. Instead there's Lesser
and Greater yellowlegs, a few Spotted, Least and Semi-palmated
sandpipers and a lone American Golden Plover. A Great Egret and a
Little Blue Heron wade through the verdant marshy vegetation whilst
Killdeers stand on drier areas.
Across
to the driest part of the reserve that still has a stunted, dry
looking, low shrubby sort of vegetation, I search for the pipit
despite the hum from a billion small flies. At least there is plenty
of food here for the pipit, as well as for the thousands of small,
orange spiders.
A
small bird flies away from me calling a single 'tup' like call.
Pipit! I walk carefully forward hoping to get a view of it on the
ground. No chance. The bird stays hidden. Yet as I walk slowly
forward at least three more come out. They do the same; call and then
dive for cover. Sometimes the call seems to consist of a triplet of
notes. Unbelievably I manage to get a flight shot of this elusive
little brown job! Peruvian
Pipit
Anthus
lutescens peruvianus.
Whilst
trying to see the pipit and with hundreds of Blue & White
Swallows gorging on the small flies, I see two pairs of nearby
Burrowing owls atop rubble waste. Fabulous to get such wonderful
views of these stunning birds.
After
photographing the owls and some perched up Blue & White Swallows,
I stroll along the beach and view the long, Snettisham-like lagoon.
Snettisham is an excellent RSPB (Royal Society for The Protection Of
Birds) nature reserve on The Wash, Norfolk, UK. All the usual
suspects are here in the usual masses.
On the beach a few terns, mostly Elegant Terns, are roosting amongst masses of Franklin's Gulls.
Back
to the reception for another attempt at Least Bittern. The Green Jay
is in his usual tree.
The
girls are in a boat and as they disappear off around the small
lagoon, I sit and wait and watch. Pied-billed grebe family has three
noisy – feed me juveniles. Striated and Black-crowned Night Herons
come and roost in full view and a few Many-coloured Rush Tyrants come
close.
As
the light fades large numbers of Cattle Egrets fly over, arriving
from the south, to roost for the night. Most flocks, comprising of
fifty or so birds, head off for the largest lagoon. A few stop at
this small one, joining the other herons already sitting there.
A
few Guinea Pigs see me out as I leave the reserve after yet another
wonderful day.
April
10th , 2018
I
cycle through the condominium area north of Los Pantanos and stop to
look at some parakeets high in the tall palm trees. Can I count
White-winged Parakeets when they are obviously a self-sustaining
feral population? For that matter can I count Red-masked Parakeets?
Back
early doors to the smallest lagoon, I arrive at 7:30 a.m. To find a
small door open. The internet states open at eight. I am lucky. A group of Egrets greet me!
No
luck with the Least Bittern though. After over an hour waiting, I
walk around the lagoon and then head for the largest. Wonderful to
see school parties arrive to enjoy the reserve. Los Pantanos de Villa
is so vital and important for the area. Is there another nature
reserve so large near to Lima for schoolchildren to go to?
A
Black Vulture has a large yellow wing tag, 03. I must look this up
when I can access the internet.
I
feed the fish some small stale bits of bread, for which they go
boilingly crazy. I always enjoy watching fish. Indeed when I was a
teenager a few years ago, I would sit on branches overhanging pools
and rivers just to be able to watch fish! I always remember watching
shoals of Bream moving around a large pond in my home town of then,
Redditch in Worcestershire, UK.
A small seedeater species seems to be Chestnut-throated Seedeater, Sporophila telasco
Up
and down both Observation towers with the heat becoming oppressively
hot, three large birds fly in and land at the far end of the lagoon.
What on earth are Comb Ducks doing here?!
Off
to the sea lagoon with a small group of volunteers, one girl,
Lilliane, wants to do a scholarship in Japan and is learning the
language ready to do so. They all have ambition and drive, quite
inspiring to an old man.
Leaving
them I collect plastic off the beach and then sit beneath a fixed,
reed roofed parasol to seawatch. I have found a large, helium-filled
Pokemon balloon and I sit on it comfortably. I fall asleep!
Upon
waking in only a few minutes, I seawatch but the incredible lack of
birds is noteworthy compared to all of my previous visits here. This
year the birds, other than Franklin's Gulls, number in the tens.
Previously Guanay Cormorants had been in the tens of thousands, as
had the Peruvian Boobies. No sign of Humboldt's Penguin today. Had
them before. No sign either of Peruvian Petrel. Had those here too in
the past.
Back
at reception I am interviewed by the boss of the reserve, Aldo F.
Solimano Lopez Aliaga. It is a privilege to be welcomed by him,
Chairman of the Board of Directors. Aldo's English is very good and
he is obviously proud of the reserve and staff.
Back
to the small lagoon to try once more for the bittern, I take a boat,
with permission and while away an hour and a half gently rowing
around. By stopping every so often and just keeping still and
watching, birds come incredibly close to me.
Five
o'clock, time to be going, a Many-coloured Rush Tyrant is near to the
path, as is a Plumbeous rail.
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