Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve

November 2006. A new visit to the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve. I left early, arriving at around 8:00 AM. The day was very nice with clear skies and warm weather. The Reserve had already opened its doors, so I went straight in and started walking slowly along the trail, looking at all the nature around me, trying to find the photos I had come for. The lagoon was almost completely dry—in fact, both lagoons were.

There were many army members jogging and exercising, as well as a few from the National Gendarmerie, several cyclists, and a handful of regular people, mostly running too. It seems to be a good place to go train.

I started along the Camino de los Lagartos (Lizards' Trail). Halfway through, I turned onto the Camino del Medio (Middle Trail) until reaching the river. There, unlike last time, I continued along the Camino de los Alisos (Alders' Trail) and finally returned via the Camino de los Lagartos.

The first thing I photographed was a helicopter passing high above. Later on, I also had the chance to take a couple of photos of an approaching airplane.

On the Camino del Medio, I stopped to rest on a bench; it's the trail with the most benches. Under the sun, I stayed there for a few minutes before moving on. As noon approached, the sun was extremely strong. After the walk, I ended up with completely sun-tanned arms. I had brought a hat, and I'm so glad I did! To explore the Costanera Sur Reserve in the summer, you have to go prepared: at minimum, a hat, sunscreen, and water.

I had brought a pack of cookies to use as bait for the birds to photograph them, and it worked while I was sitting there resting. That’s how I managed to get a few cute photos of a house wren.

I managed to spot many rufous horneros, Great Kiskadees, chalk-browed mockingbirds, a few shiny cowbirds, spectacled tyrants, some small parrots clustered together in a tree, picui ground doves, rufous-collared sparrows, and a Southern Lapwing with its chick, which it was protecting from the other birds around. There was a situation where three elderly people had thrown something for the birds to eat, and it swarmed with ground doves and sparrows. The lapwing kept diving in flight to chase them off, and seeing its chick in the distance, I understood why it was driving the other birds away.

Some pigeons and two or three piculet/woodpeckers. The lizards kept running away whenever I approached, so I couldn't get a clear view of any of them. I managed to see a very large one, but it scuttled off before I could photograph it. I decided to wait for it to come back out, which didn't happen, but a few meters further along there was a smaller one. I approached it, and it didn't run away. I took a few photos, moved around, and the animal didn't bolt like the others.

There are some animals—which I later saw near the exit—that are injured, so they protect them in cages before returning them to their natural habitat.

This section of the Reserve, the Camino del Medio, is much prettier than the other side, or at least that's how it seemed to me. I saw a cuis (guinea pig/cavy); on the other side, you see them in large numbers. I saw a wattled jacana cross (known locally as a gallareta), but from what I've been looking up, I think I might be confusing them with another bird called an ipacaá (Giant Wood-Rail).

That's how I reached the point where the Camino de los Lagartos begins or ends, depending on how you look at it. That's where they care for the injured animals—there was a lizard, a dog, and three black-chested buzzard-eagles or a similar bird of prey. There was also a pool with aquatic turtles that had tape on them, likely for research studies. Apparently, at that end, there is another entrance/exit, but I didn't walk over to it, so I'm not sure.

I kept walking. Suddenly, ahead of me, I saw an animal I had never seen before—like a cuis, but longer and thinner, like a rat with a lot of fur. Just as I got my camera ready, one of those small trucks that the Reserve staff use came by, and the animal darted away super fast into the vegetation. The truck passed, raising a bit of dust, and suddenly I saw a tiny lizard running super fast, crossing from side to side just 10 cm away from me! It didn't even give me time to focus, but the way it ran was hilarious. It immediately disappeared into the grass.

I continued walking and saw groups of schoolchildren and various visitors arriving on guided tours. I reached the exit. That was my day until just past noon—by 1:00 PM, I was already on my way back.