Wilson's Phalaropes: expected visitors in Argentina
by Estela Bonino
During
September, when the Argentine spring season starts, the first Wilson’s
Phalaropes arrive at the Mar Chiquita wetland system. Many of them come
from Mono Lake, traveling over 3000 miles to get here. Congregations of a
reported 500,000 birds, locally known as chorlo nadador grande, the
great swimmer plover, fill the shorelines.
Here, in this vast and nearly uninhabited region, the Wilson’s Phalarope can be seen from September to May. These graceful birds share the river mouths with an extrordinary 75 species of aquatic birds—like flamingos and various species of herons, which make up large breeding colonies.
I shall never forget my first experience on Mar Chiquita with a group of students. We stopped 150 meters off the tree-lined coast at sunset and sat in complete silence. Suddenly the air was filled with all sorts of sounds, a chorus of squawking and fluttering, while the sky grew dark with flocks of herons, ducks, plovers, flamingos, and storks flying over our heads. We were completely fascinated as we watched this impressive spectacle.
Mar Chiquita, one of the largest salt lakes in the world, is situated in the central region of Argentina. It is a terminal lake with a huge watershed that includes the Dulce, Primero, and Segundo Rivers. Over the last 30 years its variable surface has ranged between 1,960 km2 in dry periods to 5,770 km2 in wet periods.
Unfortunately, this paradise is threatened. A proposal to divert water from the Dulce River to neighboring states is currently being discussed in Buenos Ares. If approved, the diversions would pose a serious threat to Mar Chiquita’s ecosystems. The region is somewhat protected: it is a Regional Natural Reserve and has been designated Hemispheric Site by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, and later twined with Mono Lake. Nevertheless, as law enforcement is insufficient, we must be in constant alertness to protect this biodiversity reserve shared between the two hemispheres.
Estela Bonino is a research assistant at the University of Cordoba, mother of two, and fiercely protective of Mar Chiquita.
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