Between July 3rd - 9th, 2003 I was invited  by Daniel Blanco from Wetlands International to participate in the research campaign on Ruddy-headed Goose (Chloephaga rubidiceps) wintering area south of the Buenos Aires Province. This was my first visit to tha area and there is no doubt that the main surprise was to see the habitat ruddyheads ocuppy in these latitudes.    

   I did travel in a similar route that they use during migrations:  Punta Arenas – Río Gallegos – Buenos Aires – Necochea and to say the truth for the little excersice I had to do, I did arrive in more or less similar conditions (I guess) than ruddyheads when they hit their final destination….(exhausted). 
To participate in this part of the project was more than a privilege, not only for the subject itself but for the oportunity to work with argentine researchers. This demostrate the importance of working together when conservation measurements have to be adopted in a species  shared by both countries.
I did participate in the land and aerial surveys and my impression is that we have a huge work ahead considering that the Ruddy-headed Goose issue is urgent, specially alter analysing the results of the last census made in the breeding area  where the numbers fell dramatically compare to the study made in 1999. The presence of the birds mixed eventually with the other two sheldgeese (Upland and Ashy-headed) in the corn, weed or sunflower crops is the more clear risk situation, hunters (not a few) shoot the birds trying the diminish the “damage” made by birds grassing in their fields. 
In the study area we did observe one individual (of the few existing) with a very characteristic white ventral match and that we saw together with Olivia Blank  during the breeding area censuses in January 2003 at about  1000 miles from this point.
I would like to thanks sincerely to Wetlands International , CMS (Convention for Migratory Species) and specially to Daniel and Victoria for the invitation and hopefully we can concrete Daniel’s idea of carrying out a workshop on Ruddy-Headed Goose soon here in the breeding area. Sincerely

Ricardo

Getting ready for shelgeese aerial surveys, Buenos Aires Province
Photo: R. Matus