Estancia Medaland

Estancia Medaland is a privately-owned cattle ranch, situated near the Atlantic coast of Argentina in the southeast of Buenos Aires Province. The site covers a total of 3,800 hectares of natural grassland, and is owned by the sisters Amanda and María Eugenia Arbelaiz, who have managed the property for livestock for many decades.

The importance of the site for grassland shorebirds first came to light in the 1970s when ornithologists surveyed the area (among them, WHSRN’s future first Chair, Pete Myers). Recent counts revealed high numbers of American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica) and Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis). The Buff-breasted Sandpiper numbers were especially noteworthy, with a total count of 1,010 individuals – or 1.8% of the species’ global population. The site was also found to hold over 1% of the southern cone population of the Tawny-throated Dotterel (Oreopholus ruficollis), a grassland shorebird restricted to South America.