8 December 2008 - Spain Birding: December 2008 update
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
7th December: With strict instructions to 'be back for dinner' I left Barcelona early and made a late decision to divert to the Vall de Nuria in the Catalan Pyrenees, a location that, I decided, I had neglected.
Not in the mood for the cremallera rack train and the skiers, I engaged the four-wheel-drive and worked my way up a track towards Fontalba. Cold, but sunny, I had to wait to get to 1600m before a flock of about 200 Chaffinch teased me to stop the car and get out, lest it contain hidden delights. And delights there were, in the form of a couple of small parties of Siskin clung to thistle heads scattered amongst the grassy meadow, a handful of Linnet keeping watch from a lone leafless tree and a single winter-plumaged Water Pipit calling for my attention from the tip of an adjacent bush as I surveyed all around me.
'Keep watching,' it seemed to say and, after taking some time to appreciate its courage and northern grit at remaining amongst the snow when most of its species had descended to the lowlands, I picked out first one and then possibly eight Brambling, the first time I'd seen this species in this area. When the whole entourage was disturbed, a stunning male perched on top of a nearby pine where it waited until I'd set up my camera and was about to click...
Another 400m in altitude and a short walk produced several flocks of Crossbill, mostly perched tree-top and tame, individual sightings of Crested, Coal, Blue and Great Tit and a moment, when I flushed four Grey Partridge from beneath my feet, that I don't know who was more excited. Probably me. Although I didn't crap myself as I left, like they did, so may be not.
Feeling the cold and having had my fill of 'pleasure-birding' and peanut sticks (don't ask, I'd forgotten my breakfast) I clicked into work mode and focussed on the job of the day, which was to see if there were any Snowfinch in the Cadi-Moixero Natural Park.
As I headed down the mountain in search of relative heat, I stopped to watch the curious sight of a huge Griffon Vulture flapping vigorously - if Griffon Vultures can ever flap vigorously - towards my windscreen. The next five minutes saw over 20 birds, all doing the same and all heading, almost in a line, straight towards me. As they arrived directly above my head, they rested and allowed themselves to be carried upwards into a neat, ever-ascending circle. Finding a thermal wasn't quite what I had intended when I went in search of a little warmth but it was gratefully received and provided a rare moment when I find these birds interesting. Well let's face it, they don't exactly do much usually, do they?
Unfortunately the hour's drive to Cad-Moixero turned out to be a waste (almost) as the area was covered from head to toe in woolly hats, gloves and ski-boots - as well as my breakfast, I'd also forgotten it was a bank holiday!
Oddly enough an almost exact repeat of my vulture experience fortuitously provided my moment of the day as, having been watching yet more low-thermalling Griffons, I suddenly looked up at a chirp above my head to see my self almost smothered in about 140 circling Alpine Chough (below).
How they managed to get so close without me seeing them I don't know but I watched and listened until they drew away from the thermal, lined up and noisily left the intruding snow-revellers to find a bit of peace and quiet.
And so did I.
.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
30 November 2008 - Spain Birding: November 2008 Summary
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
A male Hen Harrier floated across our eye-line whilst watching a flock of about 80 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse feeding nearby. As it passed it put up a mixed flock of passerines including Corn Bunting, Crested Lark, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, White Wagtail, Linnet and House Sparrows.
This trip to THE STEPPES OF LLEIDA on the 21st had started slowly in thickish fog, with barely more than a lone Little Bustard flushed in front of the car, a perched Merlin ignoring passerine-snacks galore and a flock of about fifty Red-billed Chough. But the sighting of these Pin-tailed Sandgrouse signaled a change in fortunes.
With each careful step that Mark Hiley, the photographer, took the sandgrouse followed suit and collectively waddled away. Not wanting to flush them he returned to the cover of the car after a few paces and we marvelled at their plumage through scope and bins.
Even when a Peregrine flew over and landed in the next field they barely stirred, only raising their heads and, for a few moments, froze. After they returned to business-as-usual we set about scanning for Little Bustard and a fortuitous Common Kestrel landing on a post gave away two heads poking up over the vegetation.
When they flew, which they did for reasons unknown, a magnificent twenty-four shot up into the air and circled over our heads, rather unusually taking some time before they landed back where they started and eventually began to spread out in a line to feed on the field boundary.
This in turn caused the Peregrine to take flight and, as it inadvertently passed directly over the Sandgrouse, they too were spooked, this time taking the opposite flightpath but again circling overhead before disappearing into the distance.
After finishing up lunch, we made a late decision to move onto LOS MONEGROS and, with barely an hour left of daylight, caught up with a flock of 10 Black-bellied Sandgrouse with a lone, evidently smaller Pin-tailed Sandgrouse keeping them company.
We spent some time distinguishing Thekla Lark, shown below in two photos with the distinct breast streaks and smaller bill that distinguishing it from the similar Crested Lark...
Amongst the trip's other highlights were several Little Owl, Red Kite swooping over the car, and Southern Grey Shrike keeping watch seemingly throughout the day. A Hoopoe, always welcome, and a cheerful Dartford Warbler also put in appearances but my favourite was a single Fieldfare looking forlorn beside a fruitless orchard.
A fantastic and much-welcomed outing, after having to take a couple of weeks off through illness, on what turned out to be a bright, fresh November day.
Elsewhere, a last-day dash up to the Emporda was the pick, despite missing out on the seemingly resident Sociable Lapwing after searching through flocks of hundreds and hundreds of Northern Lapwing and Golden Plover near Pals.
Peppered between them were almost as many passerines including several Water Pipit amongst the Meadow Pipit, a handful of Cirl Bunting amongst the Reed Bunting and blankets of Tree Sparrow and Chaffinch.
Winter of course is typified by flocking and it provides opportunitities both for us to watch and study species behaving differently and for raptors to glean the benefits by way of day-long snacking. Common Buzzard were on every post it seemed and one was observed, mid-field and grounded, feasting on what looked like a Common Starling. A post-top Common Kestrel was also seen eating a small passerine, a handful of Marsh Harrier were ever-present and a male Sparrowhawk alternated between resting on a ploughed soil-sod nearby and swooping up to help me spot the Sociable Plover in spooked flight with the fields other occupants.
More flocks, of Eurasian Curlew (pictured below), Monk Parakeet (above) and gulls galore were much appreciated once I arrived at the Aiguamolls reserve for a quick look at the beach.
Two flocks of around a dozen Balearic Shearwater each flapped past the beach as I stepped onto the sand but I couldn't get my camera out quick enough but at least the flocks kept on coming, if never again so close, for the next hour. Between time I enjoyed the 6 adult diving Northern Gannet offshore, fly by Sanderling, Sandwich Tern and Grey Plover - all seeming to take offence at my presence - and a lone Red-throated Diver playing hide and seek in the bob and swell of the Mediterranean waves.
My surprise of the day however was reserved for a single and particlarly late-leaving Pallid Swift weaving between a pair of Crag Martin at the water treatment works near the main reserve.
P.S. The 29th saw the return of Siskin, albeit briefly, to the garden feeders.
.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
30 September 2008 - Spain Birding: September 2008 Summary
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
Barcelona and the wetlands of Llobregat and Ebro Delta
September sees the real start of the raptor migration down the coast and, if you're anywhere near Barcelona, that means regular visits to the raptor viewpoints at Collserola Park. The usual overhead array of southbound Honey Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Osprey, Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Sparrowhawk and Hobby are joined by the occasional Black Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Black Stork and, this year on the final day of the month, a quite amazing Greater Spotted Eagle (to be ratified).
Some of these, especially Osprey and Marsh Harrier, also take the lowland route through the Llobregat wetland reserves and are often joined by Montagu's Harrier, the last of which was seen on the 16th at Remolar-Filipines and on the 18th hugging the Garraf coastline.
Many passerines are also passing through at this time of year of course and Common Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Whinchat, Pied Flycatcher and Willow Warbler can be seen at most sites, joined by coastal accumulations of spanish Yellow Wagtail and Roller (last seen on 19th in Llobregat and on the 20th in the Ebro Delta, where a single individual put on a spectacular blue-flashing, bug-catching, car-side display).
Last entries for Little Bittern (10th), Squacco Heron (20th) and Purple Heron (20th, mostly juveniles latterly) were also recorded, although the latter two species in particular are increasingly seen over winter. Many such as Reed and Great Reed Warbler won't finally leave until next month of course and resident breeders like Eurasian Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Common Waxbill and Penduline Tit were seen to gradually spend more time at Llobregat as the month progressed.
“Brilliant. Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable day in Barcelona.
Without your help and experience we would never have been able to find those sites. The day was a perfect contrast to the inevitable hustle and bustle of the city and yet just 15 minutes on the metro to your pick-up point."
Betty & John Winnard, U.K. (Llobregat and Collserola, Barcelona)
Joining them, even at this early juncture, ready for the onset of winter, were Black-necked Grebe (although a stunning summer-plumaged individual was seen on the Ebro Delta on the 9th), Greylag Goose, Lapwing, Common Snipe and, amongst the many thousands of arriving ducks, you may pick out a brief passage visit, as we did, from the regal Northern Pintail.
The advance of the month sees a change in another duck as the moulting Red-crested Pochard were first seen coming out of their eclipse and into the splendour of their full breeding plumage from the 20th. This day, on the Ebro Delta, also saw the famous Western Reef Heron x Little Egret hybrid at close quarters, up to 100 Glossy Ibis feeding in a nearby muddy field, flocking Lesser Short-toed Lark, a rather ill Hobby sulking in a tree, several fish-eating Osprey and the first sighting of one of my most eagerly-awaited winter arrivals, the enigmatic and surprisingly cryptic Bluethroat - singing!
The usual seabirds - including Audouin's Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Caspian Tern and juvenile Black Tern - were visible throughout and most species of European wader were quite easily picked off, especially on the Ebro Delta. Particular highlights however were one or two Temminck's Stint close at hand, a cluster of three Marsh Sandpiper (9th) and the continuation of the rather incredible influx of vagrant Pectoral Sandpiper that Catalonia, and Spain for that matter, has seen over the past few weeks (last sighting, 20th).
"We thoroughly enjoyed our three days with you. You certainly know your Spanish birds and where to find them. An additional plus was the fact that our birding treks with you took us to some interesting off-the-beaten-track locations. Thanks for a very productive birding experience."
Julian & Lynn Lee, New Mexico (Ebro Delta, Steppes, Llobregat, Garraf)
Away from the wet - the Steppes and the Garraf Massif
The departure of Black Kite from the Steppes are timed perfectly to accommodate their Red Kite cousins dropping into the lowlands to occupy the same niche for the winter. Similarly Montagu's Harrier, a male and female last seen on the 8th, move over for the imminent arrival of Hen Harrier as they sprawl over the countryside.
Golden Eagle too, mostly white-windowed first-winters and other immatures, are evicted into the massive expanse of non-irrigated flatlands and are joined by Griffon Vulture and of course the usual movement of migrant hawks, buzzards, falcons and eagles. The highlight was a rather late and beautifully lit male Lesser Kestrel refusing to take flight from the car-side on the 23rd.
The even-closer Little Owl put on regular performances of doing nothing but staring as they believed themselves to be camouflaged against rock and ruins but their stillness was contrasted with the antithesis of scampering flocks of Dotterel, observed in the same loyal patches year after year.
But of course it's always the steppe birds that hold centre stage and the disappointment of my first two visits was finally melted away by the sight of eight male Great Bustard having arrived at their wintering grounds in Los Monegros, their tail fluffing and wagging presumably an assertion of hierarchy as the group builds in numbers and settles in for the winter. Now they will be easily found until at least February.
September is a difficult month for Little Bustard however as the disadvantages and consequences of their moult renders them harder to find, as is the case with Stone-curlew (Eurasian Thick-knee) as their numbers shrink as the month grows older and expand instead at coastal sites. Black-bellied Sandgrouse, on the other hand, were generous in their presence, even if they didn't always provide us with the thrill of close ground views, and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse only failed us on one occasion. The intricate feather-detail of this bird on the ground is truly a sight to behold.
No danger either of disappointment from the representatives of the Alaudidae, with Calandra, Thekla, Crested, Sky-, Wood- and both Lesser and Greater Short-toed Larks all putting in regular appearances and, on the 23rd, a juvenile Woodchat Shrike put in a farewell appearance on behalf of its species.
We were similarly accommodated by the residents of the Garraf Natural Park, with Bonelli's Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Blue Rock Thrush, Southern Grey Shrike, Crested Tit, Rock Bunting and Rock Sparrow all making us feel welcome. Audouin's Gull and resting mediterranean Eurasian Shag were also regular highlights and there were last-sightings for Bee-eater (19th), Golden Oriole (10th) and Red-rumped Swallow (10th), two juvenile of which were perched on a cable above the car and confirmed a good year for this localised and uncommon breeder.
“We had a great day! When we’re back in the area I'll be sure to get in touch.
Our main target species was Great Bustard and we got excellent views of a number of birds, both on the ground and in flight. In addition we also saw several firsts for Europe - Bluethroat, Calandra Lark, Purple Swamphen and Black-bellied Sandgrouse.
All in all, a fascinating and enjoyable day with a knowledgeable and interesting guide. The hurried (FREE add-on tour!) visit to Llobregat at the end of the day was a definite bonus.”
Julie and Chris Dawson, U.K. (Steppes and Llobregat)
The Emporda
I only had the opportunity to visit this area once in September but a short adventure in the hinterland of the Cap de Creus Natural Park on the 24th threw up most of the usual migrant passerines together with a number of entertaining Pallid Swift and Woodlark.
Most of the day was spent in the Aiguamolls de L'Emporda however and it couldn't have started - or the month ended - much better with no less than twenty species sharing a small pool overlooked by a raised hide. Initially a Glossy Ibis was the star attraction, with Spotted and Common Redshank, Green, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Ruff, Common Snipe and Greenshank all scuttling about the shallows and water-edges around it like a gathering of awe-struck teenagers.
But a sneaky entrance from not one but two bold Water Rail soon upstaged them all and the opportunity to study its plumage and feeding habits for over half an hour was only challenged for excitement by an absolutely pristeen Bluethroat flying in and landing right by the side of one of them.
Several attempts to tear ourselves away failed but we were rewarded, when we finally did so, by Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit and a swarm of nervous Linnets seemingly unable to decide just where to settle for a late breakfast. Other moments to mention were yet more migrating raptors including Honey-buzzard and Short-toed Eagle, a small group of mainly juvenile Red-rumped Swallows hawking over the fields around Tres Ponts and a field of cryptic Stone-curlew appearing like magic one by one until a passing truck encouraged take-off - and there was almost 100 of them!
“Just a quick note to thank you for a nice day in the field. You certainly nailed some good spots and id’d many species that I would have missed or been totally unable to make out.
This was a nice itinerary, ideally varied for someone like me. I'll give you a pre-advice of when I will be back in Barcelona.”
Mark Harris, USA (Cap de Creus, Aiguamolls)
.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
30 June 2008 - Spain Birding: June 2008 Summary
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
A quite superb start to the month with a day one birding trip, the first of a couple out here over the following weeks, to the STEPPES OF LLEIDA. My American clients had been with me a few days but this was the one they were looking forward to and they weren't disappointed when we found a handful of Little Bustard skulking - and calling - adjacent to a similar number of Stone-curlew in some long grass.
And with three Red-footed Falcon (we had five for the day including a male) perched post-top in the same field we really didn't know where to look and panic-swapped between scope and bins for a minute or so until we realised they weren't going anywhere. Not until, a few minutes later, a male Little Bustard threw itself up into the air and flapped a full circle over the steppes in front of us. Little Bustard have a peculiar wing-whistle as they fly, caused by a longer primary feather, that serves as the equivalent of the contact call in flocks of passerines, and we could hear it clearly until it flopped back into the same field, startling a half-dozen Stone-curlew that upped and settled down again a few metres away.
"Stephen was an excellent guide, he knew exactly what I wanted to see on the day and made every effort to ensure that as many of these were on our route. His knowledge of the area and the associated birds was fantastic, and I would definitely call him up again if I was visiting Barcelona or the surrounding area."
Joel Lund, UK (Llobregat and Garraf)
Ground-feeding Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, a few Roller, Red-rumped Swallow, Red-billed Chough, both Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrike, and a pair of Penduline Tit making repeated visits to their nest were all easy enough to find as usual and some of the songsters in a small tour-hardened copse included Nightingale, Golden Oriole and Melodious Warbler.
Black and Black-eared Wheatears, Cirl and Corn Bunting, Spotted Flycatcher, Rock Sparrow and Little Owl also were present and correct but it was a craving for more raptors that spurred us on. We picked off a Peregrine, lots of Black Kite (on one occasion two marshalling a lone Honey-buzzard out of the area), and a perched Lesser Kestrel - a struggling breeder that's subject to a local support scheme - until a couple of soaring Short-toed Eagles made us stop once again and get out of the car.
We soon saw that another was stretching its wings in a tree nearby and, while we were watching, three more joined the possy - six in all! - accompanied by a stunning, and significantly smaller, light-phase Booted Eagle.
En route to the local dump on a mission to add yet more we were distracted fleetingly by a fistful of not-so-usual Pallid Swift and for some minutes by the incredible spectacle of a Magpie feeding at least two of the three nestling Great Spotted Cuckoo cackling a pressure-triangle around it. I prefer the juvenile of this species, with its dark cap and golden-toasted primaries, to the adult birds anyway but seeing them like this, as their out-in-the-open escapades mean we often do at this time of year, is something else.
Once at the dump, amid the hundreds of White Stork and Cattle Egret, new raptors included a perched Hobby, Griffon Vulture and, spotted in the distance but obligingly heading towards us, a quite wonderful close watch of an adult Egyptian Vulture. Always worth putting up with the smell of rotting rubbish.
There was no letting up on raptors, despite the late start, with a next-day trip to the PYRENEES, when the day's main target was located around two o'clock. Our first sighting of the huge cruciform raptor initiated excited cries of Lammergeier as soon as it sailed over the top of a nearby ski-lodge and we watched it drop down over an all-too-close ridge. Unsatisfied on such a brief morsel, we jumped back into the car and dirt-tracked it around to where I guessed it was heading. Five minutes later, and reputation still intact, we found it perched on a favourite high rock, casting its kingly gaze over its domain like a lion.
We didn't calm until several minutes after it departed, when we took advantage of the small meadow in front of us to pick off a flock of the extraordinarily beautiful Citril Finch - as well as singing tree-top Crossbill, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a seemingly endless supply of Short-toed Treecreeper in the surounding pines. Too many of them masked the location of a singing Common Cuckoo however.
Similarly, but far more infuriatingly, neither could we steal even the merest glimpse of any of the three Black Woodpecker shreaking and calling to each other, despite one of them clearly being no more than five metres away from us. I can't think of a decent description of this bird's call but, in all truth, it does make me ponder over what a car alarm would sound like if it were able to get pissed off after being ignored for a month or so.
Singing elsewhere, with more dulcet tones, were a beligerent Song Thrush, two male Bullfinch, Rock Bunting and, rising and falling in courtship, several Northern Wheatear.
As we reached and drove beyond the tree-line, we were treated to stunning views of stunning birds such as Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Red-backed Shrike, many pink-flushed Water Pipit, a lone Tawny Pipit and a car-side Alpine Chough before a flock of its Red-billed cousins noisily attracted our attention to the awsome sight of them chasing an adult golden-headed Golden Eagle through the tree-spiked face of a nearby cliff. And all that in barely half a day.
A trip out around the Barcelona area on the 11th with two Australian clients, Jack and Alan, saw the sun break through after an hour's rain and shine on almost 100 species including Collared Pratincole, Gull-billed Tern, Squacco, Purple and Night Heron, Little Bittern, Audouin's Gull, Red-crested Pochard and Iberian Green Woodpecker at the LLOBREGAT DELTA. Although my personal favourite was an unusual Oystercatcher on the beach at Cal Tet.
But the GARRAF delighted as usual with a surprise early-morning sub-adult male Montagu's Harrier skimming the vines of all places as well as Thekla Lark, Tawny Pipit, great views of Hoopoe and Bee-eater and, my personal highlight, a male Rock Thrush remaining and breeding in a much more accessible place than last year. Sightings of Red-rumped Swallow, another localised breeder, were also very pleasing as was a lone Crag Martin skimming the cliffs. Unfortunately, Black Wheatear wasn't seen all month, further giving credence to the theory that it's position as a breeder is under serious threat.
We were also afforded the sight of a Hobby picking apart an insect snack on the wing, an uncommon (for summer) Common Buzzard and a brief view of a Bonelli's Eagle from above, although a superb adult was watched hunting and landing pretty close two days later.
Two Peregrines along Garraf's coast were perched out in the open and could be seen without difficulty throughout the month along with a handful of desmerestii Eurasian Shag, countless singing Blue Rock Thrush and the occasional Audouin's Gull.
A list of reliables for this month include Turtle Dove, Little Owl, Golden Oriole, Pallid and Alpine Swift, Black-eared Wheatear, Song Thrush (very few) and many warblers but without doubt the orange-eyed, road-sitting and churring Common Nightjar would top the list.
On the 26th, all the Llobregat Delta's usual suspects were joined by a small possy of Greater Flamingo, a pair of Eurasian Spoonbill, a zinging flock of Common Waxbill and both Spanish Yellow Wagtail and Black-tailed Godwit started making their late-summer appearances, the latter presumably failed breeders. But a glorious juvenile Ruddy Shelduck right under my nose in the Filipines hide proved to be the moment of the month for me. Beautiful bird.
A day later and I was back again with a client and Penduline Tit and Alpine Swift were the also-rans amongst the usual fair and 'nice-surprise' visits from a Little Tern and an out of season Northern Lapwing.
"“It’s been a fantastic trip. I certainly didn’t expect to see so many birds so close.”
Marius Robinson, USA, Rosa, Cuba (Steppes, Pyrenees, Llobregat, Garraf, Ebro Delta)
.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
31 May 2008 - Spain Birding: May 2008 Summary
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
The month began on the 1st at Riet Vell in the EBRO DELTA with what turned out to be a farewell performance from the magnificent female Little Crake as high rains and subsequent water levels seem to have pushed her away shortly afterwards.
May clearly is a time for migrants and the Ebro Delta offered us the chance to see a great number of the passerine species mentioned in the report below including many of the warblers, flycatchers, thrushes and wheatears. But the larger water birds that make the delta so famous throughout Europe will simply not be outdone and we were treated to quite unbeatable views of Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo and several species of herons (inc. Little Bittern, Night Heron, Great Egret) as well as car-side Collared Pratincole, many gulls and terns and reedstem Savi's Warblers reeling a welcome from the moment we arrived.
Our search for Lammergeier in the PYRENEES ended almost as soon as we arrived, throughout the month, with early morning sightings of a pair of adults lazing around a cliff face close to a local farm. Invariably they were joined by Short-toed and Golden Eagles, a pair of Peregrine and, on the 21st, a finely-marked Goshawk sailing overhead and joining the rising tower in the single, very popular, thermal. The 2nd was also noteworthy for a small group of passing Bee-eaters heading off into France.
An apparently lonely Common Cuckoo was seen close at hand on the same post on repeated visits but a pair of (White-throated) Dipper appeared to have more luck, raising a brood under the village bridge before the snow-melt lifted the water level to drown out its favourite perching rocks and it wasn't seen again. The expected list of Pyrenean passerines included Citril Finch, Common Crossbill, Ring Ouzel (sub-species alpestris), Crested Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, Firecrest and Grey Wagtail, with playful gatherings of pink-throated Water Pipit, Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear and Rock Thrush seemingly chasing and arguing over everything from territory boundaries to freshly defrosted insects along the melting snow line.
Both Red-billed and Alpine Chough were accommodating as usual with Red-backed Shrike also predictable, arriving right on cue on the 21st, but we had to settle for a single sighting of the unusually quiet Black Woodpecker, perhaps the disappointment of the month.
Back in the GARRAF and it was all about migration. Whether just passing through or staying on to breed, or both, we were treated to post-nightly rain sightings of Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Bonelli's and Garden Warbler as well as Whinchat, Northern Wheatear, Pied Flycatcher, Tawny Pipit and a single Tree Pipit (on the 11th). The latter was joined by more Spotted Flycatchers than I've ever seen in a day and a Hobby chasing Common and Alpine Swifts. This day was also marked by a very close Peregrine perched on La Falconera and a Scops Owl brazenly calling at five in the afternoon!
The last of the Common Redstarts proved to be a male seen on the 12th whilst a male Rock Thrush observed in song flight suggested continued breeding for the area's declining population. I hold similar trepidation, though no reason to panic, with regards to my falling records of Southern Grey Shrike in the area (we do need those brush fires back) but increasing numbers of European Shag (sub-species desmarestii), seemingly later Audouin's Gulls and a pair of Roller hanging around from the 16th-22nd, following last year's sighting around the same time, offers some encouragement. And we also witnessed a Little Owl in a new location and a male Golden Oriole building a nest by the side of the road.
In the LLOBREGAT DELTA, a rare black-headed Yellow Wagtail (sub-species feldegg) we picked out amongst a flock of the local iberiae caused a stir on the 3rd, when we also witnessed the last of the Glossy Ibis to pass through. The rest of the month provided the usual Collared Pratincole, Spoonbill, waders and herons, including Little Bittern, as well as the migrants, with Wood Warbler through on the 11th and the last of the Sand Martin seen skimming the air cushion above the lagoon water on the 13th.
A surprise summer-plumage Black-necked Grebe (see photo) at Cal Tet was certainly a major highlight but for me the awe-inspiring (and repeated) sight of all three marsh terns - Whiskered, Black and White-winged Terns - in turns resting, squabbling and hawking just in front of the hide is absolutely unbeatable and THE event I look forward to every april and may.
Fields full of Black Kite and white Cattle Egret typified the STEPPES throughout May but there was plenty more to go around with Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Hobby and first-winter Golden Eagle all adding to the regularly high raptor count. A steady flow of Honey Buzzard gave great views throughout the month but there does seem to be less Lesser Kestrels than last year. Even worse, it seems, for the Montagu's Harrier with no apparent nesting in the area at all after last year's success but the euro-wide influx of Red-footed Falcons added spectacular numbers and views - as they perched in the fields in the cool morning before hawking around our ears as the insects rose with the heat - to the usual passage cuota for this area with as many as 15 birds seen at close quarters from the 13th onwards.
As for the Steppe birds themselves, I was encouraged by an apparent increase in breeding and displaying pairs of Little Bustard towards the end of the month, perhaps having adapted to a seemingly late start in the crop cycle. The same could be said of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, and Stone-curlew seem to be unaffected in any case. More alarming however is the total absence of Quail which were neither heard nor seen after a very good showing last year.
Adult Great Spotted Cuckoo went out with the month as the april flocks turned to pairs and the pairs to lone birds before they too disappeared, leaving us to bridge the few days gap before the juveniles begin to show. Calandra, Thekla, Short-toed and other larks showed well as always, as did Little Owl, and we even had two pairs of Roller in adjacent territories where last year there was one. At least two pairs of Red-rumped Swallow too.
On the 18th not even a singing and seen Western Orphean Warbler - in an area frequented by Black and Black-eared Wheatear - could top a pair of ground-roosting Red-necked Nightjar (first seen 13th), which we quietly watched for some minutes, affording us the opportunity to mark the subtle differences between sexes before leaving them in peace. This is always the clients' high point, whether here for a day tour or a week, and its viewed in a small wood where Nightingale, Golden Oriole and a host of warblers could be heard singing and we tracked two pairs of Penduline Tit through nest-building to laying.
Trips to the CAP DE CREUS and AIGUAMOLLS DE L'EMPORDA on the 19th and 27th presented us with some very nice views of some very active Western Orphean Warblers, which seemed to have territories everywhere. Unfortunately, and strangely, Wryneck was only heard but a graceful female Montagu's Harrier and a stunningly close migrating Honey Buzzard, banking and flapping its way across our point of view, more than made up for it on the first trip and a hide-side Little Bittern adjacent to a singing Common Cuckoo did likewise on the second.
Other highlights here were summer-plumage waders such as Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin and a lone neatly-packaged black-headed Little Gull resting in the shallows of El Mata.
Thanks to Michael Frankling for the excellent photos.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
30 April 2008 - Spain Birding: April 2008 Summary
The month began with a spectacular trip to the CAP DE CREUS that, together with a brief but busy end-of-the-day stop off at Mas Mata in the AIGUAMOLLS, produced 105 species! A thorough run through and some great photos can be viewed here on Zac Hinchcliffe's Blog.
My first Woodchat Shrike wasn't seen until the 10th, next to a stunning and silent Common Cuckoo - both at Cal Tet, LLOBREGAT, but there have been plenty since. The same day also brought the first eagerly-awaited Collared Pratincole and a birding tour on the 19th added Turtle Dove, Knot and a host of other waders including Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, Turnstone and flocks of Curlew Sandpiper.
A few Spotted Flycatchers began coming through on the 21st to join their Pied cousins that have been around since the beginning of the month. Black-eared Wheatear and Common Redstart, both first seen in March, continued to move through and there were plenty of Pallid Swift in the GARRAF together with a pair of Red-rumped Swallow still hanging around a site where they attempted breeding last year. New arrivals on the 22nd were two singing Nightingale and a pair of extremely close Tawny Pipits.
And on the 23rd, after recording a strange Chiffchaff singing in THE GARRAF, I later confirmed my first Catalan Iberian Chiffchaff. A little fortuitous as I heard it after stopping to allow a car to pass but I got great views at face height, with its more Willow Warbler-like leg colour.
Willow Warblers were everywhere, with groups of up to twenty in each Almond Tree. The fruit seems to attract the insects that in turn attract the warblers, others being Sub-alpine, singing Bonelli's, Garden and a Spectacled in the same tree for four days. Common Whitethroat, Dartford Warbler and of course Sardinian Warbler were all nearby also.
A birding tour to THE STEPPES on the 24th brought my first Whinchat and we also witnessed mating Hoopoe and a male Great Spotted Cuckoo distracting a Magpie whilst the female paid a discrete visit to its nest. However, although the list of key steppe species was complete, the recent scrapping of the subsidies for 'set-aside' seems to have resulted in significantly less fallow ground and noticeably less numbers of both Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and Little Bustard. Stone-curlew numbers don't seem to have been affected but I haven't heard a single Quail this year, a drastic change from last year's cacophany.
Back in the Garraf, the last few days of April continued with raptor passage of Honey Buzzard and
Short-toed Eagle, and Scops Owl and European Nightjar arrived to join some very active Bonelli's Eagles. Golden Orioles had already begun singing in the garden, Rock Sparrows had de-flocked and paired up and Ortolan Bunting finally put in an appearance.
A passing Caspian Tern and the final Garganey disappeared from Llobregat but the 30th welcomed a simply stunning Wood Warbler by the car window to kick off the Redfern's birding holiday with a flourish.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
31 March 2008 - Spain Birding: March 2008 Summary
These two birding tour reports pretty much have this month covered:
Spring in the Steppes, 25 March 2008
Birding in Spain Holiday, 17-23 March 2008
but other highlights included a superb Ferruginous Duck at Cal Tet, LLOBREGAT on the 10th with singing Moustached Warbler, Barn Swallows, House Martin and Garganey also present. Black-winged Stilts arrived at Cal Tet on the 12th to join a pair of Pintail whilst in the GARRAF Alpine Accentor still hung around the car parks and the odd Gannet showed off-shore.
The last day of the month saw over 90 species in just four hours of birding around LLOBREGAT including year firsts of Pallid Swift, Common Swift, Whimbrel and Red-rumped Swallow.
|
|
Comments (2) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
25 March 2008 - Spring in The Steppes (Spain Birding)
A day tour with Sam and Jamie Durrant, who kindly supplied his photos, on their quest for Great Spotted Cuckoos.
Due to a deliberately late start, traffic problems and wind building through out the day, we had to work hard for our birds today but these two Little Bustards, one of the first to pair up and set up a territory, would have made it worthwhile on their own.
Flocks of up to one hundred Calandra Larks and a couple of dozen Lesser Short-toed Larks sent up a welcoming chorus as I wound down the car window upon our arrival in the Steppes. Unfortunately, about the same number of dust grains blasted onto my eye balls and I wound it up again, deciding I'd appreciate their song another time.
We moved on quickly to try and capitalise on what little of the morning was left and were entertained by car side Hoopoe, several Stone-curlew and a stunning Black-eared Wheatear before a Black Kite did us a favour and flushed a small flock of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, which complained noisily as they headed off over the horizon.
A thorough scan of the surrounding fields failed to find any more but it did refill my eyes with dust thankfully just after locating four Dotterel that had been historically over-wintering in the area since december. As usual during this time they had been politely posing for photos, a habit that seemed to be catching on as a Thekla Lark followed suit a few minutes later.
A diversion to nearby Aspa provided a welcome break from the wind and dust and an even more welcome opportunity for Jamie to pick up a lifer. A short hunt ended with both male and female Black Wheatears showing well to complete the set for Spain (several migrating Northern Wheatear had already been ticked).
Blue Rock Thrush, Southern Grey Shrike, Corn Bunting, Red-billed Chough and Short-toed Eagle all delayed our arrival at a small almond orchard bordered by the all important pine trees that serve up the normally distateful caterpillars that our main target bird loves to gobble up. We spent the next twenty minutes or more, accompanied by flocks of Linnets, head-shaving Alpine Swift and yet more Stone-curlew, stalking ever-better views of around seven or eight noisy and very flighty Great Spotted Cuckoos.
Once one settled in the fork of a nearby almond and sat there for a long-awaited study Jamie did his customary 'lifer dance' (whilst I was looking the other way) and we were happy.
Time then for a quick stop at the dump to watch the hundreds of White Storks, Black-headed Gulls, Black Kites and Cattle Egrets (about a hundred of which rose up like the week before to float along side the car as we drove through) to fight it out over luncheon scraps. A lone Red Kite made a last gasp attempt to get the 'raptor of the day' award as it descended over the car but an amazing assault of a Merlin on a passing Barn Swallow, failing in four attempts to tuck in to a late lunch, had already won that hands down.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
24 March 2008 - Catalonia guided birding holiday (Spain Birding, 17-23 March 2008)
"Thank you for a wonderful week. Great birds, great lunches and a beautiful area. We liked staying in one place and not having to pack up every night."
Younga Hennesey, Edwin Mayer, USA
Here's brief highlights of a week-long birding tour of Catalonia from 17 - 23 March 2008.
17.03.08 - Llobregat, Filipines-Remolar
A few hours at Filipines, Llobregat after the hotel pick-up saw the now usual Black-winged Stilts, Garganey, Greater Flamingoes and a host of waders on the thankfully exposed muddy borders to the reserve's lagoons. A close flock of about 40 Balearic Shearwaters and a floating Audouin's Gull from Remolar beach were quite superb but a single brand-new, brightly coloured male Common Redstart near the entrance barrier took some beating.
18.03.08 - The Ebro Delta
From an early welcome by a male Peregrine as we made our way to L'Encanyissada a flood of tireless Sand Martins and Barn Swallows provided a backdrop throughout the day. Other spring arrivals included Garganey, Purple Heron, Willow Warbler and a handful of spanish Yellow Wagtail with one particularly yellow individual really standing out against a bank a dark sticky mud.
Thankfully there was enough of this stuff about to attract 16 species of waders, all in good numbers, with even a single pink Water Pipit stepping between the toes of a small gathering of Little Ringed Pover and Green and Common Sandpipers.
The light phase Booted Eagle that has stayed over winter made a few appearances during the day including hovering over Riet Vell where, for the day's highlight, two ABSOLUTELY SUPERB Little Crakes tip-toed lightly over floating vegetation for repeated viewings and photo calls.
A small flock of Lesser Short-toed Larks, the resident presumed Western Reef Heron x Little Egret and a solitary Red-breasted Merganser all provided a little excitement around La Tancada.
At Les Olles, about 40 Whiskered Tern, all in winter plumage, hawked over the lagoon with a soon-to-depart still-bluey Bluethroat making us work for a decent view in the reeds there and a singing Moustached Warbler eventually doing likewise. The nearby Golero hosted Glossy Ibis, both Slender-billed and Audouin's Gulls and a small group of very showy Caspian Tern finally settled down for a snooze.
19.03.08 - The Pyrenees (plus Garraf)
Relentless rainfall and heavy snow scuppered our chances of bagging a few Pyrenean species to add to our growing list but we did use the occasional breaks to watch the bird life around a tributary of the river Llobregat. Rock Bunting, Blackcap, Wren, Grey and White Wagtail and Willow Warbler all did their best to cheer us up but we were more than happy watching the comings and goings of no less than three (White-throated) Dippers apparently nest-building under the eaves of a bridge.
A Red Kite sailed over the car en route home to the Garraf where we enjoyed the local Red-legged Partridges and watched the Siskin and Crested Tits on the garden feeders!
20.03.08 - Garraf Massif, Llobregat Delta
The morning couldn't have started better with the year's first gleaming black-throated form of the Black-eared Wheatear perched on top of a pruned grape vine. Nearby Cirl Bunting, Spotless Starling, Rock Sparrow and a host of finches, wagtails and other passerines kept us busy until we headed off to Cal Tet, the newest addition to the chain of birding spots in the Llobregat Delta.
After being welcomed by a streaky Squacco Heron - Ed's bird of the week - we discovered that the long-staying White-fronted Goose was staying a little longer, along with two male Wigeon. A pinkish Water Pipit joined a small school of waders (Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt and a gloriously close Black-tailed Godwit) picking morsels from the water's edge.
In the centre of the lagoon both Common and Red-crested Pochard dived for dinner whilst a Kingfisher did likewise from a overhanging reed on the border. A stunning golden-lined Purple Heron then landed right in front of us - with a wriggling terrapin in its bill!
At Fiilipines-Remolar a blood-red crab similarly fell victim to a Glossy Ibis which proceded to peel off its legs before gulping the rest down in one go! Meanwhile, another first for the year apparently struggled on to find a snake or two as a Short-toed Eagle hovered over almost every section of the reserve.
21.03.08 - The Steppes of Lleida and Los Monegros
Where to start? From the moment we arrived and stopped next to a Calandra lark, perched singing a few feet away, we never stopped. A few worried moments ensued after discovering the three key steppe species were not in 'their usual places' but a handful of Stone-curlew, a few small flocks of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and a gathering of 14 Little Bustard all thrilled - at very close range! - eventually.
In the meantime we added a good number of cackling Great Spotted Cuckoo, a couple of Southern Grey Shrike, an Alpine Swift and re-located three of the wintering Dotterel in the area. A Little Owl watched on as a flock of Jackdaws saw off a Common Buzzard and nearby both forms of Black-eared Wheatear mixed it with many of their Northern cousins. After a brief chase, we even added a pair of Black Wheatear to complete the set. All the larks including Thekla and Lesser Short-toed Larks were plentiful for comparisons and, yet again, the local dump provided a theatrical display, with one Red Kite in particular refusing to give up its lunch despite the dive-bombing attentions of two of the dozens and dozens of Black Kites dispersed across the waste site.
My moment of the day though was driving through several hundred Cattle Egret that rose up simultaneously to float along side the car before a handful of Lesser Kestrels were finally found towards Los Monegros.
22.03.08 - Aiguamolls de L'Emporda
I have often called the Aiguamolls a mini-Catalunya all in itself and so it proved, with almost all habitats represented. Two steppe-land Stone-curlew stared at us from a fallow field as we arrived and, at the end of the day, a quite superb Great Spotted Cuckoo sat out in an open leafless tree.
Many species we'd seen at the other wetland sites were of course here too but El Mata, an old rice-field in the heart of the Cortalet resort, allowed us views of many wader species close enough to do without binoculars. A Red Knot trying to hide its relative bulk amongst a flock of twenty Dunlin that swooped in late in the day was the highlight. With such a good week behind us, it proved to be one of only four new species for the day, the others being Tufted Duck, Mute Swan and Cetti's Warbler (which we had only heard). Although we did find two marvellous cinerocapilla Yellow Wagtails among the parties of the local iberiae race.
Seeing everything again gave my american clients the chance for plenty of ID practice of course but even better was watching them do new things. A crab-eating Yellow-legged Gull hoarding its prize, nest-building White Storks, tap-dancing Little Ringed Plover and two immature Great Cormorants playing tug-of-war with a stick were amongst those that entertained us until the threat of rain eventually sent us packing just in time to avoid the deluge.
23.03.08 - Garraf
So few species were left on my clients' wish list after a great week that they decided to take the afternoon off but we began the morning looking for one that had avoided us, the Dartford Warbler. We were rewarded almost immediately with sunlit choristers on the bankside of the Puig d'Aliga on the edge of the Foix park.
After adding Sparrowhawk to the weeks' list, we stumbled upon a stunning male Sub-alpine Warbler making no attempt to hide amongst the brambles outside a local farm house. Nearby a usual stop produced a reliable but, on this occasion, distant Bonelli's Eagle soaring through the white clouds above the Garraf's peaks. It was close enough at least to see that it was an adult though.
Three Hoopoe, a flock of Alpine Swift and a steady flow of tits, finches and thrushes kept the morning rolling until a pair of Long-tailed Tit earned the weeks' trip a final total of 158 species.
A full list will appear soon.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
29 February 2008 - Spain Birding: February 2008 Summary
Birding in Spain in winter may not give the numbers that it does in spring but no-one would complain about the quality as we waved goodbye to the cold season with pretty much a full set of 'desirables'. Lammergeier, Wallcreeper, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse - and Dotterel!
This has to be the month of the Wallcreeper, which has been extremely obliging throughout, wing-flicking and butterflying over the crags and cliffs of the GARRAF. Even the spectacle, enjoyed by rotating 180 degrees to face the sea, of Gannets diving between flotillas of gulls and admirably supported by a fringe cast of Balearic Shearwater, Audouin’s Gull and Shag (sub-species desmarestii) was relegated to ‘time-filler’ and the Black Wheatear, Alpine Accentor and mating Peregrines hardly got a look-in.
Just down the road at LLOBREGAT the long-staying vagrant Eider Duck and White-fronted Goose continued to show at CAL TET, the latter shadowing a wintering Greylag Goose as if it had imprinted at birth. The gradual withdrawal of the region's wintering Wigeon, Golden Plover, Common Snipe and Reed Bunting was as apparent as the arrival of Garganey, Glossy Ibis, Wood Sandpiper and Whiskered Tern and the sighting of the first Barn Swallow, on the 26th, is always strongly emotive even though it no longer represents the arrival of summer for me.
A brief foggy trip to THE STEPPES on the 10th confirmed the continuing presence of 5 Dotterel that I originally found on the 29th January. Clearly overwintering, and possibly a first for this area, they are almost certainly those seen by Daniel Diaz in early December. They're photographed above with a 1st winter Golden Eagle but a pair of Stone-curlew, 16 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, a flock of 21 Little Bustard (pre-empting the hundreds locals turned up later) and a stunning male Merlin chasing larks also made an appearance before I got fogged off.
On a lagoon in THE EBRO DELTA a peregrine-like stoop from a Booted Eagle from way on high sent Northern Lapwings splashing everywhere whilst soaring Lammergeier (in THE PYRENEES) and a ghost-grey Hen Harrier flapping off into the twilight proved February is a surprisingly good time for raptors. A single day brought a full set of Great and Little Bustard and Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse but continuing flocks of Siskin (in the garden) and Brambling and a pair of Redwing near the house were too reminiscent of the U.K. not to earn them my personal ‘moments of the month’.
The Redwings marked the end of my involvement for this year in the census for Spain's Winter Bird Atlas, which turned up 85 species, more than 20 above the average, between 15th November and 15th February in the GARRAF alone.
Finally, a client trip report of an easygoing four-day birding break around Catalonia, visiting the Garraf, Llobregat Delta, the Pyrenees, the Steppes and the Ebro Delta can be viewed here: Catalonia guided birding break (Spain Birding, 11-15 Feb 2008).
.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
|
About Me
I now spend my life birding in Spain, taking every opportunity to head out on my own even when not working as a professional bird guide.
Most of the birding trip reports and photos will be from my local patch, The Garraf Massif and Llobregat Delta around Barcelona, but I also visit The Ebro Delta, The Steppes of Lleida, Los Monegros, The Pyrenees, Cap de Creus and Aiguamolls de L'Emporda.
Please e-mail me if you would like to be placed on the mailing list for this blog and I'd be happy to help with information if you're planning a bit of Spain birding your self.
If you're looking for birding holidays, short breaks and day tours in Catalonia, for families and serious birders, details can be found at www.catalanbirdtours.com.
Friends
|
