The Birdbox - birding in Spain: trip reports and photos
31 October 2009 - Spain Birding: October Summary
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
"It was an excellent day's bird watching and such an advantage to be with someone who could go immediately to the right spot, and with the expert knowledge. Thank you."
Nigel Straw, UK, Llobregat, 9.10.09
As I write I'm several months behind on my updates, so apologies for the lack of detail in this post, but an amazing few days has inspired a blog-rush and a quick hunt through some photos and personal October highlights.
My personal best in fact was moments after this photo was taken on the 30th as I turned to see a very late Red-rumped Swallow - the last I had seen was here on the 25th September! - darting and dashing towards me and, presumably, Africa! The rush seemed a little out of sorts given the morning calm, and actually somewhat comical, as if it really was earnestly trying to catch up with the rest of its species.
Sightings have become more common over the ten years since I first stepped into the Garraf, with an encouraging number of breeding birds and, funnily enough, I was to discover this nest about half a kilometre away just a few days later...
The previous thirty days had of course delivered a steady stream of migrants either passing through (a nice juvenile Ring Ouzel on the 28th), heading off after breeding (the last of the Alpine Swift over Barcelona on the 20th) or arriving for the winter. And it's flocks of the latter that always get my juices flowing...
Some Spotless Starling do continue to hang around this masia and the rest of Catalonia through the winter but the volume of Common Starlings that drop down from the north of Europe to escape the cold make them a little harder to pick out.
Even bigger - MUCH bigger - flocks can be seen in the Ebro Delta (where the month's highlight was an adult Ruddy Shelduck at the Gola de Migjorn on the 3rd) and The Steppes, where Red-billed Chough also congregate, often with Common Starlings and Jackdaw, in their hundreds...
This photo of the "Iberian" Green Woodpecker (a sub-species) was also taken out in the Steppes but can of course be seen across most of Catalonia...
And another local sub-species, the "Mediterranean" Shag, can be seen along its coasts, with particular recent breeding successes at Illes Medes, where the photo below was taken, and on the coast of the Garraf.
And some Great Cormorants on the Llobregat Delta reserve for comparison... and why not?
Well, I'll finish at the same location with these passing Ruff...
Very brief I know, but a little birding-lethargy crept in during October and, tours aside, didn't do much on my own. A decision I attempted to make up for during November...
“I visited the Ebro Delta, my second tour with Stephen, and it was a fine day in the field. I have taken guide-organized outings around the world and Stephen is a real pro.
He knows exactly where to find each species, has a sharp ear as well as a sharp eye (he caught a gannet offshore with his naked eye while making a U-turn at the shore which I would have needed a scope and scan to ID!) and he identified many inconspicuous passerines by voice before searching them out.
His planning was astute as he got us with the light at our backs for most of the day catching the best light on each of the wetlands and bays. The end of the afternoon found us gazing at several hundred flamingos, godwits, plovers and stints with perfect lighting and he picked up a few "needles in the haystack".
As the day faded our last viewing was 5 minutes from the expressway. We arrived in Barcelona exactly at 17:28 for what was promised to be a 17:30 arrival. A very efficient and well organized day where we missed little and had plenty of pleasant conversation and information about the area and its ecology beyond just IDing the bird.
30 September 2009 - Spain Birding: September 2009 update
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
“Thank you for a truly memorable holiday. There were so many highlights it would be impossible to pick out just one.The scenery & locations were stunning. Your expertise (and persistence) in locating the birds is second to none and, once seen, you afforded the best views possible, sharing your impressive identification knowledge with us. For us, a totally relaxing & enjoyable time especially with the convenience of the comfortable flat downstairs.
Keep up the good work - we can't wait to come again (possibly the end of May).”
Chris & Jean Cox, UK, 16 - 30 September 2009
This rather wonderful Short-eared Owl, seen on the Ebro Delta, allowed us to drive right up to it - and for once the camera wasn't in the boot! The blur at the bottom is the passenger window (more details and photos below).
An odd month though in terms of migration with the weather being consistently too good to either create migrant bottlenecks or hold anything down for long. Oh well, between the Pyrenees, Steppes, Ebro Delta, Aiguamolls, Cap de Creus, Llobregat and the Garraf, we still got 204 species... it just meant we had to work harder to find them.
After returning from the UK, my autumn birding got straight into full swing with a trip to the Cap de Creus and the Aiguamolls de L'Emporda on the 9th.
This sunrise is taken from Spain's most easterly point and provided a peaceful backdrop as we sat and watched the early morning unfold across the ocean. Small flocks of Balearic Shearwater were already skimming the water's surface when we arrived and more than fifty were seen by the time we left ninety minutes or so later.
Some but not all were caught trailing a circle around passing fishing boats, calmly eeking out their living amongst the panicking throngs of desperate Yellow-legged Gulls. And, for one moment only, a lone Yelkouan (Levantine) Shearwater was distinct from its estranged Balearic brothers as it chose a different determined path, seemingly certain of breakfast as it veered off, and dived into the water before settling upon the surface to devour its catch.
One particular Cory's Shearwater, of the four or so marshaling the Mediterranean here today, was not so lucky however as its dive into the wake of yet another boat was greeted greedily by a watchful Yellow-leg and we watched it being chased for perhaps more than half a kilometre before disappearing (into the sunrise) still holding its quarry.
Eurasian Shag, Northern Gannet, Pallid Swift and singing Thekla Lark and Blue Rock Thrush all filled in the gaps and, although the same species were seen on our return on the 22nd, in truth the forces of wind and weather didn't quite combine to offer up the same spectacular show.
The same could be said of migrants too as the 9th had the best of it again, with a juvenile Red-backed Shrike standing out amongst lots of Common Whitethroat and some very busy Red-rumped Swallows ready for imminent departure. Plenty of Spotted Flycatchers on the 22nd though.
And the excellent show continued on the 22nd at the Aiguamolls de L'Emporda when a small pond set the stage for a host of ducks and waders to entertain us, the best of it being two cocky Water Rail hanging around and bathing in front of the hide. There wasn't too much water about today though but the reliable Mata, as usual, bubbled with busy waders such as Northern Lapwing, Spotted Redshank and Ruff.
The foray into the Aiguamolls on the 9th was brief though - barely giving time to snatch an adult Ruddy Shelduck preening at the Estany de Europa with a moulting Black-necked Grebe diving beside it - as a rare exploration into the coast lands further south, and a very special late summer visitor, were high on our agenda.
As it turned out, the hinterlands of the Costa Brava threw up good numbers of European Bee-eaters gathering on cables ready for the off, whilst local Rock Sparrow and Southern Grey Shrike busied themselves feeding on the ground below. Sightings of passing Honey-buzzard are always a delight, especially when you find one sitting in a tree devouring lunch, and especially when it leads you to a stunning adult, light-phase Eleonora's Falcon sitting in another nearby tree!
It was our main target of the day and in fact was our only sighting. But as it sat in the telescope for more than ten minutes (dead camera batteries!!), resting and preening, before rising up before circling before flapping off towards the coast, this one sighting was more than enough.
Another arrival with the sun, this time to the Ebro Delta, saw the tranquility broken as I softly jammed on the breaks, left the car angled across the track and we jumped out to watch this first distant 'V' flock of Glossy Ibis spear its way over our heads and turn into one of the largest flocks I've ever seen (look closely)...
But by the end of the day even this spectacle would be dwarfed.
In between, as was the case on most of our visits (10th, 12th, 17th and 27th), Black-necked Grebe, Osprey, Kingfisher, Water Rail, Temminck's Stint, Black Tern and Lesser Short-toed Lark were regular.
But the lack of rain meant a lack of water so many birds were either simply moving on or perhaps, in the case of the shorebirds, thinning out and utilising pools and wet patches on field boundaries and elsewhere. Searching these was challenging but resulted in 27 wader species overall, most of which were seen on each visit.
Exceptions were two Golden Plover, one still sporting the black-belly of summer, on the 12th and apparently the last two Black-winged Stilt on the 17th, when we also had the last White-winged Tern.
There were last sightings too for Little Tern and Tawny Pipit (10th) and Little Bittern and Montagu's Harrier (12th).
In general, Common Teal had already begun to arrive by the 10th, Red-crested Pochard progressed out of eclipse into full stunning male breeding plumage and passerines, again thin on the ground, just kept on coming and going without incident.
A quite remarkable change between the 10th and 12th however saw the paddy fields boundaries simply hopping with Bluethroat, which tail-cocked their way right through the month. Some will even stay for the winter.
And, as if this wasn't enough, the 27th saw first sightings of Greylag Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Robin and Grey Wagtail all of which, whether from northern Europe or their inland breeding grounds, make their way here for the winter.
And then, at 1430 hrs, it happened. A distant 'floppy bird', glimpsed whilst watching yet another Osprey over the Fangar Bay and deep into the excitement that had whipped through the group as each fixed their binoculars on it, turned and seemed to head directly towards us. Or was it flying away?
Short-eared Owls are rare but regular passage birds in Catalonia (although some winter and fewer breed) so this would have satisfied all of us. But as it flopped nearer and nearer, being mobbed in turns by gulls, terns and herons, we quite simply couldn't believe our luck.
Not only did it fly almost directly over the car but it then stooped suddenly and landed plum in the next field, just in sight through a bushel of grass. Well why not? Slowly - VERY slowly - we drove the car, well, right next to it...
...and after more than ten minutes we allowed for the belief to sink in (my joy almost doubled by remembering for once to keep my camera with me) we started to breathe again and moved on, leaving the bird in peace, and didn't stop smiling until well into the next day.
Some birds, namely the Little Bustard and both species of sandgrouse, also presented difficulties in finding them this month, although for different reasons than the unusually clement weather.
On the 13th we struggled, only finding a flock of more than 120 mostly Pin-tailed Sandgrouse but with twenty or so Black-bellied Sandgrouse on the fringes and disappearing into the longer grass. Some of each species came in and out, giving us chance to mark their differences in flight, as they went about their feeding but the reason for the difficulty was apparent from the start - it was moulting time.
This day incidentally marked the last Black Kite and it was strange to see the municipal dump (photo below) without the 150 or so birds that frequent it through the summer. Stranger still was the absence of Woodchat Shrike after today, with juveniles usually present until the end of the month.
We missed out on Pin-tailed Sandgrouse on the 18th after extremely heavy night rain rendered many tracks impassable and forced an extensive re-route. Silver-linings and all that, with the place being covered with Northern Wheatear and other migrant passerines, and the exploration of some new old sites coming up trumps with about thirty Little Bustard over all, including the moulting individual above, and fourteen of these were even in the same place by the 24th.
Great Bustard too it seemed had arrived in full force with around twenty beautiful birds casually making themselves at home after moving a little east for the winter. Only two birds were recorded on the 24th however, although exactly the same ground wasn't covered.
Lesser Kestrel seemed to be hanging around a little later than usual with up to a handful of birds seen on each trip and Stone-curlew too, with a maximum of forty birds on the 18th giving way to nineteen on the 24th.
Hobby, Honey-buzzard (inc. one perched at the dump), Golden Eagle, Red-legged Partridge, Little Owl and Black Wheatear were all thankfully predictable but Short-toed Eagle wasn't seen out here after the 18th.
The biggest rain-induced disappointment of the 18th was the inability to track down some Dotterel but an absolutely stunning gathering of seventeen passage birds near Lleida on the 24th melted it away as we stuck around with coffee and cookies to watch them tamely feeding in the rising sunshine.
Other notables include the welcome apparent return of flocks Calandra Larks (18th to Los Monegros, 24th to Lleida), a late group of about a dozen Short-toed Larks (18th, there's always one) and good showings of Lesser Short-toed Larks, with one little chap refusing to leave the tyre-tracks in front of the car.
But one purely magical moment came when we followed a landing Griffon Vulture behind a hill in Los Monegros to discover no less than 57 birds, who proceded to lift off and land a short distance away in an open field. Not sure why they all sat like they are in the photo; will have to research it at the end of the season.
Unfortunately, the somewhat mystifying decision to close the entrance barrier through the summer and, after 15th September, still at the weekends, meant that trips to the Filipines-Remolar reserve meant a long walk in the heat - so we didn't go very often. A wise decision given that there was no water once you got there!
That said, the resulting change in habitat (supposedly resulting from a lack of rain but the adjacent water tracks of La Vidala and St. Climent were brimming!) seemed to be even more attractive for Penduline Tit, Common Waxbill and, from the 16th, Bluethroat.
No surprises that Black-winged Stilt were not seen at all during September and the last Purple Heron was recorded on the 16th but luckily Cal Tet was wet enough and hosted a reasonable supply of waders given the circumstances. Highlights though were a lovely Bonelli's Warbler and Firecrests (11th) and mid-distant views of Cory's Shearwater (20th) from the sea-tower hide.
Between Llobregat and the raptor watchpoint at Collserola, which also suffered the affects of the good weather, Osprey, Honey-buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk and Hobby were all regularly noted, and with the last of the Short-toed Eagles seen on the 25th.
During September in the Garraf the usual specialities such as Black Wheatear, Shag, Rock Sparrow and Southern Grey Shrike continued to show well and all the usual migrants went through too, with a very nice Wryneck close-by on 20th.
Last dates were 16th (Short-toed Eagle), 20th (Bee-eater), 25th (Red-rumped Swallow, Tree Pipit) and the first Honey-buzzard was seen on 15th, with Robin arriving early (16th) and Blackcap (20th).
It has to be said that this has been a good year for Citril Finch, with birds beside us everywhere on each trip; flocks in trees next to the picnic, flocks on thistles next to the car and flocks on the meadow grass next to other Citril Finch.
Common Crossbill, a mass invasion of Chaffinch (on the 23rd) and Bullfinch didn't let us down either, with a family flock of the latter softly munching Rowan berries by the open car window being my personal favourite.
Three other favourites however gave us a mixed reception with Lammergeier acting a little cagey and only a pair on the 29th hung around long enough to truly appreciate them. The strident and quite unique calls of the Black Woodpecker echoed around seemingly on a permanent basis but only on the 14th did one show well enough.
And views of Alpine Chough on the whole were most disappointing, although a couple of their Raven cousins did their best to make up for it by mobbing a Golden Eagle, itself showing well on every trip, as a sideshow for the main Lammergeier attaraction (29th).
More side show entertainment was put on by all of the usual woodland and alpine birds including a range of tits, crests and woodpeckers as well as Short-toed Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Water Pipit, Grey Wagtail and no less than three Dipper gathering moss and carrying it off under a bridge.
Strangely though, an absence of Ring Ouzel prevented getting 205 species for the month, the September total for the last two years!
More testimonials...
“Stephen: What a fabulous birding trip you provided for us! We were totally delighted by the numbers and quality of the birds we saw, the countryside, the apartment, your family and of course you. We - especially Kelsey - learned a great deal, and want you to know how very much we appreciate your hard work on our behalf. Thank you for everything.”
Dr. David Low, Canada
“I must say again how fantastic the trip was. We really cleaned up on the vast majority of species I wanted to see and got some excellent views. There were tons of great birds, it's hard to single out any particular species. The Black Woodpecker, the Kingfishers, the Black Wheatear, the storks at the dump, the Hobbies being chased by Magpies, the last-minute Bee-eater flock... Thank you for your hard work (especially for finding those Bee-eaters!) and for sharing your extensive knowledge.”
22 August 2009 - Birding in Norfolk: absence, the heart and all that
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
As I swung the car door open at 0730 on the morning of 20th August 2009 it had been twenty months since my last visit to Titchwell RSPB, Norfolk, and my impatience to sit on the sea-front bench-on-the-beach meant I skipped out of the car park and entered the footpaths at some pace.
But within seconds, singing Wren, Chaffinch, Robin, Chiffchaff and Blue Tit drew my haste to a halt and I settled on a canopy-covered picnic bench to listen. As I did so, I dwelled on the thought that here such birds - all relatively rare during summer in north-east Spain where I spend much of my time these days - are perhaps not appreciated as they might be. Perhaps given as little attention in fact as I give to Bee-eaters and Golden Orioles around my garden.
But some of Norfolk's jewels, and one in particular, were even rarer back in Spain and so, although somewhat calmed by the welcome chorus, I made my way through the reserve with purpose. One such exciting bird, the Herring Gull, accompanied me faithfully all along the straight track to the sea as if aware of its new popularity. How smart it was in its pink legs and, yes, I remember now how significantly paler its mantle is than the Yellow-legged Gulls in Barcelona.
As the morning light and shadows stretched across the water with the still-rising sun, it gradually converted busy silhouettes into full-colour Curlew, Redshank, Avocet, Snipe, Lapwing and Dunlin (photo below). A flock of Black-tailed Godwit passed overhead before two more 'strangers' - the Meadow Pipit (winter only in my part of Spain) and Reed Bunting (a different sub-species) - escorted me to the beach itself.
As I approached, a pair of Little Egret flew up and brought up flashes of Barcelona but I paid them little attention (!). Instead I looked straight ahead and, with the same rush one gets from scaling the steps to view the green grass of the Camp Nou football pitch for the first time, step by step the sea came into view and I paused on the brow of the footpath. What a wonderful place. I'm used to viewing the north sea from here in winter but even now the sand was blanketed with wriggling flocks of Grey Plover (some in dinner-jacket-smart summer plumage), Ringed Plover (photo below), Sanderling, Oystercatcher and Turnstone, amongst others.
I stayed. I stayed and barely used my binoculars. I stayed until distant voices crept down the footpath and whispered 'you're no longer alone' in my ear and I moved on. Sorry guys, this morning I just didn't feel like talking. And anyway I still had 'the jewel' to prize from the jaws of the reserve and the voices provided me with a good excuse to get on with it.
A handful of Ruff and a reminder that all the White Wagtails here are Pied Wagtails were the only additions, save for small flocks of Linnet and Goldfinch that skipped ahead of me as I strolled back to the Island hide, but even as I entered it was apparent that a fistful of Little Stint were slaloming between the legs of the Dunlin and Redshank.
I suppose there's a saying somewhere that states that all jewels are worth waiting for, and I was prepared (with coffee, chocolate biscuits, a banana, brie and apple sandwiches, a piece of leftover omelette, a bag of crisps and an orange, all lovingly pre-packed by my sister) to wait as long as it takes. I hadn't seen this bird for two years and, before that, not since I used to watch them scamper about at my local reservoir when I was a teenager.
Within five minutes, whilst excitedly watching three absolutely spanking Sedge Warbler (yet another stranger; there are none in Catalonia) flitting between the reed bases and exposed earth to the south of the hide, a juvenile Bearded Reedling aka Bearded Tit aka how-bloody-great-is-that?, popped out onto the soft sand and was promptly joined by three others.
For the next half-hour and more I watched them to the exclusion of all else (except for the Sedge Warblers and a pair of Reed Warbler all of whom seemed to be sharing the same niche). The rubbish picture above of course is no attempt to do them justice but I couldn't resist.
During this time they hardly disappeared as they worked their way first back and then forth across the feet of the reeds, on a couple of very reminiscent occasions actually sliding down the reed stems a la Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub (or Fireman Sam for the younger generation). I'd forgotten that they did that. And they run! Since when do they run? Funny how the brain works as I don't remember even knowing that. No-one else in the hide knew that either, but at least I'm being sociable now and actually talking to people.
On the way out a large group of Greylag Geese and some Common Teal (mostly winter birds for me) had gathered amongst the other duck-species and I picked out a mid-distant Great Black-backed Gull, a bird not present in Catalonia that I hoped to see at closer quarters later in the day.
A Common Whitethroat nodded me the direction of the car and I was soon off back west along the coast to Holme.
A few dog-walkers made me fear the worst and put me in mind of a quick departure but a hop, skip and a jump to the top of a sand-dune was the minimum requirement to see if a longer stay was worthwhile. Worthwhile? I should say so. I immediately caught sight of a lone Grey Partridge, itself caught mid-path and scuttling back into cover. This was another of my key target species for the day. Although I do occasionally see the rare Catalan population in the Pyrenees, it had been a while since I'd had a really good view.
A little fruitful patience produced superb views as he eventually tip-toed out with six youngsters and his partner, who like a lollipop lady stopped mid-way to marshal the kids past before following on behind, and they all disappeared into the sand-scrub.
As I turned to watch a close-by Common Whitethroat, a ringtail Hen Harrier suddenly went up a few metres away and dropped down on the blind side of the dune. Even a reversed jump, skip and and a hop unfortunately failed to re-locate the bird but, encouraged by the diversity, I locked up the car and sand-squelched my way to the tide's edge.
I almost ignored a wing-flick in the sand dunes en route but a voice on my shoulder nagged me to pursue and discover a Northern Wheatear. I do see this species throughout the year and this apparently larger and darker bird smacked of the Greenland sub-species but it was a little too far off to be sure.
Once at the water's edge, I allowed the foam to lap at my shoes as I sat on my heels and waited about twenty minutes for the shorebirds I'd just scared away to get used to me and return. These Red Knot (above) were my favourites, but close views of more Great Black-backed Gull and a re-found appreciation of the quite beautiful Common Gull, a rare vagrant for me most often seen in the Ebro Delta, ran them close.
Other new birds present amongst the thousands of gulls and waders were plenty of Bar-tailed Godwit, along with a few of their black-tailed cousins, a Great Crested Grebe flying low over the ocean and fishing Common and Sandwich Terns.
All in all about 75 species for the day, including plenty of Rook, another 'stranger' not mentioned, and the best birding in yonks. What a great year I'm having.
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
“Over the moon. Fantastic. Couldn’t fault it!”
“If you really want quality birding then I have no hesitation in recommending Stephen and Catalan Bird Tours - his dedication and knowledge is second to none. The whole tour was relaxed and very friendly and, important to my self, I was able to get clear identification (so you could see the birds' eyes!) and at the end of the week was able to identify many species through song as well. Thank you for a fantastic week. Hopefully I shall have the opportunity to visit you again.”
Alan Baxter, UK, 23rd – 30th May 2009
The sheer volume of birding tours and the sheer volume of birds that made this May one of the most exhilirating month's birding of my life also makes doing it justice impossible. From mixing it with Marsh Sandpipers on pretty much my only day off on the 1st, to the nights spent with nightjars during the last days of the month, I spent more hours standing agog, gasping and gaping than I could believe possible in the space of a few weeks. Wow. What a month.
Without a doubt this is where most of the Wow! happened with displaying Little Bustard, scrub-top serenading Spectacled Warbler, sky-dancing Lesser Short-toed Lark and a handful of wide-eyed Stone-curlew showing extremely well, along with Black Wheatear, Southern Grey Shrike, Golden Oriole, Black-eared Wheatear, Red-billed Chough and LOTS of Roller, on every single one of the five visits during the month. And we only missed our usual amazing car-side views of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse on one day, the 5th, because of an enforced scheduled late morning start!
Disappointingly, one particular group of 12 evenly-sexed Gangas, as they are called locally, was apparently reduced to four half-way through the month after their fallow field was tilled over by the farmer. Making the locale for Xurras, or Black-bellied Sandgrouse to you and me, second-choice meant late-morning success, with good views of apparent breeding birds, on only three of the five occasions, as it heated up noticeably towards the end of the month.
Rather thrillingly though, after last year's total absence, Common Quail were seen, and often more than once, on every single birding trip, the best of which was a bird flying window-side before turning its head to look at me! It then banked to the right and landed plum-centre of the only gap in the dense scrub (field side) and allowed me to lock-on with binoculars before it sauntered off back into obscurity.
Great Spotted Cuckoo was yet another species that everyone got to see well, with many sat unperturbed by the proximity of the car. Strange how the juveniles gather in small flocks after leaving their adoptive Magpie parents but even stranger when, on the 29th, we observed a flock of four black-capped young mixing it up with two grey-headed adults. At least one of these young also seemed to be associating closely with a pair of nearby Carrion Crow, although we didn't witness any direct contact. This is apparently a less-frequently used host bird for the species but I for one have never come across it in reality.
Equally superb views of nest-building Penduline Tit were rudely interrupted after their dome-shaped pendulum was vandalised and, rather surprisingly and unlike last year, other candidates were not particularly forthcoming. Bonelli's Warblers, amongst others, however were easy to pick-up up until the 19th and we even had a single Western Orphean Warbler pass through noisily (how else?) on the 26th.
It was the raptors however for which, not surprisingly, we reserved our biggest Wows with the successful breeding again of Montagu's Harrier in a particular Lleida patch topping off a wonderful month that included more-than-usual sightings of Egyptian Vulture (thanks to the dump?) and lots of hunting activity and even accommodatingly perched individuals of Lesser Kestrel, Honey-buzzard, Short-toed Eagle, Red Kite, Hobby and a first-winter Golden Eagle.
However, the harvest of the wheat crop, usually capitalised on by small regular flocks of Red-footed Falcon as they pass through, was about two weeks later than last year and so a single insect-eating male was the only showing for this year out in Los Monegros, although a family holiday in the UK put paid to any research into the tail-end of their usual window of opportunity. Still, the silver-lining hopefully is a longer refuge for the other steppe birds that breed amongst the growing cereals.
Wow! On the 19th just over the border in Los Monegros, further to the discovery of two day-time singing males on 21st April 2009, I found a third Dupont's Lark close-by as it dropped out of its song flight like a stone and landed in some nearby grass. A patient (!) wait of a few minutes saw it perched up on a rock and singing again out in the open before walking in and out and along the edge of a section of taller grass until doing exactly the same on a similar rock about fifteen metres away. A final song flight later (again witnessed on the 26th) and it was gone. But we did have time to scribble down the position and colour of its leg rings.
“Thank you for the 4 days birding in Catalonia. I enjoyed every minute and admired your expertise in locating so many species and putting me onto them. I greatly appreciated your help and the accommodation had all the facilities one could wish.”
From the endless marshes, lagoons and rice fields flooded with shoals and schools of almost all of Europe's wader-species that brought the month to a truly spectacular start, by the 25th many had taken it in turns to pick their own 'last seen date' and had moved on to breed in pastures new. Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlew and rather late Whimbrel were some of the last to make up their minds but also of note were good numbers of Oystercatcher hanging around the Trubacador and a personal favourite of summer-plumaged Red Knot (below) poking their noses into some beach-business along the Fangar until the 12th.
Amazingly close views of Temminck's Stint could be seen in front of the hide at Riet Vell until at least this date, shortly after which the waters were allowed in to flood the mud favoured by migrants and prepare the site for the serious business of aiding the region's breeding birds.
Typical stock for the coming months include Little Bittern and seven other herons, Glossy Ibis, Audouin's Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Gull-billed and Caspian Tern, Collared Pratincole and, representing the passerines, singing Short-toed Lark and quite startlingly good and routine views of reeling Savi's Warbler.
Lesser Short-toed Lark and Common Cuckoo also provided regular highlights to go along with one-off notables such as the last Garganey at Riet Vell (7th), a summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe diving into L'Encanyissada (12th) and a Northern Pintail roosting at the Gola de Mijgorn on the 25th.
My moment of the month here though was a savage and vicious fight between three Common Coot, again at Riet Vell on the 25th, with two dominant males holding a third under water almost to the point of death! And my disappointment? Where were all the White-winged Terns? Unlike last year's deluge, this year, no rain. THE LLOBREGAT DELTA
A similar pattern and a similar story with this wetland reserve (actually two sites either side of the airport) with a full set of shorebirds gradually being reduced to last appearances of Bar-tailed Godwit (15th), Spotted Redshank (18th), Ruff (21st, no summer-plumaged males this year) and, on the 22nd, Red Knot and Curlew Sandpiper.
Hobby, Gull-billed Tern and others continued to pass through (last seen 28th), with a notable single Roller at Cal Tet on the 8th, and Common Waxbill were seen on a regular basis, especially bouncing along the riverside reeds of the St. Climent.
But, even set against the huge numbers of Audouin's Gulls apparently planning to stick around this summer, without doubt the highlight was a breeding pair of Little Ringed Plover, actually just outside the reserve boundary, with two fluff-ball chicks apparently making it thanks to the aggressive and tireless efforts of their parents fighting and chasing off anything that landed within a stone's throw.
“Excellent 3 days guided birding in Spain with Stephen Christopher (both Sandgrouse spp, Lammergeier, Lesser Kestrel, Audouin's Gull, 6 Lark spp inc Dupont's Lark, Rock Thrush, Citril Finch, etc. etc.)”
I'd had several birding trips around Catalonia but never managed to catch up with the rarer species so it was time to ask for help! Stephen rose to the challenge during 3 excellent days of guided birding. He confidently found all my key targets but I suspect even he was surprised with such superb views of Dupont's Lark! Next time I must have the camera ready...”
Except for a near rain-spoilt day on the 13th, the Lammergeier, and for the most part a pair of adults, showed up gratefully and thrillingly as-and-according to schedule, from its 10 to 11 a.m. window around the cliffs towering over the local farm, via its lunch-time slot - and closer views - at 1400m a.s.l. and a last-chance majestic soar above the tree line from 3 p.m. onwards.
Reliable too were pink-flushed Water Pipit, Alpine Chough (on one occasion mobbing a Peregrine), Rock Bunting, Dipper (nesting under the bridge), Bonelli's Warbler, Short-toed Treecreeper, Grey Wagtail, Firecrest, Alpine Swift, Common Cuckoo and (Rufous-tailed) Rock Thrush, although in the case of the latter the late snow melt is probably the reason for less breeding pairs this year.
The same snow also locked us out of the forest tracks and explains the apparent absence of Citril Finch until we finally found them noisy and much-appreciated in their usual patch from the 13th onward, once the bulk of the snow had melted. Red-backed Shrike wisely waited until the 20th therefore to make an appearance but they wasted no time in catching up on the nuptials.
Common Crossbill were also harder to find, with only a handful of birds obliging on each birding trip, and Black Woodpecker only put in one decent appearance, on the 20th, although again the snow had prevented us probing the better tracks until the second half of the month. This same day also welcomed Garden Warbler, the start of more regular sightings of Golden Eagle and a passage Booted Eagle.
But it was Ring Ouzel that seemed most affected by the unusually late winter, with my first sighting not coming until a single bird threw its head into soft lush grass a few metres from the car in the search for worms on the 27th.
“Thank you very much for hosting and guiding us through so many wonderful habitats! The birds were fantastic and I appreciated you sharing your expertise and knowledge with us. We very much enjoyed Spain, especially the birding trips to the Ebro Delta, Pyrenees and the Steppes.”
“Thank you for your hospitality. We both learned from you and your efforts to show us different birds in different regions of Spain makes us want to return to see more. Thank you for bending to my food needs also. That took extra thought and effort. We both hope your business blossoms and prospers.”
Wow. I didn't get chance to get into my local patch until the 8th but what a day. After first seeing an unusual Great Spotted Cuckoo flying across the bonnet and watching the local pair of Peregrines chasing dozens of local Pallid Swifts over the ocean (where a lone Shag was the only disappointing sighting this month), I went out with my friend Blake to check out a potential European Nightjar site.
We'd been told about the site at the end of last season, too late to confirm, but this time the farmer, Ricardo, came with us and pointed to the exact spots where he'd discovered and protected two nests, complete with eggs and sitting birds, last year. Looking around at the sandy soil and spaced-out garrufes trees, I couldn't help but wonder if the nightjars he'd seen were not in fact Enganyapastors, or European Nightjar, as he claimed, but Siboc. And as we walked about, despite taking care to stick to the paths and avoid treading beneath the canopies, up flew confirmation in the form of a single stunning rufous form that flushed and flew low, up and over an adjacent wall and sent ripples through all three of us - I have Red-necked Nightjar near my house! Not wanting to disturb any more birds, we retreated and I wasn't able to visit the site again until early in June (absolutely amazing, see June 2009).
New sites for Red-rumped Swallow, two in fact, also followed during seven other birding trips into the Garraf this month with passing Yellow Wagtail (18th), Woodlark, Sand Martin and Roller, all last seen on the 23rd, and Honey-buzzard, last seen on the 21st toying with a local pair of Bonelli's Eagle, being the highlights. Numbers of passing warblers and other species however were noticably down on last year when higher rainfall brought in record sightings.
Spotted Flycatcher was the last summer breeder to arrive to join the Black-eared Wheatear, Turtle Dove, Bonelli's and Melodious Warbler (top photo), Nightingale and Golden Oriole that had been settled for some time, the latter in my garden. And the pick of the residents included Cirl Bunting, Southern Grey Shrike and Spotless Starling, which seemed to be ever-present for a change.
Sightings of Short-toed Eagle were up, with a perched juvenile enjoyed for several minutes on the 28th, and Audouin's Gulls too, along the coast, mirrored their increase at nearby Llobregat. Common Cuckoo were especially prevalent earlier in the month, with a strange calling adult perched on a low bush by the car on the 13th, but a Wryneck calling on the garden as I put out the riubbish on the 18th somehow managed to avoid being seen as I tracked it to the end of the road before it fell silent and I was left standing in my shorts-only and carrying a smelly bin bag.
But the last Wow is reserved for an impromptu and test- tour on the evening of the 28th. Scheduling night tours poses problems but the approach of the end of the season and enthusiastic clients meant I summoned up enough energy and, in situ at my old Programa Noctua census station by 21.30, a communal and synchronised intake of breath accompanied the sudden appearance of wing-clapping European Nightjars as they floated and flapped, at one point, even around our ears! We were treated to a spectacular show for thirty minutes or more, with one bird churring from an open branch before springing up to hawk for insects, until the light finally faded and their ghostly silhouettes evetually merged perfectly into the dark black of night and we made our way home, thrilled. A thrilling month.
“A day spent with Stephen was a worthwhile and memorable experience. He knows the region like the back of his hand and took us to just the right places to spot dozens of new birds for my life list. He is engaging and personable besides being an expert and knowledgeable guide, which made for a wholly pleasant and successful birding outing.”
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
“Many thanks once again for a fantastic holiday.”
Liz and Mike Bunting, UK (23 May - 3 June 2009)
A day for firsts. The first of the month marked the first pleasure-only, leisure-only, responsibility-free, non-working birding day for more than a little while. Even a friend, who I'd arranged to meet for a lazy day chasing come-what-may in the AIGUAMOLLS DE L'EMPORDA and CAP DE CREUS, had been given strict instructions not to ask for anything. 'O.K.,' he'd e-mailed back totally empathising with my outlook on the day, 'but it would be nice to see Orphean Warbler, Ortolan Bunting, Red-throated Pipit, Wryneck and Marsh Sandpiper.' 'And I wouldn't mind Roller or Red-rumped Swallow.'
In truth I too was out to get my self a few year-firsts, some of those aforementioned included, but as I sat in the thankfully-lonely hide at Vilaut at 0720, I had already achieved my main objective for the day. This 'close', or pasture surrounded by trees, that floods naturally in perfect time to attract passing waders, terns and others, is my favourite place in the world to be alone. I poured my self a coffee, opened up a packet of 'Chips Ahoy' cookies and settled down to begin the scan - if I was working, it would have been the other way around.
I'd already walked under a flock of bubbling European Bee-eater, made eye-to-eye contact with a Nightingale and received a warm welcome from a Reed Warbler posted at the hide door before a flock of paddling White Stork, three Greenshank and smatterings of Mallard made up the precursory glance as I perched my self in excited expectation ready to pan from right to left. I didn't care what I saw, I told my self, but this was the place of many lifers over the ten years I've been coming, not least of which was a small flock of never-to-be-forgotten Red-throated Pipit busying themselves beneath the lip of the hide window, so I'm not sure I was entirely convincing, or convinced.
The silhouette of a Wood Sandpiper stepped first into the water and then into the light, a male Garganey shared some synchronised up-ending with a pair of moulting Common Teal and a Common Cuckoo was, peacefully, the only soundtrack. At least until my phone bipped with a text that read, 'I'll be there in ten minutes.' The white hook on the neck of a Northern Pintail caught my eye as it preened in the shallows and a single apparently cold Collared Pratincole just sat there, even when the sun glowed across the water to bathe it in orange and even when I left, nearly two hours later, in the company of said friend.
Although famed for the unexpected and unpredictable, Vilaut is a reliable site for the late-arriving Roller and as we neared the track's end, the familiar rowing action flapped across our bows and landed in a conveniently leafless tree. A furtive Garden Warbler was betrayed by a mischievous relative, as a singing Sardinian Warbler attracted our attention, and provided a second year-first in as many minutes.
Little more than ten minutes later and we exited the car on the edge of the Cap de Creus National Park and a little under ten paces later on we were marvelling at a stationary Western Orphean Warbler singing loudly from the underhang branches of an adjacent cork oak. Reliable site this. For Wryneck too, and two more Orphean Warblers later, including a ringed individual, we heard one kreeching, kestrel-like across the way and made our way over to track it. No luck. It didn't call again and our chance had fled.
Stopping along the way, we picked off Pied Flycatcher, Cirl Bunting and almost unprecedented numbers of Greenfinch, seemingly craving our attention as much as the warmth as they perched in the shafts of sunlight piercing the shady canopy of the surrounding pines.
Upon reaching another favourite spot, I was momentarily surprised to see space where usually there was scrub, or maquis. However, my joy, at witnessing the apparent start of an active clearance programme to combat the dominance of the maquis and its encroachment into the open spaces many birds depend upon, disappeared as sure as the birds themselves as I noticed the rows and rows of recently planted sapling trees. Man has become so good at preventing the regeneration caused by natural fires that, just as in the Garraf where such burn back hasn't happened for nearly thirty years!, many species such as Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear, Tawny Pipit and Spectacled Warbler are struggling to keep a foothold.
As if to emphasise the value of re-creating these open spaces, however unintentional in this case, the enchanting and enigmatic short-song of an Ortolan Bunting was quickly tracked to reveal two stunning males frolicking amongst the torn up roots and newly-exposed dirt and, when one flew to the dead branch of an old tree to sing again, its yellow throat lit up in the sunshine and swelled as if it was going to burst. For some reason, the optimism flooded back.
This was my fourth year-first of the day so far, the late-season arrival of three of them inspiring this trip in the first place. Targets five and six, however, were passage visitors only and both were reaching the end of their respective windows of opportunity.
So imagine my excitement when, almost written-off given that the majority are seen in late March or early April, not one but two wonderfully sleak, needle-billed Marsh Sandpiper were the first birds I was drawn to amongst the train-station-like throngs criss-crossing over the shallows of Mas Mata back in the Aiguamolls. Dwarfed by the Common Redshank, Ruff and Black-winged Stilt, it was a breathe-in-and-savour-it thrill to see their black-spotted plumage so close and watch them slalem their way gracefully between the legs and bodies of their taller rivals.
I was hooked for the next sometime-and-more - truly one of my all-time favourite birds - and confess to paying scant attention to the Red Knot, Spotted Redshank, Grey Plover and the rest, until the tick-tock of time tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Don't forget you promised me a Red-throated Pipit.'
For year-first number six and a full set for the day (not counting the White-winged and Black Tern window of opportunity that was only just opening), we strolled over to and along the edges of the adjacent field to scour the patch and each blade of grass where Red-throated Pipit are seen each and every year. Indeed a flock of twenty-one and many more sightings had been reported recently so our expectations of getting the sometimes-offered binoculars-down views of arms-reach birds began to rise... and then fall. All twenty-one and their mates were obviously in hiding. And after a few minutes, where became apparrent as a single dark-throated bird rose vertically up from the mass of impenetrable carpet of grass, drawing-out a diagnostic call of mischief, before teasing a iberiaeYellow Wagtail off a bordering fence-post and settling down back into obscurity.
Very unsatisfactory. But after the leisurely day-off of relaxing, responsibility-free birding I'd had, I wasn't complaining. Not one bit. Roll on the rest of May and roll on the getting back to work.
P.S. We also got the Red-rumped Swallow, skimming the crop-tops in a field back near Vilaut, completing the circle literally, as we made our way back to our respective cars, and birding-wise, as the Roller showed up again to see us off.
24th May, 2009
My optimism regarding the Ortolan Bunting proved founded as two males were still singing in exactly the same place on my only other trip to the region this month. Lots of Red-rumped Swallow too, well spread across the Cap de Creus National Park and very encouraging as this species is still rather localised in Catalonia.
Western Orphean Warbler continued to show well, particularly a marvellous pair singing and playing right by the car as we drank coffee, and its cousin, the Melodious Warbler, seemed to post singing sentinels everywhere we went. Wryneck at last improved on its rather poor showing so far this year with two heard calling and one seen well, if brief, close to a good spot for Dartford Warbler.
Over a dozen immature Shag and a spectacular pair of Honey-buzzard over the car proved to be the most interesting additions on the trip from the first of the month but the mean time, whilst not quite drying up the water in El Mata in the Aiguamolls, certainly saw a reduction in wetland species overall, signalling the beginning of the end of the migration season and the start of getting down to breeding business. A pair of Mute Swan chasing a Eurasian Spoonbill out of their patch of water confirmed the process was well under way.
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
“I had a great time during my four days with you.
I enjoyed every day out to a different habitat but if I had special favourite it was the Steppes, from the start it went really well and your knowledge and fieldcraft enabled us to see both Sandgrouse, Little Bustard and Montagu's Harrier plus many more all with fantastic views. I'm sure that any trip you lead for people cannot fail to provide first class birding with your local knowledge and people from new starters to the more experienced would benefit from your expertise.
Best Wishes and hope we get to go out again one day, I certainly have gaps still to fill from this great birding region.”
Michael Curry, UK
I spent the first half of April listening to clients moaning about the rain - fair enough, I joined in too - and yet throughout it all the birds kept coming and the birds kept on going.
For these Slender-billed Gulls (top photo), it was simply a matter of waiting to take advantage of a gap and getting on with the job in hand! No moaning. Ever since I was a kid I've learned from birds - if a Kestrel can focus that hard with a headwind smacking it in the face then I can jolly well get my head down too and do some revision! Sad but true, I actually remember thinking that - and so, like the gulls and all the birds around them, we simply got on with it and, where many before us may have faltered, we reaped rewards aplenty! O.K. and we moaned a lot too.
A positive start to the month in the GARRAF too with a resident pair of Black Wheatear, at a nesting location threatened by dog-walkers and beach-goers, apparently happy to give it a go for another year. I started successfully too with my annual personal challenge of always locating at least one singing Common Cuckoo per trip with a tree-top bird easing me into it on the 5th. The day before also noted the first Woodchat Shrike.
Not much opportunity to explore through much of the month and, by the 23rd, Eurasian Bee-eater, Nightingale and plenty of Turtle Dove had already settled in. Lone SpanishYellow Wagtail and Woodlark were probably only passing through though but the day will always be remembered spent comparing the size, shape, plumage and screams of over a hundred Common, Pallid and Alpine Swifts doing what they do best around my head at a scenic spot along the coast.
The 4th recorded my first Whimbrel, two more Osprey setting the trend for a good month at all locations and a brief but welcome motorway-side Honey-buzzard, although as I write I have yet to see another.
The 12th added a pair of exhausted Collared Pratincole, with their numbers continuing to rise slowly through the month, and continued a curious trend of groups of late Eurasian Wigeon that began on the Ebro Delta and went on at least until the 13th in the Aiguamolls de L'Emporda.
All locations also offered the chance to compare Yellow Wagtail heads, with the rain falling in groups of flavissima (Britain), cinereocapilla (Italy, above) and iberiae (Spain of course) as well as the nominate flava (Central Europe).
The poor weather did seem to dampen the spirits of the warblers however and I can't believe Great Reed Warbler hadn't arrived until we located a proud singing individual on the 15th (in good company with a superb passage male Montagu's Harrier at Cal Tet). A pair of Temminck's Stint, increasingly common in the area, dropped in a day later.
A spectacular morning trip on the 28th provided one of the best sessions of the year with 17 species of wader flying in and out of Ca L'Arana beach. Individuals, small possies and larger flocks mixed and collided with each other with a lone Whimbrel and summer plumaged Spotted Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and the stunning Grey Plover coming in close runners-up to the bird-of-the-day - no less than eight Red Knot scampering across the sand in various shades of rufous.
Common Waxbill, Pied Flycatcher, Great Reed Warbler, Squacco Heron, Garganey, Mediterranean Gull, Audouin's Gull and four absolutely charming Little Gull, two complete with smart black hoods, were also about and eight very excited and exciting Little Tern added a year first to an already very worthwhile trip.
Temminck's Stint were back on the 29th, giving touching-distance-who-needs-binoculars views on El Campo. Four Sanderling, including a summer plumage bird, didn't seem to mind my proximity at Remolar either and we shared the beach as I watched Little and Common Tern diving over the ocean. Three male Golden Oriole chased each other over the car park whilst a pair of Whinchat watched on before I headed home, already looking forward to May.
A pair of Temminck's Stint visited Riet Vell also, on the 7th, along with repeated stunningly close views of Moustached Warbler and both helped to ease the disappointment of the no-show Little Crake, which I haven't seen since March and I think has moved on. There's always a chance of more though, at least until early May.
Overall this was a truly great day though with limited space meaning the highlights will only have to include Spoonbill, three Osprey, pink-breasted Water Pipit, Bonelli's Warbler, late-ish Northern Lapwing and year firsts of Common Tern, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whinchat, Black-eared Wheatear and a Savi's Warbler reeling a backdrop soundtrack to this flyby Squacco Heron.
But on the 10th the Trubacador really came into its own with a fifteen-minute, post-rainfall dash up and down the beach in the four by four revealing numerous Whinchat, Black-eared Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, and a sneaky male Sub-alpine Warbler sharing a bush with the Common Redstart below.
We also noted the Wigeon (see above) at Canal Vell, where we also ticked off Reed Warbler to add to the year-first Gull-billed Tern, which had arrived to swarm across the Fangar.
A year-first male Golden Oriole on the 13th, three days before they were seen and sang in the Steppes, was my personal highlight of the month's only trip to the Emporda but other notables included a full-of-life Little Gull that charmed all eyes away from the swarms of black-bellied Whiskered Tern,
no less than four drake Garganey chasing a lone female into the long grass (and they haven't even reached their breeding grounds yet!), my first real sighting of a Nightingale this year...
and I know the simply envious sight of yet another Osprey landing in an adjacent flooded field and proceeding to bathe...
Two very contrasting trips began with a sun-covered jaunt through the high altitude specialities on the 6th when almost the first birds we saw were a pair of Lammergeier circling over head. When they weren't around we made do with a pair of adult Golden Eagle that seemed to follow us all day, although Citril Finch made us work hard before we finally found two pairs feeding amongst the snow-gaps on the Orris meadow.
A continuously shrieking and drumming Black Woodpecker did manage to avoid our attentions in the thick of the trees however but the moment of the day for me more than made up for it with a superb black-and-white Pied Flycather startling me from the adjacent bush during lunch - almost a month before I usually record them this far inland.
Disastrous and un-predicted weather on the 12th however meant we couldn't ascend to the high meadows despite two attempts - where we only found a small group of snow-eating Common Crossbill - and so we amused ourselves with the lowland offerings such as Dipper, Hawfinch, Rock Bunting and Cirl Bunting, Bonelli's Warbler, Firecrest and Short-toed Treecreeper before giving up and heading off to finish the day at Llobregat.
Bet these Crag Martins wished they could have joined us...
With sunshine warming our expectations on the 22nd, ultimately they were to be cooled by a raging wind that threatened to literally blow the car door off. So, except for a hovering Short-toed Eagle, there were few raptors. Although, whilst listening to a cocky Nuthatch singing in a spot where a pair bred two years ago, one did show up, in the form of a male Sparrowhawk, to streak past and snatch its victim before our eyes. I don't think they'll be breeding there this year.
The wind restricted most sightings equally brief throughout the day with a fleeting glimpse of an albeit very well snow-lit and striking Alpine Accentor being typical of many of the passerines. But extreme proximity to a pair each of Crossbill and Bullfinch, along with singing Nightingale, good views of single representatives of Red-billed and Alpine Chough and thrilling flocks of Siskin and flavissimaYellow Wagtail twisting around our heads on different occasions sent us home re-warmed and satisfied.
Thanks to Michael Cox for the photos from his four day trip. You can read and see more on Michael's Blog.
"Thanks for your efforts, despite/because of the weather, we thoroughly enjoyed this part of our first Spanish birding holiday.
Stephen really worked hard to see as many species as possible, a characteristic of our time with him and something we remain very grateful for. We also learned a lot about the birds we saw, their habitat, field identification tips, etc., which has already proved very helpful to us.”
21 April 2009 - Spain Birding: April in The Steppes
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
"You gave us lots of options and answered emails promptly and put yourself out for us.
On the day we were thrilled to see so many new birds in such a short space of time, without causing them any significant disturbance. You clearly knew the area very well and took us to the best places. It was fascinating to not just tick off the 'firsts' (16 in our case) but to learn about the birds and understand them. The star bird was the Black Wheatear, but the Great Spotted Cuckoo was special and the eagle above the petrol station was a wonderful end to a memorable day."
David and Carol Bradley, UK
Drizzzzle all the way along the AP2 en route to THE STEPPES OF LLEIDA on the first day of the month had the unavoidable effect of lowering our expectations but Catalonia thankfully has a knack for ignoring such negativity, even in the amounts given off by three cynical Brits, and we were immediately rewarded upon our arrival with several quite lovely flocks of white Cattle Egret against the dark grey sky, welcoming us and tempting us to follow.
Follow we would, but later. They were on their way to the municipal dump for breakfast and, as usual, I first had to earn mine by finding at least one of the area's three key steppe species. As it turned out we got two for the price of one as a pair of Stone-curlew flushed up to land in a nearby field and spooked a single male Little Bustard, who thankfully settled no more than a skip and a jump from it's point of take-off. It landed in cover so we pointed the scope at the two nervous Eurasian Thick-knees, as the world has rather annoyingly started to call Burhinus oedicnemus, and David and Carol excitedly gulped down their first ever sighting, big yellow eyes and all. I gulped down my coffee and cookies and kept my big brown eyes on the Little Bustard.
Before long the wailing of the Stone-curlew was joined by the quick ventriloqual fart-raspberry of the Little Bustard and we were able to pick him out and watch on like voyeurs, a sight that was thankfully to be repeated throughout the month with up to six territorial males in this fragment of pseudo-steppe. After pecking off seeds from the neck-high weeds, he began to swell up his throat and throw back his head, letting out his peculiar flatulent nuptial noise in his attempt to lure a female, but during the time we were there he had no obvious success. No, it doesn't work with me either.
Not wanting to risk too much disturbance at this time of year, we left him with his disappointment and headed off, accompanied by the sight and soundtrack of chinkling Calandra Lark, to one of this season's 'likely' fields for the last of the magic three. Magic indeed, as the first stop and the first scan revealed no less then four pairs of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse grouped together and motionless twenty metres from the car, invisible to the naked eye but glorious in their colourful camouflage once three sets of binoculars were pointed in their direction.
It only took a couple of minutes for them to habitualise to us and proceed to walk the short steps their specially-adapted short legs would allow, picking off seeds from weeds just as the Little Bustard had. They froze momentarily as a ring-tail Hen Harrier flapped and zig-zagged its way over and again we managed to leave them without flushing, an important consideration given their precarious breeding status in the area. For the record, a maximum of twenty-six birds, mostly in pairs or evenly sexed flocks, were counted during April.
Actually, by the time of my visit on the 16th, this flushed Montagu's Harrier, looking back at the photographer above, had not only replaced the wintering Hen Harrier but also had been seen on every visit, sometimes in the apparent company of a female. After last year's almost total absence in this patch I'm hopeful that they will stick around to repeat the success of 2007.
Back on the 1st, the Hen Harrier seemed to track us through the day giving us many thrilling encounters but a miserable Common Buzzard perched in a tree-top bode warning of a poor-weather day, short on raptors. However, like the harriers, not all birds of prey are built for gliding and soaring and a spectacular Osprey passed over head to our delight, especially as we'd already added Red-billed Chough, Red-legged Partridge and, moments before, three Bonelli's Warbler.
Almost to the day the year before, we'd had an Osprey at nearby Utxesa lake and so a visit here was planned for the day anyway but a second was too much to ask for and we had to 'settle' for Alpine Swift, Southern Grey Shrike and four Red-rumped Swallow sharing the restricted airspace above the reeds with their Barn Swallow and House Martin cousins.
This feeding frenzy reminded us of lunch and we tucked in and reflected on the mornings highlights, which included White Stork, Red Kite and Black Kite at the dump, a truly beautiful male Marsh Harrier and a passage Blue-headed, flava, Yellow Wagtail whilst making comparisons between the local Crested Lark and Thekla Lark.
But the moment of the morning for me had been all three of us tracking the curious cackling erupting from the pines near the Alfes timoneda. We lost count as perhaps more than six Great Spotted Cuckoo repeatedly broke cover and, always in pairs, sprinted low over the grassy field from opposite boundary trees. With a little patience and some manouvering we feasted on fantastic telescope views of three particularly helpful birds, one of which possessed a black rather than the grey head of the adult, indicating it was a first summer individual. And all this whilst four Hoopoe chased each other around seemingly unable to decide who was with whom for the summer.
As we reached Cogul, after seeing yet more Little Owl sunning themselves on the way, the skies had begun to clear increasing our hopes of seeing the local breeding Short-toed Eagle. Mean time a short walk into the sunshine brought out lots of Linnets, a pair of Blue Rock Thrush and the day's second Black-eared Wheatear, again the white-throated form. A stunning pair of resident Black Wheatear also obliged and completed the set as passing Northern Wheatear had already been recorded earlier in the day.
And finally we were indeed gifted great views of a Short-toed Eagle - but not until we were halfway home and an awesome individual sailed right over the car as I was filling up with petrol!
The local bird, however, proved more helpful on all five of my other visits, on 5th, 11th, when the picture below was taken, 16th, 20th and 21st.
These visits also included the nearby LOS MONEGROS, targetted for Black-bellied Sandgrouse and, continuing the positive theme, were seen in numbers (max. 40), active and frolicking on all but one brief search. The weather during the month was pretty awful to say the least, not necessarily putting off the birds, as the soaking wet Pin-tailed Sandgrouse below will testify, but making birding slightly less enjoyable, and harder work, than usual.
But in the end, after the apparent shock-wave of last year's agricultural upheaval, it was a month full of hope, as things seemed to have settled back into the struggle of normalcy, with numbers of displaying Little Bustard up on the previous year, sandgrouse just about holding their own and both Montagu's Harrier and Quail (finally seen after countless invisible tempters on 16th, and again on 21st) returning to at least give it a go. Plenty of Red-rumped Swallow too, even away from their known and localised breeding spots.
But in a rather magical moment whilst watching a first-winter Golden Eagle being mobbed by two Raven I shushed my two clients and allowed my apparent imagination to materialise into not one but two singing Dupont's Lark, no further than ten metres from the car, in a location I'd never heard them before and at 11.30 in the morning.
Other notables included returning Penduline Tit and Golden Oriole on the 16th, several singing Spectacled Warblers around both Cogul and Los Monegros throughout the month and a sun-soaked break in the rain on the 11th that provided the year firsts of Bee-eater (top photo), Tawny Pipit and singing Nightingale. Hobby, however, was rather oddly not seen until two birds on 21st.
Thanks to Michael Cox for supplying photos from his trip on the 11th. More - and better quality - photos, together with his full account of his three-day trip, can be seen on MICHAEL'S BLOG.
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
"I was very pleased and impressed with Catalan Bird Tours. I saw 153 species in three days, some fantastic birds, including a number of lifers. I’d definitely like to revisit.
By the time you've booked accommodation, hired a car (4x4 was a must), bought breakfast and lunch, paid for fuel and the numerous road tolls I doubt you would save much money over the quoted cost. When you then factor in the time it would take to find the places by car, even before you start looking for birds, it really starts to look good value and money well spent. I shudder to think how long you could drive around the Steppes without seeing the target species if you didn’t know the exact fields to scan for them.
Stephen Christopher was an excellent guide, knowledgeable about the birds and where best to find them."
Martin Cracknell, UK.
LLOBREGAT DELTA
Tonsilitis, courtesy of my son's nursery school, choked any chance of getting out early in the month and by the time I got to Cal Tet, Llobregat on the 13th Black-winged Stilt, Garganey and (about a month after the first House Martin and Barn Swallow) Sand Martin had already arrived. Two birds of dubious origin, a Barnacle Goose (again on 25th) and a Bar-headed Goose, were still present, whilst a single Water Pipit(photo of another from the Ebro Delta below) had yet to depart for its breeding grounds in the Pyrenees and a fantastic flyover Great Bittern created a personal latest winter record by three days after a previous 'best' in 2006.
GARRAF MASSIF
Other local 'noteworthies' included a 100 plus gathering of full summer-plumage Mediterranean Gulls on Vilanova beach and, on the 14th, of the winter visitors, I was left with just two garden Siskin, a couple of Blackcap and a Robin. A few adult Northern Gannet added a splash to the coastline until the 25th and, during a family lunch on the 22nd, I finally saw my first Short-toed Eagle as it floated past the window of the local restaurant. Singing Cirl Bunting throughout the Garraf indicated an end to the spectacular wintering flocks of passerines.
EBRO DELTA
Anything I missed out on during the first half of the month however was more than matched on the 17th by the welcome return of Riet Vell's seemingly very own Little Crake showing extremely well as usual on the Ebro Delta. We entered the hide expectantly and to my joy caught one of my favourite birds on the far side even before I could sit down. We ate our way through lunch, Glossy Ibis, a beautiful male Common Redstart, several frisky Purple Swamphen (photo) and SpanishYellow Wagtail whilst awaiting its repeated forays out into the open.
A single Willow Warbler, several more Hoopoe and Squacco Heron than usual and two dozen species of wader including Little Ringed Plover, Temminck's Stint and lots of Curlew provided other migrant highlights to add to great views of resident Water Rail, fishing Caspian Tern (below) and the presumed Little Egret x Western Reef Heron on the Trubacador.
Of the wintering birds yet to depart perhaps a pink-flushed Water Pipit by the car was the pick but a small flock of female Red-breasted Mergansers, good numbers of Robin and Black-necked Grebe (still there in summer plumage on 23rd along with Northern Pintail and two pairs of late-ish Wigeon), a few of the regular overwintering Whiskered Tern and a handful of Bluethroat were also noteworthy.
A remarkable and stunning RED-spotted Bluethroat passed through on the 23rd (most, including those overwintering, are the white-spotted variety) and seemed to be set for bird of the day until a cheeky Spotted Crake crept out into the scope to upstage even its Little Crake cousin, which was still showing very well. Today finally saw Purple Heron, with several close encounters, enter my year list.
No crakes on a (very) quick visit on 31st though but a Hen Harrier showed well at Riet Vell whilst we were waiting (to follow a light-phase Booted Eagle en route) and I had a year first sighting of Curlew Sandpiper on El Golero.
PYRENEES
A thrilling and sudden party of around sixty Alpine Swift swarming around the car on the motorway en route from the Pyrenees were the only sign of summer migrants on the 18th but the day did confirm the return of Water Pipit and singing Dunnock after spending the winter at lower altitudes. The month's still generous covering of snow wasn't quite enough, it seems, to keep the flock of Snowfinch that has been entertaining us over the last couple of months but it was enough to prevent us penetrating the forest tracks for the best sites for Citril Finch so we were left with only sightings of Siskin, Bullfinch (both on 25th) and a regular party of Hawfinch flying betwixt and between the tree tops of Baga.
However, just as we were debating the absence of raptors given the gloriously sunny day, we looked up to see five Griffon Vultures just over our heads with a spanking orange adult Lammergeier at their centre. After watching it float away we had the fortune to witness a second an hour or so later soaring over the cliff-horizon of the Greixer Valley. Also worth a mention are the endless chorus of Short-toed Treecreepers singing from nearly every tree, a very confiding Dipper, Alpine Chough chirping like passerines as always and at a brief but glorious Black Woodpecker.
THE STEPPES
Out in the The Steppes on the 24th we found a world on the cusp of the breeding season with at least three territories of summer-plumage male Little Bustards near Lleida but only a flock of nineteen birds still clothed for the winter in Los Monegros (photo below), although I admit it didn't occur to me to check to see if they were all females until it was too late.
After a winter of over 120 local wintering birds, this pair of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (two above) around Lleida were the only obvious evidence of the species, implying the onset of nuptials, whilst their Black-bellied Sandgrouse cousins seemed seasonally inspired with much activity and numerous small flocks viing for our attentions out in Los Monegros. Great Spotted Cuckoo (top photo), Stone-curlew, Black Kite and Lesser Kestrel all appeared to be well-established too but a gandful of Red Kite, a winter roamer to these lowlands, and only a single Short-toed Eagle hovering over Cogul showed that the boundary between the seasons was still in flux.
The highlight for me though, after last year's apparent turmoil caused by changes to European farming rules dispensing with subsidies for 'set-aside' land, was a single calling bird giving an early indication that Common Quail might just be back after last year's TOTAL ABSENCE!
Many thanks to Martin Cracknell for his excellent photos (Fan-tailed Warbler from the Ebro Delta below).
31 January 2009 - Spain Birding: January 2009 Summary
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
"Thank you for a great day's birdwatching. We really enjoyed it and it was, by far, the best day of the trip. And you were an excellent tour leader. Gail and Gwyn, U.K."
Following a winter flock of vagrant clients, my year list for 2009 very quickly held the likes of White-winged Snowfinch, Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor, Lammergeier, Moustached Warbler, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Balaeric Shearwaterand Common Crane.
And there's possibly even been the surprise of the year already with a Snow Bunting popping its head up over a rock in a sea of snow in the PYRENEES.
For a full report of a spectacular January in the Cadi-Moixero Natural Park see "WINTER IN THE PYRENEES" here.
Another vagrant, so famous it even made the local news, was a long-staying White Pelican that shared its time between the church tower of Torres de Segre and the local Lleida dump after first turning up in the EMPORDA near Girona. The photo at the top of the page is from the 18th.
Nearby, in the STEPPES OF LLEIDA and LOS MONEGROS, winter's theme - flocking of course - was evident from the 4th, with monthly maximums of 47 Great Bustard, 52 Little Bustard (upped by a passing Red Kite), over 120 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and, bucking the trend a little, only about 20 Black-bellied Sandgrouse. But all were seen, as usual, grounded, close and feeding so there were no complaints about the views.
Booted Eagle, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Little Owl, Southern Grey Shrike, Red-billed Chough, Rock Bunting and a host of larks were all present and correct with particular highlights being a huge flying carpet of Cattle Egret on the 4th and, on the 18th, a rock-top party of four Black Wheatear next to the car, a roaming flock of Fieldfare and a long string of hundreds upon hundreds of Brambling lining the bushes and trees along the Lleida-Zaragoza motorway.
The surprises though seemed to come all at once with overflying Eurasian Spoonbill, Common Crane and, my personal favourite, an unusual overwintering and probably very lonely Common Whitethroat all seen on the 4th.
But if you want winter flocks, it's on the EBRO DELTA where the fields and skies are really full of wings.
Cattle Egret, Little Egret and Black-headed Gull taking advantage of a little help with the digging.
Just part of a large flock of Black-tailed Godwit that periodically swooped up and swarmed through the air like bees, taking all the fringe birds, like these Ruff in the foreground, with them. Over twenty species of wader spend the winter on the Ebro Delta with even an increasing number of Wood Sandpiper and the odd Black-winged Stilt.
Other increasingly common birds that used to be counted as summer visitors only are Purple Heron, Squacco Heron and Whiskered Tern. Booted Eagle and Bluethroat however are strictly winter-only and provide that extra bit of seasonal excitement, with the latter being spread right across the delta and not too difficult to find still sporting its colourful coat.
One place in particular is the Riet Vell reserve where, on the 3rd, one joined our other treats of the day, Water Rail, Moustached Warbler and a small group of Penduline Tit.
Over a dozen Red-breasted Merganser gathered together in Alfacs Bay, accompanied by larger numbers of quick-diving Black-necked Grebe, and back in fields hundreds of Glossy Ibis filled their own particular niche, their unique bill-shape allowing them to take invertebrates that the Grey Heron and other birds couldn't reach.
Of course many of the same species can be seen around the wetlands of Barcelona's LLOBREGAT, with Night Heron, Eurasian Spoonbill and Water Pipit usually affording hide-side views and Common Waxbill bouncing along to provide a noisy bonus.
Twelve species of duck were also seen at close quarters, including Northern Pintail and more bonuses of Velvet Scoter and Eider Duck bobbing along in the River Llobregat. About face and you could even glimpse the now long-staying vagrant Slavonian (Horned) Grebe, which was better seen from the beach-side viewing tower.
Additional moments of note include, on the 2nd, the first sighting of a juvenile Goshawk that visited periodically, the many but always mentionable sightings of Bluethroat, confirmation of over-wintering Stone-curlew, with five present on an adjacent field on the 28th, and two short-stay Wood Sandpiper and quite unusual winter Temminck's Stint in pouring rain on the 31st.
Verification of the continued presence of the Wallcreeper in the GARRAF on the same day was also welcome as it butterflied over from an initial mid-distant sighting to land and creep on the crag in front of us before flying off (nervously for us, that Peregrine is somewhere about) across the sea-cliffs to disappear south.
Northern Gannet, Balaeric Shearwater, Eurasian Shag, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush and Rock Bunting variously provided while-you-wait entertainment with even the odd Audouin's Gull popping by every now and then and a quick trip inland for Rock Sparrow or Alpine Accentor, most notably on the 2nd, was always an option.
"A most enjoyable day of birding. Going out with a local guide is certainly the way to go."
Heather Bunner, USA
""Thank you so much for showing us so much. So many birds. Great memories of the snowfinch bluethroat, hoopoe, etc etc etc etc...... Another thank you for the footie match. What a treat!!!
How wonderfully relaxed it all was - not having to think about where we were going and just being able to enjoy the scenery and look for the birds was about perfect and then lunch was served."
18 January 2009 - Winter in the Pyrenees (Spain Birding)
Please browse 'archives' under the 'links' heading in the right hand column for date-ordered trip reports and monthly summaries.
On 11th January, we were staring up towards the rock face in front of us, binoculars gripped at at-the-ready-chin-height and waiting for the next white flashes to explode into the clarity of the blue-blue sky before arching and falling back down into the obscurity of white-on-white – Snowfinch on snow.
At officially up to 3cm longer than a Chaffinch, there’s no deception at how big these long- and white-winged relatives seem when set against the contrast of the sky, even at this distance, and it all just adds to the thrill. We ‘ooo-ed’ and ‘argh-ed’ like children around a bonfire, calling ‘there!’ and ‘this side!’ as each small flock threw itself up and dropped back down. Occasionally, again just like fireworks, we lucked upon one or two on the ground and gleefully gathered our telescopes around to watch them feeding.
The post-breeding movements of (White-winged) Snowfinches, which can start as early as late July, is always unpredictable, depending upon the weather as it does, but this has been a good year. Out of the total of 613 birds rung in the Collada de Toses between 2005 and 2009, 328 have been rung this winter, with none in the two years previously.
‘Wait a minute,’ I mumbled as I was scanning the rock face, and headed for my telescope to confirm an overactive imagination. But, ‘Wallcreeper!’ Max shouted before I got there and sure enough the apparent peering head, that I may have dismissed as fantasy without a back-up pair of eyes, turned out to be a crazy lone pela-roques, in Catalan, eeking out a lunatic living on the freezing cold, snow-covered cliffs of the magical, magical Pyrenees.
In turns, it was seen fluttering out way over our heads to disappear into thin air, avoiding the high-mag gaze of our scopes with some sleight-of-wing, and dropping like a Peregrine the whole height of the cliff only to be suddenly sucked onto it’s sheer surface just metres from certain death as if it was suddenly magnetised. Wallcreeper are supposed to descend to lower altitudes in weather like this and, although it breeds at up to 3000m above sea level, I would hardly call the snow-covered 2000m at which we were now perched a descent!
Unlike (White-winged) Snowfinch, which rarely drop below 1500m, Wallcreeper are regularly found wintering even at sea level (see Garraf in the January 2009 Summary) so it was really the former that inspired the trips up from Barcelona and, a few days before, on the 6th, we’d been lucky enough to watch more than one-hundred work their way down this same hill, rolling over each other back over front (like a slinky if you remember the seventies!), over our heads and settle along the edges of the melting snowline a few metres below us. With us too engrossed and the flock restless, we didn’t think of photos but when we drove right into a small group a couple of hours later, we jammed on the brakes and clicked away as about a dozen skipped their way onto a roadside bank and grazed fearlessly at window-level as we followed on in first gear. Worth the trip alone.
With a distinct feeling of dejà vu, and six kilometres, twenty-minutes and a three hundred metre drop in altitude later, we were doing exactly the same thing with a half-dozen disinterested Alpine Accentor. What a plumage. What a place.
Alpine Accentor had been observed on the 11th too, sneaking between the feet of the Snowfinch, but a little too far to truly appreciate. No matter, Alpine Accentor, again unlike Snowfinch, also make winter trips to low-level mountains ranges and can be found quite easily in the same spot in the Garraf, for instance, along with Wallcreeper.
And anyway, another better surprise was yet to come.
Having been sent packing by a swarm of woollen hats and skis, we found ourselves tracking the white wings and tail edges of what we thought was a lone Snowfinch dipping and diving over the contours and corners of the winding road cutting it’s way through the deep snow of the Moixero Natural Park. When it finally stopped, we did likewise, this time even managing a photograph – of a Snow Bunting! The average for Catalonia is less than one per year so we were lucky we found a whole one.
In all the excitement it might have been easy to forget another rather startling moment of discovery. Whilst enjoying the cliff-side matinee described earlier we were treated to a honking Raven flying low overhead. Only to fill in time, or perhaps out of habit, we all raised our binoculars to the remarkable – and for me never-seen-before – sight of the underside of a Raven lit in a bounced snow light that revealed more shades and tones of brown than I’d ever seen. I swear I could see every feather and will never think of a Raven as a black bird again.
Now fast forward to the 17th and we’re back again…déjà vu…as, standing in almost exactly the same spot, the same reflected snow light paints every contour of the underside of a truly majestic (there is no other word for this bird) low-flying, adult Lammergeier. Orange. Beard. The lot. For a fleeting moment I contemplated the fifteen metres between my self and the camera (in the boot of the car of course) but in the end thought, ‘sod it’ and just enjoyed it. Wow. It actually hung around for an hour or so, at one point deigning to land - but immediately taking off in the moments that it saw me glance towards my camera bag.
The snow remained but this encouraged the skiers as well as the Snowfinch, now estimated at around sixty birds, to hang around so the former made the job of tracking the latter much harder and unusually it took us until the afternoon. In the meantime, the usual Peregrine, Griffon Vulture, Crossbill, Firecrest, Dipper and array of tits kept us entertained, we successfully out-waited the Alpine Accentors at their regular spot and a lovely flock of eighty chirping Alpine Chough floated around us and landed noisily on the road ahead.
It was clear that many birds, Wallcreeper included, found it hard to tear themselves away even in times of harsh and ruthless weather and on each and every visit, as we left the slope of the village main street and upped the gears onto the road back to Barcelona, I had no difficulty understanding why.
Photos by Dilys Powell, Max Andrews, Darren Shirley and Stephen Christopher.
"Thank you so much for showing us so much. So many birds. Great memories of the Snowfinch (our favourite), bluethroat, hoopoe, etc etc etc etc...... Another thank you for the footie match. What a treat - Please thank Anna for that!!!
How wonderfully relaxed it all was - not having to think about where we were going and just being able to enjoy the scenery and look for the birds was about perfect and then lunch was served.
Hope that you have a good year with lots of bookings. Thanks again."
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.
