July 31, 2004
Monthly Muse Part One
Hi fellow birders and Hola from Spain
About a half hour drive from my house is a wonderful expanse of protected wetland called El Prat De Cabanes or Home of the Ducks as the locals know it.
It is overlooked on the northern boundary by the tower block apartments of Torranostra.
It is a coastal wetland covering some 812 hectares.
Along the coast there are areas of saltmarsh with pebble beaches. Good habitat for the breeding Kentish Plovers, the beach area is also used by gulls during their moult.
Most of the wetland is either rushy pasture or reedbeds with smaller areas of scrub.
There are a number of open pools originally formed by old peat extractions.
New pools are currently being excavated to increase this valuable habitat.
The surrounding fringe areas of the reserve are a good habitat to with a mixed farm community farming in a labour intense way which provides extra food for the birds especially in the winter months.
Because of the size of the reserve it is a very important site for some of the rarer wetland species. In some years 30 pairs of Collared Pratincoles have been know to breed.
Good numbers of warbler breed including Moustached, Great Reed and Fan Tail Warbler.
A healthy population of Montagu´s and Marsh Harriers also breed here.
The birds most folk associate with wetlands - the Herons and Bitterns thrive here. With good numbers of Grey, Purple and Squacco Herons and Little and Great Bitterns.
Black Winged Stilts breed in good numbers.
The pools have nesting Little and Great Creasted Grebes as well as Red Crested Pochard and numerous Coots.
In the last couple of visits (late July) I´ve seen the following:-
Little and Great Crested Grebes with a passing Black Necked Grebe.
Little and Great Bittern.
Squacco, Grey and Purple Herons.
Little and Cattle Egrets.
Gadwall, Mallard, Red Crested Pochard and Common Pochard.
Marsh and Montagu´s Harrier.
Kestrel and Hobby.
Common Moorhen and Purple Swamphen - a surprize, I didn´t expect this species!
Black Winged Stilts and Kentish Plovers.
Passage Lapwing, Whimbrel, Common and Wood Sandpipers.
Audouin´s, Yellow Legged Gulls and Sandwich Terns in good numbers.
Pallid Swifts, local breeders.
Common Kingfisher, small number breeding.
Bee eaters and Hoopoes breeding along the fringes.
Crag Martins, local breeders in the nearby hills.
Blue Headed Wagtails, probable breeders, but no proof yet.
Cetti´s, Fan Tail, Moustached, Reed, Great Reed and Sardinian Warblers all breeding but so far no sign of Savi´s?
Magpies, Spotless Starlings, House and Tree Sparrows all breeeding in good numbers.
Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Serin breeding in good numbers.
So all in all not a bad variety of species.
I´m looking forward to the autumn migration here, who knows what will turn up?
July 3, 2004
June Birds
3rd July 2004
Hi fellow birders
June has been a quiet month in this part of Spain with migration down to a trickle and the resident birds in full nesting mode.
Some for the second time i.e. Serins.
The weather after the mixture of May has been hot and sunny. Most days 80 plus. The odd Thunderstorm has brought much welcolmed rain.
One of the most entertaining birds this month has been the Great Spotted Cuckoo. The adult bird lays it´s egg in the Magpies nest here as there are no Carrion Crows. The young Cuckoos have left the nest now and are screaming and screeching at the Magpie parents to bring them food! I never thought I would feel sorry for Magpies, but there you go.
See attached photo.