The Birdman of Alcossebre (Spain)

A Tale of Two Seasons

My nearest birding hotspot – the Cabanes El Prat,Torrenostra – has undergone a dramitic change in two months, why?

The hunting season has arrived!

Unlike my former hotspots in and around Glasgow, shooting is allowed in Nature Reserves here in Spain.

So on a visit before the shooting season ( October to March) on 10th September I saw the following :-

300 Cattle Egret; 10 Little Egret; 11 Grey Heron; 3 Purple Heron; 2 Wigeon; 6 Teal; 12 Mallard; 3 Shoveler; 93 Red Crested Pochard; 25 Common Pochard; 6 Water Rail; 8 Waterhen; 1 Purple Swamphen and 196 Coot.

On a return visit on the 10th October all that remained were :-

no Cattle Egret; 3 Little Egret; 3 Grey Heron; no Purple Heron; no Wigeon; no Teal; 1 Mallard; no Shoveler; 1 Red Crested Pochard; no Common Pochard; 2 Water Rail; 3 Waterhen; no Purple Swamphen and 55 Coot.

So just when the wintering birds should have been building up numbers they were decimated!

This seems completely out of line with the whole idea of setting up Nature reserves in the first place. The Cabanes El Prat has received a lot of European Funding, so what is the point in that?

The shooting here is not just confined to wildfowl because nearly all species are targeted. For example, one of the prize birds used as target practice is the Song Thrush – after all, what do you shoot when all the ducks have been shot?

When I asked a leading Spanish Authority about the shooting/hunting on Nature reserves, he told me, and I quote “ There are well controlled laws ´Coto Privado de Casa´signifies that someone owns the hunting rights to that particular area, and must post signs proclaiming his right to exclusitivity. If it is a Nature reserve, it may be that hunting is restricted to a certain number of Sundays per year”

He added “ In the scheme of things, we should be more concerned about over-urbanisation and bad agricultural practice”

What do my fellow Bloggers feel about this issue?

I just feel so sorry for the birds, sport indeed.

October Muse

Weather.
It turned out to be the warmest October here for seven years.
The maximum temperature averaged 26C or 78F.
It rained on four days 12th,21st,25th and 27th.
Thunderstorms accompanied the rain on the 12th and 21st.
Winds were mainly varible and light most days.
A moderate West wind on the 9th encouraged diurnal migration – see Swallow e.g.
After the thunderstorm on the 21st thousands of Ants were washed out of their homes and took to the air! The sky was alive with birds catching them. Starlings, Sparrows and even Kestrels joined in.

Local Farming Scene.

The month was filled with the sound of shaking trees, as the Almond crop was brought down to earth.
Olive Trees were also being shaken for this years batch of Olive Oil.
Finally the Carob Trees were giving up their crop of chocolate like beans for grinding down as cattle fodder.
Oranges were changing from green to the more familiar colour.
Some farmers were grubbing up their Tomatoe plants and then ploughing in fresh manure. While others were leaving them to rot providing good feeding areas for Chats and Warblers.
The Artichokes were providing their first crop.
There were still plenty fields left fallowed, leaving plenty weeds for the wintering Finches.

Birds
71 species were seen this month.

Seawatching/Seabirds – Mediterranean Shearwaters the first of the Autumn were seen on the 26th, some 60 birds.
Northern Gannet – singles were seen all month.
Shag – only singles seen in contrast to the next species.
Cormorant – seen all month, 214 birds passed on the 24th.
Arctic Skua – one or two birds chasing Terns most days.

Herons and Egrets – Grey Heron one to two birds most days.
Cattle Egret – peaked at 40 birds on the 23rd.
Little Egret - one to two birds most days.

Birds of Prey – quality not quantity. Sparrowhawk – singles seen.
Common Buzzard - one to two birds most days.
Osprey – a late bird passed through on 19th.
Hobby – one passed through on the 15th.
Kestrel – one to three birds daily.

Waders – poor month for this group.
Ringed Plover – two birds on the 3rd.
Common Sandpiper – one on the 24th.

Gulls and Terns -
Mediterranean Gull – singles seen on 3rd and 30th.
Black Headed Gull – peaked at 30 birds on 26th.
Audouin´s Gull – peaked at 61 birds on 3rd.
Yellow Legged Gull – 94 per hour passing on 24th.
Lesser Black Back Gull – peaked at 18 birds on 13th.
Great Black Back Gull – a single seen on 30th.
Sandwich Tern – peaked at 30 birds on 3rd.

Pigeons and Doves –
Wood Pigeon – highest total for months, 7birds on 24th.
Collared Dove – peaked at 76 birds on 4th.
Turtle Dove – one to two late birds seen from 13th to 15th.

Little Owl – max seen 3 birds.

Swifts, Swallows and Martins.
Pallid Swift – singles seen on 2nd and 3rd.
Alpine Swift – a late party of 6 birds seen on 19th.
Sand Martin – a single seen on 3rd.
Crag Martin – max seen 5 birds.
House Martin – late birds seen up to the 22nd, max 11 birds.
Swallow – peaked at 170 birds per hour on 9th.

Larks, Pipits and Wagtails.
Crested Lark - peaked at 17 birds on 23rd.
Skylark – peaked at 30 birds on 29th.
Meadow Pipit – peaked at 42 birds per hour on 23rd.
Blue Headed Wagtail – late birds seen up to 12th, max 14.
Grey Wagtail – returning winter birds from 12th, max 6.
White Wagtail - returning winter birds from 16th, max 22.

Robins and Chats.
Robin - returning winter birds from 12th, max 10 birds.
Black Redstart - returning winter birds from 12th, max 8 .
Common Redstart – singles seen up to 26th.
Whinchat – one to three birds seen up to 12th.
Stonechat – continued build up of winter nos. max 13 birds.

Thrushes.
Blackbird – only singles seen.
Song Thrush – peaked at 94 birds per hour on 24th.

Warblers.
Cetti´s Warbler – one to two birds seen through out.
Fan Tailed Warbler – max numbers seen 13 birds.
Dartford Warbler - returning winter birds from 12th, max 3.
Sardinian Warbler – max numbers seen 12 birds.
Blackcap - continued build up of winter nos. max 11 birds.
Chiffchaff - continued build up of winter nos. max 4 birds.
Willow Warbler – only single birds seen.

Spotted Flycatcher – one to two birds seen up to 13th.

Great Grey Shrike - one to two birds seen through out.

Magpie – peaked at 18 birds.

Hundreds of the following noted – Common Starling, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow & Tree Sparrow.

Finches and Buntings.
Chaffinch - returning winter birds from 13th. Peak of 155 per hour on the 29th.
Greenfinch – max of 13 birds noted.
Goldfinch – max seen 83 birds.
Linnet - continued build up of winter nos. max 19 birds
Serin – max seen 60 birds.
Cirl Bunting – singles seen through out.
Ortolan Bunting – a passage bird seen on 21st.