November 18, 2004
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.
What a shame! I was so envious of your birding paradise there - judging by the age of your hunter, this looks like a tradition handed down across decades. Possible to build your own private reserve for the ducks to escape to? Can Surfbirders pitch in and cough up donations?!
Posted by: tonyh at November 19, 2004 6:46 AMHi Des,Had a great time meeting you and Zara with the dogs down in Alcossebre.Back home in Sussex now ,cold and damp.I have explored your site and enjoyed it very much.There only memories now of sitting on the flat balcony watching the swifts,swallows and martins flying south with the other birds.Will contact when down again.Have you got the solar power yet?.Regards Happy Christmas, Sandy and Bob Bird.
Posted by: Bob BIRD at November 23, 2004 11:56 AMHi.
This is Miguel Tirado, I'm the ringer you have found a couple of times in Prat de Cabanes, near Torreblanca beach (I guess).
The dramatic situation you are explaining is a tremendous shame for some of us. It is incredible that this situation is still being allowed by the authorities, that are clarly not ready to take their responsibilities.
The good thing is that with a little luck next year two great zones in Prat de Cabanes (including Torberes) may be declared Reserva Integral, so hunters won't be allow anymore.
I wait eagerly for that day.
Congratulations for your Blog. The first about birding in our province.... but hopefully not too long...
We'll keep in touch.