BirdingInSpain

It was a hot afternoon and two bird photographers and I were sitting at a terrace bar, enjoying a cool beer.

A woman in her fifties sitting alone at the next table looked at us and said, “Anglais?”

“Sorry?” I asked.

“Oh you are English! I’m glad - I’m not very good at speaking Spanish.”

Anglais? Spanish? I thought, but magnanimously let it pass.

“Are you birdwatchers?”, she inquired.

I suspect it was the Swarovski and Leica binoculars and the Canon digital cameras with huge 500mm lenses that led her to assume we were birders.

“Yes. And bird photographers,” I answered.

“Then perhaps you can tell me what kind of eagle is it that my husband and I regularly see flying over our house?”

“Eagles? Hmm, well, the most common species around is the Short-toed Eagle. White on the undersides.”

“Oh no, these are quite dark looking. But we see them regularly you see, sometimes fifty or more together.”

“Fifty? Then they must be vultures,” I explained.

“Oh no, the end of their wings are upturned, so they aren’t vultures.”

Judging from the vigour of her reply that wasn’t a comma, but rather a full-stop. Still, I couldn’t envisage incorporating her criterion for eagle identification “upturned wings= eagle” into my raptor identification classes.

JM, one of my companions, stepped in “Eagles are solitary birds, you rarely see more than 2 or 3 eagles together. They must be vultures.”

The lady pursed her lips, and shook her head, “No, no, not vultures.”

I shrugged, “If she wants them to be eagles, let them be eagles” I said to JM in a whisper.

But JM’s Swedish soul was stirred. Reason had to prevail, “Madam, this morning we have seen 7 species of raptor, and only one of them was an eagle.”

“Oh no, we know the vultures. These were eagles,” she sentenced, shaking her head.

We looked at each other and the only way forward seemed to be to let matters lie. She had obviously decided that our judgement was not to be trusted. Was it my accent?

We bade her farewell as she got on her bicycle to cycle back home down the road towards Balaguer. Just as a dozen vultures were soaring on a thermal over a nearby hilltop. Sorry, not vultures, eagles …they had upturned wing tips.

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Extract from the review by André J van Loon in Dutch Birding vol 30, nº1, 2008:

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This second book is a personal account of his life in Catalunya. It is divided into chapters with a story on a particular local species as a starting point, which triggers thoughts about a wide variety of subjects, such as hunting, conservation, the migration strategy of shrikes, the dancing displays of cranes in relation to finding a partner in the human world, going out birding with young children (”never, never forget the wet wipes”), memories of birding trips with his friends or as a tour leader, the Spanish Civil War, or observations of the same species as a vagrant or rare breeding bird back in England or elsewhere. ….

The book is a good, pleasant, humoristic and at times even emotional read. Since he also explains certain features or behaviour of birds (or behaviour of birdwatchers!), this book is not only fun for birdwatchers (especially those with a hunch for birds and birding in Spain) but also for their non-birding friends and partners.

Thanks André!

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This morning at Sant Llorenç de Montgai near Balaguer the “Wings over Montsec” project was officially presented to an interested public of some 40 people. Those present included politicians, mayors from the villages of Montsec, hoteliers, tourism technicians and of course, BirdingInSpain.com. After all, it was our work being put on show!

The leaflet provides detailed information on two major birding routes in the Montsec area: the Eagle Route and the Lammergeier Route. The Eagle Route was designed to correspond to the general area where it is possible to see Bonelli’s Eagles, while the Lammergeier Route in the north traces a path that follows the trail of the Montsec Lammergeiers.

Each of these two major routes is divided into 7 birding itineraries named after some of the most emblematic or charismatic of the birds it is possible to see, for example Bonelli’s Eagle, Wallcreeper, Penduline Tit, Rock Thrush, etc. Accompanying each itinerary there is a map and an explanation of the itinerary and the birds that can be seen along the way.

We sincerely hope that this information will prove practical and useful and will attract a few more foreign birders to this overlooked area. We also hope that it will serve to make local people and politicians aware of the importance of protecting these special local birds and their habitats.

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Will that Moustached Warbler which was singing just a moment ago please come out from the base of the reeds and show itself to us? My companion Jim has come all the way from Japan to watch birds and a reasonable glimpse of a Moustached Warbler would round off the morning nicely.

That’s one of the things about birding, above all about bird guiding. Sometimes the birds you have been checking on all week seem to get cold feet just at the time when it counts the most: when you’ve told your companion that this is a really good place for Bonelli’s Eagle, or that Wallcreepers turn up on this particular rock face with great regularity in the winter months. Then when you’re standing there waiting, waiting…

Then there are the moments when you detect a bird you didn’t expect.. Like a Moustached Warbler singing in a narrow line of reeds in the Llobregat Delta. You stop, listen and wait, knowing that the bird is there. But does it show? No, not today!

But I’m not complaining, not really. After all in just two hours in the Llobregat delta we saw a lot of key birds, like Audouin’s Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Penduline Tit, Velvet Scoter and even a couple of Balearic Shearwaters at close range.

So no complaining. That’s birding!

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Spring is in the air in northeast Spain (feels more like summer). The almond trees are in full bloom on the drylands near Lleida and Great Spotted Cuckoos are vociferously proclaiming their arrival.

Today a group of 3 or 4 of these early migrants begraced the tops of a small almond grove, watched suspiciously by an unusually serene party of Magpies. Perched on rocks and watching from a distance.

Saturday afternoon is probably not the best time to be out on these particular Spanish steppes as the birds are obviously flustered by the intense human leisure activity: light planes flying in wide circles around the aerodrome, a couple of model planes out and around their own particular aerodrome, the motocross youths riding inanely around the dirt tracks, the weekend farmers…

I prefer a bit more peace and quiet. I’ll have to come back during the week and see what the Great Spotted Cuckoo, Little Bustard and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse are up to.

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The birding in Spain web page has just incorporated two new photo galleries. One corresponds to the Montsec Hotspot, an inland area of sierras, rivers and steppes; and the other to the well known birding area of the Ebro Delta, the second most important wetland in Spain.

Have a glance at the galleries to see landscapes which include mountain ranges, panoramas, lakes, wetlands, olive groves, dryland landscapes and more. Of course ther are photos of some of the birds of the Ebro Delta and the surrounding sierras including Audouin’s Gull, Collared Pratincole, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Bonelli’s Eagle and Red-rumped Swallow. There is even a photo of the Red-necked Nightjar, another speciality of Spain.

The Montsec bird photos include Lammergeier, Bonelli’s Eagle, Eagle Owl, Calandra Lark and Scop’s Owl. But there’s more than just some of the birds of Spain: orchids, butterflies, fritillaries, castles, people, and some of the fabulous landscapes of this relatively unknown birding region.

Have a look - it’s free!

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The meeting finished early, I had a couple of hours at my disposal, what could I do? What a stupid question! Go birding of course.

I was on the edge of Montsec, I had my binoculars and a large scale map to enable me to investigate the most out of the way tracks…the sun was shining…nothing to rush home for…heaven on earth!

So I drove here and there stopping to listen or watch, or take a photo now and then. It’s still too early in the year for there to be much in the way of breeding activity, or so I thought. However, my first stop had me listening to no less than 3 Dartford Warblers on a dry, scrubby hillside, caught in the throes of a competition which could determine the outcome of their breeding attempts, and perhaps even the continuation of their line. On a facing slope, just the other side of a sprouting wheat field, Thekla Larks were similarly engaged.

I drove on, stopping shortly after to admire the wide panorama of the Pre-pyrenees which had opened up before me. The first sound that came to my ears were was made up of a series of tinny, disjointed, whistles, clicks and chimes - a Southern Grey Shrike. Perched at the top of an almond tree and with no sense of ridicule.

A  few false turnings, as expected, and a slow but well-timed pace of unexpected encounters made for real therapeutic birding. A female Hen Harrier crossing the valley, songbirds shrieking and scattering this way and that; a Goshawk circling over a rocky outcrop and disappearing beyond the pinewoods; a Golden Eagle approaching and skirting past me, flying too low for its own safety. Fields of Calandra Larks, a solitary Hoopoe flying against the sun, 5 Griffon Vultures on a thermal updraft.

Now I was ready to go back to the fray.

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FAMOUS BIRDING QUOTES

” Do be do be do ” Frank Sinatra, dumbstruck, after having stumbled across a mind-shattering rarity.

” Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo ? ” Juliet, desperately hoping that her boyfriend Romeo would return before the Rose Breasted Grosbeak that was hopping around in a bush only metres away (and that her loved one had trekked off 4 miles away to the headland to try and find) disappeared.

” We are not amused ” Queen Victoria on being regretfully informed that hers was not the biggest life list in the British Empire.

” We’ll find them on the beaches ” W.Churchill predicting an auk wreck on the east coast.

” I don’t remember ” R.Reagan when asked to describe the characteristics of the bird which he had claimed as the first Blue Rock Thrush for the American Continent.

” You’ve never had it so good ” Harold Macmillan addressing the nation’s birdwatchers to assert that it had been one of the best years on record for Nearctic passerines.

” To be or not to be, that is the question ” Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, deeply affected by his 15th successive dip. Wishing to avoid exposure to the ridicule of his birdwatching colleagues, he is caught up in an existentialist debate.

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This January 2008 the Birdinginspain.com web site has received over 1,000 unique visitors. For the first time since its creation in late June 2007.

Most visitors by far come from the USA, second in the ranking is Spain, and then the usual third is the UK, although this month it has been surpassed by Sweden and Holland.

If you haven’t visited the page then take a look at the different sections dealing with Steve West’s birder’s books, itineraries, maps and photos dealing with birding sites in northeast Spain, free birding downloads such as checklists and trip reports, bird recordings and more.

A recently incorporated section is “Hotspot Holidays” - a product offered exclusively by Birdinginspain.com for birders and naturalists who prefer the slow travel concept. More about Hotspot holidays in a later post.

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Another mid-January is upon us and the time has come for John, Hans, Pierre, Mario and scores of other birders from all over Europe to get out and count their populations of wintering waterbirds.

Every year Wetlands International co-ordinates the European mid-winter waterbird counts and publishes the results. That way we can all see what is happening to our winter water birds and possibly even our climate.

Mind you, there’s usually little need to tell the good birders of Lleida, Catalonia, what is happening to their climate, as they can usually see it for themselves: for at these dates there is almost invariably a blanket of impenetrable fog cloaking the plain between Montsec and the mountains of Tarragona! But the birders of Lleida show their resilience and resourcefulness at such times of adversity and usually end up retiring to the nearest bar and a coffee or two to wait for the fog to lift. And sometimes it does.

Fog was predicted for this weekend. On Saturday the Lleida City Council wanted me to show a small but interested public how to conduct the winter water birds census on their local patch, the municipal park of la Mitjana, riverside woodland on both banks of the River Segre. Before leaving home I checked the small change in my pocket to make sure I had enough to buy a coffee, but when I got to la Mitjana the fog had still not descended.  And neither did it for the rest of the day.

So in the end the census participants and myself had a pleasant walk around la Mitjana. The birds we saw were the usual ones: Moorhens, Coots, Little Grebes, Mallard (and 1 Gadwall), Cormorants, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Grey Wagtail, etc. For me the highlight of the day was the ever-splendid Kingfisher perched on a reedmace head. And the obvious enthusiasm of a good number of my companions.

I must admit though, by about midday I was missing the coffee!

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