BirdingInSpain

Last Monday’s snowfall in Catalonia made the records. It must be said that Barcelona doesn’t usually get knee-high in snow in early March.

But the snow wasn’t just in Barcelona you know. The mountains of the Pyrenees and pre-Pyrenees had a very good helping of the stuff too. On Monday the roads were blocked, but on Tuesday I took 3 photographers up to the site to photograph the Lammergeier through 30cm of snow. The landscape was a delight, the sky was a perfect sky blue and the odd gust of wind blew glittering powdered snow around trees and rocks.

We had to shovel snow and push the car through snow drifts. It took us 2 and a half hours to get to the feeding station when normally it only takes 25 minutes. But we had our reward. Unforgettable. The birds, the light, the landscape. The experience.   

BirdingInSpain.com, getting you to places where nobody else would even try.

A snow-capped Villa Hide

There’snow problem!

¡Este año sí!

¡Vamos a Bulgaria!

El año pasado nosotros en BirdingInSpain.com lanzamos una propuesta ornitológica al público español que pensábamos iba a ser ideal, ganadora, atractiva y, además, iba a contribuir directamente a la conservación del patrimonio del país que planeabamos visitar: Bulgaria.  

Pensábamos que, después de leer la oferta, ver el precio super asequible, leer el potencial ornitológico de Bulgaria a través del enlace al “trip report” de un viaje que hicimos en el año 2005: 

http://www.birdinginspain.com/free-downloads/bulgaria.pdf

 …pensábamos que iba a ser un éxito inmediato. Pensábamos que, a pesar de la crisis, los ornitólogos españoles reconocerían el valor de la oportunidad de hacer un viaje ornitológico excelente, al mismo tiempo que contribuirian con el 10% del coste del viaje a la conservación del águila imperial oriental Aquila heliaca.

¡Tanto pensar nos hizo mal! Por las razones que sean, no hubo respuesta suficiente para seguir con el viaje y, muy a pesar nuestro, tuvimos que cancelarlo.

Pero este año hemos vuelto, y hemos resucitado el viaje a Bulgaria, gracias sobretodo al interés demostrado por un contingente importante de ornitólogos del norte (Miradas Cantábricas). ¡Ya tenemos viaje a Bulgaria!

Así, que vengan los Pelícanos Ceñudos, los Gavilanes Griegos, las Águilas Imperiales Orientales, los Pitos Canos y Siriacos, y un largo etc. ¡Estaremos preparados! Y con el guiaje de Neophron Tours , guias nativos de Bulgaria, profesionales y expertos en las aves de su país, tenemos garantizadas las mejores posibilidades de encontrar las especies más interesantes.

Y, como último, una contribución de 94.5 euros por persona, total = 756 EUR para  ayudar al águila imperial oriental. Un pequeño bálsamo para nuestras conciencias ecologistas.

The southern part of Mallorca offers beautiful beaches, sea views and some very good birding

At this stage you really should know that Mallorca is more than just a sun and beach holiday destination. Especially if you are a birder. But if you are still in some doubt just check out the birding itineraries in the Mallorca section of the main BirdingInSpain.com website.

The spectacular Formentor peninsula is home to Eleonora’s Falcons, Balearic Warblers and much more.

Places like s’Albufera, Ses Salines, the Tramuntana range, the Formentor peninsula, the Artà peninsula, are all places that the birder cannot afford to miss if he or she spends any time on this rich and varied island in the Western Mediterranean.

Black Vulture, one of the specialities of Mallorca, can be seen in the Tramuntana range

Birds you’d want to look out for include the endemic Balearic Warbler, Balearic Shearwater, Eleonora’s Falcon, Black Vulture, Audouin’s Gull….

Red-crested Pochards can be seen at the S’Albufera Natural Park

The good news is we are working with a number of top quality hotels on this splendid island. Take a look at the itinerary, click on the “Recommended accommodation” link and see for yourself what your travel agent hasn’t told you. You’ll find hotels of different kinds and styles but with something in common: they welcome birders and their families and have excellent birding opportunities nearby, often on the very doorstep.  

Scops Owl can be detected in the grounds of some of our recommended hotels

S’Albufera Natural Park – try Iberostar Playa de Muro

Tramuntana range – try Can Torna or Mallorca4seasons

Boquer Valley and Formentor peninsula – try Grupotel Molins

Ses Salines and Salines des Salobrar – try Finca Son Guardiola or Can Canals

Artà peninsula – try Grupotel Cala Ratjada or Grupotel Gran Vista and spa

Red Kites flock at a site near Lleida. 

Has anybody seen a Brambling this winter? I haven’t yet, but last year I saw more than a dozen in a single tree!

The Griffon Vulture may be a carrion-feeder but it still has its beauty. And most of them stay around in the winter.

Bellmunt drylands. No Little Bustards here now!Instead we can look out for Merlin, Hen Harrier, Red Kite, Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle.

The Avellanes Monastery as it is rarely seen. This is the doorway to the birds of the Montsec range as well as the drylands to the north of Lleida.

Gallocanta is the place to see Cranes in northeast Spain at this time of the year, but that doesn’t mean it is the only place. Cranes make a great complement to a winter day’s birding anywhere in Spain. Here we were fortunate to encounter a flock of almost 200 birds on the steppes of Belchite.

Looking for a Dupont’s Lark in the fog was a tough job. The Cranes made it easier to bear the pressure that mounted until we finally set eyes on our target in the early afternoon. They were grey for sure but added a lot of colour to a grey day. The other birds of the day that deserve a mention are Black Wheatear, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (a big flock of more than 300 birds),  a single Black-bellied Sandgrouse, a Merlin, and plenty of larks.

Then there was a warming cup of tea at our recommended hotel, Rincón del Cierzo, and the smiling proprietoress Olga.

 Alan and Marge on their way to a meeting with a Wallcreeper

Farther along the same path. The sun appears to be winning the battle with the fog. Do we start looking for the Wallcreeper now?

Here are some snapshots from a recent day out birding with Alan and Marge in my part of northeast Spain.

Late January. That on the ground is fresh snow, and that in the air is fog. The sun and blue sky is not far away. 

Farther up the same path the sun shone through the fog. We could see where we were: walking along the base of spectacular sandstone cliffs. The only shame was that we couldn’t admire the wonderful views “You’ll have to come again next time you’re here” I remarked.

Alan has wanted to see a Wallcreeper for more than 20 years now. When these photos were taken he was hopeful of seeing his prized Wallcreeper, but in the end would it be just another day to add to those 20-odd years of waiting? There are rarely any guarantees with birds.

I lagged a little behind, scanning the rock walls and taking some photos of the marvellous landscape. Alan, driven, forged ahead with Marge close behind.

An Alpine Accentor flew up and away half way up the rock face. Crag Martins wheeled one way and then another. A Red-billed Chough hurled itself into the void below its rocky perch, with a startled “Che-err!”. The sun shone resolutely through the mist, we bathed in its warmth and the snow started melting at a surprisingly rapid rate. A Blue Rock Thrush peered over a small pinnacle-shaped rock, its head gleaming satin dusky blue. A Wallcreeper flicked its intensely coloured wings, just for a second, but enough for our  human eyes to catch a glimpse of the movement and locate the avian treasure.  

We all watched as the Wallcreeper worked its way up and across the sheer rock face. Now hopping and prying with its bill, now fluttering around an overhanging with its wings outstretched. The similarity between the Wallcreeper and a large colourful butterfly was quite striking.

As you stand there pressing your binoculars into your eye sockets, contemplating one of the milliard of nature’s true wonders, that tiny figure flickering and flitting across the face of that immense wall, you somehow manage to hold your breath; perhaps fearing that as if by merely breathing you have the power to shatter that magical moment before it can be properly etched onto your memory.

Excerpt from “Flying over the Pyrenees, standing on the plains”

Some Famous “Birding” Quotes

In case you missed them the first time round…
“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 Black-and-white Warbler 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 Lammergeier for the American Continent.

“You’ve never had it so good” Harold Macmillan addressing the British 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.

Some images from the Catalonia archives to brighten up those miserable winter days.  

 Haven’t Carrion Crows got anything better to do than to pester Golden Eagles everywhere they go?

A White Stork is suddenly and inexplicably gripped with a terrible urge to break the sound barrier.

SO you think there’s nothing tough about a Tree Sparrow? Why don’t YOU try getting through the winter on a handful of millet!

A Thekla Lark is NOT a toy.

Descripció: Bosc de ribera. 90 ha de bosc de ribera (xops, àlbers, verns, salzes) amb zones d’arbustives (tamarius, esbarzers), depressions inundables i un canyissar força extensiu, tot declarat Àrea d’Interès Natural. És un parc municipal ara ben comunicat i molt freqüentat pel públic als caps de setmana, malgrat això és pot preparar la visita per trobar hores o racons tranquils.

Principals espècies

Tot l’any: cabusset, martinet blanc, esplugabous, cigonya blanca, ànec coll-verd, aligot comú, polla d’aigua, rascló, picot verd, tórtora turca, blauet, cuereta torrentera, cargolet, rossinyol bord, teixidor, mallerenga cuallarga, raspinell comú, pardal xarrec, gratapalles.

Estivals: martinet de nit, agró roig, falcó mostatxut, corriol petit, xot, abellerol, colltort, tórtora, rossinyol, boscarla de canyar, balquer, bosqueta vulgar, tallarol de casquet, papamosques gris, oriol.

Hivernants: corb marí gros, bernat pescaire, picot garser gros, pardal de bardissa, pit-roig, cotxa fumada, tord ala-roig, bruel, lluer, pinsà mec, repicatalons, cruixidell.

De Pas: milà negre, aligot vesper, àguila pescadora, xivitona, oreneta de ribera, piula dels arbres, cotxa cua-roja, mastegatatxes, tallarol gros, tallarol de garriga, tallareta vulgar, mosquiter pàl•lid, mosquiter de passa.

Accés
Des de la ciutat de Lleida pel pont de Pardinyes i el camí de la Granyena.

Itinerari
(1) En les hores menys concorregudes és profitós aturar-se uns moments a les comportes del canal de Serós per observar ocells aquàtics com el blauet, la cuereta torrentera, la xivitona, la polla d’aigua, el martinet blanc i, a l’hivern, el corb marí gros, el bernat pescaire i la gavina vulgar.
(2) Travessa el canal i un petit pont sobre un rierol. Busca un lloc discret per aparcar a prop de l’entrada del parc i seguir a peu. Vigila! No deixes coses de valor en el cotxe, un consell aplicable a molts indrets periurbans sense vigilància.
(3) Entre el canyissar a mà dreta i els joncs i esbarzers a l’esquerra és possible detectar espècies com la boscarla de canyar, el rascló, el trist, el rossinyol bord, el teixidor i la tórtora turca als cables de la llum; a l’hivern el canyissar és un important dormider pel repicatalons i el cruixidell.
(4) Més endavant hi ha un bosquet principalment de verns i xops on podem trobar mallerengues i altres ocells del bosc, i segons l’època el lluer, el bruel i el mastegatatxes.
(5) Just abans d’arribar al pont del canal de Balaguer, trobarem un camí a mà esquerra que passa per una zona dominada per esbarzers i tamarius. A la tardor les mores atrauen molts ocells com el tallarol gros, el tallarol de casquet i la merla.
(6) Torna al pont metàl•lic que travessa el canal de Balaguer. Aquí és un dels millors llocs per veure el blauet, la cuereta torrentera i la mallerenga cuallarga, aquesta última en les salzes a la vora de l’aigua.
(7) Gira a la dreta per seguir el camí del canal de Balaguer. En els arbres i arbustos al llarg d’aquest camí tenim bones oportunitats de realitzar observacions interessants en la forma dels ocells reproductors com l’oriol, el papamosques gris, el pardal xarrec i la gratapalles; ocells migratoris com el tallarol gros, el mosquiter pàl•lid i el mastegatatxes; i a l’hivern el pit-roig, el pardal de bardissa i el pinsà mec, l’últim entre els nombrosos pinsans comuns què venen aquí per passar la nit.
(8) A arribar a la tanca que travessa el camí prendrem un altre camí a l’esquerra què, després de passar entremig d’una línia d’arbres es divideix en petites bifurcacions. A seguir una d’aquestes arribarem a la Bassa Gran; aquí des de dintre dels aguaits hem trobat un bon lloc per veure el martinet de nit, el bernat pescaire i el martinet blanc. Altres espècies freqüentes aquí són el blauet, l’ànec coll-verd i el cabusset.
(9) Continua pel camí i a la primera bifurcació gira a la dreta per on arribaràs a un pontet de color verd. Després, si efectues un altre gir a la dreta passaràs per un bosc de xops i àlbers (molt indicat per observar el raspinell comú i, a l’hivern, el picot garser gros) abans de sortir a la passarel•la que travessa el riu Segre. Aprofita la oportunitat de parar al mig del riu a escoltar o veure ocells com la oreneta de ribera, el blauet, l’oriol, el teixidor, el corriol petit, el martinet de nit i una llarga etcètera. En els arbres riu avall és on es posen multituds de corbs marins, bernats, martinets i esplugabous.
(10) La marge dreta té característiques similars a la de l’esquerra, però amb més zones obertes i més trànsit humà. Millor visitar-la a la primera hora del matí o en un dia laboral.

Moltes gràcies a Michele Mendi pel seu permís per reproduïr la seva foto d’aquest Gratapalles

Duració aproximada: entre 2 i 3 hores.

No birders or birds in sight here, just some peaceful scenes from places around Lleida, our little corner of northeast Spain.

Evening light, autumn day.

 Mist rolling in over the hills of Mont-roig.

Morning.

Spirituality – and the hermit came in search of solitude.