BirdingInSpain

Something I wrote last year, for any Catalan-speaking visitors there may be!

Escriure una petita introducció sobre l’observació dels ocells al Montsec? Com començar? No ho sabia. Així, un dia esplèndid de primavera vaig agafar els prismàtics i vaig fer una visita als camps, bosquets i cims airosos de Montsec, buscant inspiració en la seva solitud i majestuositat.

La veritat és que la cosa no comencava massa bé. Hi havien moltes distraccions: grupets d’abellerols melosos de colors llampants, una guatlla cantant “set-per-vuit”, la seva veu ondulant com el blat en la brisa lleugera. Un destell repentí de colors quan una puput aixecà el vol. La dolça melangia d’un parell de cotolius.

5 espècies de tallarols estaven en plena forma anunciant-se propietaris de les mates, les alzines i els roures. 5 espècies! Silenci!!. Tot aquell xibarri no em deixava pensar.

Així vaig rependre el camí. Lluny cantava un hortolà, orgullós d’haver tornat de l’Africa a la seva terra natal. Després una volada de gralles de bec-vermell van interrompre els meus pensaments amb les seves acrobàcies aèries.

A dalt de la serrelada el pas de voltors era continuo, però vaig fer un esforç sobrehumà per no fer-los cas, al igual que la merla roquera que cantava insistentment al meu darrere. Però, quan un trencalòs va planejar davant meu mirant-me de fit a fit als ulls, aleshores vaig adonar-me’n que els ocells m’havien guanyat la partida.

We are back from a four day tour in eastern Spain and I’d like to thank you for your excellent web site – very useful. We had several days with strong winds which made listening complicated and kept the birds down. At 24th we were at El Planeron; the larks were singing frequently and the main objective – Dupont’s Lark was ticked.

The strong winds were of course disturbing in the Ebro delta – we had e.g. no Savi’s or Great Reed Wabler. But we did get close views of a Little Crake at Riet Vell and a Spotted Crake at Canal Vell the 25th. At the latter site a Little Bittern showed up briefly and a Black Tern flew past. At El Garxal there were lots of waders including some Marsh Sandpipers and among the Black-headed Gulls a single Mediterranean.

In Els Ports at the 27th we had good views of Griffon Vulure and Short-toed Eagle but didn’t see Bonelli’s. A Montagu’s Harrier was interesting to see at this height. We usually have it in Sweden at lowland. A single Rock Bunting was all we managed but three Blue Rock Thrushes were more comforting. One species we missed in the mountains was Black Wheatear.

We were 8 participants and the other 7 had never been in Spain for birdwatching. But they got really excited about birding in Spain and will for sure go back.

Kent Öhrn
Värnamo, Sweden

With a mixture of pride, apprehension and expectation BirdingInSpain.com can finally announce that the brand new section on Birding in Mallorca is now on-line.

Birders new to the charms of Mallorca should be pleasantly surprised to see that Mallorca is an important birding destination which has a good number of interesting birds such as Black Vulture, Eleonora’s Falcon, Balearic Warbler, Balearic Shearwater, Audouin’s Gull, Crested Coot and so many more. And that all the birding itineraries described in the eastern half of the island also take the birder through attractive and at times dramatic scenery.

Birders already versed in the birding delights of Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, can discover new itineraries, contemplate photographs of scenery and birds, look for the most suitable rural accommodation in the areas closest to the birds and download free maps.

BirdingInSpain.com could not have brought this new section to the international birding public without the help of our webmasters, Pol and Marc Rué. Two professionals who know their business and to whom we are extremely grateful. Thanks guys!

Visitors to the BirdingInSpain.com website may have noticed a section called “Hotspot Holidays” (if they haven’t how can they come to Spain and expect to find sandgrouse on the drylands?!). The underlying concept is that there are bird hotspots in northeast Spain where the visiting birder can expect to see a great diversity of birds in a small area (within a 25 kilometre radius of a given centre). The birding areas I have chosen for the web page are Montsec and the Ebro Delta and surrounding mountains.

I’ve been pretty busy over the last month or so leading trips, day excursions and doing bird counts, especially in the area between Lleida and Montsec. I’ve not got round to counting the number of species, but as an example last week in the space of 30 hours I did two bird counts in wetland areas near Lleida and then guided friends around the Alfés drylands. The diversity was quite exciting, with the wetlands yielding birds such as Squacco Heron, Little Bittern, Night Heron, Purple Heron, Kingfisher, Cattle Egret, Golden Oriole, Penduline Tit, Black-winged Stilt, Melodious Warbler, Wryneck, etc. Then on the drylands we saw Lesser Grey Shrike, Roller, Little Bustard, Red-footed Falcon, Bee-eater, Calandra Lark, Red-rumped Swallow, Black Wheatear and another etc.

That got me thinking: instead of a county list, year list or similar, why not start a birding hotspot challenge? The idea would be to draw a circle with a radius of 25 kilometres around the home/workplace and then count the bird species you see in that area over a course of 3 years.

The 3-year idea is so we oldies can take it easier, and don’t have to go into overdrive frantically looking for missing species or a lot of twitching just in case. Of course, there should be no law against twitching in the given area, or the amount of time that one spends birding. However the main focus of the birding hotspot list would be for birders to go about our abnormal lives, making a note of all the birds we see and then to compare lists after 3 years.

Who has the hottest birding hotspot? How many species are on that list? Will anyone take up the challenge?

This is a news item taken from the Spanish newspaper El Periódico, Friday 30/05/08:

On Thursday 29th May 2008 Carles Casas, ex-president of the basketball Club TDK Manresa, was sentenced to 14 months in prison by the courts of Lleida. He admitted to having used poison to kill animals on a game preserve near Tàrrega, Lleida. However, he can commute the sentence by paying a fine of 2,520 euros.

In 2005 the rural agents of Catalonia discovered that he had killed at least 7 animals using this illegal and indiscriminate method, including protected species such as Wildcat and a number of raptors.

It was not the first time that Casas had tried to poison fauna, as previously in 2003 he was caught in fraganti by the rural guards while in the process of preparing poisoned meat.

Personal comment: Well at last the judicial process has gone the whole way and taken the laws on the protection of fauna seriously enough to sentence someone. Many would have liked to see a harsher sentence, but at least the precedent has been set. So a word of warning to all potential wildlife-bashers: the law does have teeth and is prepared to use them at times.

This is just a brief but punch-packed announcement that very very soon the BirdingInSpain.com website will have a brand new section covering the best birding sites in Mallorca (or Majorca if you prefer).

As with the original section dealing with birding in northeast Spain there will be free downloadable birding itineraries, habitat and bird photos, maps, recommended accommodation and more. Get informed about birds and birding in Mallorca, one of the most popular birding-while-you-holiday destinations in Europe.

I’ve just come back from a conference held at the wonderful Avellanes monastery in Montsec (see recommended accommodation link on the Montsec itineraries of the BirdingInSpain.com website). Centred around initiatives to promote tourism motivated by appreciation of the rich natural and cultural heritage of this relatively unknown area, the speakers  expounded on different subjects including  the completion of the astronomic observatory of Montsec, a strategic cross-frontier plan for historic tourism, and birdwatching (me).

It was a mixed audience, with mayors, local politicians, hoteliers and private entrepreneurs, but there was good feeling all around, or so it seemed to me. I explained the potential of birdwatching tourism for the area, above all its possible contribution to a framework of sustainable tourism. And that this year BirdinginSpain.com has already contributed to the region with 100 hotel nights. Thanks to all those who have made that possible. Although I’m sure you all enjoyed the Little Bustards, Rollers, Black Wheatears, Bonelli’s Eagles and all the other great birds that we have seen in this marvellous birding area of Spain.

It would be sad if such a promising start didn’t gather momentum. It would also be something of a personal failure if the good people of Montsec, currently very receptive to the idea of birding and sustainable tourism, were left with the feeling that it was all just hollow talk. So my request to you, the birding reader: if you are thinking of coming on a birding trip to Spain check out the free Montsec itineraries, and if interested then go one step further and look at the recommended accommodation. There really is no catch. The final choice is up to you, but don’t distrust or ignore an excellent birding option, and the advice of someone who knows a thing or two about Birding in Spain.

CATALUNYA, NORTH EASTERN SPAIN – End of March, 2008.

It’s moonscape scenery – as dry and arid as one can imagine with stunted bare branched shrubs hugging the ground either side of the dust track road.    There’s a flicker of movement and a triumphant, muted call from Steve who’s pointing vigorously.   We’ve found the Spectacled Warbler, although it’s determined not to make too easy viewing.

We are in the driest part of Spain, north of Candasnos and we’ve gone into western Aragon, (Eagle Owl territory according to Steve) but the real surprise lies only a short distance away.  Suddenly we drive into an irrigated field on the edge of the plateau, and the colour tableau changes from grey and brown to lush green and colours of spring flowers;  on either side of the road a flock of Yellow Wagtails flicked their tails and showed off their brilliant colour, between 20 & 30 of them. What a contrast!

Earlier in the day in the drylands, we’d spent minutes watching both Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse after disturbing a young Bonelli’s Eagle from the ground.

If your birding is a part of  exploring varied scenery (& therefore habitats), then NE Catalunya with its plains, drylands, & the lower ranges of the Pyrenees is a place to visit.    The contrast is complete with a half day spent in the Montrebei Gorge which is a well trodden pass through the Montsec mountain range – fast running river, steep wooded cliffs with flowers, butterflies and our objective, the Wallcreeper.   En route we encounter Cirl Buntings, Rock Buntings and numerous Black Redstarts on their migration. Exactly on cue and deep in the gorge, a Wallcreeper displays for us on rocks opposite a convenient bench while we enjoy our sandwiches.

Three days of great birding guided by Steve achieving over one hundred species, that was real holiday.  (It did start to rain just as we arrived back at Lleida railway station to catch the Ave back to Barcelona – good timing!). I must mention the Great Spotted Cuckoos if only because the guru taught us that they parasitize on Magpies – what a useful bird – and the flock of Little Bustards who clearly quite enjoy posing for Steve’s clients.  I suspect that some of the quieter winter period may have been devoted to a little training!

Go to northern Catalunya in the spring migration season;  if you don’t know the region already you’ll get some surprises.   Thanks Steve.

Rupert Ormerod
Exmouth,
Devon.

Because of rising house prices in Spain, exacerbated by last year’s mortgage crisis and the slump in the construction trade decent affordable accommodation is getting hard to find. That’s especially so in the countryside and for new arrivals attempting to make themselves a home where they can raise a family. By means of illustration take a look at this notice found hanging on an almond tree in the drylands of Bellmunt:

“Fertile adult female Roller seeking dazzling adult male Roller. Must be home owner, preferably of sizeable hole in old tree, although new nest box also accepted. Ability to catch large insects and lizards and to carry out aerial displays will also be valued, although home ownership is a pre-requisite for breeding consent. Non-territorial male Rollers, and all female Rollers, please abstain.”

Luckily Rollers can still be seen in the drylands of Bellmunt, as well as in other dryland areas around Lleida, although decent nest sites are obviously scarce. Apart from the extent of suitable habitat, this is probably the single most important factor limiting the size of the Roller populations in northeast Spain.

Birders who have visited Extremadura are probably familiar with the nest boxes located on telegraph poles by the side of the road in certain areas. These nest boxes are largely aimed at Rollers and have been very successful. Isn’t it time to follow their example and put up some nest boxes for the Rollers reaching northeast Spain every spring?

This year’s breeding season is well under way, but it’s never too late to plan ahead and prepare to set up some Roller nest boxes before the drylands get plastered with signs like the one above.

This year Mayday meant a 4-day bank holiday and so a family excursion to the Pyrenees of Aragón was hastily arranged.

Fortunately we were blessed with beautiful sunny weather for the two days of our trip. The old quarter of Aínsa was the designated drinks stop. Now Aínsa is a historical-artistic monument, which was sure to please the wife, but the main reason for stopping here was to show my family the marvellous Eco-museum that I had discovered a couple of years before.

The Ecomuseum in Aínsa was set up and is run by the Fundación para la Conservación del Quebrantahuesos (FCQ) (Lammergeier Conservation Foundation), whose main objective is to promote the conservation of the Lammergeier in the Spanish Pyrenees and beyond.

The building itself is built into the wall of the wonderfully restored old quarters of Aínsa and has a ground level annexe used as a raptor refuge (for injured birds and environmental education). But it is the museum itself, and the extremely well thought out and crafted exhibits, displays and models that impress the most.

We all really loved the mountain bioclimatic strata display (that’s not the official name!) whereby each floor represents the ecosystems of the Pyrenees at different altitudes: the ground floor is the forest floor with Capercaillie, Black Woodpecker, Tengmalm’s Owl and more; the first floor reflects life near the treeline and rock faces – stars here are Wallcreeper, Eagle Owl, Golden Eagle ……; and the upper floor represents the Alpine environment of high peaks with Snow Finch, Alpine Chough, Alpine Accentor, Ptarmigan, etc.

The models were specially commissioned, bird song sounds out as you look, and the experience should not be missed.

My eldest son was so enthused that he got me to buy him a pack of raptor identification cards which he put to very good use over the subsequent days. That in itself made the visit worthwhile.