Delta del Llobregat 27/03/2011

Last sunday I went to the Delta del Llobregat to look after the Lesser Scaup (which finally didn't show up) that had been seen.
On the way to the hides, there were some interesting species like Little Grebe or Red Crested Pochard.
I went first to the Bassa dels pollancres hide (where the Lesser Scaup had been seen), but first I took a look at some wood walls with holes so you can observe. There were lots of Black-Winged Stilts and one Glossy Ibis which was only three or four meters away.
At the hide, I took my scope and started looking. There were lots of waders and ducks like Common and Red Crested Pochards, Dunlins, Temminck's Stint, Little Ringed Plover and much others...
After some time in the hide, a man told me there was a Jack Snipe on the Maresma hide, so I went there. Unluckily, once there, we dind't find it. At the maresma hide there wasn't much activity, but after some time I had discovered Avocets, Garganey, Black-Necked Grebe and Audouin's Gull.
Finally we went to the beach, but there weren't any birds except for a group of Sanderlings.

 

Delta del Llobregat 20/03/2011

Last sunday (20/03/2011) I went to the Delta del Llobregat (Remolar-Filipines).
It was a very nice day. We parked and we started to walk. On the way to the hides I saw some Little Grebes Red Crested Pochard and some Cetti's Warblers.
At the information pointI asked if there was something interesting, but they didn't report anything special.
We first went to the Bassa de Pollancres hide, but there wasn't anything special, so we moved on to the aguait de la Maresma.
At the aguait de la Maresma, I saw some interesting stuff, like the first Avocets and Black-Winged Stilts of the year. There were some other waders too like Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Common and Spotted Redshanks...
A Sparrowhawk flew past and flushed some birds. While looking with the the scope at some Shelducks, I found something weird. A garganey (later I found five males), I love these ducks.
Some time later I noticed something at the end of the lagoon, medium-sized and brown. Glossy Ibis.
Finally we went to the beach, to look for some Razorbills. Tere wasn't anything on the sea except for two Great Crested Grebes. While I was leaving, I took a last look. There was a larger group. I observed it with the scope and I noticed there weren't only Great Crested Grebes, it was a mixt group with two Velvet Scoters.

Latest sightings

On the past days, I haven't been birding, but I've got some nice observations.
On sunday I went to Tarragona with some family's friends. After having dinner we did a little walk and I saw my first Barn Swallows and House Martins of the year. They were already bringing material to the nests. After some time, I noticed two huge birds flying. I looked with the binoculars and...Cranes! I hadn't expected them there.
Yesterday, I was in school. I looked out of the window and I saw the first Alpine Swift of the year. After observing it some time, i noticed two other birds. Jackdaws, there's always a pair around my school but I hadn't seen them in long time.

Aigüamolls de l'Empordà

Yesterday I went to the Aigüamolls de l'Empordà with my dad.
We made a whole day trip and we also visited the abocador de Pedret, where Rough-Legged Buzzard and Sea Eagle had been seen.

We arrived at el Cortalet (informationand starting point from the trip) and I was informed that some Cranes passed yesterday.
First we went to a hide, very close to el Cortalet, where we saw Black-Tailed Godwit,Spotted and Common Redshanks, Ruff, other waders, some ducks, and the first Marsh Harriers of the day.
We continued and few minutes after going out of the hide we saw a little Crane group (6-8, only seen them twice before), and the usual Storks (they breed and pass the winter there, large numbers), in a field there was also a Cattle Egret on a cow.
After this, we arrived at the Estenys del Matà, where there wasn't much activity (no waders).
On a hide near them, there were two Tufted Ducks (male and female, splendid views) and a Crested Grebe.
We finally arrived at the beach, where we had lunch, and we stayed at an observation tower some time.
I was looking at the sea for Shearwaters or Razrbills when I suddendly saw to big birds swimming, i focused my scope and Arctic Divers!
After looking at them some time, we decided to walk along the beach one the search of waders, which we found. There was a little mixt group with Sanderling, Grey Plover and Dunlin, and some other 4-5 bird groups of Kentish and Great-Ringed Plover.
The way back hadn't a lot of birds, because we had to hurry if we wanted to go to the abocador de Pedret.
While we were driving, I saw Black Kite and Merlin (a female or a young bird sitting on an electric cable).
Unfortunately, at the abocador we didn't see anything. There was a raptor sitting on a trash mountain, but it flew away before we could ID it.

Pelagic from Tarragona

Finally birding again!
During winter, autumn and spring, aproximately once a month the Gepec organizes a little Pelagic from the Tarragona harbour.
The last one was the 26/02 and here's the report.
I arrived at the train station with my mother and we met some birding friends. We walked to the harbour (which is very near to the station).
We went on board and, some minutes later we sailed out of the harbour.
There had been seen a Bonaparte's Gull very close to there but unfortunately it didn't show up.
The guides had brought fish for the gulls and soon we had a big amount of them following the ship.
Only a few minutes later the first Gannet appeared, and started folowing the ship, some time later we had about fivo or six behind us. one Great Skua showed itself too.
It wasn't a very good time for Shearwaters and we only saw one single Balearic.
The other most important species we saw were Audouin's Gull, Herring Gull (scarce in the Mediterranean), Mediterranean Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Collared Dove...