First Barn Swallow of the year

Hello,

After a long time without posting I'm back.
I just wanted to say that I've seen my first Barn Swallow of the year, on the beach of Castelldefels. I saw it coming from the sea and it continued flying to the inland. Do you think it had just crossed the Mediterranean or was it just looking for insects on the beach?

Cheers

Delta del Llobregat 13/10/2012

Last saturday my dad took me to the Remolar-Filipines.

It wasn't a very good day except for an Osprey.
At the Riera the usual Little Grebes and Grey Herons were present.
We didn't see much at the Maresma hide, except for a Green Sandpiper, some Ducks and the Marsh Harrier.
On the way to the Pollancres hide I saw a Song Thrush, and , once there a Night Heron and a Kingfisher. At the Pollancres Hide was where I saw the Osprey and a Marsh Harrier attacking a Common Buzzard.
Finally at the beach, from the observation tower I could see some Sandwich Terns and a Shag.

This weekend I'm doing a one day trip to the Delta del Ebro and the next one I'm going to a Pelagic from Tarragona.

Turó de la Magarola 22/09/2012

The Turó de la Magarola is a mount/hill in the Serra de Collserola, from which you can see all Barcelona. But it's also a very good raptor migration point.
On saturday the 22nd I went there to watch the migration from 14:45 to 18:00. Here are my observations:

*14:50 Honey Buzzard (Pernis aviporus)-1
*15:15 Honey Buzzard (Pernis aviporus)-1
*15:20 Honey Buzzard (Pernis aviporus)-6/7
*15:22 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1
*15:23 Honey Buzzard (Pernis aviporus)-1
*15:25 Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)-1juv.
*15:29 Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)-1
*15:42 Honey Buzzard (Pernis aviporus)-8
*15:48 Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)-1
*15:59 Hobby (Falco subbuteo)-1
*16:03 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1male
*16:05 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1female
*16:10 Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)-1
*16:10 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1female
*16:10 Honey Buzzard (Pernis aviporus)-4
*16:12 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1female
*16:18 Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)-1
*16:18 Honey Buzzard (Pernis aviporus)-1
*16:18 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1female
*16:20 Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)-1
*16:30 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1female
*16:30 Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)-1
*16:33 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1male
*16:35 Honey Buzzard (Pernis aviporus)-1
*16:36 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-2female
*16:36 Hobby (Falco subbuteo)-1
*16:37 Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)-1
*16:40 Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)-1
*16:42 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1male/5female
*16:42 Honey Buzzard (Pernis aviporus)-1
*16:43 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1male/1female
*16:45 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1female
*17:26 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-1male/1female
*17:36 Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)-1
*17:39 Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)-1
*17:52 Honey Buzzard (Pernis aviporus)-2
*17:52 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)-4male

Total:
*Honey Buzzard-26/27
*Marsh Harrier-22
*Sparrowhawk-4
*Kestrel-3
*Common Buzzard-3
*Hobby-2
*Goshawk-1

 View over Barcelona

 Male Marsh Harrier

 Honey Buzzard

 Female Marsh Harrier

 Male (left) and female (center) Marsh Harriers

 Sparrowhawk

Female Marsh Harrier

11/09/2012

Tuesday the 11th september was my last day in Riet Vell, and in terms of birding probably the best one.

In the morning we went to extract Apple Snail, but I had already been at 8:00 AM at the hide.

There were many passerines (Willow Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Reed Warblers...), two Water Rails which showed quickly, a Little Bittern sitting on the reeds in front of us, Kingfisher and a wader that I wasn't  able to ID.

 Zitting Cisticola

 Little Bittern on the reeds

 Water Rail

Kingfisher

While extracting the snail, we saw a large flock of Glossy Ibis, a single Lapwing and many Whiskered and Gull-Billed Terns.

I also heard some Bee-Eaters, probably migrating.

In the afternoon before departing I had a some time to go birdwatching for the last time. I started taking pictures of the Flamingos and the Kingfishers.

I noticed a group of waders and I took a look with the scope. I saw the usual Black-Tailed Godwits, a Snipe, some Black-Winged Stilts, a couple of Ruffs and the wader that I had seen that morning that really looked like a Marsh Sandpiper.

I made some pictures and showed them to other birders. A couple of days ago I got it confirmed, a Marsh Sandpiper (lifer for me!).

 Last general view of the lagoon

 Pictures of the Flamingos

 Marsh Sandpiper with Ruffs 

A better picture of the Marsh Sandpiper

I hope you enjoyed my report as much as I enjoyed my days there.

I want to thank Ignasi Ripoll (the organizer) and all the volunteers that contributed to make my time there wonderful: Diane, Diana, Irene, Bea, Darío, Antonio, Rubén, Eva, Rebeca, Yanka, Evélia, Annika, Alejandro and Vojkan.

10/09/2012

Monday was our day off, so we decided to make a one-day trip to Morella, a medieval village about two hours driving from Riet Vell. Before departing Ihad been a short time in the hide and seen a Water Rail and the typical herons.

Water Rail

We arrived at Morella at aproximately 11:00 AM and immediately noticed the Red-Billed Choughs that lived in the village.
We visited two museums that morning. The first one about dinosaurs (very interesting) and the second one about the popular celebrations that are hold there every six years (sexenni).

After visiting this two museums we stopped for lunch outside the walls of the city. Several Griffon Vultures showed and also a pale Booted Eagle, I made some pictures but they aren't very good.

 Images of Morella

 Booted Eagle

Red Billed Chough

The afternoon we had planned to go to the castle, built in times of the arabs and reformed and expanded through the ages. The visit to the castle is really worth it.  Once on the top, with a really impressive view of the village and the surroundings another group of Griffon Vultures showed, but in the middle I saw a smaller, quicker bird. It was a Peregrine Falcon.

Views from out/inside/top of the castle

I really recommend a trip to Morella (Comunitat Valenciana) to everyone who stays nearby at the coast or who likes old villages and castles.

09/09/2012

On sunday the 9th we organized a birdwatching activity for everyone at three different points of the Delta. One team helped to identify the birds at L'Encanyissada (Pont de Través observation tower), another one at the Salines de Sant Antoni and the last one (where I was) at the Riet Vell observatory.

The day had started very well with some nice views of Willow Warbler and a Reed Warbler piccking out the insects from a spider web. Also a Kingfisher had stopped pretty well near of the hide.

We aproximately started the activity at 9:00 AM, but nobody came until 11:00 AM so I had a complete birding morning. It was one of the best birding days of all the week. The first two Cormorants of the year flew past, the same did some Little Bitterns and a group of Glossy Ibis.
The Kingfisher stopped quite close to the hide, I could make some very nice pictures of Reed Warblers and Willow Warbler. There were also many waders such as Ruff, Snipe, a Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Lapwing, Avocet, the usual Black-Tailed Godwits...
The best bird of the day was a Penduline Tit which was discovered by the photographers present at the hide. I took some pictures but it was really far away and they aren't very good.
The usual Common Terns and Whiskered Terns showd and also the Gull-Billed Tern was present a short time.
The last interesting observation was a Black-Winged Stilt that looked quite bad. It was "swimming" towards the hide but using it's wings (maybe a broken foot?). Anyway, it didn't look very good.

 Reed Warbler eating insects

 Penduline Tit, in the center

 Group of Glossy Ibis

 Willow Warbler

 Kingfisher (with fish)

 Little Egret

 Butterfly

 Squacco Heron

 Spotted Redshank with Ruff

 Sand Martin

 Injured? Black-Winged Stilt

Gecko

08/09/2012

Saturday the 8th was a very good day for passerine birds,

At the hide of Riet Vell I saw several Reed Warblers, a Great Reed Warbler who was litteraly posing for me, Chiffchaffs, Kingfisher, Barn Swallow, Sand Martin, Zitting Cisticola, Cetti's Warbler and the best bird of the day, a Willow Warbler.

The other usual bird species from Riet Vell were also present, such as Herons, Gulls/Terns, Waders, Flamingos, ducks...

I leave you for now with my pictures of the Willow Warbler and the Great Reed Warbler: