Delta de l'Ebre 27/05/2012

Hello, it's been a long time!

After over two months without birding (due to moving appartment) I finally could go out again.
My parents agreed to take me to the Delta del Ebro, so we took the car and arrived there at 11 o'clock.
While driving to the Encanyissada, we saw the first Gull Billed and Whiskered Terns and a Purple Heron.
Once at the Encanyissada, at the Pont de Través, we climbed up the observation tower and started looking.
There was a large Flamingo group, some Great Reed Warblers singing and a good number of ducks (mostly Mallards and Red Crested Pochards, but we also saw some Shelducks). There were also present Little and Great Crested Grebe, Swallows and more terns (this time including Little and Common).

 A group of Flamingos just about to land

 Night Heron

 Great Crested Grebe

The best bird at the Pont de Través was an adult Night Heron, which flew over the observation tower.
 We moved on to the Salines de Sant Antoni after a short lunch at Poblenou, while driving past the old salt pans I saw Green and Redshank, Common Sandpiper and a single Kentish Plover.

 The Kentish Plover at Sant Antoni

We tried to look for waders at the Trabucador, but it was full of people kitesurfing and sunbathing so we didn't continue and went to La Tancada.
At La Tancada, as usual, large Flamingo groups were present, many Barn Swallows and some ducks and Coots.
Then, the best species of the day flew past the observatory, a Caspian Tern. It's the fourth time I see them but its still a bird I love, I managed to get a few blurred pictures.

 Caspian Tern at La Tancada

Our next stop was Riet Vell where we met Ignasi Ripoll, and discussed about dates to go doing some volunteer job there this summer (we'll see what happens). At Riet Vell there was a huge Common Tern activity, many of them copulating and acting quite nervous.
As usual, there were many Purple Swamphens, and I also saw two Avocets and two Litlle Bitterns. Another two interesting species were a Barn Swallow who was sitting on a reed and I got some good pictures as same as a Great Reed Warbler.

 This Swallow was litterally posing for me

 Two Common Terns having some good time ;)

 Great Reed Warbler

After Riet Vell we had only one more stop at the Badia del Fangar to see some waders (which finally didn't show up). On the rice fields there were many Glossy Ibises and at the bay we met Tony Martin, who showed us a pair of Collared Pratincoles.

 A Glossy Ibis on a rice field in the northern part of the Delta

 Between the reeds you can see the Collared Praticole

All in all, it was 51 species, not many for the Delta del Ebro, but still some nice observations. And fianally out birding again!!!

Pictures of Alpine Swift nests

Well it isn't exatly the nest but the hole where the nest was. They were always stopping there.

First Alpine Swifts at school

Last thursday me and my friends were meeting in front of our school to go to the demonstration (there was a general strike in Spain on thursday 29).
While waiting for my friends a large group of Alpine Swifts flew over the playground.
I guess they'll nest on the building nearby in some ventilation holes like last year.
On the trees on the street I could also find two Serins and a Blackcap.

Remolar Filipines 18/03/2012

Hi, once again.
I'm sorry to post so late, but I was one week in Lyon with the school and I hadn't access to the pics'.
On the riera there were a couple of Pochards and some Little Grebes.
At the hide from Pollancres there were two Flamingos, a Spoonbill, Greylag Geese, Red Crested Pochards...
We went on to the Maresma where there were more species despite the hide was full of people.
With the scope I spotted a nice group of waders which included Black Tailed Godwit, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Black Winged Stilt, the last Lapwing...
There were also many duck species including some Wigeons, Shelducks, Teals and Shovelers.
Many wintering birds were still present and some migrants had arrived so I had a lot of species that day including some like Gannet and Sandwich Tern which I saw at the beach.
 After counting I realized I had seen 58 species which are my record at the Delta del Llobregat :)

This was a turtle present at the Maresma. Does anybody know what species it is, if you need I've got more pictures. Thanks a lot.

Aigüamolls de l'Empordà 18/02/2012

I'm sorry, I couldn't post yesterday, but I was quite ill.

On saturday my parents took me to the Aigüamolls de l'Empordà, a very good birding spot on the north of Catalonia, almost touching France. It's a complex of coastal lagoons, and the best wetlands for birding after the Delta del Ebro.
I was looking for two rarities that had been seen for a couple of weeks now, Greater White Fronted Goose and Bewick's Swan.
Once we arrived, we went to one of the hides in the Cortalet lagoon where there were Flamingos, many duck species, Greylag Geese, etc.
We carried on and went to another hide at the same lagoon. There we were lucky, another birder there saw the two Greater White Fronted Geese (lifer) between a group of Greylags. As usual at the Aigüamolls, there were also large numbers of White Stork.
Our next stop was the Estany de Can Túries, where the Swans had been reported. On the way we could see Sardinian Warbler, Stonechat, Reed Bunting, Hoopoe and Skylark amongst others.
Once we entered the hide we got a little disappointed, there weren't any birds except for a couple of Shovelers. Suddendly I realized a big white spot at the end of the lagoon. Full of hope I focused it with my scope, it was a swan. I was already thinking it was the Bewick's when it turned its head and I saw the bill, Mute Swan. There was also a Spotted Redshank around there.
 Just as we had gone out of the hide and were going back again, two birdwatchers which were going to the hide observed two white spots on a meadow newt to the hide. They were the two Bewick's Swans.
After this we went again to the Cortalet area and followed the path which leads to the beach. Our next stop was the Estanys del Matà, where there Greenshank, a lot of Snipes, a Water Rail, etc.
Finally, in the last hide of the day we observed Great Crested and Black Necked Grebes, Tufted Duck and Common Pochard.

 White Storks

 Bewick's Swan (those tiny white things)

 Reed Bunting

 Two more White Storks

Delta del Ebro 5/02/2012 with Cristian Jensen

Last sunday we made a one day trip to the Delta del Ebro with Cristian Jensen (a local gide).
We started looking at the Bay of Fangar for waders. There were some Curlews, Dunlins and Bar Tailed Godwits. There were also Slender Billed Gulls, Flamingos, Kingfishers, Whiskered Terns and a Caspian Tern.
We continued on the northern part of the delta and saw Booted Eagle, Moustached Warbler (lifer) at Canal Vell, Water Rail, Osprey and many species of Ducks.
After Canal Vell we went to la Tancada where there were some nice flocks of ducks, including Pintail, Shoveler, Teal...
As we were close to the Trabucador, we decided to take a look, which was a really good idea. There were a lot of birds resting in the Bay of Alfacs. We started scanning the bay looking for interesting species who quickly showed: Red Breasted Merganser, Black Necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe... As I was watching a Merganser, Cristian told me to look into his scope, he had found two Brent Geese (lifer).
Our next stop was the Encanyissada Lagoon, where we were looking for White Headed Duck (three individuals had been seen there) and Greater White Fronted Goose (neither of both showed). We could see Tufted Duck, a very nice male Hen Harrier, Caspian Terns, Pochards, Red Crested Pochards and other ducks.

If you ever visit the Delta de l'Ebre or the area, don't doubt and contact Cristian Jensen and Audouin Birding Tours  http://audouinbirding.net
Cristian also does trips to Morocco, southern Spain and other places.

15/01/2012 Remolar-Filipines

Last sunday I made the first birding of the year.
My dad took me to the Remolar. There wasn't much going on there though we saw 44 species at the end of the day. At la Maresma, there were some ducks and waders, predominantly Lapwings and Golden Plovers but also Snipes, two Dunlins and a Black Tailed Godwit. We saw some more species at the aguait de Pollancres, including Wigeon, Stonechat and Cormorant. At last we went to the beach to make some seawatching, but there wasn't much going on besides some Balearic Shearwaters, Great Crested Grebes and two Shags.

Remolar-Filipines 04/12/2011

Yesterday, my dad and I made a short trip to the Delta del Llobregat.
On the way to the hides, along the "riera" there were Pochards and some passerines (like Chiffchaff). Once at the hides, we mounted the scope and started watching, between a quite large flock of Lapwings were some Spotted Redshanks, Golden Plovers and Dunlins. A Marsh Harrier and a Sparrowhawk appeared and all the Lapwings flew away, in the middle of the Lapwing group we realized a Glossy Ibis. It sat down on one of the islands near to the hide. There were also Shelducks, Purple Swamphens, Wigeons and other waterbirds.

On the way back, I found two Tufted Ducks at the "riera", there were also two Black Necked Grebes.

Pelagic from Tarragona 26/11/2011

Last saturday I went to one of the pelagics made from Tarragona,
 At the harbour of Tarragona we could see some Shags, a Sandwich Tern and some Cormorants. We continued and started throwing fish, to attract the seabirds, soon, we had a quite large number of Gulls behind us (most of which Mediterranean, Yellow Legged and Black Headed). Soon there appeared the first Gannets who showed brilliantly, there were also Balearic and a few Yelkouan Shearwaters. The most important species of the day were 3 Razorbills who we saw flying to the north.

Remolar-Filipines 13/11/2011

Last sunday I went to the Delta del Llobregat with my mum.
While walking along the riera, we saw some Pochards, a Great Crested Grebe and a Kingfisher.
Once at the hides we could observe plenty of Ducks (although Wigeon hasn't arrived yet), waders (Spotted Redshank, Lapwings, Snipes, Golden Plovers) and two Greylag Geese.
After some time, I noticed a Common Buzzard perched on a tree. Suddendly, all Lapwings started to fly, it was a Marsh Harrier, who was hunting.
Some Pintails also flew over the hide and some Cormorants and Reed Buntings were also present.
On the way back I also saw Stonechat.