Stop killing Cormorants

Cormorant culling has been used as a 'quick' method to calm the pressure of anglers (fishermen) in different parts fo the world. Anglers that say the birds are eating 'their' fishes. We think that the solution is never killing the animals but analyzing each situation to find scientifically-based solutions.The situation can be particularly tragic as in some parts of Europe e.g. Asturies in Spain. Help saying that killing animals is NOT the solution.

JOIN CAUSE

Cormorants

The fishermen scream blue murder so that the wintering population of Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) feeds trout (of excessive form according to them), and have obtained that some regions governments “regulate” (kill) these populations.

And now the government, kill a high number of Cormorants, without saying that really exhaust our rivers are the fishermen.

Whenever the man put to regulate and to control any natural species, the disaster is assured.

Sad.

Naturaleza Cantábrica

Molino del Canto in facebook

Molino del Canto now in facebook, information and comments about the birds, bird watching and other inhabitants and also on other activities of the Inn. Join us!!!.

*Birds Today

Gryffon Vulture
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Song Thrush
Mallard
Short-toed Treecreeper
Raven
Long-tailed Tit
Dipper

*Birds Today

Gryffon Vulture

Dunnock

Great Tit

Grey Heron

Blue Tit

Song Thrush

Mallard

Firecrest

Robin

Wren

Atlas of wintering birds. VN3040

One of the most ambitious projects of the SEO/BirdLife, is the atlas of wintering birds.

These days I have finalized one of the squares that I have assigned and I believe that the balance of the three years is good.

Although has been a big effort.

The route, within the valley of zamanzas and the highland of bricia.

Two very different zones in vegetation and birds.

In all route I have located 28 different species from birds, I emphasize Brambling and Dartford Warbler.

In this square, in three years I have located a total 58 different species.

This is the relation of observed birds, and the number of birds:

Blackbird 62

Blackcap 5

Blue Tit 20

Brambling 2

Carrion Crow 28

Cetti's Warbler 1

Cirl Bunting 62

Coal Tit 10

Common Bullfinch 38

Common Buzzard 7

Common Chaffinch 244

Common Kestrel 3

Common Raven 5

Common Starling 91

Common Stonechat 1

Common Wood Pigeon 60

Corn Bunting 3

Dartford Warbler 1

Dipper 2

Eurasian Jay 35

Eurasian Sparrowhawk 4

European Golden Plover 3

European Nuthatch 8

European Serin 1

Fieldfare 59

Firecrest 17

Goldcrest 17

Goldfinch 8

Great Cormorant 4

Great Grey Shrike 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker 10

Great Tit 56

Green Woodpecker 18

Greenfinch 5

Griffon Vulture 10

House Sparrow 31

Linnet 88

Long-tailed Tit 23

Magpie 7

Marsh Tit 1

Meadow Pipit 16

Mistle Trush 32

Northern Lapwing 60

Peregrine Falcon 1

Pied Wagtail 2

Red Kite 1

Red-billed Chough 74

Redwing 47

Robin 51

Rock Bunting 2

Rock Sparrow 1

Short-toed Treecreeper 18

Siskin 72

Sky Lark 50

Song Trush 13

Spotless Starling 9

Wren 32

Yellowhammer 11

New SpringWidget

Get this widget!

Something Funny

Bird Census. SACRE VN 44

Again I have realised the census of the program SACRE in square VN44.
Unlike other years, the number of detected birds has been something greater, 62 species.
No new detected species.
Most remarkable:
Wryneck, the past year I did not detect any bird, and this year I have only heard two birds. Others years, with 10 – 15 birds.
Rock Sparrow, records similar to last years.
Two records of European Turtle Dove. This bird have a bad population with an annual evolution of -2,3% in Spain.

The trend in Europe:

Records of Common Quail (shortly time will be necessary to think about remove the “Common” in the name) like other farming birds the Common Quail have a very bad situation.

House Martin, a few birds. In this area is more common to find nest in the rock that in the houses, mainly so that people destroy the nests.

A total of 62 different species, the list:

Mallard
Griffon Vulture
Hen Harrier
Black Kite

Common Buzzard

Common Coot

Common Woodpigeon

European Turtle Dove

Common Cuckoo

Common Swift

Wryneck
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Sky Lark

Crag Martin

Barn Swallow

House Martin

Tree Pipit

Grey Wagtail

White Wagtail

Wren

Dunnock

Robin

Black Redstart

Common Redstart

Whinchat

Common Stonechat

Blackbird

Song Thrush

Mistle Thrush

Cetti's Warbler

Melodious Warbler

Subalpine Warbler

Blackcap

Bonelli's Warbler

Iberian Chiffchaff

Common Chiffchaff

Firecrest

Long-tailed Tit

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Great Tit

European Nuthatch

Shot-toed Treecreeper

Golden Oriol

Red-backed Shrike

Eurasian Jay

Re-billed Chough

Carrion Crow

Spotless Starling

House Sparrow

Rock Sparrow

Common Chaffinch

European Serin

Greenfinch

Goldfinch

Linnet

Common Bullfinch

Cirl Bunting

Corn Bunting

A new trip report in the Gorges of River Ebro

A good day of birdwatchig throughout the gorges of the Ebro river.
We begin in the same Inn, where the concert of the songbirds already is very significant and easily we listened to Song Thrush, Common Chiffchaff, Iberian Chiffchaff, Bonelli’s Warbler and Blackbird.
Ours to first stop in a zone of meadows where it emphasizes the spectacular flight of the Meadow Pipit. We can listen the songs of Thrushes, Robins and Wrens, while a Short-toed Eagle flies over to us.
A Peregrine Falcon flies in the zone of crags, between Griffon vultures and Egyptian Vultures. Crag Martin accompany the route throughout to us.
The fast flight of the Dipper over the river, between the mills.
Firecrest, Garden warbler, singing from within of the shrubs, whereas in the stop we can be seen Cirl bunting.
Near the towns the Swallows make their appearance.
In the poplars, the Woodpeckers emit their songs.
White stork, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, make their appearance in the valley of Valderredible.
We when up to the highland, they appear the typical species of this habitat, Hen Harrier, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear, Sky Lark, Yellowhammer..
Altogether, a good morning of birdwatching with a total of 56 species observed or heard singing.

White Stork
Black Kite
Egyptian Vulture
Griffon Vulture
Short-toed Eagle
Hen Harrier
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Common Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Rock Dove
Common Cuckoo
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Sky Lark
Crag Martin
Barn Swallow
House Martin
Meadow Pipit
White Wagtail
Dipper
Wren
Robin
Whinchat
Stonechat
Northern Wheatear
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Cetti’s Warbler
Garden Warbler
Blackcap
Bonelli´s Warbler
Iberian Chiffchaff
Firecrest
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Short-toed Treecreeper
Jay
Magpie
Red-billed Chough
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Common Raven
Spotless Starling
House Sparrow
Rock Sparrow
Common Chaffinch
European Serin
Green Finch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Yellowhammer
Cirl Bunting
Rock Bunting
Corn Bunting

Thanks to Ginny, Pete, Christine, Jenny, Paul and Mrs. Hughes for their interest inthe birds of Burgos

Migratory Birds

All have arrived from Africa?. And now is possible to see a good number of migratory birds. Swallows, Martins, Swifts, Bee-aeters, Cuckoos, Warblers, Shrikes, Hoopoe, Flycatchers, Eagles, but at the moment without news about the Golden Oriol. A very good season.

The Rarest Bird of Spain

If you want to really observe a rare bird in Spain, you do not have to wait for hurricanes of Caribbean or African winds, simply you must go to the province of León and look for, without much effort, to the Rooks that live there.

Yes, the Rook I believe that it is the rarest bird of Spain.

When in other European countries it is a very abundant species,

This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 10,000,000 km². It has a large global population, including an estimated 20,000,000-35,000,000 individuals in Europe (BirdLife International in prep.). Global population trends have not been quantified; there is evidence of a population decline (Madge and Burn 1993, Snow and Perrins 1998), but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. - BirdLife international

in Spain it is only located in the León province.

And even more showy it is than these Rooks do not move of the León province, that do not emigrate.

According to the last studies the Rooks of center and north of Europe are reducing their migratory movements and now make shorter movements from the breeding sites.

Jacinto ROMÁN y Carlos GUTIÉRREZ.

The decline of the Rook Corvus frugilegus wintering population in Spain. A new caseof ‘Short-stopping’?

Ardeola 55(2), 2008, 229-235. Notas breves.

Every time it is more difficult to observe Rooks in Spain outside the León province.

In Burgos the last group of Rooks seen was in 1993.

The Rook Corvus frugilegus in Burgos

Why the León rooks are not realised movements from the breeding sites?.
The Rook, nests in cold countries, no case of the Mediterranean, and near the fluvial shores.
Its presence in from Leon can be justified because it is cold and there are rivers, but why in Leon and no breeding in , for example, Palencia or in Burgos? , when there are similar meteorological conditions and similar habitats.

The Rookery

A trip report

A good morning of birdwatching in the vicinity of the Inn, in the meadows fields to see Mistle Thrush searching earthworm, Robins, Common Chaffinch and Firecrest does not stop to sing from the Oaks.
Four Roe Deer leave running, while a Common Buzzard is thrown in search of its prey from a tree.
A Grey Heron on an unusual perching, at the top of a black poplar.
Stop to observe the rocky wall, locating to a precious female of Peregrine Falcon, a while a Short-toed Eagle flies over the zone to settle in a rocky one. Several Griffon Vultures settle and fly by the zone.

A flock of 36 Great Cormorants flying in formation towards the north.
In the bank of the river, among the alders and ashes, the Iberian Chiffchaff with its characteristic voice.
The Egyptian vultures, just arrived from Africa, with their spectacular plumage, emphasize among the Griffon Vultures. To far a Golden Eagle it flies near the cut ones, one settles in a dry tree and it allows us to observe it easily.

In the canyon of Orbaneja del Castillo they appear the Egyptian vultures again, several Black Kite and the omnipresent Griffon Vultures.
Wood Pigeon, Jackdaw, Yellowhammer.
Once again a Grey Heron surprises when being perching at the top of the rocky of the canyon of river Ebro.
Altogether 26 species of birds in a pretty morning of spring.

Thanks to Beatriz, César, Daniel and Borja for their interest in the birds of Burgos