Hot Spot of River Ebro

These days the water reservoir of the river Ebro is a hot spot for birdwatching.

It is not difficult to make a route in a day and to see near 50 species of birds.

Some of them considered Rare Birds in Spain and very rare others in the north of the Iberian peninsula.

Waders, Herons, Gulls, but mainly birds of the Anatidae family.

Remarkable birds:

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos).

There has been a great arrival from these birds to many places of Spain (to see analysis in Rare Birds in Spain Blog). A bird registered in the water reservoir.

Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca). A bird, although the presence of this species can indicate that it is of captivity, have already been several the homologations of this species in the peninsula.

Smew (Mergellus albellus). Another species of doubtful origin, with many possibilities of natural origin.

Smew (Mergellus albellus) photo by Manuel Estébanez

Red-knobbed coot (Fulica cristata). It is not the first registry in the north of Spain, before has been observed some bird in Galicia. But very rare bird in the north of spain.

Red-knobbed coot (Fulica cristata) by Manuel Estébanez

Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea): Three spectacular birds. Birds of uncertain origin too.

Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)

Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna): Four birds.

Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) by Manuel Estébanez

Common Shelduck below and Ruddy Shelduck above

Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina). 450 birds recorded near the village of Cabañas de Virtus.

Historically this water reservoir has been a place chosen by thousands of Red-crested Pochard as to moult site.

Without justified cause, for years, the number of Red-crested Pochard has been littler, years with only possible to find four or six birds.

We hope starting from this year, they return in great flocks.

Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) Part of the flock.

Thanks to Manuel Estébanez, you can find more photos of him here, here and here

Rare Birds in Burgos

The new report on rare birds in Spain 2005 of Ardeola, the official scientific journal of Spanish Society of Ornithology, SEO/BirdLife, has referring significant data to the north of Spain.
In the report it is possible to see, like the Cantabrian coast is one of the zones where more arrivals of rare birds take place, of birds of the north of Europe and America.
For the province of Burgos, there are two records, one homologate and other no.
First, an adult male hunted with shotgun corresponds to Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) the 25 of November of 1990 in the village of Palacios de la Sierra, in the river Arlanza.
This record also figure in the Yearbook of birds of Burgos.
The not holomogate record, correspond to Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), of 1999, of which it seems that insufficiency information was sent.
More information about rare birds in spain, in the Ricard Gutiérrez personal homepage Rare Birds in Spain

56 Birds Species

After the news appeared in the forum of Cantabria, we have gone, David González Ortega (Burgos yearbook coordinator) and I , in search of Rock Pipit in the water reservoir of river Ebro, these have not appeared, all the observed ones have been Meadow Pipit,
but we has been a good day of observations, great flocks of Black-necked Grebe, Ducks (8 different species) and five species from waders.
Some remarkable records, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Red Knot and Golden Plover.
At the end of the day a flock of Fieldfare feeding berries of Common Hawthorn.

The bird list of the day:

1.-Greylag Goose Anser anser, a rough estimate, 500 birds
2.-Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
3.-Gadwall Anas strepera
4.-Common Teal Anas crecca
5.-Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
6.-Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
7.-Common Pochard Aythya ferina
8.-Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
9.-Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
10.-Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis, likely the record with the bigger flock with 127 birds.
11.-Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
12.-Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
13.-Great White Egret Casmerodius albus, 3 birds
14.-Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
15.-Red Kite Milvus milvus
16.-Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus
17.-Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

18.-Comon Krestel Falco tinnunculus
19.-Peregrin Falcon Falco peregrinus
20.-Common Coot Fulica atra
21.-European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria
22.-Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
23.-Red Knot Calidris canutus, 1 bird
24.-Dulin Calidris alpina, 6 birds
25.-Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus, 2 bird
26.-Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundos
27.-Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus, 1 bird
28.-Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis
29.-Common Woodpigeon Columba palumbus
30.-Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
31.-Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
32.-Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis
33.-White Wagtail Motacilla alba
34.-Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
35.-Robin Erithacus rubecula
36.-Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
37.-Blackbird Turdus merula
38.-Fieldfare Turdus pilaris , 50 birds
39.-Redwing Turdus iliacus
40.-Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti
41.-Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
42.-Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus
43.-Coal Tit Parus ater
44.-Great Tit Parus major
45.-European Nuthatch Sitta europaea
46.-Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla
47.-Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis
48.-Magpie Pica pica
49.-Carrion Crow Corvus corone
50.-Common Raven Corvus corax
51.-Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris
52.-Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor
53.-House Sparrow Passer domesticus
54.-Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
55.-Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
56.-Common Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula