Report of second three months, 2011

Last report on the Burgos birds (April - June), the more interesting records:
8 Herons recorded, included Squacco Heron.
9 records of Black Stork.
Breeding of Tufted Duck
Good records of raptors, Black-winged Kite, Lammergeier, Black Vulture, Red-footed Falcon.
12 species of Waders, Common Crane, Black and Lesser Woodpecker, Dupon's Lark, Red-rumped Swallow and more.
PDF file

Report of first three months, 2011

Last report on the Burgos birds (January - March), with interesting records, many first records of migratory birds from Africa, Black Kite, Little Kestrel , Cuckoo, Wryneck, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Iberian Chiffchaff…,  interesting records of migratory birds northwards, Waders, Common Crane, Fielfare, Redwing…, and other interesting records of Lammergeier, Black Vulture, Wallcreeper...
PDF file

Flock of Ruff. 21/03/11. Mahamud. Alfonso Rodrígo García 

More birds in migration

Continuous pass of migratory birds towards the north of Europe, Waders, Spoonbill, Gulls…. At the same time as continuous the arrival of birds from Africa, Swallows, Martins, Black Kite, Egyptian Vulture...

 Lesser Black-backed Gull

 Black Kite

 Grey Heron, Spoobill and Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Red Kite in Burgos V

The fifth report of the monitoring and wintering of the Red Kite in the Burgos province. (Pdf file)

Related links:

http://www.avesdeburgos.com/anuario.htm

http://northbirdspain.blogspot.com/2010/11/red-kite-in-burgos.html

Red Kite in Burgos IV

The fourth report of the monitoring and wintering of the Red Kite in the Burgos province. (Pdf file)

Related links:

http://www.avesdeburgos.com/anuario.htm

http://northbirdspain.blogspot.com/2010/11/red-kite-in-burgos.html

Red Kite in Burgos III

New report of the monitoring and wintering of the Red Kite in the Burgos province. (Pdf file)

Probably a few birds start the migration towards to the north, and probably, these birds though be a part of roosting in Navarra and France.

This gives us an idea of the complicated thing that it is to realise a correct census of these birds, though at the outset, seems easy. 

Congratulations to the participants.

Related links:

http://www.avesdeburgos.com/anuario.htm

http://northbirdspain.blogspot.com/2010/11/red-kite-in-burgos.html

Red Kite in Burgos II

A new report of the monitoring and wintering of the Red Kite in the Burgos province. (Pdf file)

Although there are more roost registered this month (23) that in the first report (15) (Pdf file), is possible observed clearly as, in the last census there are a clear increase of the number of birds.

A good job of work of the 19 participants.

Related links:

http://www.avesdeburgos.com/anuario.htm
http://northbirdspain.blogspot.com/2010/11/red-kite-in-burgos.html

Red Kite in Burgos

After the negative information about the situation of the Red Kite in Spain (http://northbirdspain.blogspot.com/2009/02/red-kite.html ), the last year a census was realised in the province of Burgos, with a total of 3,056 birds. (http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/BurgosAves/message/2971).

Now, for season 2010-2011, a biweekly census is being realised, to see the evolution of different roost places. 

The first report already is available and it is possible to be consulted here - PDF file.         ( http://www.avesdeburgos.com/anuario/Dormideros-Milano/CM_Oct-Nov051110.pdf )

April in Burgos

Interesting first days of April in Burgos, apart from the arrival of numerous African Birds, there is a good number of birds records, especially remarkable, less common birds in Burgos, I put some for you.

- Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). 11-04-10 - Santillán del Agua (Fernando Román Sancho). Burgos, 12-04-10 (Gema Ortega, Roberto Milara) , Lerma 18-04-10 (Alfonso Antón, Fernando Román). 24-04-10 Villatuelda (José Luis Silva).

- Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis). Villadiego 02-04-10 (Nicolás Gallego Rojas). 05-04-10 Lerma (Alfonso Rodrigo García).

- Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea). 12-04-10 Burgos (Gema Ortega, Roberto Milara). 13-04-10 Tordueles (Alfonso Antón).

- Black Stork (Ciconia nigra). 16-04-10 Villarcayo (Josu Olabarria Bastida).

- Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia). 18-04-10 Grijalba (Carlos Palma Barcenilla).

- Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus). 26-04-10 Torrecilla del Monte (Fernando Román Sancho).

- Monk Vulture (Aegypius monachus). Tubilleja (Javier Lamas Sierra). 08-04-10 en Báscones del Agua (Alfonso Rodrigo García). 24-04-10 Hozalla de Losa (José M. Vadillo).

- Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). 01-04-10 La Puebla de Arganzón (Javier Lamas Sierra). 10-04-10 Ura (Alfonso Antón).

- Black-billied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis). 01-04-10 La Sequera de Haza (Alfonso Antón, Fernando Román Sancho).

- Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta). 18-04-10 Arlanzón water reservoir (Julio César Amo Fernández).

- Little Stint (Calidris minuta). 19-04-10 Atapuerca (Alfonso Rodrigo García).

- Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus). 27-03-10 Ebro water reservoir (Manuel Estébanez Ruiz).

- Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida). 18-04-10 Ebro water reservoir (Manuel Estébanez Ruiz).

- Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica). 24-03-10 Quintanilla del Agua (Alfonso Antón).

- Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura). 01-04-10 Milagros (Alfonso Antón, Fernando Román Sancho).

- Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus). Palacios de la Sierra 28-03-10 (Sonia Martín Gómez). Peña Ulaña 03-04-10 (Justina Pérez Martín). Ordejón de Arriba, Peña Ulaña 03-04-10 (Agustín Salazar Celis). 10-04-10 Corralejo (Agustín Salazar Celis).

- Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus). 18-04-10 Sasamón , Grijalba (Carlos Palma Barcenilla). Atapuerca (Alfonso Rodrigo García).

- Wallcreper (Tichodroma muraria). 11-04-10 (José M. Vadillo).

More information HERE

Breeding season is ready

Like every year, at the end of February, there are many records by all north of Spain of birds that begin to arrive from Africa, already are here Black Kites, Martins, Hoopoe, Swallows, Swifts… In this season is possible to find a mix of winter birds and summer birds.

Also they are possible to be begun to listen to several birds singing, Tits, Chaffinch, Dipper…The breeding season is ready.

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

Yearbook, last quater of 2008.

A new quarterly report already is available in the web page of the Yearbook, corresponds to the months of October , November and December of 2008. Here.
With this report, the yearbook 2 finalizes and will be published next.

These are, for my, the most interesting records of the quarter, some really spectacular *:

Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)*
White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)
Egyptian Goose (Alopoche aegyptiacus)*
Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)*
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Smew (Mergus albellus)*
Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
Eurasian Coot (Fulica cristata)*
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris)
Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis)

The Red Kite

One of the most spectacular birds of Europe is in regression, the causes clearly are produced by the man.
Among these causes the inclusion of the poison in the food chain is one of them.
The past year, in the region of Castile and Leon a cyclical invasion of rodents , common vole, a caused.
To palliate the problem, and to content to the farmers, the government of the region, it sowed of poison average region.
One of the causes of this madness begins to see now, it pays attention to which writes Javier Viñuela in the forum on threatened birds of BirdLife.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red Kite (Milvus milvus): projections needed about future threats, trends and carrying capacities.
Red Kite Milvus milvus is endemic to the Western Palearctic, with Europe encompassing >95% of its global range and hosting a population of 19,000-23,000 pairs (BirdLife International 2004; Mammen 2007). In 2005, following a discussion on this forum, the species’s status was uplisted from Least Concern to Near Threatened under criterion A of the IUCN Red List, based on evidence that it was experiencing a moderately rapid population decline (approaching 30% over 18 years, which was then considered to be three generation lengths). In 2009, an international symposium on the species will be held in France, and an EU Species Action Plan will be developed to prioritise actions for its conservation. To inform that process, it is timely to review its global status and ensure that it is categorised correctly, taking the latest information into account, including a revised generation length of 11.5 years based upon recent work by BirdLife International (unpublished data). Since 2005, the results of the 2004 national census in Spain have been published (Cardiel 2006), showing that the Spanish wintering population has declined by c. 50% (from 66,235-72,165 in 1994 to 35,523-36,233 in 2004). Cardiel (2006) assumes that one third of all Spanish wintering birds are immature. With an estimated maximum of 23,000 pairs in Europe (and only a few hundred at most elsewhere), the global population perhaps numbers c. 47,000 mature individuals and c. 80,000 individuals in total. Hence, the large decline in the Spanish wintering population is of particular concern, as Spain hosts a large proportion of the global population in winter (compared with just 6,000 wintering in France; Mionnet 2007). If these observed trends translate into actual population declines, the global population has been reduced by 33% over the past three generations (see the attached spreadsheet 1 of population declines of wintering birds) and the species may qualify for listing as Vulnerable under criterion A2 of the IUCN Red List. Although the Red Kite declined globally until the 1970s owing to persecution, many populations recovered or stabilised during 1970-1990 (Mionnet 2007) and its overall numbers were probably stable in Europe from 1970 to 1990 (Tucker & Heath 1994). Since 1990, declines documented within its core breeding areas – Spain (c. 4,000 mature individuals; Cardiel 2006), France (c. 6,000-7,800 mature individuals; Mionnet 2007) and Germany (c. 22,600 mature individuals; Mammen 2007) – have been partly offset by increases in countries like the UK, Sweden, Poland and Switzerland. Combining stable population trends between 1970 and 1990 with recent rapid declines in its core range, and increases in a few countries, yields an overall population decline over the past three generations (34.5 years) of 16%. If we concentrate on the species’s core areas and assume that recent national trends that began in the late 1980s or early 1990s will continue in the future, we would expect the overall reduction in the species’s population to continue (see spreadsheet 2 of breeding population trends, which excludes UK and Swedish figures). Hence, the most appropriate assessment may be to list the species as Vulnerable under criterion A4. However, if we include figures from the UK and Sweden, where the species’s numbers have increased dramatically in recent years and assume that they will continue to grow into the future, as projected under some climate change modelling scenarios (e.g. Huntley et al. 2007) then the global population may in fact increase during the next one to two generations (see spreadsheet 3). Therefore, the two key parameters to consider to assess accurately the species’s status are: 1. Will population declines continue in France, Germany and Spain? Declines have been attributed to poisoning, persecution, electrocution by powerlines and loss of habitat/food sources. These threats seem unlikely to be removed rapidly in the future. 2. Will the UK and Swedish populations continue to increase, and what are their likely carrying capacities? If populations are near carrying capacity in these countries, then – in global terms – declines in France, Germany and Spain would be expected to overshadow nominal future increases in the UK and Sweden, and the species may warrant uplisting. If these populations continue to increase at current rates, however, then declines elsewhere will be compensated by future increases in the UK and Sweden, and the global population may increase, potentially warranting the species’s downlisting to Least Concern. Any comments on this complex proposal, specifically addressing the two key questions posed above, would be welcome. BirdLife International (2004) Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International (Conservation Series No. 12). Cardiel, I. E. (2006) El milano real en España. II Censo Nacional (2004). SEO/BirdLife, Madrid. Huntley, B., Green, R.E., Collingham, Y.C. & Willis, S.G. (2007) A climatic atlas of European breeding birds. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. Mammen, U. (2007) The Red Kite as a priority species for bird conservation in Germany and Europe. MEROS, Halle/Saale and Trier. Mionnet, A. (2007) The Red Kite in France: distribution, population development and threats. LPO, Vitry-le-François. RSPB (2008) Red kites soar in 2008. Downloaded from http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-198487 on 31/10/08. Tucker, G.M. and Heath, M.F. 1994. Birds in Europe: their conservation status. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International (Conservation Series No. 3).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peter Newbery (RSPB Reintroductions Project Manager) has made the following contribution: I was interested to see Ian Carter's contribution - I agree with all that he said. Recently there was a meeting of the British and Irish Red Kite Co-ordination Group. We estimated that the total UK population in 2008 was at least 1,350 breeding pairs, and continuing to increase rapidly. From modelling exercises based on past annual increases in numbers, it looks likely that this population will continue to grow. Unfortunately, as each reintroduced population exceeds around 50 pairs, it becomes impossible to carry out an accurate annual survey with the resources available, but in the early years the populations can double every two years. Even the native Welsh population, which has previously had a much lower breeding productivity than the reintroduced populations, appears to be growing and spreading very quickly (Tony Cross, Welsh Kite Trust). Carrying capacity is impossible to estimate, but there seems no reason why they shouldn't continue to increase until all lowland parts of the UK support breeding populations. They are very catholic in their choice of habitats, but would probably not reach the same sort of densities of buzzards (anecdotal evidence suggests that in Scotland there are probably 2-3 pairs of buzzards for every pair of red kites in areas where both species breed). However, a population of over 10,000 pairs doesn't seem an unreasonable long-term figure (there was an estimate of 60,000 pairs of buzzards in the UK in 2001, I believe). With two new release projects in Ireland, the position is even better. We therefore feel confident that red kites in Britain and Ireland will form an increasingly large proportion of the European/world population. I look forward to being involved in developing the Species Action Plan for this species in 2009. It will be very useful to have a detailed discussion of what is causing such large declines elsewhere in Europe when kites in the UK are doing so well. We are rather puzzled by some of the explanations given for these declines: 1. Food shortage - red kites are scavengers, and there surely is no shortage of road kill and other sources of carrion. They also eat earthworms, fledgling birds and so on. 2. Habitat loss - in the UK, red kites are very adaptable, and are increasing even in fairly intensively managed farmland (provided there are trees for nesting). 3. Electrocution - it is difficult to see why this should be a much greater problem elsewhere in Europe than in the UK, where it is a minor cause of mortality. Deliberate and accidental poisoning are clear causes of mortality, in the UK as well as elsewhere in Europe, and I feel that addressing these issues should be a major theme of the action plan. The (legal) use of rodenticides has the potential to cause huge mortality through secondary poisoning, and changes in legislation governing their use may be of great benefit. Illegal persecution may be even more difficult to address - we have found that often kites are not the target species for setting poisoned baits, but because they are such efficient scavengers they find baits before foxes, crows and so on. People in the UK seem to accept the fact that kites are not predators of game species or livestock, so they are very rarely targeted specifically. I will be happy to share more information about UK kites and the reintroduction projects if it would be of interest.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Javier Viñuela

The decline in the Spanish populaton still seems to be advancing. A new census was made in spring 2008 in Castilla y León (northern Spain, one of the main strongholds of the species), and in private conversations with people working on that census, the results seems to be depressing (aditional strong decline in just 4 years, but I have no more details). This census has not been made public by the Regional Government. This government has released more than 1,500 tons of rodenticide-treated baits over about 500,000 ha to fight against a common vole plague in agricultural lands between August 2007 and April 2008. We have found several cases of non-target species affected (Olea et al. in press, Environmental Conservation), and there are also some records of red kites apparently dying by secondary poisoning in treated areas. A complaint to the EU has been raised by environmental groups, and I think it is still under scrutiny (good opportunity for BirdLife to make pressure about this). Unfortunately, the Regional Government has not made any attempt to study this problem. On the contrary, they are trying to hide the real effects of rodenticides in other species (e.g. the effect on hare populations seems to be more than obvious). It seems clear that red kite are doing well in UK and Sweden, and that probably populations there could reach carrying capacity in the future at high numbers. The question is if we want a European population of red kites mainly based on the reintroduction programme of UK and on a natural population in the northern edge of the range. My feeling is that whenever populations are declining in Germany, France and Spain, this should be considered the central problem.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Census of Great Bustard II

The morning has left very pretty, almost cleared and without frost, there was 1.5ºC when we began the census to 9.00h.
No wind and the visibility was wonderful, in the majority of the flocks has been possible to know the sex of the birds.

Hoping to finish analyzing the collected data, we can indicate that the amount of wintering Great Bustards in the region the west of the province of Burgos is at least 266 birds, 27 more than the last year.

Photo by José Pedro Portillo

An equipment that has looked for Great Bustards in the province of Palencia, to the other side of the river Pisuerga and it has not found any, this is also an important data.

Photo by José Pedro Portillo

But not only it has been to count Great Bustards, the different equipment has been able to enjoy the tremendous number of raptors that there is in the zone, mainly Common Kestrels, Common Buzzard and Red Kite, but also has been able to observe Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, many Hen Herriers and some Marsh Harrier.
The cold of this week also have been let notice in the cereal plain of the region in the form of great flocks of Lapwings, with very few Golden Plover.
Other birds of the area, Skylark, Calandra Lark, Crested Lark, Corn Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Finches….

Also they have been mammalian, one of the equipment some thirty Roe Deer and another equipment a Fox.

The Birders

Information about the first census Here.

Atlas in VN 3060

Just as the year last, the census realised for the Atlas of wintering birds of Spain in the square VN 3060, has given very low results of records of birds.

To compare, the SACRE of winter in the VN 4040, with eight routes of 15 min. 29 different species of birds have been observed, and in the 22 routes of the Atlas of wintering birds with 15 min. each, I have been observed 22 different species.

The great difference is in the different types from habitat.
This square has an average of 900 m., and is cold.
The vegetation in this high zone is very not varied, and great part of her is occupied by gorse and pasture.

I do not know the causes of the absence of birds, but it is a zone in which there are not many shrubs with berries, and this without a doubt avoids the presence of birds like Thrushes, Hawfinch or Bullfinch.
Arable lands do not exist either, in which they are accustomed to see finches mainly.
This year the detected species have been very few, here you have the list of birds for this year:

Griffon Vulture, Common Buzzard, Red Kite, Eurasian Sparrowhawk,
Meadow Pipit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, European Robin, Wren, Common Chaffinch, European Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Spotless Starling, Carrion Crow, Jay, Magpie, Southern Grey Shrike.

Good or bad news?

Good news for the natural environment, but very bad news for the birds. Any town it is beginning to close the rubbish dumps.
This means an improvement, the rubbish will be controlled.
As always, the activities of the man bring about imbalances.
A very important number of species of birds takes to long time having the rubbish dumps like an important feeding area.

Went the rubbish dumps are closed, how they are going to replace this food?.
For some species, like the Griffon Vulture, it will mean another new problem.
After the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as Mad-Cow Disease (MCD), the vultures and other species do not find carrion in the field, the government haven`t open new vulture feeders, and now the rubbish dumps are closed.
But other many species use the rubbish dumps of massive form, Black and Red Kite, Gulls, Crows, Storks ......
All of them will have problems by the closing of the rubbish dumps.

Releated Link:

http://miradascantabricas.blogspot.com/2008/06/basurero-de-aguilar-de-campoo-sellado.html

Breeding Bird Survey . Square VN3040

My second square- VN 3040- for the Breeding Bird Survey
has reported a total of 48 different species of birds, a number similar to other years and to the other squares that I make, VN 4040, a number of birds that can seem small, but this is obtained in only four hours and by habitats little varied.

In this second square, again the river Ebro and the moor is the principal habitats, although the cliffs of the canyons of limestone are very abundant.

Again, several migratory birds that have arrived, in this square have been seen are outstanding the Common Swift and Alpine Swift, this one an amazing bird.

1.Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
2.Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
3.Great Tit (Parus major)
4.Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus)
5.Coat Tit (Parus ater)
6.Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
7.Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
8.Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)
9.Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
10.Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
11.Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
12.Magpie (Pica pica)
13.Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
14.Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
15.Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
16.Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
17.European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
18.Blackbird (Turdus merula)
19.Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
20.Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus)
21.Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
22.Garden Warbler (Syvia borin)
23.Ibarian Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus ibericus)
24.Bonelli´s Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli)
25.Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
26.European Serin (Serinus serinus)
27.European Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
28.European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
29.Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
30.Short-Toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla)
31.Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia)
32.House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
33.Eurasian Golden Oriol (Oriolus oriolus)
34.Common Swift (Apus apus )
35.Alpine Swift (Apus melba)
36.Common Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
37.White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
38.Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
39.Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)
40.Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
41.Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)
42.Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)

Spring

Another year more, and the spring is here, in the field, not in the calendar, and now have records of the first birds that arrive from Africa, Swallows, Black Kite, Swift , Hoopoe, Egiptian Vulture... and while, the resident birds or are singing and preparing nests, or even incubating.

If you want to see the updated information of different species that arrive to Spain from Africa, click this links:

http://www.springalive.net/

http://www.avesyclima.org/index2.php


The last news of migrate birds of Burgos are:
Black Kite
Crag Martin
Hoopoe

Great Bustard in Burgos

Flock with 23 Bustards

This year has been first that the birders of Burgos we have been to centre on registering Great Bustard (Otis tarda) of the province.
Possibly the northern population of the Iberian peninsula.
The weather was not good, bad visibility and mainly the light winter, they have made disperse more the flocks of Bustard, any birds alone or in pairs have been observed.
Divided in three cars, ten people, we crossed the best places, that previously had been selected, prospecting all the possible zones.
During all the morning we were observing the different flocks, also was tried to determine the sex of birds, although in some case, due to the distance and the bad light this could not be done.
We have been crossed near 200 km, and between the three groups, a 228 total of Great Bustard, which agrees with the last national censuses for the province of Burgos, and this population possibly represents also the reproductive population.

Great Bustrard (Otis tarda)

Other observed species have been, Red kite (Milvus mivus), great amount of them, many in migration towards the north of Europe.
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), Merlin (Falco columbarius)and Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), a good representation of the Falcons.

Merlin (Falco columbarius)

Many Skylarks (Alauda arvensis), but especially, Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra), hundreds, by all the zone, singing and letting themselves see easily.

Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra)

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