Birds in Wetlands. Censuses

The census of aquatic birds that has initiated the SEO/BirdLife, does not cover all the species that are related to the wetlands, only certain species have to be registered.
The census is had to make in three times, in the second two weeks of March, April and May.
In first census, it has been made with conditions in which meteorology to play a important part.
Days back, the snow, it was making, so the level of waters of the lagoons and the rivers has grown enormously, this has made difficult to walk round these wetlands of suitably form.
Even so, the results, by this time, still early are not of all bad.
Although of the Paseriformes no has been detected, if several Ducks, and like more observed the Common Coot.
In many zones of the field still it has up to 20 cm of snow, so it seems total winter, as excellent observation but were the one of a pair of Fieldfare.

List of the species, (not exclusively records to the census).

Common Pochard Aythya ferina
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Common Coot Fulica atra
Great Tit Parus major
Blue Tit Parus caeruleus
Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita netting, good moment to observe these birds, since now it is crossing towards the north of Europe.
White Wagtail Motacilla alba
Hedge Accentor Prunella modularis
Robin Erithacus rubecula
Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Green Woodpecker Picus viridis
Fieldfire Turdus pilaris

A Heavy Snowfall

When spring arrives from the calendar, it arrives the winter with snow and cold. Many of the birds that do not emigrate during the winter, have begun this year to sing early, mainly due to the smooth temperatures of second half of the winter, and some to make nests.

Several weeks ago, are listened to by the field, the songs of Robin, Great Tit, Common Chafinch, Wren, Cetti’s Warbler, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Deeper, all of them emitting their respective territorial songs of courtship and, and even carrying out persecutions, normally of males. But these days, the snow (60cm) has arrived again and the cold and those choirs have been silenced.

Bud the feeders packed of birds, the list:

Blackcap, four males and one female

Robin, lots of

Common Chafinch , lost of

Song Thrush, five

Great Tit, lost of

Blue Tit, lost of

Hedge Accentor, three birds

Grey Wagtail, one
White Wagtail, four

Wood Lark, one
Crested Lark, two birds
Black Redstart, male and female
Common Chiffchaff
European Nuthatch, two birds

Meadow Pipit, one

And the Sparrowhawk

We will have to hope again to that the temperatures activate the mechanisms of courtship of the birds and again we will have another real spring, and with all birds that arrive from Africa, Warblers, Swalows, Martins, and this will cause that he is greater the sound of the field.

Egyptian Vulture

First bird of the season in the Zamanzas Valley, although this year has arrived a month but late that other years.

The Spring

The spring has arrived.
Although for the men not yet it is thus, for the nature and the birds yes.
The songs of several species of birds are listened to, Tits, Warblers, Dipper...as well as some of them are seen taking elements of construction for the nest (moss in the case of the Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes).

Also there are numerous news of migration, Geese – mainly Greylag Goose, (Anser anser), and Cranes – Common Crane (Grus grus) - towards the north of Europe and Martins and Swalows arriving from Africa, shorebirds throughout coast line and wetlands, raptors flight on the migratory road.

Atlas of Wintering Birds

I have finished the tracks that I have made for the Atlas of wintering birds, project in phase of test of the SEO/BirdLife.
The grid that I have selected, to be one of the same ones that I have for the accomplishment of SACRE and NOCTUA.
This zone, although is very interesting biologically, is a zone very difficult to take a census, since the habitats are varied and the displacements between and others have been enough time, as well as the effort that supposes the accomplishment of some tracks, with strong unevennesses.
The geographic position and the altitude above sea level, by these two factors, this zone tends to be of great atmospheric variability, and in winter with enough difficulty to find days adapted for the accomplishment of the censuses, if it is not raining or snowing (very probably), it is cleared, with which the mornings appear with heavy frost and mist.
Even so, the census has been productive, although I to miss some species that usually are present other years, possibly due to the high temperatures at the beginning of the winter.
I have located 41 different species, the most located Common Chafinch (Fringilla coelebs) the Great Tit (Parus major) and Jay (Garrulus glandarius).

Also Common Chafinch (Fringilla coelebs) has been most abundant, I have seen flocks of more than 100 birds.

Yearbook, October-December 2006

New report for finish the year 2006, it includes the records from October to December.
Click Here and click in the families

The best:

Aredeidae
Great White Egret. Egretta alba

Anatidae
Ferruginous Duck. Aythya nyroca

Accipitridae
Black-shouldered Kite. Elanus caeruleus
Lammergeier. Gypaetus barbatus
Monk Vulture. Aegypius monachus

Falconidae
Red-footed Falcon. Falco vespertinus

Lariidae
Mediterranean Gull. Larus melanocephalus

Psittacidae

Rose-ringed Parakeet. Psittacula krameri

Trichodromadidade
Wallcreeper. Tichodroma muraria

Sturnidae
Rosy Starling. Sturnus roseus

Wetlands day

Wetlands day, in the reservoir of river Ebro.


A cold day with something of mist , much snow in the field and several congealed zones of the water.





Great amount of aquatic birds, great variety of species.

Red-crested Pochard. Netta rufina and Common Coot. Fulica atra

Common Teal. Anas crecca (120 birds) and Gadwall. Anas strepera (135)

Tufted Duck. Aythya fuligula

Eurasian Wigeon. Anas penelope and Mallard. Anas platyrhynchos

Greylag Goose. Anser anser (258 birds)

Pintail. Anas acuta (17)
Northern Shoveler. Anas clypeata
Great Cormorant. Phalacrocorax carbo
Grey Heron. Ardea cinerea


Other aquatic birds

Great Crested Grebe. Podiceps cristatus (247 birds)

Black-necked Grebe. Podiceps nigricollis

Others birds

White Stork. Ciconia ciconia

Spotless Starling. Sturnus unicolor

Common Buzzard. Buteo buteo

Common Kestrel. Falco tinnunculus
Yellow-legged Gull. Larus michahellis
Green Woodpecker. Picus viridis
Robin. Erithacus rubecula
Blackbird. Turdus merula
Song Thrush. Turdus philomelos
Long-tailed Tit. Aegithalos caudatus

Links recommended

Wetlands site and the Wetlands day

SEO and the Wetlands day, and the activities form 2nd to 11th february.

Winter

Mountains and rivers in winter

One of the best times of the year to observe birds in the north of Spain is the winter.
Although sometimes, bad weather and the low temperatures can be disagreeable, is without a doubt, a good moment.

Snow on the fields

The migration is without a doubt but interesting that takes place at this time, all the birds which they wintering in Africa have left, but all the birds which breeding in the north of Europe arrive in these season in great flocks.

Waders, Ducks and Gulls in the salt marsh

The best places where to see birds, are the North Coast and all the lagoons, dams, rivers... in these places arrive Divers, Auks, Waders, Gulls, Herons, Geese, and Ducks mainly.

Velvet Scoter in Santoña marshes

Inland, forests, meadow, although can seem quiet, also they maintain a good number of species those that remain the year throughout and those that arrive flocks from Thrushes, Finches, Wagtails and Pipits.
Also it is a good moment to be able to be with less habitual species, like the Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) or the Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus), of which there are records every year.
It is necessary to be kind to great flocks, between Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
, is not always difficult to find to White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)
, or other species of Geese.

White-fronted Goose in a flock of Geese

Between flocks of Thrushes, the Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) and the Redwing (Turdus iliacus) appear all winter to us.

Fieldfare in north fields of Burgos

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) usually is mixed in great flocks of Finches.

Also it is possible, that in these season, we find birds that usually do not appear of constant form, rare birds that many ornithologists strive in his looks for.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Here you can see a video of a male of Great Spotted Woodpecker, looking for larvae underneath the bark of cut trunks, although the quality is not good is impressive the capacity to break the bark that have the Woodpeckers, mainly at the end of the video is possible to see the power with which it strikes, and the ability to look for the angles for strike.


This is the photo of the state in which it left the trunk.


In the north of the Iberian Peninsula it is possible to find seven species of Woodpeckers, Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker are commonest of them.

Great and Marsh Tit

I and the Bird #38

I and the Bird #38

The first Siskins

This week the first flock of Siskins (Carduelis spinus) on the trees of river bank, eating the seeds of the alders, approximately twenty birds.

Incredible acrobats.

Again in the Reservoir

Again in reservoir of the river Ebro, a morning of good birding, with a number not a lot of species but good in speciments, mainly of the best contributed with 150 Greylag Goose (Anser anser) as always grazing in the north coast of the dam. All week I have news about the good numbers of Greylag Goose, 250, 180,…
Small flocks of other ducks, Gadwall (Anas strepera) one of the flocks of 26 birds, Common Teal (Anas crecca) this time unlike others, few units, Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), small groups of few distributed units but in several zones.
Is strange to confirm, the Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) has a terrible reduction, in years ago the Red-crested Pochard was like one of most numerous in wintertime, thousands of birds, today only eight birds !!!!.

Also eight Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) near Reinosa.
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus), one of the most representative birds of this dam.
Great Cormorán (Phalacrocorax carbo) two birds , and less and less, since the reiterated complaints of fishermen , at the moment is possibly regulating (to shoot) the population of birds in Cantabria and now in Burgos is studying this.
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), 6 birds in the zone of the observatory.
Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
Other species in the area ,
Common Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
Little Owl(Athene noctua)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Cetti´s Warbler (Cettia cetti)
Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Magpie (Pica pica)
Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
Of return, in the zone of the canyons of river Ebro, a majestic Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), harassed by a pair of Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus).

I and the Bird #37

I and the Bird #37

I and the Bird #36

I and the Bird #36

Marshes of Salburua

One of the cities of Spain, in which better it is lived, it is without a doubt Vitoria, and this also note in its environment.
For a long time a program has been designed to preserve, and to recover a green belt around the city, with diverse natural spaces.
One of them is the park of Salburua.


With access and parking very fast and easy, and very near of downtown, being able even to use the urban transport.
Once there, we were in an ample space of lagoons, marshes with its typical flora, and, of course, with its typical birds.
The two observatories, located and prepared very well.
A place that without a doubt there is to visit.
In only two hours, we could observe several species, including which often observing is made complicated, Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus).
The other observed species
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)


Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)


Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Moorhen(Gallinula chloropus)
Common Coot (Fulica atra)



Green Sandpiper(Tringa ochropus)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Cetti's Warbler(Cettia cetti)
Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Magpie (Pica pica)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)

500 Vultures

Again, a visit to the rubbish dump of Villarcayo (Burgos) has supposed the observation of nearly 500 Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus), one of the concentrations greater than I have seen, practically all in flight on the place. Other observed species have been Red Kite (Milvus milvus) (35), Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) and Common Raven (Corvus corax) of which peculiarly there were very few individuals (15).