30 August, another Guadalhorce Sunday

So, back here fresh from freezing my ass off on my annual visit to England for the Rutland Bird Fair (the Andalucía stand on the left here) and to the East Yorkshire coast where I have never had such a poor visit, although I did see a flock of 21 or so Wood Sandpipers coming in from the direction of Norway which was very nice and visited my first birding home at Filey Brigg (photo right).

I also took with me 70 or so sheets of illustrations for the seabird book and passed them over to the publisher. And just in case someone out there is doubting, here is a draft of the cover with the working title (photo by Jesús Menéndez, set up by Jorge Garzón).

So, now back along with the new Olympus 590-UZ which gives me 26x optical zoom boosted to 40x with the 1.7x attachment, I trotted off early to the Guadalhorce this morning to meet Bob Wright and we also met Patricia and Paco Rivera of the domingueros. Not that there was a lot to see, there was that sort of dead feeling, and we first went in search of waders along the ponds on the eastern side. There was something at least, a Booted Eagle in eucalyptus trees in the mid distance, a bundle of least 50 Stilts, 2 each of Redshank, Dunlin and Common Sandpiper, 3 Sanderling and singles of Knot on the laguna grande (photo taken against the light), Bar-tailed Godwit and Little Stint, plus all three small plovers. As they say, algo es mejor que nada and that made 11 spp. of waders.

So we trotted round to the laguna grande and looked at the massed gulls - all Black-headed and Lesser Black-backs along with 1 Mediterranean Gull. A harrier made an brief appearance and vanished into the clear blue yonder and then a Spoonbill appeared from behind the tamarisks, remained just long enough to read its colour rings before wandering back out view, while three more Spoonbills flew in and promptly hid, bless the little dears.
Thanks to the super-efficient Otto Overdijk of the Spoonbill Working Group in Holland, I already have the sightings history of this bird. It was ringed in May 2005 in Holland and was not seen again until April and May 2007 in Vlieland (Holland) and between 9 May 2007 and 29 July flew to the Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania, a distance of over 4.000 kms, where it obviously spent the winter as it was seen there twice more during winter 2007-08, and was there again in November 2008, presmably having returned to Holland for the summer but not having been seen. The record of this morning would ndicate that once more it is heading south. Hence the value of reading and informing of any colour ringed birds. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, it is possible to see the rings but not read them, for that reason God invented telescopes!

Now is the time when the Woodchat Shrikes are moving out amd while the adults are now extremely scarce, there are still quite a few juvs. around, which look nothing like the adults so one has to use the jizz to help the identification, the pronounced scaling on the back and shadow of a mask helping with the identification, as this photo shows.


PARA MAISA: Por favor, escribame a mi dirección privada: andy.birds@gmail.com

15-16 August, Guadalhorce

As I have been suffering from a lack of birding through working far too hard on this damned book (it is coming on and I'm taking about 80% of it with me to the UK tomorrow), and I spent most of Friday putting all the bits that I am taking in order ready for the publisher (what a hell of a thankless task!), I thought that it was about time I went down to the Guadalhorce ponds.

So, yesterday morning (Saturday), I was down there by 0830 and spent the rest of the remaining 150 minutes wondering why I had gone down, because frankly there was very little (which is the polite way of expressing it). Waders, one Bar-tailed Godwit, 3-4 Little Stints and a single Common Sandpiper. There were 3 Knot around which I didn't see because they had flown from the laguna grande before I got there. For the rest, a handful of LRPs and Kentish Plovers and some rather disconsolate-looking Stilts. On the positive side, there was the first Osprey back. There was a distinct lack of Common/Pallid Swifts, 3 all morning I think. The White-headed Duck males are now showing a mixture of billcolouration, as they turn black in the winter, but one still with a blue bill was chivvying the others around. The male Black-headed Weaver provided good views and a brilliant patch of yellow but as the temperature rose and the scope and tripod seemed to weigh more and more with every step Paco Rivera and I decided that going home was a better bet, so we did.

However, hope springs eternal (or perhaps it's stupidity) in the Paterson breast so this morning (Sunday) saw me down there by 0845. And was there more to see, you will ask? My reply is, yes, marginally. The Osprey had gone but the male Peregrine was surveying its universe from the top of the tall chimney at the far, eastern, side of the river. But I am jumping ahead, because no sooner had I crossed the bridge than a Southern Great Grey Shrike made sure everyone could see it by sitting in the very top of a bare tree. There were also some more swifts, at least 10, and more swallows and martins, but no Sand Martins yet.

There were plenty of gulls but they were very jumpy and staying still to be scoped was definitely not on their agenda. The Black-tailed Godwit was still there and still asleep but there had been a minute (small is too strong a word) influx as there were now 4 Dunlin and a single Curlew Sandpiper and what was probably the same Common Sandpiper.

So, I am off Blighty tomorrow, to boldly go where no man has gone before near the centre of the unknown universe (near Morley) and nasty little men who play with explosives, as well as going to the Rutland Bird Fair and then on to the Yorkshire coast for some seabirds. See you at the end of the month.

9 August, Guadalhorce and other bits

Bob Wright (from here on known as Lord of the Axarquia, or LoA) has written about the visit we made to the Guadalhorce this morning, entering in the distinctly cool side of warm before 08.00 and I shall add a bit here. I don't normally make a list of everything that flies, walks or crawls across our path like LoA does and list only those that interest me (generally waders, gulls and terns) or unusual species. Neither did I take any photos today, so this is a poor offering compared his.

The water levels along the old river - río viejo - are very low and there is a need for the authorities to pump is at least 7-10cms to make more mud available for waders. The first hide along the easterly arm of the river produced next to nothing and inspired no confidence whatsoever, so the stay there was very breif and on we went to the second. here, at least, there were waders, indeed it was main concentrations for them apart from some at the very end very further on which could only be seen from a distance.

Discounting the normal Black-winged Stilts, none of which suffered an attack of hysterics at seeing us, and several pairs of Little Ringed and Kentish Plovers, all of which looked rather fed-up with life although I suspect that many will be in post-breeding moult as well as recovering from the stress of breeding itself, there was not a vast variety. Surprisingly, by my count (I do count waders, remember) there were no less than 9 Little Stints, rather attractive busy little chaps amongst the much larger Dunlins, only 3 of them in total all morning, and what was undoubtedly the joint best bird of the day, a Temminck's Stint which was still showing quite a lot breeding plumage. At the second hide, apart from the above, there was also a single, rather tatty-looking Greenshank in heavy back moult.

It was from this second hide that Bob (ak.a. LoA) spotted a small dot sitting in the top of one of the distant eucalyptus between us and the laguna grande. It took a lot of work and scoping to work out what it was but eventually it was decided that it wasn't a dwarf, somewhat anorexic, Peregrine nor any exotic raptor but a juvenile Hobby -and here's where we had the problem, did juvenile Hobby have the red on the trousers and lower belly? Well, they don't and that's what it was. Equal best bird of the day.

Onwards toards the seawatch mirador to see what was on the river, to which the polite answer was 'not a lot', the impolite one I leave to your imagination. No resting gulls, except one which didn't look overly full of life and could well end up joining a pair of its moribund friends. No terns at all, not one! And right at the very end, right on the limit of scoping with heat shimmer starting which is a birder's enemy, some waders. It took patience but there were some 7 Sanderlings, again moulting out of breeding plumage, and 5 Little Stints included in the total above, and a single Curlew Sandpiper, it too having lost nearly all its breeding plumage.

By now, the heat was starting to make itself noted, so back we staggered and 3 more Curlew Sands had flown in by the hide, making a grand (not very,really) total of 4 for the day. Round by the laguna escondida, where the sun beating down on our backs made us soon decide that sitting and looking at nothing except of few moping Pochard, a handful of White-headed Ducks and not much else was really a waste of time, and on to the laguna grande. There, a few distant Black-headed Gulls, a Grey Heron and few egrets, plus at least one Common Sandpiper, which brought the wader count up to 10 for the morning. Not a brilliant number and there wasn't a single Redshank, but at least something is happening. Time will tell and show us, always provided that we get out to watch!

Other bits
A House Bunting has been seen well down at Tarifa this past week but they are common just aross the water and I have seen them in the soukh in Tangiers. Further, this was actually watched taking bread and apparently the upper mandible is deformed. As there is plenty of maritime traffic across the Strait at this tme of year, it may vey well have been a hitchhiker (but not to any galaxy).

At home, I saw the first migrant, a Melodious Warbler, in the garden on 3 August and on 8 August no less than 3 Spotted Flycatchers, the first ones in the garden all year.

There has been a marked drop in the numbers of swifts (mainly Common) this past week and a week since the watchers at Tarifa counted over 80.000 moving across the Strait in one day from just one point, and these are birds that migrate on a broad front.

29 July, Cabo de Gata and some rarity news

Cabo de Gata
Dave Elliott-Binns, in an act of extreme bravery above and beyond the call of duty, ventured forth to Cabo de Gata and the salinas early this morning, before even the sun had risen and there must have been only a faint light in the sky. Here is his account, the brave chap, but I would remind him that to all intent and purpose the Andalusian Hemipode (forget calling it a Buttonquail) is allegedly extinct in Andalucía and that we would miss his accounts from Almería.

Yesterday evening I thought " That's it. I'm not skulking away from the sun like a cowardly Andalucian Hemipode any more. I'm craving for some birding!" So at 0600 hrs I left the house, a sleeping Gilly and headed south towards Cabo de Gata. After a cafe stop at Pujaire I went to the first hide. As I entered I was very happy that the sun and heat had dried up and made odourless what some desperate individual had left on one of the benches!! The water level was quite low so a lot of waders were on the salty mudflats, but were quite a distance away. I counted over 150 Black-tailed Godwits. There were even more Avocets. A Gull-billed Tern tried to hide amongst the small flock of Black-headed Gulls, but the best bird there was a Stone Curlew on the dried up causeway. Before reaching the second hide I checked out to sea. Flat as a tack, but no birds. About 100 Yellow-legged Gulls were on the beach. At the hide one could see over 1,000 Greater Flamingos, some in large tight groups. Numerous Little Terns were diving in. Shelduck and Mallard were the only wildfowl together with a few Slender-billed Gulls. At the public hide there were 100's of waders. I managed to identify Little Stint, Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper, Redshank and Kentish Plover with more Godwits. I was desperately missing my telescope, which is awaiting repairs after being blown over by a gust of wind. I even forked out €1 and used the static one in the hide......would've done better with a couple of Coop milk bottles!! Pretty sure I saw Sandwich and Common Terns amongst the Little Terns. A trip to the lighthouse was not rewarding! I expect I could see 75 sq miles of flat sea, but only saw 5 Yellow-Legged Gulls on the rocks! However did see a couple of small pods of Dolphins. Round the back of the reserve a flock of 60 Audouin's Gull were resting. Unfortunately the steady stream of Mountain Bikers weren't! Did manage Red-rumped Swallow, Little Owl and Zitting Cisticola before hitting the tarmac again. A respectable 37 species and the sun was just breaking through the slight sea mist as I was leaving at 10 o'clock.

Rarity news
These are bits of information that I have gleaned through contacts this past week.

Long-legged Buzzard - Busardo Moro - has bred in the La Janda area of Cádiz and raised two young to flying stage, this is the first breeding in Spain. Last time I was down there with Bob Wright we had a probable one.

Little Swift - Vencejo Moro - is now well settled in as a breeding species, with nests at three well spaced out sites, with anything up to a total of 17 birds being seen in this past week (young will be on the wing now).

Rüppell's Vulture - Buitre Moteado - again something to keep an open for anywhere where there are concentrations, but especially in the Strait area. No less than 15 have been seen coming in from Morocco this spring-summer so it might just turn out to be the year that I see one! Generally they hear of me before me of them and shove off at high speed.

White-backed Vulture - one was wiped out by one of those many damned aeolic windmills that stand around on La Janda. Albeit a very dead and mangled one, this is only the third Iberian record.

If anyone is birding in the Chipiona (Cádiz) area, keep an eye on the beach and rocks at low tide as Roseate Tern has been seen, waders are frequent and also Little Swifts overfly. Further south, the first returning Lesser Crested Tern has been seen resting on the beach at Los Lances, Tarifa.

And finally, if anyone is passing through La Mancha and deviates to any of the lagunas in Ciudad Real province to do some birding, do keep an eye pen for Lesser Flamingos as 3 are knocking around the area, two are wearing colour rings and I would be most interested, as a member of the IUCN Flamingo Working Group, to have any news of them, when and where and if any rings were visible. A good way to see is to take a photograph if there is any sort of telephoto capability and then enlarge it to the maximum. Ain't digital wonderful? Many thanks.

Flamingo ringing, Fuente de Pierda

I have had the privilege of taking part in the ringing of the flamingo chicks at Fuente de Piedra some seven or eight times, including the first ever and the last time in 1999 as the knees won't take the strain at all and slipping and sliding around on mud covered by by precipitated salt is way beyond them! To have taken part is one of the great birding experiences, apart from the fact one sees friends. Peter Jones of the Andalucia Bird Society www.andaluciabirdsociety.com has very kindly sent the piece below and the photos are by José Antonio Cortés of SEO-Málaga.

Another year and, after the disappointment of 2008, a report of a successful breeding season at Fuente de Piedra for Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus. 2009 saw the 25th anniversary for ringing of the Greater Flamingo chicks at Fuente de Piedra and a total of 600 chicks - only a small representative sample of the total raised (normally about 10% -Andy) - were fitted with specially coded plastic colour rings. These colour rings can be easily read through telescopes and sometimes through binoculars, allowing observers to report on the movements of these birds as soon as they gain their independence and are able to fly to feeding grounds throughout the region and North Africa.

The ringing of Greater Flamingo chicks is a highly organised affair and run with military precision. The group of volunteers, numbering somewhere over 300, embark during cover of darkness slowly and silently encircling the nursery of young. As dawn arrives the nursery is slowly and safely encouraged towards a fence line and bell mouth shaped entrance to a holding corral. For the protection of the young, the entrance and corral are lined and padded with soft fabric and the corral is circular to avoid any sharp edges. This year, from the moment the required number where successfully corralled to the moment when all had been ringed and released took a grand total of 2 hours. If you consider the operation and further that each bird is processed for weight, measurements, blood sampling and inspected by attending veterinaries, then the minimum of time taken is a huge tribute to the thorough organisation of the operation. It’s been quite a year for the species at Fuente de Piedra with in excess of 30,000 adults being reported on occasions.

As the water levels drop, many adults make the daytime journey to Huelva and the Doñana to feed and return during the night to provide necessary sustenance for their young. An undisputed burden and act of dedication with a round journey every day of at least 160km to feed their offspring! Talking with the wardens Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor apparently attempted to breed, but they believed the eggs were accidentally broken by the brooding adult and no further evidence of breeding was recorded.

Photographs illustrate the corral (above left) and also show a fraction of the nursery (below right).

22 July, Guadalhorce

After not getting out on Sunday, as previously detailed, and having seen what Patricia wrote, I was decided to get out early unless everything went pear-shaped. The morning didn't achieve that form, although it had a damned good try and after two coffees and 2g of paracetamol I got to the ponds an hour later than intended.


And did I see lots? No, I blankety-blank didn't! In fact, less than two per cent of damn all.

Waders: a few Stilts, LRPs and Kentish, plus a single Dunlin (whoopee!) and I thought I heard a distant Redshank but am not certain. What a stunning list and meanwhile the temperature rose and rose.

Down at the old river there were plenty of Audouin's Gulls resting and I saw my first juv. of the year, which was actually wearing a colour ring (white BCO8), and I managed to read another 10 rings, one of which is visible in the photo on the right if you click on to amplify it, which will be sent off in due course and in the fullness of time I shall be notified of their life histories. In sum, there must have been well over 100 Audouin's at the ponds and at least 50 Mediterranean Gulls, many of these still showing ample signs of full breeding plumage, plus a bundle of Black-headed Gulls, including some in full juvenile plumage.

And finally, on the way out, a Spotted Flycatcher, my first of the year, stupid as it seems, as this year there hasn't been one hanging around the garden.

19 July, Guadalhorce

I haven't been out at all what with illustrations which don't gel and knees which have little men with Black & Decker inside going hell for leather! And I had been prepared to get out early Sunday morning too. Therefore I was most pleased to receive the following brief report (lightly edited) from Patricia about what she saw Sunday afternoon. She also saw some flamingos, probably, as she remarks, refugees from the mass ringing of the chicks on Saturday. Many thanks, Pat!

First I espied a Dunlin in the laguna grande - then to my surprise I spotted a Whimbrel which seemed to be following a Common Sandpiper. Antonio Miguel arrived and eventually we got to the last hide on the Mota and there there were several Dunlin, Curlew Sandpipers, Redshanks, Common Sandpipers and well as Little Ringed and Kentish Plovers.

Previously in La Grande some Stilts chased off two Redshanks which were simply feeding and not bothering anyone.