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TRIP REPORTS. DECEMBER 2005. |
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2nd December.
Today I was guiding David and Juliet Heard from Benalmadena, near
Málaga. It was a cold, wet, windy morning as I collected the couple
from El Rocío, but we had a quick look on the marshes before moving
off. There were plenty of Greater Flamingos, Grey Herons, Coots, Teal,
Pintails, Gadwalls and Shovelers present, with smaller numbers of Snipe
and Black-tailed Godwits. We then headed out towards Villamanrique, but
as we reached the Arroyo de Santa Maria we were brought to halt by the
sight of a Black-shouldered Kite, hunting over the stream and fighting
against the heavy wind. Ten minutes of watching from within the vehicle
resulted in the bird hovering no more that 15 metres from us. Eleven
other B-s Kites were seen throughout the tour, but this was a cracking
start to the day.
Further along the Villamanrique road we stopped to look at Iberian Magpies, Southern Grey Shrikes and Hoopoes.
It
was raining hard as we got to the first of the Lagunas de Mancho
Zurillo, so we viewed the site from inside the vehicle. However, the
poor visibility did not stop us having excellent views of a Great White
Egret, Little Egrets and dozens of Cormorants.
As the weather was so
bad, I decided to reverse the order of the tour and visit the northern
marshes first, where the JAV Centre would allow us to view the birds
from indoors, but on the way, along the Corredor Verde, I stopped
beside the Río Guadiamar to show David and Juliet the large roosting
colony of Black-crowned Night Herons. There were hundreds of them,
hunched up against the wind and rain and looking very miserable.
As
we drove out to the marshes, the rain stopped, but not the 30kph cold
wind, so again, much of the birding was done from inside the vehicle.
This did not stop us seeing and enjoying White Storks, Purple
Swamp-hens, Cattle Egrets, Greylag Geese, Green Sandpipers, Stone
Curlews, Common Cranes, Ravens, Red Kites, Buzzards, Kestrels and Marsh
Harriers.
At the JAV there were plenty of birds, but the only new
birds we added were Common Shelducks, Avocets and Little Grebes. The
barman at the centre told me he had seen a Marsh Harrier take a Little
Grebe, not long before we had arrived and within minutes, David had
found a female harrier feeding just 80 metres away. A quick look
through the telescope confirmed the meal as a Little Grebe.
As we
left the marshes we were able to add White Wagtails, Meadow Pipits,
Corn Buntings, Serins, Goldfinches and both Calandra and Crested Larks
onto our growing total.
As we crossed the Entremuros, on our way to
the Isla Mayor, we saw a flock of 12 Black Storks. Elsewhere in this
region we also found Ringed, Little-ringed and Kentish Plovers,
Lapwings, Little Stints, Black-winged Stilts, Wigeon, Barn Swallows,
House Martins, Black Redstarts, Jackdaws and Spotless Starlings.
We
finished the day back at the Corredor Verde, adding a Great Crested
Grebe, 2 Booted Eagles, 2 Hen Harriers, 2 Red-rumped Swallows, Sand
Martins, Greenfinches and Woodlarks to our list.
6th December.
With me on today's tour were two Doctors, Huw Wilding and Picton Gibbin
from Wales. We began at the Lagunas de Mancho Zurillo and found Little
Egrets, Grey Herons, a Great White Egret, Cormorants, Common Pochards,
Tufted Ducks, Gadwalls, Coots and Great Crested Grebes.
As we drove
through the Corredor Verde we saw 11 Black-shouldered Kites, Buzzards,
Red Kites, Kestrels, 3 Booted Eagles, Southern Grey Shrikes, Hoopoes,
Iberian Magpies, Crested Larks, Woodlarks, Black Redstarts, Robins,
Serins, Gold and Greenfinches, Chiffchaffs, Sardinian Warblers, Great
Tits, Red-legged Partridges and over 100 Black-crowned Night Herons at
their usual roosting place.
At the Entremuros there were 32 Black
Storks, 100's of White Storks, Cattle Egrets, Lapwings, Green
Sandpipers, Marsh Harriers and a Short-eared Owl.
We had our picnic
lunch at the Dehesa de Abajo, overlooking the Cañada de Rianzuela,
where Greylag Geese, Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, White Wagtails, Corn
Buntings, Stonechats, Meadow Pipits and both Common and Spotless
Starlings were seen.
Afer lunch we headed out to the northern
marshes and at our first stop near the Casa de Bombas there were more
than 500 Common Cranes, several Purple Swamp-hens, Ravens, Hen Harriers
and Song Thrushes.
near the Huerta Tejada we found numerous Stone Curlews and a Little Owl.
The
Lucio del Lobo and the JAV Centre held thousands of birds and although
we had already recorded many of them, we managed to add 100's of
Greater Flamingos, Shovelers, Common Sandpipers, Dunlins, Lapwings,
Snipe, Little Stints, Kentish Plovers and a Peregrine Falcon to the
list.
As we were leaving the marshes, we stopped beside a field
where there were Lesser Short-toed Larks, 100's of Calandra Larks and
Golden Plovers.
10 December. Today's tour was with
Daniele and Laura Colombo, from Milan, Italy. We began at El Rocio
marshes and soon found a flock of about 70 Glossy Ibis, Avocets, Snipe,
White Storks, Grey herons, Little Egrets, Pintails, Shovelers,
Gadwalls, Red-crested Pochards and Teal. We then drove to the Lagunas
de Mancho Zurillo, where I was surprised to find a small wintering
flock of 11 Black Kites perched in one of the trees at the side of the
first lagoon. Most unusual for mid-December. On the lagoons there were
Cormorants, Common Pochards and Little Grebes. Overhead there were
about 40 House Martins flying around. In the areas surrounding the
lagoons we found Serins, Charrinches, Greenfinches, Souther Grey
Shrikes, Black Redstarts, Robins, Meadow Pipits, White Wagtails,
Iberian and Black-billed Magpies, Woodlarks and Buzzards.
As we
drove along the Corredor Verde we recorded 5 Black-shouldered Kites, 3
Booted Eagles, Red Kites, Kestrels, Ravens, Cattle Egrets and
Black-crowned Night Herons.
Our next stop was at the Entremuros
where about 20 Purple Swamp-hens put on a fine show for us. as we
continued along the east bank there were thousands of waders in the
ricefields of the Isla Mayor. Amongst these were Redshanks,
Greenshanks, Ruff, Ringed Plovers, Lapwings, Green Sandpipers and
Dunlins. Several large flocks of Greater Flamingos were also seen. At
the end of the Entremuros we saw numerous Marsh Harriers and 2 male Hen
Harriers.
At the Cañada de Rianzuela there were Greylag Geese, Wigeon and Black-winged Stilts.
The
afternoon was spent in the northern marsh area, where Black Storks,
Common Cranes, Stone Curlews, Calandra Larks, Corn Buntings, Crested
Larks and Chiffchaffs were in abundance.
15th December.
With me today were Bill Burrows from Wotton-under-Edge, near Bristol
and Chris and Sue Blasdale from Worcestershire. We began the birding at
the Lagunas de Mancho Zurillo and in the immediate surroundings of the
lagoons we found a Booted Eagle, several Red Kites, Buzzards, Kestrels,
Southern Grey Shrikes, Ravens, Crested, Thekla and Woodlarks, Black
Redstarts, Robins, Meadow Pipits Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Serins and
Hoopoes. On the water we saw Tufted Ducks, Common Pochards, Shovelers,
Cormorants, Coots, Grey Herons and Little Egrets. We then drove through
a part of the Corredor Verde and alongside the Río Guadiamar. As we
were passing through this area we saw 7 Black-shouldered Kites, Marsh
Harriers, Spanish Sparrows, Chiffchaffs, Tree Pipits, a Hawfinch and
hundreds of Black-crowned Night Herons roosting in Tamarisk trees.
Our
next stop was at the Cañada de Rianzuela lagoon. There were plenty of
birds present and we recorded Avocets, Lapwings, Golden, Ringed and
Little-ringed Plovers, White Wagtails, Teal, Wigeon and Greylag Geese.
In
the afternoon we visited sevaral sites in the northern marshes. As we
drove along the Brazo de la Torre we found hundreds of Common Cranes
and White Storks feeding in fields alongside the track. Three male Hen
Harriers and a single female gave us some excellent views near the Casa
de Bombas, where a large flock of Linnets was also seen.
further
along the track we saw a Bluethroat and at the Huerta Tejada we counted
over 30 Stone Curlews, a huge flock of more than a 300 Corn Buntings
and 2 Little Owls.
During several other stops we found Cattle
Egrets, Black-tailed Godwits, Green and Common Sandpipers, Snipe,
Greater Flamingos, Purple Swamp-hens, Gadwalls, Black Storks, a
Peregrine Falcon and a wintering flock of probably more than 1,500
Calandra Larks.
20th December. Today was the first of two
days guiding Bob Humphries and Sally Robinson from Perth, Australia.
The couple are spending 3 days in Doñana whilst on their way from
Equador to India and as this was the first time that Bob has birded in
Europe, there were bound to be many new birds for him.
We began by
driving through Hinojos forest where a flock of Iberian Magpies were
the first birds seen. These were followed by Chaffinches, Crested
Larks, Black Redstarts, Sardinian Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Stonechats,
Collared Doves and Lapwings.
We then visited the marshes at El Rocío
and spent an hour and a half watching the birds on show. These included
Shovelers, Teal, Pintails, Coots, Moorhens, Snipe, Black-tailed
Godwits, Little-ringed Plovers, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingos, Little
and Cattle Egrets, Black-billed Magpies, White Wagtails, Meadow Pipits,
Great Tits, Goldfinches, Spotless Starlings, Marsh Harriers, Buzzards,
Kestrels and 2 Bluethroats.
We then drove down the coast to the
Marismas del Odiel. At our first stop we found Dunlins, Red Knots,
Redshanks, Ringed Plovers, Black-necked and Little Grebes, Gadwalls,
Common Pochards, Yellow-legged, Black-headed and Lesser Blackbacked
Gulls and 4 Purple Swamp-hens.
Further along the marshes there were
Curlews, Grey Herons, Spoonbills, Grey Plovers, Greenshanks,
Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones, Bar-tailed Godwits, Avocets,
Black-winged Stilts, Oystercatchers, Cormorants, a Little Gull,
Audouin's Gulls, Sandwich Terns and an Osprey.
We ended the day at
the Laguna Primera de Palos and although it was almost dark, we managed
to add Wigeons and a Red-knobbed Coot to our list. Altogether we
recorded 74 species, all but 14 of which were "lifers" for Bob.
21st December.
This was my second day with Bob Humphries and Sally Robinson from
Perth, Australia. Today we followed my northern marshes route and
started our tour at the Lagunas de Mancho Zurillo, where we found
Cattle Egrets, Grey Herons, Shovelers, Tufted Ducks, Gadwalls, Common
Pochards, Little Grebes, Cormorants, House and Sand Martins, Iberian
Magpies and Hoopoes. In the surrounding areas there were Goldfinches,
Greenfinches, Serins, Black Redstarts, Robins, Meadow Pipits, Crested
Larks, Woodlarks and Ravens.
We then drove through paty of the
Corredor Verde and along the Río Guadiamar. The most noteable birds we
saw here were Black-shouldered Kites, Red Kites, Kestrels, Buzzards,
Marsh Harriers, Southern Grey Shrikes, Common and Spotless Starlings,
Stonechats, White Wagtails, Sardinian Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Linnets,
Little Egrets, 100's of White Storks, 37 Black Storks, a Great White
Egret and several hundred Black-crowned Night Herons.
We then
visited the Dehesa de Abajo, where there were a good selection of birds
feeding on the Cañada de Rianzuela. Amongst these we recorded Greater
Flamingos, Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Ringed, Little-ringed and
Kentish Plovers, Lapwings, Dunlins, Ruff, 8 Temminck's Stints, Little
Stints, Teal, Wigeon, Greylag Geese and a Ruddy Shelduck.
We had our picnic lunch in a small forested area, where Chaffinches and Bramblings were recorded.
In
the afternoon we drove out to the northern marshes, finding 26 Stone
Curlews, 2,500+ Common Cranes, Golden Plovers, 100's of Calandra Larks,
Corn Buntings, a Dartford Warbler, Black-tailed Godwits, Purple
Swamp-hens and Snipe.
As we were leaving the marshes we saw a Barn Owl, Hen Harriers and 4 more Great White Egrets.
We
recorded 78 species during the day and over the two days we recorded
104 different species, 81 of which were "lifers" for Bob and Sally.
24th December.
With me today were Rolf van den Brink and his girlfriend Sandra, from
Delft in Holland. We began the tour by heading towards the Corredor
Verde, but as soon as we entered the "Camino de Marismas Gallega" we
spotted the first of 13 Black-shouldered Kites that we were to find
during the day. This was quickly followed by a Buzzard and 2 Hoopoes.
On
reaching the Corredor Verde we first visited the Lagunas de Mancho
Zurillo, where a Red Kite perched very obligingly for us. On the water
we found Tufted Ducks, Shovelers, Pochards, Cormorants and Little
Grebes. Around the lagoons we saw Corn Buntings, Crested Larks,
Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Tree Sparrows, Black Redstarts, Serins,
Chiffchaffs, Stonechats and Southern Grey Shrikes.
As we drove
alongside the Río Guadiamar there were Iberian Magpies, a Great White
Egret, Cattle Egrets, Grey Herons, White Storks, 34 Black Storks,
Glossy Ibis and hundreds of Black-crowned Night Herons.
Our next
stop was at the Cañada de Rianzuela, where we saw Avocets, Black-winged
Stilts, Ringed, Little-ringed, Kentish and Golden Plovers, Lapwings,
Little Stints, Temminck's Stints Dunlins, Lapwings, Snipe, Ruff,
Greylag Geese, Teal, White Wagtails, Meadow Pipits, Jackdaws, Marsh
Harriers and a Short-toed Eagle.
We spent the afternoon in the
northern marshes, finding Little Egrets, dozens of Purple Swamp-hens,
Hundreds of Greater Flamingos, a huge flock of Common Cranes (estimated
at 3,000), over 40 Stone Curlews, hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits, Hen
Harriers, a Little Owl and a Barn Owl.
26th December.
Today's tour included John and Sonya Harvey from Buxton, Derbyshire and
Philip Gould, his wife Janet and mother Dorothy, from Cheltenham,
Gloucester. We bagan at the Lagunas de Mancho Zurillo, but for some
reason the lagoons did not have the usual number of birds present. We
saw Tufted Ducks, Common Pochards, Gadwalls, Shovelers, Teal, Little
Grebes, Cormorants and Grey Herons on the water and in the surrounding
areas we found Red Kites, Kestrels, Southern Grey Shrikes, Goldfinches,
Greenfinches, Stonechats, Sardinian Warblers, Robins, Tree and Meadow
Pipits, Chiffchaffs, Black Redstarts and Crested Larks.
We then
drove through the Corredor Verde and along the track beside the Río
Guadiamar and in a distance of less than 10 kilometres we spotted 19
Black-shouldered Kites, breaking my day tour record by one. The next
bird, a Great Spotted Cuckoo, was a bit of a surprise as it flew
directly in front of the car and perched in a small tree no more than
10 metres from us, allowing good close-up views.
We then proceeded
to the Black-crowned Night Heron roost where there were hundreds of
them on show, along with a few Cattle Egrets and a Great White Egret.
At least 5 Marsh Harriers were also seen along this track.
In the
Isla Mayor we found White Storks, about 20 Black Storks, Little Egrets,
Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Ruff, Lapwings, Greylag Geese, Purple
Swamp-hens and the first two of nine male Hen Harriers that we saw
during the day
The afternoon we drove out to the northern marshes
area and at the regular field near the Huerta Tejada we were able to
clearly count 83 Stone Curlews. Two fields further along we encountered
a large flock of about 1,500 Common Cranes.
At the Lucio del Lobo
there were many of the previously recorded species along with hundreds
of Greater Flamingos and thousands of Black-tailed Godwits.
As we
were leaving the marshes we found a flock of several hundred Calandra
Larks and just after that we had two unexpected bonuses. The first was
a Spanish Imperial Eagle that I spotted flying low over a field about
250 metres away. I stopped the car and we had time to set up the
telescope and follow its course for five minutes as it was moving
slowly into a strong headwind.
The second bonus occurred five
minutes later when I pointed out a male Hen Harrier that crossed the
road in front of us and then landed in a field, about 100 metres away.
As we were looking at the bird it was suddenly "buzzed" by what I first
thought was a Kestrel, but as the bird pulled up into the air I could
see it was a Merlin, which then turned its attention onto a small flock
of Corn Buntings, causing great panic amongst the smaller birds. We
were able to watch the bird for over a minute before it disappeared
from view.
28th December. Today's tour was with Christian
and Chantal Rousseau from Paris and their grandchildren Lea and
Baptiste. We headed for the Lagunas de Mancho Zurillo and the Corredor
Verde and had immediate success in finding seven Black-shouldered
Kites, Red Kites, Kestrels, Hoopoes and Crested Larks on the way. At
the lagoons there were Tufted Ducks, Shovelers, Pochards, Cormorants
and both Little and Black-necked Grebes. As we drove along the Corredor
Verde we recorded Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Hawfinches, Bramblings,
Serins, Black Redstarts, Sardinian Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Robins,
Woodlarks, Grey Herons, Cattle Egrets, a Great White Egret,
Black-crowned Night Herons, Buzzards and Marsh Harriers.
In the Isla
mayor region we found Black-winged Stilts, Avocets, Ruff, Snipe,
Little-ringed Plovers, White Storks, Greylag Geese, White Wagtails,
Meadow Pipits, Spotless Starlings, Iberian Magpies, Southern Grey
Shrikes and Hen Harriers.
A few hours spent in the northern marshes
produced Greater Flamingos, Black-tailed Godwits, Purple swamp-hens,
Teal, Common Cranes, a Peregrine Falcon, Little Owls, Corn Buntings,
Calandra Larks and Stone Curlews. A Spanish Imperial Eagle was seen as
we were driving off the marshes.
29th December. With me
today were Birthe Gawinski from Denmark and her daughter Sarah and
friend Hanna. The morning part of the day involved driving to the
Dehesa de Pilas and then passing through Partido de Resina and on to
the northern marshes. At the "dehesa" we found many Lapwings, Golden
Plovers, Crested Larks, Meadow Pipits, Common and Spotless Starlings,
Kestrels, Buzzards and a Red Kite. As we drove through the "partido" we
saw Serins, Goldfinches, Little and Cattle Egrets, Common Cranes, Marsh
Harriers, Grey Herons, Little Grebes, Green Sandpipers and a Barn Owl.
At
the JAV centre and the Lucio del Lobo there were Greater Flamingos,
Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Black-tailed Godwits, Purple Swamp-hens,
Snipe, Shovelers, Teal, Greylag Geese, Calandra and Lesser Short-toed
Larks, Ravens, Hen Harriers, a Bluethroat, Black Redstarts, a few
distant Stone Curlews and a pair of Little Owls.
We had lunch at the
Dehesa de Abajo, overlooking the Cañada de Rianzuela. There were many
birds feeding on the lagoon and in the surrounding areas, including
Wigeon, Common Pochards, Gadwalls, Little-ringed Plovers, Stonechats,
Southern Grey Shrikes, Jackdaws, White Storks and a Booted Eagle.
We
ended the day by driving through the Corredor Verde. Here we saw
Cormorants, Black Storks, Black-crowned Night Herons (300+), a Great
White Egret, Hoopoes, Sardinian Warblers, Blackcaps, Robins, Iberian
Magpies, Woodlarks and a number of Black-shouldered Kites.
30th December.
With me on today's tour, the last of 2005, were Andrew Sisson from
London and his friends alan and Jenny. We began the birding at the
Lagunas de Mancho Zurillo were there were Little and Black-necked
Grebes, Common Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Gadwalls, Shovelers, Common
Sandpipers, Cormorants, White Storks, Grey Herons and Little Egrets.
As
we travelled through the Corredor Verde we saw 10 Black-shouldered
Kites, Red Kites, Buzzards, Kestrels, 3 Booted Eagles, Marsh Harriers,
Hen Harriers, Southern Grey Shrikes, Ravens, Serins, Goldfinches, 2
Hawfinches, Crested Larks, Woodlarks, Meadow Pipits, Stonechats, White
Wagtails, Robins, Sardinian Warblers, Blackcaps, Great and Blue Tits,
Hoopoes, Iberian Magpies, Chiffchaffs, Black Redstarts, Corn Buntings,
House Martins, Cattle Egrets, Hundreds of Black-crowned Night Herons
and a pair of very unseasonable Turtle Doves.
As we crossed the
Entremuros to the Isla Mayor we found a small flock of Glossy Ibis and
at the Cañada de Rianzuela we saw Greylag Geese, Greater Flamingos,
Wigeon, Teal, Avocets, Black-winged Stilts and Lapwings.
As we were
driving out to the northern marshes, I stopped at the regular field
where the Stone Curlews are usually found, but to my great
disappointment, not one was to be seen, so we moved 500 metres along
the track to another field were over 200 Common Cranes were feeding. As
we were watching the cranes a large flock of birds flew over our head
from behind us. They were Stone Curlews and as they circled overhead
for a couple of minutes I was able to count about 140 birds.
At the
Lucio del Lobo there were thousands of birds present and although there
were many we had already recorded, we also found a flock of over 1000
Black-tailed Godwits, some Snipe, a few Ruff, Green Sandpipers and 2
Little Owls.
At the JAV centre we had excellent views of several Purple Swamp-hens.
As
we were leaving the marshes I stopped at a regular field for Calandra
Larks and we were rewarded with the sight of hundreds of them flying
back and forth along the field. A short distance later we were watching
more Common Cranes when a male Hen Harrier drifted by. All of a sudden
a Merlin appeared and began buzzing the harrier, just 50 metres from
the car. This was the second time I had witnessed this Merlin/harrier
confrontation in less than a week.
Further along our route we found a Barn Owl and two Black Storks.
Our
last bit of excitement came near the Dehesa de Pilas. A Buzzard flew
off a fencepost just in front of it and as we watched it fly away, this
too was also attacked by a Merlin. Ok! it could have been the same
Merlin, but this was 15 kms away from where we saw the first one, so we
decided to claim 2 separate birds. | | | |
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