OCTOBER 16TH . 9 - DAY TOUR (1)

DAY 1 - DESEMBOCADURA DE GUADALHORCE - SIERRA DE LAS NIEVES - ENCINAS DE BORRACHAS TRACK



THE LIKELY LADS - PETER AND COLIN

After collecting Colin from Malaga Airport we joined Peter(whom I had dropped off earlier )at the superb Reserve at the mouth of the Guadalhorce. Despite a great number of people milling around; cycling, swimming, jogging and sun-bathing there was a good number of species on show.We spent a couple of hour strolling around the tracks and trails in lovely warm sunshine, noting many specis including: Kingfisher, Zitting Cisticola, Sardinain Warbler, White Headed Duck, Black-necked Grebe, Mediterranean Gull, Booted Eagle, Opsrey (2), Golden Plover (my first for the Autumn), Curlew Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank and a single Greater Flamingo. Out to sea a number of Gannets were diving for fish whilst several Monk Parakeets flashed noisily overhead.

GOLDEN PLOVER SEEN ON THE LAGUNA GRANDE - GUADALHORCE (SHOWN BELOW)



We ate our picnic lunch before setting off for Ronda which took an hour to get there. We stopped at the nature reserve at Sierra de las Nieves and a short walk produced Jay, Griffon Vulture(6), White Wagtail Woodlark and large numbers of Black Redstarts,at least 20 were in a small area near the car park.

A VIEW FROM THE ENTRANCE INTO THE SIERRA DE LAS NIEVES RESERVE

Our last walk of the afternoon was just south of Ronda on the Algeciras road, the Encinas Borrachas track. It was a little breezy but still nice to be out and quite a few birds were flitting around the pool. We quickly found Corn Bunting, Stonechat, Thekla Lark, Goldfinch, Linnet and Serin. Then Peter walked near the pool and put up a Green Sandpiper and we found a Southern Grey Shrike, A Rock Sparrow, Northern Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush and another Black Redstart.


It was now 5pm and time to head off to our home at Gaucin, we made a very brief stop at a mirador but didn't add any new speciesto our list.After an hours rest we tucked into a lovely dinner produced by wifey Dawn,yum, yum (and the food wasn't bad either).

LIMESTICKS & MIST NETS - WATCH THIS VIDEO

This is part of the series of posts Poaching in Cyprus FAQ

What are limesticks and mist nets?


Songbirds are trapped (and later killed) for the illegal ambelopoulia through the use of limesticks and mist nets. Most trapping takes place in the South, and especially the Southeast, of the island during the Autumn migration, although the trappers are also out during the Spring migration, when their cull is especially harmful since it occurs before the birds have had a chance to breed. Some trapping also takes place in the mountains. The most notorious regions are, paradoxically, also the most popular tourist areas: from Paralimni and Protaras on the east coast, to Ayia Napa on the south. Here, few migrants survive the trapping: the nets and lime-sticks are everywhere, including within the Cape Greco National Park, along nature trails, and even in the grounds of hotels.

WATCH THIS VIDEO AND BE APPALLED

CYPRUS - THE KILLING GOES ON!!!

October 13, 2011 - Disastrously, the number of birds killed on limesticks and in mist nets in Cyprus this autumn is increasing sharply, reaching over 860,000 by October 9th…and it is still growing.


The rising death toll from this illegal and ecologically damaging activity is being tracked by BirdLife Cyprus’s field team and published on the BirdLife Cyprus website, in a bid to raise awareness about this growing problem. An on-line petition calls for immediate action from the responsible Cypriot Ministers.The toll is estimated on the basis of field data from BirdLife’s ongoing field monitoring of trapping activity with mist nets and limesticks, part of a systematic surveillance programme. This latest estimate – 866,905 birds- represents the number of birds killed between Thursday 1st September and Sunday 9th October 2011. The trappers are after Blackcaps and other songbirds, which will end up as illegal, and expensive, ambelopoulia delicacies served up in law-breaking restaurants, allowing the trappers to make huge profits. The first estimate for the autumn 2011 season, posted on September 12th, was for almost 90,000 birds, but trapping has gained pace since then. The estimate will be updated every Monday until the end of October. So far- and many thanks to all the people who have supported our campaign so far – almost 10,000 people have signed. “The trapping is out of control this autumn – we are witnessing a slaughter on a massive scale. The non-selective nature of nets and limesticks means that not just blackcaps and other warblers, but also nightjars, owls, shrikes, flycatchers and dozens of other species are being taken. Please help us put pressure on the authorities to re-double enforcement efforts and target the law-breaking restaurants serving ambelopoulia”, said Martin Hellicar, Campaigns Manager of BirdLife Cyprus. If you have not already signed the petition please do and please spread the word.

This article was written by BirdLife.Cyprus - who has written 2 posts on BirdLife Community. BirdLife comprises more than 100 conservation organisations working together to promote sustainable living as a means to conserve biodiversity.

BirdLife Cyprus is a BirdLife Partner Designate.

OCTOBER 12TH - SOME PHOTOS FROM SEPT TOURS

Kevin and Pat banks were with me in September for a few days and Kevin was showing off with his new camera, here are some of the results.


RUPPELL'S VULTURE WITH A GRIFFON VULTURE - COMPARE SIZE AND UNDERWING MARKINGS ESPECIALLY THE WHITE 'BAR' SEEN ON THE RUPPELL'S WHICH CAN ALSO APPEAR ON THE GRIFFON BUT IT IS MUCH MORE BROWN IN COLOUR.

A BETTER VIEW OF THE RUPPELL'S VULTURE - WELL DONE KEVIN THIS BIRD WAS MOVING FAST ALL THE TIME. TAKEN AT CAZALLA RAPTOR WATCH POINT, TARIFA




A DISTANT BLACK STORK - ONE OF OVER 70 BIRDS SEEN THAT MORNING OVER THE CAZALLA RAPTOR WATCH POINT -TARIFA



SHORT-TOED EAGLE - TAKEN THE SAME MORNING AT CAZALLA


WE SAW A FLOCK OF SOME 50 ALPINE SWIFT CIRCLING ABOVE US IN THE OJEN VALLEY NEAR TARIFA - KEVIN CAPTURED THIS ONE SUPERBLY

OCTOBER 11TH - CIRL BUNTINGS IN THE UK

This summer has seen a dramatic increase in the Cornish cirl bunting (Emberiza cirlus) population, with record numbers of chicks being born in the county.

Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)

This enigmatic farmland bird used to range across Cornwall, but disappeared in the early nineties. Now, thanks to an ambitious reintroduction project, it has been returned to one of its past haunts and the population is growing.

The project draws on expertise from the RSPB, the National Trust, Paignton Zoo, Natural England and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and has been running since 2006. Chicks are moved under license from healthy cirl bunting populations in Devon and reared and released in South Cornwall.

After breeding was first recorded in 2007, the population has been slowly increasing, but this summer has seen a big increase in the number of pairs breeding, and the number of young leaving nests is the highest ever for the project. Not only that, but the birds are expanding their range.

The RSPB’s Project Officer, Nick Tomalin, thinks that this is down to the availability of suitable habitat; ‘We always knew that the local habitat was good, but the farming community has been very supportive of the project, and many farmers have managed parts of their land to benefit cirl buntings and other farmland birds. ‘In many cases, cirls have moved into areas where this work has occurred, and it’s great to see these farmers rewarded for all their efforts’.

Ian Carter, Natural England’s ornithologist added; “Reintroducing a small bird like the cirl bunting is a huge and complex task - involving supportive landowners, experts who have hand-reared the birds and scientists who monitor their progress. We’re encouraged that the birds we’ve released have reared significant numbers of young, many of which we hope will reach adulthood and then go on to breed. The future of this rare songster looks brighter than it has for many years.”

Natural England and the RSPB have worked closely with landowners in the release area to set up Higher Level Stewardship agreements which have been invaluable in helping to ensure that released cirl buntings can find sufficient food and breeding sites in the wild. This scheme, funded by Defra and the European Union, pays farmers to manage their land in an environmentally friendly way, tailored to the needs of local wildlife.

Janet Lister, National Trust Nature Conservation Advisor said “It’s great to see numbers of the cirl buntings growing in South Cornwall. The National Trust is pleased to have been able to support this project both at the donor end in South Devon and where the new population has been established in Cornwall. We are really grateful for the help our tenant farmers have provided”. Paignton Zoo Curator of Birds Jo Gregson said:

“Paignton Zoo is keen to support conservation projects all over the world, but working with British birds is always very special for us.”

The cirl buntings have also been living up to their old name, the ‘Village Bunting’, by nesting in suburban gardens and feeding around the village edges. Many of the local residents have been delighted to find such a rare species making visits to their gardens and food supplies.

The burgeoning population will continue to be monitored throughout the winter, and with such strong support from the local community, both landowners and residents, conservationists believe these birds have a bright future ahead.

This article was written by the The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), a charity registered in England and Wales no 207076, in Scotland no SC037654.

OCTOBER 9TH - DAY TOUR

TARIFA - RAPTOR WATCH POINTS - ALGOROBBO & CAZALLA - ZAHARA TO BARBATE - BARBATE MARSHES - OJEN VALLEY

Mike and Annie are stay for a few nights here in Gaucin and Mike had alist of two birds he most wanted to see! Easy you might say - just two sepcies! Well the two species were Rupell's Vulture and Bald Ibis only two of Spain's rarest birds....thats all.

We did in fact find two of Spains rarest birds but not the two on Mike's List

We set off at 8am in the dark and headed straight down to Tarifa, our first stop was the viewing station at Algorobbo. It was windy, dull and pretty well overcast, chilly too. Not the best conditions for watching soaring vultures. As soon as we got out of the car a Long-legged Buzzard drifted right over the top of us - what a fantastic start, the bird stayed in view for a couple of minutes before drifting off. Wow, follow that. Well we couldn't of course....but we did see up to 60 Griffon Vultres (most of them very distant in bad light), we also saw lots of Booted Eagles, several Short-toed Eagles, a single Hobby, Peregine Falcon, Common Kestrel, at least 3 Sparrowhawks and a Black Kite.

At Cazalla watch point we were alone and it was even windier so we didn't stay long. From there we saw more Griffon Vultures (50+), Booted and Short-toed Eagles and Black Kites.

Next we drove to Zahara de los Atuns on the coast. We search the coastal strip for the Blad Ibis in the areas where I had seen them before, but we had no luck. We drove the new reserve near Barbate which forms part of the Marismas de Barbate complex. Many waders were present including: Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Ringed & Kentish Plovers, Greenshank, Greater Flamingo, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, a small falcon flew across the new scrapes in the distant and it looked very much like another Hobby!

At the north-west end of the marismas de Barbate (near Vejer) we walked along the track near several pools where we found: Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Yellow Wagtail, Redshank and lots of Black-winged Stilts.

We then spent the next 2 hours travelling a circular route looking for the elusive
Bald Ibis, we even tried a local Golf Course to no avail.

After giving up on the Ibis, we made a brief stop at a raptor watch-point on the road to Bolonia without success and we ended up at another Raptor watch-point near the Pena Ridge. Within 10 minutes we located a Rupell's Vulture (juv, it drifted along the ridge in very good light with four Griffons. RESULT! The bird stayed in view for a few minutes before drifting off. We hung around for a few more minutes before setting off for home, it was 5:30pm a long day.......just for one bird!!!

OCTOBER 5TH - DAY TOUR

TARIFA RAPTOR WATCH POINT (CAZALLA) - LOS LANCES BEACH - LA JANDA

This was Jill and Noel's last days birding with me and I let them control the pace and direction of the day - which meant several coffee stops and a long lunch - hey, ho you can't bird all the time.

We set off early in order to get to tarifa around 9am so that we could watch the start of the raptor migration. However when we got to Cazalla watch point quite a strong, cool, breeze had developed. We watched for an hour and enjoyed seeing many birds pass over. A flock of some 15 Black Storks got us off the mark then a trickle of Black Kites, Booted Eagles, Sparrowhawks, Short Toed Eagles and Griffon Vultures passed by. Due to the nature and direction of the winds the birds were not passing directly over us and it was difficult holding your bins up in the winds.

We were driven away by the cool temperature and made a brief visit to Los Lances beach, where we found Audouin's Gull, Sandwich Terns, Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls in good numbers. A large flock of Sanderling and a few Ringed, Kentish Plovers and Dunlin dotted the beach.

On the grass meadows behind the beach we found Northern Wheatear and a small flock of brightly coloured Yellow Wagtails and all the time a trickle of Short-toed and Booted Eagles passed overhead.

After a coffee stop we made it to La Janda where the wind persisted and made it better to stay in the car and bird-watch than to try to get out. A couple of large flocks of Spanish Sparrows fed in the rice fields and a couple of Whinchats sat on the fence lines. We saw 400+ Glossy Ibis and nearly 1000 White Stroks in the fields with hundreds of Cattle and Little Egrets. Several Marsh Harriers quartered the fields and a single female Montagu's Harrier came very close to the car.

We spent a fair amount of time looking for large raptors on the road to Benalup but it really was too windy. So we set off for Tarifa and took a late lunch in a nice restaurant on the quayside, mixed sea-food platter went down very well, thank you Jill and Noel.

Well that was the end of our birding for the week, we amassed a respectable 151 species with highlight being the Eagle Owl found by Jill on the 4th.

OCT 4TH - DAY TOUR

LAGUNA MEDINA - SALINAS DE PUERTO MARIA - SALINAS DE BONANZA - LAGUNA TARELO

Another long and hot day, we set off at 7am in the dark and drove to the coast at Manilva where we collected Rosie and Mike who were joining us for the day. We set off in a two car convoy and made good time in reaching Laguna Medina by 9am.

It was a very still and bright morning, just perfect, the surface of the laguna was like a sheet of glass, not a ripple. we quickly identified White-headed Duck, Common Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, Gadwall, Shoveler and the usual 3 grebe species, Great-crested, Black-necked and Little.

In the scrub and reed-beds we found several Cetti's Warblers, Blackcaps, Garden Warblers, Common Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers. A couple of 'coveys' of Red-legged Partridges were found in the ploughed fields along with several Northern Wheatears and a Whinchat.

In the distance we watched up to 3 Black-winged Kites, a family party, perched and hunting over the olive groves. From the hide we had a few, all but brief, views of Penduline Tit, an adult female bird.

Moving on, we drove to the Salinas de Puerto maria where we finally caught up with a number of

Stone Curlew. We also found lots of White Storks, Little & Cattle Egrets, more Northern Wheatears and Whinchats.

We stopped briefly at the Rio Guadalquiver at Sanlucar and searched for a wader that was missing from the weekly list, a Turnstone, which was duly found along with, Bar-tailed Godwit, Kentish Plover, Whimbrel, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Red Kite, Booted Eagle and lots of gulls.

We by-passed the Salinas de Bonanza in favour of driving directly to the Laguna Tarelo where one of Mike's target birds, the Marbled Duck was to found. Within minutes of parking the vehicles we had located up to 9 birds, a great relief to Mike! We also found the usual array of ducks and also Night Heron, Purple Swamphen, Red-crested Pochard (2 eclipsed males) and along the hedgerow Rosie founs 2 Chameleons as well as a very large Preying Mantis.

The two Chameleons - I wonder why they are different colours?? Answers on a postcard please.

Our last couple of hours was spent on the Salinas de Bonanza looking at many species of waders, herons, flamingos, storks, and gulls. One particular 'pan' was covered in birds with over 20 species to views and in perfect afternoon light, it was a joy to behold. The birds of note were: Black Stork (2), Osprey, Greater Flamingo (500+), Black-tailed Godwit (50+), Grey Plover, Little Stint, Cyrlew Sandpiper, Greenshank, Caspian Tern, Common Tern (a good bird for October) and hundreds of Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling, Redshank, Avocet, Black-winged Stilts.

Click on this video link to watch the Flamingos at Salinas de Bonanza.

OCTOBER 2ND & 3RD - DAY TOURS

OCTOBER 2ND - PICNIC DOWN BY THE RIVER AT ESTACION GUADIARO

We had a lie-in today and set out in the early afternoon for a picnic in the sunshine down at the river Guadiaro. Unfortunately, most of the village decided to do the same, in fact a fiesta was going on and we were surrounded by a marching band and a procession later in the afternoon.

However, despite the loud disco-style music and the numerous comings and goings, we found quite a few species and we enjoyed our picnic.

Highlights were: Kingfisher, some really colourful Grey Wagtails, also White Wagtail, Red-rumped Swallows, Cirl Buntings, Serins, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers. Overhead we saw Griffon vultures, Short-toed Eagles and A Sparrowhawk.

Once the marching band had passed we set off for home, a little earlier than anticipated.

October 3rd - day Tour in two parts:

Part 1: Early morning trip to El Colmenar

We arrived at 8am just as it was getting light to look for Hawfinches. There were six of them in the 'dead' tree as we got out of the car. Up to 10 were counted over the hour, giving us great views, we also found Great Spotted Woodpecker, Spotless Starling, Chaffinches, Blackcaps and Garden Warblers.

Part 2: Ronda via Montejaque

The second part of this DAY TOUR consisted of an afternoon trip to Ronda. We intended to stop off for some birding along the way then take in some sights of Ronda and finish off with a meal overlooking the panoramic gorge as it got dark.

The first stop was on a track just above Montejaque at about 3pm. It was still quite hot but with a cooling breeze. We disturbed a small herd of Spanish Ibex as we pulled to a stop on the track. Then over the next hour we watched Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear, Griffon Vultures and not much else.

The real excitement came as stopped in the gorge where the 'dam that doesn't work' is found. Jill immediately found a roosting Eagle Owl. Oh! The cheek of it!! Finding an Eagle Owl on my patch, whilst I was with her! Well that didn't go down well, but I did let her and Noel see it through my scope, Dawn was with us too and she got to see it as well.



Although the Owl was distant - the sunlight was good and we had reasonable views in the scope. However taking a photograph was another story.

A better record shot of the Owl found by my guest Jill - in my defence I never visit this site late in the afternoon and the Owl must only come into view during that period!!! Otherwise I would have found it years ago!!!


Other birds of note were: Crag martin, Rock Dove, Raven, Sardinian Warbler and Rock Sparrow.

In Ronda we enjoyed a quiet walk around, a visit to the Bull Ring and some great views over the gorge in fading sunlight.

We perched ourselves on the terrace of one of the hotels and watched the seeting sun whilst watching up to 50 Red-billed chough coming in to roost. Crag Martins, House Martins and a flock of some 30 Alpine Swifts did the same. A lovely ending to a beautiful afternoon in sunny Spain.







Jill, Noel and Dawn looking for..........Bob

OCTOBER 1ST - MORNING WALK - PUNTA UMBRIA

We took the relatively easy walk around the Punta Umbria this morning because Jill and Noel are not keen to climb hills.

GREY BUSH CRICKET - Platycleis denticulata

It was very windy on the east side of the hill but nice and sheltered on the west. We spent a hour or two ambling round the well trodden path and found some interesting birds and butterflies.

Firecrest was seen on one or two occasions, we also saw Eurasian Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blue and Great Tits and Jay.

During the final part of the walk we came to a narrow pathway that was lined with Lentisc (Lentisco in Spanish) - Pistacia lentiscus shrubs which were covered with berries. Many birds were seen in the bushes and mainly consisted of Garden Warblers nad Blackcaps, but we also found Eurasian Robin and Common Redstart. I have noticed recently that Redstarts in particular love these bushes, they eat the abundant red berries like the warblers do and are often seen hovering whilst they pick-off the berries.
WALL BROWN BUTTERFLY


ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY MY WIFE DAWN

Birds of prey seen this morning were Sparrowhawk (2), Short-toed Eagle (1) and Griffon Vulture (8). One odd sighting was of a Lesser Black-backed Gull which flew over and appeared to have lost its tail, quite an odd profile!