Keep the tradition

It's the third year in a row that, with some friends, I'm going to Ebre Delta in December. After the great success last year, I was extra motivated to find a ot of nice birds and to have a great time.
Sadly, the usual crew was affected by university stuff, and Josep, Joan and Ferran couldn't come. So, this year, we have gone just Bernat and me.

We arrived on Friday morning and we went straight on Sant Antoni saltpants, a typical place for waders and where a Long-tailed Duck had been observed some days ago. We weren't lucky with the Long-tailed, but we enjoyed a big flock of Dunlins (Calidris alpina) (526 birds), with some Sanderlings (Calidris alba) (126) and Little Stints (Calidris minuta) (69) mixed in. As the first surprise, a Red Knot (Calidris canutus) was also there. Knots are scarce during the winter, but there're always some in the Ebre Delta every year. As always, we saw a lot of Redshanks (Tringa totanus) (122 to be concise), Greenshanks (Tringa nebularia) (22), Grey Plovers (Pluvialis squatarola) (44), Kentish Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) (39), Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) (10)...

Then, we drove along the Trabucador beach. There was no wind, and the sea was really calm, perfect for seawatching. We started seeing 2 Bonxies (Stercorarius skua), and soon we find a Razorbill (Alca torda). In the usual place, inside the Alfacs Bay, we saw a flock of 18 Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) eating, and as always, it was full of Crested Grebes (Podiceps cristatus) and some Black-necked Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis).

Trabucador beach

We were stopping in random places in the middle of the beach, just because of 'birding feelings'. We had got success in every stop when we decide to do it again. For first time, there was nothing on the sea... but suddenly, a Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata) appeared, flying, just in front of us. I saw it pretty well with my scope when it decided to dissapear in the sea. This was probably the best moment of the weekend!

In the afternoon, we went to Alfacada, another typical but fantastic place. Looking at the sea, 11 Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra), another Bonxie (S.skua) and 1 Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica).

  The lagoon was, as always, full of ducks. Hundreds, maybe thousands of Shovelers (Anas clypeata) and Common Teals (Anas crecca), about 250 Northern Pintails (Anas acuta), above 200 Shelducks (Tadorna tadorna)... We saw also a flock of 41 Eurasian Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) and 1 Moustached Warber (Acrocephalus melanopogon) as the best sightings.

The day after, on Saturday, we started early in the morning walking around some beaches. We saw lots of Reed Buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus), and sadly nothing special was mixed in. Nonetheless, we saw about 40 Lesser Short-toed Larks (Alaudala rufescens) displaying. During all morning we heard shots because it was a 'hunting day'. All the lagoons were almost empty, so we decided to check the see again.

We found the firsts Melanittas soon, 3 nigra swimming close to the beach we checked. We went again to the Trabucador beach, and we found one Red-breasted Merganser more (so 19). We walked to Punta de la Banya, where all ducks go when there're hunters around. All birds were too far, but at least we saw 39 Audouin's Gulls (Larus audouinii), a regular wintering species in the Ebre Delta and the southern coast but always in small numbers. We decided to spend the afternoon looking for the Pacific Golden Plover that has been in the Delta since last August. It would had been nice to see it again, already in winter plumage, I just saw it when I was ringing in the Delta on September. Durint the last quick look at the sea, we found a really nice Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca), relatively close to the coast.
  

Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra)

We didn't find any Pacific Golden Plover during the afternoon, but the views of the sunset in the ricefields, with lots of Calidris (basically Dunlins) flying, calling and running around were so nice.

Sunday was the last day, so we decided to start as early as possible to avoid hunters at least for some hours (yeah, two hunting days in a row...). We started at Alfacada observatory, with big flocks of ducks in the lagoon. There was just 1 Common Scoter in the sea, and we saw also 1 Bonxie. I checked carefully the flock of 188 Greylag Geese (Anser anser) that was resting on the beach, but anyone of them looked weird. The most unexpected bird was a Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus), really scarce in winter in Catalonia but with a few birds wintering every year in the Delta.

When first hunters arrived, we decided to go again to do some seawatching. We found again the Velvet Scoter in the same place, as well the 3 Common Scoters we had seen the day before. Then, we find a new group of 9 M.nigra. We did a quick visit to Riet Vell, where we saw some nice Bluethroats (Luscinia svecica), and also to Encanyissada ponds.

Already in the midday, we went to the northern part, Fangar Bay, to look for some waders. We found quickly a big flock of some species: Dunlins, Sanderlings, Redshanks, Grey Plovers... and between them, 6 Red Knots!

Red Knot (Calidris canutus)

Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)

We go back to the Velvet Scoter's place, and it was still there. This time, followed by 9 Common Scoters more, an unexpected Parasitic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) (also scarce but regular in winter) and 1 Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica). As we had seen so many birds in the sea, we went to another beach. There, we found 9 Common Scooters more (I don't think the same flock was following me...). The sun was disappearing when we went to La Tancada laggon, where lots of Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) roosts, to do the 'stardardised count'. We finally managed to do it: 4183 birds.

Already in the dark, we drove back home. We had a really nice birding weekend, and we also found lots of friends that did everything greater. As I said last year, 'Let's see if we can do thi every December!'

Blue wings

Some weekends ago I stayed with some friends in Bernat's 'country house', that is surrounded by typical mediterranean forests and drylands, where I decided to set up some nets to catch something.

I had bet that we were going to catch about 15 birds, but already in the first netround we exceed this number. In total, we trapped 41 birds, that is not bad for a 'completely random place' in the middle of a really extensive and almost uniform habitat.

The most interesting bird to examine was an Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius).

Ageing is always interesting, at least for me, because I've only handled a few. Look at this adult that I trapped this summer (somewhere in the middle of the post). As in that bird, this one showed bright blue coverts with parallel and well-defined black bars. Also the distance between them is almost the same in every case.

With the wing closed, is easy to assess the distance
between bars and its 'quality'.

Secondaries are also glossy black contrasting with primaries.

It had a really broad R5...
Everything seems to fit with another adult!

When I took this photo I remembered that juvenile Carrion Crows
and Ravens usually have pink inside their mouth. I wonder if 1st-year
Jays also have this colour inside...

Following the 'Blue wings' title... Some weeks ago I trapped this Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). It was already ringed, with one of my rings. As you can see, it's an obvious female. And as a good female, and with this greenish escapulars and mantle, it seemed initially first-year.

Looking at the crown, there were apparently two
 generations of feathers.

And the scapulars also had some more bluish feathers,
that seemed to be moulted... These last two features are
good for a 1st-year.

But feet were bright orange, with only a bit of black on
tarsus, that fit with an adult out of the breeding season.

Breast orange was also 'adult-type'...

The wing was really interesting. All primaries were really fresh and wing coverts very bluish.
Adult-type secondaries are more pointed than juvenile's, as in this bird.

But looking at the secondaries properly, I saw S3-S5.
They are retained! These 3 feathers are less black, shorter, and slightly less pointed. In fact, inner SS are more pointed, and this is because the inner web is more angular, and more rounded in first-years.

Usually I didn't look much at the tail, I find it a bit
hard to assess properly. Nonetheless, this bird had only
 one generation of rectrices.

Later, already at home, I checked the ring number in my database. I had ringed this bird in the same place in 20th May 2013, as a second-year female (EURING 5). So, that bird did a postbreeding (her first one) arrested complete moult. This would suggest that 2nd-year birds can be aged also in December, and therefore, as 3rd-years (EURING 7) in spring...! I'll try to catch more in the next days...

It's known that adult Kingfishers sometimes do an arrested postbreeding moult, and when this happen with second-years, we will be able to age them after this moult...

Castanyada

1st November is always a good moment for chestnuts. Although Halloween is the most popular celebration during these days, in Catalonia we celebrate La Castanyada, that means something like 'the chestnut party'. Traditionally, we eat chestnuts and sweet potatoes... Actually, this tradition is being moved by Halloween, specially between children, but we have to keep this fest.

It's also a typical date for Redwings (Turdus iliacus) migrating. Last weekend I heard my first for the season, and last Friday I heard the second. It's also the moment for Crane (Grus grus) flocks and some other stuff, but by that moment the weather has been a bit boring here. I'll be waiting for strong winds and some rain, maybe this will be a nice turning point in the autumn. Look what happened last year in 28th October!

Full moon, good migration night.

I'm still doing some ringing when I have a bit of time, and still catching some Chiffchaffs (Phylloscopus collybita). This bird with wing 64 shocked me. It was an adult, but nothing was more exciting than the relatively long wing...

P2 between P7 and P8...

Cirl Buntings (Emberiza cirlus) and Black Redstarts (Phoenicurus ochruros) had already arrived in my local patch. I trapped one cirlus and two ochruros last Friday, and I hope I can get some more the following days. I'm also waiting for the first Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), that is already a common bird but is still skiping the nets.

 

1st-year malem with the outermost GC retained.

Next days are forecast as really windy days, so I hope some good birds will arrive with them...

In the meanwhile, I'll enjoy these nice autumn sunrises...

1000

Last Wednesday, 16th October, was a really special day for my usual ringing place, l'Aiguamoll de la Bòbila. The first ringing day ever in this place was in the 16th October 2011, when I was just learning how to ring. That day, Joan Pujol and Miquel Batriu came, and we trapped 28 birds. I'll never forget the first bird, a first-year male Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)...

As I was saying, this Wednesday I reached 1000 birds ringed there. It's just a simple and low number if we compare with other places, but keep in mind it's a really small place inland Catalonia, and more that 900 birds have been ringed during the current year. Also, I'm glad for the nice number of species ringed, a total of 65. You can see a summary at the end of the post.

Robin (Erithacus rubecula). Bird 1000! 

Also, on Wednesday I trapped a Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis) there. It's a common species when they're in active migration, and actually I had never expected to catch one 'easily'. Looking at the bird properly, it probably had some problems with a Sparrowhawk or something when it was migrating, and now it have to recover energies to reach Africa. As you can see, all secondaries in both wings were missing (!), and the bird also had a heal injury in the body. It will be in l'Aiguamoll de la Bòbila for some days...

Last weekend I also was ringing there, both days. On Saturday I had a nice day, with lots of Chiffchaffs (Phylloscopus collybita) ringed. I've been recording the extension of the postjuvenile moult in wings and tail for every bird.

Typical R1 pair moulted in the postjuvenile moult. 

Moult limit in GCs and in Tertials! It's interesting to see how
 the extension can change among individuals...

During these days, lots of presaharan species are arriving. Blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) and Song Thrushes (Turdus philomelos) are, together with the Chiffies, the commonest species. Song Thrushes are specially easy to heard during all night, because they use to call when migrate. I've already heard more than 100 birds during the last 4 days (and without spending more than half an hour each night!). Nonetheless, some transaharan birds are still around...

The best bird of the weekend was this 1st-year male Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), that finally found on the nets! (I had been seeing it for the last few days flying around...).

Both Tree Pipit and Sparrowhawk were first ringed birds in the place. In the beggining of October I also trapped a new species to be ringed, a Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea).

This autumn I've already ringed 7 Bluethroats (Luscinia svecica), a really nice surprise. 4 of them were ringed in September, during a 'mini ringing campaign' that I did, and the rest had been trapped during October. It was a great surprise the 8th svecica, that was carrying a ring from Germany!! It's the third 'foreign recovery' this year in this place, after a Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) from Poland and a Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) that was found in France after being ringed in my place.

'Helgoland Germania'

Here you have the ringing totals, uptaded yesterday:

Strong feelings

Last Friday, 27th September, I drove to my small part of paradise: Cuberes.  During these days, a really impressive scene takes place. I'm talking about the Red Deer's heat period. I arrived quite late in the night, but I could see some Red Deers from the track, and of course, I could hear some.

Probably I'm just in love just this place. Besides the Cuberes Refuge, that is probably my 'second home', you can find an amazing combination of forests, meadows, peat bogs and some other habitats, that makes a really special area. I've been visiting this place for lots of years, since I was a kid, and yeah, I actually need to go there some times every year. Everything there is just part of me amb my life!!

Last autumns I passed great times there, but for this time I felt I needed to be very close to male Red Deers, to enjoy the show 'from the first row'. On Saturday, I managed to be quite close to some active bellowing males, and I finally got one just 15 metres in front on me. Male Red Deers are a bit crazy when they're in heat, and sometimes they just ignore you. He was staring me at the same time I was staring him during some minutes. It's impossible to have sense of time when this things happen. Then he just left walking, slowly, throught the dense forest. It was impossible to take any proper photo, but the feeling, the magic feeling of meeting him, it's more than enough.
I continued finding some male Red Deers during the morning, sometimes just quick views, but it was quite good. Also, 3 immature Lammergeiers (Gypaetus barbatus) were flying together above the valley.

Up in one of the highest point in the closest moutain range, I saw more Lammergeiers, a bright orangish adult and this 2nd-year, some Sparrowhawks (of course...), Hobbies (Falco subbuteo) and Short-toed Snake Eagles (Circaetus gallicus) migrating South. Also about 500 House Martins (Delichon urbicum), about 150 Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) and 2 Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla flava). It was quite funny when I heard flocks of Common Crosbills: I just stopped and heard carefully, waiting for a Two-barred calling among them. Of course I didn't heard any, but this proves that I'm still affected for the 'Falsterbo syndrome'...

As I saw some migrants, I decided to go to another place in the afternoon, good for Deers and also for migrant birds. The best sighting was, without any doubt, this adult Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). It's the first time I saw this species there, so it was kind of special! Also I saw a Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus), probably from the reintroduction project.

Lots of people come to the Refuge every year in September to hear and try to see some Deers. Usually they are people that is not used to be in this kind of places, and they are all day 'screaming' and making noise. Probably because of this Sunday's morning was quite boring, almost any Deer was bellowing close to the refuge valley. Also, lots of clouds pretended to scare me... but finally, no rain and most of the people left in the midday. At least, I saw some nice birds during the morning:

As it was my last chance to enjoy what I was looking for, I went to the best place I knew. Just when I arrived there, I found two nice males and I decided to hide myself between some bushes. About an hour later, this male appeared just 5 metres besides me. I was completely motionless then, and he didn't notice me, so when it was a bit further, I managed to take some photos.

I spent an hour more there, and althought I saw some males more, all of them were 'young' males, not the huge bellowing males with big horns that I wanted to see. One of these big males had been all afternoon bellowing quite close (in fact, I was waiting for him...), but as he didn't appear, I decided to go straight to him. Walking slowly and carefully through the forest, I got quite close. I was hearing him as loud that I was trembling every time he was bellowing. It was getting darker and it was really difficult to take proper photos, so I turned off my camera to be more concetrated with the show.
Suddenly, I realised I was just surrounded by females, so I guessed I was just in the middle of that male's 'territory'. Then, some 'satellite males' (as I call the young ones that are not bellowing, just trying to find a female and to skip the big male) appeared, and the big male got almost crazy. He started to pursue them, and also a small fight took place, just in front of me. Minutes later, another big male arrived, and the tension could be noticed in the air. Both big males started to bellow stronger and to run thought the woods...
The night arrived and I had to leave, but I'm sure I'll never forget those magic strong feelings, and the huge privilege of being there, just looking from 'the first row'.

Monday's morning was time to say goodbye again. Lots of new great experiences will be already coming. Great experiences that are, probably, my drug.

Morning's sunrise. Time to promise, one more time,
that I'll come back very soon.

And as always, a huge amount of great memories
appeared on my mind, on the way back to the routine.

Magic memories that I'm sure I'll never forget.