Summer colours

July is known as the hottest month, specially  in lower areas inland Catalonia. Here, where I live, at 11 o'clock we usually have 30ºC and birding is starting to be a little bit hard. Also, there are only a few 'stimulating birds' these days: the main part you could see are common breeders easy to find everywhere. But in this hot dry lands, shrublands and harvested fields, lots of birds are waiting for being observed.

I decided to prepare some 'ringing stations' in different places (dry lands, maquis shrublands, burned areas and Pinus halepensis and P.pinea forests) around my village, in order to ring and do some birdwatching in different habitats and know a little bit more my neighbours. Although it has been quite hard (very high temperatures, lots of flies and mosquitos, burns...), I'm very happy for the obtained results and still more because of the interesting birds that I trapped.

Breeding Sylvia Warblers were my main objective in some of this stations. I've trapped lots of juvenile Subalpine Warblers (Sylvia cantillans) and also Sardinian Warblers (Sylvia melanocephala), two species that coexist in all my area. They can be extremely common when the habitat is suitable, but can dissapear quickly if it changes. I am quite interested in burned lands and how bird populations changes as trees regrow. This Sylvia Warblers are a good example of that.

Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans), juvenile

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala), juvenile

The Western Orphean Warbler (Sylvia hortensis) is the greatest Sylvia Warbler here, but probably the shyest one too when it isn't very common. I trapped this female in a place where I had never seen this species. She had a well-developed broodpatch, but could also be sexed by the head colours and iris.

On the other hand, Woodlarks (Lullula arborea) are more adaptable and start to breed when first trees grow and can continue breeding when the forest is 'fully grown'. Crested Larks (Galerida cristata) sometimes appear in burned areas, but is a scarcer bird and only appear if there are consolidated populations near (they use to live in agricultural areas).

Woodlark (Lullula arborea), juvenile

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata), juvenile

All this species don't have spectacular plumages, so let's see the authentic summer colours:
'Orange' is a recurrent colour these days, specially in growing forests and maquis shrublands. Stonechats (Saxicola rubicola) breeds there, where usually Woodchat Shrikes (Lanius senator) breeds too.

2cy (EURING 5) male Woodchat Shrike.

3J Stonechat, putative male (5 white GCs).

3J Stonechat, putative female (only white in innermost GC).

2cy (EURING 5) male European Stonechat

'Yellow'. Golden Orioles (Oriolus oriolus) are very beautiful birds but a little bit screamers. Aging and sexing them is a little bit difficult but very interesting... As interesting that deserve another post!

3+cy female (EURING 6)

'Blue'. European Jays (Garrulus glandarius) hide an spectacular blue design. They can be also quite tricky birds to age, but I think it could be easy with some practise. It's important to look carefully the number of black bars in the outermost GC and the bars design in primary coverts. Also, the colour on secondaries (deep black or greyish-brown) and the width of the outermost rectrice could be used as ageing features.

3+cy (EURING 6). Secondaries are deep black, it seems that
there is a moult limit but its just the difference between primaries
 and SS. Primary coverts with parallel and well-marked
black bars, and outermost GC with 10 bars.

'Green'. In this last post, I told about 'late June's migration', and I mentioned a Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) as an example of non-breeders that appears in areas where is not a common breeder. Well, after that non-breeder, I also saw and trapped this juvenile, that had decided to come to l'Aiguamoll de la Bòbila while it's moulting primaries. Good choice! ;)

'Mixture': the Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) is probably one of most coloured birds in Europe. This feature makes it very beautiful and it'll be always a very special bird.

Ageing is quite easy. 1w birds retain primary coverts in its winter moult in Africa, so when they are back to Europe as 2cy birds, they are recognisable because of that. In spring and early summer, 2cy's primary coverts are blue, without the green tone present in alula and primaries. So that bird was clearly an EURING 5.

Sexing by plumage characters could be easy (as in that bird), or a little bit confusing. If you have any doubt, you should leave the bird unsexed.

The brown in secondaries should be more extensive in a male...

... and GCs should not have this green border. Also, in a typical male,
more GC and also median coverts are totally 'chestnut'.

Also, the mantle have some green feathers. A male should show
more intense yellow feathers and no (or only a bit) green.

But the bird I've enjoyed the most in the last weeks is not famous for its colours, but its spotted design and specially its texture are quite attractive too. I'm talking about the Little Owl (Athene noctua).

Juvenile Little Owls undergo partial moult, affecting head, body and some wing coverts. They retain primaries, secondaries, inner GCs and also primary coverts. Then, in the second calendary year, Little Owls undergo complete moult after breeding. Thus, that bird was a 3+cy (EURING 6), because there wasn't any contrast between wing feathers.
Sometimes, Little Owls leave unmoulted some secondaries in its complete moult. Then, sometimes it's possible to see two generations of secondaries. If there is strong contrast between two generations, the bird should be a 3cy (EURING 7) (because retained feathers are still juvenile), and if there is only a soft contrast, it should be a 4+cy (EURING 8). In autumn, contrast between two secondaries mean EURING 5, and soft contrast, EURING 6.

Puigpedrós

Yesterday I went with Joan Manubens, Bernat Ferrer and Guillem Carol to Puigpedrós massif, in Central Pyrenees, very close to France and Andorra borders. We should do more excursions like this one, it was really great.

   
We drove to Malniu Refuge, close to Meranges village. There, we parked the car and we start to walk. Soon, first mountain birds appear. Citril Finches (Carduelis citrinella) are very common in alpine fields near the refuge. Also, firsts Northern Wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe), Common Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra), Bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) and Goldcrests (Regulus regulus). I met again with Alpine Marmots (Marmota marmota), that were common during all jaunt.
  

Leaving the forest, stones predominate around the landscape. There, Citril Finches are also common, and some other alpine species appear. Water Pipits (Anthus spinoletta), some Black Redstarts (Phoenicurus ochruros), more Northern Wheatears and Alpine Accentors (Prunella collaris).
   

  

We climb to the peak of Puigpedrós [2913 m], with fantastic views from southern Andorra and France, and northern areas of Catalonia.
  

This year will be remembered by the strange meteorological spring and for late snowfalls (usually in early May, but in early June this year). As you can see in the photos, snow is still present in some parts. All this spring alterations caused also alterations in birds biology, specially in alpine specibes. As an example, yesterday (12 July) I saw nestlings of Citril Finches and Dunnocks (Prunella modularis)...
Last week I stayed in La Garrotxa, revising some nestboxes with Josep Ramoneda. We found a nest with 3-days nestlings!!

I hope we can repeat excursions like that one. Friends, birds and great places: perfect.
   

Turning point

June is, probably, the most boring month of the year when we talk about birds. All breeders are busy with their eggs or chicks and you only can rest waiting for some non-breeders, juveniles in dispersion movements, last prenuptial or early postnuptial migrating birds. Here in Catalonia, the second week of June is probably the 'worst' one, but suddenly: the turning point.

In an absolutely normal place like my local patch, a very small wetland inland Catalonia and surrounded by dry lands, something strange occurs every year. Some 'scarce' summer visitors appear, and this means an exceptional unpredictability. It's something like a migration period, but without (or only a few) migrating birds. They are just non-breeders, young birds or sometimes first postnuptial migrating birds moving south.

This situation makes special journeys, with totally unexpected birds at the same time you can see local birds breeding. Last week, for me, I reached the turning point of the year. A Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus) appeared in active migration, and only 4 days ago, a non-breeder Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), a juvenile Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) and an adult Eleonora's Falcon (Falco eleonorae). Also, 8 migrating Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus), a Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus), a Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and a male Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) (this one the rarest sighting; it's the fist time this species is observed there!!) the following day. Two days ago, the Eleonora's Falcon was still there and I saw a male Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) too... an yesterday a non-breeder Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis), a 1cy Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) and a probably migrating Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius). All this species are very scarce here, also in migration.

However, ringing sessions continue meaning local breeders and lots of chicks. I'm quite entertained with some juvenile Goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis), trying to guess their sex.

Another nice pastime is ringing House Martins (Delichon urbicum), that come to drink some water in a fantastic place to put a mistnet.

This bird had an injured foot, with an ant's head!

This water point also attract birds like Rock Sparrows (Petronia petronia) and Crested Larks (Galerida cristata), that comes to drink something in order to resist the summer temperatures.

Typical 'in hand Alaudidae posture'.

This two species can seem a little bit boring when we talk about their plumage colours and feathers. But Crested Larks have the curious crest, and Petronias hide two secrets more.

This 2cy female White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) also came to the pond.

At the same time, a few breeders are already thinking about migration. This Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) was a female with broodpatch, but she had started her complete postnuptial moult.

Other birds prefer to breed successively until the summer ends. The most spectacular case is the Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis), the only european passerine able to breed just before fledging... This female was a first-year bird, that probably flew for first time a couple of months ago, and had a well-developped broodpatch that indicate this bird is breeding. 

Finally, the 'family photo': 

Left to right: Tree, House and Rock Sparrows.