Spring in the Steppes - a day tour in March

25th March 2008 - The Steppes of Lleida

A guided day tour to The Steppes in early Spring with Sam and Jamie Durrant, who kindly supplied his photos, on their quest for Great Spotted Cuckoos.




Due to a deliberately late start, traffic problems and wind building through out the day, we had to work hard for our birds today but these two Little Bustards, one of the first to pair up and set up a territory, would have made it worthwhile on their own.

Flocks of up to one hundred Calandra Larks and a couple of dozen Lesser Short-toed Larks sent up a welcoming chorus as I wound down the car window (o.k. with a button) upon our arrival in the Steppes.  Unfortunately, about the same number of dust grains blasted onto my eye balls and I wound it up again, deciding I'd appreciate their song another time.

We moved on quickly to try and capitalise on what little of the morning was left and were entertained by car side Hoopoe, several Stone-curlew and a stunning Black-eared Wheatear before a Black Kite did us a favour and flushed a small flock of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, which complained noisily as they headed off over the horizon.



A thorough scan of the surrounding fields failed to find any more but it did refill my eyes with dust thankfully just after locating four Dotterel that had been historically over-wintering in the area since December.  As usual during this time they had been politely posing for photos, a habit that seemed to be catching on as a Thekla Lark followed suit a few minutes later.

A diversion to nearby Aspa provided a welcome break from the wind and dust and an even more welcome opportunity for Jamie to pick up a lifer.  A short hunt ended with both male and female Black Wheatears showing well to complete the set for Spain (several migrating Northern Wheatear had already been ticked).

Blue Rock Thrush, Southern Grey Shrike, Corn Bunting, Red-billed Chough and Short-toed Eagle all delayed our arrival at a small almond orchard bordered by the all important pine trees that serve up the normally distateful caterpillars that our main target bird loves to gobble up.  We spent the next twenty minutes or more, accompanied by flocks of Linnets, head-shaving Alpine Swift and yet more Stone-curlew, stalking ever-better views of around seven or eight noisy and very flighty Great Spotted Cuckoos.



Once one settled in the fork of a nearby almond and sat there for a long-awaited study, Jamie did his customary 'lifer dance' (whilst I was looking the other way) and we were happy.

Time then for a quick stop at the dump to watch the hundreds of White Storks, Black-headed Gulls, Black Kites and Cattle Egrets (about a hundred of which rose up to float along side the car as we drove through) to fight it out over luncheon scraps.  A lone Red Kite made a last gasp attempt to get the 'raptor of the day' award as it descended over the car but an amazing assault of a Merlin on a passing Barn Swallow, failing in four attempts to tuck in to a late lunch, had already won that hands down.

March Birding Break, Catalonia, Spain

March 17th - 23rd 2008 - Full Week Tour

"Thank you for a wonderful week. Great birds, great lunches and a beautiful area.  We liked staying in one place and not having to pack up every night."

Younga Hennesey, Edwin Mayer, USA

17th March 2008 - The Llobregat Delta

A couple of hours at The Llobregat Delta after the hotel pick-up saw the now usual Black-winged Stilts, Garganey, Greater Flamingoes and a host of waders on the thankfully exposed muddy borders to the reserve's lagoons.  A close flock of about 40 Balearic Shearwaters and a floating Audouin's Gull from Cal Frances beach were quite superb but a single brand-new, brightly coloured male Common Redstart near the entrance barrier took some beating.

18th March 2008 - The Ebro Delta

From an early welcome by a male Peregrine as we made our way to L'Encanyissada, on The Ebro Delta, a flood of tireless Sand Martins and Barn Swallows provided a backdrop throughout the day.   Other spring arrivals included Garganey, Purple Heron, Willow Warbler and a handful of Spanish iberiae Yellow Wagtail with one particularly yellow individual really standing out against a bank of dark sticky mud.

Thankfully there was enough of this stuff about to attract 16 species of waders, all in good numbers, with even a single pink Water Pipit stepping between the toes of a small gathering of Little Ringed Pover and Green and Common Sandpipers.

The light phase Booted Eagle that stayed over winter made a few appearances during the day including hovering over Riet Vell where, for the day's highlight, two ABSOLUTELY SUPERB Little Crakes tip-toed lightly over floating vegetation for repeated viewings and photo calls.

A small flock of Lesser Short-toed Larks, the resident and presumed Western Reef Heron x Little Egret and a solitary Red-breasted Merganser all provided a little excitement around La Tancada.

At Les Olles, about 40 Whiskered Tern, all in winter plumage, hawked over the lagoon with a soon-to-depart still-bluey Bluethroat making us work for a decent view in the reeds there and a singing Moustached Warbler eventually doing likewise.  The nearby Golero hosted Glossy Ibis, both Slender-billed and Audouin's Gulls and a small group of very showy Caspian Tern finally settled down for a snooze.

19th March 2008 - The Pyrenees (plus Garraf)

In The Pyrenees, relentless rainfall and heavy snow scuppered our chances of bagging a few Pyrenean species to add to our growing list but we did use the occasional breaks to watch the bird life around a tributary of the river Llobregat.  Rock Bunting, Blackcap, Wren, Grey and White Wagtail and Willow Warbler all did their best to cheer us up but we were more than happy watching the comings and goings of no less than three (White-throated) Dippers apparently nest-building under the eaves of a bridge.

A Red Kite sailed over the car en route home to The Garraf where we enjoyed the local Red-legged Partridges and watched the Siskin and Crested Tits on the garden feeders.



20th March 2008 - Garraf Massif, Llobregat Delta

The morning couldn't have started better with the year's first gleaming black-throated form of the Black-eared Wheatear perched on top of a pruned grape vine.  Nearby Cirl Bunting, Spotless Starling, Rock Sparrow and a host of finches, wagtails and other passerines kept us busy until we headed off to the newest addition to the chain of birding spots in the Llobregat Delta.

After being welcomed by a streaky Squacco Heron - Ed's bird of the week - we discovered that the long-staying White-fronted Goose was staying a little longer, along with two male Wigeon.  A pinkish Water Pipit joined a small school of waders (Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt and a gloriously close Black-tailed Godwit) picking morsels from the water's edge.

In the centre of the lagoon both Common and Red-crested Pochard dived for dinner whilst a Kingfisher did likewise from a overhanging reed on the border.  A stunning golden-lined Purple Heron then landed right in front of us - with a wriggling terrapin in its bill!

At another nearby spot a blood-red crab similarly fell victim to a Glossy Ibis which proceded to peel off its legs before gulping the rest down in one go!  Meanwhile, another first for the year apparently struggled on to find a snake or two as a Short-toed Eagle hovered over almost every section of the reserve.

21st March 2008 - The Steppes of Lleida

Where to start?  From the moment we arrived in The Steppes and stopped next to a Calandra lark, perched singing a few feet away, we never stopped.  A few worried moments ensued after discovering the three key steppe species were not in 'their usual places' but a handful of Stone-curlew, a few small flocks of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and a gathering of 14 Little Bustard all thrilled - at very close range - after a little improvisation.

In the meantime we added a good number of cackling Great Spotted Cuckoo, a couple of Southern Grey Shrike, an Alpine Swift and re-located three of the wintering Dotterel in the area.  A Little Owl watched on as a flock of Jackdaws saw off a Common Buzzard and nearby both forms of Black-eared Wheatear mixed it with many of their Northern Wheatear cousins.  After a brief chase, we even added a pair of Black Wheatear to complete the set.  All the larks including Thekla and Lesser Short-toed Larks were plentiful for comparisons and, yet again, the local dump provided a theatrical display, with one Red Kite in particular refusing to give up its lunch despite the dive-bombing attentions of two of the dozens and dozens of Black Kites dispersed across the waste site.

My moment of the day though was driving through several hundred Cattle Egret that rose up simultaneously to float along side the car before a handful of Lesser Kestrels were finally found towards Los Monegros.

22nd March 2008 - The Aiguamolls de L'Emporda

I have often called The Aiguamolls de L'Emporda a mini-Catalunya all in itself and so it proved, with almost all habitats represented.  Two steppe-land Stone-curlew stared at us from a fallow field as we arrived and, at the end of the day, a quite superb Great Spotted Cuckoo sat out in an open leafless tree. 

Many species we'd seen at the other wetland sites were of course here too but one particular rice-field in the heart of the Cortalet resort allowed us views of many wader species close enough to do without binoculars.  A Red Knot trying to hide its relative bulk amongst a flock of twenty Dunlin that swooped in late in the day was the highlight.  With such a good week behind us, it proved to be one of only four new species for the day, the others being Tufted Duck, Mute Swan and Cetti's Warbler (which we had only heard).  Although we did find two marvellous cinerocapilla Yellow Wagtails among the parties of the local iberiae race.

Seeing everything again gave my American clients the chance for plenty of ID practice of course but even better was watching the birds do new things.  A crab-eating Yellow-legged Gull hoarding its prize, nest-building White Storks, tap-dancing Little Ringed Plover and two immature Great Cormorants playing tug-of-war with a stick were amongst those that entertained us until the threat of rain eventually sent us packing just in time to avoid the deluge.

23rd March 2008 - The Garraf

So few species were left on my clients' wish list after a great week that they decided to take the afternoon off but we began the morning looking for one that had avoided us, the Dartford Warbler.  We were rewarded almost immediately with sunlit choristers on the bankside of the Puig d'Aliga on the edge of the Foix park.

After adding Sparrowhawk to the weeks' list, we stumbled upon a stunning male Sub-alpine Warbler  making no attempt to hide amongst the brambles outside a local farm house.  Nearby a usual stop produced a reliable but, on this occasion, distant Bonelli's Eagle soaring through the white clouds above the Garraf's peaks.  It was close enough at least to see that it was an adult though.

Three Hoopoe, a flock of Alpine Swift and a steady flow of tits, finches and thrushes kept the morning rolling until a pair of Long-tailed Tit earned the weeks' trip a final total of 158 species, a very pleasing reward for a birding holiday in early Spring.

A New Year Winter Wonderland - Catalonia, Spain

January and February 2010

As I write, on 23rd February 2010, this generous, welcoming birding country in North-east Spain has already presented me with 175 species for the year so far.  Here's a few highlights - including the two Lammergeier below - and thanks to Tommy Maul and 16-year-old Blair Morrison for some of the best photos...



After spending an itchy New Year's Day in Barcelona feeling like I was betraying my true 'birding' mistress, I spread my self about a bit on 2nd January, with a surprising Squacco Heron en route to The Garraf coast the first of a string of encounters which also included about twenty Balearic Shearwaters, several 'splash down' Northern Gannet, Audouin's Gull, a handful of Mediterranean Shag and a wonderfully exciting but distant Great Skua teasing me with a promise to come ever-closer.

On land and inland, Hoopoe, Firecrest, Short-toed Treecreeper, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush and both Cirl Bunting and Rock Bunting ensured all my guilt had disappeared and my sense of faithfulness had returned before the day ended with a poof - of pigeon feathers as a Peregrine found itself a meal and reminded me to attend to my own cravings of a different kind.



By the way this Peregrine, caught in The Steppes in February, is munching away on a Cattle Egret!

A pair of displaying Bonelli's Eagle, seen frolicking on the 8th January when dropping my son off at school, were the only other year tick The Garraf Massif could provide before my first real venture in to The Llobregat Delta on 12th January.



On this day a flock of about 40 Common Waxbill (above) settled in the thorny brambles beside me and continued the love-theme in the gentlest of ways.  Other notable additions were Greater Flamingo, Penduline Tit, Moustached Warbler and impressive views of Razorbill and Common Scoter, although nothing like the views afforded when I eventually caught up with this individual in The Aiguamolls de L'Emporda on 2nd February.



But neither it, nor the handful of magnificent Stone-curlew eye-ing me out from within the cryptic background of a ploughed field, could match the hour and more I spent in the company of this Black-shouldered Kite (relocated on 19th February).



I was surprised that it - also known as a Black-winged Kite of course - spent almost all of this time preening, only breaking off to repeatedly shake off this pesky Magpie, which seemed to take exception to sharing every and any bare perching twig around.

Four or five individuals have been reported across Catalunya this winter and indeed I had caught up with another bird in The Steppes of Lleida back in December.



On 7th January, still in The Aiguamolls, I managed to squeeze in a very profitable morning before torrential rain hit, collecting a host of waders as well as Black-necked Grebe, a Water Rail at my feet, Mute Swan and Tufted Duck (both uncommon here) and a beautiful pair of Black-throated Diver - which grew to four by the 2nd February - in Roses Bay.

A lone Red-throated Diver, diving in and out of the surf on an unsettled sea at The Llobregat Delta, was the only new species for the year on 15th January but that just topped a remarkable list of wintering and resident wetland species, many of which have been mentioned above.



On the 11th January however I had added a whole bundle of eagerly-awaited year-firsts on my first year visit to The Pyrenees. 

Siskin (which remarkably didn't arrive in my garden until the 12th, three months later than they normally do!), Dipper, Griffon Vulture, Crossbill and the small flock of Redwing that we'd first spotted in December, all helped to warm us up on a bright and sunny but cold day.



Alpine Chough (two photos above) did show well - and call! - as they reliably do but on 22nd January a photo-count resulted in a total of no less than 300 birds!!

This day was notable too for White-winged Snowfinch, although only a handful before the snow really fell and the show really started, on 1st and 5th February, with flocks in excess of 170 birds nervously shifting from place to place - although thankfully that place sometimes put them almost at our feet!



And Alpine Accentor were equally as accommodating...



...and the supporting cast, yet more year-ticks, included Golden Eagle, Red-billed Chough, Citril Finch, Ring Ouzel and of course, putting on some enthralling displays of their own, Lammergeier.



Wallcreeper can be seen in the Pyrenees, even at this time of year despite popular opinion, but of course most do make their way down to lower altitudes for a warmer winter and this was one of two birds seeking shelter in The Garraf Massis...



Amazingly, 30th January was my first sighting of 2010, but this was more due to an incidental lack of priority by my clients rather than my self.  Still, it was certainly worth the wait and in the mean time, The Garraf also threw up other year firsts of fifty-plus Rock Sparrow (24th January), Hawfinch (13th February) and, quite remarkably, an Iberian Chiffchaff!? on 31st January keeping loose company with a couple of Common Chiffchaff, a very common wintering visitor to the region.

A quite ridiculous claim of course but, after being drawn to it by its white underparts and contrasting and distinctly greenish (rather than brownish) upper parts as it was preening on a twig, it was observed at close-enough quarters and for easily long enough to note its yellow-flushed flanks and front part of the supercilium, its apparently paler lower mandible and, of course, its obvious pink-brown-orange legs.  Many individuals are difficult to identify in the field without calls or song but this, thankfully, seemed like a text book example.

It's difficult to be 100% certain of course but the only remaining doubts are created by the time of year, when apparently it should be in Africa, but the truth is that relatively little is known about this relatively 'new' species and, even if a wintering bird is unlikely, you have to remember that Spring is early in this part of the world and many other migrants began to arrive in the days that followed.



On 17th January, a family celebration in Lleida provided an exciting less-than-twenty-minute sneakaway to The Steppes, where I clocked off 80 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (below) in their usual spot, hundreds of very noisy Calandra Lark and a few roaming Red Kite.



More raptors were chalked up on my first trip proper, on 23rd January, with stunning encounters with Hen Harrier, lark-chasing Merlin and even a nervy Goshawk accidentally flushed from an early morning rest.



This Goshawk above was actually taken in The Garraf on 3rd February.



But back in The Steppes, Great Bustard, Black-bellied Sandgrouse (both just outside Catalonia of course), Little Owl (above), Southern (or now Iberian) Grey Shrike (below), Stock Dove and Thekla Lark all played along too but we had to wait until 31st January for Little Bustard (in flight, four photos up).



A 1st-summer Great Spotted Cuckoo (below), complete with black head rather than grey, on 18th February was a real treat and subsequently proved to be my earliest sighting ever.  I wonder if these young birds tend to arrive earlier than adults, perhaps to moult before the battle for a mate begins... note to check notes.



My one and only trip to The Ebro Delta in January, on 21st, didn't disappoint, with expected highlights of Glossy Ibis, Slender-billed Gull, Caspian Tern, a fistful of wintering Whiskered Tern, lots of Bluethroat and a sleepy flock of 30 Eurasian Spoonbill.

A couple of Wood Sandpiper completed an extensive list of 22 waders for the year so far and, after a dozen or so Bar-tailed Godwit on 7th February, left space (of the season's usual shorebirds) only for ticks against Ruff and Temminck's Stint.



The 7th February also brought the year's first Booted Eagle, Red-breasted Merganser and this vagrant female Goldeneye (above, but thankfully actually seen much closer than the photo).



This came just a day after another stroke of luck on The Llobregat Delta pushed this also rare Crested Coot, aka Red-knobbed Coot, our way (on 6th February).  With the code UTUT on its collar, it appears to be a single remnant of a reintroduction programme initiated less than a decade ago - and the same bird that seems to divide its time between here and the Ebro Delta.



Back on The Ebro Delta on 16th February, our fortune continued, aided by some hard work and relentless scanning, when the outline of a Great Bittern (above) was picked out amongst the reeds and we watched it preening for more than twenty minutes.  And if that wasn't great enough, we jammed on the breaks and dived out of the car to be ignored by a laid-back Great Northern Diver (below) just metres from the bay road in Ampolla.



And finally, on 17th February back yet again on The Llobregat Delta, three Fieldfare gorged themselves on juicy red berries as I smiled inanely at them, having just waited patiently and successfully for a reported male Ferruginous Duck (below) that turned up in the exact same narrow water-channel as the Crested Coot.



That's 78 species mentioned, leaving almost a hundred uncredited and going to show just how many common species there are out there in Winter!

UPDATE:

On 26th February I added my first Sand Martin on The Ebro Delta, with Barn Swallow and House Martin not far behind on the 28th in The Aiguamolls de L'Emporda.  The same day saw me catch up with wintering Northern Pintail at last but three Black-winged Stilt still managed to steal the show.  Spring's coming!

"I highly recommend Stephen's bird tours - fine accommodation and full days of birding.  Stephen is a very qualified bird guide who knows where to find the birds.  He shows the needed patience in a strong and dedicated effort to find your target birds... wonderful sights of Wallcreeper and Lammergeier to mention just two.  Beside that, Stephen is reliable and very pleasant company."

31st January - 1st February, Tommy Maul, DENMARK

"I heartily thank you for the long list of birds we have seen.  Now I can remember each day and enjoy the birds!  Many thanks for your excellent guiding."

21st -  24th January, Manfred Hoffmann, GERMANY

"Thank you for an amazing two day birding holiday.  I have never known anyone with such ability to find birds.  You certainly spotted everything that was out there and we got some great photos."

16th, 18th February, Alister Lynn, Blair Morrison, SCOTLAND

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Client Trip Report: Winter Break, February 2008

February 11th - 15th 2008 - Trip Report written by Mark Dawson

"We would like to thank you for a really great trip [their second in 6 months] and we both hope to bird with you again in the future."

Mark and Lorna Dawson

11th February 2008, Arrival

Our flight arrived on time and Steve was there to collect us punctually as usual.  After a short trip to the well-stocked supermarket in Sitges to purchase provisions, we arrived at Steve's birding accommodation.

12th February 2008, THE GARRAF and LLOBREGAT DELTA

Refreshed after a good night’s sleep, we awoke to see Crested Tit, Black Redstart and (a first for Spain and somewhat out-of-context for me) a small flock of Siskin on the feeder outside the kitchen window!  What great birds to start our trip.

After a short drive to the Garraf, our first target species was a much-anticipated Alpine Accentor.  Following a false alarm of a Dunnock, we took a short walk down the hill and were rewarded with stunning views from a distance of approximately eight feet.  No illustration or photograph that I have ever seen could do justice to the subtleties of the plumage when seen at such close range (Thanks Steve!).

It was then on to Llobregat Delta where, after a very unhurried and enjoyable lunch provided by Steve,  Moustached Warbler was regrettably only heard and teasingly not seen on various occasions, although the reeds seemed to be alive with Chiffchaff.  Kingfisher was glimpsed fleetingly, Purple Swamphen and Marsh Harrier were in abundance, but Penduline Tit seemed to elude us, until a stunning male performed its full acrobatic repertoire in the swaying reeds.  Definitely our bird of the day.  As we walked towards the sea, Crag Martin swept overhead, and Reed and Cirl Bunting vied in song in nearby bushes.   Black-Necked Grebe, Spoonbill, a very out-of-context White-Fronted Goose and a group of Night Heron all showed the diversity that a trip to Catalonia in winter can offer.

[Back into the Garraf and no sign of the wintering Wallcreeper, with only Rock Bunting, mediterranean Shag, Audouin's Gull and a single Balaeric Shearwater showing at Falconera.  Stephen C.]

13th February 2008, THE PYRENEES

We awoke earlier the next day still intrigued to see our friends visiting the bird feeders - the Siskin being particularly raucous.  We then drove to the Pyrenees, en route passing the almost unworldly Montserrat ridge. 

We arrived to bright sunshine and crisp mountain air and after a short walk we stationed ourselves in anticipation of the bird we perhaps most wanted to see.  After about forty-five minutes and half-a dozen Griffon Vulture, we were rewarded with the awe-inspiring sight of an adult Lammergeier.  Looking through Steve’s scope with a trembling heart, all the salient points were seen - the long diamond -shaped tail and long, broad wings were displayed as the bird obligingly banked.  Mission accomplished!

Many Alpine Accentor were seen at the side of the road, though none as close as on the previous day!  Crested Tit sang from the pine trees, and brilliant views of Common Crossbill, both male and female, in this beautiful, high Pyrenean valley, rounded off a magical day.

[Other highlights included Citril Finch, distant views of  a hundred Alpine Chough circling and breaking formation with military precision to land mountain-side and three albeit brief Golden Eagles.
Photo: Montserrat from the Pyrenees.  Stephen C.]

14th February 2008, THE LLEIDA STEPPES and LOS MONEGROS

Our target species were sandgrouse and bustard but it proved far more fruitful.  We were greeted by the spectacle of many small flocks of Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse, both on the ground and in flight, giving us the opportunity to scrutinise their intricate plumage.  Flocks of wintering Skylark were in flight together with singing Calandra Lark, with their distinctive triangular black underwing, and equal numbers of Thekla and Crested Lark, where Steve’s expertise helped in distinguishing these two very similar species.

The next port of call was the local municipal dump, where the vista of hundreds of White Stork, Red Kites, Cattle Egret, Black-headed Gulls and thousands of Starlings was only slightly marred by the whiff of decomposing rubbish!  Another short journey and I had what turned out to be my bird of the day, a brilliant male Rock Bunting.  I defy any photographer or bird artist to reproduce the striking colours of this much under-rated bird.

We then drove to our next site, Los Monegros, and our lunch break.  Steve’s choice of cheeses, cold meats, gorgeous home-made soup, equally gorgeous home-made spinach and potato tortillas, and fresh salad pepped us up for the rest of the day.  I unfortunately missed the Black-Bellied Sandgrouse in flight, but this was more than made up for by the adult Golden Eagle by the side of the road, followed by two very obliging male Great Bustards that were seen very clearly for some minutes.  As we drove around to our final site, we had very close views of a female Merlin [in a tree by the car], our third of the day, and not a bird that one associates with Spain, followed some minutes later by a brilliant male Hen Harrier and a solitary Little Bustard in flight, our clearest view ever.


15th February 2008, half-day, EBRO DELTA

Sadly our last day.  We drove to the enigmatic Ebro Delta, where our first port of call was the hide adjacent to the visitor centre.  Here the familiar sound of a Wren competed with Cetti’s Warbler in the reeds below.  We were then rewarded with our second view of Penduline Tit, while in the distance flocks of Greater Flamingo fed on that most majestic of Spanish rivers. 

In the lagoons of La Tancada a wide selection of birds familiar to Northern Europeans were seen.  These included flocks of Avocet, Little Stint, Dunlin, Redshank, Spotted Redshank and Greenshank together with Grey, Kentish and Golden Plover, while Grey and White Wagtail were seen feeding on the periphery, as were Water Pipit.  Hoopoe and Caspian Tern reminded us, if we needed it, that we were very much in the Mediterranean. 

A solitary Booted Eagle dived, initially giving the impression of an Osprey, then circled for several minutes, allowing its black and white under wing to be clearly seen.  A great finale to our second trip with Steve and one that we hope to repeat very soon.

Winter Wallcreeper, Snowfinch and Lammergeier

January 2009 - The Pyrenees, Catalonia, Spain

"Thank you so much for showing us so much.  So many birds.  Great memories of the Snowfinch (our favourite), bluethroat, hoopoe, etc. etc. etc. etc.

How wonderfully relaxed it all was - not having to think about where we were going and just being able to enjoy the scenery and look for the birds was about perfect and then lunch was served. Thanks again."

Dilys and Eric Powell, U.K. (after a full week's winter birding)

On 11th January, in The Pyrenees, we were staring up towards the rock face in front of us, binoculars gripped at at-the-ready-chin-height and waiting for the next white flashes to explode into the clarity of the blue-blue sky before arching and falling back down into the obscurity of white-on-white – Snowfinch on snow.



At officially up to 3cm longer than a Chaffinch, there’s no deception of how big these long- and white-winged relatives seem when you see them set against the azure sky, even at this distance, and it all just adds to the thrill.  We ‘ooo-ed’ and ‘argh-ed’ like children around a bonfire, calling ‘there!’ and ‘this side!’ as each small flock threw itself up and dropped back down.  Occasionally, again just like fireworks, we lucked upon one or two on the ground and gleefully gathered our telescopes around to watch them feeding.

The post-breeding movements of (White-winged) Snowfinches, which can start as early as late July, is always unpredictable, depending upon the weather as it does, but this has been a good year.  Out of the total of 613 birds rung in the Collada de Toses between 2005 and 2009, 328 have been rung this winter, with none in the two years previously [Although we've had them every year since, Stephen, 2011].

‘Wait a minute,’ I mumbled as I was scanning the rock face, and headed for my telescope to confirm an overactive imagination.  But, ‘Wallcreeper!’ Max shouted and sure enough, the apparent peering head, that I may have dismissed as fantasy without a back-up pair of eyes, turned out to be a crazy lone pela-roques, in Catalan, eeking out a lunatic living on the freezing cold, snow-covered cliffs of the magical, magical Pyrenees.

In turns, it was seen fluttering out way over our heads to disappear into thin air, avoiding the high-mag gaze of our scopes with some sleight-of-wing, and dropping like a Peregrine the whole height of the cliff only to be sucked onto it’s sheer surface just metres from certain death as if it was suddenly magnetised.  Wallcreeper are supposed to descend to lower altitudes in weather like this and, although it breeds at up to 3000m above sea level, I would hardly call the snow-covered 2000m at which we were now perched a descent!



Unlike (White-winged) Snowfinch, which rarely drop below 1500m, Wallcreeper are regularly found wintering even at sea level (see The Garraf) so it was really the former that inspired the trips up from Barcelona and, a few days before, on the 6th, we’d been lucky enough to watch more than one-hundred work their way down this same hill, rolling over each other back over front (like a slinky if you remember the seventies!), over our heads and settle along the edges of the melting snowline a few metres below us.  With us too engrossed and the flock restless, we didn’t think of photos but when we drove right into a small group a couple of hours later, we jammed on the brakes and clicked away as about a dozen skipped their way onto a roadside bank and grazed fearlessly at window-level as we followed on in first gear.  Worth the trip alone.

With a distinct feeling of dejà vu, and six kilometres, twenty-minutes and a three hundred metre drop in altitude later, we were doing exactly the same thing with a half-dozen disinterested Alpine Accentor.  What a plumage.  What a place. 

Alpine Accentor had been observed on the 11th too, sneaking between the feet of the Snowfinch, but a little too far to truly appreciate.  No matter, Alpine Accentor, again unlike Snowfinch, also make winter trips to low-level mountains ranges and can be found quite easily in the same spot in the Garraf, for instance, along with Wallcreeper.

And anyway, another better surprise was yet to come. 



Having been sent packing by a swarm of woollen hats and skis, we found ourselves car-tracking the white wings and tail edges of what we thought was a lone Snowfinch dipping and diving over the contours and corners of the winding road cutting it’s way through the deep snow of the Moixero Natural Park.  When it finally stopped, we did likewise, this time even managing a photograph – of a Snow Bunting!  The average for Catalonia is less than one per year so we were lucky we found a whole one.

In all the excitement it might have been easy to forget another rather startling moment of discovery.  Whilst enjoying the cliff-side matinee described earlier we were treated to a honking Raven flying low overhead.  Only to fill in time, or perhaps out of habit, we all raised our binoculars to the remarkable – and for me never-seen-before – sight of the underside of a Raven lit in a bounced snow light that revealed more shades and tones of brown than I’d ever seen.  I swear I could see every feather and will never think of a Raven as a black bird again.



Now fast forward to the 17th and we’re back again…déjà vu…as, standing in almost exactly the same spot, the same reflected snow light paints every contour of the underside of a truly majestic (there is no other word for this bird) low-flying, adult Lammergeier.  Orange.  Beard.  The lot.  For a fleeting moment I contemplated the fifteen metres between my self and the camera (in the boot of the car of course) but in the end thought, ‘sod it’ and just enjoyed it.  Wow.  It actually hung around for an hour or so, at one point deigning to land - but immediately taking off in the moments that it saw me glance towards my camera bag.

The snow remained but this encouraged the skiers as well as the Snowfinch, now estimated at around sixty birds, to hang around so the former made the job of tracking the latter much harder and unusually it took us until the afternoon.  In the meantime, the usual Peregrine, Griffon Vulture, Crossbill, Firecrest, Dipper and array of tits kept us entertained, we successfully out-waited the Alpine Accentors at their regular spot and a lovely flock of eighty chirping Alpine Chough floated around us and landed noisily on the road ahead.

It was clear that many birds, Wallcreeper included, found it hard to tear themselves away even in times of harsh and ruthless weather and on each and every visit, as we left the slope of the village main street and upped the gears onto the road back to Barcelona, I had no difficulty understanding why.



Photos by Dilys Powell, Max Andrews, Darren Shirley and Stephen Christopher.

A January Quest for 100 Species in a Day

15th January 2008 - Garraf Massis and Llobregat Delta, Barcelona

I don’t know why but today I tried something I’d never attempted before: to deliberately seek out 100 species in a single day.  I was inspired by the season – winter in the Garraf Massis is a great time for mixed flocks of birds that can be elusive at other times – but to ensure I didn’t get caught up in numbers I decided upon a strategy of no counting and, as I write, I still don’t know if I succeeded.  I think its close.

GARRAF



Already half-an-hour late leaving, it seemed my chances were already blown when my wife informed me I was taking her to Barcelona first - and then plugged in her hairdryer!  Undaunted, and knowing the ‘five minutes’ she said it would take her meant twenty, I stuck my head out of the window.

The sound of two marbles tack-tacking together alerted my attentions to the silhouette of a Blackcap in the garden fence.  A Crested Tit replied with a soft rattle from the clothesline but, perhaps distracted by the Starling flying overhead, a Blue Tit beat it to the peanut holder.  Sardinian Warbler and Great Tit barged their way into the growing symphony and by the time the lights were fully up the orchestra was completed by a chinkling tree-top Serin, an invasion of unappreciative House Sparrows and a Magpie laughing on from the neighbour’s aerial. The role of conductor was shared perhaps between the baton-like tail flickings of a White Wagtail and my very own wintering Black Redstart.  My wife was still drying her hair.

Just as well as there was still one potentially difficult species missing. Up to forty-four had been frequenting the garden since the turn of the year but I needed just one of them.  A male Chaffinch joined a Collared Dove underneath the feeders and, not before time, twenty-three Siskin came in to rapturous applause.  Well, I cheered anyway.

Thanks to a near-empty petrol tank and a tractor driver who was obviously worried about arriving somewhere early, it was already ten-thirty by the time I arrived at my re-scheduled first destination.  I’d picked up Kestrel, Woodpigeon, Grey Heron and Cormorant en route and added Monk Parakeet and Yellow-legged Gull in Barcelona itself but I could already feel time slipping away.

LLOBREGAT DELTA

Still The Llobregat Delta, a wetland bird reserve close to the airport, promised much and, after a fallow field near the entrance yielded Pheasant, Snipe, Goldfinch, Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Crested Lark, I entered the gates breathless and eager.

However, for the next minutes I went no further than the Kingfisher perched in a spot of sunlight on a small bridge and even had time, entertained meanwhile by noisy Cetti’s and Fan-tailed Warblers, to mark the red base to its female bill.

I always make my way to the shores of Ca L’arana with urgent expectation regardless of today’s quest and so make no excuses for skipping past Little Grebe, Little Egret, Coot, Moorhen, Chiffchaff and Blackbird.  But a flock of Crag Martin scything through the mist of tiny insects just above the reeds did delay me and I wavered for some time over a pair of Sandwich Tern over the river, laughing mockingly at the attempts of the Black-headed Gulls to show off.

Once at the beach I scanned it with anticipation picking out Mediterranean Gull and Shelduck but only a single Kentish Plover and a Dunlin represented the waders.  I was disappointed but it proved short-lived as a series of careful scans through the rise and fall of the water at the mouth of the river revealed a solitary Eider Duck, the same one I believe that we found on a trip in November and a great tick for the region.

But the best was yet to come.  On the way back, past the somewhat odd sight of a Buzzard perched next to a Stonechat, I was suddenly smothered in shadow and looked up to confront the possibility of a Great Bittern landing on my head.  The colour of this bird, with a yellow-green hue not at all appreciated from books, is so unique that the only reason you don’t shout Bittern! the very moment you see it is that you somehow need that moment to let your luck sink in. Beautiful.

Unphased by our close-encounter, it flew up and off, paddling over the tree-tops of la pineda towards the shore.  By the time I’d climbed the tower to track it, it had disappeared and I was left with the Wren that had been calling since I arrived at the spot.

Then I noticed that it was calling AT something.  And then I noticed that that something was a Moustached Warbler.  With a partner!  Now, I really didn’t care how many birds I saw, there was no way I was moving from here first and, like a game of ‘stare challenge’, I fixed my gaze onto them lest I should lose them for a second.  I love this bird and I watched them systematically sift their way through a thin line of reeds along a ditch towards me, picking off morsels from each and every stem like dust-obsessed librarians.  Taking turns to overtake each other, they also hopped past a Robin and a half-dozen Reed Buntings before flicking off into cover.

Astonishingly, the very next bird I saw upon entering the hide, bar a Marsh Harrier teasing an unknown something the other side of it, was another Moustached Warbler, scaling and leaping across the cut reed bases just below the lip of the window.

The lake itself was awash with Mallard, Gadwall, Shovelor and a single Tufted Duck with Teal and a handful of Purple Swamphen making use of the boundaries.  The long-staying White-fronted Goose made a lazy appearance, waddling out of some long grass for a sip and a snooze.



The outward-bound walk donated nothing new save a bunch of twurping Greenfinch, a Cattle Egret and another Great Bittern flying lazily over head.  I said the plumage was unique but of course there is one other thing that matches its colour exactly  – the seasonal spectrum of shades and shade found in a reed bed itself.

Thinking I’d had my lot for this site, I was driving the long way out ‘just in case’ when another stunning heron almost flew in to me, or the car.  And this time I did shout.  ‘£@k m€ a Little Bittern!’  This was truly outstanding.  As a rule they don’t over winter, of course, but following the trend of many of its cousins across Europe it shouldn’t really be a surprise.  It settled and stilled itself on the opposite side of a channel and this time, eventually, I was the first to move.

I’d had a fantastic time already and so decided on a short stop off for lunch at the reserve at the other side of the airport before heading off for a change of scenery back in THE GARRAF.

So I ate my way through additional Night Heron, about thirty of them, four Spoonbill, Greylag Goose, Wigeon, Lapwing, Feral Pigeon, Coal Tit, Tree Sparrow and, again only a lone wader, a Spotted Redhank.  An irresistible quick stop-off at the beach though was worthwhile with a few distant Gannet taking the plunge and a small group of Balaeric Shearwater landing not far from the shore.

GARRAF

Still undecided about which route to take as I approached the roundabout my hands did the thinking and yanked me right, sending me inland and leaving the coast for later.  As I reached the summit of the steep road taking me into The Garraf, having seen Blue Rock Thrush but failed to find Alpine Accentor along the way, a ringtail Hen Harrier became the third bird of the day to nearly hit me.  Thankfully it braked before I did, fully exposed me its under parts and fled.

A good omen I thought but more than half an hour later, speeding away from the Carxol Valley without the expected Bonelli’s Eagle or Thekla Lark, I had ‘only’ Song Thrush, Southern Grey Shrike and two coveys of Red-legged Partridge to show for my trouble.  A Dartford Warbler tail-bounced over my bonnet to complete the full set of winter warblers.

The light threatening to fade, and reminding my self that this was not Llobregat and that birds had to be worked for, I re-planned and re-routed to an old masia in a lush estate that always held a few passerines and was immediately rewarded with a Jay and a fleeing, screaming Green Woodpecker.  And then suddenly, in yet another of those ‘made my day’ moments, I came across a female Brambling – my first for Spain! – in the midst of all the other finches and tits.  Unfortunately, it didn’t hang around for long so I took its cue, leaving a sulky Dunnock and a Short-toed Treecreeper to whisper about me as I got back in the car.

Now I had to make some decisions and, as I definitely wanted to check out the coastal cliffs for one particular prize, I had to abandon a couple of sites and drive straight there – in the full knowledge of course that driving straight there would be impossible.

And so it proved, with roadside stops absolutely unavoidable due to a flock of Rock Bunting flushed to nearby bushes from a tiny field of vines (also Mistle Thrush), a Sparrowhawk emerging from another dispersing flock of passerines before landing nearby and, finally, my Bonelli’s Eagle!

When I saw a speck round a mid-distant hill I jammed the brakes on (action that is essential with specks if you’re not to lose them in the fineries of the Highway Code).  Job done, I simply had to track it, a stunning adult bird, as it flew in a direct line across the fields in front of me and flapped on towards the coast.

I always note the time when I see a raptor and, at 16.18, I knew I had barely an hour of proper daylight left – but I still had to go through the farmland and vineyards.  There was no other course of action available to me as I scrapped my intention to walk it and naughtily drove down the farmer’s tractor track.  Well, he wouldn’t mind.

As I exited, escorted from in front by an extremely slow tractor, I had the strangest feeling I’d seen the driver somewhere before.  A pair of Raven sky-strolled overhead, honk-honking their disapproval.  But, in the meantime, I had witnessed a wonderful view of a field full of White Wagtail and Woodlarks at eye level (as the track dropped below the boundary wall), as well as ticking off Rock Sparrow, Linnet, a couple of Corn Bunting, a few Spotless Starling and a dozen Cirl Bunting in one bush!

With the sun setting bright and blocking my view along the line of cliffs toward the south-west, I finally arrived at my target destination a little disappointed that the mornings events had robbed me of the time to give the place justice.  But never let it be said that the impossible isn’t possible or that wives shouldn’t be given a beautiful big beautiful kiss for needing to blow-set every hair in place.

As I raised my binoculars in a laughable attempt to find my resident Wallcreeper, it flew straight across my field of view, landed on a small peak posturing and I spent the next fifteen to twenty minutes having some of the most peaceful views of this species I’d ever had.  To the soundtrack of twilight Blue Rock Thrush and the breaking waves I watched its grey, white, red and black butterfly from rock to crack to peak and back again in an attempt to reap the day’s final reward.

As regards to mine, I’m tempted even now not to count.  But I’m going to.  95. Although I mustn’t forget to add that Peregrine Falcon patrolling the cliff tops of Falconera. 96.

January in the Ebro Delta, Catalonia, Spain

Ebro Delta, 10th January 2008

I’d waited patiently for the Three Kings to deliver their gifts, worked out how the hell the tree went back into its box and now I was drooling as, allowed out for the first time, I crossed the bridge over the river and finally set tyre in The Ebro Delta.  I’m not one for counting particularly but less than twenty on my year list was painful.  A sympathetic Hoopoe rowed over the bonnet.  Thanks mate.

As I drove into the rice fields out of St. Jaume, a ring of mist masked the horizon in all directions, creating a comforting circle into which no-one else seemed to venture.  Common Buzzards marshalled the perimeter, posted in each leafless tree, motionless and morose like leftover Christmas tree decorations.  The sparklingly clean black and grey under-wings of a male Marsh Harrier spirited into view flying along side the driver’s window, tilting left and right to show off its glorious roast-chestnut chest and, rather topically if a little late, guided me like the star of Bethlehem to my first stop of the day.

I’d never stopped here before but I was immediately presented with two dark shapes in the middle of a reed-edged field and, for twenty minutes, a pair of Water Rails strutted and pecked their way ever-closer.  A flock of Reed Buntings gleaning the horsetails and a rather unusual foraging partnership between a Moorhen and a Blackbird only proved minor distractions until I was able to put my binoculars down and marvel at the absolute marvellousness of both the rails by the car door.

They were sent scurrying by an unknown force and I moved on - only to stop a few metres along the road to marvel some more; this time at a light-phase Booted Eagle perched in one of its favourite spots.

Still early when I reached the beach, only a solitary Kentish Plover quick-stepped its way over the dewy sand.  The sea was calm but empty.  Groups of Purple Swamphen began tempting themselves out of the reed beds with nervous contact calls and another unknown threat put up a huge gathering of ducks on a distant lagoon.  It may as well have been wielding a knife as the massive blanket of wings was ripped into species portions of, amongst others, Wigeon, Gadwall and Pintail before circling and returning to knit themselves back together on the water’s surface.

Via Greylag Geese, Glossy Ibis and Common Kingfishers on every post, I made my way back and searched the strangely wriggling surface of a paddy field around a masia on the Illa de Riu.  The responsibility was mostly down to several hundred Little Stint and numerous Ringed Plover but, forewarned by the word on the cyber street, I managed to pick out the lone Pectoral Sandpiper.

Several more Hoopoe, a curious Dartford Warbler and a rather bolshy Bluethroat, skipping from bush to bush as I passed, were picks of the bunches of passerines smothering every reed and cabbage plant and the rafts of Golden Plover and Lapwing to be found in the delta’s fields was a spectacle hard to beat.

But beaten it was.  A Great Bittern at Riet Vell; Richard’s Pipit, Southern Grey Shrike and a Peregrine locking claws with a Marsh Harrier on my way from Eucaliptus to La Tancada; a flock of about twenty Lesser Short-toed Larks when I got there that were close enough to touch until my mobile rang!  Take your pick.

My own choice would be the sight of Red-throated Diver, Red-breasted Merganser and Black-necked Grebe diving in the same binocular field of view but I also basked in the sheer numbers of Greenshank, Grey Plover, Dunlin and, in particular, Sanderling and Little Stint sifting through the pools of La Tancada.   A little sifting myself pulled out morsels of Turnstone, Common and Spotted Redshank and both Common and Green Sandpiper.



By now the sun had gone almost full circle and the light promised little more than an hour before bedtime but even so a quick dash through the stretch to L’Encanyissada produced the resident (and presumed) hybrid Little Egret x Western Reef Heron opposite the watchtower at l’Embut, masses of Common and Red-crested Pochard on El Clot and, for the second visit running, a Red-nobbed (Crested) Coot at Pont de Traves.

Finally, in the small pond next to the Casa de Fusta as I was leaving, yet another Water Rail, feeding out in the open and confident enough to resist fleeing despite me jamming on the breaks!

As I said, I don’t count.  (!).  But I was gifted well over 80 species in a short mid-winter day and I missed a few too.  It amazed me how the pressure of finding food in the colder months makes birds occupy every single niche possible, from the expanse of lagoons and reed beds harbouring Greater Flamingos and Chiffchaffs respectively to a few teasels on the edge of a rice field fleetingly playing host to a party of Goldfinch.

Other species seen: 

Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Shelduck, Mallard, Shovelor, Kestrel, Coot, Common Snipe, Mediterranean Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Audouin’s Gull, Black-headed Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Crested lark, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Water Pipit, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Robin, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Cettis Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Magpie, Starling, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Linnet.