Welcome to the official blog site of Barcelona Birding Point, your new birding & wildwatching travel agency. Here you will find trip reports, detailed information about some of our tours, tips on conservation and more.
Islàndia és un típic viatge a illes, amb llistes no massa llargues però en aquest cas amb gran quantitat i qualitat d’espècies destacades. Destinació amb la que somnia un ornitòleg europeu tot mirant les guies d’identificació, amb espècies que pràcticament només es veuen en aquesta illa. Les dates es van escollir per tal de poder veure amb màxima activitat les colònies d’aus marines, els ocells aquàtics en plena reproducció i els primers ocells migradors tot retornant cap les zones d’hivernada cap al Sud. En resum, mirar d’aprofitar al màxim el curt però intents estiu àrtic.
Totes les imatges realitzades pel tour líder Sergi Sales. Tots els drets reservats.
Dia 1
Arribada puntual a Islàndia amb el nostre vol directe des de Barcelona. Malgrat això, el lent procés de lloguer de la furgoneta ens resta força temps per voltar tot just abans d’arribar a l’hotel. De totes formes ja comencem a veure i escoltar ocells que ja no ens abandonaran al llarg del viatge, com les daurades comunes, cignes cantaires, pòlits cantaires, xatracs àrtics i els espectaculars vols nupcial dels becadells comuns.
També és la primera oportunitat per anar acostumant el cos al fet que no marxi la llum en tota la nit. Un hotel perfectament ambientat en el món víking ens ajudarà a passar aquest procés.
Daurada grossa – European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)Becadell comú – Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) fent parada nupcial.
Dia 2
Després d’un bon esmorzar visitem una de les zones humides properes a la capital del país. Ràpidament, entremig de grans estols detectem una oca de les neus, tant blanca com inactiva ja que va restar descansant tot el matí, haurà tingut una nit moguda. Aquí, dos dels ànecs més comuns són l’èider comú i el morell de plomall. Els prats estan ocupats per una gran quantitat de daurades grosses i becadells. Escanejant les vores veiem un bon grup de limícoles entre els que destaquen remena-rocs i territs foscos. Entre gavians de potes roses, gavinots, gavines rialleres i gavians foscos, veiem el primer gavinot hiperbori del viatge. A les zones inundables també es veuen calàbries petites i becs de serra mitjans. El passeriforme més abundant és el tord ala-roig de la subespècie coburni, al qual només nidifica a les illes Faroe i a Islàndia, i uns quants d’ells ens van fer més entretingut el matí amb els seus continus viatges per agafar cucs de terra i fruits per alimentar els famolencs pollets. Prenent el sol veiem les primeres foques comunes del viatge.
Encara assimilant el bon número d’ocells vistos anem a un petit llac interior on veiem diversos nius i llocades de cabussons orelluts lluint espectaculars plomatge nupcials. Un grapat de petits i nerviosos limícoles es mouen molt a prop de la llera, són escuraflascons bec-fins, les femelles encara amb els seus plomatges lluents, ja que en aquest gènere els mascles llueixen colors molt més discrets i apagats que les femelles. Tot intentant fotografiar els escuraflascons s’escolten i veuen petits estols de passerells gola-negres.
Iniciem el viatge cap al nord oest, en direcció a la península de Snaefellsbaer, tot travessant uns increïbles paisatges, llarguíssims túnels per sota el nivell del mar i espais oberts on abunden els paràsits cuapunxeguts en les dues fases de color. Aquí també observem una llunyana àguila marina així com diverses parelles de calàbries grosses amb pollets.
Tal com ens anem apropant a la zona on restarem 2 dies, comencem a notar una pujada en la força del vent, un aire gèlid que no impedeix que les badies estiguin plenes de fulmars, somorgollaires alablancs i incomptables èiders, amb els mascles ja agrupats deixant les tasques de cria dels pollets a les sacrificades femelles.
Concentracions de gavines i gavians ens faciliten la detecció d’un bon nombre de gavinots hiperboris de diverses edats.
La zona inundada a pocs metres del lloc on dormim resulta ser espectacular. Aquí hi trobem una colònia de diversos centenars de parelles de xatracs àrtics, sorollosos, agressius i autèntics llançadors d’excrements a la gent que s’atreveix a creuar el camí. També hi han garses de mar amb pollets al propi pati de la casa, tètols cuanegres de la subespècie islandica, abundants i confiats escuraflascons bec-fins i un grapat de parelles de calàbries petites.
Nova oportunitat per adaptar-nos als horaris nòrdics, sopant quasi a les nostra hora habitual de berenar. Bacallà, salmó i xai excel·lentment cuinats seran la base típica dels sopars arreu a on anem.
Preocupats per si el vent ens suspendrà la sortida amb barca del dia següent però excitats pel que ens espera el dia següent, anem a dormir.
Només cal caminar 20 mts per tenir la sensació única de caminar entre centenars de xatracs àrtics, en aquest cas decidim fer-ho en vehicle per evitar anar ben “dutxats” per la resta de jornada. A la zona humida repetim espècies millorant les fotografies amb millor llum que el dia anterior.
Tot esperant embarcar a la nostra sortida pelàgica, gaudim a les calmades aigües del port de fulmars, gavots, somorgollaires i gavinetes tres-dits a molt poca distància.
Una vegada ben equipats i disfressats, arrenca el vaixell cap a les aigües de la badia, acompanyats de grans estols de fulmars i diverses espècies de làrids. A més de diferents espècies de cetacis, a les zones riques en afloraments es veuen grans agrupacions de somorgollaires, frarets, gavots i amb el seu ràpid vol, diverses baldrigues pufins. Mirant amb detall aquests grups mixtos, acabem trobant alguna baldriga grisa i almenys una baldriga capnegre, ocell marí escàs en Islàndia el qual nidifica a l’hemisferi sud i que ara estan hivernant en aigües de l’hemisferi nord.
El grup, preparat per a la sortida pelàgica.Baldriga pufí – Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus).Baldriga grisa – Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna griseus)
Més que satisfets amb el resultat de la sortida, gaudim d’un altre espectacular menjar abans de dirigir-nos cap els penya-segats on hi ha espectaculars colònies d’aus marines. Es veuen els còlits grissos de la subespècie leucorhoa, típica d’aquesta illa.
La pluja i el fred s’intensifiquen però això no impedeix que seguim la ruta prevista quan des de la part de darrera de la furgoneta s’escolta “perdius!!”. Efectivament, una parella de perdius blanques restaven quietes al marge de la pista i després d’un curt vol les detectem a poca distància intentant assolir bones observacions. Tots dos exemplars s’alimenten tranquil·lament amb el mascle sempre alerta i marcant territori.
De sobte ja no tenim fred ni sembla que el plugim ens pugui xopar. Arribem als penya-segats, a on una quantitat ingent de nius de gavinetes tres-dits, gavots, somorgollaries, algunes frarets, corbs marins emplomallats atlàntics ens esperen i, mirant en detall, trobem unes quantes parelles de somorgollaries de Brünnich. Les costes d’Islàndia constitueixen una de les principals zones de nidificació per diferents espècies d’àlcids, en especial per al gavot, que concentra prop del 50% de la seva població mundial en aquesta illa.
La pluja i vent van decidir donar per finalitzada la seva treva. És el moment de tornar cap l’hotel i repetir restaurant a una simpàtica cambrera andalusa.
Abans d’esmorzar, decidim fer la darrera passejada pels estanyats a tocar de l’allotjament, arriscant la roba i càmeres tot caminant per la carretera on més d’un miler de xatracs àrtics ens estaven esperant amb moltes ganes. La cara d’estupefacció d’un grup d’ornitòlegs canadencs que ens vàrem trobar, delatava que els xatracs ens havien deixat ben tacats. Aquí també gaudim de vistes increïbles de parades nupcials de calàbries petites i més de 200 escuraflascons en tot tipus de plomatges a punt de començar el viatge cap les zones d’hivernada. Entre els grup de gavians apareixen alguns gavinots polars.
Camí cap l’est anem fent diverses aturades als fiords, on seguim veient èiders, gavinots hiperboris i algunes parelles nidificants de corriol gros de la subespècie psammodromus.
Entre foques hi veiem o, més aviat, intuïm els primers ànecs arlequins del tour. En ruta el més destacable va ser un mussol emigrant a plena llum del dia però amb la gran habilitat de creuar la carretera allà no podíem aturar-nos per intentar fotografiar-lo.
Abans de creuar un altre de les meravelloses obres que s’han fet en aquest país en forma de llargs túnels, ens aturem a la ciutat d’Akureyri, on una envejable zona verda amb basses i una badia propera, ens dóna bones observacions d’ànecs xiulaires, ànecs glacials, becs de serra mitjans i cabussons orelluts. En aquest sector les gavines cendroses són força abundants. S’havia vist un ànec xiulador americà el qual ens sembla veure entre el munt de xiulaires però que només el vàrem poder confirmar a l’observar diversos detalls en fotografies.
Satisfets, continuem el llarg viatge cap al mític llac de Mývant. Només arribar veiem a molt poca distància un espectacular mascle de morell d’Islàndia; sens dubte val la pena fer una aturada per gaudir d’uns dels objectius del viatge.
La resta de pas pel llac ens deixa bocabadats per la gran quantitat d’ocell i grups familiars que es veuen. La propera jornada promet molt!
Des de les finestres de l’hospedatge s’escolten i veuen diversos passerell golanegres, titelles i tords ala-rojos, sense dubte, els ocells més comuns. Curiosament una de les rareses del país són les nostres comunes fotges, de les quals havia niat per sorpresa una parella en el llac, però no la veiem…de moment.
Paisatges increïble de llacs, torrents i antics cràters amb una densitat espectacular de llocades de diverses espècies d’ànecs (xiulaires, glacials, morells de plomall, buixots, cuallargs, xarxets…). Aquí també observem confiats grups de morells que ens permet observar en detall els trets identificadors de les diverses espècies. Els escuraflascons són molt comuns i confiats, amb observacions a vegades ridícules.
Arreu veiem grups familiars d’ànecs, cabussons orelluts i totes dues espècies de calàbries. Decidim visitar el riu Laxá per mirar de buscar alguna femella d’ànec arlequí, curiosa anàtida que cria a rius d’aigües netes i ràpides. Tot i la presència de pescadors de truites i salmons, una confiada femella restava tranquil·lament prenent el sol sobre un pedra.
Continuem voltant el llac afegint a la llista ànecs negres, alguns amb nombroses llocades. Al marge d’un prat detectem un femella de perdiu blanca amb pollets, amagant-se entre la vegetació però sempre alerta i protegint la seva descendència.
Entre bromes i apostes de què passaria si de sobte algú detecta un grifó, de sobte Lluís dóna l’alerta de que sobre una roca hi havia un ferm sospitós, i efectivament un espectacular i blanquinós grifó restava a l’aguait i a l’espera de que es fiqués a prop alguna potencial presa. Aquest va ser, per molts, l’ocell del viatge!!!
Decidim anar cap al nord per anar al mític port de Húsavik, on assistim a l’espectacle de desenes de somorgollares alablancs i sobretot de l’increïble capacitat els frarets per seguir capturant peixet quan tenen el bec a bessar de preses.
Però el dia encara no s’havia acabat, seguim cap el nord i tot visitant un petit torrent que desemboca al mar veiem un impressionant grup d’ànecs arlequins, majoritàriament mascles, els quals en aquestes dates ja han abandonat els rius on nien per anar a mudar al mar. Al mar es veu un continu pas de diverses aus marines i una llunyana cua de Iubarta. Cansats però molt satisfets iniciem la tornada cap l’hotel.
Avui l’objectiu es fer un viatge cap el sector de la costa Est del país. Passant en 1er lloc pel vessant nord-est del llac de Mývant, repetint la majoria d’espècies vistes en visites anteriors. En ruta passem per espectaculars paisatges entre els quals apareixen torrents i petits llacs interiors on apareixen diversos grups familiars, a vegades força nombrosos, d’oques de bec-curt.
Fem aturada i breu visita a paisatges turístics com Þjóðvegur on per sorpresa i alertats pels crits d’alarma de les daurades grosses, veiem un grifó perseguint un segon falcònid el qual no arribem a temps de poder identificar.
Finalment arribem al port de Borgarfjörður eystri o el dia abans s’havia vist un espectacular adult de calàbria de bec pàl·lid. Diversos ornitòlegs de variades procedències vàrem estar cercant aquest ocell però malauradament no va aparèixer. Tot i que es va veure aquell dia, però només a primera hora, marxant del port per no tornar. Però tampoc teníem temps per avorrir-nos. Aquí, refiats ànecs glacials, arlequins i grups familiars d’èiders, van fer-nos molt entretinguda l’espera.
Posteriorment visitem una de les famoses colònies de frarets on durant una bona estona estàs submergit en l’atrafegat dia a dia d’aquests petits àlcids. Continua arribada i sortida d’adults portant menjar als polls ben amagats dins els caus, adults sempre perseguits i parasitats per diverses espècies de gavians, gavines i paràsits cuapunxeguts.
Fem la darrera aturada al port per si hagués tornat la calàbria però no vàrem tindre sort, a més, va entrar fort vent que encara va fer més complicada la visita.
Iniciem la tornada per aquestes suposades carreteres islandeses que en realitat són pistes locals sense asfaltar i els amenaçadors cartells que ens diuen que la propera benzinera està a 130 km!!!!
Molt satisfets amb com està anant el viatge, decidim visitar una de bona zona per veure sit blanc. Anem a les poques zones al nord de l’illa a on es podem veure en aquestes dates, tot tornant a visitar sectors del gran llac i cercant la gran raresa de la setmana, la fotja!!.
Tot just després de travessar una central d’aigües termals, arribem a una plana de prats on un enfeinat mascle de sit blanc creua volant la carretera. Emocionats aturem el vehicle i després d’una breu espera, veiem un parella d’aquest emberízid contínuament recollint menjar per dur al niu.
Un cop sadojats d’aquest fantàstic ocell, decidim fer una mica de turistes i visitar alguns dels monuments naturals propers d’aquesta meravellosa illa, a on lògicament no perdíem l’oportunitat de seguir veient ocells.
Després de dinar decidim intentar buscar un adult de calàbria agulla que estava veient en un llac interior, i després d’una bona estona de cerca, i entremig de diverses calàbries grosses va aparèixer una espectacular calàbria agulla, sempre a certa distància però permetent excel·lents visualitzacions. Trio de calàbries en aquest tour, encara sap més greu no veure la calàbria bec pàl·lid i haver fet un pòker.
Visitem sectors nous, com uns fiords al nord-est on es generen petits estuaris on sumem espècies noves com el paràsit boreal, diverses espècies d’ànecs i entremig de grans grups de morells de plomall una breu observació de morell petit, una espècie americana que havia estat observada al llarg de les últimes setmanes. Apurem al màxim la jornada tot i els breus plugims, fins que tornem a la zona on dormim per tal de degustar el darrer excel·lent sopar islandès.
Darrer intent per cerca la parella de fotges que es veia pel llac i com a persistència no ens guanya ningú, vàrem tenir per fi èxit!! Mai veure un fotja ens havia fet tanta il·lusió. Llarg trànsfer de tornada cap a la capital, on van sortint les espècies que hem anat veient al llarg del viatge. Un nou mussol emigrant creua la carretera però sense masses llocs per aturar-nos i poder-ho gaudir. Tot i la pluja mirem de trobar una parella d’esmirla que encara tenen llocada al niu i no triguem a veure els polls en uns petits afloraments rocallosos. La femella està ben a prop, tot custodiant el niu i el territori. L’observació es fa a prou distància per tal de no pertorbar la rutina de la família d’esmirles.
Poc després de creuar un dels túnels construïts sota l’aigua de la badies, veiem un altre grifó resseguint unes parets verticals.
A tocar de l’aeroport decidim probar sort a una zona boscosa a la cerca de trencapinyes i de reietons, espècies de distribució molt limitada, entre d’altres coses per la poca superfície arbrada que té l’illa. Als pocs minuts de caminar veiem diversos reietons, la majoria joves de l’any movent-se entre els arbres alhora que s’escolten grupets de trencapinyes sobrevolant el bosc.
Novament objectius complerts i amb temps decidim anar cap la tornada del vehicle i encetar el transfer cap l’aeroport. Ara sí, donem per acabat un gran viatge a un espectacular país.
Esmirla – Merlin (Falco columbarius).
Llistat d’espècies observades al llarg del tour:
Cigne cantaire (Cygnus cygnus)
Ànec blanc (Tadorna tadorna)
Oca de les neus (Anser caerulescens)
Oca comuna (Anser anser)
Oca de bec curt (Anser brachyrhynchus)
Ànec xiulador (Anas penelope)
Ànec xiulador americà (Anas americana)
Xarxet comú (Anas crecca)
Ànec coll-verd (Anas platythynchos)
Ànec cuallarg (Anas acuta)
Ànec griset (Marecca strepera)
Ànec cullerot (Spatula clypeata)
Morell de plomall (Aythya fuligula)
Morell buixot (Aythya marila)
Morell petit (Aythya affinis)
Èider comú (Somateria mollissima)
Ànec glacial (Clangula hyemalis)
Ànec harlequí (Histrionicus histrionicus)
Ànec negre (Melanitta nigra)
Morell d’Islàndia (Bucephala islandica)
Bec de serra gros (Mergus merganser)
Bec de serra mitjà (Mergus serrator)
Perdiu blanca (Lagopus mutus)
Fotja eurasiàtica (Fulica atra)
Cabussó orellut (Podiceps auritus)
Garsa de mar (Haematopus ostralegus)
Corriol anellat gros (Charadrius hiaticula)
Daurada grossa (Pluvialis apricaria)
Territ variant (Calidris alpina)
Territ fosc (Calidris maritima)
Territ gros (Calidris canutus)
Tètol cuanegre (Limosa limosa islandica)
Pòlit cantaire (Numenius phaeopus)
Becadell comú (Gallinago gallinago)
Gamba roja comuna (Tringa totanus)
Remena-rocs (Arenaria interpres)
Escuraflascons bec-fí (Phalaropus lobatus)
Gavina riallera (Chroicocepahlus ridibundus)
Gavina cendrosa (Larus canus)
Gavinot (Larus marinus)
Gavià de potes roses (Larus argentatus)
Gavià fosc (Larus fuscus)
Gavià hiperbori (Larus hiperboreus)
Gavinot polar (Larus glaucoides)
Gavineta de tres dits (Rissa trydactila)
Xatrac àrtic (Sterna paradisaea)
Paràsit gros (Stercorarius skua)
Paràsit cuapunxegut (Stercorarius parasiticus)
Somorgollaire comú (Uria aalge)
Somorgollaire de Brünnich (Uria lomvia)
Gavot comú (Alca torda)
Somorgollaire alablanc (Cepphus grylle)
Fraret comú (Fratercula arctica)
Calàbria petita (Gavia stellata)
Calàbria grossa (Gavia immer)
Calàbria agulla (Gavia arctica)
Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)
Baldriga pufí (Puffinus puffinus)
Baldriga grisa (Ardenna grisea)
Baldriga cendrosa (Ardenna gravis)
Mascarell atlàntic (Morus bassanus)
Corb marí gros (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Corb marí emplomallat (Gulosus aristotelis)
Àguila marina (Haliaaetus albicilla)
Mussol emigrant (Asio flammeus)
Esmirla (Falco columbarius)
Grifó (Falco rusticolus)
Colom roquer (Columba livia)
Corb comú (Corvus corax)
Reietó (Regulus regulus)
Estornell comú (Sturnus vulgaris)
Tord ala-roig (Turdus iliacus coburni)
Merla comuna (Turdus merula)
Còlit gris (Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa)
Titella (Anthus pratensis)
Cuereta blanca (Motacilla alba)
Passerell golanegra (Carduelis flammea)
Trencapinyes comú (Loxia curvirostra)
Sit blanc (Pletrophenax nivalis insulae)
Llistat de mamífers observats al llarg del tour:
Foca comuna (Phoca vitulina)
Foca grisa (Halichoerus grypus)
Iubarta (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Marsopa comuna (Phocoena phocoena)
Dofí de mussell blanc (Lagenorhynchus albirostris)
Resum general: Un viatge a l’est de Polònia permet visitar els darrers boscos primaris que ens queden a Europa amb els ocells típics d’aquests boscos madurs i poc transformats. Alhora que es converteix en un dels pocs llocs on hi ha bones opcions per veure un dels mítics mamífers europeus: el bisó. Enguany el tour s’ha caracteritzat per unes temperatures més baixes del que és habitual per la zona, el que ha permès gaudir d’una millor activitat ornitològica al llarg de la majoria de les jornades.
Totes les imatges en aquest article són obra del Sergi Sales. Tots els drets reservats.
Dia 1
Arribada sense incidències a l’aeroport de Varsòvia on ens trobem procedents de diferents vols i comencem el transfer cap l’hospedatge al propi poble de Bialowieza on restarem les properes jornades.
En ruta travessem mosaics agrícola-forestals rics en diferents especies d’ocells com faisans, grues, diversos rapinyaires amb les 1eres àguiles marines del viatge i també inmensos grups de còrvids que inclouen graules sobretot prop de zones habitades. Una aturada logística ens permet escolta el 1er rossinyol rus amb grives cerdanes i verderoles a l’entorn de la benzinera.
Arribem a Bialowieza just amb mig hora de temps per poder fer un tastet dels ocells que anirem detectant al llarg del tour. Una breu caminada al costat de l’hotel ens permet escoltar a 2 mts de nosaltres les invisibles guatlles mareses. Amb l’acompanyament sonor de 3 membres de la família Locustella (boscarlers fluvial, pintat gros i comú) simultàniament, bona oportunitat per poder comparar-les i aprendre.
Rossinyol rus (Luscinia luscinia) ben a prop de l’allotjament. Imatge del Sergi Sales.
Dia 2
Visitar Polònia al mes de maig implica bones matinades per poder optimitzar el temps i la qualitat de les observacions. Per tal d’assegurar un dels gran al·licients del viatge, en 1er terme anem a la cerca del bisons europeus abans de no s’endinsin a l’impenetrable zona boscosa.
No tardem en detectar un grup a una zona de pastures amb idíl·liques observacions amb les boires matinals. A la poca estona i amb ritme pausat, aquests gran bòvids s’encaminen cap el bosc on acaben desapareixent.
Embriagats pels bisons, ens dirigim cap a una de les zones típiques per picots on ràpidament s’escolta i finalment es deixar observar molt bé un picot cendrós. Posteriorment s’apropa al mateix arbre un menut picot garser menut.
Bisó europeu (Bison bonasus) a la sortida del sol. Imatge del Sergi Sales.Picot cendrós (Picus canus).
Tornem a l’hotel per gaudir d’un bon esmorzar i agafar forces per fer visita a la zona on esperem poder trobar dos dels grans objectius del viatge: el papamosques menut i el papamosques de collar. Als pocs minuts de caminar per un dels interminables caminets que travessen certes parts del bosc, guiats per un ornitòleg local, sentim els cants del mascle del vistós papamosques de collar. Mosquiters comuns i xiulaires, tallarols grossos, mallerengues d’aigua i boscarles dels joncs sóns alguns dels ocells que es van detectant per la zona. Finalment, en una zona ombrívola, sentim el típic cant del mascle de papamosques menut, el qual després d’uns minuts d’espera, es deixar veure per satisfacció de tot el grup.
Dinar amb pícnic amb taules on mig del bosc, on poden veure un grapat de durbecs, cotxa cua-roja amb la veu de fons d’un parell de picots negres.
Abans de l’aturada per sopar, visitem la llera del riu a tocar del poble on gaudim del curiós cant de les busquetes icterines i els espectaculars mascles de tallarol esparverenc. Totes dues espècies es poden veure a curta distància tot i que són ocells especialment esmunyedissos.
Després de sopar provem un dels espectacles que a pocs més llocs es poder observar, els leks de nidificació dels becadells grossos. Seguint al guia local, arribem a un punt enmig del no res, zona de parts mig inundats amb petits i suaus turonets. Desprès d’una bona espera gaudint de cérvols i cabirols, s’escolta breument un becadell gros, amb l’ajut de càmeres tèrmiques s’acaben localitzant i ens veuen els típics salts obrin la cua per fer efectes flash per tal de seduïr a les femelles, tot això, amenitzat pels vols nupcials de becades i becadells comuns, moments absolutament màgics. Cansats però ben satisfets ens dirigim cap l’hotel i poder dormir algunes hores.
Dia 3
Avui el gran objectiu de la matinada es intentar detectar un dels rapinyaires nocturnes més característiques d’aquestes boscos, el mussolet eurasiàtic. No tardem un veure un exemplar, que com passa habitualment amb aquests ocells, genera situació d’excitació entre els petit ocells de l’entorn, desenes de mallerengues, tallarols i inclús picots surten per cridar i intentar foragitar els petit mussol.
Posteriorment continuem passejat pels passadissos d’aquests impressionants boscos, on van sortint diverses espècies de picots entre els que destaquen uns picots garsers mitjans i dorsblancs. Alhora que grups mixtes de mallerengues barrejades les mallerengues d’aigua, blaves, carboneres, petites, emplomallades i les úniques mallerengues capnegres del tour. Sempre es encisador l’observació de les mallerengues cuallargues del grup de cap blanc.
Mussolet eurasiàtic (Glaucidium passerinum) en una posició privilegiada per a guaitar el seu territori.Picot dorsblanc (Dendrocopos leucotos).Picot garser mitjà (Dendrocopos medius). La fantàstica raça oriental de Mallerenga cuallarga (Aegithalos caudatus).
Canviem d’hàbitat per tal de cercar noves especies. El mosaic de bosc amb petites zones entollades ens fa gaudir de ocells forestals però també d’altres targets com boscarles menjamosquits, pinsans carminats, tallarols xerraires, papamosques de collar i un boscaler fluvial del que vàrem necessitar moltes estona per veure’l a pesar de continuat i proper cant que emetia, finalment es deixa veure a plaer.
La tarda es complica el temps i arriba la esperada pluja que necessita aquest sector de Polònia després d’una històrica sequera. En el fons això ens permet recuperar energies per tornar a fer noves matinades i caminades pels boscos polonesos.
Dia 4
Tornem a visitar sectors i hàbitats que ja em trepitjat, en especial per buscar una espècie que fins al moment se’ns esta resistint, el trencanous. Aquesta vegada ajudats per l’experiència del guia local, no tardem gens en veure a plaer un exemplar amb el seu típic comportament i veus. Una parella de picots negres ens acaben mostrant el niu on estaven criant.
Nou esmorzar al hospedatge i ens dirigim cap una zona humida propera, deixant els boscos que durant aquests dies ens han estat acompanyant.
Canvi radical de paisatge i en aquestes basses apareixen gavines, xatracs, fumarells, ànecs, cignes i limícoles. Però el més destacable van ser els rapinyaires, aligot vesper, arpelles volaven contínuament per la zona amb bones observacions d’àguiles pomerànies i pigargs cuablancs en varies fases de plomatge.
Continuem voltant per la zona, tot visitant altres estanyats, piscifactories de peixos d’aigua dolça i prats que malauradament amb la sequera greu que esta patint aquesta zona del país, no estan inundats com anys anteriors, això fa que féssim breus observacions de cuereta citrina entre mig d’estols de cueretes grogues. Grups d’oques, grues i limícoles s’escolten i veuen per l’entorn.
La pluja i vent tornen a fer acte de presencia i fa que escurcem la visita i anem tornant cap l’hotel.
Després de sopar tornem als boscos tot aprofitant les darreres llums i les becades sobrevolen l’espai en els seus vols nupcials. Finalment caminem a la cerca del mussol pirinenc. Nius ocupats la setmana anterior ara estan abandonats probablement fracassats, possiblement pel seu principal depredador, la marta, mamífer del qual veiem a curta distancia i a ple dia un espectacular exemplar. Només arribar a la millor zona per l’espècie, s’escolta la veu del mussol, a curta distancia però malauradament en una zona de bosc molt tancat i atapeït, breus observacions molt amagades fins que decideix desplaçar-se fins a unes coníferes més llunyanes on els deixem cantant a ple pulmó. Cansats però satisfets marxem a fer la darrera nit a l’hotel abans d’iniciar el retorn cap la capital.
Dia 5
Ben aviat marxem cap l’oest per anar reculant cap l’aeroport. A mig matí arribem a unes espectaculars piscifactories que conformem un dels millors llocs del país per espècies com el rascletó i el cabussó gris. A pesar de l’amenaçant pluja decidim fer la volta sencera a l’espai i ja a la 1era llacuna veiem una parella d’espectaculars cabussons grisos al niu. L’entorn presenta bones masses de canyissar on canten i es deixen veure balquers, boscarles de canyar, teixidors, repicatalons i mallerengues de bigotis. A les lleres amb més sotabosc destaquen les sorolloses boscarles menjamosquits, dels joncs, oriols, pinsans carminats i rossinyols russos. A la darrera bassa escoltem el cant d’un rascletó, que ràpidament té resposta d’altres exemplars, tant mascles com femelles. Distàncies increïblement curtes però directament proporcionals a la dificultat de poder-los observar en una estona perllongada. Però el temps empitjora ràpidament, arriba un temporal de pluges que ens fa acabar la volta de forma ràpida.
Rascletó (Zapornia parva) mascle ben amagat a la vegetació.
Malauradament enguany els típics territoris de boscarla d’aigua d’aquesta zona no estan ocupades ja que estan absolutament seques. Ens desplacem a un altra localització que és simplement espectacular: becadells, fredelugues, tètols cuanegres, batallaires…en plenes tasques reproductives. Zones tant planes proporcionen bones opcions per detectar rapinyaires i àguiles pomerànies, aligots i esparvers no van faltar a la cita, afegint a la llista una llunyana àguila cridanera. En el moment que veiem lluents fumarells negres en plomatge nupcial, els membres del grup descobreixen un rapinyaire nocturn aturat, el qual confirmem que es tracta d’un mussol banyut! Aquest exemplar s’exhibeix davant nostre tot fent vols rassants de cacera i posteriorment s’hi afegeix un altre exemplar adult. Finalment, detectem un poll el qual alimenten els adults, una manera immillorable d’acabar la jornada.
El desitjat sopar al gran hotel on estàvem se’ns va anar a norris al tindre la mala sort de coincidir amb casament polonès, probablement encara més lluent i sorollós dels que fem a casa nostra.
Dia 6
Darrer dia del viatge que iniciem amb sortida voluntària sota l’amenaça de més pluges a la piscifactoria que ahir vàrem visitar. Repetim espècies però amb millors observacions sobretot dels rascletons i mallerengues de bigotis. Veiem els únic cignes cantaires del viatge. Aquesta vegada els pinsans carminats i boscarles menjamosquits col·laboren més i es deixen veure i escoltar a plaer.
Desprès d’un copiós esmorzar, iniciem el transfer de tornada cap l’aeroport. Creuant grans extensions de camps agrícoles esquitxades per densos boscos. Veiem una gran nombre d’espècies d’aquests hàbitats alhora que mamífers com cabirols.
Sense cap mena d’incidència arribem a l’aeroport donant per finalitzat un gran viatge a un privilegiat sector de Polònia on encara resten alguns del tresors que antigament deurien ser més comuns i abundants en altres zones.
Llistat d’espècies observades al llarg del tour:
Faisà comú – Common Pheasant (Phaisanus colchinus)
Resum: Aquest ha estat el nostre novè grup al Nord de Finlàndia i Finnmark en el que va ser el segon grup del 2025. El tour va estar marcat pel mal temps al llarg de ben bé una setmana, amb pluja gairebé diària i temperatures clarament per sota de la mitjana. La meteorologia va afectar l’activitat del bosc boreal, amb una activitat de galls i de passeriformes reduïda al mínim en alguns sectors i que es va sumar a la pràctica absència de rossegadors al Nord. Tanmateix, el tour va assolir pràcticament tots els objectius, amb 4 espècies de galls i 5 espècies de mussols, i va sumar un parell d’espècies noves per a la llista del tour, com la boscarla de Blyth i la gavina rosada.
Les imatges d’aquesta crònica són obra de l’Antoni Abad, l’Enric Carrera, l’Oriol Muntané, el Carles Oliver i el Jordi Tragant. Tots els drets estan reservats.
Dia 1. Un cop el grup va estar complert vam sortir de l’aeroport d’Oulu i vam enfilar el camí cap a un restaurant a mig camí entre l’aeroport i la nostra primera parada per mirar ocells. Un cop sopats vam fer la curta distància fins a la primera parada ornitològica. Aquí vam poder veure les primeres verderoles i becuts del viatge mentre sentim el cant de tallarol gros i tallareta comuna als arbustos del voltant.
El vespre avançava ràpidament i vam decidir d’anar cap a l’allotjament, però no abans de gaudir d’una fantàstica observació de pinsà carminat, però també de tallarol xerraire i, breument, tallarol gros. Als camps del voltant hi havien nombroses fredelugues i becadells comuns cantant en vol.
Pinsà carminat cantant al vespre. Imatge d’Antoni Abad.
Dia 2. El nostre dia mussols al voltant d’Oulu va començar amb. Primera parada boscarla de Blyth cantant. També boscarles dels joncs, tallarol xerraire i pinsà carminat. Segona parada per mussol pirinenc en una caixa niu. De camí vam veure raspinell pirinenc i, en esmorzar, gavina menuda, primers cignes cantaires i becs de serra mitjans del tour. També un xatrac gros s’hi va sumar, però una mica més lluny.
La següent parada va ser visitar una parella nidificant de gamarús dels Urals. Un pollet era dins la caixa niu però vam tenir la sort de trobar la femella vigilant en un arbre proper. A la zona cantaven el cucut i un tallarol xerraire.
Ens vam endinsar llavors en un bosc ben amarat d’aigua en el que va ser una autèntica epopeia. Aquí vam poder veure un mussolet eurasiàtic mentre enretirava brutícia de l’interior del niu. També vam veure picot garser gros i una parella de picot cendrós que va posar, magnífic, per a tot el grup. Altres espècies d’interès van incloure aquí papamosques gris i cargolet cantant.
En un altre sector del bosc, vam fer una per visitar un niu de gamarús de Lapònia en el que va ser una imatge totalment impressionant mentre s’estava assegut en un immens niu d’astor. Tot just quan començava a ploure.
Després d’un bon descans de migdia vam sortir a explorar la badia de Liminganlahtii. Al pàrquing de l’allotjament vam poder observar la única parella de passerell comú del tour. Malauradament la pluja no ens va donar massa treva, i la visita a la badia va estar deslluïda per la pluja. Aquí vam veure una parell d’àguiles marines a força distància junt amb xarxets, cabussons emplomallats i arpelles comunes. Junt amb els comuns mastegatatxes i algun pardal xarrec, aquí també vam veure el primer mussol emigrant del tour.
Després de sopar ben d’hora encara ens vam apropar a un altre localització, però en aquesta ocasió tampoc vam tenir sort amb la siseta cendrosa.
Mussol pirinenc a la seva caixa niu. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera. El sempre imponent gamarús dels Urals. Imatge de l’Antoni Abad.Mussolet eurasiàtic en tasques de neteja del seu niu. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.La femella de Gamarús de Lapònia a un niu d’astor. Ara fet seu. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.
Dia 3. Aquest dia va ser el primer d’un seguit de dies marcats pel mal temps. De primer, vam anar a explorar zones de conreu de camí cap a Kuusamo. Aquí vam veure bitxac rogenc, tallarol gros i força verderoles i l’objectiu principal de visitar la zona, l’hortolà, es va deixar increïblement bé. El dia era rúfol, amb unes condicions ideals perquè un mussol emigrant aparegués i no va trigar gaire a passejar-se pel davant de la furgoneta! Tothom va saltar a terra i el vam poder veure força bé.
D’aquí vam anar al bosc, però la visita es va escurçar degut a la pluja. La última visita del matí va ser a una petita llacuna a on hi nia el cabussó orellut. Aquí vam gaudir de molt bones observacions fins que la pluja ens va obligar a enretirar-nos. A la zona, també vam veure mastegatatxes, les ovnipresents grives cerdanes i les primeres orenetes de ribera del viatge.
Un cop arribats a Kuusamo, vam visitar una colònia de cria de gavina menuda a on vam poder gaudir també de les primeres calàbries agulles del viatge i d’unes poques parelles de cabussó gris. Sempre un regal per a la vista!
Aquest mussol emigrant ens va donar un bon espectacle. Imatge d’en Carles Oliver.L’hortolà es va deixar estimar pel grup. Imatge d’en Carles Oliver.Tallarol gros cantant a tot drap. Imatge de l’Oriol Muntané.Un esplèndid cabussó orellut. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.
Dia 4. Aquest va ser un dels dies més difícils que jo recordi al bosc boreal. Vam matinar molt (molt). A primera hora, un petit estol de trencapinyes comuns al camí assenyalaven un bon començament de dia. Però no. Les temperatures eren molt baixes (per l’època), amb només 3ºC positius (!!). Una perdiu escandinava a la carretera però mal vista. Al turó cotxa cua-blava només sentida. Els que es queden al pàrquing veuen gaig siberià. Abans de marxar una part del grup veu breument 2 pinsans dels pins que es mouen al bosc.
Abans d’anar a dinar, una parada en un petit llac ens va permetre observar els primers becs de serra petits del tour, així com altres espècies com cigne cantaire i morell d’ulls grocs.
A la tarda vam trobar un bonic repicatalons petit en un dels emplaçaments més típics per aquesta espècie. Després d’aquest petit èxit, vam mirar de connectar amb sit rústic i grèvol per la tarda, sense èxit. Milà negre en vol.
La impressionant vista des de dalt dels turons al voltant de Kuusamo, malgrat el mal temps. Imatge de l’Oriol Muntané.Aquest tallarol xerraire va ser dels pocs ocells actius aquell matí. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Bec de serra petit al seu hàbitat de nidificació. Imatge de l’Oriol MuntanéRepicatalons petit a ple rendiment. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Un dels fantàstics paisatges al voltant de Kuusamo. Imatge de l’Oriol Muntané.
Dia 5. Un altre dia de temps insegur. La jornada comença amb una femella de gall de cua forcada a la pista per guadi de tothom. A la primera parada observem el primer pòlit cantaire del tour i una mallerenga capnegra molt ben vista. El temps empitjora ràpidament i quan comença a ploure veiem un trencapinyes becgrós que sembla esperar-nos a dalt de tot d’un pi.
Tornem al turó al que vam estar el dia abans, a on encara canta una cotxa cua-blava. A les menjadores, un espectacle d’ocells ens estaven esperant, amb especial menció a la mallerenga capnegra, el pinsà borroner i el picot garser gros. També vam veure estols de trencapinyes comuns en vol a la zona.
Gall de cua furcada aventurant-se fora del bosc. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Mallerenga capnegra a la primera parada del matí. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Trencapinyes becgrós, una de les espècies més cobejades del bosc boreal. Imatge de l’Oriol Muntané.Pinsà mec. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Espectacular joc d’ales d’aquest picot garser gros. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Esquirol vermell a poca distància del grup. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Pinsà borroner. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.
De camí cap al Nord un estol d’una vintena d’ànecs foscos en un llac ens va obligar a fer una parada! I un cop dinats, ens vam endinsar en una altra zona de boreal, aquest cop ja dins del Cercle Polar Àrtic. Aquí no vam trigar a gaudir d’una mallerenga de Lapònia que es va exhibir davant nostre, just abans que una parella de gaigs siberians aparegués del no res per tal de passejar-se pels arbres del nostres voltant, sempre acompanyats d’un pinsà mec que mirava per fer-los fora amb totes les seves forces.
Amb energies renovades vam intentar una última parada en una zona diferent del bosc. Aquí, els passerells golanegres es van deixar veure força bé, encara que mai massa a prop. Una cotxa cua-roja també es va deixar veure però el que perdurarà per sempre és la increïble observació de picot de tres dits. Un mascle va aparèixer de les profunditats del bosc per tamborinar en un tronc vell i gruixut. El so, a només uns 20 metres de nosaltres, va ser tant intens que ens va sobresaltar i ens va fer dubtar que no fos algú fent el reclam amb un enorme amplificador!! Va ser una forma increïble d’acabar una jornada prou intensa!
Ànecs foscos a tocar de terra. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Mallerenga de Lapònia, una altra de les espècies emblemàtiques de l’Àrtic. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Parella de gaigs siberians movent-se al bosc boreal. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Picot de tres dits. El seu tamborileig va quedar gravat com el moment més intens del tour. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.
Dia 6. Al dia següent, després de fer un fantàstic esmorzar, vam visitar un altre lloc per repicatalons rústic. Aquest cop, aquesta esquerda espècie no es va escapar i tothom va poder observar-lo força bé, tot i que sempre va estar ben ficat a la vegetació. Més enllà, dos repicatalons petits cantaven barrejats amb verderoles i repicatalons comuns.
A pocs metres d’aquí vam visitar una petita zona de bosquines. En els pocs dies que vaig tenir lliures entre tours, vaig venir a aquesta localització amb l’esperança de trobar més repicatalons petits, però la meva sorpresa va ser la de trobar un bitxac siberià (!!). Així que ara tocava venir a veure si el bitxac encara estava “disponible”. Aquest bitxac era una mica més esmunyedís que els bitxacs nostrats, així que ens va tocar caminar una mica. A falta d’arbustos, aquest bonic mascle s’aturava a dalt de tot de petits arbres (bedolls i pins rojos). El camí va fer que el grup es dispersés una mica, i malauradament no tothom va poder veure aquesta raresa local.
Tord ala-roig a tocar del nostre allotjament. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Repicatalons rústic, després de força intents. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Bitxac siberià en vol el dia que es va trobar. Imatge del Carles Oliver.
Vam continuar cap al Nord. El dia era esplèndid encara que una mica fred. Vam fer via cap a la frontera amb Noruega. De camí, ens va sorprendre trobar estols migratoris de d’ànecs foscos, però també becs de serra petits i mitjans. Entre els llacs apareixen masses de bosc i aquí vam sorprendre un parell de fantàstics ocells sedosos que no es van deixar estimar gaire i també una parella de colltorts que feien festeig molt, molt al Nord per a la seva espècie! Una mica més enllà l’Oriol va trobar un parell d’aligots calçats, una espècie molt escassa aquest any!
Arribats a Noruega i un cop instal·lats al nostre hotel, vam anar a fer la tarda a una petita bassa d’escuraflascons. A les badies al voltant de Vadso s’acumulaven els èiders comuns i els becs de serra grossos, però també gavinetes de tres dits, gambes rojes comunes, els primers paràsits cuapunxeguts. Però la veritable atracció de la parada va ser el lek de batallaires que, desvergonyits, s’exhibien a pocs metres de nosaltres. A tocar d’ells, una quarantena d’escuraflascons bec-fins feien la viu-viu en una petita llacuna. Tot plegat una escena de somni que ens va deixar a tots sense alè i meravellats amb l’espectacle de fauna salvatge combinada amb una llum realment encisadora!
Piula dels arbres en una meravellosa llum de tarda. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Esuraflascons bec-fí. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Una mica de batallaire exhibint-se obra de l’Enric Carrera.El mascle guanyador, com a mínim aquella tarda. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.
Dia 7. Al matí, després d’esmorzar, ens vam dirigir al Nord per tal d’agafar el vaixell que ens permetria visitar la colònia d’aus marines de Hornoya. De camí a Vardo, vam poder veure algunes de les meravelles de la tundra, com una perdiu escandinava que va creuar volant la carretera o algunes impressionants àguiles marines, a més de daurades grosses, batallaires, xarxets i grups d’èiders i ànecs negres al mar. Però la millor troballa del trajecte va ser una fantàstica llúdriga que l’Antoni va albirar mentre anàvem de bòlit seguint les peripècies de les àguiles marines. La llúdriga jeia enmig de les algues marines, a on prenia un esmorzar en forma d’un peix que no vam saber identificar…
Llúdriga esmorzant. Imatges de l’Enric Carrera.Un parell d’instants a la vida d’un àguila marina. Imatges de l’Enric Carrera.
De camí a Hornoya van començar a aparèixer els primers somorgollaires alablancs, però també nombrosos gavots fins que, a tocar de la illa, grans estols de somorgollaires comuns tenyien l’aigua de color negre i blanc en un espectacle captivador. Hornoya és la llar d’una gran colònia d’aus marines, amb més de 50.000 aus nidificants de diferents espècies. Entre els àlcids, la més comuna és el somorgollaire comú però les més cobejades són el somorgollaire de Brünnich, que té aquí una de les seves colònies més meridionals del continent, i el fraret, que atreu l’atenció de tothom. Aquí també vam veure nombrosos corbs marins emplomallats i algun grasset de costa que, malauradament, no es va deixar estimar gaire.
De tornada al continent vam necessitar un bon cafè per restituir la calor perduda. El temps era humit i un xic fred, però la pluja ens havia respectat. Hornoya sempre deixa una sensació d’atabalamenta a tothom que la visita; deu ser la densitat d’ocells o l’aclaparadora acumulació d’estímuls…
Gavots a Hornoya. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Els corbs marins emplomallats de Hornoya són aficcionats a niar sota els esglaons del camí que recorre la zona. Imatge de l’Enric CarreraUna fantàstica instantània de fraret. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Somorgollaire de Brünnich. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Somorgollaire comú al bell mig de la colònia. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Gavinetes de tres dits a una de les nombroses colònies a Vadso i Hornoya.
Amb el temps que semblava empitjorar ens vam dirigir cap a la tundra. Aquí, l’activitat semblava reduïda, però no evitava que cada poc temps un paràsit cuapunxegut ens passés per sobre a poca alçada. Amb un mica d’esforç, vam poder veure força bé els primers repicatalons de Lapònia del viatge, i també més batallaires, daurades i algun pòlit cantaire. El picnic va acabar amb senyals de plugim i ens vam dirigir encara més al Nord. A la primera badia que ens vam aturar vam gaudir d’uns tètols cuabarrats en plomatge nupcial complert, però també dels primers ànecs glacials del viatge. A la mateixa badia també hi havien força èiders i, una repasada amb el telescopi va rebel·lar un mascle d’èider reial de 2n any. No és ocell gaire espectacular, però fet i fet no deixa de ser un èider reial i, algun dia, esdevindrà un mascle adult força espectacular.
Vam continuar cap al Nord passen badies. Els ànecs glacials van esdevenir una visió habitual i, amb ells, vam veure diverses concentracions de becs de serra grossos i ànecs negres. Una mica més enllà, un parell de rorquals d’aleta blanca ens van fer aturar i al llarg dels minuts següents vam estar tots entretinguts veient com les seves aletes apareixien a la superfície del mar, de vegades força a prop de la costa! Al final de la carretera, encarats ja cap a les llunyanes Svalbard, vam estar mirant el mar una estona sense gaire novetats i no va ser fins al moment de marxar que una calàbria de bec pàl·lid va aparèixer justament al nostre davant. Telescopis en línia, tothom la va poder gaudir d’allò més, incloses dues ornitòlogues locals que també van celebrar la nostra troballa.
La tornada també ens tenia preparades unes quantes sorpreses. Amb el temps una mica més obert, va ser el moment de celebrar els paràsits cuapunxeguts a tocar de la carretera i, més al Sud, vam decidir explorar un turonet. Semblava que el turó no ens donaria cap sorpresa quan una boleta blanca va sortir volant: Un sit blanc mascle! Va passar volant ben a prop i es va aturar no gaire lluny de la furgoneta. Alguns el van poder veure força bé, però no tothom. Una mica més enllà, també vam fer una parada per observar un petit estol d’oques vam tenir la sorpresa de trobar una oca de bec curt amb acompanyant un parell d’oques pradenques en uns petits camps de conreu i, per acrrodonir el dia, un grup de 3 ants va aparèixer corrent al costat de la carretera, i una explosió d’alegria va tornar a envaïr la furgoneta!
La calàbria de bec pàl·lid al mar. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Primer plànol de cigne cantaire. Imatge del Carles Oliver.La valona, sempre espectacular i sempre mereix una parada 😉 Imatge del Carles Oliver.Aquests rens quasi semblaven salvatges! Imatge del Carles Oliver.Paràsit cuapunxegut vora la carretera. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Tètol cuabarrat en plomatge estival. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Oca de bec curt (esquerra) i oca pradenca (dreta), per a una bona comparació. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Un dels ants que corrien per la tundra. Mai els havia vist tant al Nord. Imatge de l’Antoni Abad.
Dia 8. Aquest dia el vam dedicar a explorar la zona més central de Varanger i una part de la seva costa Nord. Però primer vam fer un tomb pel mateix Vadso, a on el més destacat va ser una cotxa blava. Ja a la zona central de tundra, una primera parada va produir observacions molt bones de passerell àrtic (que recentment ha passat a ser considerat una forma del passerell golanegre). Els primers paràsits cuallargs del dia van fer les delícies del grup i al llarg de la propera hora un seguit de parades seleccionades van produir una llarga llista de limícols (territ variant, territ menut, becadell comú, pòlit cantaire, batallaire, valona, escuraflascons bec-fí, daurada grossa,…) però també observacions de ben a prop d’ànec glacial. Especialment deliciosa va ser l’observació d’una calàbria agulla que, en un primer moment, estava ben a prop de nosaltres!
A mesura que guanyem alçada van apareixent més sit de Lapònia. El dia és assolejat (ja tocava) i el seu cant emplena l’aire. Les aloses banyudes es van deixar veure especialment bé i l’alegria es va desfermar en veure una primera parella de perdiu blanca. Això ens va animar a explorar la zona més alta de la carretera. La zona de picnic escollida ens permetia gaudir de vistes sobre dos mascles i una femella de perdiu blanca, però també aloses banyudes, paràsits cuallargs, esmerla, titelles i còlits grissos. Un cop sadollats de perdius blanques, ens vam dirigir al nostre allotjament, en un preciós enclavament a la costa Nord de Varanger. Després d’una estona de descans vam tornar a la càrrega i la tundra ens ho va recompensar amb escreix. Amb la llum de tarda banyant els turons encatifats, va començar l’espectacle de perdius escandinaves. Un primer mascle es va deixar veure prou bé però no gaire a prop, però al llarg de la següent hora vam poder veure un mínim de 5 mascles, alguns d’ells fent vols nupcials per sobre dels leks de batallaires i escuraflascons! Unes petites basses a la tundra també allotjaven un petit estol d’oques de la tundra, la única parella de morell buixot que vam veure al llarg del tour i una meravellosa parella de calàbria petita.
Cornella emmantellada a la sortida del nostre hotel. Imatge del Carles Oliver.Passerell carpó-blanc. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Aquesta calàbria agulla va emergir increïblement a prop. Imatge del Carles Oliver. Al llarg del dia vam observar un bon grapat d’aloses banyudes. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Una de les moltes perdius blanques observades aquell dia. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Perdiu blanca cantant. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Paràsit cuallarg passejant-se ben a prop. Imatge de l’Antoni Abad.Batallaire preparant-se per a una altra sessió de lluita. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Perdiu escandinava lluïnt-se. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Calàbria petita a curta distància. Imatge de l’Oriol Muntané.
Dia 9. Després de gaudir d’un bon esmorzar ens van dirigir cap a l’Oest des del nostre petit allotjament a un petit istme de la costa Nord de Varanger. Aquí no vam poder deixar de veure la colònia conjunta de xatrac àrtic i somorgollaire alablanc, ni tampoc els pollets de garsa de mar que caminaven, simpàtics, per la sorra. Ens vam dirigir cap a un far. Al voltant del qual ens va sorprendre una molt bona activitat de passeriformes. Aquí hi vam veure força piules gola-roges però també titelles i un parell de passerell becgrocs que no paraven quiets! Des del far vam poder veure algunes foques comunes i un parell de marsopes comunes, i també un bon grapat de somorgollaires alablancs i alguna calàbria, però poca cosa més. Un xic decebuts ens en vam anar a Berlevag, el principal port pesquer de la zona. A l’Est de la població, una gran badia dóna aixopluc a una bona varietat de gavines, normalment gavinetes de tres dits, però sempre hi ha cabuda per a la sorpresa. Repassant els èiders ens vam trobar amb un fantàstic gavinot hiberbori i, quan vam anar a la zona principal de descans de gavines i gavians, l’Enric ens va regalar un dels ocells del viatge, una gavina rosada que descansava en una petita platja amb gavinetes de tres dits. L’observació va aixecar tanta emoció al grup que vam espantar el grup de gavines (estaven només a 5 metres de nosaltres!). Però el patiment no va durar gaire. Les gavines s’havien dirigit al poble i nosaltres vam seguir-les per repassar les teulades típiques a on s’aturen a descansar les gavines petites i, en un tres i no res, vam retrobar la gavina rosada! I la vam poder gaudir al llarg d’uns quants minuts, abans l’estol no decidís canviar d’ubicació… Aquesta és una espècie mítica, que només nia a Svalbard i Grenlàndia. Dóna la casualitat que unes setmanes abans s’havia anat veient una gavina rosada a Vardo, però feia ja més d’una setmana que ningú no la veia. Es tractava del mateix individu?
Després d’un bon cafè per escalfar-nos i encara esvalotats per la troballa, ens vam dirigir al Sud, tot creuant el mar de tundra que és el centre de Varanger. El camí de tornada va estar marcat pel mal temps. Un altre cop temperatures baixes i pluja intermitent que va deslluïr el trajecte. Un cop arribats a l’allotjament, les menjadores pel qual el lloc és famós, eren buides. Al llarg de la tarda vespre, només un parell de verdums i un picot garser gros van fer acte de presència.
La impressionant costa Nord de Varanger. Imatge de l’Oriol Muntané.Somorgollaires alablancs a tocar de les seves caixes nius. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Èider comú a la badia de Berlevag. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Gavina rosada, una de les protagonistes del viatge. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Espectacular ànec glacial a un petit llac de muntanya. Imatge de l’Enric Carrera.Dos moments de la lluita entre dos mascles de perdiu blanca. Una cosa que no es veu cada dia. Imatge del Carles Oliver.
Dia 10. Últim matí del viatge i última oportunitat per gaudir d’una de les especialitats del tour, l’esmorzar per emportar. Aquest últim matí vam decidir de tornar al bosc boreal i, després d’uns quants quilòmetres, vam trobar el que estàvem buscant. De cop i volta, un mascle de gall fer va aparèixer al bell mig de la pista lluint-se amb la cua oberta. Ens vam apropar i l’aguda visió de l’Oriol ens va permetre de trobar no una, però dues femelles de gall fer que estaven ben camuflades dins de la vegetació. Va ser un gran punt final per al nostre tour, amb una espècie que ens havia estat esquivant i una nova mostra de que la perseverança, sovint, dóna fruit! Abans del migdia ja érem a l’aeroport per tal d’agafar el nostre avió
En definitiva, un altre tour exitòs al meravellós Nord i ja amb moltes ganes de tornar al 2026 per tornar a gaudir de les seves meravelles! Us hi apunteu? Teniu tota la informació a la nostra web; barcelonabirdingpoint.com
Femella de gall fer a tocar del nostre vehicle. Imatge d’en Jordi Tragant.Foto de grup a punt per la tornada! Imatge d’en Jordi Tragant.
Llistat d’aus observades al llarg del tour:
Cigne cantaire (Cygnus cygnus)
Oca comuna (Anser anser)
Oca de bec curt (Anser brachyrhynchus)
Oca de tundra (Anser serrirostris)
Oca pradenca (Anser fabalis)
Ànec xiulador (Marecca penelope)
Ànec griset (Marecca strepera)
Xarxet comú (Anas crecca)
Ànec coll-verd (Anas platyrhynchos)
Ànec cuallarg (Anas acuta)
Morell de plomall (Aythya fuligula)
Morell buixot (Aythya marila)
Èider (Somateria mollissima)
Èider reial (Somateria spectabilis)
Ànec glacial (Clangula hyemalis)
Ànec negre (Melanitta nigra)
Ànec foc (Melanitta fusca)
Morell d’ulls grocs (Bucephala clangula)
Bec de serra petit (Merguellus albellus)
Bec de serra gros (Mergus merganser)
Bec de serra mitjà (Mergus serrator)
Faisà comú (Phaisanus colchinus)
Perdiu escandinava (Lagopus lagopus)
Perdiu blanca (Lagopus mutus)
Gall de cua furcada (Lyrurus tetrix)
Gall fer (Tetrao urogallus)
Falciot negre (Apus apus)
Cucut comú (Cuculus canorus) — només sentit
Colom roquer (Columba livia)
Tudó (Columba palumbus)
Grua eurasiàtica (Grus grus)
Cabussó emplomallat (Podiceps cristatus)
Cabussó gris (Podiceps grisegena)
Cabussó orellut (Podiceps auritus)
Garsa de mar (Haematopus ostralegus)
Corriol anellat gros (Charadrius hiaticula)
Daurada grossa (Pluvialis apricaria)
Fredeluga comuna (Vanellus vanellus)
Territ de Temminck (Calidris temminckii)
Territ variant (Calidris alpina)
Territ menut (Calidris minuta)
Batallaire (Calidris pugnax)
Becada (Scolopax rusticola)
Becadell comú (Gallinago gallinago)
Tètol cuabarrat (Limosa lapponica)
Tètol cuanegre (Limosa limosa)
Pòlit cantaire (Numenius phaeopus)
Becut (Numenius arquata)
Gamba roja comuna (Tringa totanus)
Gamba verda (Tringa nebularia)
Valona (Tringa glareola)
Xivita (Tringa ochropus)
Xivitona (Actitis hypoleucos)
Remena-rocs (Arenaria interpres)
Escuraflascons bec-fi (Plalaropus lobatus)
Gavina menuda (Hydrocoloeus minutus)
Gavina riallera (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Gavina cendrosa (Larus canus)
Gavinot (Larus marinus)
Gavià de potes roses (Larus argentatus)
Gavià hiperbori (Larus hyperboreus)
Gavina rosada (Rhodosthetia roseus)
Gavineta de tres dits (Rissa trydactyla)
Xatrac comú (Sterna hirundo)
Xatrac àrtic (Sterna paradisaea)
Xatrac gros (Hydroprogne caspia)
Paràsit cuapunxegut (Stercorarius parasiticus)
Paràsit cuaample (Stercorarius pomarinus)
Paràsit cuallarg (Stercorarius longicaudus)
Somorgollaire comú (Uria aalge)
Somorgollaire de Brünnich (Uria lomvia)
Gavot (Alca torda)
Somorgollaire alablanc (Cepphus grylle)
Fraret (Fratercula arctica)
Calàbria petita (Gavia stellata)
Calàbria agulla (Gavia arctica)
Calàbria de bec pàl·lid (Gavia adamsii)
Corb marí gros (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Corb marí emplomallat (Gulosus aristotelis)
Àguila pescadora (Pandion haliaetos)
Milà negre (Milvus migrans)
Aligot calçat (Buteo lagopus)
Àguila marina (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Mussol emigrant (Asio flammeus)
Mussol pirinenc (Aegolius funereus)
Gamarús de Lapònia (Strix nebulosa)
Gamarús dels Urals (Strix uralensis)
Mussolet eurasiàtic (Glaucidium passerinum)
Picot garser gros (Dendrocopos major)
Picot de tres dits (Picoides tridactylus)
Picot cendrós (Picus canus)
Colltort (Jynx torquilla)
Xoriguer comú (Falco tinnunculus)
Esmerla (Falco columbarius)
Gaig eurasiàtic (Garrulus glandarius)
Gaig siberià (Perisoreus infaustus)
Garsa eurasiàtica (Pica pica)
Gralla occidental (Coloeus monedula)
Cornella emmantellada (Corvus cornix)
Graula (Corvus frugilegus)
Corb comú (Corvus corax)
Ocell sedós europeu (Bombycilla garrulus)
Mallerenga capnegra (Poecile montanus)
Mallerenga de Lapònia (Poecile cinctus)
Mallerenga petita (Periparus ater)
Mallerenga blava (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Mallerenga carbonera (Parus major)
Alosa euroasiàtica (Alauda arvensis)
Alosa banyuda europea (Eremophila alpestris)
Oreneta de ribera (Riparia riparia)
Oreneta comuna (Hirundo rustica)
Oreneta cuablanca (Delichon urbicum)
Mosquiter comú (Phylloscopus collybita) — només sentit
Mosquiter de passa (Phylloscopus troquillus)
Boscarla dels joncs (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)
Boscarla de Blyth (Acrocephalus dumetorum) — només sentit
Tallarol gros (Sylvia borin)
Tallarol xerraire (Curruca curruca)
Reietó (Regulus regulus)
Cargolet eurasiàtic (Troglodytes troglodytes) — només sentit
Raspinell pirinenc (Certhia familiaris)
Griva cerdana (Turdus pilaris)
Tord comú (Turdus philomelos)
Tord ala-roig (Turdus iliacus)
Griva (Turdus viscivorus)
Merla comuna (Turdus merula)
Pit-roig eurasiàtic (Erithacus rubecula) — només sentit
Cotxa blava (Luscinia svecica)
Cotxa cua-blava (Tarsiger cyanurus) — només sentit
Resum: Aquesta és la crònica de viatge del nostre 11è tour al Marroc. Ha estat una edició marcada pel mal temps al Gran Atlas, el que va obligar a inventir-hi força més temps del que és habitual per tal d’assolir les espècies més característiques d’aquest hàbitat. Això va suposar visitar menys zones humides i una llista un xic més curta del que és habitual però que encara va poder sumar espècies força escasses al país com xarxet alablau i polla pintada. El desert i les zones d’estepes en alçada van ser tant excepcionals com sempre!
Tot i els símptomes cada cop més evidents desenvolupame, el Marroc conserva tot el seu exotisme i és una gran destinació ornitològica de primer ordre amb un gran canvi de paisatge, cultura i una gran riquesa d’ocells a tant poca distancia d’Europa!
Totes les imatges en aquest trip report són obra d’en Sergi Sales. Tots els drets reservats.
Dia 1
Després d’un bon esmorzar comença la trobada dels diversos membres de l’expedició, amb nacionalitats variades. Fetes les presentacions i explicacions, comencem la primera jornada de viatge.
Els sits del Sàhara venen a visitar-nos tot movent-se per sota les taules de l’hotel a cerca de restes de menjar i encara als jardins de l’hotel s’escolten els sorollosos bulbuls comuns i els xisclets dels falciots pàl·lids.
Ens desplacem uns pocs quilòmetres, fins a una zona amb arbres grans i madurs a on no triguem en detectar uns dels primers targets del tour, el picot verd del Magrib, espècie endèmica de les zones arbrades d’aquesta regió; fins a 4 exs. es deixen observar a plaer. A la zona també són abundants els pinsans africans (espècie separada del pinsà comú tot just fa un any), mallerengues blaves africanes i la raça del nord d’Àfrica de picot garser gros.
Satisfets per aquesta primera parada, decidim començar la pujada cap a les zones altes de l’Atles a la cerca de la especialitats allà presents. Però tot són entrebancs. La pista està deteriorada pels forts terratrèmols del 2024 que tan mal van provocar en aquesta regió, però per fer-ho més difícil comença un xàfec intens, que poc després es converteix en calamarsa que, a mesura que pugem, es transforma en aiguaneu. A mig camí fem un intent amb poques esperances per mirar de contactar amb la tallareta de l’Atles, però deu estar ben amagada amb aquestes condicions meteorològiques. Un petita escletxa s’obre al cel i una roca al marge de la carretera descobrim la primera merla blava del viatge, aturant-se als pocs segons un meravellós mascle de cotxa diademada i un mascle de sit negre. 3 espècies aturdes en menys d’un metre de distància l’una de l’altra. Això ens anima a seguir l’ascensió però quan només ens quedaven 5 quilòmetres, la neu començar a agafar a l’asfalt i es perd la referència de l’asfalt i línies de la carretera. Amb la visilibilitat força limitada, decidim amb bon criteri avortar la missió i tornar cap avall. Afortunadament, un excel·lent restaurant ens ajuda a passar el mal tràngol tot gaudint del primer tagin del viatge. Tot això a temperatures extremadament baixes, per sota de 5ºC positius!!!
La jornada l’acabem a les zones planes més properes a Marràqueix, a on tot i el fred i el vent podem gaudir de les primeres garses del Magrib, aligot rogenc, terreroles comunes i excel·lents observacions d’un torlit.
Dia 2
Canvi de plans per poder adaptar-nos a la meteorologia i mirar de no perdre cap dels objectius del viatge. Tornem a emprendre la pujada cap les pistes d’esquí. Avui el temps pinta molt millor, tot i la gran quantitat de neu acumulada i el fred.
A una cota força més baixa de l’habitual veiem un estol gran d’aloses banyudes de l’Atles, i tot gaudint d’aquests ocells, veiem una parella de còlits negres i un parell d’amagadises merles de pit blanc. Un cop arribat a la zona de les pistes d’esquí, al llac d’alta muntanya hi han les habituals fotges comunes i un parell de merles d’aigua. Al voltant, més aloses banyudes acompanyades de cogullades fosques. Grans grup de gralles, a 1era hora majoritàriament de bec vermell que al llarg del matí es van substituint per gralles de bec groc. També veiem un bon nombre de pardals roquers, especialment prop dels habitatges. Només es resisteix el pinsà ala-roig de l’Atles. Cercant aquesta especialitat ens trobem amb diversos grups d’ornitòlegs de Bèlgica, Regne Unit, Països Baixos… tots ells amb resultat negatiu, alguns amb 3 dies seguits buscant-los sense resultat. Tot i això no deixem d’intentar-ho fins que al final l’esforç té premi quan alguns de nosaltres detectem uns exemplars de pinsans ala-roig que es deixen veure extremadament a prop. Objectiu assolit!!
Més que satisfets iniciem un llarg transfer cap la zona del Souss Massa. En ruta, tot travessant encisadors paisatges, anem veient diverses espècies com el falciot cuablanc petit, ballesters i pardals de passa en una colònia mixta en un dels peatges de l’autopista. Una vegada caiguda la nit ens creuen la carretera torlits, un mussol comú i un fugaç mussol banyut.
Alosa banyuda de l’Atles (Eremophila alpestris atlas)Gralla de bec groc (Pyrrhocorax graculus).Pinsà ala-roig de l’Atles (Rhodopechys sanguineus alienus).Una segona imatge del pinsà rosat de l’Atles, en aquest cas deixant veure el rosat de les primàries.
Un dels principals targets d’aquesta zona és la txagra de coroneta negra per això abans d’esmorzar sortim a una zona mixte de conreus locals amb zones arbustives tot aprofitant les hores de menys calor i més activitat. Als pocs minuts contactem amb la característica veu d’aquesta espècie alhora que un bon nombre de busquetes brunes i diverses espècies de passeriformes migrants . Les guatlles canten molt ben a prop però com sempre sembla que es tornin invisibles. Les cotxes diademades es deixen observar a distàncies ridícules.
Després d’aquesta fantàstica sortida a primera hora, tornem a l’allotjament per gaudir d’excel·lent esmorzar!!
Tot travessant camps de conreus ens dirigim cap els punts d’aigua que li donen fama aquest parc nacional. A pocs km del poble trobem un elani comú que es decideix a fer tot una exhibició de vols, picats i aturades. La verdor dels camps afavoreix la presència de diferents migrants com mosquiters de passa, tallarol de garriga occidental, tallarol emmascarat occidental, piula dels arbres i capsigranys.
La primera parada ens aportar un nou reguitzell d’espècies de limícoles i anàtides noves per la nostra creixent llistat del viatge alhora que trobem les primeres orenetes de ribera africanes, movent-se per sobre de la vegetació de ribera del riu amb un grup amb altres espècies d’hirundínids.
Arribem al parc de Sous Massa on emprenem el llarg i assolellat camí que segueix paral·lel, però a certa distància, l’estuari del riu. Aquí van apareixen ànecs, limícoles, flamencs, capons…i diversos grups d’ornitòlegs alguns del qual diuen haver vist una de les rareses que corren aquell dies per allà; els xarxets alablaus. Després de buscar-los al llarg d’una bona estona, finalment es deixen observar dormint entre ànecs cullerots, el mascle per gaudi dels membres del nostre grup es va decidir a nedar i exhibir els seu plomatge.
Per fer el pícnic decidim visitar una de les impressionants platges des d’on podrem fer sea-watching. Aquí hi trobem un bon pas de mascarells, entre els quals van apareixent algun paràsit boreal i paràsit cuapunxegut. El fet d’estar en plena època de migració ens va donar l’oportunitat de gaudir de l’espectacle en directe de grups de becplaners tornat cap al Nord i grups de limícoles com pigres grisos migrant cap al Nord tot seguint la línia de la costa. Tot i així es resisteixen els ibis ermitants, fins que al final del dia 3 exemplars, un d’ells radiomarcat, es deixen veure a tocar dels penya-segats on restaran a passar la nit.
Dia 4
Repetim l’estratègia del dia anterior, visitant abans de l’esmorzar sectors propers al nostre allotjament, a on es deixen observar a plaer perdius nord-africanes, mussols comuns de la raça nord-africana i les aquí abundants garses del Magreb.
Desprès d’esmorzar comencem a emprendre el llarg trànsfer cap l’interior tot veient en ruta alguns rapinyaires (menys que anys anteriors) i fent aturades en alguns ponts i gorges on veiem les primeres àguiles cuabarrades del viatge. Tot just abans d’arribar a Ouarzazate ens aturem per escanejar un petit punt aigua que travessa el desert rocallós. Aquí veiem còlits negres, les primeres terreroles del desert i una sorprenent polla pintada que es va deixar fotografiar i veure a plaer. Una darrera aturada en un lluents d’aigua amb corriols petits, ànecs canyelles i les primeres cogulladesdel Maghrib amb un bec llarg i mida considerable.
Cau la nit i arribem a l’allotjament a les impressionants Gorges del Dades.
Demà ens espera la visita al mític Boumalne Track!!
Perdius nord-africanes (Alectoris barbara)Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana) in a small stream in the Anti Atlas.
Dia 5
Sortim a fer l’entramat de pistes de terra del Tagdilt track , segurament el lloc amb més diversitat de còlits i al·làudids del Paleàrctic Occidental.
No triguem a trobar el 1er còlit de coroneta blanca, un ocell espectacular! Realment en aquest primer sector la diversitat d’ocells no es correspon amb la bellesa del paisatge, tones i tones de plàstics embruten les visualitzacions sobretot dels còlits de carpó roig, els quals ja estan en plena fase reproductora. Però sens dubte el còlit del desert és el més comú dels còlits nidificants allà. Uns quants còlits grisos i rossos en migració completen el llarg llistat de membres d’aquesta família. Sembla que enguany és d’aquestes temporades en les quals detectar les calàndries bec-grosses es feina complicada. Tornem a coincidir amb el grup d’ornitòlegs belgues amb els que vàrem prospectar l’alt Atlas. Intercanviem informació ja tots dos grups havíem començant el mateix itinerari però pels extrem oposats. Entrem en zona d’hàbitat menys deteriorat on es veuen abundants les terreroles del desert i cuabarrades. Entre les cogullades fosques que travessen les pistes, acabem veient la primera alosa puput del tour (a les zones desèrtiques és molt més abundant), tot observant aquest increïble alaúdid en creua un nombrós grup de corredors saharians. Tot tornant i escanejant entre els residus, veiem un grupet de aloses del Sàhara, similars a les aloses banyudes però més petites i perfectament adaptades a aquestes ambients tant secs.
Còlit de coroneta blanca (Oenanthe leucopygia)Còlit de carpó roig (Oenanthe moesta).Alosa del Sàhara (Eremophila bilopha)
Puja ràpidament la temperatura i després de refrescar-nos ens dirigim cap les gorges on ens esperen altres dels objectius del tour.
Amb l’ajuda d’un improvisat guia local ens localitza explorarem aquest sector. Desprès d’un ràpid pícnic ens duu cap un dels sectors controlats ensenyant-nos pel camí un escurçó cornut. De sobte un falcó llaner es deixar veure a molt curta distància intentant caçar una terrerola del desert.
Finalment arribem a una petita cova on està un niu de duc del desert, amb 3 polls. Sembla que enguany s’han intercanviat els territoris entre ducs, falcons i l’aligot rogenc, els quals sobrevolen diverses vegades la zona. Aquí mateix trobem una parella de pinsans trompeters. Una mica més enllà veiem fugaçment un còlit de Núbia, però després d’una estona caminant per aquells barrancs, una parella es deixa veure en bones condicions.
Més que satisfets tornem al lloc del matí per tal de tornar a cercar la calàndria bec-grossa, aquesta vegada amb més èxit ja que ràpidament un petit grup es deixa veure a curta distància abans de desaparèixer entre la vegetació…
Aprofitem les darreres llums per visitar les impressionants gorges de Dades i fer un intent per recuperar la darrera espècie que havíem perdut per la nevada a l’Atlas, i als pocs minuts d’aturar el vehicle detectem el reclam de la tallareta de l’Atles , en concret un mascle que després es va deixar escoltar i veure força bé, una gran alegria pel grup.
Al pàrquing de l’hospedatge ens sorprèn un adult d’àguila cuabarrada passant per sobre dels nostres caps amb una gran branca al bec, no triga en aturar-se i mostrar-nos on està el niu! Tot això ornamentat pels cants de merles blaves i còlits negres.
Tallareta de l’Atlas (Curruca deserticola).
Dia 6
Trànsfer llarg cap les dunes del desert del Sàhara, fent una parada a un parell de punts amb hàbitat perfecte per un petit i complicat ocell, la prínia del desert. Després de caminar entre zones sorrenques envoltats de ramats de cabres i veient un seguit de botxins septentrionals amb la seva complexa taxonomia, escoltem les seves veus i comencem carreres i aturades tot seguint un grupet que puja a matolls i corre per la sorra com si s’acabés el món. Finalment, tots els participants tenen molt bones observacions d’aquesta esquerpa espècie!
En ple Ramada no és fàcil trobar llocs per menjar però el nostre grup no té problemes i optimitzem el temps aturar-nos a mig camí entre Boulmane i Merzouga. Després de dinar, un seguit de parades en ruta van ser poc productives així que decidim anar directes a Merzouga i aprofitar l’increïble paisatge que han generat les pluges d’aquest passat hivern tornant a omplir d’aigua la seva famosa llacuna (feia 5 anys que no tenia aigua) i a on podem gaudir de flamencs i d’altres aus aquàtiques al ben mig del desert. Es increïble com els ocells s’adapten a les condicions puntuals de la zona, havent-hi gran nombre de parelles nidificants d’ànecs canyelles, cama-llargues, corriols petits i camanegres. A més de sorprenents migrants com un cabussó collnegre o àguila pescadora. Força lluny i molt amagadissos pels vent, però veiem bé un grupet de xarxets marbrencs.
Prínia del desert (Scotocerca inquieta).
Dia 7
Ben aviat venen a buscar-nos els guies locals amb els vehicles 4×4 perfectament adaptats a conduir per les dunes i sorres del desert. La primera aturada és al lloc que visiten per veure amb les primeres llums les gangues pigallades i coronades. No triguem gaire en observar totes dues espècies fent ràpides visites a l’abeurador.
D’aquí ens desplacem a una acàcia on nia una parella de pardal del desert. Malauradament no tenim èxit en aquest primer intent; sembla que és l’hora on han anat a cercar l’esmorzar.
Aprofitem per anar acompanyat d’un pastor local a la zona on descansen de dia els enganyapastors d’Egipte. Sembla que hem tingut sort i avui té un ocell localitzat, increïble feina per trobar un mestre del camuflatge com és aquesta espècie. Després de gaudir d’aquesta gran enganyapastors, tornem a l’arbre del pardal del desert i ara sí que estan allà: un mascle super esverat exhibint-se amb dues femelles construint un niu comunitari absolutament ignorant la nostra presència.
Iniciem la cerca de la tallareta del desert africana de la qual es veu i escolta un exemplar. Malauradament no tothom arriba a veure-la i llavors arriba un forta ventada amb tempesta de sorra fet que complica assolir millors observacions així que decidim avortar la missió a l’espera de que millorin les condicions , però malauradament això no passarà… Una llàstima perquè a pesar del vent es veuen força migrants com cotxes cua-roges, àguiles calçades, mosquiters, tallarols, còlits, capsigranys…..
Finalment les condicions empitjoren i decidim prendre una tarda lliure i agafar forces per fer un segon intent a l’endemà.
Gangues coronades i pigallades bebent aigua.Enganyapastors d’Egipte (Caprimulgus aegiptiacus)Pardal del desert (Passer simplex).
Dia 8
De bon matí fem un tombet al voltant de l’allotjament per trobar tordenc lleonat que un any més no falla en aquesta localització. Després visitem una zona amb bones condicions per la tallareta del desert però sense sort, encara que gaudim de diferents migrants i d’una de les grans sorpreses del viatge, un fennec que creua corrents dues vegades davant el grup.
Encara estorats per l’observació de la guineu orelluda, decidim tornar a la zona on vàrem veure ahir la tallareta, no sense trobar per enèsima vegada al grup d’ornitòlegs belgues (no serà la darrera trobada, encara havíem de tornar a coincidir als caixers locals per treure diners!!) . Tot voltant per l’entorn veiem un niu de les comunes aloses puputs, fet al capdamunt dels matolls alts per tal de poder vigilar tot el que es pugui apropar.
Anem a visitar la mítica estació d’anellament del Cafe Yasmine, sense poder accedir pels camins habituals ja que estan completament anegats d’aigua, increïbles paisatges amb desenes de migrants aprofitant unes poques comunes condicions d’humitat i verdor. Per exemple un gran grup de perdius de mar sobrevolen la zona diverses vegades. Enguany son especialment comunes les boscarles dels joncs, barrejant-se els seus cants amb les bosquetes brunes. En ruta veiem alguns grups de gangues, corredors saharians i alguns còlits de Seebohm, encara migrant lluny dels territoris de cria.
Tornem a repetir visita la llac de Merzouga, veient alguns de les espècies vistes el dia anterior afegint a la llista alguns limícoles (valona, territ variant, menut, gamba roja i verda) i uns inesperats grassets de muntanya.
La zona de palmeres d’Igrane a més d’un petit oasis d’aigua i ombra, ens permet veure en seguit de passeriformes migrants alhora que grups mixtes d’abellerols comuns i de Pèrsia.
Torden lleonat (Argya fulva)Fennec (Vulpes zerda) a la carreraAfrican Desert Warbler (Curruca deserti).Alosa puput (Alaemon alaudipes).
Dia 9
Comencem la tornada cap a Marràqueix fent un viatge xino-xano, tot fent parades a zones on es veuen ocells, com antigues rambles on es concentren bastants còlits de diferents espècies (del desert, de Seebohm, rossos..), aloses puputs, terreroles rogenques… Finalment podem veure entre els tallarols de garriga migrants algunss tallarols trencamates. Tot travessant un petit poblat veiem un grup d’abellerols de Pèrsia fent els nius a una zona sorrenca.
Continuem conduint cap el proper hospedatge aturant-nos al famós pantà d’Al-Mansour on sumem un seguit d’espècies com currocs, orenetes de ribera…però els forts vents fa que decidim arranjar el lloc per dormir i descansar per la darrer dia.
Dia 10
Ara sí arriba el darrer dia del viatge. Alhora que esmorzem podem sentir vàries bosquetes brunes defensant territori als jardins del lodge, puputs arreu, alguns migrants com piules dels arbres i tallarols, grups de l’abundant oreneta cua-rogenca en aquest sector…un bon comiat.
En ruta ens aturem a la llera d’un petit riu on es veia algun ràl·lid, no vàrem tenir sort però en canvi sí que vàrem tindre l’espectacle d’un dia de migració de passeriformes impressionant, en un sol arbre hi havia més de 10 exemplars de 7 espècies diferents: tallarols de garriga, emmascarats, tallaretes; mosquiter de passa, comuns, pàl·lids i alguns confiats mosquiters ibèrics. Prop de l’aigua hi havien desenes les boscarles de canyar i dels joncs que es movien entre els canyissars. També l’únic mastegatatxes del tour. Llàstima no poder tindre més temps per mirar cadascun dels racons de la zona, migració en viu!!!
Creuant l’Atles van sortint còlits, gralles de bec vermell i altres espècies típiques d’aquests hàbitat, entre la boira i baixes temperatures.
La darrera aturada és a l’únic hàbitat que no havíem pogut treballar, boscos de coníferes. Escoltem i en algun cas veiem ocells típics d’aquí, mallerenga petita, trencapinyes, esparvercomú i un astor fent vols nupcials.
Darrera aturada i ja encarem com el punt final del viatge.
Tour on han sortit pràcticament totes les espècies objectiu, amb menys rapinyaires que en edicions anteriors però en canvi amb dies de migració de passeriformes com feia anys que no es veia, especialment als sectors que de forma anormal mantenien aigua i més verdor del que es veia els altres anys.
Overview: Our 8th issue exploring Northern Finland & Finnmark was another successful trip. The tour enjoyed mild weather during the first days of the trip, but the last days were cloudy and windy, with temperatures clearly lower than average. The last two days of the trip we got some light rain. In this trip we got nice views on all the species of Grouses and 5 species of Owls. The North of the itinerary was empty of rodents, and this explains the absence of Northern Hawk Owls and Rough-legged Buzzards (only 2 seen). On raptors, this was partially compensated by the occurrence of a male Pallid Harrier the first days of the trip. It was also a low year for Redpolls, and both Mealy and Arctic (now lumped in a single species) were showing in modest numbers.
All images in this trip report by tour leader Carles Oliver. All rights reserved.
Day 1. During the afternoon, all the tour participants are assembling at the Oulu Airport. Meet and greet at the terminal, and once the vehicle is collected we directly drive to our accommodation. After dinner we still have time for some birding, and taking advantage of the good light we had a walk to check in the bay beside our hotel. Here we got the first views on Common Rosefinch of the trip, but also other species including Red-breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe, Greenshank, Sedge Warbler and a distant flock of Common Cranes feeding in the bay. A drake Garganey is also very nice pick up, and our list also includes a distant Lesser Black-backed Gull (nominal race) and Common Snipes displaying in the air. After a few more minutes we called a day and come back to our rooms for a short sleep.
Day 2. Very early morning start. After leaving the accommodation with our local guide we go to the woodlands. Here we get a first stop to see a Eurasian Eagle Owl that is roosting along one lane. The Owl didn’t enjoy our company so it went deeper in the forest, we all got very nice scope views. Always a treat!
A second stop was made way inside the forest. This time to visit a nest of Great Grey Owl. After a short walk in the forest we enjoyed great views of the female on a massive nest of Northern Goshawk. Definitely a wonderful sight! Around it, we had both Spotted & Pied Flycatchers and, in the way to our van a distant, familiar call caught our attention, and the time proved us right when a wonderful Eurasian three-toed Woodpecker just emerged from the woods to stop right by the road, working in one of the oldest trees around. Jackpot! We were not expecting this species to show here!
From here we drove a short distance into a small backyard. As we arrive, a family group of Scandinavian Bullfinches (a very distinctive race both in size and in voice) were very showy in the trees around. Here we also got nice views on Goldcrest and our first Greenfinch was singing from high up in the tree. Soon, the first reason of our visit here was audible in the distance, and it didn’t take long to show up: a wonderful Black Woodpecker that landed a few meters away from us, in their way to attend its nest in the backyard. Very happy with this sight we only had to move slightly around the same tree to face a second whole. This time was a Tengmalm’s Owl that was on the nest! Amazing! It is always great to see this super cute creatures, especially when it comes to owl chicks.. After a few minutes enjoying this amazing bird and a couple of other small passerines, we went back to minibus.
Our last stop of the morning was to get deep into the boreal forest. a ten minutes walk into the habitat was mandatory to reach our goals there. This is normally a nice place for woodpeckers, but after we already nealed the Three-toed Woodpecker we focused in smaller species. In our we heard 1 Wood Warbler singing and we saw Tree Pipit, Eurasian Treecreeper, Lesser Whitethroat and a few Robins. Suddenly we arrived into a place where many birds were singing. There were Siskins but also Great & Blue Tits and Common Chaffinches. Not surprisingly, an Eurasian Pygmy Owl was the cause of all that mess. The owl was high up in the tree and we were lucky to find it! During the next minutes, we were enjoying the Owl, trying different angles to have better views/shots. While exploring the forest we also found a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker that showed out very well before we arrive to a Grey-headed Woodpecker nesting hole! The male performed very well of us, showing out for at least 10 minutes!
Back to the road, we had to a couple of stops because of Eurasian Woodcocks moving really close to the tarmac before arriving to the last stop of the morning. Here we visited a nesting pair of Ural Owls. When we arrived, it was quite cloudy and the female Ural Owl was inside the nesting box, providing really good scope views.
Great Grey Owl sitting on its nest. A wonderful sight!This Three-toed Woodpecker popped out from the forest. A really unexpected sight!Black Woodpecker showed really well around its nesting hole.Tengmalm’s Owl inside its nest hole in a private gardenWe were very lucky to pick up this Eurasian Pygmy Owl up in the trees. Here a closer look!Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerGrey-headed Woodpecker showing very nicely
Very excited after this wonderful morning, we went for an early lunch followed by a resting time in our accommodation. The after was sunny, and we kept going with the planning, going to check a massive bog area South of Oulu. As we went inside the place, we got nice views on some common species here including Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Pied Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail and Spotted Flycatcher. The path crosses and large area of bog, and here we got some Marsh Harriers flying around, and excitement rocked up when a wonderful male Pallid Harrier just came to us crossing the bog. Even if never came really close, this was one of the birds of the week for some of us! Beyond, we got the first (far) views on Ruff and White-tailed Eagle. The only one Caspian Tern of the trip was seen here, and the list was also including Garganey and 1 Taiga Bean Goose that flew over our group.
After dinner we still had energy to check a nesting place of Terek’s Sandpiper. Unfortunately, with no luck..
This male Pallid Harrier was one of the surprises of our first day!
Day 3. After enjoying a very good breakfast we left our accommodation and start heading East. Our first stop that morning was to check a couple of places looking for Ortolan Bunting. Our first stop produced Common Whitethroat, Curlews, Rooks, Green Sandpiper and close views on a pair of Grey Partridges. Following the lovely lanes that cross the farming around Oulu we soon arrived into a second interesting spot. Here, we soon heard at least 3 Ortolan Buntings singing around. Yellowhammers & Reed Bunting were both common here and it was not easy to connect with the Ortolans in the misty ambient. Still, after a few minutes, we got some proper views. From here we drove a few mile into a nice area of forest where we got really nice looks on both Garden Warbler and a very showy Common Rosefinch. A male European Honey Buzzard flew over us, clapping its winds up head in a phenomenal display that, for me, was one of the best behavioural tips of the trip! In this same spot we got our first Hazel Grouse singing around. This is normally a nice place to try to see it, and the bird did a couple of crossings at close range. Unfortunately not everybody in the group connected with the bird, and after a time trying to have better views we finally decided to leaving for another day and go to check a nearby pond where a drake Slavonian Grebe was waiting for us! After enjoying close views on this little gems we kept driving East, and after having an en route lunch we arrived to Kuusamo.
Grey Partridge was a nice adding to our listCommon Rosefinch singing his heart out from the top of a small pineLovely Slavonian Grebe showing its puffs up!
It was a cloudy afternoon in Kuusamo. Our first movement in this new area was to check a couple of places for Little Bunting, with little reward out of distant Little Gulls, Sand Martins (new for the trip) and the nice sand rather distinctive song of the “abietinus” race of Willow Warbler. The last stop before arriving to visit a colony of Little Gulls. Here we got excellent views on the smallest gull, but also on the nesting Red-necked Grebes and Whooper Swans distant 5 Black-throated Divers and Goldeneyes and the first Brambling of the trip!
Redwings became even more obvious around KuusamoWood Sandpiper is a common breeder in marshes of all sizes in Northern FinlandLittle Gull around one colony
Day 4. As usual in this areas, we had a very early start of the day before going to the forest. En route, we had a first en route stop. Here we got ruff views on a couple of Rustic Buntings that we heard as we were driving. A bit beyond, we got a small flock of Common Crossbills. The first Grouse drive of the trip was not totally successful. Still, we got nice views on the 1st Willow Grouse of the trip before arriving in a lek of Capercaillies. Here, Mark got a bird moving behind a bush, and this is how we got our first male Capercaillie lekking in the forest! We all got good views but we couldn’t get pictures, the bird went into a small ditch and went away from us.
After a shortwalk in the forest, we enjoyed our take away breakfast. Here we got a good number of forest passerines including Golcrests, Siskins, Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers, Willow Warblers, Treecreepers, all of them at close range. Back to the van, we did a bit more of Grouse drive, and we got a second lekking Capercaillie that provided way better views than the first views. After some coffee we tried a different place for Rustic Bunting with a nice male appearing in front of us and singing for long, and our efforts got rewarded with good views on Tree Pipits and, especially, some amazing views on an extremely obliging pair of Willow Grouses! They were so close that we could hear the noise of their long claws when classing the tiny rocks of the lane..
From here we drove to one of the most famous hills around Kuusamo. Walking up the hill, we got nice views on Bullfinches and Willow Tits, and once we arrived to the top we got views into 2 elusive Siberian Jays. It was a sunny morning, and soon we were hearing a lovely Red-flanked Bluetail singing from the top of the canopy. It didn’t take long to us to locate the bird, that a few minutes later came down to the ground to feed around, providing excellent views and photo chances! From the top of the hill we still got scope views on a second Red-flanked Bluetail and a Merlin flying at full speed on its way North!
To end the morning, we had a stop in a couple of ponds. Here we got Wigeons, Eurasian Teals, Tufted Ducks, Little Gulls and Goldeneyes. Common Sandpiper was new for the trip and other waders here included Common Snipe, Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper. Still, the best bird in this stop was the drake Smew that was swimming along with Goldeneyes.
After lunch, we went into a different place looking for Rustic Bunting, and this time we got very nice views on a singing male. A Hazel Grouse was singing around, but again we only got a male flying around the group, and with the tip of a Black Kite as we were enjoying the landscape at our accommodation.
The first bird of the morning was this shy Rustic BuntingMale Capercaillie moving in the woodsAmazing close up to female Willow GrouseAnd here, the male. It was so close that the all were about to touch it!Rather distant, but solid views on Rustic Bunting!A nice flock of drake GoldeneyesRed-flanked Bluetail showed very nicely to our group!A very attractive pair of Smews to end the morning!
Day 5. After enjoying breakfast at our accommodation, we drove back to some good areas for Grouses. Here we got nice views into a female Black Grouse before going for a short walk in the boreal forest. Our main goal was to contact with Hazel Grouse, but we had no luck. In the walk we had Willow Tit and an flock of unidentified Crossbills before transfering North. It was a poor year for Northern Hawk Owl, but we information of a recent sight midway between Kuusamo and Ivalo. We drove there and invested a couple of hours exploring the massive fogs around. Unfortunately we got no Owls, but 2 very showy Siberian Jays while Bohemian Waxwing, European Golden Plover and Mealy Redpolls were new for the trip. Other species here included Wood Sandpiper, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and a couple of flocks of Common Cranes.
Black Grouse up in a tree as we were about to start our short walkLovely Eurasian Siskin, a fairly common bird in the boreal forest
After some lunch, we arrived around Ivalo, where we invested some time exploring one of the many lanes around the town. It was a sunny afternoon with temperatures of 22ºC so, rather warm for this latitude. Along the lane we amazing and very close views on different females of Black Grouses, and a couple of Siberian Tits emerged from the boreal forest for the enjoyment of the photographers in the group. Along the afternoon we also got 2 Willow Grouses at short range, Redpolls, 3 Bohemian Waxwings and a few Mistle Thrushes (rather scarce this year along our itinerary) and 2 very showy Siberian Jays, but the best was the 4 different female Western Capercaillies that gave us quite a show, with their fan-like tails up and their amazing gorges down in an extremely interesting behaviour! Without doubt, one of the best sights on female Capercaillie for me after so many years!!
Very glad after such a great afternoon, we just covered the short distance to our accommodation before enjoying a very tasty dinner!
During the afternoon we got some amazing views on three species of Grouses. Here a female Black Grouse.Siberian Tit, a must for any birdwatcher exploring this regionOur afternoon in the boreal forest included very good looks on Siberian JaysNo words for this stunning sight on female Capercaillie!
Day 6. After having breakfast in our accommodation we drove a couple of miles to stop in a quite famous place for Little Bunting. Even if far away, we soon had nice scope views in this little fella while 2 more of them were singing around. It was again a sunny, and since we had not visited any bird tower for the last days we decided to go into a close one to have a fast look around. Here we got the first Whimbrel of the trip plus distant views on Goosander, Yellow Wagtail and Common Crane. Back to the road, we had to do an emergency stop because it was a male Parrot Crossbill feeding on the tarmac, but unfortunately I was the only to see them. With the van in the middle of the lane, we all realised that we were having a gorgeous female of Capercaillie right in front of us, watching us and deciding whether it was a good moment to cross the road, or not.
From here we went into a different spot, a nice boreal forest. Again, our main goal was Hazel Grouse, the only forest Grouse that was somehow scaping good views.. This area is normally good for forest birds, but this year was very low. Still, soon we got a male Hazel Grouse singing deep in the forest. We moved slowly, tracking him along the lanes. It sounded close and it seemed like singing from the ground, which is always better to try to locale this species. I was walking side by side with Mike, when he suddenly pointed out to the ground, only about 10 metres away from us: He had found the male Hazel Grouse! He was extremely happy. For him, it was the end of a long pursuit. Even if being a big lister with several thousands of birds on it, he had been missing this bird for years, even if he was trying in a few countries! I was very happy, especially to know that he self-found the bird!!
After the male, we also got the female deep in the forest. Both birds walked away a bit from us, getting inside a forest landscape puzzled with boulders and dead trees. It took us about 20 minutes to get everybody on the birds, as they were moving slowly down, and the work became easier once Núria settled down that the male was jumping up into a specific boulder to sing from there every few minutes. Scoping that rock, everybody enjoyed a bit of these Grouses!
In this issue we only got scope views on Little Bunting. Here a record shot.Hazel Grouse showed very well after a long search. A great spot by Peter!
After this we just started the transfer to Norway, with a lunch stop in one of the famous feeding stations for Pine Grosbeak that, this time, produced nothing.
From here we had some solid drive North, but with stops that allow us nice views on Smew, Red-breasted Merganser, Velvet Scoter, Bluethroat and one of the very few Rough-legged Buzzards of the trip along with commoner species.
I was enjoying the drive inside Norway when suddenly a “Moooooooooossse” came from the last raw of seats of the van! Yes, Mike got a Moose in a small field beside the road. After a safe stop in the lane, we all enjoyed a very nice views on the Moose, before it vanished inside the dense and low birches.
A first stop in Varanger produced scope views on Temminck’s Stints along with Redshanks & Oystercatchers and many, many Common Ringed Plover. A bit further, we did a second stop to enjoy the first White-tailed Eagles of the trip, and here we got lucky and we found a nice flock of 80+ Red Knots in full summer plumage! Along with them, Bar-tailed Godwits, Dunlins and other species!
The bird feeders are a nice place to enjoy some common species. Here a Great Spotted Woodpecker showing its tongue.The first Moose of the trip always creates a big wave of happiness in our groups. The image is a bit blurry, but it deserves to be here
After checking in at our accommodation in Varanger we still had plenty of time to enjoy some top locations. In Vadso we spent some lovely time in one of its famous “Pharalope ponds”. Here we got to see this small creatures very close as they were feeding and courtshipping in the water. The afternoon was lovely but not very sunny. Still, we had great views on these wonderful birds, in a moment that normally is one of the highlights of our time in Norway. Along with them, some gorgeous Ruffs were also lekking, and yet this was another very special moment. There were males of the different colours that fighted for the attention of a couple of females moving in the grass. But these were not the only birds around. A pair of Temminck’s Stints were feeding at close range, and we also got a Bluethroat moving in the vegetation as well as a couple of Red-throated Pipits. Both Arctic Skuas and Arctic Terns were flying over the small lagoon and the bay beyond was full of Common Eiders & Goosanders. Unfortunately no Steller’s Eiders this year, as the seemed to be vanished from the area weeks ago.
After such a great stop, we still had some time to check a small corner that it is very nice for waders. Here we got excellent views on a large flock of drake Dunlins but also 2 Temminck’s Stints and Bar-tailed Godwit to end another wonderful day!
During our first drive in Varanger we got some very close views on White-tailed EaglesTemminck’s Stint on its nesting siteThis wonderful Ruff was taking a break on the fights..A couple Red-necked Phalarope female close ups
Day 7. After enjoying a gorgeous breakfast at our accommodation we transferred North to Vadso. The main goal of the day was to visit Hornoya and its massive see bird colony. Our drive North had some stops to see Golden Plovers but also White-tailed Eagles, Arctic Skuas and a couple of Willow Ptarmigans standing up in the tundra. The drive also produced a small flock of Tundra Bean Geese in some fields next to the road.
After a short boat trip, we arrived to Hornoya. The boat trip produced little beyond a couple of distants Grey Seals, Black Guillemots and flocks and flocks of Auks as we were approaching the island. Hornoya hosts a massive number of seabirds. Here there about 100.000 sea birds, with Kittiwake being the commoner followed by Common Guillemots, both with tens of thousands of pairs. Along with them there a few thousand of pairs of Razorbills and Atlantic Puffins. Shags, Brünnich’s Guillemots and Fulmars are also nesting here, the last with only a few pairs.
It didn’t take long for us to find some pairs of Brünnich’s Guillemots nesting in the cliffs, normally about 20 to 40 metres high, in all nests of Kittiwakes. Along the following hours, we enjoyed the breathtaking ambient of the colony. Those in the group that wanted to explore the upper part of the island had nice views on Red-throated Pipits and Barnacle Geese, and those who prefered to stay lower had good views on Purple Sandpipers and Water Pipits.
Black Guillemot in VardoBrünnich’s Guillemots on their nesting corniseGuillemots only a few inches awayAtlantic Puffins were very tame, as usualFace to face with Atlantic PuffinThis year there weren’t many
Back to the continent, we did a picnic stop in a nice tundra patch. It was our first stop in a proper tundra, but unfortunately the weather was misty and cold, and we had only a few birds around. It became windy, but during our drive North from Vardo, we had a number of stops in sheltered bays that allowed to connect with some good birds. Here we had large flocks of Long-tailed Ducks but also several Red-throated Diver and a nice mixed flock of Common & Velvet Scoters. Black Guillemots and Goosanders were everywhere. But the best bird in these bays was a drake White-billed Diver that, even if a bit far, produced nice scope views. A bit beyond, we had a couple of Minke Whales swimming really close to the coast, and we stopped a couple of minutes to check around. It was time enough for Mark to find a White-billed Diver in the sea, right out from where were. Second for the afternoon!
We still drove beyond, eventually arriving to the end of the lane. This is a nice place to check the sea. We are actually out of the Varanger fjord, and facing North into the Arctic Ocean, it will be nothing between us and the Svalbard archipelago, about 1000 miles North! This is also nice place for seabirds to migrate. It is still migration, and birds keep moving East along this coast, in their way to their nesting grounds in Central Siberia. Here we had the first Atlantic Gannets of the trip, but also several Auks, 2 Fulmars (blue form), at least 1 Pomarine Skua and a wonderful Great Northern Diver still in winter plumage and quite close to the coast. From here we just drove South, and this last transfer didn’t produce any new species out of a flock of 6 Pink-footed Geese close to Vadso.
This is best image that we could get on White-billed Diver
Day 8. This day was devoted to explore the central plateau of Varanger. This is one of the most spectacular places to be along our itinerary. After breakfast, we drove up the plateau. Once arrived to the high tundra, our way was always joined by several Willow Grouses and the majestic Long-tailed Skuas nesting around. A first stop produced Bluethroat and a shy pair of Arctic Redpoll. Temminck’s Stints were flying around along with Red-necked Phalaropes. Here and there there were small flocks of busy Ruffs lekking in the tundra. Most of the tundra was covered with snow and the birds were concentrated in the few patches of grass, and conveniently along both sides of the lane. Here we saw 4 Shore Larks but also several Lapland Buntings displaying and feeding on the ground, one of them moving along a female Snow Bunting. Cannot remember of this was before or after having the first of many Rock Ptarmigans. On Rock Ptarmigans, a first highlight was to see a pair displaying, with a second highlight including a male Rock Ptarmigan & male Willow Grouse standing next to each other! Here we also had several waders including Golden Plover, Little Stint, Whimbrel, Curlew, Temminck’s Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Bar-tailed Godwit and 2 Turnstones flying in the hills covered with snow. Quite a sight!
We had close views on Bluethroat on our first stop in the morningWillow Grouse showed superbly, once more!Long-tailed SkuaDunlin in full summer plumageRock Ptarmigan hiding as the weather became really cloudySnow Bunting feeding along a minor laneTundra Bean Goose & Red-necked Phalarope. A nice combination!
Exploring the Northern coast of Varanger, we had a rather poor afternoon. The day was very quiet with no wind and probably that explained the absence of migration in the sea. The last movement of the day was to check the bays around Bervelag. Here we got 4 King Eiders, including 2 bizarre-looking second summer males. In our way back, the most interesting sight was a female Merlin, some Black-throated Divers and a very attractive Stout that Paddy found in a typical place for Gyrfalcon that produced no falcons.
King Eiders showing their “gentle” faces.This Stout was a funny way to end the afternoon. The Wheatear saw it in a different way..
Day 9. Going back to Finland we had a stop in a small nature reserve at the very beginning of the Varanger fjord. Here we got Tree Sparrow (very scarce here), 2 Sand Martins (rare) and still 2 Little Gulls in summer plumage. It was windy and cloudy so a good day for birds to move and to find birds out of their normal spots. The tide was high, with only some yards of tidal marsh out of the water right in front of the two small hides of the nature reserve. Even if nothing very spectacular, here we got lovely views on summer plumaged Little and Temminck’s Stints feeding side to side along with other common species.
Back to Finland, we had a pair of stops under the (already) solid rain. Here we got nice views on a drake Spotted Redshank, a few Bohemian Waxwings and 2 close Taiga Bean Geese. The rain was making difficult to scan for waders in the bojs, but the rain had been really nice for us. The ambient so fresh and cloudy in the border between Norway and Finland that we saw up to 7 Moose, including some extremely close views providing us with great photo opportunities! Arrived to our accommodation in the afternoon, we had plenty of time to enjoy up to 4 Pine Grosbeaks at the feeding station to end our last full day!
Legendary views on Moose..We were lucky to pick up this Arctic Redpoll. There really few this year!Bohemian Waxwing along the road as we were crossing large boreal forestsDespite the rainy afternoon, the day ended with superb views on Pine Grosbeaks
Day 10. This day we agreed an early start to try to catch up with a couple of species that we were still missing. Our first movement was to check a nesting place for Broad-billed Sandpiper, and we had extremely good views on a bird singing, displaying and feeding on the ground. Always a pleasure to see how their plumage matches so well with the landscape where they belong! Here we also got 3 drake Spotted Redshanks, Red-necked Phalaropes and Ruffs about to lek in the cloudy ambient.
From here we moved into a forest, with the hope to connect with Parrot Crossbill. We got more Willow Grouses, Rough-legged Buzzard and a couple of Smews in the way, but our efforts to put down the Parrot Crossbill in the list of trip had no reward.
From here we just drove to the airport to end another great trip in Northern Finland and Finnmark. Very looking forward to be back there in 2026! Impossible to get enough of this place!!!
This Broad-billed Sandpiper gave us a show in the last morning of the tour!
Overview: 11th issue for the birding tour company Barcelona Birding Point exploring Southern Morocco. The first days of this issue have been conditioned by a heavy snowfall in the High Atlas. There, our group had to invest longer than usual in order to connect with the main specialties living in the highest part of this massive mountain range. This meant less time to explore wetlands, meaning a shorter list of birds. Despite this, the group got a couple of scarcities for the country; Blue-winged Teal (vagrant from North America) & Spotted Crake (a pretty scarce migratory species in Morocco). The desert and the mountain steppes were as wonderful as always! Despite the fast development, Morocco keeps the whole of its exotims, and remains as one of the main birding destinations in the Western Palearctic due to its landscapes, cultural richness and a wide selection of specialties just beside Europe!
All images in this trip report from Sergi Sales. All rights reserved
Day 1
The tour participants meet for breakfast at our accommodation in Marrakech. Some of them arrived just after breakfast, coming from a different accommodation. After this delicious meet and greet we are ready to start the tour!
As usual, several House Buntings are singing in the gardens of the accommodation, joined by some very noisy Common Bulbuls and by the fast flights of the Pallid Swifts living around.
From here we drove a few miles, into a wooded valley. Here we had our first White Storks, Spotless Starlings, European Red-rumped Swallows & Western Cattle Egrets of the trip, but also the Moroccan race of White Wagtail (until recently still considered as a full species, so something interesting to take a look at it..). After a few minutes we found the first speciality of the tour, as a Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker is moving in some large trees. Up to 4 birds are seen during this stop. Here there are several African Chaffinches (a 2024 split from Common Chaffinch), African Blue Tits and the very contrasted race of Great Spotted Woodpecker.
After this very nice first stop, we headed up into the hillsides. But our route became harder than expected. Our track was damaged during the earthquake in late 2023 but now we are also facing some strong rain. As we keep gaining in altitude, the rain becomes icy rain and, later on, snow. Halfway we made a stop in a typical place for Tristam’s Warbler but the weather conditions are far from average.. Still, a small patch of blue sky allows some birding activity, and this is translated in a showy male Blue Rock Thrush, joined by the first Moussier’s Redstart of the trip and a wonderful Rock Bunting. 3 species within a few inches from each other! This very nice sight aims us to follow up the road. There are only 5 miles left to Oukaimeden ski resort, but this is when the snow becomes very strong, reducing the visibility both on the tarmac and in the air. We took advantage of this horrible weather conditions to taste our first tajin of the trip in a road restaurant, and since the weather keep getting worst we decided to quit the upper part of the road and go down to the valley.
The ends in the plains around Marrakech, where despite the cold temperatures (+5ºC) we got the first Moroccan Magpies, Long-legged Buzzards and Greater Short-toed Larks of the trip plus one obliging Stone Curlew.
Day 2
Due to the bad weather the first day we decided a change in the original planning and to go back to the road leading to Oukaïmeden early in the morning, expecting the road to be open. The weather looks very good and we managed to arrive to the ski resort despite the snow and the low temperatures.
Lower than expected we found a nice flock of Atlas Horned Larks, and while enjoying this species we also discovered one pair of Black Wheatears and a couple of shy Ring Ouzels. At the lake of the ski resort we got Eurasian Coots but also the nesting pair of White-bellied Dippers (this is one of the Southernmost territories of this species!). Around there were more Atlas Horned Larks along with Thekla Larks and the large flocks of Red-billed Choughs that were wondering around all along the morning started to be joined by Alpine Choughs. Around the buildings there were also a good number of Common Rock Sparrows. But no sign of the Crimson-winged Finches. Other small groups of birdwatchers from different nationalities were (British, Belgians, Dutchs,..) also looking for these buggers. We kept looking for them and at the end a small flock of this sought-after species flew right in front of us. Wonderful!
More than satisfied after this in extremis sight we started the long transfer to the Souss Massa National Park. En route, while crossing the breathtaking landscapes of the Atlas mountains, we enjoyed species such as Alpine & Little Swifts and the first Spanish Sparrows of the trip in a mixed colony in the motorway. Once the night arrived, already close to our accommodation, we got Stone Curlews and Little Owls crossing the road plus one very fast Long-eared Owl that not everybody could see.
Atlas Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris atlas)Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus).African Crimson-winged Finch (Rhodopechys sanguineus alienus).A second view on the African Crimson-winged Finch, this time showing the lovely roseate primaries.
There are several reasons to visit the Souss-Massa area, but there is always something special when it comes to try to connect with Black-crowned Tchagras, since this is one of their Northernmost spots in the African continent! So we leave our accommodation for a pre-breakfast walk to explore the mixture of farming and bushland surrounding our privileged location. It didn’t take long to listen the first Tchagra and also a good number of Western Olivaceous Warblers plus a good variety of migratory passerines. Common Quails are singing in the fields around but they are as secretive and shy as usual, and they keep into hide despite our efforts. Moussier’s Redstarts, on the contrary, stand at the opposite side of the spectrum, and show themselves on terrific views!
Happy after this nice stat of the day, we came back to the accommodation to enjoy a wonderful breakfast.
Back to the fields, we contact with a showy Black-winged Kite in our way to one of the several water ponds along the river. This time we are lucky, and the Kite goes on with great display show. Here, the plentiful crops around are thriving with passage birds including Willow, Western Subalpine & Western Orphean Warblers but also Tree Pipits and Woodchat Shrikes.
Our first pond produces a good array of waders and ducks, and our growing list is complemented with the first flock of Brown-throated Martins flying over the ranking vegetation along with other species of Swallows & Martins.
From here we walk along the Massa River following the way down to its estuary. Along the way we find a number of ducks and waders as well as Greater Flamingoes and Glossy Ibises. We also meet other birdwatchers that have seen the long staying Green-winged Teals. After a long scanning, we finally found them resting along with Northern Shovelers and our efforts were rewarded with good views on the male as it came out of the vegetation for a swim.
At noon, we went to enjoy our picnic boxes in one of the impressive beaches next to the estuary. Here it is possible to enjoy a good seawatching, and we are lucky enough to have a good passage of Atlantic Gannets that they. Along with them we also get a few Great & Arctic Skuas. Migration was intense at that moment, and we got flocks of Eurasian Spoonbills and Grey Plovers moving North along the coastline. Still, our main goal here was to find the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis, that has along this coast their only three self-sustained colonies in the world. We were about to give up when suddenly 3 Bald Ibis emerged, moving towards the sea cliffs where they would spend that night!
Day 4
Our pre-breakfast outing produces nice views on Barbary Partridges but also on Little Owl and several Moroccan Magpies. After breakfast we started transfering to Boulmane du Dades; a rather long drive crossing the impressive Anti Atlas landscapes. This is normally a good drive for birds of prey, but this time was rather low. Still, we got the first Bonelli’s Eagles of the trip. Right before crossing Ouarzazate we made a stop in a little pond that had been very good in previous trips, and it didn’t disappoint us neither this year. Here we got Little Ringed Plover, Black Wheatears and Ruddy Shelducks, but also the first Maghreb Larks & Desert Larks of the trip. Still, the best bird in this stop was a Spotted Crake that came out of the rank vegetation giving excellent views to the group.
After this stop we covered the last miles until our accommodation, arriving there about sunset. Tomorrow we will head to the famous Tagdilt Track!
Barbary Partridges (Alectoris barbara)Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana) in a small stream in the Anti Atlas.
Day 5
We headed to explore the large seme desert plain known as Tagdilt Track, probably the best location for Larks and Wheatears in the Western Palearctic. It didn’t take long to find the first of many White-crowned Black Wheatear, always a wonderful bird to admire! The area is fulfilled with birds, despite the many plastics around. Here there several pairs of Red-rumped Wheatears, some of them already with their chicks running around. Still, the commoner of the Wheatears around is the Desert Wheatear. Here there are also some migratory species, including both Northern & Western Black-eared Wheatears! It doesn’t look like a good year for Thick-billed Larks, and during the morning we fail to find any of them. Going away from the “rubbish dump” we soon find several Desert Larks and Bar-tailed Larks (usually uncommon here). Among the many Thekla Larks here we found the first Greater Hoopoe Lark of the trip and, while enjoying this beauty a flock of Cream-coloured Courser crosses the track providing great looks! Back to the rubbish dump we found also a small flock of Temminck’s Lark, similar to Horned Lark but smaller and living in dry ambients.
The temperature climbs up and we go to explore to the gorges around expecting to find also some shade. Just after arriving a Lanner Falcon flew at short distance above the group, trying to catch a Desert Lark.
After a short walk we arrived in front of a small cave and the local guide there showed us a Pharaon Eagle Owl with 3 small chicks. Close by we also get Long-legged Buzzards, that look like nesting around. Trumpeter Finches are flying around and a bit beyond we got a distant Maghreb Wheatear. Unfortunately it is shy and we need an extra walk to get nice views on the pair nesting around. More than satisfied with this stop, we went back to the plains and soon we contact with a Thick-billed Lark that shows out before disappearing in the vegetation..
Late in the afternoon we went up into the Dades Gorge to look for Tristam’s Warbler, a species that we couldn’t find during the first day because of the bad weather. A few minutes after arriving to the spot, a male was heart singing and shortly we found the bird, that provided very good looks. Back to the accommodation we still had a final chapter for the day as a Bonelli’s Eagle flew over us at close range bringing a massive branch at the peak to land in the cliffs beyond right by the nest! This is normally a good place for Barbary Falcon, but there is no luck for this bird this year.. We get inside our accommodation, still hearing the songs of Blue Rock Thrushes and Black Wheatears arond it!
Tristam’s Warbler (Curruca deserticola).
Dia 6
Long trasfer to the first dunes of the Sahara. En route, we went for a stop looking for the often secretive Streaked Bush Warbler (often referred in this area as Saharan Scrub Warbler and a full species regarding some lists). We had some walk in the sandy terrain surrounded by goats and enjoying several Great Grey Shrikes, when we heard the call of the birds and after some running we all got good views on a family group as there were moving on the ground or inside the tiny, spiny bush.
It is almost lunch time so we went into a nearby restaurant to enjoy a very nice set menu lunch. It is Ramadah, but it is not hard to find places like along our way. After lunch we kept moving to Merzouga and after a couple of less productive stops we arrived to the impressive lagoon nearby Merzouga. The lagoon had been dry for 5 years, but the generous rains during the last winter made it happen, and the lagoon looked like amazing. Here we got the typical image of Flamingoes framed with sand dunes that made this place became famous worldwide, but we also enjoyed the good array of nesting birds around: Ruddy Shelducks, Black-winged Stilts + Little Ringed & Kentish Plovers. The lagoon also hosted scarce migratory birds including Black-necked Grebe and Osprey and, most importantly, a shy and very distant flock of Marbled Ducks!
Very early in the morning we met our local guides coming with its full-equiped 4x4s. First stop was to check a drinking pond where Sandgrouses come to drink water early in the morning. Soon, we were enjoying good numbers of both Spotted & Crowned Sandgrouses. For the first time in years, Crowned Sandgrouses were outnumbering the Spotted ones. After enjoy the Sandgrouse spectacle and no majoy delay we moved to our next spot, this time to check a pair of Desert Sparrows nesting nearby. Unfortunately we have no luck with them so, taking advantage of this we decided to move deeper in the desert, where a nomad is waiting for us as he found a Egyptian Nightjar roosting in the desert. After a short walk we arrived where the Nightjar is and we all spent a few minutes watching this absolute treat, always at a safe distance.
Leaving this amazing spot, we went back to the Desert Sparrow territory, and this time we immediately got the eyes on the birds as they were hanging around very close to their nest. We actually saw one male and two females building the nest.
From here we have a bit of a drive as we are going now in search of the African Desert Warbler. After some walk in the dunes we got to see one, but not everybody in the group got to see the bird.. We were decided to be there longer, but a strong wind started to blow in and we decided to give up, so far. A pity, since the place was fulfilled with migratory birds (Common Redstarts, Booted Eagles, W Bonelli’s & W Subalpine Warblers, Woodchat Shrikes,..).
After lunch weather conditions kept degrading so we decided to call it a day and have some spare time in the afternoon, aiming to have better luck the next day.
Early in the morning we went for a stroll around the accommodation, a typical place for Fulvous Blabbler. Soon, we got to see one of them, providing really good looks. From here, we moved into a typical place for African Desert Warbler but we failed again. Anyway, this could be the best fail ever, since a Fennec just came out from nowhere, crossing in front of the car and letting us decent views! We could count ourselves lucky to see it, even without trying it!
Still shocked after the last desert jewel, we went for a last go on the Desert Warbler, trying to improve the views that we got the day before. Again, we failed to find the bird but our tenacity is rewarded by finding a nest of Greater Hoopoe Lark, built up in a tussock so they can watch out for predators.
Our way to the famous Cafe Yasmina (where the Catalan Bird Society has a ringing station) is a bit difficult, since the winter rains have made the are become a small lake. Taking advantage of these unusual conditions, tens of migratory birds are feeding around. Here we found the only flock of Collared Pratincoles for the trip, while Sedge Warblers are especially common in the tamarisk around, where they are joined by Western Olivaceous Warblers. En route we also have a few Cream-coloured Coursers and the first Seebohm’s Wheatears of the trip.
The last stop of the day is to have a second visit in the Merzouga lake. Beside the species that we saw in our previous visit, we added Little Stint, Dunlin, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper along with a rather unexpected Water Pipit. Close by, in a palm orchard, we got some passerines but also a mixed flock of European & Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters.
Torden lleonat (Argya fulva)Fennec (Vulpes zerda) a la carreraAfrican Desert Warbler (Curruca deserti).Alosa puput (Alaemon alaudipes).
Day 9
Transfer day with stops in our way to Ouarzazate. In our stops exploring different wadis (dry desert-like streams) we found a good variety of Wheatears but also Spectacled Warbler along with the commoner Western Subalpine Warbler. We also found a small nesting colony of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters.
Before arriving to our accommodation in Ouarzazate we went for a visit into the Al-Mansour Barrage, a massive reservoir South of the city. Here we added Gull-billed Tern and Sand Martin to our list before the strong winds made us withdraw back to our accommodation.
Day 10
Last day of the trip. The birding starts early, as the birds join us while having breakfast. The gardens of the accommodation are hosting some Western Olivaceous Warblers, but also Hoopoes, Tree Pipits and Warblers while several Red-rumped Swallows are flying above us.
En route we made a stop in a stream. The weather was clearly better than in previous days, as the wind was totally stopped. And this spot was fulfilled with migratory passerines. Here we got 10+ birds of 7 species in a single tree: W Subalpines & W Orphean Warblers; Common Whitethroat; Willow & W Bonelli’s Warblers; Common Chiffchaffs and some very tame Iberian Chiffchaffs. The rank vegetation was having tens of Sedge & Common Reed Warblers moving around. Pied Flycatcher was a new species for the tour.
While crossing the Atlas mountains we nice views on Red-billed Choughs, and the last stop of the trip was to explore a conifer woodland. Here we got Coal Tit and Eurasian Sparrowhawk while Common Crossbills are heard calling around. As a final sight, a Eurasian Goshawk was seen displaying above the slopes!
This is the last stop of the trip before arriving to our accommodation back in Marrakech, ending a pretty nice tour despite the challenging weather conditions, with far less birds of prey than in previous editions but enjoying excellent numbers of migratory passerines, especially in those areas still having ponds from the generous winter rains.
List of bird species of the tour:
Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Pintail (Anas acuta)
Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca)
Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris)
Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) — only heard
Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia)
Common Wood-pigeon (Columba palumbus)
European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)
Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis)
Spotted Sandgrouse (Pterocles senegallus)
Crowned Sandgrouse (Pterocles coronatus)
Red-necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus ruficollis) — heard only
Egyptian Nightjar (Caprimulgus aegyptius)
Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)
Common Swift (Apus apus)
Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)
Little Swift (Apus affinis)
Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana)
Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Ruff (Calidris pugnax)
Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
Sanderling (Calidris alba)
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorior cursor)
Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola)
Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus)
Great Skua (Stercorarius skua)
Slender-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus genei)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
Atlantic Gannet (Morus bassanus)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)
Eurasian Spoobill (Platalea leucorodia)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)
Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Great White Egret (Ardea alba)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetos)
Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)
Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata)
Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
Eurasian Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus)
Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus cirtensis)
Pharaon Eagle Owl (Bubo ascalaphus)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Blue-cheecked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)
Eurasian Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Levaillant’s Woodpecker (Picus vailantii)
Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanii)
Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus)
Black-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra senegalus)
Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) — Algerian Shrike; Desert Grey Shrike
The tour started in the Pyrenees with the first morning hampered by snow, low cloud and mist at higher altitudes before clearing to much clearer and milder weather. The weather in the lowlands/plains was very kind with warmer conditions and only very light winds. The bad weather in the first day affected a bit the tour, with a couple of locations performing clearly below average, especially those involving boreal forests. The lack of snow in the top of the mountains during January and February meant no chances for us to connect with Snow Finches. In the steppes, Dupont’s Larks performed very well for us, and once we connected with the major targets in the plains we even had time for a couple of hours of birdwatching at Ebro Delta, a coastal heaven of birds that is normally out of bounds in this itinerary..
DAY 1.
After collecting all 6 tour participants from around the airport in Barcelona we headed through drizzly rain towards the Pyrenees. After 90 minutes of drive, we arrived to the area to explore, and we had a short coffee stop before attempting to drive a lane higher into the mountains through increasingly heavy snow. Around 1500m the road had become quite difficult, so we parked safely and explored the area.
Almost immediately the group found an Alpine Accentor sheltering and feeding on the screen by the roadside! Everyone enjoyed good views despite the weather, before it moved off further up the slope, here we also saw and heard our first European Crested Tits, Coal Tit, Firecrest, and Mistle Thrush of the trip along with several Red-billed Chough.
After a walk up the road a few hundred metres the weather began to improve, and as we headed back to the minibus the first of several Eurasian Griffon Vulture began to appear overhead. Whilst enjoying views of these one of the group (Jonny R) shouted out….. ”LAMMERGEIER!!” and an adult bird passed directly overhead giving great views as it glided down across the valley – what a start to the trip!
Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) feeding in the slope. Image by Carles Oliver.Full adult Lammergeier (Gypaetos barbatus). Image by Carles Oliver
After this excitement we decided to slowly head down the mountain, the weather continued to improve and before we had travelled far we had to stop – 2 Lammergeier were circling and showing well above us! An adult-type bird and a younger 3rd year type bird gave a superb show before drifting away. We then stopped around in the valley where the terraced fields and trees provided lots of birds including Rock Bunting, Hawfinch, Black Redstart, European Stonechat, European Serin, Meadow Pipit and some of the commoner Finches and Tits as well as an unexpected Cattle Egret – not something normally seen at this altitude! We could also hear Iberian Green Woodpecker calling here.
During our urban lunch stop and whilst there saw White-throated Dipper, Common Chiffchaff and Grey Wagtail on the stream through the village and a Common Buzzard passed overhead.
In the afternoon we drove another scenic lane up into the mountains where we enjoyed more fantastic views of 20+ Eurasian Griffons as well as 2 Golden Eagles, Red-billed Choughs and even Magpie which seemed out of place at this altitude. A small group of feeding birds included Fieldfare, Yellowhammer, Chaffinch and Goldfinch. This site also produced our first Pyrenean Chamois of the trip. We again descended into lower meadows and fields and walked a small hill that provided our first Iberian Grey Shrike as well as Eurasian Tree Sparrows, Crested Lark, Firecrests, Crested Tits, Black Redstarts, Yellowhammer, Goldcrest and Corn Buntings. Our last stop before reaching the accommodation for the evening produced lovely views of 8 Rock Sparrows on wires by the roadside – but the day was not finished there because our fabulous accommodation and host has a feeding station in the garden, and as the light faded we were treated to amazing views of up to 3 Beech Martins!! A quite amazing end to fantastic first day.
Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes). Image by Justin Williams.Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia). Image by Carles Oliver.European Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus). Image by Jo Simon.Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus). Image by Jo Simon.Beech Martin (Martes foina). Image by Stephen Davis.
Day 2.
In some ways a slightly frustrating day with numerous stops and effort failing to locate any Citril Finch, Black Woodpecker or White-winged Snowfinch, but this aside we enjoyed a fantastic variety of birds as we tried several areas including trips into France and then Andorra!
In the lower altitudes we came across a fantastic mixed flock of finch and other small birds including Common Crossbills, (c20) giving great views along the road, as well as Brambling, Siskin, Bullfinch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Rock Bunting and Chaffinch, again we could hear Iberian Green Woodpecker calling but they remained invisible…..also in these areas Red Kites became more frequent. Here we also came across our only Red Squirrel of the trip.
In the high mountain passes we enjoyed yet more incredible views of Eurasian Griffons and Common Raven, and as we entered Andorra, our first stop around the town produced a decent number of Alpine Chough hanging about around the shops and houses.
As we had time left in the day, we retraced our steps and returned to summit the lane at Coll de Pal – we had to stop quite soon on the way up due to an adult Lammergeier showing incredibly well by the van!! This bird gave us our best views yet and even landed on the scree a few hundred yards away – a definite highlight of the whole trip!!
Onwards to the summit of the pass in bright sunshine, and we were rewarded at the top when we located a group of 4 Alpine Accentors feeding down to a few metres away, scuttling and shuffling in the snow and short turf – superb!
We then took the 90 min transfer to Lleida where we would be based for 2 nights.
Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra). Image by Jonathan Kennedy.Alpine Choughs (Pyrrhocora graculus) in Andorra. Image by Justin Williams.That afternoon we got impressive views on Lammergeier. Image by Carles Oliver.Lammergeier about to land for us. Image by Carles Oliver.Lammergeier on the ground. Image by Carles Oliver.Pyrenean Chamois (Rupicabra pyrenaica). Image by Justin Williams.Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris). Image by Stephen Davis.
Day 3.
The day began with a short trip to our first site and roadside White Storks but even this was interrupted by one of the group skilfully spotting a Stone Curlew by the road!
We were shortly at our first stop, a spectacular dam and gorge with a river and mixed scrub, we quickly began adding birds such as Rock Sparrow, Blue Rock Thrush, Crag Martins (which breed in the tunnel), Blackcap, Kestrel, Song Thrush, Short-toed Treecreeper, Common Kingfisher, Cettis and Sardinian Warblers, Firecrest, Rock Buntings and several Eurasian Griffons. Around 2 hours had now passed and things were starting to get a bit tense…..and then WALLCREEPER!! A bird was located towards the dam and 3 of the group were in the right spot to see it straight away, whilst the rest hurried towards the bird, they found a second Wallcreeper! This bird gave everyone much better views for a few minutes, and everyone could relax, especially Carles!
As we left the gorge a short stop provided Cirl Buntings, 2 Peregrines, Hawfinch and a large flock of Corn Bunting, and as we stopped for coffee, Spotless Starlings.
Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus). Image by Stephen Davis.Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria). Image by Justin Williams.Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria). Image by Jonathan Kennedy.Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria). Image by Justin Williams.Wallcreeper Argonauts! Image by Jo Symon.
We then moved on towards our next site with a couple of stops, the first providing many Cattle Egrets, White Storks and our first Great Egret, the second 2 Golden Eagles, Lapwing, Raven,Thekla Larks and a ringtail Hen Harrier as well as a roadside Little Owl.
We then stopped beside a spectacular roadside cliff face for our lunchtime picnic and immediately located our 3rdWallcreeper of the day!! Although a little more distant this bird gave good telescope views, but we were distracted from this by 2-3 Black Wheatears which were also showing well here along with a Blue Rock Thrush!
We were now into an area of plains and mixed arable land that is rapidly changing due to increased irrigation, but some areas still held many birds and we were quickly seeing Calandra Larks along with Thekla and Crested Larks and after walking a while we saw a distant Iberian Grey Shrike, Peregrine, and then located a single summer plumaged Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, a little distant, but again telescope views were good. As we left the site, we had excellent views of another Iberian Grey Shrike which really showed the difference between this and its northern counterpart.
We then called at a small roadside wetland and began adding a few species such as Coot Shoveler, Common Pochard, Common Snipe, Reed Bunting and Great Egret, as well as a rather unexpected, and slightly questionable, African Sacred Ibis! This bird has been in the area a while, and presumably originates from a ‘feral’ population in nearby France, Italy or Germany… Either way it made at least one of the group very happy!
Our last stop was to close by, and before we had even parked the van our main target was located – a male Eagle Owl! Perched in the ruins of an huge ancient building, this guy sat and watched us as we quietly watched him before starting to sing….amazing!
Whilst Serins and Sardinian Warblers twittered and scratched nearby, the Eagle Owl sat watch, his deep hoot echoing occasionally, until he finally flew low across to a nearby rock face….what an end to a truly fantastic days birding!!
Little Owl (Athene noctua) on its roof. Image by Justing Williams.Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor). Image by Justin Williams.Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata) male. Image by Carles Oliver.Iberian Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis) posed nicely for the group. Image by Carles Oliver.African Sacred Ibis (Therskiornis aethiopicus) moving along with Western Cattle Egrets. Image by Carles Oliver.Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) watching us. Image by Carles Oliver.
Day 4.
The day began with a short transfer after breakfast, interrupted by a large flock of migrating Common Cranes. These birds had presumably roosted nearby in the large open arable fields and were continuing their northward journey. We then entered an area of mixed arable/farmed/wild fields with big skies and tremendous views, misty fog didn’t help our search, but we quite quickly located 5 Great Bustards, all males, slowly wandering across their chosen field. Views were not brilliant, but very atmospheric! Here we were surrounded by Calandra Larks, Corn Buntings and our first Lesser Short-toed Larks as well as a Zitting Cisticola, Stonechats and Sardinian Warbler.
We then took a short coffee stop as the mist cleared and visited a small wetland with more Larks and many Linnets, Corn Buntings and Chaffinch before having second, clearer but distant views of the Great Bustards. With this under our belts we collected lunch and moved on.
We soon arrived at Lomaza (only briefly distracted by a large flock of migrating White Storks) and began to look at various larks…. A lot! A landscape of low spiky grass, thistle and huge skies stretched all around us. Quickly we were seeing many Calandra, Thekla and Lesser Short-toed (or ‘Mediterranean’) Larks, with their songs all around us, including much mimicry from the Calandra – quite a soundscape!
After c45mins, suddenly, the song we were searching for, and quickly some views of our quarry…DUPONT’S LARK! At least 2 birds, a pair, were making short, darting runs between bits of spiky tussocks grass until, amazingly, the male climbed a short way into a tussock and sat in full view singing…..a fantastic bit of good fortune and handshakes all round!
With the pressure off we all enjoyed the experience and incredible scenery of this beautiful, wild landscape.
The weather was warm now, and we stopped near Belchite to admire some ruins complete with Crag Martins, Serins and Black Redstart before moving onto a high plateau.
Slowly driving and scanning the fields we came across an unexpected flock of Dotterel, with around 25-30 birds present and showing well, whilst above a Golden eagle soared past. Again we were seeing lots of Calandra Lark with birds still in large winter flocks, Stonechats by the road, Red-legged Partridge, 2 Red Fox, but no sandgrouse….much scanning and scoping eventually led to one of the group picking out a small flock in the far distance, we drove nearer and saw up to 16 Black-Bellied Sandgrouse, good scope views of the birds moving about their chosen field as well as in flight when they are really impressive, a fantastic end to another brilliant day!
Great Bustards (Otis tarda) in dense fog. Image by Carles Oliver.Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus duponti): shaking wings as preparing to leave its resting site (up), male singing from to top of a tussock (below). Image by Carles Oliver.Eurasian Dotterel (Charadrius morinellus), one of 25+ birds resting in a plugged field. Image by Justin Williams.European Serin (Serinus serinus) female in a short stop around Belchite. Image by Carles Oliver.Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), one of many seen during the trip. Image by Carles OliverCorn Bunting (Emberiza calandra) acting like being spring. The area around Lleida has the largest density in Europe. Image by Carles Oliver.
Day 5.
We awoke to fairly torrential constant rain, and with the forecast not looking good we made the decision to change our plans and head for the Ebro Delta.
This journey was briefly interrupted with a stop when we spotted 4 Spanish Ibex on a high hill beside the road. Once we arrived at the Ebro we rapidly began adding birds to the trip list, the total change in habitat was exciting and we added many species during the morning including exciting birds such as Moustached Warbler which showed quite well a few times, Penduline Tit, Western Swamphen, Bluethroat, Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Slender-billed Gull, Caspian Tern, Black-necked Grebe, Red-crested Pochard, and Osprey as well a variety of waders and other wetland birds.
Too soon we had to leave and head for Barcelona, and the airport, but still we made time for 2 quick stops – the first giving us great views of Iberian Green Woodpecker (finally!) and Monk Parakeets. The second stop was at the beach right by the airport where we had fantastic views of AudouinsGull and also passing Atlantic Gannets and Sandwich Terns….a fitting end to a really enjoyable trip with a great group!
Western Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) under the rain. Image by Carles Oliver.Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus) showed well under the rain. Image by Carles Oliver.Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) in the path for us. Image by Carles Oliver.Iberian Green Woodpeckers (Picus sharpei). Image by Jo Symon.Another shot on Iberian Green Woodpecker. Image by Justin Williams. Our group almost complete. Image by Daf Edwards.
Tour leader: Carles Oliver, Sergi Sales, Ramiro Aibar & Daniel Rey
Images by Pete Sutton (tour participant) and Carles Oliver & Sergi Sales (tour leaders). All rights reserved.
Overview: 9th issue of our classic itinerary in Oman. This year we were surprised with the many sights on Hypocolius, one of the main targets for many birdwatchers visiting the region and normally very restricted. This time, we saw a minimum of 5 birds in 4 different locations! We also scored an amazing number of 6 species of Owls in this issue (Desert, Arabian Eagle, Pallid Scops, Arabian Scops, Little and Omani!). But also had shades as we were not lucky with Socotra Cormorants, and this time we couldn’t contact with this very restricted bird. Beyond the regular specialties it was very satisfying to self-find rarities within the tour, as we found Brown Shrike and (Joe) found Pacific Swift. We also had time to tick Eyebrowed Thrush and even nice views on Syke’s Nightjars! Here we have to thank our clients for their wonderful flexibility, that allowed a slight modification in our average route in order to catch up with the last species and even allowed us to add one day more to the itinerary!
Day 0. Due to the flight combination and other, this issue has been one day longer. Eventually, this extra time gave us more time to explore some spots in the North, with interesting results.
Most of the group assembled at Muscat Airport after a nocturnal flight. Once living the airport, we went to our accommodation, where another guest was waiting for us and where enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. A last client landed a few hours later and join us one hour after we ended the breakfast. After our nocturnal flight, a good amount of coffee was necessary to face the day.
This time, the first contact with the Omani birdlife was a few meters away from the accommodation. We got Red-wattled Lapwings, Great & Little Egrets, Indian Silverbills and Purple Sunbirds but also the first Citrine Wagtail & Little Stint of the trip and really good looks on Clamorous Reed Warblers. A couple of Place Crag Martins were flying around and several Pallid Swifts were hunting further away. Derek had a distant Osprey being harassed by several House Crows. Much closer, a small flock of Grey Francolins came out the vegetation for our enjoyment. Still, the main attraction of this very first stop was a pair of Arabian Bee-eaters and 1 Daurian Shrike.
Living the accommodation, we drove a short distance to the Muscat River. Here we a very large array of waders, gulls and terns. Of course, most eyes concentrated firs in working the differences between Tibetan Sand Plovers and Greater Sand Plovers. A nie flock of Tibetan Sand Plovers were feeding along with Kentish Plovers, providing very good looks, while at least 2 Greater Sand Plovers were moving not far from some 1st winter Eurasian Oystercatchers. Sooty Gulls were roosting on the beach and, well inside the sea, tens and tens and tens of Red-necked Phalaropes were feeding and caught the eye of Miquel, who pointed them out.
A couple of Marsh Sandpipers were feeding in the river bed, and their typical short runs mixed with the movements of the many Dunlins, Common Ringed Plovers, Ruffs, Greenshanks, Eurasian Curlews and Common Redshanks. A small flock of gulls were resting in the river, and saw some Black-headed Gulls along with the more common Slender-billed’s. A few Little Terns were also resting, and along with them we saw many Sandwich Terns, 1 Caspian Tern, 3 Whiskered Terns plus 1 Gull-billed. A few Western Reed Egrets were also seen, but when it comes to Herons we only had eyes for a very close Striated Heron fishing only a few meters away from the group, at least until we found the first Indian Pond Heron for the trip! Some Eurasian Teals were also feeding here and we were surprised to find a Eurasian Wigeon feeding along with them. A large flock of Black-tailed Godwits and a nice Desert Wheatear was feeding along the river bank. Systematically checking the Snipes we were lucky to find a Pin-tailed Snipe, and everybody in the group enjoyed great views in the scope while comparing the bird with the Common Snipes around.
But all was interrupted by a flock of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouses that landed 150 metres away from the river bed. We fastly approach them, getting nice views on the birds while moving on the ground!
After a coffee stop we moved to a couple of beaches were gulls tend to accumulate. We were lucky at the first spot, and we found 2 gorgeous Palla’s Gulls standing up in the middle of a flock of Steppe, Heuglin’s and a few Caspian Gulls. Closeby, a couple of small river mouths provided some birding including further views on Temminck’s Stints and the first Little Grebe for the trip.
After lunch we went to Al Qurm Park. This is a phenomenal spot for a number of birds, and here we got nice views on White-eared & Red-vented Bulbuls but also Marsh Harrier, Citrine Wagtail, Arabian Green Bee-eaters, Daurian Shrike and a flock of Pacific Golden Plovers including a lovely bird in summer plumage. At dusk, hundreds of people gathered to attend a local festival and it made impossible to see any birds.
Striated Heron (Butorides striata) at Muscat River. Image by Pete Sutton.Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis). Image by Pete Sutton.Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouses (Pterocles exustus) in Muscat. Image by Pete Sutton.Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles exustus) in flight. Image by tour leader Carles Oliver.Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) in Muscat. Image by Pete Sutton.Palla’s Gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus) -centre top- along with Heughlin’s, Steppe & Slender-billed Gulls in Muscat.Palla’s Gull in flight. Please pair attention to the wing tip. Unmistakable! Image by Carles OliverLovely flock of Pacific Golden Plovers (Pluvialis fulva) including a wonderful summer plumage bird! Image by tour leader Carles Oliver.Arabian Green Bee-eater (Merops cyanophrys). Image by Pete Sutton.
Day 1. After enjoying the breakfast at our accommodation in Muscat, we drove the short distance from the coast to one of our very nice locations in the upper thorn bush. But before arriving we had a fast stop in the road. There, the sky was showing us not only the first Eastern Imperial Eagles of the trip, but also several Steppe Eagles that, even if far away, were very welcome by the group. Once arrived to the proper place, it looked like clearly lower than in many previous visits. No sign of the normally common Purple Sunbirds and small flocks of Indian Silverbills were the only evident birdlife. We had a walk around the area, and we fastly had the first Lesser Whitethroats of the trip. Flying above our heads, we had he first Egyptian Vultures of the trip.
Despite being a large group, we kept together, and this was essential when a flock of 7 Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouses flew off right in front of us, calling and moving away from us really fast in search of a more quiet place where to keep feeding. Happy with this nice encounter we kept searching the area. A few minutes later, Sergi called us as he and William had an owl moving in the trees. It was clear that had to be a Pallid Scops Owl. We place everybody in one place, and for the surprise of everybody, the Owl just came out of a bush and flew in the middle of the people, providing really nice flight views. We tried to find the bird once perched in the trees, but was not possible.
A few meters away we found the firsts Asian Desert Warblers of the trip, and as it is usual in this species, it allowed very nice shots. A bit beyond, a Persian Wheatear produced nice views before we decided to come back. After this we decided to go back to the vehicles, but at the moment to get inside Joe told me that we a Babbler-like bird moving down the valley. We took the cars and drove a bit down, and guess what, after a short walk we had a nice flock of 4 Arabian Babblers moving in front of us. In the bush beside, a nice Menétriés’s Warbler was showing well and in the way back to our vehicles we still had a wonderful Lappet-faced Vulture flying really low above us!
From here we just covered a short distance to arrive into a local restaurant where we had a very nice meal and 1 Lanner Falcon moving around the town!
In the afternoon we moved to a place for Omani Owl. Getting in the gorge we had nice views on Hume’s Wheatears and Long-billed Pipit + a couple of Striolated Buntings singing in the gorge and that proved to be as hard to see as usual! We waited until dark and moved a bit along the gorge, but our first chance for Omani Owl was totally unsuccessful, and only a Little Owl came out of the shadows.. After a couple of hours we came down to the accommodation.
Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos). Image by Pete Sutton.Arabian Babbler (Argya squamiceps). Image by Pete Sutton.Asian Desert Warbler (Curruca nana). Image by Pete Sutton.Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus). Image by Carles OliverHume’s Wheatear (Oenanthe albonigra). Image by Pete Sutton.
Day 2. After breakfast we went to the Alsab Lagoons, a nice wetland around the International Muscat Airport. Here, we had a nice walk and enjoyed a good variety of birds including Tufted Ducks, 2 Purple Herons, Arabian Bee-eaters, Grey Francolins and the only 1 Ferruginous Duck of the trip. Here we were surprised to find 3 Arabian Babblers that provided very good views.
Beyond a nice variety of waders and ducks, we had a couple of Grey-headed Swamphens sights, one of them providing amazing views as it was feeding totally out of cover and only a few metres away from us. In the same place we also got nice looks on Bluethroat, Clamorous Reed Warbler and Temminck’s Stints.
Back to the vehicles, we went inland, and after about 50 minutes of driving we arrived into to a small plain with some large trees. Here we parked, and only a few seconds later we were enjoying the first Plain Leaf Warbler of the trip. Scanning the trees around we also got good views on Lesser Whitethroat, Black Redstarts and at least 2 showy Eastern Orphean Warblers. A bit beyond, we got Persian Wheatear and the rocky slopes around had at least 3 Hume’s Wheatear and 1 Blue Rock Thrush.
Happy with this set of birds we went to a restaurant nearby and after lunch we went to check in at our accommodation. In the evening we moved again into the mountains, but this time our goal was one of the most impressive gorges in the country. Here, we still had a couple of hours of light to enjoy Egyptian Vultures and more Blue Rock Thrushes, Hume’s Wheatears and Plain Leaf Warblers before the night arrived.
It was already dark and when we listened an Omani Owl singing at the opposite side of the gorge. We scanned long and at the end we found a medium size Owl perched in the rocks. Unfortunately it was very far and we couldn’t be certain.. Only a few minutes later an Owl flew over the group, and a couple of us had nice views on what it looked to be an Omani Owl!!
We still searched around, also using the thermal technology that Bud was bringing with him. Still, we could not relocate the bird, and the mystery of that Owl flying above us will probably never been disclosed..
Grey-headed Swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus). Image by Pete Sutton.Extremelly obliging Temminck’s Stint (Calidris temminckii) in Muscat. Images by Pete Sutton.Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius). Image by Pete SuttonPlain Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus neglectus). Image by Pete Sutton.
Day 3. After a not very sophisticated breakfast we moved South. This day we faced a massive, 800+ km long transfer! It looks like crazy, but the transfer was way faster than one can imagine!!
Our first about midday, already mid way down the way to Salalah. There, in small oasis, we had the first of many sights on Hypocolius during the trip. A nice female that was a bit reluctant to show but still provided good views.
Our second stop was further South, in Qitbit. There, while having lunch, we had a fast walk around to try to find some of the specialities that had been reported in the area during the last weeks, and our efforts had a wonderful reward in the way of 2 Eyebrowed Thrushes popping up in front of us. Ramiro put us in the way to them but we discovered that the Thrushes were highly restless. After a couple of runs, everybody had very nice views on them. Beyond them, here we only got 1 Ménétries’s Warbler, some Siberian Chiffchaffs and Brown-necked Ravens.
From here we drove some miles South to the main birding stop of the day, some extensive farms in the middle of the desert. These locations are famous due to the quality of its birdlife, and because they can attract any single bird moving tens of miles around them. A fast scout in the very first field produced tens of Cream-coloured Coursers and Greater Hoopoe Larks. Along with them, small flocks of Crested and Black-crowned Sparrow Larks. All together along with several Isabelline & Desert Wheatears. At least 5 Marsh Harriers were patrolling the area, and here we also got the only one Montagu’s Harrier of the whole trip. Here and there we found small contingents of Tawny Pipits, and a couple of Levant Grey Shrikes kept an eye in what it was moving around.
Far inside there is another wonderful place where we found several Common Kestrels but also 1 Northern Wheatear (first and last of the trip), a Persian Wheatear (first ever for me in this location), and a bunch of Namaqua Doves. A small flock of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouses flew from one of the sides of the main field, but unfortunately not everybody saw them.
Back to the main road, we still had time for a coffee stop before driving the last part of our long transfer and arrive to our accommodation for before dinner.
Grey Hycopolius (Hypocolius ampelinus). The first of many contacts with this interesting species was this lovely female type. Image by Pete Sutton.Brown-necked Ravens (Corvus ruficollis). Image by Carles Oliver.Steppe Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor pallidirostris). Image by Pete Sutton.Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti) always a superb bird. Image by Pete Sutton.Persian Wheatear (Oenanthe chrysopygia), a scarce species South of the Empty Quarte. Image by Carles Oliver.Greater Hoopoe Lark (Alaemon alaudipes) was seen in numbers along the tour. Image by Carles Oliver.Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor). At least 50 of them were seen! Image by Carles Oliver
Day 4. While having breakfast nobody thought that we were about the experienced what some of the clients defined as “one of the best wildlife days in my life”. Yes, it was an intense day.
The first stop of the day was to explore Aïn Hamran. This is probably one of the best locations in Oman, and it is always amazing to birdwatch in this open woodland following a small stream (aïn). This is the lowest part of the wooded slopes that, on its highest end, connects with large cliffs.
Even from the car park we connected with the first species living in the area: Palestine Sunbird, African Silverbills and the very common Cinnamon-breasted Bunting were all seen here. A short walk around produced the first of many Arabian Warbler and Black-crowned Tchagra along with the first Turkestan Shrike of the trip. Rüppell’s Weavers, Abyssian White-eyes and African Paradise Flycatchers seemed to be everywhere, and among the waves of Laughing Doves singing we could heard Arabian Partridges calling in the slopes.
We walked down the aïn to scan some proper trees for the main target in the area. Suddenly, two Arabian Grosbeaks appeared in the top of one of the trees just to disappear as fast as they came! Virtually nobody saw the birds so we started scanning the trees when suddenly the pair of Grosbeaks flew off the trees. We followed the birds, distracted by the many Arabian Warblers and the Tchagras. We found just at the moment that Short-toed Eagle was flying above us. A few tour participants connected with the birds, but for our desperation they flew off again. After 10 eternal minutes it was Ramiro who found one of the Grosbeaks in the top of a dead tree, but very far away. And again, they flew off!
At this point almost everybody have had something in these little fellas, but no everybody. We dispersed around, Blackstart and Long-billed Pipits were enjoyed but the Grosbeaks were gone. Finally we went back to the place where we first saw the birds, and this time it was Dani who found them in the top of a tree. A very nice view for everyone, finally!
Exploring around the stream we got excellent views on Citrine, Grey, Yellow & White Wagtails, Common & Green Sandpipers, Temminck’s Stint and Moorhen. A Eurasian Sparrowhawk flew over just at the moment that a Namaqua Dove came to drink water. Flocks of Tristam’s Starlings were now more present that early in the morning and they were mixing in the fig trees with the very common White-spectacled Bulbuls and small flocks of White-eyes and Palestine Sunbirds. A detailed scan of the tangles allowed us to get some Clamorous Reed Warblers but also Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and Graceful Prinias. A pair of Arabian Bee-eaters were also very welcome by the group.
We decided to have an early lunch at Aïn Hanram, and this extra time allowed to enjoy very close views on the African Paradise Flycatchers and finally got good views on the Red-breasted Flycatcher that had been calling around us..
Turkestan Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides). Image by Pete Sutton.Arabian Warbler (Curruca leucomelaena). Image by Pete Sutton.Arabian Black-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra senegalus percivali). Image by Pete Sutton.A couple of images on Arabian Grosbeak (Rhynchostruthus percivali), a must for anyone birding in Oman. Images by Carles Oliver.This Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva) was very skulky! Image by Pete Sutton.African Silverbill (Euodice cantans)Graceful Prinia (Prinia gracilis). Image Pete Sutton.The delicate beauty of Namaqua Doves (Oena capensis). Image by Carles OliverA very spectacular white-tailed African Paradise Flycatcher (Tersiphone viridis). Image by Pete Sutton.Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola) supershot! Image by Pete Sutton.Grey Wagtails (Motacilla cinerea) nest along the Omani streams. Image by Pete Sutton.
Well, what a place! But it was time to leave. We drove down to the coast to explore a one of the many river mouths around Salalah. After a very short drive, we were birdwatching for a while at East Khawr. Here, we were glad to see large flocks of hundreds of Glossy Ibises but also good numbers of Tufted Ducks (for the Omani starndards), Greater Flamingoes, Whiskered Terns, Black-tailed Godwits, Indian Pond Herons and Citrine Wagtails. Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Middle Egret, Spotted Redshank (3), Little Ringed Plover and Cotton Pygmy Goose were all three new for the trip, and all they three provided good scope views. A couple of distant Greater Spotted Eagles & 1 Booted Eagle were guarding the area. In the beach, we enjoyed a large flock of Heuglin’s Gulls with some Steppe Gulls in the middle. This flock allowed close views on all of them, but also on Sooty Gulls, Greater Crested, Sandwich, Gull-billed and Lesser Crested Terns and a few Black-headed Gulls were also noted along with the much common Slender-billeds’. Sleeping along with Little Stints, Ruff and Dunlins there was a small flock of White-winged Black Terns that flew a couple of times around us.
From here we drove South to another river mouth. The afternoon was still sunny and ir our way had a couple of Steppe Eagles soaring above the highway. Once arrived to this second river mouth, we enjoyed a good number of both Tibetan & Greater Sand Plovers along with 70 Cattle Egrets, 1 Turkestan Shrike in the dunes, 1 Osprey having a prey in the reedbeds and a myriad of waders including Little Stint, Bar-tailed Godwit, Kentish & Common Ringed Plovers, Dunlins and 1 Citrine Wagtail. Not happy with this we still decided to visit a third place. It was still early afternoon so we got lots of time. Getting in this 3rd river mouth was a nice experience. At first, we were delighted with the many Black-crowned Sparrow Larks along with a couple of flocks of Richard’s Pipits along with other species. But suddenly something crossed the road in front first vehicle: a large snake!
After a fast acceleration we stopped just by the snake, that seeked for shelter under a medium size concrete block. It was a large, dark snake. It couldn’t be many options. We saw that the snake was actually under the block, not far from the surface, and in a rather risky movement we decided to move the block up. Our hope was to make move the snake so everybody in the group could see it and, hopefully, identify it!
We moved out the block, with everybody standing behind it so the snake had plenty of room to run and escape. As expected, it took the snake some seconds before it moved. Unfortunately Dani could not wait that long and stood almost in the way out, so when the large snake (2+ meters long) came out, Dani had to perform an Olympic jump to get out of its way!! After a couple of seconds we could all see that we were actually facing a Cobra, an Arabian Cobra to be clear. The Cobra run around, and a couple of times stood up in the typical way of, well, how Cobras do. It almost opened the collar before disappearing in the grass. We are all really impressed about how fast this snake was able to move. Amazing!!
Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus). Image by Pete Sutton.Great Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii). Image by Pete Sutton.Glossy Ibises (Plegadis falcinellus). Image by Pete Sutton.Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark (Eremopterix nigriceps). Image by Pete Sutton.Arabian Cobra (Naja arabica) by Pete Sutton.
Well, still over excited about the Cobra, we finally arrived to the our third river mouth that afternoon. We were close to the sunset, and the river mouth full of activity with 12 Spoonbills, Clamorous Reed Warbler, White-winged Black & Gull-billed Terns and a nice variety of other birds. Here Sergi found a nice Yellow Bittern and we all enjoyed this tiny beauty before a small flock of Rose-coloured Starling emerged to stop at the top of a dead tree. As the Golden Hour was getting pass to sunset, a large flock of Swallows arrived to the reedbed. We counted about a dozen Barn Swallows along with 6 Pale Crack Martins and 1 Sand Martin. We kept an eye around and, suddenly, a lovely Small Pratincole just emerged from the nothing. We got amazing views on it, but at some point there two Small Pratincoles, and later three of them that were flying even among us!! This was an amazing moment, and it was ranked as one of the birds of trip. Tiny contingents of Rose-coloured Starlings were still flying around, moving along with Common Mynas to their roosting places, and we were about to leave when Joe just found an European Red-rumped Swallow! It was actually a new bird for our trips in Oman. Amazing tick!!
The light was almost gone but the day was not done yet! Back to the vehicles, still in magic after the Pratincoles and so and on, we moved into the hillsides. Our goal was to explore a large Aïn during the night, hoping for some Owls..
We arrived to the selected place just after dark. It didn’t take long before we heard some Arabian Scops Owls singing in the slopes. Here we also heard a Night Heron. After a couple of trials, we finally got close enough to one of them, and in a few minutes the whole group was enjoying amazing views on 1 Arabian Scops Owl. Not happy only with this we moved a bit into not a very promising place, but after a couple of minutes we could heard 1 Arabian Eagle Owl singing up in the slope. It took us some effort, but we finally got very nice scope views on Arabian Eagle Owl, singing its heart out while a second bird was replaying it at the other side of a small quarry-like place.
The group could not be more happy, and after enjoying such a good views we decided to go back to the accommodation. We were all just commented the many, many wonderful species of the day when suddenly a pack of 7 Arabian Wolves just crossed the road in front of us. Again, a bit of speed was necessary to catch up with us, but only 10 seconds after they crossed we were out with the lights, and everyone in the group had very nice views on these rather small Wolves as they were moving around and jumping the vegetation. A couple of them stood longer than the rest, looking at us only 100 metres away, and this is for sure of the most incredible sights of the trip!
Still not believing how well we saw these Wolves, we just came back to the accommodation. What-a-day!!
Yellow Bittern (Botaurus sinensis). Image by Pete Sutton.Clamorous Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreous). Image by Carles Oliver.Small Pratincole (Glareola lacteus), frontal image by Carles Oliver.More on the Small Pratincoles (Glareola lacteus) at sunset. It was delicious to see them flying around us. Image by Pete Sutton.Small Pratincole in a hard vent with the last light. Image Carles OliverArabian Scops Owls(Otus pamelae) were as wonderful as always! Image by Carles Oliver.
Day 5. About to start another day, and we were all intriguing about what was Oman having for us that day? After breakfast we drove up in the high plateau, where a number of goodies were waiting for us. But even before leaving Salalah we got a nice surprise; a flock of Alpine Swifts flying low above the motorway!
This plateau stands between 700 and 900 metres above sea level, and runs parallel to the Dhofar coast. As soon as arrived to the highlands, we started to have nice birds. Tree Pipits and Cinnamon-breasted Buntings were moving in small flocks and Fan-tailed Ravens were all around the sky, often joined by Tristam’s Starlings. Up in the sky, we got nice views on Steppe Eagles, and a few Eastern Imperial Eagles were not high up but on the posts along the road or even feeding on the ground! They provided great views that everybody enjoyed very much. A nice Siberian Stonechat was also a nice pick up, and again provided really close views for the enjoyment of the photographers in the group. Following the lane, we noted a couple of Booted Eagles circling right before a superb male Pallid Harrier showed up flying really low on the slopes. A Short-toed Eagle took over, providing good views. Now, there were 3 Eastern Imperial Eagles going West, and a small flock of Steppe Eagles was circling. At this point, 4 Eurasian Griffons appeared soaring low above our convoy.. We were not even arrived to the first proper stop of the morning when another Pallid Harrier was noted hunting in the plateau. We enjoyed good views again, and could compare this bird with a close Steppe Eagle.
Still amazed, we got out of the cars to scan a proper place for Yemen Serin. This location can look like not very interesting at first glance, but it is a very interesting spot! Blackstarts and Crested Larks are easy to see along the access lane, and as soon as we walked around we got a small flock of Tree Pipits moving away from us. 4 Bruce’s Green Pigeons flew off from a large fig tree, providing good flight views. We walked around. Both Richard’s and Long-billed Pipits were noticed, and we were pointing a typical bufh for Yemen Serins when Sergi called out two of these scarce finches coming to that same bush! After a short stop in the bush, the birds came down to feed on the ground along with the very common Cinnamon-breasted Buntings. It didn’t take long before everyone in the group was enjoying these small birds. A small walk around came after this. A Namaqua Dove was displaying in the sky, a gorgeous Bonelli’s Eagle was coming out from a sinkhole and we were all enjoying the bird when Joe found a Swift in the sky that turned out to be a Pacific Swift flying high up along with Pale Crack Martins.. Couldn’t not believe my eyes! The bird was high and was not easy to track, but most of the group got its eyes on the bird, even if shortly, before it vanished in the blue sky! Cracking spot! There are less than 10 records of Pacific Swift in Oman!!!
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus). Image by Pete Sutton.Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) flying parallel to our convoi. Image by Carles OliverLovely young Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis). Image by Pete Sutton. Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca). Image by Carles OliverObliging Blackstart (Oenanthe melanura). Image by Pete Sutton.Yemen Serins (Crithagra menachensis) showed very well. Image by Carles Oliver.Few places on Earth can provide views on Bonelli’s Eagles (Aquila fasciata) as Dhofar does. Image by Carles Oliver.Probably not the best image on a Pacific Swift (Apus pacifica) ever, but it works. Image by Carles Oliver.
From here we kept going higher. The vegetation becomes slightly thicker and soon we were enjoying the first of many Arabian Wheatears along with the commoner Isabelline and Desert Wheatears. After some nice shots, we drove to one of the impressive locations along our itinerary. Here, the plateau abruptly ends in a massive cliffs that goes down for over some hundreds of metres before in transforms into a complex myriad of valleys that led to the close Arabian Sea. It only took us a couple of minutes to have a pair of Verreaux’s Eagles passing by, providing great views. The Eagles stop in the top of some distant rocks, but not for long. Fan-tailed Ravens were not happy with its new neighbours so they moved them out the cliffs. During the next minutes, we got a number of sights on the Eagle moving always along the edge of the cliffs. The cliffs were also having a some Arabian Wheatears and we were also pleased to add Rock Hyrax to the trip list as we had some nice scope views. Before leaving the area, we had long scope views on the pair of Verreaux’s Eagles on the top of the cliffs, and a light form Booted Eagle soared above them as we started moving back to the vehicles.
Moving a bit lower, we had a stop in an open area where enjoyed our succulent packed lunches. Here, we had a full adult Eastern Imperial Eagle, a couple of Long-billed Pipits, a flock of White Storks moving in the distance, the first Arabian Sunbird of the trip and a EurasianWryneck that, unfortunately we could not add to the list trip as it was only seen by 1 of the tour leaders..
Arabian Wheatear (Oenanthe lugentoides). A cracker! Image by Pete Sutton. Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina). Image by Pete Sutton.Verreaux’s Eagles (Aquila verreauxii) provided us with a full set of acrobatic flights! Image by Pete Sutton.This impressive Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) was soaring above our lunch spot. Image by Pete Sutton.A drake Palestine Sunbird (Cinnyris osea). Image by Pete Sutton.
Back to the coast, we had a fast stop to look for Spotted Thick-knee. It didn’t take long before we got 1 bird, but it was hard to direct everybody on it. Meanwhile, we were distracted by the Arabian Sunbirds feeding around, and also by the Alexandrine Parakeets moving in the palm trees, with some individuals showing really well. A Whiskered Tern and more Booted Eagles were noted here.
Our next stop was to explore one of the largest urban parks in Salalah. Here, the main attraction was to have good views on the large flock of Yellow-throated Sparrows overwintering in the gardens. About 35 of these birds were resting on the trees or feeding on the ground and, along with them, some very attractive Scaly-breasted Munias were also noted. This a scaped species, but was celebrated for some in the group. The park also provided good views on Rüppell’s Weavers, Yellow Wagtails and Tree Pipits, but also on some Arabian Sunbirds and on 1 Eastern Orphean Warbler.
We still had time to scan a proper wetland. This time we went to West Kwar, where we had a very good array of Gulls, Terns and Ducks. 7 Ospreys were on the beach along with Whimbrels, Oystercatchers, Greater Sand Plovers and so on. This is a hot spot for Terek’s Sandpipers, and we saw well above a dozen of them feeding in the tidal plains. Garganey and African Sacred Ibis were new for the trip, and we also had distant views on Citrine Wagtails,Marsh Sandpipers and Palla’s Gull.
The last stop of the day was to explore one of the urban farms in Salalah. These large crops, mainly devoted to the production of cereals, can host large numbers of birds. Unfortunately we were a bit late and our list was not very long. We briefly saw a couple of Singing Bush Larks but never got great views. Isabelline Shrike and Crested Larks were seen, and Wood Sandpiper (3) was new for the trip, but out of that we only got regular species. From here we just went to the accommodation for dinner.
Palestine Sunbird (Cinnyris osea) close up. Image by Carlest Oliver.Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis). Image by Pete Sutton.Terek’s Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus) feeding around Salalah. Image by Carles Oliver.Tibetan Sand Plover (Anarhynchus atrifrons). Image by Pete Sutton.Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) in Salalah. Image by Pete Sutton.Yellow-throated Sparrow (Gymnoris xanthocollis). Image by Carles Oliver.
Day 6. After an early breakfast and we drove North to the harbour where our boat was waiting for us. Even before arriving to the harbour, we started enjoying good birds. A small flock of Abdim’s Storks were feeding along with Heuglin’s Gulls, providing really close views.
Once in the sea, we had to come back (believe or not, but the main guide forgot both the bins and the camera.. Well, back to the boat we left the harbour surrounded by Olive See Turtles. Around the docks we got Western Reef Egrets but also Striolated & Night Herons. Once on the sea, we started having good birds. A few Persian Shearwaters were soon flying around our boat, and after a few miles a couple of them stopped on the water, at close range, allowing really nice shots. Some Common Terns were moving around, and we were checking them when a very distant Jouanin’s Petrel just showed out, moving South to North and showing its unmistakable shape and flight pattern. Fastly, we tried to put everybody on the bird, that was distant. We moved a bit faster, trying to get closer to the bird, but we lost it before we could be close enough. Despite this, most of the tour participants got the bird, even if only provided distant views. We were still trying to find another Jouanin’s Petrel when Sean found a very nice Flesh-footed Shearwater approaching us from behind. This bird, that is becoming more and more common in Southern Oman, landed around our boat, joined by a couple of Persian Shearwaters. Small parties of Red-necked Phalaropes were moving around us, but was not until we started moving back to the continent when we got some of them close on the water. While enjoying them, Ramiro noticed a Masked Booby moving low above the sea surface. During the coming minutes, we got a few of them, ending with a superb bird landed on the water and allowing us close views and very good shots. This was it, or it was supposed to be it. But it was not, because when we were almost arriving to the coast, a superb Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel just appeared from our right, moving South at full speed. With a bit of effort, we got everybody on the bird and we got some record shots before the bird went away. What a phenomenal way to end our pelagic!
Abdim’s Storks (Ciconia abdimii). Image by Carles Oliver.Persian Shearwater (Puffinus persicus) taking off. Image by Pete Sutton.Persian Shearwater (Puffinus persicus) beside us. Image by Carles Oliver.Flesh-footed Shearwater (Ardenna carneipes). Image by Carles Oliver,Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra). Image by Carles Oliver. Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) taking off close to our boat. Image by Carles Oliver.Swimhoe’s Storm Petrel (Hydrobates monorhis). Image by Sergi Sales.
Back on the ground, we had a coffee stop to recover from the emotions of the sea, and once recovered we went a nearby urban park. The plan was to enjoy our sandwiches and to have a couple of birds. But it turned up to be a bit more than that.. Just getting inside we got one European Roller perched in the large bush along the main path. The park had some large trees and several lines of smaller trees and bush, with extensive grass in the middle. In the grass, we had a putative Eastern Yellow Wagtail calling and showing really well. Walking around, we found not only Isabelline & Turkestan Shrikes, Lesser Whitethroats and Arabian Sunbirds, and Asian Koel was new for the trip. Soaring above the park we had Osprey, Eastern Imperial Eagle and a few Abdim’s Storks..
From here we drove back to our accommodation to have a midday break and, once fresh, we met again to keep exploring the Dhofar. But our convoy was stop by Joe, who found a wonderful Grey-headed Kingfisher in a scaffolding nearby the accommodation. Once we all saw the bird, we moved out the accommodation but we had to another stop before leaving the city due to a small flock of Rose-coloured Starling that, appearing from nowhere, lined in a wire for us!
From here we drove South. Our transfer was interrupted by the first Brown Bobby of the trip, that was flying North not far from the shore. It was evident that it was a nice movement of seabirds so we directly went up into a lookout for these birds. Soon we had a number of Brown Bobbies flying around but also perched on the boies. Common, Lesser Crested & Greater Crested Terns were on their tens and in one of these mixed flocks we got at least 6 White-cheeked Terns fishing and showing well their grey rumps and a well defined underwing dark frame. This was our last ballot for Socotra Cormorant and, unfortunately, we were unable to find any single of these small Cormorants..
A last scan into a small pond produced at least 4 Red-knobbed Coots feeding along with Eurasian Coots, and its beautiful blueish-tipped bills were admired while some Whiskered Terns and 1 Purple Heron were fishing in the pond along with the much commoner Western Reef Egrets.
When the dark was to come, we had a short drive into a wady, and when the light went off the calls of the legendary Desert Owl came from the end of the wady. It didn’t take long to us to enjoy amazing views on the bird as it was moving and singing in a nearby slope. We could enjoy the bird as long as we wanted and when the tour participants started to pair more attention to the amazing sky than to the owl we realized that it was time to go back to the hotel. An absolute marvel and a great way to end another superb day!
Eastern Imperial Eagles (Aquila heliaca) soaring above Mirbat. Image by Carles Oliver.This very urban Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) was a very nice pick up! Image by Carles Oliver.Rose-coloured Starling (Pastor roseus). Image by Pete Sutton.Desert Owl (Strix hadorami). Image by Carles Oliver
Day 7. Leaving Salalah behind, we headed to the desert, where we were planning to spend the day. Our first stop was at Mudday, a very well known place for Hypocolius in Oman. Just arrived, we got nice views on 2 Nile Valley Sunbirds feeding in the palm trees and a very short walk around produced a nice male Hypocolius in flight. It was early in the morning, and the ambient was still pretty fresh. Walking around the area, Dani found a couple of Sand Partridges moving along a small cliff, and the whole group had nice views on both the male and the female.
Glad with this small introduction to the place, we came back to the vehicles and went the road back to go to one of the places where the Sandgrouses come to drink water. Once arrived, we had problems to access (it was too much water and we decided not to risk the cars!), and we finally approach the place by foot. We wait for long, but we got very little action. At the end, we were almost to leave when 2 Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouses flew above our group. Our attention was then diverted by a 2 birds fighting in the sky; a male Hooded Wheatear and 1 Arabian Bee-eater were having a dog fight right behind us! At the end, we had very nice looks on both birds. Happy with this, we were about to leave when suddenly a flock of Crowned Sandgrouses appeared in front of us, and stopped only 100 metres away from the group. We had very looks on the birds, that finally decided to fly away.. In the way back to the vehicles we still had 2 more Hypocolius (!), Bluethroat and Green Sandpiper. Back to Mudday, we had some extra time enjoying more Hypocolius but also African Silverbills, Nile Valley Sunbird, Isabelline Shrike, Blackstarts and our only confirmed African Collared Dove of the trip!
From here we drove North, and arrived to Qitbit in mid afternoon. After a break, we meet again to go North. It had been reports of Syke’s Nightjars in an oasis close by and we drove there in a lovely late afternoon light, arriving to the place about sunset. A short walk around produced a Red-throated Pipits and 2 Water Pipits (not in the list as they only flew off and we only got poor flight views). We only had to wait a few minutes to dark mantle to cover desert and see the first Nightjar moving around. For our surprise, it was a Syke’s Nightjar! Yes, we had excellent, long views on the bird flying around and suddenly a second Syke’s joined the first! Behind, a Egyptian Nightjar was also moving, and we could compare the sizes, coloration marks and behaviour of both species. Syke’s appeared always clearly smaller and more compact than the Egyptain, with shorter wings and tail, and showing (the male) the nice white pannels at the end of the undertail. What a sight! One of the Syke’s Nightjars sat down in front of us a couple of times, producing a big excitement in our group! After several minutes of observation, we decided to go back to our modest accommodation, where we enjoyed a surprisingly good dinner! A really good day, again!
Arabian Gazelle (Gazella arabica). Image by Pete Sutton.Sand Partridge (Ammoperdix heyi). Image by Pete Sutton.Crowned Sandgrouses (Pterocles coronata) attending a water hole. Image be Carles Oliver.Hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus) at Qitbit. Image by Carles Oliver.Eyebrowed Thrush (Turdus obscurus). Image by Pete Sutton.Syke’s Nightjar (Caprimulgus mahrattensis). Image by Pete Sutton.
Day 8. Early morning start, and we had a walk in the garden around our accommodation, where Eyebrowed Thrush & Hypocolius were, again, seen and photographed. After a surprisingly good breakfast we moved to an oasis close by. Here, we were hoping for some Sandgrouse action. And yes, we had to wait a bit but finally a couple of small flocks of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouses flew above the small puddle in the middle of the desert. But there were only a few Sandgrouses.. A old female Western Marsh Harrier didn’t help us as it was flying around the puddle.. Finally, our patience paid off and 2 small flocks of Spotted Sandgrouses appeared from nowhere and flew really close from our group. Only a pair minutes later, a small flock of Chestnut-bellieds landed around the puddle, but our presence was a bit too much for them, and seemed very reluctant to come to drink. Happy after the sightings, we decided to go away and to allow the Sandgrouses to drink water in peace..
From here we drove North, with no remarkable birding stops out of a Desert Lark. The plan was to arrive at our destination right at the Golden Hour so we could have some birding in the “gardens” around our accommodation. And it worked. As we arrived to the tiny garden, an interesting Shrike moved down from a palm tree. Once the cars were parked, we had a stroll with very poor action out of a Clamorous Reed Warbler and Common Sandpiper. The interesting Shrike was moving around.. Finally we re found the Shrike up again in a palm tree. It was a bit distant but at first glance it looked like a very dark Shrike. Unfortunately it flew off. With clear suspects of what bird was, we followed the bird, tracking it through the different patches of trees into a large, walled garden. There, we finally had a nice view of a beautiful Brown Shrike. A very good bird for our list! Everybody enjoyed the bird in different sites, including wonderful views on the grass along with a Eurasian Hoopoe.
From here we just went to our accommodation.
Desert Lark (Ammomanes deserti). Image by Pete Sutton.Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus). There are only 6 accepted records of the species in the country. Image by Pete Sutton.
Day 9. We arrived to the first stop of the morning at about nice in the morning, after having a nice breakfast and some drive. Here, an immense tidal plain was full of waders. Both Tibetan & Greater Sand Plovers were common, and along with them we saw several Dunlins, Little Stints, Grey Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwits, Eurasian Curlews, Eurasian Oystercatchers, Common Redshanks, Greenshanks and Ruddy Turnstones but also good numbers of Gull-billed Terns and Western Reef Egrets. Terek’s Sandpipers were also common, and they were easy to pick running up and down the mud. The first Crab Plovers of the trip were seen here, but unfortunately they were really far away.
A carefully scanning of the muddy flat land provided soon scarcer species, including Sanderling but also 5 Broad-billed Sandpipers. Even if far away, we all had good scope views before at least 2 birds moved closer and allowed some shots and a detailed views of their plomages. As Broad-billed’s moved we also did so, and we placed outselves right in front a patch of mangroves. Here we had nice views in Common Kingfisher, Striated Herons and Clamorous Reed Warbler. A Marsh Harrier and a Caspian Tern were patrolling the area, trying to get some preys. Suddenly, a small flock of Indian White-eyes appeared in the outer branched of the mangroves. There were at least 3 birds, and everybody in the group enjoyed good scope views on them, showing its electric yellow upperparts, the large white eye ring and the very contrasted, grey underneath.
Very happy for these sightings, we moved to a second location. Only arrived, we saw several Crab Plover far closer that in the previous place. In here, the tidal flatlands are narrower, allowing closer views on these magnificent waders. Some of them were moving alone, but many times we saw the typical couple of birds; a youngster begging for food to an adult. A few Curlew Sandpipers were feeding around among the far more numerous Dunlins, and Kentish Plover were seen in numbers. We spent some time scanning the waders until Sergi found a Great Knot feeding mid way out in the flat lands. Almost everybody in the group had nice scope views, but unfortunately something happened and hundreds of waders decided to move, flying away in large flocks. We never relocated the Great Knot, that looked like moving really far away from its original location.
From here we moved to a different place to enjoy our packed lunch. Once over, the sandwiches were surprising, and while having lunch we had really close views on Great Crested Terns, Western Reef Egrets, Heuglin’s Gulls, Black-headed Gull and a couple of Caspian Gulls. In the sea, large flocks of Slender-billed Gulls were feeding, very excited with the small fishing boats around, and Lesser Crested, Sandwich and Little Terns were all noted.
This was the very of the trip. From here, we drove back to Muscat, where we enjoyed a very nice last dinner and group disolved as we all had different flights, but hoping to meet again in the future to have another birding adventure.
From our side, only to say that it has been (another) great trip in Oman, and we are already looking forward the 2026 issue. Very last vacancies available!
Broad-billed Sandpiper (Calidris falcinellus). Image by Pete Sutton.Crab Plovers (Dromas ardeola) showed well, but a bit far away. Image by Carles Oliver.Greater Sand Plover (Anarhynchus leschenaultii). Image by Pete Sutton.Fiddler Crabs (Minuca sp.). Image by Pete Sutton.Great Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii). Image by Carles Oliver.Western Reef Egret (Egretta gularis). Image by Carles Oliver.Great time, tons of laughs & great birds despite being the largest group ever in this destination for us. Image by Dani Rey.
Resum: Hongria presenta una combinació entre increïbles boscos, zones d’aiguamoll i grans planures de secà, anomenades putsza. Aquest país és un dels pocs llocs on pots veure tots els picots d’Europa, excepte el tridàctil, alhora que bones poblacions de piocs salvatges amb un bon assortit de rapinyaires.
Dia 1
Fent escala a Viena, arribem al petit aeroport de Budapest al migdia amb temps per poder fer una primera visita a les zones de putsza al Sud de la capital.
Tot just trepitjar les primeres planúries no ens és gens difícil, als marges dels camins, veure un bon nombre d’escorxadors i trenques. Els primers encara alimentant pollets volanders.
Estols d’oques comunes comencen a desplaçar-se a les zones de joca al igual que grans grups de cornelles emmantellades barrejades amb graules.
En aquesta zona son freqüents els grups familiars de gaig blau. No tardem gaire en veure el majestuós vol de l’au més pesada amb capacitat per poder volar; el pioc salvatge, i tot voltant per la zona veiem altres grups que com per art de màgia desapareixen de l’horitzó de forma miraculosa. Entre les escenes màgiques que restaran a la nostra memòria està la del vol d’un nombrós grup de piocs sobre la nostra posició amb el seu majestuós vol.
D’aquí ens desplacem al nostre allotjament per acabar aquesta llarga jornada degustant les primeres viandes de la famosa cuina hongaresa.
Trenca (Lanius minor), espècie molt comú a les estepes hongareses. Lesser Grey Shrike.Escorxador (Lanius collurio), una espècie encara més comú que l’anterior. Red-backed Shrike.Pioc salvatge (Otis tarda) en vol al vespre. Great Bustard.
Dia 2
Acompanyats de bons amics hongaresos visitem la famosa reserva de putsza al Sud de la capital. Una vegada près el cafè recuperador fem un tomb pel poble a la cerca del picot garser siriac, ocell que sovint es veu en zones humanitzades. No triguem a detectar les veus d’aquest ocell i finalment una parella es deixa veure al voltant d’una zona enjardinada. La migració dels petits ocells ja és present, com a confirma la visualització en el mateix jardí d’un mosquiter xiulaire i les veus de diversos tallarols xerraires.
Travessem zones obertes tot esperant que l’augment de la temperatura activi als gran rapinyaires. Repetim forces espècies vistes el dia anterior, amb les primeres observacions de llunyanes d’àguiles imperials orientals. Finalment es fan tèrmiques on s’agrupen diverses àguiles imperials i les primeres majestuoses àguiles marines.
Sobrevolen els espais pasturats pels búfals alliberats dins el marc dels projectes de gestió d’hàbitats per les espècies estepàries, cigonyes blanques i negres. Ens dirigim ara a un racó diferent, a on fem espera d’un dels gran targets del viatge, el falcó sacre. Tot veient una de les seves preses favorites, els suslic, esperem fins que un exemplar de falcó apareix tot lluitant amb un dels omnipresents xoriguers comuns. Posteriorment, un altre exemplar en del·laïta amb vols de cacera a més curta distància.
Una vegada assolits els principals objectius de la regió, visitem alguna de les grans zones humides bàsicament emprades com a piscifactories de peix d’aigua dolça, sobretot carpa i peix gat. Aquí hi trobem un bon ventall d’aus aquàtiques alhora que els primers corbs marins pigmeus del viatge i morell xocolaters, alguns encara en grups familiars. Dos exemplars de les escasses perdius de mar en aquesta zona es llueixen davant nostre i alhora que tafaners joves de mallerengues de bigotis es deixen veure en els canyissars que envolten les basses.
Arribat al migdia visitem un restaurant especialitzat en cuina local, una gran cloenda per un agran jornada.
Posteriorment marxem cap el nord-est ja que ens espera un llarg trànsfert on van sortint noves espècies pel tour com un grapat de falcons cama-rojos.
Cigonyes blanca i negra (dreta) sobrevolant les estepes hongareses. White and Black Storks.Àguila marina (Hieraaetus albicilla). White-tailed Eagle Falcó sagrat (Falco cherrug), un dels rapinyaires més amenaçats a Europa. Saker Falcon.Àguila imperial oriental (Aquila heliaca). Eastern Imperial Eagle
Avui l’objectiu és visitar el mític conjunt de zones humides i putsza de la regió d’Hortobagy. Un organitzat sistema de piscifactories de peix d’aigua dolça permet visitar caminant diverses basses amb diferents cobertures de canyissar on per exemple són abundants un seguit de passeriformes de canyissar com els boscarlers comuns, les boscarles de canyar o les mallerengues de bigotis. En aquestes dates les zones més somes estan pràcticament seques però allà on resta una mica d’aigua, es concentren un bon nombre d’ardèids, bec-planers i limícoles. Des d’una de les torres d’observació es veu l’increïble paisatge que genera una gran zona humida envaïda per florits nenúfars grocs. Entre ells s’amaguen morells xocolaters, cabussons i centenars de corb marins pigmeus.
Després d’un excel·lent dinar en un clàssic restaurant d’Hortobagy, visitem zones inundades on centenars d’oques es concentraven en les pastures properes. En una d’ells, entre grups de fumarells carablancs, vam poder trobar alguns fumarells alablancs.
Decidim acabar la jornada visitant zones d’estepes on gaudim d’una espectacular tarda amb grups familiars de gaig blau, falcons cama-rojos, piocs salvatges, trenques i escorxadors alhora que rapinyaires com àguila imperial oriental o arpella cendrosa.
Corb marí pigmeu (Micracarbo pygameus), una espècie habitual a Hongria. Pygmy Cormorant.Picot verd europeu (Picus viridis) jove. European Green WoodpeckerFemella (esq) i mascle (dreta) de falcó cama-roig (Falco vespertinus). Red-footed Falcon
Dia 4
Avui l’objectiu serà visitar els majestuosos boscos caduficolis per intentar sumar un bon nombre de picots i altres ocells forestals
Comencem a la cerca d’una de les espècies que interessen al tour: les mallerengues capnegres. Un cop ens endinsem en zones de coníferes no triguem en detectar, dins de grans grups mixtes (reietons, mallerengues, raspinell pirinenc..), els primers exemplars d’aquesta espècie.
Un excitat picot negre eurosiberià ens acomiada de la zona. D’aquí conduim fins a un altre bosc a la cerca del més localitzat dels picots, el picot garser dorsblanc.
Als pocs minuts s’escolta el típic reclam del picot cendrós, finalment deixant-se veure després d’una breu disputa amb un picot verd europeu. Sembla que li agrada recuperar energia al sol, ja que resta immòbil una bona estona a la capçada d’un arbre per fortuna per nosaltres.
Arbres madurs fan que el picoteig de picot sigui constant i ens fa amena l’espera fins que surti l’estrella del dia. Picots garsers mitjans, grossos i petits són abundants alhora que grups mixtes de passeriformes on apareixen grups nombrosos de mallerengues cuallargues de les races de cap blanc, un ocell d’aspecte tant delicat com espectacular. Finalment dues no massa llunyanes parelles de picot garser dorsblanc es van deixar veure i escoltar a plaer.
En una breu passejada pel mateix bosc, 8 espècies de picots! no està gens malament.
Visitem zones obertes a la cerca de petits migrants on a més de durbecs, cotxes fumades….apareix un inquieta busqueta icterina.
Dinem a peu de rierol on ens visita una família de cueretes torrenteres i al refugi d’una bona ombra.
Posteriorment visitem un espai obert, un mosaic de pastures, camps i fruiters. Els arbres i arbustos estaven plens de fruites i baies fet que atreia petits migrants, especialment tallarols de casquet, xerraires, verderoles… Vista fugaç i veus de tallarol esparverenc, el qual no es deixa veure de forma òptima. Escanejant el cel va sorprendre una fase pàl·lida d’àguila calçada, espècie rara en aquesta àrea.
Afortunadament a hores d’ara ja hem assolit els principals objectius del tour, per tant, el que fem és intentar millorar observacions d’algunes de les espècies i/o fotografiar-les.
Comencem visitant zones periurbanes a la cerca de picot garser siríac i sobretot picot verd europeu, dels quals no tardem en detectar, especialment el picot verd dels quals un jove s’acaba aturant a un pal de formigó donant observacions a plaer. Aquest mosaic d’hàbitats fa que siguin abundants els fringíl·lids i migrants com el tallarol gros.
Una vegada comencen a pujar les temperatures ens desplacem cap als sectors on nidifiquen les àguiles pomerànies, el darrer dels targets que ens quedava per assolir. Als pocs minuts es deixa veure un exemplar que veiem aturar a una vall arbrada. Posteriorment es veuen altres vegades fins dos exemplars. La zona sembla bona per rapinyaires ja que també es deixen veure aligots vespers i altres aus planejadores.
Amb les temperatures de mig matí decidim visitar zones boscoses on segur que es manté més activitat que en zones obertes. Una passejada per un madur bosc caducifoli ens permet gaudir de bones observacions de varis picots garsers mitjans, grossos,petits i grups mixtes de mallerengues.
Nou dinar en restaurants de cuina típica hongaresa per tancar una altre gran matí ornitològic.
Decidim visitar zones boscoses amb arbres grans per cercar el picot negre, el pícid que pitjor havíem observat en aquest viatge. Vàrem escollir bé el lloc de prospecció perquè en pocs minuts ja escoltàvem un picot a curta distancia, el qual ens va acompanyar una bona estona fent volades ràpides a curs distància, mostrant la gran habilitat que tenen per aturar-se a la banda “equivocada dels arbres”.
Una bones copes de casolana palinka per tancar el darrer sopar del viatge.
Picot garser mitjà (Dendrocopos medius). Middle Spotted Woodpecker.
Dia 6
Aquest matí només disposem d’un parell d’hores de birding abans de desplaçar-nos cap a l’aeroport. Per això decidim de fer un tomb tot resseguint un torrent a tocar de l’hospedatge per tal de mirar algun picot més.
Cercant entre els grans arbres veiem un bon ventall d’espècies forestals, entre elles diversos grups mixten a on destaquen mallerengues cuallargues de cap blanc i 4 espècies de pícids destacant uns quants picots verds europeus; a les zones obertes veiem cotxes fumades i papamosques grisos, però sobretot destaca el nombre de mosquiters xiulaires que veiem en aquesta passejada.
Un relaxat i gran final per un extraordinari tour a un país molt recomanable per viatjar per qualsevol ornitòleg.
Llista d’aus observades al llarg del tour:
Faisà — Phaisanus colchinus — Common Pheasant
Cigne mut — Cygnus olor — Mute Swan
Oca comuna — Anser anser — Greylag Goose
Ànec griset — Marecca strepera — Gadwall
Xarxet comú — Anas crecca — Eurasian Teal
Ànec coll-verd — Anas platyrhynchos — Mallard
Xarrasclet — Spatula querquedula — Garganey
Xibec — Netta rufina — Red-crested Pochard
Morell de cap roig — Aythya ferina — Common Pochard
All images in this trip report by Carles Oliver. All rights reserved.
Overview: This tour explores the Western Cape province, a very interesting part of South Africa hosting very interesting endemics, including some only living in this small area of the country and are not to be found anywhere else. This was our 3rd tour exploring the Cape Town province, and despite the weather was not as good as it could be, we got a wonderful array of species including good views not only in the very sought-after endemics but also in some very interesting species at the continent level including Buff-spotted Flufftail, Marsh Owl, Quailfinch, Spectacled Petrel, Secretary Bird and Verreaux’s Eagle. Yes, the weather was a bit challenging, with a couple of days of very low temperatures and extremely strong winds. The weather conditions were neither in our side during the offshore, and we had an extremely quiet day, with nearly no wind. Still, we got a very long list of species, even if some major road works made impossible to explore one of the largest wetlands along the itinerary.
Day 1. Arrived to Cape Town from our connexion flight via Dubai, and we got our first birds of the trip in the parking lot of the airport, where we had both Cape Canary & Cape White-eye in the very first bush that we saw.
It was a lovely evening, and the short transfer to the our accommodation not only provided the group with the first views on the majestic Table Mountain NP, but also with flocks of Western Cattle Egrets and Hadada Ibises. We even got a House Crow, a very uncommon bird in the area! Once in our lodge, we still had a few minutes of birding overlooking a close estuary. There, we got several Egyptian Geese, Brown-hooded & Hartlaub’s Gulls but also Black-necked Stilts, Pied Kingfishers, Common Greenshanks, some magnificent Blacksmith Plovers and the first African Spoonbills, Cape Teals & African Oystercatchers of the tour, plus the only one Black-crowned Night Heron of the trip!
Day 2. After a nice breakfast, we left the accommodation, ready to have the first serious birding of the trip. This first day was devoted to explore a small area of the coast East of Cape Town. A 45 minutes transfer was necessary to reach the first location of the day. There, in a very impressive coastal fynbos (South African Mediterranean scrub land) we had a lovely short walk with a long and interesting list of species including several endemics. White-necked Ravens were flying over the closer houses along with a couple of Rock Kestrels. Down in the scrubs, the explosive song of Cape Grassbirds was the opening for a very interesting list of species. Soon, we had our first family groups of Piping & Red-headed Cisticolas along with Cape Buntings, Cape Wagtail, Cape Robin Chats, Cape Canaries, Olive Thrushes, Yellow Bishop and the extemelly common Southern Double-banded Sunbird and the firsts Rock Martins of the trip. Only a few metres of walk were necessary to have the first Cape Sugarbird, with a very impressive male singing only a few yards away from us. Its rather weird song didn’t distracted us from scanning from new species, and we found a very close Cape Rock Thrush looking for preys in a nearby meadow.
A bit more of walk was required to find the first Orange-breasted Sunbirds of the trip. Here the slope becomes steeper, and impressive rocky outcrops emerge to create a number of solid rock walls higher in the slope. Those fingers and the rocky tongues between them are the habitat for a very special species, and the main reason for us to visit this location. We had some hard scanning in the slopes, trying to locate this very sought-after species. After some minutes, we got nothing but suddenly Ann got a bird. A kind of “dark Mistle Thrush with its tail up” she came to described. No doubt, she had a Cape Rockjumper! Following her indications, it only took us half minute to point the scope on the bird: A wonderful male Cape Rockjumper only for ous eyes! It was mid way up the slope, but it provided long and excellent views on the scope as it kept exploring the rocky, low vegetated mountain. At some point the bird moved down the slope, and our hearts beated hard, facing the perspective of a close view. But it never happened. Soon, the Rockjumper went back up and we kept enjoying the bird whilst scanning for a possible female that never showed out. A couple of Cape Siskins flew higher in the slopes, providing a first (although poor) view for our guests. This small beauty is an endemic species of the coastal scrubland East of Cape Town, and a very important species for the trip! Other very interesting species here included the rarely seen Victorin’s Warbler and the first of many Karoo Prinias, White-rumped Swifts and Familiar Chats.
Cape Sugarbird (Promerops cafer)White-necked Raven (Corvus albicollis)Cape Rock Thrush (Monticola rupestris), a endemic with a really small range.Cape Buntings (Emberiza capensis) are always so obliging!Orange-breasted Sunbird, a superb sunbird with a very small range.Proteas are such a fancy plants!Red-headed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla)Cape Rockjumper (Chaetops frenatus) showing well in the scope and with a poor but clear image. Orange-breasted Sunbird (Anthobaphes violacea) is likely to stop in the many boulders within its habitat.Amazing views on this stunning male Cape Sugarbird as we were leaving our first stop.
After such a phenomenal first stop of our trip, we drove down from the mountains to enjoy a very nice coffee stop and (probably) the most beautiful muffins in the area! Close by, a very attractive botanical garden was waiting for us. A 30′ short walk around there was enough to discover a very nice selection of birds. Swee Waxbills were probably the most sought-after species at this spot. One pair of this little jewels were having a bath as we arrived, and we got amazing views on them. Along with this tiny birds, the walk around the garden offered us very nice looks in Fiscal Flycatchers, Amethyst Sunbirds, obliging Cape Batis and Forest Canary. Cape Bulbuls were everywhere and we had the first glimpse on Sombre Greenbuls. Here we also got the first Streaky-headed Seedeasters, Brimstone Canaries & Pin-tailed Whydahs of the trip, and a couple of Black Sawwings. Soaring higher in the sky, we got Greater Striped Swallows and White-rumped Swifts but also the first 3 Jackal Buzzard of the trip and 1 African Black Swift.
From here, a very short drive lead us to a colony of African Penguins. It is always surprising to see these wonderful birds evolving in the shallow water or simply resting in the white sand. This colony is right in the middle of a town. Do you imagine to have a short walk along the coast right next to your house when a dozen of penguins just get out of the wader to colonise that beach? This is exactly what it happened in this place, and I would pay to see the faces of the neighbours back in those days! So, now the colony has dozens of nests and a healthy population of this endangered species. We got amazing views, and also got good views on African Oystercatcher, Greater Crested Tern and a surprisingly close Bank Cormorant.
The always impressive Swee Waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis)We had really close views on Cape Batis (Batis capensis)Fynbos in full bossom.This African Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini) decided to have a bath right in front of us.Colony of Cape Cormorants. Please note the White-breasted Cormorant in the top and some Crowned Cormorants in the left side. African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) arriving to the shore.African Penguins drying out right after getting out of the ocean. African Penguin enjoying the life!
From here, we drove back to Cape Town to have some time in the famous Strandfrontein Wetlands. This is a large wetland with a number of large lagoons and interesting channels. The area was not as fulfilled with waterfowl as in previous trips, but still produced a nice list of birds. Along with interesting flocks of Greater & Lesser Flamingoes and Cape Teals, we also had the firsts flocks of Spur-winged Geese. Cape Shovelers and Red-billed Ducks were also common. A single Southern Pochard was seen in flight, and a few Black-necked & Little Grebes were seen in one of the larger ponds. A small flock of 7 Fulvous Whistling Ducks had been in the place for weeks (a local rarity) and was spending the afternoon feeding along with Red-knobbed. Here we also got the first Cape Sparrows of the trip, just when a Black Crake crossed the road as a ghost!
In the channels we got good views on both Little Rush and Lesser Swamp Warblers and Levaillant’s Cisticola showed well despite the strong wind. An African Marsh Harrier was crossing the sky just went a Burchell’s Coucal was heard calling in a thicket nearby. In our way out, we had a short stop to watch the first Cape Spurfowls of the trip.
From here we went back to our accommodation to enjoy a nice evening meal before having a nice rest.
Cape Teal (Anas capensis) is, by far, my favourite duck in this region.Cape Shoveler (Spatula smithii), a common duck around Cape Town.Fulvous Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna viduata) are a scarcity in the Southern tip of Africa.Lesser (left) & Greater (right) Flamingoes feeding side by side.
Day 3. An early start was necessary to connect with our boat, leaving the harbour right after sunset. Whilst waiting for the boat to be ready, we got nice views on a Black-headed Heron roosting in the harbour and a Peregrine Falcon flying high over the bay.
It was a sunny and quiet day. Unfortunately we had a day with almost no wind, and this affected seriously the amount and diversity of sea birds during the offshore. Still, got a number of goodies, and we were really lucky to see 4 Humpback Whales in a superb manner. They jumped out of the sea several times not far from us, and one of them was splashing its fin against the water, creating a impressive sound all around the bay.
While enjoying the whales we also got the first parties of African Penguins and Brown Fur Seals leaving the security of their colonies to explore their hunting areas. Several flocks of Common Terns and Greater Crested Terns were also seen here.
Soon, we were outside the bay, and after enjoying a stop right by the Cape of Good Hope, we kept going South. Soon, we got the first Shy Albatrosses of the trip, along with some White-chinned Petrels and Subantarctic Skuas.
The sea was extremely plain and we only got the first flocks of seabirds around a large trawler. Here we got tens of Sooty Shearwaters but also Black-browed Albatrosses and we were also lucky to find a few Great Shearwaters,1 Sabine’s Gull flying quite high and a superb Northern Giant Petrel that was following the ship. Here, the only Arctic Tern of the trip was seen as well. A second trawler was not far away from us, and it was mandatory to take a look. We approached this second vessel from the back, and we were lucky find some good birds there. First it was the only one Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross of the day, this is a quite common species, but the conditions were probably too calm for them to move. A few minutes later we also found a nice Spectacled Petrel moving along with the many White-chinned’s, and at least 4 Cape Petrels. A few Cape Gannets were fishing here, providing good views to the group. Several Shy & Black-broweds Albatrosses were sitting on the water, and we enjoyed long views on these amazing beasts. We still had some time here, but we only had a small flock of 4 Sabine’s Gulls as an interesting sighting.
In the way back to the harbour we still had time to enjoy on a variety of Cormorants, including Crowned Cormorants, large flocks of Cape Cormorants and also a small colony of the critically endangered Bank Cormorant that was sharing a large granite outcrop with a Brown Fur Seals colony.
While crossing the bay we enjoyed several Humpback Whales! White-chinned Petrels (Procellaria aequinoctialis) are common around Cape Town.Brown Fur Seal.Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta)Northern Giant Petrel approaching the trawler. Northern Giant Petrel (Macronetes halli)Immature Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris)Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta)Subantarctic or Brown Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus)Cape Gannet (Morus capensis)Full adult Shy AlbatrossSabine’s Gull (Xema sabini)Great Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)Brown Fur Seal enjoying a sun bath.Critically endangered Bank Cormorants (Phalacrocorax neglectus) sitting on its nests.
After a nice lunch in the bay, we drove to a nearby lagoon. A short walk there produced Red-knobbed Coots but also Little Grebes and the first views of Black-winged Kite, Fork-tailed Drongo, African Darter, Whiskered Tern, White-throated Swallow and Alpine Swift. From here we just when back to our accommodation for an early end of the day.
Day 4. Leaving our accommodation, we went to the Table Mountain slopes before leaving Cape Town. Our first stop of the day was devoted to explore a small stream surrounded by interesting woodlands. Just leaving the vehicle we got a couple of Black Goshawks flying over area. A short walk here produced really good looks on scaped Bronze Mannikins, Sombre Greenbuls, Rameron Pigeons and Levaillant’s Cisticolas. Here we also got really good views on Little Rush Warblers but the main target of the stop was living low in the rank vegetation. After some wait in a quiet spot, a wonderful Buff-spotted Flufftail came out of the dense vegetation a walk right in front of me, only a couple of metres away from us! Unfortunately, not everybody in the group got to see the bird so we decided to go for a walk and, after a while, we came back to same spot to try the bird again. And we were double lucky that day since the Flufftail came out again for another short walk and this time we all enjoyed great views on the bird walking on the mud and even jumping on a log!
From here we went to the famous Kristenbosch National Botanical Garden. This is a well known birding spot in Cape Town and host a good variety of birdlife along with an impressive selection of the rich flora of the region. Unfortunately we went to visit the place on Sunday, mid morning, and the garden was really crowd. Still, we got a nice set of species including Cape Batis, Forest Canary & Forest Buzzard. The more dense areas were good to see species of the tangles including Lemon Dove, African Dusky Flycatcher, Cardinal Woodpecker and African Paradise Flycatcher. Here we also got good views on Southern Boubou and we heard some of the few Common Chaffinches still living the area after they were introduced by the British 150 years ago. Our walk around produced also good views on Cape White-eyes, African Harrier-Hawk and really good views on a roosting Spotted Eagle Owl.
Little Rush Warbler (Bradypterus baboecala), a shy inhabitant of the rank vegetation.Levaillant’s Cisticola (Cisticola tinniens), a common inhabitant of moist vegetation and wetlands.Average leave photobombed by a Buff-spotted Flufftail (Sarothrura elegans)Olive Woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus) working hard for food.Dusky African Flycatcher (Muscicapa adusta ), is a fairly common bird in a variety of woodlands.Spotted Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus) roosting in the Botanical Garden.Fork-tailed Drongo (Dricurus assimilus)
After leaving the botanical garden it was time to leave the city and go North. Before having a short stop for lunch we had a stop on Birkenhead Drive Wetland. By then the weather was turning, and the sunny day was already becoming cloudy, and windy. Here we got 2 Maccoa Ducks and 1 White-backed Duck but also Common Greenshanks along with commoner species including a couple of Yellow-billed Kites, Southern Fiscals and the firsts Southern Masked Weaver & Southern Red Bishops of trip nesting in the reedbeds.
We kept moving North in our way to the West Coast National Park. But before arriving we had a stop by the highway. Here we got a gorgeous Black-winged Kite hunting really close to us, the first views on Southern Grey Sparrows, 3 Bokmakierie, Grey-backed Cisticolas, 4 Pied Starlings, 1 Jackal Buzzard and a wonderful Grey-winged Francolin showing in the top of some rocks. Here, we also got a singing Common Quail. Once inside the West Coast National Park the weather deteriorated really fast, and fastly became a windy, cold afternoon. We also got some rain and birding was really low. We had a short walk exploring the fabulous coastal scrub lands typical of this protected site, but bird activity was poor and we only got 1 Chestnut-vented Warbler, 1 Karoo Larks, a distant Black Harrier, 2 White-backed Mousebirds 1 Cape Longclaw deep inside the thickets. A bit disappointed for the low bird activity we decided to have a short drive. We got lucky with close views in a couple of Grey-winged Francolins. It was becoming really windy, and the light was not good to try to spot small birds in the thickets, so we tried a walk through the marshes to one of the outlooks. Despite the bad weather here we got good views on Kittlitz’s Plovers, Little Stints, Black-winged Stilts, Curlew Sandpipers, 1 Marsh Sandpiper and the bell ringed for us and we got to see the White-rumped Sandpiper that had been hanging around the area!
Once in the outlook, we got a nice selection of waders including Bar-tailed Godwits, Grey Plovers, Sanderlings, Lesser Flamingoes, African Oystercatchers, Common Ringed Plovers, 1 Sandwitch Tern and several Black-headed Herons. The weather became really bad at some point, and we decided to go to our accommodation to have some rest and a good dinner.
Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus) with a prey. Chestnut-vented Warbler (Curruca subcoerulea), a common inhabitant in the coastal scrubs.Cape Spurfowl (Ptermistis capensis), an extremely common around Capte Town.
Day 5. This morning as windy as it was the evening before, but we had a promising sun shining in the sky. Windy. In the morning we went back to the West Coast National Park, but the wing was so strong that we had difficulties to get out of the vehicle. Our first drive produced nice views on a Southern Black Korhaan displaying. We got long views son the bird, and while enjoying the view we were surprised by two other males flying around. A bit further, another gorgeous Black Korhaan was standing right in the lane, providing stunning views! It was sunny, but windy, and the Cape Berg Adders felt comfortable in this weather. During the morning we 4 of them crossing the road or taking advantage of the warm tarmac.
We drove to the Northern area of the parc, hoping for some shelter against the wind. And we were lucky. In that area we had a nice walk in an nice area of scrubs. Here, Karoo Bush Robins and Karoo Prinias looked like being everywhere, and we also had really good views on one singing White-throated Canary and some restless Malachite Sunbirds. Walking down to an outlook dominating the bay, we also got great views on some White-fronted Plovers. Unfortunately, the outlook was not sheltered against the wind, and birdwatching from there was a bit uncomfortable. Still, we managed a good selection of bird including a couple of Caspian Terns and 1 Subantarctic Tern in summer plumage along with several Common Terns, always a treat!
Back to the vehicle, the wind became even stronger, making any birding quite hard. A couple of Black Harriers scouting the scrubs was the best sight in our way out to the West Coast National Park. The wind kept extremely strong all along the afternoon. Still, our transfer to Ceres produced a number of interesting birds, including the first Red-capped Larks, Capped Wheatears & African Pipits for the trip.
A few miles inland, we stopped in the highway itself. In the distance, a pair of Blue Cranes were walking in a field. Along with them, a very young Blue Crane was walking with them, picking on the ground and the grass, and struggling to follow their parents as they were looking for food in the meadow. This was a wonderful and highly unexpected view and in fact it came to end our day. When arriving to our accommodation the wind was still really strong, and we decided to spare the rest of the afternoon resting a bit.
African Pipit (Anthus cinnamomeus)Two different close ups on Black Koorhans (Afrotis afraoides).White-throated Canary (Crithagra leucoptera), a scarce inhabitant in coastal thickets.White-fronted Plover (Charadrius marginatus)Cape Berg Adder (Bitis atropos) offered us impressive views!Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis) displaying in our lunch stop.
Day 6. After a couple of days with strong winds and sparse rain, the sun raised in a quiet ambient. When we left our accommodation it was a splendid morning with a mild temperature. We covered the short distance to the karoo enjoying the voluptuous landscape along the road, but also some good birds including the first White-faced Whistling Ducks of the tour, Red-billed Ducks and the only small flock of Blue-billed Teals of the trip! A small herd of Red Hartebeests crossed the road, followed soon after by a couple of Steenboks and a Cape Grey Mongoose.
Our first proper stop was just by road. Even if we had some traffic (and its associated dust), the birding was superb. Here, a rocky outcrop is broken by a small stream, being the perfect place to get a good array of species. Small parties of Lark-like Buntings were moving everywhere and in only 5 minutes we got a fabulous list of birds including Layard’s Warbler, Common (African) Reed Warbler, Common Waxbills, Cape Penduline Tit singing from the top of small bush along the stream but also Long-billed Crombec (also referred as Cape Crombec), the first Hamerkop of the trip, several Karoo Prinias and Grey-backed Cisticolas, 2 Mountain Chats, 7 Black-headed Canaries moving on the ground and in the lower flowers, and even a Karoo Thrush. But the very best was probably a nice Verreaux’s Eagle showing up in the sky for a couple of minutes. Even if it was not really close, it was a wonderful sight!
From here we drove deeper in the karoo and a second stop produced an even longer list, with really good looks on Fairy Flycatchers, Karoo Emeromela, Nicholson’s Pipit, 1 Fiscal Flycatcher, Sickle-winged Chats, the first Pale-Chanting Goshawk of the trip, 1 Booted Eagle, 1 Karoo Chat, restless Malachite Sunbirds, several Cape Buntings and Karoo Scrub Robins, 1 singing African Hoopoe and the only 2 Dusky Sunbirds of the trip! Still, and despite our efforts, we failed to find any Cinnamon-breasted Warbler..
From here we had some drive through the wonderful karoo landscape, with stops to enjoy both Karoo & Sickle-winged Chats but also Thick-billed & Karoo Larks. We arrived to an outlook from where we a large lagoon could be seen. Several Southern Shelducks were feeding there along with other waterfowl but also Greater Flamingoes, Whiskered Terns, 4 Marsh Sandpipers, Ruffs and other waders. A small flock of European Bee-eaters move on, calling around us, even if we never saw them. The bush around was also well alive, with several chats moving around and also our only one Karoo Long-billed Lark and 1 Common Ostrich. Suddenly, a Greater Kestrel showed up in the sky, moving a couple of Yellow Canaries and 1 Barn Swallow.
Our final stop in the karoo was devoted to new rocky outcrop. Here we got excellent views on both Namaqua & Rufous-eared Warblers as they were very active in the scrubs but also our first Mountain Wheatear (also referred as Mountain Chat), 1 Ant-eating Chat and 4 very approachable Spike-heeled Larks. In the way back, 4 Pale-chanting Goshawks had been working in a remarkable spectacle just for us. A young bird was trying to compete for the hunting territory of a pair of these birds of prey, and along 15 minutes we had very close views on an air battle, with these acrobats fighting hard to keep their opponents out of its territory. It was a great way to end our morning exploration!
Back to our accommodation and after enjoying a midday break, we went to explore a nearby open lands. Very little was seen out of some Little Swifts, African StonechatsBanded Martins and passing Purple Heron. But right before dinner we had superb views on 2 Spotted Eagle Owls singing from the top of our own accommodation! What a way to end our day!
Steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) in the karoo.The always impressive Verreaux’s Eagle (Aquila verreauxii)Large-billed Lark Rufous-eared Warbler (Malcorus pectoralis) showed superbly for our group!Spike-heeled Lark (Chersomanes albofasciata) provided intimate views!Great to see the complex design of this 2nd year Pale Chanting Goshawk (Melierax canorus)Full adult Pale Chanting Goshawk Typical karoo habitatFairy Flycatcher (Stenostira scita), a restless species that favours large and dense bushA small flock of Black-headed Canaries (Serinus alario) up in the slopes.
Day 7. After a succulent breakfast, we kept exploring the area around Ceres, but this time we headed to the slopes. Here, we walked up a famous lane in the hope to contact with another endemic; the Ground Woodpecker. The short walk was great and we managed to have good views on Cape Siskins, Orange-breasted Sunbirds and Booted Eagles. Still, we only heard a distant Ground Woodpecker and we failed to see this key species.
A second stop was made in a mountain pass West of Ceres. Here we did have a number of minor stops, hoping to find the rather scarce Protea Seedeater (or Protea Canary), after a number of non productive stops we finally found one of them perched close to other Canaries! It was already midday and quite warm, and this final victory came along with really good views on a pair of Klipspringers resting on the boulders close to the lane.
From here we started the transfer to Bontebok National Park. In our way, apart from a lovely lunch, we enjoyed with the several Common Ostriches and crossing some nice habitat we picked up small concentrations of Blue Cranes and also a nice Common Buzzard (from the vulpinus race and often referred as a separate species; Steppe Buzzard).
Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus) Small flocks of Blue Cranes were feeding along our way
We arrived to Bontebok National Park during the afternoon, a good couple of hours before sunset. Almost immediately we got Crowned Lapwings and Cape Crows, two species that were escaping from us during the previous days. A game drive around the park produced soon small herds of stunning Bonteboks but also some scarce Mountain Zebras and Red Hartebeest. Bokmakieries looked like being everywhere in the thickets, but the very first amazing sight of the afternoon was an obliging juvenile Montagu’s Harrier that we found only a few meters away from our van! Personally, it has been the closer views on this species ever and one of the highlights of the tour!
As the afternoon advanced, Cape Clapper Larks started showing off and displaying all around us. Here we also picked up the first Cloud Cisticolas of the trip. The extensive grasslands of the park host a thriving population of Denham’s Bustards, and soon we enjoyed excellent views in these giants, with one male displaying and up to 5 birds flying at close range. In one of these nice stops to enjoy the Bustards, we got 2 Quailfinches moving out from the lane. As always with this species, it was a fast view, but soon after we got 2 more Qualfinches flying really close to us, providing proper looks! Same birds? Hard to know. We started moving out, but we had to stop because of the many Cape Robin-Chats, White-backed Mousebirds and Pin-tailed Whydahs along the way. Here, a couple of Spotted Thick-knees crossed the lane, and a bit beyond two Black Harriers provided good looks as well. But the best was still to come, in our way back, a Black-winged Kite was harassing a bird, and what was our surprise when we saw that the Kite was actually harassing a Marsh Owl! We were lucky, and a minor track lead us right by where the action was going on. And yes, a pair of amazing Marsh Owls were patrolling its territory right in front us. Unfortunately they were not as close as they were only one minute ago, but we all still had a great views in these incredible creatures. Marsh Owls are extremely scarce in Western Cape, with only a handful of known territories, and they are actually a description species for the area!
Back to the vehicles, we just drove to the gate of the National Park, but before leaving we found a nest of Black-winged Kites. The nest was so close and low that it was possible to see the chicks on the nest even without bins. Cleverly, we decided to keep going immediately and to do not disturb them. From here we just went to our accommodation to enjoy a wonderful dinner and rest.
Young Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus), a nice way to start time in Bontebok National Park.Cape Clapper Lark (Corypha apiata), a common lark moisty grasslands.A taste of the great views that we had on Denham’s Bustards.Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus), for me, the most beautiful antelope in Africa.A pair of Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis) was a rather unexpected sight Red Hartebeest (Alcephalus busephalus caama) in golden hourMarsh Owl (Asio capensis) came out from its day roosting place just in time!
Day 8. The day started foggy and rainy in our accommodation, and our pre-breakfast walk produced little out of a distant Red-chested Cuckoo, 1 Tambourine Dove, Bar-throated Apalises and Rameron Pigeons. After breakfast, we drove South in the way to have some birding in the well known Agulhas Plains, half way down to De Hoop Nature Reseve.
Agulhas Plains was as great as always. The rain vanished and with the sun and the mild temperatures came the birds. The area was full of Red-capped Larks, African Pipits, Capped Wheatears, African Stonechats and Red-billed Queleas. Large-billed Larks were singing along the fences. We were also lucky to get at least 3 Agulhas Long-billed Larks and a minimum of 5 Cape Vultures, an endangered species with only a couple of colonies in the Western Cape. Here we also got good numbers of Blue Cranes feeding in the harvested areas along with the firsts Zitting Cisticolas of the trip. Pearl-breasted Swallows were patrolling the streams, and small flocks of the tiny Grey-backed Sparrow Larks were also enjoyed. Once closer to the nature reserve we started enjoying the first mammals, with small herds of Springboks and Elands roaming the slopes while the first Denham’s Bustards of the day became evident.
Rameron Pigeon (Columba arquatix), a common beauty in many parts of Africa.Sombre Greenbuls (Andropadus importunus) are far easier to hear than to seeAfrican Black Duck (Anas sparsa), often a shy species.The very impressive landscape in our accommodation.Capped Wheatear (Oenanthe pileata), a common inhabitant of extensive farmingLarge-billed Lark (Galerida magnirostris) close upPin-tailed Whydah (Vidua macroura) is not scarce at allWe were lucky to have amazing views on Agulhas Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda brevirostris)Blue Crane (Anthropoides paradiseus), what a smart creatures they are!Southern Red Bishop (Euplectes orix) a fairly common bird in the open lands.Cape Vulture (Gyps cropotheres) has become really scarce in the Western Cape province.
The Hoop Nature Reserve is an excellent place to enjoy wildlife, and our time in the reserve included close views on Bonteboks, Mountain Zebras, Grey Rheboks and Yellow Mongoose. In terms of birdlife, African Fish Eagle, Plain-backed Pipit, Speckled Mousebird and Great Crested Grebe were all new for the trip,
Back to the plains, we had further and closer views on Denham’s Bustard (yes, I love them!) and we were surprised to see a Common Quail running the lane right in front off our van! A bit beyond, a small pond and the meadows around produced Grey-winged Francolin, Three-banded Plover, 2 Spotted Thick-knee and, of course, Blacksmith Plovers.
Back to the accommodation, we got a Fiery-necked Nightjar in the way to dinner. The bird was sitting on the dart road. After dinner, we tried to relocate the bird but, despite at least two males were singing around, we never saw it again..
Bokmakeire (Telophorus zeylonus), a superb bird all along!Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra)Yellow Mongoose (Cynictis penicillata)Denham’s Bustard (Neotis denhami) displaying.Black Harrier (Circus maurus), the master of the coastal fynbos
Day 9. Last day of the trip. During the night we got some rain, and our pre-breakfast walk was a bit muddy, but productive. In the garden of the accommodation we got nice views on the only Grey-hooded Kingfisher of the trip. Greater Double-collared Sunbirds were common around the accommodation, along with commoner species including Sombre Greenbuls, Bar-throated Apalis, Cape Sugarbird, Jackal Buzzard and Cape Batis. To find the singing Klaa’s Cuckoo was a bit more difficult, but at end everybody in the group enjoyed good views.
After breakfast we decided a last minute visit to the Bontebok National Park. We only had one hour but we were regarded not only with the best views on Grey-winged Francolins of the trip but also with a very nice Secretary Bird hunting in the grasslands. Even if the bird was never close, it was a great way to end the trip. This was one of the main targets for some of our guests, and until that moment it was escaping from us!
In our way back to Cape Town, our planning still included a visit into a coastal tidal plain, but some major works in the highway 2 produced long queues and we finally decided to head directly to the airport, ending a wonderful 3rd issue of our special birding trip around Cape Town.
Very, very looking forward coming back in 2025! Join us. Please contact us info@barcelonabirdingpoint.com
This Klaa’s Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas) was singing around our accommodation
Southern Masked Weaver (Ploceus velatus) Greater Double-banded Sunbirds (Cinnyris afer) were moving along with Cape Sugarbirds. Suprisingly, we only had 1 Brown-hooded Kingfisher (Alcyon albiventris) during the trip. Grey-winged Francolin (Scleroptila afra) in our way out of Bontebok NP.
List of birds seen during the trip
Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus)
Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis)
South African Shelduck (Tadorna cana)
White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata)
Fulvous Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna tricolor)
Maccoa Duck (Oxyura maccoa)
Cape Shoveler (Spatula smithii)
Blue-billed Teal (Spatula hottentota)
Red-billed Duck (Anas erythrorhyncha)
African Black Duck (Anas sparsa)
Yellow-billed Duck (Anas undulata)
Cape Teal (Anas capensis)
White-backed Duck (Thalassornis leuconotus)
Southern Pochard (Aythya erythrophthalma)
Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
Cape Spurfowl (Ptermistis capensis)
Grey-winged Francolin (Scleroptila afra)
Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix)
Fiery-necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus pectoralis)
Little Swift (Apus affinis)
White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer)
African Black Swift (Apus barbatus)
Alpine Swift (Apus melba)
Denham’s Bustard (Neotis denhami)
Southern Black Korhaan (Eupodotis vigorsii)
Burchell’s Coucal (Centropus burchellii) — heard only
Red-chested Cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius)
Klaas’s Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius)
Speckled Pigeon (Colunba guinea)
Rameron Pigeon (Columba arquatix)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia spp)
Namaqua Dove (Oena capensis)
Ring-necked Dove (Streptopelia capicola)
Red-eyed Dove (Streptopelia semitorquata)
Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis)
Lemon Dove (Aplopelia larvata)
Buff-spotted Flufftail (Sarothrura elegans)
Black Crake (Amaurornis flavirostris)
Red-knobbed Coot (Fulica cristata)
Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Blue Crane (Anthropoides paradisea)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)
Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor)
Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis)
African Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Crowned Lapwing (Vanellus coronatus)
Blacksmith Lapwing (Vanellus arnatus)
Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
White-fronted Plover (Charadrius marginatus)
Kittlitz’s Plover (Charadrius pecuarius)
Three-banded Plover (Charadrius tricollaris)
Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
Common Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
Sanderling (Calidris alba)
Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)
Grey-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)
Hartlaub’s Gull (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii)
Cape Gull (Larus dominicanus vetula)
Sabine’s Gull (Xenus sabini)
Caspian Tern (Hyproprogne caspia)
Great Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii)
Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Antarctic Tern (Sterna vitatta)
Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus)
Subantarctic Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus)
African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus)
Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta)
Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanorphys)
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche carteri)
Northern Giant Petrel (Macronetes galli)
Cape Petrel (Daption capense)
White-chinned Petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis)
Spectacled Petrel (Procellaria conspicillata)
Great Shearwater (Ardenna gravis)
Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea)
Cape Gannet (Morus capensis)
African Darter (Anhinga rufa)
Long-tailed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus)
Crowned Cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus)
White-breasted Cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus)
Bank Cormorant (Phalacrocorax neglectus)
Cape Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis)
Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocratus)
African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
African Spoonbill (Platalea alba)
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala)
Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)
Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)
Yellow-billed Kite (Milvus aegyptius)
Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)
Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres)
African Marsh Harrier (Circus ranivorus)
Black Harrier (Circus maurus)
Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus)
Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk (Melierax canorus)
Black Goshawk (Accipiter melanoleucus)
African Harrier-Hawk (Polyboroides typus)
Common (Steppe) Buzzard (Buteo buteo vulpinus)
Forest Buzzard (Buteo trizonatus)
Jackal Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus)
Verreaux’s Eagle (Aquila verreauxii)
Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata)
Marsh Owl (Asio capensis)
Spotted Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus)
Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus)
White-backed Mousebird (Colius colius)
African Hoopoe (Upupa africana) — heard only
Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)
Brown-hooded Kingfisher (Halcyon albiventris)
Ground Woodpecker (Geocolaptes olivaceus) — heard only
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