Arxiu de la categoria: Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)

Pyrenees Winter Break 2025

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  • Dates: From February 8th to 12th, 2025
  • Tour participants: 6
  • Number of species: 143
  • Tour leader: Carles Oliver

Overview.

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 3rd Wallcreeper 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 Oliver
Corn 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 Audouins Gull 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.

List of birds seen during the tour

  1. Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
  2. Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
  3. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
  4. Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca)
  5. Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
  6. Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
  7. Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)
  8. Great Bustard (Otis tarda)
  9. Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis)
  10. Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata)
  11. Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestica)
  12. Common Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
  13. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
  14. Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) — heard only
  15. Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
  16. Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
  17. Western Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)
  18. Common Crane (Grus grus)
  19. Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
  20. Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
  21. Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
  22. Atlantic Gannet (Morus bassanus)
  23. Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)
  24. Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
  25. Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)
  26. Eurasian Dotterel (Eudromias morinellus)
  27. Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
  28. Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
  29. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpress)
  30. Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
  31. Sanderling (Calidris alba)
  32. Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
  33. Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
  34. Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
  35. Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
  36. Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
  37. Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleuca)
  38. Slender-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus geneni)
  39. Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
  40. Mediterranean Gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus)
  41. Audouin’s Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii)
  42. Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
  43. Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
  44. Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)
  45. Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
  46. White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
  47. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
  48. Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
  49. African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopica)
  50. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
  51. Western Cattle Egret (Ardea ibis)
  52. Great White Egret (Ardea alba)
  53. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
  54. Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)
  55. Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus)
  56. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
  57. Red Kite (Milvus milvus)
  58. Hen Harrier (CIrcus cyaneus)
  59. Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
  60. Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
  61. Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
  62. Osprey (Pandion haliaetos)
  63. Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo)
  64. Little Owl (Athene noctua)
  65. Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
  66. Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
  67. Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
  68. Iberian Green Woodpecker (Picus sharpei)
  69. Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
  70. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
  71. Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)
  72. Mediterranean Short-toed Lark (Alaudala rufescens)
  73. Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
  74. Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
  75. Thekla’s Lark (Galerida theklae)
  76. Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra)
  77. Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus duponti)
  78. Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris)
  79. Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
  80. Water Pipit (Anthus spinolleta) — heard only
  81. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
  82. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
  83. White-bellied Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)
  84. Dunnock (Prunella modularis) — heard only
  85. Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris)
  86. European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
  87. Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
  88. Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
  89. Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura)
  90. European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)
  91. Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius)
  92. Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
  93. Redwing (Turdus iliacus) — heard only
  94. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
  95. Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
  96. European Blackbird (Turdus merula)
  97. Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
  98. Sardinian Warbler (Curruca melanocephala)
  99. Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon)
  100. Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis)
  101. Cetti’s Warbler (Cettia cetti)
  102. Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
  103. Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
  104. Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus)
  105. Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) — heard only
  106. Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
  107. European Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus)
  108. Great Tit (Parus majors)
  109. Coal Tit (Periparus ater)
  110. Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
  111. Western Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus)
  112. Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
  113. Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla)
  114. Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
  115. Iberian Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis)
  116. Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)
  117. Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
  118. Western Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
  119. Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
  120. Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
  121. Common Raven (Corvus corax)
  122. Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus)
  123. Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
  124. European Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
  125. Spotless Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
  126. Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
  127. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
  128. Common Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia)
  129. Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
  130. Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)
  131. European Serin (Serinus serinus)
  132. Eurasian Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
  133. Eurasian Greenfinch (Chloris chloris)
  134. Eurasian Siskin (Spinus spinus)
  135. Linnet (Acanthis cannabina)
  136. Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
  137. Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)
  138. Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
  139. Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
  140. Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)
  141. Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)
  142. Common Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoneiclus)
  143. Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra)

List of mammals seen during the tour

  1. Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
  2. European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
  3. Roe Deer (Capriolus capriolus)
  4. Pyrenean Chamois (Rupricabra rupricabra)
  5. Spanish Ibex (Cabra hispanica)
  6. Beech Marten (Martes foina)
  7. Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Pyrenees Winter Break 2024

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  • Dates: From February 6th to 10th, 2024
  • Tour participants: 5
  • Number of species seen: 110
  • Tour leader: Carles Oliver

All images in this trip report by tour leader Carles Oliver unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.

Overview: 10th Pyrenees Winter Break issue. This winter in the Pyrenees has been specially unnormal. The winter started normally, with the first snowfall happening in early November. Soon, the trend changed and we faced several weeks without any snowfall and the high temperatures melted the few snow left. With temperatures ranking 25ºC in January, some high mountain specialties changed their normal routines, especially affected were Snow Finches and Citril Finches, but also Alpine Choughs. This anormal situation, made the tour a bit harder than usual. Despite all of this, we got excellent views in the high mountain specialties and many of the steppe birds, with stunning views on both Wallcreeper and Dupont’s Lark, and 8+ Lammergeiers & 5+ Cinereous Vultures seen.

Day 1. After gathering all the tour participants from their accommodations around the city and enjoy tea & coffee stop we headed to the first birding stop of the tour. During the next hour, we walked around a mosaic landscape with some large trees, bushland and crops.

Here we were delighted to see the first Iberian Green Woodpeckers of the trip, quite active in the early morning. The morning was a bit cloudy and, once again, warm for what we can expect in Barcelona in early February. Small flocks of Common Chaffinches were getting out of the fields, and along with them we saw European Serins and Eurasian Tree Sparrows. Our walk around had a nice start, with a showy Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was calling and drumming from the top of the canopies, and we had really good looks on it for almost five minutes. In this same spot we also got Iberian Green Woodpeckers and a Ring-necked Parakeet exploring some nesting holes. Both Great & Blue Tits were active in the area, and a juvenile Peregrine Falcon did a couple of fast flights in the area, hoping to catch one of the several small birds moving. Other interesting birds here included Eurasian Hoopoe, Eurasian Jay and Common Pheasant. 3 Rock Buntings flew out from the bushes, but unfortunately none of the tour participants had a proper view on them

From the lovely plain in the Llobregat Delta we drove to a small garden around Barcelona where a White-throated Sparrow had been seen. We waited for almost one hour but, unfortunately, the Sparrow didn’t show for us. Still, a nice flock of Red-billed Leiothrix was a great entertainment for us, with some Eurasian Blackcaps and Coal Tits also showing well.

After a short stop for coffees and logistics, we drove up to the hills, with the next stop in the top of the one of the highest mountains between Barcelona and the Pyrenees. Here we had the longest walk of the trip, aiming to connect with the small population of Alpine Accentors living there. Fortunately we didn’t have to walk a lot before a lovely flock of at least 12 Alpine Accentors came to us to offer the group wonderful and very long views, with some of the birds performing right in front of us for several minutes! It was midday and in this small peak, normally covered with snow in early February, the sensation was of being late September! We had a comfortable 15ºC when being at 1700m above the sea level! Even in such a conditions, it was very surprising to find a female Hen Harrier hunting in the slopes of the mountains, and moreover, to see 3 Dartford Warblers singing and chasing each other in the tall vegetation. This is only a summer visitor to this habitat, normally covered by snow. Dartford Warblers spend the winter at lower altitudes, waiting for the snow to melt and temperatures to arise up (this is normally happening by late March or early April).

From here we covered the short distance of driving to the first hillsides of the Pyrenees where, even before arriving to the planned stop, we had to do a stop in one of its minor roads, that appeared covered by hundreds of Finches. Here we got the first excellent views on Common Crossbill, with some superb males singing from the top of the Mountain Pines. Hundreds of Eurasian Siskins were calling and singing here, probably moving North to their nesting grounds in Northern Europe. Eurasian Goldfinch, Coal & Crested Tits, Goldcrest and Mistle Thrush were all seen here, some of them providing great looks. At least 2 Citril Finches were noted inside this massive flock of birds, but they flew over almost unnoticed and I fell to put anyone in the group on the Finches, that fastly disappeared in the forest.

The afternoon was well advanced when we had our last stop of the day. This time to have some time in a lovely subboreal forest. Here, we were again surrounded by Common Crossbills and Siskins and only one minute after leaving the van we had a Black Woodpecker calling not far away. It took us only a pair of minutes to contact with the bird, that was active with a variety of calls to finally stop in a large, dead trunk. There we enjoyed long views as the bird was first calling and then preening before going away. We still had some more time in this lovely habitat, but it didn’t produce anything else out of a pair of showy Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 1 Eurasian Nuthatch.

Close up on Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) to start the tour.
Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea) has a small population in the forests around Barcelona.
Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) was worth every step un the hill!
Common Crosbill (Loxia curvirostra) has been a common sight along this winter in the Pyrenees.
We enjoyed rather distant but long views on Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius).

Day 2. After enjoying our breakfast in our quiet accommodation in La Cerdanya valley, we spent the next couple of hours exploring the valley immediately beside. Here, a number of selected stops produced a good list of birds that included large numbers of Mistle Thrushes and Redwings with some Fieldfares but also really good views on Short-toed Treecreeper, Common Crossbills, Crested Tit and, especially, gorgeous looks on Rock Buntings that seemed very active and ready to start the nesting season.

From here, we drove inside Andorra. All the main mountain passes in this area of Catalonia had no snow at the moment, and our only hope to find Snow Finches was to go inside Andorra and do some stops along a mountain pass reaching 2500 metres above the sea level and sky resort located nearby. Once there, we saw that the amount of snow was also really thin, and the sunny weather reduced our chances to connect with the Finches even thinner. Still, we enjoyed very lovely views on Alpine Choughs as they were feeding around the sky resort but also acting almost as Wallcreepers in the buildings around!

Crossing Andorra, we headed South towards the most impressive spot for large raptors in the Pyrenees. Even if the intense Andorran traffic made us go slowly, we arrived to the hillsides around Isona with the sun well high in the sky. Moreover, in our way out of Andorra we got excellent views on White-throated Dippers.

The rest of the afternoon we drove along a pair of tracks, with several stops to enjoy the many birds of prey in the sky. After three hours, a conservative count showed out 7 Lammergeiers, hundreds of Eurasian Griffons and 12 Cinereous Vultures. We got several excellent views, with adult Lammergeiers passing only tens of metres away from the van; Lammergeiers circling along with Cinereous Vultures; or a flock of 15 Griffons and 4 Lammergeiers all circling together to name some of most celebrated sights. Due to the multiple stops to enjoy the several raptors in the sky, we arrived to our accommodation a bit later than expected, but with some unforgettable memories!

Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia) singing his heart out for us.
Alpine Chough (Phyrrocorax graculus)
Alpine Chough close up in our visit in Andorra.
Lammergeier (Gypaetos barbatus), one of the several enjoyed.
A pair of Lammergeiers almost touching wings.
Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) has a small but healthy population in the Pyrenees.

Day 3. After breakfast, we covered the short distance from Lleida to the first gorges in the Pyrenees. Once there, we spent a couple of hours enjoying the rocky outcrops. Blue Rock Thrush had a short appearance, but Firecrests and Goldcrest gave us long views. In the cliffs, Griffons Vultures were nesting along with Rock Sparrows. In the river along the gorge, Dippers were moving up and down along with Grey Wagtails. Other birds here included Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Cirl Buntings and Sardinian Warbler.

But the main reason to come was another, and a really important one. To be fair, the Wallcreeper overwintering in the gorge didn’t take long to appear, but we had to wait a bit before everybody in the group could connect with it. Still, we were really lucky, and a Wallcreeper appeared at its typical place a bit after 10:00 in the morning. The bird was half way up in the cliff, and not very showy. We had to wait for 5 minutes before the bird, suddenly, decided to come down by the tarmac! The next 10 minutes were some of the most intense in our Pyrenean outings this winter, with extremely close views on this Wallcreeper, while the bird was moving really low along the gorge. At times, we had ti sensation of be able even of touching the bird!

Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) at close range. Image by Mark Dowie.
Another great shot on Wallcreeper. Please note the delicate design of the undertail coverts. Image by Mark Dowie.

After enjoying such a wonderful views on the one of the main specialties living in the mountains we drove down to the plains. There, large flocks of European Golden Plovers and Northern Lapwings were waiting for us. We have our lunch stop by a small pond, where we had Northern Shovelers, Common Pochards, Little Grebes, Eurasian Coots & Teals, 2 Green Sandpipers but also large flocks of White Storks in the move from their roosting places around Lleida. The area was also good for small birds and European Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Eurasian Skylark, Crested Lark, Chiffchaff, Linnet, Reed Bunting and Eurasian Tree Sparrow were noted.

After lunch we changed to a second pond, and our visit was granted with nice views on 7 Ferruginous Ducks, a very scarce bird in Catalonia!

Driving East, we arrived to an area with a very different landscape. Here, small but cleverly managed fields still allow a good density of Little Bustards. This species, formerly fairly common in Iberia, had become almost a scarcity, and its winter flocks have been severely decimated. A first stop was done to try to connect with a pair of Black-winged Kites nesting in the area, but we only got a small flock of Woodlarks, several Corn Buntings and multiple views on Red Kite & Marsh Harrier. A bit further, 4 Little Bustards were seen by the road, and we got good views from the van to don’t disturb the birds.

The last stop of the day was deserved to the desert-like ambients South of Lleida, where we had a short walk to enjoy the first Thekla’s Larks of the trip along with lovely flocks of Red-billed Choughs, Spotless Starlings, Rock Sparrows and a Black Wheatear that refused to show for the group! It was already quite late, but we decided to have a very last stop, and our effort was very worth. We still had to get out of the van when we listened and Eurasian Eagle Owl calling from somewhere in the valley. After a fast scanning, we decided to go for a slow short walk, and after a few metres Mark got the bird singing from a dead branch up in the hillside. During the few minutes, we got amazing scope views on the bird while some Redwings were attending their roosting site. A superb way to end another very good day!

Part of the flock of Ferruginous Ducks (Aythya nyroca) seen around Lleida.
Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) female feeding.
Eagle Owl calling from its perch. Image by Mark Dowie.

Day 4. After a sunny start of the trip, this was a grey and rainy day. A difficult weather to search for the specialties living in the steppes. Still, we went to explore the endless plains in central Monegros. A first stop in a small salty lagoon produced the only Kentish Plover of the trip along with Common Shelducks and Black-headed Gulls. From here, we got in the plains, but the muddy tracks made difficult for us to arrive to some locations. Still, we were lucky enough to contact with 2 nice Black-bellied Sandgrouses that provided flying views. 1 Little Owl was also a nice sight while flocks of Calandra & Skylarks were flying over the fields. After a couple of hours checking around the rain became heavier, and we decided to go for a service stop. It was a fortunate choice since the sky cleared right when we were leaving the coffee shop.

Back to the plains, we managed to arrive to a nice spot and soon we found a nice of 11 Pin-tailed Sandgrouses that stayed on a field for us for about 20 minutes. Here we had nice scope views with some good photo and video chances. Several Calandra & Crested Larks were singing here, and as the sun became stronger, the first Mediterranean Short-toed Larks (aka Lesser Short-toed Larks) of the trip were noted. From here we moved into a different section of the plains, and we were lucky to find a nice flock of 31 Common Cranes feeding on the ground at close range, and a closer flock of Eurasian Griffons on the ground, waiting for the weather to improve. Here we also got a nice male Hen Harrier flying over the large fields, and 2 extra Little Owls! But unfortunately the rain started again, even heavier than before and we decided to move away, trying to put some distance from the mud and the rain.

But when we arrive to our new accommodation, the rain was also there for us, and we decided to end the day after enjoying a distant view on a new Little Owl.

Pin-tailed Sandgrouses (Pterocles alchata) feeding under the rain.

Day 5. After enjoying breakfast, we headed out to the large steppes immediatly South of Zaragoza. This is a wonderful are to enjoy steppe birds, with multiple places where to go and try to find the different specialties living in the region. After the generous rain of the previous day, we woke up in a sunny day with only some clouds.

We started driving in the minor tracks crossing the steppes and soon got 2 Black-bellied Sandgrouses in a farming area. Beyond, both Calandra and Mediterranean Short-toed Larks started singing, offering both really good looks. It didn’t take long before we got a first Dupont’s Lark singing. It looked like far away, but then a second bird started singing a bit closer. Some Short-toed Larks were around, feeding and providing some photo opportunities. The wind started to pick up, but both Dupont’s Larks were still singing. We put out the scopes, trying to see them in the ocean of grass in front of us, but we couldn’t contact with the bird..

After 40 minutes of scan we decided to move away and try a different spot. By that time the wind was already strong. A new Lesser Short-toed Lark in good light was welcome by the photographers in the group, but suddenly a second bird appeared right behind the Short-toed Lark. A Dupont’s Lark sitting in the top of a small bush only 10 metres away from us!! Soon we were all having the bird and celebrating our luck.

Mediterranean Short-toed Lark (Alaudala rufescens).
Lovely views on a singing Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus duponti) after a couple of hours of waiting! Image by tour leader Carles Oliver
Thekla’s Lark (Galerida theklae) close up to end our exploration of the steppes.

Leaving the steppes, we still had a pair of Red-billed Choughs displaying around and 2 Black-bellied Sandgrouses plus a pair of superb Golden Eagles in the highway. But certainly the wind had picked up in the last minutes. We started the final transfer to Barcelona, having a stop in a lovely lagoon with a wonderful reedbed. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived to the lagoon the wind was so strong that it was almost not possible to stand up, and we had to search refuge in a blind and even inside the van to enjoy our packed lunches. Here, we only got Gadwalls and Great Crested Grebes and the very strong wind made no possible to contact with any passerine living in the reeds.

Despite the strong wind, we still had something to add to our list and a small detour to explore a sheltered gorge produced a nice male Black Wheatear in the top of a small cliff, providing good views to all the members of the group. This very last minute sight was really appreciated, since the first contact with this species, a couple of days before, was poor and not everyone in the group actually so the bird.

After this short stop, we just transferred back to Barcelona to end our tour around the airport by mid afternoon.

List of birds seen during the tour

  1. Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
  2. Ring-necked Pheasant (Phaisanus colchinus)
  3. Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
  4. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
  5. Gadwall (Anas strepera)
  6. Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca)
  7. Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
  8. Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
  9. Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca)
  10. Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax)
  11. Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis)
  12. Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata)
  13. Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestica)
  14. Stock Dove (Columba oenas)
  15. Common Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
  16. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
  17. Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
  18. Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
  19. Common Crane (Grus grus)
  20. Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
  21. Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
  22. Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
  23. European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)
  24. Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
  25. Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
  26. Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
  27. Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
  28. White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
  29. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
  30. Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
  31. Great White Egret (Ardea alba)
  32. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
  33. Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)
  34. Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus)
  35. Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
  36. Red Kite (Milvus milvus)
  37. Hen Harrier (CIrcus cyaneus)
  38. Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
  39. Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
  40. Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
  41. Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo)
  42. Little Owl (Athene noctua)
  43. Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
  44. Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
  45. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor)
  46. Iberian Green Woodpecker (Picus sharpei)
  47. Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
  48. Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
  49. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
  50. Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
  51. Mediterranean Short-toed Lark (Alaudala rufescens)
  52. Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
  53. Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
  54. Thekla’s Lark (Galerida theklae)
  55. Woodlark (Lullula arborea)
  56. Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra)
  57. Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus duponti)
  58. Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
  59. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
  60. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
  61. White-bellied Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)
  62. Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris)
  63. European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
  64. Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
  65. Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura)
  66. European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)
  67. Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
  68. Redwing (Turdus iliacus)
  69. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
  70. European Blackbird (Turdus merula)
  71. Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius)
  72. Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
  73. Sardinian Warbler (Curruca melanocephala)
  74. Dartford Warbler (Curruca undata)
  75. Cetti’s Warbler (Cettia cetti)
  76. Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
  77. Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
  78. Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus)
  79. Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
  80. Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
  81. European Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus)
  82. Great Tit (Parus majors)
  83. Coal Tit (Periparus ater)
  84. Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
  85. Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea)
  86. Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla)
  87. Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
  88. Iberian Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis)
  89. Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)
  90. Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
  91. Western Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
  92. Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
  93. Common Raven (Corvus corax)
  94. Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus)
  95. Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
  96. European Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
  97. Spotless Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
  98. Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
  99. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
  100. Common Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia)
  101. Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
  102. European Serin (Serinus serinus)
  103. Eurasian Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
  104. Eurasian Greenfinch (Chloris chloris)
  105. Eurasian Siskin (Spinus spinus)
  106. Linnet (Acanthis cannabina)
  107. Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)
  108. Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)
  109. Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)
  110. Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra)

List of mammals seen during the tour

  1. European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
  2. Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
  3. Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

Pyrenees Winter Break 2023 Trip Report

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Dates: February 8th to 12th, 2023

Number of participants: 6

Number of species seen: 128

All images by tour leader Carles Oliver. All rights reserved

Overview: Our 9th Pyrenees Winter Break tour started in the Pyrenees right after a strong snow fall. During the tour the weather was sunny and not especially cold in the mountains. In the plains, we had a morning with some fog, but it didn’t stop us to find all main specialties living there.

Day 1: Once all tour participants were collected from the their accommodations around the International Barcelona Airport, a short drive lead us to the Pyrenees. Only 90 minutes away from the city and we were already in a wonderful location, a mountain range hosting all high mountain birds specialties living in the Pyrenees.

It was sunny, but the day before it had been snowing so a pair of high mountain lanes were closed during the morning. Our fist stop was dedicated to explore the meadows around Bagà, where the very first birds of the day and the trip was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker that was hunging around the parking place. Here we had some common birds in the area including Cirl Bunting, Black Redstart, Eurasian Blue Tit and Eurasian Nuthatch. Here, the terraced landscape is fulfilled with lines of Poplars and a fast scan produced the first Iberian Green Woodpecker of the tour while was moving high in the trees. Several Common Chaffinches were around, and they all moved down to the ground to feed, followed by the Iberian Green Woodpecker.

Other birds in this first stop included European Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Common Magpie and Eurasian Greenfinch.

After this good start we drove some miles up in a lane. Our goal was to arrive to the limit of the forest (About 1800 metres above the sea level), but we were stopped by a small flock of birds. Here we had the first Mistle Thrushes of the trip along with several Common Crossbills, Coal Tits, and Goldcrests. Still, our guests especially enjoyed the views on both Rock Buntings and European Crested Tits.

Once above the tree limit, we did another non planned stop. A gorgeous Lammergeier (aka Bearded Vulture) was sitting in the top of a rocky outcrop just beside the road, providing the group with incredible views! Common Crossbills were also around, adding with their calls a plus on the mountainous ambients of the sight. After ten minutes of observation, the Lammergeier decided to fly away, passing over the group and providing us with unforgettable memories of that moment.

Wonderful Lammergier (Gypaetos barbatus) during our exploration of the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park. Images by tour leader Carles Oliver

From here we drove higher. Beyond the tree limit there were mixed flocks of Fieldfares and Mistle Thrushes feeding on the snowed slopes. The weather was stable, with only a brise and some scenic clouds, and many birds were taking advantage of the good weather to feed around. Here we saw more Rock Buntings and a flock of 11 Bramblings flew off from one of the last trees up the lane.

When we arrived to the mountain pass, we found chunky three birds feeding by the tarmac. 3 wonderful Snowfinches were right beside us, but unfortunately decided to flew off and down the slope. From here we decided to go for a short walk. Common Ravens were seen around, and a Peregrine Falcon appeared in a fast, low flight going down the slope in a mission. Up to 10 Eurasian Griffons were also seen exploring the thermals before a large flock of 60+ Snowfinches suddenly appeared in a small hillside some 150 metres away from us, and started feeding on the ground. We all enjoyed very much the finch spectacle with several calls, short flights and even fights. We waited a bit, not moving, and we were rewarded with the birds coming down the hillside just beside the tarmac. After 10 minutes of observation, the birds simply decided to go up the slope again, and disappeared beyond some large boulders!

Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) showing nicely in our first day in the mountains
SnowFinches (Montifringilla nivalis) feeding on the slopes. Image by Carles Oliver
Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia) is a common bird in the broken slopes around the Pyrenees.

Really happy after such a great sight, the group came back to the van, decided to explore that lane a bit more. Only a few miles away, a stop was made. Our short walk was again successful, as we found a lovely, obliging Alpine Accentor feeding really close to the road and, with some patience, we got some great shots on it. The views on the Accentor were perturbed by a large flock of 73 Alpine Choughs that suddenly appeared in the valley, offering good but rather distant views while a Lammergeier appeared again, crossing the valley in some seconds.

Really happy after this really successful start we went all the way down and did our way for the last stop of the day in a scrub hillside not far from our accommodation. It was already early afternoon, offering a calid light for the sightings to come. Our short walk up the hill produced some interesting sights including a large flock of Cirl Buntings feeding on the ground along with 2 Woodlarks, 4 Rock Buntings, 2 Redwings, 14 Rock Sparrows and the firsts Iberian Grey Shrike of the trip. In the skies, several Red Kites were moving around and we counted 3 Griffons Vultures and 1 adult Lammergeier. Here we also had the only Citril Finch of the trip, unfortunately a flying bird that provided poor views.

After this stop we just drove the short distance to our accommodation.

Day 2. After enjoying a lovely breakfast we left our accommodation. The first stop of the day was devoted to explore a lovely corner of the Segre River that crosses the beautiful Cerdanya valley. Here we enjoyed White-throated Dippers, Cirl Buntings, many Redwings and 2 Bramblings among several Chaffinches. Here we also had an Eurasian Woodcock that flew off from a nearby meadow, an uncommon bird to have here in day light!

From here we went up in the forested slopes, to spend some time in a boreal forest. As usual, the area was quite full of activity and it didn’t take us long to enjoy good views on Short-toed Treecreeper, Goldcrest, European Crested Tit, Firecrest and Coal Tit but also Common Crossbill, Goldfinch and Greenfinches. But the most celebrated sight here was a Black Woodpecker moving really low in a pine tree that offered us lovely scope views.

Happy after this lovely views we drove up to Andorra. During the hour long drive, a pair of stops were necessary to enjoy both Lammergeier and Golden Eagle. Once in Pas de la Casa we had a stop for a coffee while enjoying the urban Alpine Choughs that live around the sky resort. By the time of our arrival it was snowing a bit, providing the sight with a wonderful alpine setting!

Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) showed very well around the accommodation
Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) under the snow fall in Andorra. Image by tour leader Carles Oliver

From here we drove back to Catalonia to have a final stop in the large fields that are the core of the Cerdanya Valley. There we enjoyed large flocks of Eurasian Skylarks, several flocks of Cirl & Rock Buntings, Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Corn Buntings but also the only 2 Hen Harriers of the tour, including a lovely male.

Day 3. Transfer to a different section of the Pyrenees. We drove West for about 90 minutes before to arrive into a small gorge in a secondary road. This was our first attempt to find a Wallcreeper, and we didn’t have to wait long! We waited for the bird in a small, old bridge, and only a few minutes after we got out of the vehicle, a wonderful Wallcreeper right in front us, providing excellent views for some minutes. The bird, always in search of insects that look for shelter in the rocky crevices, started to climb up the wall and we could follow its itinerary for several minutes. It kept doing short flights, and flickering its wings to show out its wonderful red panels (a way to keep other Wallcreepers away from that cliff).

Here we also had other interesting birds living in the cliffs including Blue Rock Thrush and Crag Martin. The Wallcreeper, after showing out for about 15 minutes, finally disappeared behind a rock, and this was the time for us to move to our next stop.

Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria), without doubt the most sought-after bird in the mountains!

Leaving the hills behind, we drove to one of the few corners around Lleida where traditional wheat farming is still dominant. These areas host an abundant birdlife, and the number and variety of birds of prey is quite stunning. It didn’t take long before we had several views on Western Marsh Harriers, Red Kites and also Common Buzzards, some Griffons, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and even 2 Goshawks. All of this before the real goal of this stop appeared in one of its preferred trees: the long-staying Long-legged Buzzard! This bird of prey, nesting from Bulgaria to the East until the Arabian Peninsula, is a huge rarity in Catalonia and always worth a visit! This time we had excellent scope views, and also the chance to compare the size of this large Buzzard with a much smaller Western Marsh Harrier that was perched in a tree next to the Buteo hawk.

A small flock of Little Bustards had been some weeks feeding in a field nearby, and we covered the short distance to enjoy lovely scope views of 7 of this endangered bird, another victim of the farming intensification in Europe.

From this place we drove East to explore some of the dry canyons immediately South of Lleida. A pair of stops here allowed us to enjoy not only Stock Doves, Red-billed Choughs and Little Owl, but also on the scarce Black Wheatear. Here, between the abandoned terraces and the small cliffs of these canyons we were lucky enough to find a female Eurasian Eagle Owl hatching on its nest! A wonderful sight to end the third day of the tour!

Iberian Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis), a lovely Iberian endemic!
Distant to don’t disturb the female Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) on its nest.

Day 4. Early start to explore the massive steppe lands South & West of Lleida. On the contrary of the previous day, the morning was foggy around the city so we decided to go up to the highlands West of Lleida to try to scape the fog. And we did it, partially.

As soon as arriving to the steppes we enjoyed large flocks of Corn Buntings but also Calandra & Mediterranean Short-toed Larks. They were feeding on the ground along with Common Linnets, Meadow Pipits and Goldfinches. It was sunny, but the fog was not far away and it was moving our way, so we didn’t have a lot of time!

We were lucky and 4 Black-bellied Sandgrouses flew off from a nearby field, allowing great flight views and nice photo opportunities. We scanned in different fields looking for Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, but we were unsuccessful. Finally, we decided to move to lower area to keep scanning. A pair of stops were necessary to enjoy Iberian Grey Shrikes and Thekla’s Larks and by we arrived to the new location the fog started catching us up. It was a pity because at soon as we arrived a flock of 14 Black-bellied Sandgrouse flew off from the field, but 8 more remained. A fast scan in the place allowed us to find 12 Pin-tailed Sandgrouses, some of them really close to us and the fog allowed great scope views despite it ruined the photo chances of the moment.

Dartford Warbler (Curruca undata) can be especially common in the steppes during winter
Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra) favours both extensive crops and steppe lands.
Suddenly the fog appeared in our views on Pin-tailed Sandgrouses, even if close, were not shining.

Decided to escape the fog, we drove East to check another place in Los Monegros. There, around Bujaraloz, we went in the search of the small population of Great Bustards that subsists in the area. Here it was sunny and it only took us 5 minutes to find a lovely flock of 17 males walking around in a wonderful field full of flowers. After enjoying this great birds we took our time to check a pair of corners around, where we found more Pin-tailed Sandgrouses but also Merlin and 1 Golden Eagle.

It was already lunch time so we covered the short distance to a small lagoon. From its view point we had a good selection of waterfowl that included Little & Great Crested Grebes, Gadwall, Eurasian Teals, Common Pochards, Shovelers, 5 Red-crested Pochards and 1 male Pintails. The reedbeds around were having some Great White Egrets and Grey Herons and a short walk by reed produced Penduline Tits, ruff views on an elusive Cetti’s Warblers, several Reed Buntings and a shy Bluethroat that not allowed any photo. The fields around were having large flocks of Chaffinches and we were happy to pick up a Brambling from there as well!

From here we had a final stop in a different wetland very close to Lleida, where the fog was still persistent. Here we had short walk along the reeds. It was little movement, but finally our perseverance was rewarded with good views on 2 Bearded Tits that appeared really close in the reeds. They were really celebrated by the tour participants, and the afternoon ended with 2 Common Kingfishers chasing each other in the fog!

Great Bustards (Otis tarda) has only two small populations left in Aragon, and they can be harder than expected to find!

Day 5. Last morning of the trip before heading back to Barcelona Airport. This morning was devoted to explore the wonderful habitat of low, sparse scrubland where the poor understood Dupont’s Lark lives. This species is to be found in poor soils with a rich gradient of salt on it, resulting a landscape of low, scattered scrubs. The songs of both Calandra & Mediterranean Short-toed Larks were constant in the air. The morning was sunny, and the temperature was higher than the day before. We spend some time exploring the area by combining short walks and slow drives, and after less than hour we were enjoying a Dupont’s Lark while feeding on the ground. It was interesting to see the bird excavating the soil with powerful movements of its whole body, pushing its long bill into the soft soil to get a small prey before starting its short, fast runs between the tussocks of grass.

Dupont’s Larks (Chersophilus duponti) favour the poor soils around the Ebro basin.
Many White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) don’t nest any more so to see them in the nest in February is not rare!

This was quite a phenomenal way of ending our tour. After this we just drove back to Barcelona, where we had a final stop around the airport to enjoy Iberian Green Woodpeckers, Eurasian Hoopoes, Zitting Cisticola and a rather unexpected light form Booted Eagle!

List of birds seen:

  1. Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
  2. Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
  3. Gadwall (Mareca strepera)
  4. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
  5. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
  6. Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca)
  7. Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)
  8. Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
  9. Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
  10. Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
  11. Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
  12. Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
  13. Feral Pigeon (Columba livia sp)
  14. Stock Dove (Columba oenas)
  15. Common Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
  16. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
  17. Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata)
  18. Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis)
  19. Great Bustard (Otis tarda)
  20. Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax)
  21. Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) – heard only
  22. Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
  23. Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
  24. Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)
  25. European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)
  26. Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
  27. Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
  28. Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
  29. Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
  30. Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
  31. White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
  32. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
  33. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
  34. Great White Egret (Ardea alba)
  35. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
  36. Western Cattle Egret (Bubulbus ibis)
  37. Bearded Vulture – Lammergeier (Gypaetos barbatus)
  38. Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus)
  39. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
  40. Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata)
  41. Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
  42. Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
  43. Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
  44. Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
  45. Red Kite (Milvus milvus)
  46. Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
  47. Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)
  48. Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)
  49. Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo)
  50. Little Owl (Athene noctua)
  51. Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
  52. Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
  53. Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
  54. Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
  55. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor)
  56. Iberian Green Woodpecker (Picus sharpei)
  57. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
  58. Merlin (Falco columbarius)
  59. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
  60. Iberian Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis)
  61. Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
  62. Common Magpie (Upupa epops)
  63. Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
  64. Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus)
  65. Western Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
  66. Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
  67. Common Raven (Corvus corax)
  68. Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra)
  69. Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus duponti)
  70. Mediterranean Short-toed Lark (Alaudala rufescens)
  71. Woodlark (Lullula arborea)
  72. Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
  73. Thekla’s Lark (Galerida theklae)
  74. Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
  75. Eurasian Crag Martin (Ptynoprogne rupestris)
  76. Coal Tit (Periparus ater)
  77. European Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus)
  78. Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
  79. Great Tit (Parus major)
  80. Eurasian Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus)
  81. Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
  82. Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaeus)
  83. Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
  84. Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla)
  85. Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
  86. White-throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)
  87. Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
  88. Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus)
  89. Cetti’s Warbler (Cettia cetti)
  90. Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis)
  91. Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
  92. Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
  93. Sardinian Warbler (Curruca melanocephala)
  94. Dartford Warbler (Curruca undata)
  95. European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
  96. Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
  97. Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
  98. Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius)
  99. European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)
  100. Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura)
  101. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
  102. Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
  103. Redwing (Turdus iliacus)
  104. Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
  105. Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
  106. Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
  107. Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris)
  108. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
  109. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
  110. Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
  111. Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
  112. Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)
  113. Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
  114. Eurasian Greefinch (Chloris chloris)
  115. Common Linnet (Linaria cannabina)
  116. Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)
  117. Eurosasian Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
  118. Citril Finch (Carduelis citrinella)
  119. European Serin (Serinus serinus)
  120. Eurasian Siskin (Spinus spinus)
  121. Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra)
  122. Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)
  123. Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)
  124. Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
  125. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
  126. Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
  127. Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia)
  128. Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis)

OrnitoRepte pela-roques (Tichodroma muraria), Novembre 2021

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En un matí assolejat però freda, els participants en l’OrnitoRepte més agosarat ens vam trobar en un bar a prop de Balaguer per poder fer un cafè calent abans d’encetar la jornada.

Un cop en moviment, diferents rapinyaires van anar creuant la carretera, però no va ser fins arribar a prop dels espadats a on passaríem les primeres hores d’observació a on vam haver de fer una primera parada obligada. I és que una parella d’àguiles cuabarrades (Aquila fasciata) estaven volant força baix a la zona! Vam muntar telescopi i qui va voler va poder fins i tot gaudir d’una de les àguiles aturada al roquissar.

Una molt bona observació i una gran forma de començar la jornada ornitològica! Un cop vam aparcar els vehicles, el primer va ser fer un cop d’ull al riu que travessa la gorja en qüestió. Aquí un blauet (Alcedo atthis) va passsar fugiser, i una merla d’aigua (Cinclus cinclus) s’alimentava entre els còdols. Diferents voltors comuns (Gyps fulvus) volaven ja per la zona, i un xoriguer (Falco tinnunculus) va passar a tota velocitat per la cinglera, fent enmodir la corrua de pit-rojos, mallarengues, tallarols de casquest i cargolets que reclamaven als matollars i bosquines.

Part del grup gaudint del pela-roques. Imatge: Carles Oliver

Les mirades es van centrar ben d’hora en els espadats. Repassar les seves parets llises, forats, esquerdes i ondulacions a la cerca d’alguna forma o moviment sospitosos. Així vam trobar una llunyana merla blava (Monticola solitarius) que prenia els primers rajos de sol al capdamunt d’una cinglera. Passaven els minuts i el grup es disgregava per la gorja. Algun estol de mallarengues cuallargues (Aegithalos caudatus) i un parell de bruels (Regulus ignicapillus) van venir a saludar a una part del grup.

Al llarg de la propera hora van estar-nos en un parell de llocs estratègics, escorcollant les inmenses parets de roca al nostra voltants. Les àguiles cuabarrades, van tornar a aparèixer, i les seves voltes ens van fer entrar en escalfor! Al riu, una cuereta torrentera (Motacilla cinerea) va captar la nostra atenció per un moment quant de cop i volta algú advertí: “quin és aquest ocell que vola per sobre el riu?” Tothom mirada amunt per veure un pela-roques volant per sobre el meandre del riu!!! “Pela-roques, pela-roques”, va ressonar arreu! L’ocell va anar a aturar-se a dalt de tot d’un llunyà pollegó, però amb els telescopis el vam poder veure força bé!

Un minut després d’arribar un segon pela-roques va aparèixer al cel, i el primer Tichodroma va deixar el seu pollegó per fer fora el nou ocells, que va continuar riu amunt, sense aturar-se. Va ser el moment escollit per apropar-nos. Un dels pela-roques havia tornar al mateix pollegó, però força més baix. En atansar-nos el vam perdre vista, i al llarg de deu minuts ningú no va saber més del pela-roques… Però llavors uns quants afortunats el van veure sortir d’un forat a pocs metres de distància! L’ocell va volar al nostra voltant per finalment creuar el riu i aturar-se en una gran paret a on va romandre al llarg de ben bé mitja hora!

Pela-roques (Tichodroma muraria) en plena acció. Imatge de Begonya Torres

Allà tothom el va poder observar a plaer i treure força fotos (un xic desvirtuades per la distància), i observar el curiós comportament d’aquesta espècie d’hàbits tant extrems. Fins i tot el vam poder menjar, ja que en una de les seves excursions per dins de cavitats, va aparèixer amb una Macroglossum stellatarum al bec, el que va fer pujar l’exitació del grup a nivells estratosfèrics!!

Després de ben bé 20 minuts d’observació continuada del pela-roques, vam començar a desfilar cap als vehicles. Els voltors comuns ja volaven alt, com a per a dir adéu a tot el grup. A la sortida de la gorja, però , va ser necessari una nova parada. Desenes de tords ala-rojos (Turdus iliacus) reclamaven i voleiaven pels encontorns. Vam saltar dels vehicles i vam estar una bona estona mirant d’aconseguir una observació mínimament digna d’aquesta espècie. Grives (Turdus viscivorus) i algun tord comú (Turdus philomelos) es van deixar veure bé. Alguns afortunats sí que van poder gaudir d’una bona observació de tord ala-roig, però malauradament la majoria del grup es va haver de resignar a sentir-ne els reclams.

De tornada als vehicles, vam fer via cap al Sud, a la cerca d’una petita llacuna a on de feia unes setmanes s’estaven veient unes quantes Anàtides. Després d’un cafè recostituent, vam cobrir la petita distància que ens separava de la bassa en qüestió. Al poc d’arribar ja vam poder observar el principal atractiu de la bassa, un grupet de 3 morells xocolaters (Aythya nyroca) que nedaven amb la llum del migdia, oferint molt bones observacions. Aquesta és bàsicament una espècie de l’Est de l’Europa, que té a l’Europa Occidental petites poblacions reproductores. A la Península Ibèrica es calculen menys de 20 parelles anuals!

Fotges en primer terme, i morells xocolater en segon terme. Imatge: Carles Oliver

A la llacuna també vam poder gaudir d’una bona selecció d’espècies típiques d’aquestes zones com cabusset (Tachybaptus ruficollis), fotja comuna (Fulica atra), ànec coll-verd (Anas platythynchos), xarxet comú (Anas crecca), ànec cullerot (Spatula clypeata) i morell de cap roig (Aythya ferina). La bassa bullia de vida, i també ho feien els camps que l’envoltaven: Hi havien estols de cruixidells (Emberiza calandra) i aloses comunes (Alauda arvensis), cogullades comunes (Galerida cristata) i passerells (Liniaria cannabina) junt amb cornelles (Corvus corone) i grans estolls d’estornells (Sturnus sp.).

Les Arpelles comunes (Circus aeruginosus) i algun aligot comú (Buteo buteo) anaven repasant els estols d’ocells a la cerca d’alguna presa fàcil mentre els insectívors més petits, com els bitxacs comuns (Saxicola rubicola) no badaben davant l’oportunitat d’enxampar algun insecte. A la llunyania, algunes fredelugues (Vanellus vanellus) van assenyalar el camí per escrutar els camps més detingudament, i el nostre esforç va trobar la recompensa en un petit estol de daurades grosses (Pluvialis apricaria) que, si bé no es van deixar veure massa estona a terra, sí que ens van deixar gaudir amb els seu vol.

Amb aquesta última observació i alguns repicatalons (Emberiza schoeniclus) que ja passaven volant cap al canyissar des dels camps a on s’havien estat alimentant, vam acabar un matí ben profitós que va deixar a tothom ben content, i amb ganes de molts més OrnitoReptes!!!

Podeu consultar els propers OrnitoReptes ací: https://barcelonabirdingpoint.com/ornito-reptes/?lang=ca

Pyrenees Winter Break (+ Ebro Delta), 2020 Trip Report

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Number of days: 6

Tour participants: 5

Dates: February 6th to 11th, 2020

All images along the tour by Brian Buffery, Giovanni Grieco and tour leader Carles Oliver.

The tour participants to the tour flew into Barcelona prior the tour started. We met the next morning in their hotel neat the airport for an early morning transfer to the Pyrenees. Temperature was high as a result of several days of high pressures, and temperatures escalating above 20C in the days before the tour started.

Day 1. Once in the Pyrenees, we drove up until 1600 metres high and spent some time in a rocky slope with small cliffs. There, we got good views on Rock Buntings, singing and showing up really well. European Crested Tits were also noted, but we didn’t have any other good bird. From there, the lovely lane brought us throught Mountain forests with small flocks of Mistle Thruses and Common Crossbills. Once the forests end, the lane crosses some alpine meadows show. Due to the long period of high temperatures, the snow was few, and concentrated in a certain slopes. We spent some time scanning, with little success. Only a few Eurasian Griffons were moving in the sky, joined by 1 Common Raven.

Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros), a common but always wonderful flycatcher to see.

We spent some time scanning the snowed slopes with little luck, and we were about to leave when 3 Snowfinches flew from a spinned slope, really high up in the mountain. Despite teh birds were extremelly far away we decided to spend some time scanning the slope.  But nothing. Sowe drove half a mile, and scan again. And now we were more lucky as a nice flock of about 25 Snowfinches showed in the sky, flying from a close slope. The birds we actually doing some short flights to inmediatly reland in the slope, so we got excellent views on the birds walking on the snow, feeding and preening. Unfortunately all birds were a bit far up in the slope, so not really excellent chances for photography. We spent about half an hour waiting for the birds to eventually come down the slope and have closer views. Unfortunately the birds never came really closer.

Happy after the enjoying a species I was not expecting to find, we kept our way and came back to the mountain pass. There, there was a good number of Eurasian Griffons passing by, producing some really good views. Here we also got excellent views on a flock of Alpine Chough flying over, calling, and playing in the sky as only a Chough can do.

Only a pair of minutes after the Chough did its show, a large raptor was seen along with Eurasian Griffons. Moving slowly above the slope, an impressive adult Lammergeier was moving to our position. Everybody connected with the bird of prey way before the bird was close, so everybody enjoyed excellent views on the bird approaching us… The majestic bird just passed over us, the snow reflecting on the underwings so we all enjoyed the details of the axiles, the underwinds and its iconic moustache. The bird was around for some minutes, and we still had a second Lammergeier passing by before we moved to our accommodation for some rest.

We got our first views on Lammergeier (Gypaetos barbatus) in the first morning of the tour.

After some resting, we still had time to explore a wooded slope in search of some new species. The area was full of Common Crossbills, some of them singing. A lovely Iberian Green Woodpecker was a celebrated spot in the group. The area was full of birds: Eurasian Siskin, Mistle Thrush, Rock Bunting, Short–toed Treecreeper and Crested Tit were also noted. Big flocks of migratory Common Chaffinches were around. We did a number of stops along the lane, and among them 2 Citril Finches passed over our heads, calling. Unfortunately only one tour participant had a view in these birds.

The afternoon was going away and as the night came we moved to a proper spot for the most difficult of the Owls in Europe. We didn’t have to wait long because soon after sunset we had a Tengmalm’s Owl singing quite close to our van! The bird started singing about 80 metres away so we just walked inside the open woodland, trying to find the small owl. We enjoyed a wonderful listening but despite our efforst, we never so this scarce owl!

Sunset is to arrive to the Pyrenean subboreal forest.

Day 2. After a good rest, we just started our second day by spending some time in the same lane where we were the last afternoon. Our goal was to have better views on Citril Finches. But that morning we were no lucky about them. After this we spent the rest of the morning in a mountain pass closeby. A huge flock of above 70 Red-billed Choughs was feeding on the greenish slopes that were supposed to be snowed. High temperatures for 15 days in a row right before the arrival of the group had been meltering the snow, and despite our efforts we were uncapable to find any Alpine Accentor, the main goal of the morning.

Crag Martin (Ptynoprogne rupestris) showinfg the tail markings.

After lunch we drove to the steppes for some afternoon birding. Our first stop was to check some corners looking for one of the most sought-after species in this habitat. Meanwhile, we enjoyed very much to find a large flock of over 150 Eurasian Tree Sparrows. Several other species were recorded around including Eurasian Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting, European Stonechat, Eurasian Skylark, Northern Lapwing, Common Kestrel, Crested Lark, Common Buzzard, Meadow Pipit and several more!

To spot Little Bustards (Tetrax tetrax) out of the nesting season can be difficult.

In our second stop we were more lucky, and after some scanning we found 12 Little Bustards in a nearby field. They were hiding in a filed with tall vegetation and we could only count them after a long wait and search of the small neck appearing above the grass. While enjoying them, we got other good birds around including 1 Great White Egret, Grey Heron , Mistle Thrush and Zitting Cisticola.

But a good surprise was to come. In a nearby field, a large flock of over 150 European Golden Plovers was resting. It look like the typcical large premigratory flock. While trying to count the Bustards, Gio was scanning the plovers and he was lucky enough to find out a 1st winter Eurasian Dotterel right in the center of the flock! What a nice spot!!!

Eurasian Dotterel (Charadrius morinellus) in a flock of Golden Plover close to Linyola.

After such a great spot we just moved to a nearby wetland for the last stop of the day. The large fresh water lagoon is placed in the middle of a large plain, and attracks good number os Western Marsh Harriers that roost in the reedbeds. We counted no less than 23 of them! Eurasian Teals, Northern Shovelers, Common Snipes, Reed Buntings, Water Rail, Northern Lapwings, Red–crested Pochards and big numbers of Great Cormorants and Western Jackdaws were all enjoyed, but probably the best birds for most of the tour participants were the Western Swamphens showing in the reedbeds, and noisily calling as the sunset approached. A wonderful end of the day!

During the afternoon we found this roosting place with +150 Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus).

Day 3. This day we drove up a long valley, into the a Catalan shire called Pallars, to look for some Pyrenean especialities. Our first stop was in a huge gorge. There, we hope for the most wanted bird for many birdwatchers visting the Pyrenees in winter, the Wallcreeper. During a pair of hours we walked and scouted the rocks all around, hoping for any movement in the cliffs. White–bellied Dippers were singing, very active in the river, and we counted 4 in single corner of the river! Some Eurasian Griffons were also moving in the sky, and didn’t take long until the massive silouhette of 1 Lammergeier appeared from the massive cliffs. Red Kite and Rock Bunting were also enjoyed.

After a long search, we finally found an extremelly distant Wallcreeper in a big, plain rock face. Only 1 tour participant saw the bird, so we all spent a lot of time trying to refind the bird. Some minutes passed away, and nobody was having the Wallcreeper…but suddenly a something moved in the rocks really close to us, inmediatly at the other side of the river: Wallcreeper!

Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria), always a challenging bird!

We were having a Wallcreeper right there, and this time everyone in the group found the bird without difficulties! We spent a pair of minutes enjoying of the bird moving in the rock face, beside a huge cavity. As always, it was great moment for anyone in the group!! After taking photos and recording videos we were enjoying the bird until it moved away from the rock face… and then came the typical question, was that the same bird that we were looking for extremely high up, or was it a different one? Who knows…

In this stop we still enjoyed a pair of other good birds before going for a coffee stop as Short–toed Treecreeper and Eurasian Crag Martin showed really well in our way to the car.

After our pic-nic stop, we spent a pair of hours exploring a wooded lane, a wonderful spot for Citril Finches. Again, Common Crossbills were common and active. There were flocks of Eurasian Goldfinches and Common Chaffinches and, while scanning the flocks looking for something different, we enjoyed 2 superb Lammergeiers flying ove us in beautiful light. After a long, long scanning, 2 Citril Finches were seen when driving down the lane so we inmediatly stopped, with the finches calling around and moving in the trees for a some seconds before they moved away as they seemed associated to a huge flock of Common Chaffinches. We scanned over and over the flock but we were uncapable to refind them. Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare and Hawfinch were noted in the while.

One of the 4 Lammergeiers (Gypaetos barbatus) seen during that day.

The last stop of the day was to look for Eurasian Black Vulture. The Catalan Pyrenees holds a small population of about 50 individuals, concentrated in a pair of valleys but expanding in range and numbers. The whole day had been poor in raptor activity and, when we did arrive to the observation place, the raptor activity was minimal. Still, there were some Eurasian Griffons flying and after some hard scanning we found at least three distant Eurasian Black Vulture circling along with them. Another Lammergeier was also found, by the way. Here we also enjoyed some small birds including Cirl Bunting, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Sardinian Warblers. After this stop we drove back to our accommodation for a good dinner and rest.

Day 4. Early morning start to explore the steppes. After a transfer we did arrive to the dry lands where most of the specialities are to be found. Unfortunately the weather was not good at all, as it was extremelly windy… Windy days can be terrible in the steppes, being quite easy to miss most (or all) the good birds in such a conditions.

But we were confident so our first stop was in a corner were Sandgrouses use to feed in early morning. A first look to the area revealed no activity at all. Only 1 or 2 Calandra Larks were flying, almost no songs in the sky. A distant Red Kite was the most notiable… We moved slowly along the lane, carefully scanning the fields that were hurt by the wind. It took us a good while until we found the first Black–bellied Sandgrouse on the ground. A male. Did an effort to get the scopes out so everybody could enjoy despite the really strong wind. Some minutes later, a small flock of 5 Pin–tailed Sandgrouses moved from a nearby filed, coming closer to us. It took some time to put everybody in the birds as they mild so well even if it was so few grass! Our happiness was complete when we realised that there were also some Black–bellied Sandgrouses on the ground, only few metres away from the Pin–tailed’s!! So, at the end, we had both species together side by side, feeding, preening and enjoying the hard morning weather!

Due to very strong winds, this is the best image we got on a Pin-tailed Sandgrouse.

Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis) during one of the last tours to Morocco. No images during this tour…

A short drive in the area around provided us with good views on Thekla, Calandra & Sky Larks. Also Little Owl, Iberian Grey Shrike and Red–billed Chough. Due to the wind it was again little movement of raptors in the sky, or that is what it looked like until 4 Golden Eagles appeared in the sky at the same time! Two adults and 2 juveniles playing long time with the wind at short range.

This obliging Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) was the first of the 5 seen during the day!

After a coffee stop we still had time to enjoy some good views on Lesser Short–toed Larks before changing the habitat to explore some cliffs nearby.

The short drive to the clay cliffs produced several White Storks, some of them in their nests, Spotless Starlings, and Common Buzzards. Once arrived, we were suprised by a bird moving in the cliff.A Wallcreeper!!! Amazing. It is not normal to see a Wallcreeper so low, and it is even more strange to see it in a clay cliff which is not especially in the middle of the plains! Again everybody enjoyed the bird while moving up. Higher, a Blue Rock Thrush was also really showy. After a pair of minutes enjoying the bird we lost it and spent some time looking for the Black Wheatears living in this spot. After some minutes we had a pair of Black Wheatear moving in the broken slope. Here we also got the firsts Black Redstarts and Common Chiffchaffs of the tour.

This Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) was totally unexpected, and shared cliff with Blue Rock Thrush and Black Wheatear.

After such a wonderful stop, we faced our transfer to Ebro Delta, a pair of hours of driving with several surprises in the way. The area between Lleida Steppes and Ebro Delta is a complex, hilly area crossed by Ebro river. It is good nautral border and a natural corridor that many birds use between the Mediterranean coast and the Pyrenees. The afternoon was sunny and calm and soon we realised that it was a good number of birds of prey migrating. After a pair of stops we had 1 Short-toed Snake Eagle, 1 Black Kite, 1 Northern Goshawk, several Common Buzzards and a few Eurasian Sparrowhawks moving North.

Once in Ebro Delta, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the Northern Bay, where we enjoyed good views on a long list of species. Slender-billed & Audouin’s Gull were the most celebrated but the list also included Whiskered, Caspian & Sandwich Terns, Black-necked Greve, Red-crested Pochard, Kentish Plover, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Knot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Little Stint, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Common Redshank, big flocks of Greater Flamingoes and Mediterranean Gulls plus ruff views on a female Bluethroat that showed shortly due to the strong wind! After such a great end of the day, we drove to our accommodation for a good rest and plentiful dinner. 

Day 5. After enjoying our breakfast we went out to take a fast look to a small pond just by our hotel. There, we had a good surprise as a male Little Bittern moved in the reeds providing good looks. Cetti’s Warbler and Little Egret were also seen there!

But our first serious stop of the day was by the largest fresh water lagoon in the delta, called l’Encanyissada. A pair of stops were enough to catch with some of the most sought-after species. While flocks of Greater Flamingoes were passing over, we enjoyed wonderful views on Western Swamphens. In the lagoon there were flocks of Black–necke Grebes but out attention was focused in the reedbeds. Cetti’s Warbler was showing well in some small plants by the reeds and 2 Water Pipits were seen in a nearby channel along with Green Sandpiper. But all alarms went on when a “tak-tak” came from the reeds. There was a Moustached Warbler just along the edge of the reedbed, calling and moving really low in the brown steems. It didn’t take long until all tour participants were enjoying good views on this shy species!

But the bird spectacled kept going. A flock of 5 Wood Sandpipers flew over right at the same time that 1 White–spotted Bluethroat male called from the reedbed. A bit of scan was required before all tour participants enjoyed excellent views on this bird. The male was actually quite showy and it was calling a pair of times as it was moving along the shore of the channel. A further scan along different channels revealed at least 5 Bluethroats, 2 of them being males in full summer plomage.

Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) in typical winter habitat.

After such a successful stop we decided to move on to explore some salt marshes. The area is an important nesting place for several species, including Audouin’s Gull, and we could see that many of them were already back in the area. At least 80 Audouins’s were there along with Caspian Terns, Grey Plovers, Kentish & Common Ringed Plovers, 100s of Dunlins and at least 7 Little Stints in the middle.

Audouin’s Gulls (Ichthyaetus audouinii) already busy in their colony.

From there we end the morning by exploring a sand bar facing South. This is a good place where to enjoy waders, Terns and Gulls. Several Great Crested Grebes were on the sea, as the sand bar protects a large inner bay. Along with them, 4 Black–throated Divers were fishing and offering great views, but the best was to discover 1 Great Skua resting on the sea, far away but still offering a god view. Closer, flocks of Dunlins & Kentish Plovers were really appreciated by the group, along with the Slender–billed Gulls side by side to Mediterranean Gull. A good way to walk the path of telling them apart. Northern Gannet and Ruddy Turnstone were also enjoyed in this stop.

Western Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) has become a common view in Ebro Delta.

To enjoy our picnic we went inside a wooded hide. From the hide, it didn’t look like a lot of birds, but we were having a good fun with the nice views on Western Swamphens and Cetti’s Warbler while a Booted Eagle was circling. Suddenly, a Great Spotted Cuckoo crossed the lagoon to stop right beside the hide! Wonderful!! This species of cuckoo arrives really early in the season and by the end of February you can expect some of them moving around, but due to the few time we had in the steppes, I was not expecting to see them at all!

Slim numbers of Booted Eagles (Aquila pennata) overwinter in Ebro Delta.

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) is a scarce migratory bird in Ebro Delta itself.

During the afternoon we drove up along a lane to explore a mountainous areas some 30 miles away from Ebro Delta. It is extremelly windy and we had to drive up and down the lane a pair of times before we succeed, but finally we got what we were looking for and 2 Alpine Accentors were seen in the lane, right in front of the car!!! The birds were just feeding by the lane despite the extremelly strong wind but unfortunately they flew off down the slope before we could take any image of them…

Spanish Ibex (Capra hispanica) in a typical view.

Really happy about this spot, we moved to our final stop. A lovely Mediterranean gorge hosts some really good specialities. Weather conditions were hard so bird activity was really low. Still, we got good views in a female Spanish Ibex and we were about to leave when a call came from high up the cliff and a wonderful male Bonelli’s Eagle came down to inmediatly display over the valley. It called again just when dramatically dived in the sky to come back to the cliffs in a fast movement!!! What a incredible sight to end the day!!!

Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) displaying in late afternoon.

But this was not all. After dinner we just went out to the hotel grounds, were the tour participants enjoyed wonderful vews on 1 Eurasian Scops Owl that is actually nesting in a nest box right there!!!

Eurasian Scops Owl (Otus scops) already at nest at the end of February!

Day 6. Our last day of the tour we spent the morning in the delta. In our first stop we were scouting a large marshy area: big flocks of Black–winged Stilts and Pied Avocets were resting there along with Northern Shovelers, Pintails, Black–tailed Godwits, Common Kingfishers, Shelducks and other goodies. Beyond this spot, the paddy fields around provided good birding and an accurate scan we enjoyed good views on 30 or more Ruffs but also Dunlins, European Golden Plovers, huge flocks of Glossy Ibises, obliging Lesser Short–toed Larks and 1 Peregrine Falcon (probably a calidus race).

Young Greater Flamingoes (Phoenicopterus roseus) love to feed in the paddy fields.

It was time to head back to the airport but we still had time for a pair of fast stops around Barcelona. Our picnic stop by the airport reported Water Pipit. The afternoon was rainy and cold but we still tried to get the impressive Red-billed Leiothrix, an alien species living in some well forested areas in Greater Barcelona. By the time we did arrive, the temperature was low but we still managed good views on Firecrest as well as Monk Parakeet, Coal, Long–tailed and European Crested Tits.

Ans this was the end of this wonderful tour to the Pyrenees, despite the really high temperatures!! Already ready for our next adventure, happening very soon.

Do you want to join us?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extremadura & Gredos 2019 (+ Pyrenees). Trip Report

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Tour Participants: 5

Dates: From April 15th to April 26th, 2019

Number of species of birds seen: 227

 

Summary

During the tour the temperature ranged from 02ºC to 29ºC. We recorded 7 mammal species, over 227 species of birds and 3 species of reptiles. The species mentioned in the daily summaries are only some of those seen.

Day 1: Monday 15 April: Madrid to La Mancha Humeda and onto Extremadura.

Our trip begun with us meeting for a breakfast at our Hotel in Madrid. After meeting our local Guide and driver Carles we negotiated the Madrid traffic and made our way for the Navaesca lagoon and wetlands. As we left the city and headed into the Winelands and agricultural fields on route we enjoyed sightings of: Common Magpie, Black Kite, Common Wood Pigeon and Crested Lark.

Our first stop after a well deserved coffee break was Navaesca Lagoon south west of Madrid and here we enjoyed some amazing birding with highlights being: 50+ White-headed Duck, Cetti’s Warbler, Common Shelduck, Black-headed Gull, Ruff, Common Greenshank, European Penduline Tit, Bearded Reedling, Greylag Goose, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Red-crested Pochard, Little-ringed Plover and European Goldfinch to name a few. Luck was on our side this morning as we had really top cracking views of these species, we managed brief views of a Moustached Warbler but this unfortunately avoided us despite numerous attempts to relocate. We enjoyed our lunch watching the Whiskered Terns and had a good fly by sighting of a Mediterranean Gull.

White-headed Ducks (Oxyura leucocephala) are a scarce resident duck in Central Spain and along the Mediterranean coast. Image by tour leader Carles Oliver

After lunch the wind picked up and bird activity died down so we made our way to the Extremadura region.  On our way to the Extremadura region we enjoyed road side sightings of: Booted Eagle, European Griffon Vulture, European Black Vulture, White Storks nesting, European Stonechat, Hawfinch, Western Marsh Harrier and Corn Bunting. At our accommodation in Extremaduta we enjoyed amazing next door birding including sightings of European Blue Tit, Black Kite, Red-rumped Swallow, Iberian Magpie, Common Cuckoo, Black-winged Kite, European Bee-eater, Mistle Thrush, Common Chaffinch, Great Tit, Woodchat Shrike, White Wagtail, and Booted Eagle.

We got daily great views on Black-winged Kites (Elanus caeruleus) during our stay in Extremadura. The fact that one pair nested in our accommodation grounds helped a bit 🙂 Image by Carles Oliver

What a great start to our tour as we enjoyed sunset over the snow capped Monfrague Mountains. Our dinner was enjoyed over a glass of red wine as we chatted about the excellent first day we have enjoyed. Also hearing common cuckoo call its characteristic cuckoo clock call again is always an enjoyable experience. We all slept well after a great day of birding.

 

Day 2: Tuesday 16 April.                             Monfragüe National Park.         

Our morning begun nice and early with breakfast at our lodge as we could hear the birds waking up. We could hear Common Cuckoo calling from the breakfast table, which is not to shabby. We made our way towards the open fields know to be a good spot for both Little and Great Bustards. Lady luck was on our side and one of the first birds we saw in the area was a stunning male Little Bustard which offered us excellent views and and a flight display- wow this was enjoyed by all as these birds are now critically endangered so getting good views of this male was enjoyed by all. Just as we thought what more could we ask for, we had an incredible sighting of a Great Bustard displaying, what a pleasure. After some scanning we found a lek of about 5 males displaying for one females attention, it’s was most comical and most enjoyable to watch this behavior. Other highlights included: female Montagu’s Harrier, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Common Buzzard, Eurasian Skylark, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Whinchat, European Stonechat and Red-legged Partridge.

A quick coffee stop was enjoyed overlooking the Gredos mountain range, here we enjoyed a spectacular sighting of both Spainish Imperial Eagle and Cinereous Vulture flying right over us and giving us amazing views. On route to Monfragüe National Park we enjoyed sightings of: European Griffon Vulture, Booted Eagle, Great Tit, Eurasian Wren, Eurasian Blackcap, Woodlark, Spanish Sparrow, Lesser spotted Woodpecker and we hade a brilliant sighting of Western Orphean Warbler- sometimes a difficult bird to see!. As we enjoyed our lunch in the Oak fields we were treated to stunning views of a pair of Short-toed Treecreepers– it was most enjoyable to watch their behavior and antics. As we made our way into Monfragüe we enjoyed a cracking sighting of a Short-toed Snake Eagle with a snake in its mouth as it flew by and over us.

Little Bustard (Tetrix tetrix) showing really well in our tour. Image by Carles Oliver

 

The Monfragüe National Park is a special protected area for Birdlife in Spain and we enjoyed some wonderful sightings of the Griffon Vultures flying over us and in-front of us. Other top sightings included: Cinereous Vulture, Blue Rock Thrush, Sardinian Warbler, Rock Bunting, Black Redstart, Subalpine Warbler, Crag Marting, Peregrine Falcon and Black Stork. It was truly an amazing day birding in Extremadura and we all had a wonderful and busy day. As we made our way back to our accommodation we all chatted about the various sightings we enjoyed and also got chatting about the various conservation efforts been made in Europe to protect birds.

 

Day 3: Wednesday 17 April.                            The Caceres Plains and Arrocampo wetlands.                                                                                                               

Our day started nice and early with breakfast and coffee as we got ready for another exciting day of birding in Spain. We made our way to Campo Lugar to improve our views of Great Bustard. On route in the town of Campo Lugar we had great views of Pallid Swift. In the grasslands we were rewarded with excellent views of Great Bustard which was enjoyed by all. Other highlights included: Gull-billed Tern, Northern Raven and Calandra Lark.

In the town we enjoyed a lovely coffee in a small Spanish coffee shop and were treated to exceptional views of Lesser Kestrel colony on a tower, we also had a good view of our first Iberian Grey Shrike of the trip. After our coffee stop we made our way to check the nest boxes put up for the European Rollers and we had good views of the birds nesting and even mating- these are incredible birds that make an extraordinary migration from Southern Europe to Southern Africa and its amazing to see the birds in Spain that we see in Southern Africa. We also enjoyed sightings of Eurasian Hoopoe and Iberian Grey Shrike.

One of the many Great Bustards (Otis tarda) that we enjoyed in Extremadura. Image by Carles Oliver

We made our way to Alcollarin Dam to see which migrant water birds would be around and enjoy our lunch. Our day just got better and better from this point and we enjoyed some incredible birding at the dam and we had sightings of: Collared Practincole, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Common Kingfisher, Temminck’s Stint, Kentish Plover, Common Kingfisher, Eurasian Spoonbill and Black Tern– this is some incredible birding for Southern Europe and everyone enjoyed the avian gems on show. Just as we thought things could not get better we had a lovely sighting of two European Otters swimming in water in front of this- truly amazing and a mammal lifer for all on the trip. As we travelled we chatted about our great day and I enjoyed learning from Larry A about North America and the great birding he enjoys in the State of California. It was also intresting to hear from Larry how the Black Tern in the States is a different tern to the one we have just seen in Spain. Larry also enjoyed the sighting of the Temminck’s Stint as it was a bird he wanted to see.

Spanish Magpie (Cyanopica coocki), a must-seen endemic to get when birding in Southern Spain and Portugal. Image by Carles Oliver

The views of about 30 Collared Practincoles impressed Pam as they flew over head. We enjoyed some down time at the accommodation before dinner and enjoyed a wonderful dinner and some good Spanish wine as we chatted about our wonderful day, birding stories and finished off our listing.

Thekla Lark (Galerida theklae) in the grasslands near Campo Lugar. Image by Carles Oliver

Day 4: Thursady. 18 April.           Extremadura to the the Ebro Valley.

Our day begun a little earlier than normal as we decided we would check out the Arrocampo wetlands before moving onto the Ebro valley. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast before heading to the wetlands. Lady Luck was on our side and as we arrived at the wetland and made our way to the hide, we had a great sighting of a male and female Ferruginous Duck fly up and give us brilliant views of this hard to see species of Duck in Europe. It’s estimated that there are about 7 pairs left of these birds in Iberia so seeing a pair was really exciting and enjoyed by the whole group. The birds also decided to come and land on the pond in front of us and we got some really good views of this beautiful duck. Other highlights at the wetlands included: a Purple Heron, Little Bitten, Western Swamphen, Savi’s Warbler, Sand Martin and we unfortunately only managed to hear Water Rail. We were soon back on the road and heading for the Ebro Valley, today was set aside as a day of travel and we had a good 5 hours drive to get to the Ebro Valley and our accommodation.

European Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) were a common view in several areas along this tour. Image by Carles Oliver

On the way we had panned a stop to try and find Bluethroat and Rufous-tailed Thrush but unfortunately the weather was not playing along and we had cold and rainy weather high up in the mountains with temperature dropping to 3 degrees Celsius- not ideal for bird watching. We did however get sightings of: European Serin, Eurasian Jay and Eurasian Robin. Our efforts were also rewarded with a wonderful sighting of a Common Salamander- Salamandra salamandra. This was a great find and this amphibian gem was enjoyed by the group, especially by Pam and myself.

We made our way to the Ebro Valley slowly as most of the drive was in the pouring rain, which did not help our birding efforts. As we approached our accommodation we went to the site where Dupont’s Lark occurs and tried our luck in locating this sought after species. Unfortunately the weather didn’t help us and the gusting wild and cold made finding the bird impossible. We did however enjoy views of a Golden Eagle hunting European Rabbits. We enjoyed a quick shower and freshen up before enjoying a lovely dinner together and a good nights rest.

Day 5: Friday 19 April.              Ebro Valley and transfer to Pyrenees.

Our morning begun nice and early so we could get out and try for the Dupont’s Lark again. After breakfast we headed for the area we had been in the previous day searching for the Lark and our luck changed for the better. With the weather being calm and cool with no rain and wind we knew this was our best chance to see the bird. Lady Luck again was on our side and within 30 minutes we had spectacular views on a male Dupont’s Lark– this was just great and made up for our efforts from yesterday. The bird performed well and we could all enjoy this beauty. Larry was particularly chuffed as he had thought we would not see the bird- patience and perseverance paid off.

Other highlights for the morning included: Greater Short-toed Lark, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, European Turtle Dove, Calandra Lark, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Carrion Crow and Willow Warbler. After a short coffee break we made our way to an area to try and improve our views of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and this we did with 5 birds showing well in the scopes- we then got treated to a fly by and all had awesome views of these magnificent birds. Another highlight was a male Pallied Harrier flying over the grasslands which we all managed to get good views of- this species is rare in Spain and was a good record for the tour.

In the tour we were lucky and enjoyed multiple and long views on Dupont’s Larks (Chersophilus duponti) in the wonderful steppes close to Codo. Image by Carles Oliver

We stopped to enjoy some of Spain’s old castles and made our way to lunch in the town of Bujaraloz and after a wonderful lunch enjoyed some birding at a nearby pond with us seeing: Green Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover and Northern Shoveler. We made our way onto the Pyrenees and our accommodation. A strategical stop was made at a spot to try and find Black Wheatear and this paid off with us getting some good views on a pair, we also enjoyed sightings of good numbers of Griffon Vultures as well as Thekla Lark, Sardinian Warbler and Spectacled Warbler. We made our way into the Pyrenees Mountains and the birding that lay ahead of us was off the charts with us getting good views of Long-tailed Tit, Egyptian Vulture, Bearded Vulture and a male Wallcreeper moving along the rock face, this was a magical end for this day, probably one of the best days during the tour!

This male Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) delighted us with great, but a bit distant views, just in our first stop into the Pyrenees. Image by Carles Oliver

We quickly freshened up and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at our accommodation at, the foot hills of the Pyrenees. What a brilliant day.

 

Day 6: Saturday 20 April.                                                 The Pyrenees.

Our morning once again begun nice and early so we could get into the high mountains of the Pyrenees and target some of the special birds of the high altitudinal areas. After a lovely home cooked breakfast we made our way to the Portalet mountain pass at about 2000m above sea level. We had a few high mountain birds to target.

Not really an average sight on Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus). Image by Carles Oliver

The snow capped mountains and the scenery was absolutely spectacular and we enjoyed taking in the magnificent part of Spain before crossing into France. Soon after entering France we enjoyed some good birding with us getting good views of: Bearded Vulture, Northern Wheatear, Red Kite, Yellowhammer, Water Pipit, Alpine Accentor which put on a wonderful display. We also enjoyed the antics of the Alpine Marmots on the cliffs. We also had spectacular close up views of both Alpine and Red-billed Chough. What a great morning of birding.

Lammergeier (Gypaetos barbatus) showing superbly during our tour. Image by Carles Oliver

We enjoyed launch overlooking the snow capped mountains and made our way further into France to continue our birding and try for the elusive White-backed Woodpecker- we unfortunately only could hear this bird and could not get any views on the species, we did however enjoy good views of: Ring Ouzel, Tree Pipit, Common Firecrest, Citril Finch– a good bird to see and with exceptional views which made Larry’s day, Eurasian Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Goldcrest and a Song Thrush displaying for us- all in all some good birding. We made our way back up the Pyrenees through the maze of tunnels and into Spain to get to our accommodation in time for a lovely home cooked traditional meal. This is exactly what the group needed and we all had a well deserved nights rest after another good days birding.

The very scarce and located Spectacled Warbler (Sylvia conscipillata) was really showy in the early afternoon. Image: Carles Oliver

 

Day 7: Sunday 21 April.                                                   The Pyrenees.

Another early start was on the cards for us in order to get out to the San Juan de La Monastery to try for the elusive Black Woodpecker. A quick walk around our accommodation after our lovely breakfast yielded us good views of Common Rock Sparrow– our first bird for the day and new for the trip. At the monastery luck was on our side and we managed to get several views of the hard to find Black Woodpecker. We also enjoyed very close up views of: Eurasian Treecreeper, Eurasian Crested Tit, Coal Tit and Eurasian Jay.

After a long search, we finally managed great looks on this Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris). Image by Carles Oliver

Despite the rather poor light, Ring Ouzels (Turdus torquatus) gave us great sights up in the Pyrenees. Image by Carles Oliver

We made our way further into the Pyrenees towards Echo valley. Roadside birding included Griffon Vultures, a Booted Eagle being mobbed by a Red Kites and Egyptian Vulture. We headed high up into the mountains to our lunch stop and while having lunch enjoyed great sightings of Dunnock, European Robin and Coal Tit. We birded the area after lunch and had some really good birding with highlights being Citril Finch, Cirl Bunting, White-throated Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Short-toed Treecreeper, Marsh Tit and Common Chiffchaff. We all had some time to relax before dinner and enjoyed another wonderful home cooked meal by our host. The place we are staying is a traditional Spanish farm house that was built in the 1700s and had been tastefully upgraded and gives a lovely warm feel to it. The host is so welcoming and Larry S, Larry A, Pam and I really enjoyed staying here. The warm hospitality and traditional home cooked meals were welcomed and enjoyed by all. We all had a good nights rest after another great days birding in the Pyrenees.

 

Day 8: Monday 22 April.                                  Lleida Steppes.

We had a slightly earlier start today so we could get into the lower Step areas and Open fields of the lower Pyrenees to target a few birds we had missed. After a lovely home cooked breakfast we said our goodbyes to our wonderful host and headed out. The area in which we started our birding has some of the best Steppes and open grassland in Spain and as soon as we got into the area we had a wonderful sighting of a Short-eared Owl that was perched and proceeded to give us a wonderful fly by- a highlight for all on the tour and a great start.

We enjoyed some good birding with highlights being: Little Owl, Black-eared Wheatear, Calandra Lark, Common Redstart, Tawny Pipit, Whinchat, Thekla, Greater-short Toed and Lesser-short Toed Larks. The hard scan around pay off when we finally got 2 Great Spotted Cuckoos feeding in an open field. We managed to get long and wonderful views on both birds on the ground, but we could not get too much close of them since they were feeding on a sensitive field, nesting ground for Sandgrouses and Larks. After a slight drive and a short coffee stop we stopped along a small stream and enjoyed some more birding with our first views of: Eurasian Golden Oriole, Wood Warbler, Common Nightingale and Alpine Swift. We also had some really good views of Rock Bunting and Cirl Bunting.

Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) in a late evening sight that included some great vocalisation. Image by Carles Oliver

We made our way further south to Fraga, just outside or Lleida and checked into our accommodation for the night. We decided to take a slight afternoon break as tonight we are going to take a night drive and target some of the nocturnal birds in the area. We all deserved the slight bit of downtime and after a slightly earlier dinner went off into the late afternoon and night to see what nocturnal birds we could find. Luck was once again on our side and we had an incredible night drive with us getting great views of Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Western Barn Owl and Eurasian Scops Owl. We were very lucky to get great views of all of these species and it made it an Owltastic day, with us seeing 5 species of owl in the day, that being: Short-eared Owl, Little Owl, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Western Barn Owl and Eurasian Scops Owl. We all enjoyed a good nites rest after another great days birding.

 

Day 9: Tuesday 23 April.                                       Lleida to Ebro Delta.

Another early start was on the cards for this morning so we could make our way to the Ebro Delta but still try and connect with a few birds we need in the area. After a lovely breakfast we were soon on the road and heading for the flowing step landscape just outside of Lleida. The break in the rain meant we could try see what birds were active and we had some good sightings with highlights being: Common Nightingale– finally some good views, Eurasian Hobby, Ortolan Bunting, Subalpine Warbler– great views, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Rock Sparrow and improved views of  Eurasian Jay.

Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) is a scarce migratory bird in Catalonia. Due to a huge irruption, during the tour we enjoyed a good number of them. Image by Carles Oliver

A stop along the nearby stream yielded us with a great sighting of Hawfinch- a difficult and tough bird to see, and we got good views. We soon were back on the road, heading for the Mediterranean coast. A quick lunch stop was enjoyed at a local tapas bar before making our way to a spot to try for Dartford Warbler– luck was on our side and we enjoyed good views on a pair of birds and also got some good views on a Common Whitethroat– the first for the trip. We soon moved onto a local wetland to check for any migrating birds and got rewarded with good views of Wood Warbler, Western Bonelli’s Warbler and Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

We made our way down to the coast and arrived at the Ebro Delta in the late afternoon to some perfect weather conditions and we got treated to some exceptional and exciting birding. We enjoyed views of: Curlew Sandpiper( breeding plumage), Eurasian Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Slender-billed Gull, Dunlin, Common Shelduck, Garganey, Western Osprey and Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage which was enjoyed by all as no one had seen the bird before in breeding dress.

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) in almost full summer plomage at Ebro Delta. Image by Carles Oliver

As we left the bay we had the most incredible sightings of Audouin’s Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Slender-billed Gull and Eurasian Curlew all sitting in the open offering excellent photo opportunities and also gave us a chance to compare the different Gills next to each other and therefore learn how to ID them. Both Larry’s enjoyed this opportunity. We made our way to our accommodation close to the Ebro Delta, settled in and had a lovely dinner talking about our great day and completing our lists. We all had a good nites rest after another great day.

 

Day 10: Wednsday 24 April.                                                  Ebro Delta.

We begun our day once again with an early start and a lovely breakfast and then headed out to explore the Ebro Delta and surrounds for the day. A walk around our accommodation yielded us sightings of Black-crowned Night Heron, Mediterranean Flycatcher (a really good bird to have in Catalonia since is nesting in the islands of the Western Mediterranean), European Pied Flycatcher and Little Bittern. We made our way north into the Delta to the point and had some really good birding with highlights being: Icterine Warbler, Western Yellow Wagtail, Purple Heron, Collared Pratincole and Red-crested Pochard. Unfortunately the wind picked up badly and this halted our birding, we decided to stop for a coffee break and try plan B.

Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorac nycticorax), a common nesting heron at Ebro Delta. Image by Carles Oliver

Baillon’s Crake (Porzana pusilla), a wonderful sight close to Ebro Delta! Image by Carles Oliver

We did have some excitement in one of the Subalpine Warblers we saw and photographed as we thought it could have been the recently split- Moltoni’s Warbler but after extensive checking and sending pics to experts we decided that is was a Western Subalpine Warbler. We also enjoyed watching a flock of about 50 Yellow Wagtails in a field close to the car and this gave us a chance to study the different races and we decided we have races from Italy, Iberia, NW Africa and Central Europe all in one spot- interesting stuff which was enjoyed by all but especially Larry S as he could also photograph the birds well. Our plan B kicked into place and we decided to enjoy lunch in a near by hide and boy did this work out as we had some exceptional birding which included: Little Stint, Baillon’s Crake, Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Marsh Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Common Snipe and Wood Sandpiper. What a lunch stop!

Ebro Delta is always a guarantee and this time provided with really close views on Collared Pratincoles (Glareola pratincola). Image by Carles Oliver

The biggest surprise of our lunch was the Jack Snipe that showed up and was on display feeding right in front the hide offering exceptional views- this was truly amazing as this is a hard bird to see and to see it so well was amazing. The bird was also a lifer for all on the trip. We decided to take a slight break from the wind before heading out again in the late afternoon. The afternoon was enjoyed coming to grips with the different Gulls and Terns of the area, and we enjoyed the late afternoon watching the terns coming into roost, we enjoyed good sightings of Caspian, Little and Whiskered Terns. We enjoyed a lovely traditional dinner at the lodge while we chatted about the excitimng day and also enjoyed working through our checklists and rounding off another great day. After dinner we enjoyed a slight walk around the accommodation and got good views of the nesting Eurasian Scops Owl.

And this Jack Snipe (Lymnocriptes minimus) was probably the most celebrated bird of the tour. Image by Carles Oliver

Although this Temminck’s Stint (Calidris temminckii) moulting to summer plogame (see the Black center in the wing feathers) was also a hit! Image by Carles Oliver

 

Day 11: Thursday 25 April.                         Ebro Delta and Tortosa Beseit Natural Park.                                                                                                                      

We started our day once again nice and early with a lovely breakfast before heading out for some birding. The weather looked promising and we enjoyed great views of Black-crowned Night Heron at our accommodation. We made our way into the Delta and had a good sighting of Common Reed Bunting at the local wetland, the species we saw is actually Iberian Reed Bunting, the race is know as Witherbyi and could in the close future become a new split and species so it was really good to get good scope views on this endangered species. Other highlights included: Common Shelduck, Caspian Tern, Eurasian Penduline Tit, Great Reed Warbler and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) controlling its territory from an advantatged point. Image by Carles Oliver

We made our way off the Delta towards Tortosa Beseit Natural Park to try a spot we know of for Bonelli’s Eagle. Luck was on our side and we arrived at the nesting area and had great views of the pair sitting up on the rocks, we also managed to get great scope views on a chick sitting on a neat nest- wow what a great sighting of this endangered Eagle. We made our way down into the Delta for lunch and had some good road side sightings of Short-toed Snake Eagle and Booted Eagle. Just before we lunch we got lucky and had a Red-footed Falcon fly by us while driving and we managed to relocate the bird and have exceptional views. The bird was flying and hawking insects and also perched close to us. We enjoyed lunch in the field and had our first European Honey Buzzard for the trip fly pass and offer decent views.

Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus), again a scarce migratory bird in Catalonia that we were lucky yo enjoy in Ebro Delta. Image by Carles Oliver

We decided to take a short break before heading out in the afternoon to do some shore birding. Our afternoon birding was a great success with us enjoying some top birding at one of the local hides. Highlights at the hide included: Melodious Warbler, Water Rail, Eurasian Spoonbill, Temminck’s Stint, Marsh Sandpiper, Willow Warbler and fabulous views of the Jack Snipe in-front of us in the open purring on a show. We had a fabulous sunset over the water with the Greater Flamingoes and Pied Avocets offering us great shots as we got the reflections off the water- what an incredible way to spend our last evening on tour. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and chatted about the great day and tour we have had and how it’s sad that it’s already over. We all enjoyed the wine on offer and took a short walk outside to locate the resident Eurasian Scops Owl and we all have good views of the bird on the nest box. We all have a good nites rest after another great day.

Melodious Warbler (Hyppolais polyglotta) showed really in Ebro Delta along with its much scarcer relative Icterine Warbler (Hyppolais icterina). Image by Carles Oliver

Eurasian Scops Owl (Otus scops) provided with great sights in our accommodation at Ebro Delta. Image by Carles Oliver

 

Day 12: Friday 26 April.                             Ebro Delta to Barcelona via Llobregat Delta.                                                                                                                     

Our final day of the tour started with a lovely breakfast and a walk around our accommodation. The weather was juts perfect for our last day and our walk after breakfast rewarded us with great views of a Garden Warbler which was new for the trip. We were soon on the road and made a short stop along the coast to scan for sea birds and this rewarded us with scope views of a Mediterranean Storm Petrel, closer to the shore we enjoyed views of Lesser Black-backed Gull and a European Shag sitting on the rocks giving us wonderful views.

Mediterranean Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis desmarestii), a splitable race to take in count. Image by Carles Oliver

Soon we were back on the road towards Barcelona and the Llobregat Delta to see what we could find. We decided to bypass Barcelona and spend some time at the Llobregat Delta before ending the trip later in the afternoon in Barcelona. A stragic stop just outside of the Llobregat Delta rewarded us with good sightings of a pair of Iberian Green Woodpeckers; we got some really good views of these birds. We also enjoyed views of Monk and Rose-ringed Parakeet. Larry S took some time to enjoy and photograph the Common Swifts flying over head. We moved onto the Delta to enjoy our lunch in one of the bird hides. This worked our really well and we enjoyed some good views of: Northern Shoveler, Garganey, Collared Pratincole, Ferruginous Duck, Common Shelduck, Ruff, Common Greenshank and Common Redshank. What a way to enjoy our final lunch of the tour. We then knew we had to make our way into the hussel and bussel of Barcelona City to get to our hotel for the night.

After negotiating the Barcelona traffic we made it to our hotel in the city center and it was time to say our goodbyes after an incredible birding trip through the country of Spain. It’s always sad saying bye to lovely guests like Larry S, Pam and Larry A and it’s was an end to an incredible tour. We had a great time together, the trip was enjoyed by all and I had a great time. Our goodbyes were said and it’s always rewarding to have guests say they loved the tour and will back with us again. I would like to thank Larry S, Pam and Larry A for a wonderful trip, for the Enthusiasm, patience and all the laughs and good times we enjoyed.

And this was the end of the trip. Please contact us for more birding in Spain and other countries by info@barcelonabirdingpoint.com or visit our website with plenty of information about, http://www.barcelonabirdingpoint.com

 

 

 

Is April the best month for birding in North-East Spain?

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Every little time we got requests of birdwatchers that, interested about coming to do some birdwatching in Catalonia, ask us about what it is the best time to come.

Well, this is always depending on what do you want to see… But it is not wrong to think on spring as being probably the best time for birdwatching. In the Mediterranean this means a combination of excellent, sunny weather with pleasant temperatures, high activity of the nesting species (resident or not) and tones of migratory birds in their way to Northernmost nesting grounds.

I personally love April. It is just because of the really good general birding. This is probably one of the best moments in the year for Crakes. And not talking about listen them, but talking on seeing them! Migration goes in excellent numbers along Mediterranean wetlands and, along with warblers, waders and raptors, it is always possible to enjoy Spotted Crakes (Porzana porzana) or Little Crakes (Porzana parva). Early April is also a good time to look for Iberian Chiffchaffs (Phylloscopus ibericus) as they hang around in their way to their nesting grounds. Along the month waves of Short-toed Eagles (Circaetus gallicus), Black Kites (Milvus migrans) and Montagu’s Harriers (Circus pygargus) are to arrive to their nesting grounds. Egyptian Vultures (Neophron percnopterus) are already defending their territories as they arrive as early as early-mid February.

 

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Spotted Crakes (Porzana porzana) show up all along March and April in all kind of wetlands. Numbers are highly variable depending on the year. Image: Carles Olive

 

 

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Egyptian Vultures keep expanding in Catalonia. They arrive as early as February. Image: Carles Oliver

 

By mid April Woodchat Shrikes (Lanius senator),  Spectacleds (Sylvia conspicillata), Subalpines (Sylvia cantillans) and Orphean Warblers (Sylvia hortensis) will be all at their nesting grounds, but it is mandatory to keep searching for not-that-common birds in migration that can easily include Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix), Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin), Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca) along with some Balearic Flycatchers (Muscicapa tyrrhenica) to be discovered among the many Spotted Flycatchers (Muscicapa striata).

 

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Western Subalpine Warblers (Sylvia cantillans) are a common migratory bird all along April. From 10th onwards they can also be found at their nesting grounds around. Image: Carles Oliver

 

 

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Wood Warblers (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) are exclusivelly migratory birds in Catalonia, an rather scarce! They normally are to be found in mixed migratory warblers flocks. Image: Carles Oliver

 

But probably the best is that all of that can be done while still enjoying on Wallcreepers (Tichodroma muraria) in the Pyrenees as they still goes up. They are not that “easy” to find as in winter but still is mandatory to check some spots! And now, while looking for them, it is likely yo see superb Common Rock Thrush (Monticola saxatilis) or Rock Buntings (Emberiza cia) singing around!

In the wetlands, Bluethroats (Luscinia svecica) keep going North and more active as never before so it gets easier to locate them, and Iberian Reed Buntings (Emberiza s. whiterby) are also showing well within its tiny range! Small flocks of waders and beautiful ducks such as Garganeys (Anas querquedula) can be seen in every wetland and you can enjoy male Ruffs (Philomachus pugnax) going up with their splendid spring plomages. Few days ago we just got a mixed flock of Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus) along with Pied Avocets (Recurvirostra avosetta), Ruffs and Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) only 30 minutes after enjoying a Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus duponti) singing right in front of us…

 

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Garganeys (Anas querquedula) show up in good numbers all along April. Image: Carles Oliver

 

 

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Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus duponti) in flowering steppe vegetation. April at its best. Image: Carles Oliver

 

No mention to the steppes… they are never as beautiful as are in April. And are really productive! Many areas are carpeted by yellow, red and white flowers and Little Bustards (Tetrax tetrax) sing in the middle of the flowers while flocks of Sandgrouses (Pterocles sp.) and Stone Curlews (Burhinus oedicnemus) feed around. You will listen some 100s of Calandra Larks (Melonacorypha calandra) and Corn Buntings (Emberiza calandra)… you may think; “it would not be 100s!”. Yes, 100s

In the fields, flocks of Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla flava spp.) feed along with Pipits (meadow, tree, red-throated?), Great Spotted Cuckoos (Clamator glandarius) will always be really busy and noisy at this time while small parties of tiny Lesser Kestrels (Falco naumanii) move up and down in the air…

 

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Great Spotted Cuckoos (Clamator glandarius) are superb birds! Arriving along March, they are especially active in early April. Image: Carles Oliver

 

Yes, spring is here and, maybe is not that important whether April is the best moment to enjoy birds in Catalonia or not. It is still a wonderful time to come and enjoy!

Check out our birding trips at barcelonabirdingpoint.com our contact us to design your birding adventure at info@barcelonabirdingpoint.com

From Wallcreeper to Yelkouan Shearwater; amazing 2-days winter trip

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This is a short trip report about a 2-days birding trip from Barcelona on 26th and 27th February, 2016. Early in the morning I picked my costumer, Jon, from his hotel close to the airport. We firstly drove North of Barcelona, to the Sant Llorenç de Munt Natural Park, a medium-size natural park protecting low bushered hills, pine woods and rocky slopes. Here we explored the area around Talamanca, where impressive conglomerate formations are a good winter ground for Wallcreepers. We started to walk the path up, crossing evergreen forests and low scrublands. Some Ravens called around while distant Long-tailed Tits were calling in the forest. We walked directly to an area where I was having a Wallcreeper with other costumers just two days ago. The planning was to arrive to a view point where one Wallcreeper was appearing these weeks early in the morning, sometimes really close. Even far before arriving to this view point qe spotted a favolous Wallcreeper really close in the conglomerate rock. The bird was not really in a cliff but in a huge rock, offering exellent chances for photograph the bird. Jon was really fast in taking his camera and got beautiful shots on the bird in the rock skyline! The bird showed up for some minutes, slowly creeping and looking for invertebrates under the small rocks in the slope and flickering the wings (but not so much). After some minutes the bird just kept walking until it was disappearing to the opposite side of the rock.

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Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) showing really well in the conglomerate landscape around Barcelona. Image by Jonathan Mercer

Very happy about this first sight we kept walking up to look for the flock of Alpine Accentors overwintering there. After some minutes looking for the birds we spot a minimum of 14 of them in barren slope. As usual in this species, we enjoyed close views on them, and great shots! We were having a really productive morning so far… The dense undergrowth immediatly around gave us excellent views on Firecrest, Crested Tit, Sardinian Warbler, Blue Tit and Short-toed Treecreeper. Woodlarks were singing around, really active.

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Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris), the second top bird appearing in the morning, so far! Image by Jonathan Mercer

We were back in the car at 11:30 so I drove back to Barcelona. Now it was time to explore the Llobregat Delta, a small but awesome wetland immediatly around the Barcelona International Airport facilities. It was 12:30 when we get inside the Natural Reserve, expecting to have some good birds (and lunch) inside the hides. We were directly going to one of the hides where a male Moustached Warbler had been showing really well the last two weeks. After a pair of minutes scanning the reeds, we listened the calls of a Moustached and immediatly after that the warbler was appearing and started to sing. The bird was showing in a small patch of reeds showing extremelly well and being really territorial against any other birds moving in the reed; Chiffchaff, Great Tit & Reed Bunting were all chased by the warbler. A Cetti’s Warbler moving in the area ( and showing well) was surprisingly not disturbed by the Moustached.

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Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon) is probably one of the most tricky warblers in Europe.We enjoyed go-away views on the bird! Image by Jonathan Mercer

Well, the visit to the wetland was already a success but this was only the beginning! Just beside the patch of reeds where the Moustached Warbler was still singing and preening quite high in the reeds a Bluethroat was briefly showing in previous days so I invested some time checking this tiny spot expecting to have a Bluethroat. And we were again lucky because a wonderful male Bluethroat came out of the vegetation and showed out very well, but briefly. Other species appearing in this hide included Green Sandpiper, Common Pochard, Common Teal, Marsh Harrier, Little Egret, Shoveler, Little Grebe and Water Pipit. We then tried the second hide, which provided an excellent combination of waterfowl. An amazing combination of birds at close range that included 12 Greater Flamingoes, 2 Spoonbills (1 adult + 1 immature), 1 Glossy Ibis in summer plumage and 2 drake Garganeis! Some other really good birds were present as well. A minimum of 5 Purple Swamphens were out of the reeds, 2 Ruff were feeding on the marsh along with 2 Dunlin. Several Common Snipes were testing the mud looking for food while a pair Water Pipits walked around in the shallow water. In one of the islands in the marsh a Golden Plover and Northern Lapwing mixed flock was roosting. A good variety of ducks was also noticed, this time including also Shelduck and Eurasian Wigeon. In the mud, 2 Little Ringed Plovers ran up and down, the first of the year! Up in the air, a big flock of swallows was flying over the marsh. Crag Martin was the most common but we also counted at least 7 House Martins, some Barn Swallows and at least 2 Sand Martins, not bad! A pair of Kingfishers crossed in front the hide, but didn’t stop. In the reeds, another Moustached Warbler was singing but unfortunately didn’t show at all.

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Thousands of crake Mediterranean Gulls (Larus melanocephalus) like this one were showing during the weekend. Image by Jonathan Mercer

It had been a wonderful trip so far, but it was time to drive down to Ebro Delta. Our time in Llobregat Delta was longer than expected (because of the excellent birding there) but we still had time to spot a pair of interesting birds at Ebro Delta. As normally happening in Ebro Delta, birds were appearing just arriving. Cattle Egrets, Common Sandpipers and Kingfishers were everywhere. We did a first spot to check the Ebro Delta northern bay. There we enjoyed a huge flock of thousands of Mediterranean Gulls, many of them showing their lovely breeding plomage. On the sea we could see our first Balearic Shearwaters, being a good start for what it have to come the next day. About 20 Black-necked Grebe were in the bay along with several Great Crested Grebe and, among them, 1 Slavonian Grebe! a rather rare bird that South. Soon after Jon spotted 1 Razorbill, another good bonus!!! We then moved to a new location not far from there. Here we fast recorded a good number of waders: Greenshank, Curlew, Common Redshank, Common Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover and even 2 Little Stints in only 10 minutes. Along with them in the shallow salt water there were various Slender-billed Gull and a good number of LBB Gull. Flocks of Glossy Ibises were flying over us going towards their roosting place while Greater Flamingoes (hundreds) were feeding around. Despite the poor light we still spent ten minutes in a fresh water lagoon, expecting to have a Greater Bittern flying over the reeds. Unfortunately no Bittern was appearing but tens of Purple Swamphens were seen (and heard) appearing from the reeds. In the edge of the water, really close, a pair of Bluethoats were calling and we enjoyed really close views of a female moving by the edge of the water. A wonderful end for an awesome day! When getting inside the car we still listened a distant Moustached Warbleer singing in the reeds…

The next morning we left Ebro Delta quite early in the morning. We had to be in Tarragona harbour at 9:00 in the morning since the sea trip run by GEPEC was leaving at this time. Unfortunately we had no time to enjoy a bit more the huge variety of birds living in Ebro Delta; next time! 

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Once out of the harbour we soon spotted some beautiful Audouin’s Gulls along with several Lesser Black-backed Gulls (intermedia and graellsi races) as well as many Black-headed Gulls. At least 4 Atlantic Gannets were also appearing (showing a good variety of plomages, by the way!). It was not long until we saw the first of many Balearic Shearwaters flying around or flying in the back of the boat along with the tens of gulls that were following us. After some minutes we had our first Skua. A Parasitic Jaeger (dark form) that showed well but shortly in our side of the boat. Soon after a Great Skua was also showing really well, attacking Mediterranean or Audouin’s Gulls. The flocks of Balearic Shearwaters flying around the boat were also producing at least a pair of the more scarce Yelkouan Shearwaters! Also a really good bird.

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Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), critically endangered, has its main winter grounds in Southern Catalonia & València. Image by Jonathan Mercer


 The last part of trip was probably the best as we still enjoyed gorgeous views on all good birds plus a wonderful Pomarine Skua, a really scarce bird during winter in Catalonia (thought we already had one in January on one of our trips!). Along with the Pomarine, at least another two Great Skuas were also showing well and had really good “bonxie” fights!!

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Great Skuas (Stercorarius skua) showed that well in the sea trip. Image by Jonathan Mercer

We still invested some time scanning for scarce species or early arrivals (thinking about Scolopi’s Shearwater or Mediterranean Storm Petrel). No any good bird was appearing but we were enthusiastic after a wonderful sea trip.  Not easy to have three species of Skuas in the Med, thought!! After having lunch we just enjoyed a pair of hours of birding in the Llobregat Delta, where we were having mostly the same species that we already had the day before. Well, two really close, summer plomaged, Black-tailed Godwits were also a good bonus A pair of minutes of car were invested to arrive to the airport…. and was the end of a wonderful 2-days trip!!!!

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Yelkouan Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan), a scarce bird in winter around Tarragona harbour. Image by Jonathan Mercer

 

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This gorgeous Pomarine Skua (Stercorarius pomarinus) was a good bonus in the sea trip, being a rare winter bird in Catalonia. Image by Jonathan Mercer

Just want to thank Jon for sharing some of the many, many excellent shots we had during the weekend!

Winter birding break in Ebro Delta

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From 13th to 15th January, 2014 we were exploring Ebro Delta with some costumers from Check Republic. It was a really successful tour with great sights to several specialities involving 113 species of birds!

Ebro Delta itself was providing great sights to Greater Bittern (Botaurus stellaris), Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica), Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides), Mediterranean & Slender Billed Gulls (Larus melanocephalus & genei), Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator), Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus), Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata), Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), Little Stint (Calidris minuta) and many other species such as Golden & Grey Plovers, Great Egrets and a wide variety of waders, ducks and passerines.

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An afternoon in the neighbouring Tortosa-Beseït NP provided excellent sights to both Alpine Accentor & Wallcreeper as well as to other interesting birds such as Red-billed Choughs and Blue Rock Thrushes!

Here you can see a sample recorded by Frantisek Pochmon, one of our costumers. Unfortunately no images of Bittern neither Wallcreeper were done but still our costumer managed to get great images to Bluethroat, Squacco Heron and many other birds!

Pyrenees Winter Break, 2012 Trip Report

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This is the report Barcelona Birding Point’s Ebro Basin in Winter Tour (2012 issue) which started in December, 10th and ended in December, 16th. During the tour we spot 158 species of birds despite two windy/rainy days.

Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti) is a common bird along Catalan reedbeds and it is easier to spot during winter.

Cetti’s Warbler (Cettia cetti) is a common bird along Catalan reedbeds and it is easier to spot during winter.

Day 1. Once we picked up all costumers from their hotels in Barcelona we start the birding week expecting to find most of the more delighted specialities of Mediterranean, high mountain & steppe areas. Our first spot was in Llobregat Delta, a small wetland only ten kilometres South of Barcelona. A short-walk allowed us to find some interesting birds. First we encountered two Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild) small flocks. Common Waxbill is a small, funny bird living along small rivers and channels in Catalonian coastline. Despite its scaped conditionit, this African speciality have steadily increase its populations since XX 80’s. It was also interesting our first Sardinian Wabler (Sylvia melanocephala), a small warbler related to coastal garrigas but also to thickets, farm lands and even gardens. European Serin (Serinus serinus) was also singing on a dead tree. Despite it is a fairly common bird, Serin is mostly a coastal species during winter. Other interesting species appearing included Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris), a scarce winter visitor, especially along the coast; Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus), the elusive Cetti’s Warbler (Cettia cetti), Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula), Gadwall (Anas strepera) and Monk Parakeet (Psittacula krameri).

We then moved to Pyrenees, where we first stopped in some open fields looking for some birds flocking around farm lands. Here we discovered beautiful Rock & Cirl Buntings (Emberiza cia & Emberiza cirlus) moving with large amounts of Chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs), Goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis), Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) and Stonechats (Saxicola rubetra). We moved then to the upper areas of Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park, where we expected to find some high mountain birds. A short walk allowed us to encounteer  small groups of Chamoises (Rupicabra rupicabra) roasting on the alpine grasslands. These beautiful wild coat are one of the most common herbivorous in high mountain grasslands. Birds began to appear, first a small flock of three Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) moving on barren slopes, its favourite winter ground. At the same moment a gorgeous Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus) was appearing flying over us, its light orange body shinning and reflecting on the snowed slopes and its slow, low flight as a dance over the forest edge. We spend some more time walking around and those forest edges provided Coal, Long-tailed and Crested Tits, Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris), Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) and some gorgeous Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus). A latter riberine short-walk provided nice views of Siskin (Carduelis spinus), Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) and more Rock Buntings as well as lovely a Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) with its characteristic “jump-dance” among the rocks of a high mountain stream.

Lammergeier (Gypaetos barbatus) adult is not any more an uncommon view in some Pyrenean valleys.

Lammergeier (Gypaetos barbatus) adult is not any more an uncommon view in some Pyrenean valleys.

Day 2. An early start was required to explore the huge Boumort National Game Reserve. A small stop in the road reported some forest species and fastly arrived to the most productive points. We found our first crowd of Griffon Vultures  flying around. The sunny (but cold) day was important to get nice views of those huge birds of prey. Before midday some massive Cinereous Vultures (Aegypius monachus) were appearing. A total of four of them were spotted along the day, including both juveniles (2) and adults (2). There are only about 30 of them in those massifs, being the only population on both Catalonia and the whole of the Pyrenees. Opositte to Griffon Vultures, Black Vultures use to move in pairs or small (4-5) flocks looking for small carrions. Lammergeier was also appearing. Once again we could enjoy the flight of the Eurasian most elegant vulture. A beautiful adult moving over Scots Pine forests and, later, two more (immatures). Other raptors flying over the wild valley included an adult Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) as well as Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis).

Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria), one of the most strikking birds living in high mountains.

Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria), one of the most strikking birds living in high mountains.

A lovely small walk leaded us to impressive cliffs that hosts numbers of nesting Griffon Vultures, Golden Eagles, Lammergeiers and, in summer, Egyptian Vulture. This location provided one of the prime targets and most delighted birds for European birders: Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria). Wallcreepers nest in inaccessible high mountain cliffs and ravines. In winter they come to lower altitudes searching for warmer areas. They are solitary birds due to the low productiveness of the habitat where they live. We counted to be lucky as we got a two-minutes-long-view of one of these incredible birds just at the moment of arriving to our view point in the cliffs. Other highlights of the cliffs included a male Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) our first record of Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia) as well as unforgettable sights of both Griffon Vulture and Lammergeier. Here was also the place to find Blue and Great Tits, Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) and Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla), a fairly common resident in all kinds of forests in Catalonia.

Day 3. Last day in the Pyrenees. From our hotel, and while having breakfast, we found Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) and, few meters away, both Hawfinches (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) and Bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) moving along a wooded stream. These species are somehow scarce and thus they are always appreciated by all birders. Our first stop that day was the cliffs and riberines North of Camarasa. Here we found the striking Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) in the sedimentary cliffs. A pair moving around the cliff, being very active in with the midday sun. Some other specialities appearing here included Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillia), Dunnock (Prunella modularis), Siskin, Rock Bunting and a nice couple of Sardinian Warblers moving in the bushed cliffs. But before we spent some time in the firsts plains we encountered in our way. Even from the road we found an important amount of birds including our first Iberian Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis), Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra) and a juvenile male of Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella), a scarce species only living in Northern Catalonia. A further short-walk reported us a glimpse onto a Red-legged Partridge (Alectorix rufa) flock.

Boumort is an unique view-point over the Pyrenees and its valleys.

Boumort is an unique view-point over the Pyrenees and its valleys.

After lunch we visited  the huge Estany d’Ivars i Vila-Sana, a 60 hectarees wetland in the middle of the plains that reported our first beautiful Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) in the reeds, a nice pair of the recently split Iberian Green Woodpecker (Picus sharpei) along with Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus) –after an intense reseach-, White Stork (Ciconia ciconia), Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoneiclus), Great Egret (Egretta alba) as well as nice sights of Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) and a intense activity in the Marsh Harriers (Circus aeruginosus) roosting site.

Day 4. Time to explore to lonely plains of Los Monegros. This huge cereal-steppe provided some of the best birding moments in the tour. It was nine o’clock in the morning when we approach those immense fields and we surprisingly fast found our first flock of Great Bustards (Otis tarda). After several counts we finally decided that there were 23 individuals in the flock. Number of birds was highly important as this is a really endangered species in Los Monegros with about 30 individuals left. After enjoy long enough watching those giant birds peacefully eating on the fields we moved a bit to scan some fields around in order to locate some of the numerous larks living here. Along the next minutes we got nice views of Crested Lark (Galerida cristata), Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra), Skylark and some minutes later the scarce Lesser Short-toed Lark (Calandrella rufescens), heavily linked to small spots of primary Thyme and steppe-like vegetation.

The morning was still going on when we found several flocks of birds roasting in a huge field. Apart from a large flock of finches (mainly Linnets –Carduelis cannabina– but also Goldfinches –Carduelis carduelis-) there were at least 52 Red-billed Choughs roasting along with Starlings (among them some Spotless Starlings –Sturnus unicolor-), Lapwings and Calandra Larks. We were just trying to find the Calandra Larks when a female Merlin (Falco columbarius) appeared attacking some of the birds… All birds on the field fastly flew off. It was the moment to find out a new field…

Some kilometers ahead we listened a pair of Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis) flying over the area. These birds can be extremely difficult to locate on the fields so we didn’t miss the chance to try an approach. The pair stopped some 1,5 kilometres from us so we didn’t lose time and drove as close as possible. Our determination gain for us a beautiful ten minutes long view of both male and female roasting on ground!!

Just a few minutes latter a big flock of over 30 Sandgrouses flew over us. There were both species Black-bellied and also the slighter Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata) flying East in an awesome chorus of calls. It was about midday and we began to go for lunch, a bit silent and sad because Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) was not appearing yet. But a last trial in some open fields of their liking produced a nice (although a bit far) sight of a flock of eight of them!! Little Bustard, as all steppe-living specialities, can be highly striking, but we got a not-so-bad sight of them.

Black-bellied Sandgrouses (Pterocles orientalis), a wonderful bird living in cereal-steppes, Los Monegros.

Black-bellied Sandgrouses (Pterocles orientalis), a wonderful bird living in cereal-steppes, Los Monegros.

In the afternoon it was time to visit a lagoon close to Candasnos, which provided nice sights of several ducks (including Red-crested Pochard –Netta rufina– and Ferruginous Duck (2) –Aythya nyroca-) as well as Common Crane (Grus grus). Before in our way to the lagoon we found some beautiful Thekla Larks (Galerida theklae), maybe the most delighted Iberian lark (apart from Dupont’s) for most European birders.

Day 5. This day weather was not a good mate and from early morning we didn’t have good sensations about. We explored some steppe areas in Western Monegros. This spot is noted for several steppe-living specialities. We encountered here some specialities including Little Owl (Athene noctua), Iberian Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis), Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa), Hoppoe (Upupa epops) and Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata). Special mention to the beautiful and absolutely unexpected pair of Spectacled Warbler (Sylvia conspicillata) that we found in perfect summer plumage (male) and actively moving around. This warbler is supposed to be a summer speciality in both Aragón and Catalunya, leaving their nesting areas in early September!! There are some sedentary populations in South-east Spain but there are only three records for winter individuals in Catalonia (related to coastal areas) and no records have been found in Monegros in winter.

In the afternoon was the time to search for both Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) and Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura), two delighted specialities living in cliffs and barren slopes. Black Wheatear was appearing quite fast as they favours small rocky areas facing South as winter grounds. Eurasian Eagle Owl was more difficult but finally its impressive silouhette was emerging from the cliffs…

Amazing winter raising time in Ebro Delta...

Amazing winter raising in l’Encanyissada, the main fresh water lagoon in  Ebro Delta.

Day 6. Our first morning in Ebro Delta. This huge delta host troops of gulls, herons, ducks and seabirds. Almost the first bird we found in our way was an Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii), an elegant gull mostly wintering in South Spain with only a few winter birds in Ebro Delta (thought Ebro Delta concentrates over 65% of world’s population between February-March and September-October). After such a good start we stopped several times along the road to have views of some common birds in Ebro Delta including Great Egret and huge flocks of both Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus). We then decided to visit one of the main fresh water lagoons to search for more birds and that spot offered us nice views of Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus), Purple Swamphen (Porpyrhio porpyrhio) -+20-, Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), Cetti’s Warbler (Cettia cetti) and Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides), another summer visitor that is becoming a normal winter bird last years. Number of ducks, grebes and Marsh Harriers were also appearing.

We continued the day visiting paddy fields around the lagoon that were full of Egrets and Herons, including a small flock of eight White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) (again a former only-summer-bird) and over 10 Curlews (Numenius arquata). We spent a pair of hours checking flowed fields having nice views of Water Pipit (Anthus spinolleta), Spotless Starling, Glossy Ibis, Redshank, Greenshank and 3 Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis), a very scarce winter species in Ebro Delta. By exploring those areas we also got incredible sights of singing Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) and some gorgeous Penduline Tits (Remiz pendulinus).

Sanderlings (Calidris alba) and Dunlins (Calidris alpina) are common winter visitors along Ebro Delta coastline.

Sanderlings (Calidris alba) and Dunlins (Calidris alpina) are common winter visitors along Ebro Delta coastline.

After exploring some fresh water marshes we started to search for the species living in the salt plats and salt marshes. In La Tancada, one of the main salt plats in Ebro Delta, we found several Grey Plovers as well as some beautiful Slender-billed Gulls (Larus genei) feeding on the small salty lagoons along with Common Shelducks (Tadorna tadorna) and Greater Flamingos. Along the coast line we found several flocks of Dunlin (Calidris alpina) and Saderling (Calidris alba) along with some Kentish Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus), Common Ringed Plovers (Charadrius hiaticula) and Little Stilts (Caladris minuta).  At the same time we were checking the bay looking for sea ducks. Over fourteen Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus merganser) were spotted in the bay along with numbers of Black-necked Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis). Among them one Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus) was discovered, which was a really nice unexpected species as it is a really scarce winter bird in Catalonia (0-5 birds per winter). Some hundred meters ahead eight Common Scoters (Melanitta fusca) were sleeping in a big flock of Mallards, Teals, Red-crested Pochards and Northern Shovelers. Some meters beyond a gorgeous Black-throated Loon (Gavia arctica) was also fishing in the never-ending bay.

It was already half afternoon and a perfect moment to check for one of prime targets in the tour. The elusive and secretive Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon). We found it out in a gorgeous, two-minutes long sight, moving really low along the reedbed edge. Greater Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) was not appearing but a male Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) made a nice flight over the lagoon with the sunset light.

This Osprey (Pandion haliaetos) was one of the last surprises during our time in Ebro Delta. It allowed some excellent images from all keen photographers in the group. Regarding to plastic rings was released in France.

This Osprey (Pandion haliaetos) was one of the last surprises during our time in Ebro Delta. It allowed some excellent images from all keen photographers in the group. Regarding to plastic rings was released in France.

Day 7. The final day started with some re-checking in the salty marshes to locate new species. Here we found several Dunlins and Sanderlings along with Turstone and one beautiful Osprey (Pandion haliaetos) with a morning fish as a prey.

Taking advantage that Ebro Delta is close to really interesting garrigas we took a walk over some slopes trying to locate the scarce Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata). Although the large Eagle was not appearing we had some nice views of Sardinian Warbler, Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) and Eurasian Crag Martin (Ptynoprogne rupestris).

The last stop in our tour was in some small cliffs immediately South of Tarragona. This small cape gave us gorgeous views of Sardinian Warbler, Hoopoe, Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus), Northern Gannet (Sula bassana) and Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) chasing a gull in the sunset light. Various flocks of Mediterranean Shearwaters (Puffinus mauretanicus) were also appearing as well as Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) even when their view was not so spectacular as expected.

It was a great final spot for a incredible birding tour. We then went to drink a warm coffee. It was the end of an intense seven days birding, a great time that provided incredible sights and allow to all of us to know make new friendships!!!

The point is what surprises are waiting for us in 2013 edition?