Mixed group.

Good morning!

Once again in this current seasson I could observe a nice group of mixed wader species close to my observation point, something not always easy bacause of the huge shoreline of this reservoir (Zolina). This time a saw a group of about twenty individuals flying over the water in the middle of the area and could localize their landing. I could manage to get a better view and count and record them.

There were ringed plovers (23),redshanks (2) and sanderlings (4). It has been a good seasson to observe the last ones with three encounters in a month ,when in  other years they don't even show up in the reservoir. The bird is nowadays a local rarity in the area.

Once on their feeding routine they came closer and I tried to localize any rings in their legs with no success. Not many good days remain in the calendar but may be I am lucky and I find a ring or a special species in the forecoming prenuptial period.

 As soon as landing, they need a while to observe the surroundings and check any dangers.

 

 Sanderlings showed more need for food than the rest.

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A nice group of sanderlings.

Yestarday I had a nice moment with a personal record observation of eight sanderlings on my local patch. They were quite confident feeding along the the dam all the food items that they could collect in their continuous mechanical movements. Nice to see those long migration travellers doing a repose in this inland important reservoir. I suposse that the prenuptial period is coming to an end so let's enjoy those precious birds and hope they arrive to their breeding territories.

 

The eight birds together, resting for a while.

All moulting to spring feathers, with different advanced degrees.

The strong north wind makes the water go against the concrete, producing small waves were the quick sanderlings take advantage of them like if they were in the ocean shore (the sea is 82 km away...).

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* Other waders; 8common sandpipers, 5 greenshanks,16 redshanks

Nice observations on the way...

Good morning!

In recent days I have been a couple of times in Zolina`s reservoir  trying to get in touch with the prenuptial migration still going on strong. As usual the encounter with the birds depends on the weather and with the variability we are having here in Navarra,good oportunities have arised due to the continuous climate changes that make birds find shelter around on migration.

In general good number of common redshanks, by far the most numerous wader and very close in numbers the common sanpiper always well representated all along the shores. In the other hand, knots have not been seen yet (some years they are not detected in the place).

As record highlight the solitary turnstone that appeared in the island and a group of three grey plovers. The first one wasn't seen here in the year 2018!

Those are may recent species records (with the highest counts).

Sanderling (1)

Avocet (6)

Grey plover (3)

Greenshank (5)

Little stint (12)

Dunlin (15)

Turnstone (1)

Bstint (2)

Redshank (25)

Sandpiper (22)

Conditions of visibility not the best ones due to the rain showers and strong winds.

Three grey plovers (and a common redshank).
Pic taken at 1000 meters with the kowa88.

Four sanderlings in the shore!

Hello to everyone!

Days pass by and the prenuptial migration goes to its ecuador with some dull days and a few other ones with more interesting species to observe and quantities to count,like this past saturday.

At midday I could localize four sanderling (in two pairs) a quite rare but anual bird around here. They were showing quite well and I could manage to picture them with the telescope and the handhelded smartphone (doing it this way, I keep a security distance with the bird in order of not disturbing them). The four individuals were already moulting to their spectacular nuptial feathers.

Another interesting record ,were the two grey plovers on the north shore and a dozen of dunlins patrolling the shore with their mechanical movements feedin frantically.

Once more those observations demonstrate the importance and value of the inland reservoirs for this long distance migrants!!

A pair of sanderlings.

I could manage to count  about fifteen of them.

Both making a stopover in the local patch.

Dunlind and sanderlings, in difficult angles from behind not always easy to tell them appart.

Deep searching....

The white underparts with the new upperpart feathering makes a remarcable design.

One of the two grey plovers with a noisy greensank and a few ocuppied dunlins.

Time to rest and refuel the fat for the long journey still to come.

Always alert and following the movements of the various kites that fly the area.

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Video

Video.

Buenos dias/Good morning/Egunon/Bonjour!

Two nice observations.

 Hello.

Those last days have been quite interesting at my local patch,Zolina reservoir, were good number of waders have been observed particularlly common redshanks and common sandpipers.

Between them also were well representated the greenshanks and the ringed plovers.

I was lucky to observe in the east coast a bar tailed godwit a very scarce bird in inland water reservoirs.

Last year none was observed around and two years ago only one individual was seen for a very short period of time.

Yestarday in an express visit I localized two grey plovers, always a difficult and wary bird here accompanied by a group of eleven Dunlins.

I will try to keep the pace in this interesting month of may at my Lp.

The bar tailed godwit feeding continously with two stilts resting close by.

One of the two plovers with dunlins and a greenshank.

Big numbers at the dam.

Hello.

During the last weekend I was able to spent a few minutes in my local patch, Zolina's reservoir.

Due to the strong northern winds I decided to take a view from the south side, were the dam is located due to the amount of food items that get acumulated on the foam thanks to the waves created.

As I espected some shorebirds were lingering around, but it took my be surprise the amount of them, counting around fifty birds lined up on the border.

The majority were common sandpipers followed by fifteen common redshanks and between, them the more scarce in the patch, three greenshanks.

The peak of migration comes here in the middle of may and with this observation it seems and I hope that is going to be interesting (even if the Calidris gender didn't show up by the moment!!).

I also managed to localize three BW stilts in the northern shore (around 1000 m of distance).

The varied group feeding frantically were the waves brake.

A pedestrian bothered the birds (always wary and nervous around here).

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Goog day to everybody!!