Some wader watching and a "chat"

Hello.

I have been recently in my local patch trying to observe some of our favourite birds but in general the post nuptial migration in this area has been really dull with bad numbers and a few species to report. The weather is really hot for this time of the year and I suposse that this doesn't help  migratory birds to make a stop over my local patch. 

The positive thing about this lack of  rains is that the water level of the reservoir goes down and makes possible the appareance of  a small island that is a complete magnet fot the shorebirds.

Precisely in this promontory is where I saw the other day (oct 06) a nice group of eleven dunlins and three ringed plovers feeding frantically along the islands shore. The dunlins were well entered in the swallow waters like sometimes I see the curlew sandpipers.

Sadly nothing else to report about this interesting group of birds.

Here is the poster of my conference/chat in the town hall to show the richness of this reservoir and against the solar plant that Acciona power wants to built.

My local patch in danger....and two curlew sandpipers!

I have been recently visiting my local patch (Zolina reservoir) because september is a good month around here. Never expecting big numbers and more often nothing to pin point at all.

But yesterday a was lucky to observe two nice juvenile curlew sandpipers that were roosting in the north shore. I could manage to take a pic with my handheld smartphone and the telescope in order not to disturb them and set off back home.

Those birds are facing a crucial journey for their survival so we never have to make them fly due to our "selfish" interests of doing a picture.

The day before I could observe a nice pack with two dunlins and eleven ringed plovers.

Have a nice day and take care of your local patch!!

By the way my local patch Zolina reservoir (Balsa de Zolina /Navarra) is in danger due to the intention of building a solar floating plant.

 
I have written to the local media, made a technical brochure to a environmental group (Gurelur),made signature recopilation on change.org, and soon I will give a "conference" about this valuable site for waders in the local townhall.....we have to act if somebody wants to destroy your nature!!



thanks for reading!

Some official counting....

Hello!

In the past days I have been doing some short visits to my local patch ,Zolina reservor, in my worldshorebirdsday counting program.

I have done this counting since its creation and I was the first person in Spain to do it!!

Since then a few more have added to the list and I hope that many other will follow this important bird counting that makes us aware of the value of the habitats were they live.

I have seen various common sandpipers, green sandpipers, one redshank and those two nice birds that have made presence for the first time in the year those days.!!

Curlew Sandpiper/020919/Zolina Reservoir

Calidris ferruginea - VIDEO

Eurasian Curlew/050919/Zolina Reservoir

Some waders in France.

Hello there!

Here some pics from my latest birding trip, in this case I visited with some friends The Ornithological Reserve of Le Teich in France, close to Burdeos.

This area (Bay of Arcachon) is superb for wader watching with many kilometers of shoreline and a  huge surface of tidal mudflats with the "treat" of this well made "bird park" with it's observation huts that give confortable viewing conected with flat paths all around.

The birding was good but the weather quite hot and sunny, didn't help a lot and we expected bigger numbers and variety of species (specially calidris ones...).

A nice flock of spotted sandpipers. Not very easy to see this bird in those numbers.

Tringa erythropus.

This bird came closer to observation point and gave good views.

Two fast black tailed godwits passed suddenly over my head (with wing moulting).

Tringa totanus.

 In this ocassion the bird was lucky with a quite big invertebrate on it's beak.

Not many black winged stilts around, but always easy to detect.

A common redshank having a rest close to the bush that gave a little shadow.

A solitary lapwing lingered around the observatory for the joy of the presents.

Close portrait of this confiding bird.

Black tailed godwit  probing in the mudflats.

Black tailed godwit  moulting to winter feathers.

A common redshank feeding close by.

A common sandpiper showing the criptical coloration of it's upper feathers.

Nice flock of grey plovers with a few whimbrels coming from the tidal mudflats.

Long beak and diving posture to reach the food items from the bottom.

A nice variety of waders feeding frantically in the reservoir.

A group of black tailed godwits entered inside the lagoon when the tide was going up.

General views of the landscape from the main observation tower.

A quick draw of the ringed Totanus that we managed to read the color rings.

Here is the record data of this Tringa Totanus.

Thanks to all those that helped with the information.

Curiously it's the first sighting since it was ringed back in 2011 a few kilometers up north, also close to the west coast of France. (so this bird has at least eight years...).

Two souvenir post cards.

Ebird list (only shorebirds). 17 species.

Remover

1.   Black winged stilt Himantopus himantopus

Número observado:4

Remover

2.   Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta

Número observado:16

Remover

3.   Grey plover Pluvialis squatarola

Número observado:140

Remover

4.   Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

Número observado:7

Remover

5.  Ringed plover Charadrius hiaticula

Número observado:13

Remover

6.  Little ringed plover Charadrius dubius

Número observado:1

Remover

7   Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

Número observado:326

Comentarios:Dormidero

Remover

8.   Bar tailed godwit Limosa lapponica

Número observado:21

Remover

9.   Black tailed godwit Limosa limosa

Número observado:78

Remover

10   Turnstone ComúnArenaria interpres

Número observado:1

Remover

11.  Knot Calidris canutus

Número observado:9

Remover

12.   Dunlin Calidris alpina

Número observado:40

Remover

13.   Common sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

Número observado:7

Remover

14.   Spotted sandpiper Tringa erythropus

Número observado:53

Remover

15.   Green sandpiper Tringa glareola

Número observado:3

Remover

16.   Common redshank Tringa totanus

Número observado:14

17. Curlew

Num: 1
Remover

July starts.....

Hi!!

Now some waders appear ,stay and go but a few like the green sandpipers and bw stilts are moving back from their nesting grounds (some of them may be haven't been lucky enough to breed).

I was able to count nine green sandpipers,that's a very good number and also twenty bwstilts roosting in the swallow waters of the north shore at my local patch.

A friend of mine recorded a very early spotted sandpiper with nuptial feathers! 

Black winged stilts.

Green sandpipers.

video

The first ones.....

Hello.

As usual, as soon as the summer begings the first green sandpipers start to appear in the reservoir with their sharp calls, straight flight and their characteristic bouncy body movements.

Is incredible, but they are already in their postnuptial journey when other waders (the vast majority) are still in their breeding sites rearing their young.

I saw the first one the 10th of june!!

The picture shows a rarity in my local patch , Scuacco heron with a green sandpiper in front.

Have a nice day you all!

Stopover in the mud....

Hello.

This a record shot of some time ago, back in summer 2016 in the postnuptial migration.

I could observe a pair of ruffs with a  solitary greenshank and a wood sandpiper.

Various waders resting in the mudflats in 31 august 2016.