August ends well

A great day today with no wind its been a long time since there was no wind here in the isle of Man

The day started with a garden tick, a Meadow Pipit in the woosh net with a Pied Wagtail.

Then a few Blue Tits , Coal Tits a Gt Tit  Chaffinch and House Sparrow while the coffee and toast was on.

Then a trip up to Point of Ayre 

5 new Linnets Ringed

9 Swallow

7 Sand Martins

and the day ended as it started with another 5 Meadow Pipits

Sand Martin

Swallow

Meadow Pipit

The Claw {Meadow Pipit Hide Talon}

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Last Night

Nice 2 hours out with Kev last night 

4 Sanderling 

6 Turnstone

2 Dunlin

1 Ringed Plover

1 Herring Gull

All birds were juveniles and in very good shape, Full of Fat and  nice and Chunky.

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SPANISH IMPERIAL EAGLE: 2010 POPULATION

An earlier post in this blog gave the 2009 population figures for the Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti). This post updates the figures for 2010 (source: Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs). The specie's trend is still upwards, with 11 new Spanish pairs. In Extremadura it is holding steady, with one pair fewer.

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yesser yesser yesser

Or Lesser Lesser Lesser!!!!!!

Kev rang me to say Antonio Gutierrez one of the top Gull watchers in Spain had emailed him.  Z97:M one of the LBB Gull chicks we colour ringed had turned up today at Pantin beach, Valdovino, A Coruna, SPAIN! A distance of 762 Miles and 60 days after
 being ringed at the Point of Ayre Gravel Pits on 01/07/2011

Great News, we know LBBG migrate down that way but to get our first sighting and of a juvenile bird as well Fantastic 

I do follow Antonio blog   and it is well worth a look.

all grown up, today.

Thanks Antonio and keep your eye out for some more coming your way

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GREAT BUSTARDS IN THE WORLD

Great Bustard (Otis tarda). Male at the height of its breeding display. Photograph by Carlos Palacín, one of the authors of the work quoted in the text (taken from Proyecto Avutarda).

The first volume of the scientific review Chinese Birds regales us with an update of the worldwide status of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda), written by two Spanish experts (Alonso and Palacín, 2010). The worldwide population is estimated to be 50,000 birds (44,100-57,000), most of them in Spain (57-70%). Europe boasts the biggest populations, Spain being followed by European Russia (10,000), Portugal (1900) and Hungary (1500). Much less is known about the Asian populations but the most important sites seem to be China, the central steppes and Turkey. The good news is that there is no sign of a global decline in the last decade, largely thanks to the growth in Iberia's population. The Asian information is less trustworthy with an uncertain trend in many areas and a slight decline in others. Of particular interest is the small nearby population in Morocco (100 birds), as well as those of Austria (200) and Germany (115), both on the increase.

The bulk of Iberia's population lives in the region of Castilla y León, where the most recent counts point to new increases. As for Extremadura, there are no recently published figures; the most recent information to hand shows the following: 5176 birds counted in January 2003 and 2852 birds in spring 2002 (Corbacho et al., 2005). Nonetheless, Alonso et al. (2005) consider these Extremadura counts to be imprecise, especially due to the huge 2500-bird difference between the spring and winter figures (2000 in the Province of Badajoz). According to them such a gap should not exist because it has never been recorded in other regions. Alonso et al. (2005), based above all on the January count, thus estimate the Extremadura population to be 5500-6500 birds.

Population trend of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) worldwide and in Spain, maximum estimates between 1985 and 2010. The earlier estimates are rough and ready figures that may well understate the true population.

Country breakdown of the Great Bustard population (Otis tarda) in 2010.

Sources:
- Alonso, J. C. and Palacín, C. 2010. The world status and population trends of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda): 2010 update. Chinese Birds 1:141-147 [download in PDF].
- Alonso, J. C., Palacín, C. and Martín, C. A. 2005. La avutarda común en la península Ibérica: población actual y método de censo. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid [download in PDF].
- Corbacho, C., Fernández, A., Costillo, E., Lozano, L., Acedo, F. and Gil, A. 2005. La avutarda común en Extremadura: distribución, población y tendencias. In: Alonso, J. C., Palacín, C. and Martín, C. A. La avutarda común en la península Ibérica: población actual y método de censo. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.

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Bank Holiday weekend windout

Nothing doing this weekend due to strong winds. This afternoon spent 2 hours at Port Mooar

after Rock Pipits one Rock Pipit colour Ringed 

and 3 colour ringed birds seen.

Left Leg Mauve over Yellow ringed 06/08/2011 seen today

left leg Blue over Yellow  ringed on 23/11/2010 at Port Mooar seen today

Left leg carmine over carmine colour rings added 10/12/2010 originally ringed 03/08/2010

Ringed today and back feeding straight away

out of the car window while waiting for Rock Pipits i picked up 5 juv game birds

running in and out of cover. 

I tried my best to turn 5 juv Grey Partridge into 5 Juv Corncrake 

Not to be but nice to see

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THE HONEY BUZZARD IN EXTREMADURA (2009-2010)

Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus). Left: adult female with a honeycomb in its claws(Joel Brueziere, taken from Fat Birder). Right: adult male (Stephen Daly, taken from IberiaNature). Adults are distinguished by their yellow iris and tail with dark bars only at the base. Males have grey heads and lack the female's "tiger stripe" pattern running across the secondaries. The plumage of this species is very variable, ranging from very dark to very light forms through various reddish and brownish hues.

In 2009-2010 SEO/BirdLife brokered a national count of nine diurnal woodland raptors (Palomino and Valls, 2011). One of the species that came into this trawl was the Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus) [click for general survey aspects and methodology]. According to this survey Extremadura's population comes out as an estimated 43 territories (range 29-58), 36 in the province of Cáceres and 8 in the province of Badajoz. This represents only 2.3% of Spain's total population (1850 territories), way below the figures for Galicia (710), Castilla y León (510) and Asturias (280). The mean regional density was 0.10 territories per 100 km2, a long way below the national mean (0.37); the figure was much higher in Cáceres (0.18) than in Badajoz (0.04). As expected the highest densities were recorded in Atlantic Spain; the four Galician and Asturian provinces are the only ones clocking up a mean of 2 territories per 100 km2.

The Honey Buzzard has a local range in Extremadura, with at least 5 population clusters. The main one is in the Cáceres part of the Gredos mountain chain (La Vera and the valleys of Jerte and Ambroz), then stretching westwards to Tierras de Granadilla and Valle del Alagón. The second biggest nucleus occupies the Sierra de Gata and the third Villuercas. In Badajoz there are 2 small clusters, recently discovered, one in Cíjara and the other in Tentudía. In general, Honey Buzzards choose patchwork deciduous woodland and farming habitat in areas with rainy springs. Most of Extremadura's population nests in oakwoods (Quercus pyrenaica), although in marginal areas there are also territories occupied in Cork-Oak woods and pinewoods (Cíjara).
Predictive map of the Honey Buzzard's range in Spain (Pernis apivorus), taken from Palomino and Valls (2011). Notes: (1) The highest likelihood of a Honey Buzzard sighting in the whole country is in the Cáceres part of the Gredos mountain chain. (2) The five sites with proven nesting in Extremadura are marked in red. (3) The sectors marked in grey outside these areas have no known Honey Buzzard sightings in the breeding period. (4) The Tentudía site does not feature on the map.

The lookout counts showed Honey Buzzards to be especially common in the valleys of the Jerte and Ambroz rivers , where the likelihood of sightings is the highest in the whole of Spain. Densities sometimes build up to 9 territories per 100 km2. The vehicle transects were far less successful. In Extremadura as a whole an average of only 4 Honey Buzzards were seen every 1000 km, albeit with local sightings of 3 birds per 100 km in Jerte valley. Lastly, the Honey Buzzard population trend in Extremadura is unknown, although the trend is considered to be "possibly upwards" for Spain as a whole.

So much for the results thrown up by the SEO/BirdLife survey, carried out by volunteers and drawn from complex statistical calculations, all subject to a certain error. The survey authors themselves point out that the results are lower than previous estimates (in the cases of Madrid, Catalunya and Cantabria) and should be considered as minimum figures. The same goes for Extremadura, with previous estimates of 75 pairs. The actual population might well exceed 43 territories, for in Jerte valley alone the fieldwork showed up 25 possible territories plus 12 more in adjacent areas (J. Prieta, own figures). Such doubts are inevitable when dealing with a species so poorly studied in Spain as the Honey Buzzard, a highly idiosyncratic raptor because of its diet (bees and wasps) and its short stay among us (only from May to August). The sampling period was therefore very short and the sample itself was small (detected in Extremadura in only 10 of the ten-k grids with lookout points). Other aspects of the Honey Buzzard's behaviour makes them difficult to quantify: they pair off very quickly and their wing-clapping display flight period is also very brief; the significant non-breeding population (50-85%) is very visible sometimes with sizeable flocks; territories overlap; they range over large hunting areas (7-10 km from the nest) and they rarely betray their presence with any calls (Bijlsma, unpublished). Lastly, they are sometimes hard to tell apart from Buzzards (Buteo buteo), especially when a long way off.

The fieldwork was coordinated and carried out by SEO volunteers and personnel of the Environment Board (Dirección General del Medio Natural) of the Regional council of Extremadura (Junta de Extremadura).

Sources:
- Palomino, D., and Valls, J. 2011. Las rapaces forestales en España. Población reproductora en 2009-2010 y método de censo. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid. [download in PDF format]
- Bijlsma, R. B. Inédito. Abejero Pernis apivorus. Propuesta de método de censo. Informe inédito para SEO/BirdLife.

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WOODLAND RAPTORS IN EXTREMADURA (2009-2010)

Short-Toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus). Adult feeding its chick with a Horseshoe Whip Snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis). Photo: Juan Tevar (taken from SEO/BirdLife).

The latest Spanish Bird Monitoring Report (No.36) brought out by SEO/BirdLife deals with woodland raptors (Palomino and Valls, 2011). In the springs of 2009 and 2010 the fieldwork was carried out to ascertain national populations of seven diurnal woodland (or at least tree-nesting) raptors for the first time: Honey Buzzard, Short-Toed Eagle, Goshawk, Sparrow Hawk, Buzzard, Booted Eagle and Hobby. The figures gleaned also helped to update information on Red Kite and Black Kite, both dealt with in recent national surveys, in 2004 and 2005.

The sampling method was twofold: (1) low-speed car transects and (2) lookout points with good views. The national coverage was good, with records for 1059 10-m2 grids, 27,440 km of vehicle transects and 2614 lookout points adding up to about 9000 viewing hours. The coverage in Extremadura was very good, with 4187 km of transects in 113 grids and lookout points in 81 grids. As a region it ranked first in the number of vehicle transects and second in lookout points. The transect results are expressed as birds per kilometre, a widely employed abundance measurement that allows for comparison with previous studies; it is especially useful for raptors that hunt over open-country (buzzard, short-toed eagle, booted eagle and the two kite species). In the lookout points a note was made of all birds seen in each 10-minute period, an objective, abundance-related value that measures the observation frequency. Observers also gave their subjective estimate of the number of territories existing within the viewpoint area. On the basis of these three values (birds per kilometre, frequency and territories) a distribution and abundance map was built up for each species in Spain together with an estimate of the population size (expressed in territories, not necessarily of breeding birds). The latter result is shown in the following table:
The set of these nine raptors make up a total of 108,340 territories in Spain and 10,843 in Extremadura; this means that Extremadura ranks fourth among Spanish regions behind Castilla y León, Andalucía and Castilla-La Mancha, all bigger regions. In terms of density, however (21.5 territories/100 km2 in Spain), the Atlantic regions of northern Spain come first, as might be expected: Basque Country (28.1), Asturias (27.4), Cantabria (26.6) and Galicia (26.2). Extremadura 26.0) comes fifth in terms of density, albeit clocking up the highest density among Mediterranean regions. Behind this group, at a median level(20-25 territories/100 km2) come Castilla y León, Navarra, Andalucía, Madrid, Aragón and La Rioja. The rest of the Spanish regions (in the Mediterranean arch, Castilla-La Mancha and the Balearic and Canary Isles) do not reach the figure of 18 territories/100 km2. In terms of birds per kilometre, Extremadura comes second (3.7 birds/10 km), behind Cantabria (4.3) and ahead of Castilla y León (3.5) and Madrid (2.7). Broken down by provinces, the highest densities are recorded by Salamanca (8 birds /10 km), Segovia (4.7), Ávila (4.5), Cantabria (4.3), Cáceres (4.2) and Badajoz (3.2).

The fieldwork was coordinated and carried out by SEO volunteers and personnel of the Environment Board (Dirección General del Medio Natural) of the Regional council of Extremadura (Junta de Extremadura).

Source: Palomino, D., and Valls, J. 2011. Las rapaces forestales en España. Población reproductora en 2009-2010 y método de censo. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid. [Download in PDF format]

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WOOSH SITE A YEAR OLD

A great couple of mornings this week up at the woosh net site with 104 new Linnets being ringed.

it will be a year ago tomorrow i started the woosh net sites up at the Point of Ayre, the reason for setting up a woosh site was to try and catch the winter flock of Linnets we always saw. Thinking the number to be around maybe 100 to 200.



Another 39 Linnets ringed today bringing the total to


 778 New Linnets ringed in a year with only
 40 recaptures
and 1 controlled bird to Rossal Point Lancashire


and still they come, as i packed up this aft some unringed birds were still landing on the nyger


The Linnet is a Red Listed Bird
this means

Red list criteria

• Globally threatened


• Historical population decline in UK during 1800–1995


• Severe (at least 50%) decline in UK breeding population over last 25 years, or longer-term period (the entire period used for assessments since the first BoCC review, starting in 1969).


• Severe (at least 50%) contraction of UK breeding range over last 25 years, or the longer-term period

Also this week another 64 Sand Martin ringed and 2 House Martins in with them

House Martin

other birds ringed this week

Blackbird
Goldcrest
Willow Warbler
Blackcap
Chaffich
Goldfinch
Siskin

Kev got some great news off Raymond Duncan up in Aberdeen this week.
One of our colour ringed Cormorants  Z6H had been seen on the Harbour wall there.
A great Movement of some 215 Miles, that's if it flew in a straight line ?

Cormorants in Nest

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Saturday 20 August

I went down to Close Sartfield this morning hoping to ring some Redpoll. 

I 40ft net put up near the hide 

18 Birds Ringed

1 Treecreeper

3Blue Tits

2 Chiffchaff

4 Willow Warbler

3 Goldcrest

1 Chaffinch

1 Robin

2 Siskin

1 Goldfinch

no Redpoll only 4 seen flying over

Willow Warbler photo Fred Hodgson

Willow Warbler being weighed Photo Fred Hodgson

Willow Warbler Being ringed photo Fred Hodgson

Thanks for photos Fred nice to meet you and your wife

Yesterday afternoon and this afternoon spent at Port Mooar 

2 more Rock Pipit Colour Ringed 

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Yesterday

I was out with Kev yesterday morning at the feeder site in the curraghs.

75 birds caught with 12 retraps.


Great Tit 18 (+7)
Blue Tit 10 (+4)
Chaffinch 12
Siskin 8
Tree Sparrow 6 (+1)
Greenfinch 3
Coal Tit 2
House Sparrow 2
Robin 2


A great site and many Thanks to Sue .


My great mate
Andy Jowett has been back to Visit for 4 days with his family, so we have been busy entertaining, birding, boating
rock pooling, eating and lots of drinking and generally Laughing .

Last night we got the call off Kev to say the weather down South { of island }
was cock on for trying for Storm Petrel


We met up at 10pm got 1 60ft net up and 30 minutes later we had caught 1 of these fantastic little birds

another was soon caught,  then the wind got up and that was it . 

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RÜPPELL'S VULTURE: AND THAT MAKES THREE

Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppelli), sub-adult. Serradilla, Monfragüe, Cáceres. 05-08-11 (David Álvarez).



In June 2010 and also in June 2011 this blog reported sightings of Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) at Salto del Gitano, Serradilla, Monfragüe. One-and-a-half months after the last of these observations, on 5 August 2011, another different bird was seen and photographed hard by, within the same municipal district of Serradilla (Cáceres). The excellent photograph (click on it to open it up) shows that this bird was a sub-adult, maybe in its 4th or 5th year. The lucky observers this time were David Álvarez, Ivan Álvarez and Ismael Izquierdo.



To date there have been 3 accepted records of this species in Extremadura (May-June 1992, May 2000 and June 2004) plus another three, ostensibly genuine, yet to be officially accepted (May 2008, June 2010, June 2011). There have also been 3 accepted records in Portugal, where the river Tagus runs along the border with Extremadura: 26 May and 11 June 1992 (the same bird recorded in Spain), 5 June 1998 and 18 February 1999. There are also several other Extremadura records without much to go on. This all suggest a very scarce but more or less regular presence in the region. Among the records now "lost to science" a Rüppell's Vulture was said to have been photographed in late 2010 eating carrion in Serrejón-Casatejada (Cáceres).



See previous entries about Rüppell's Vulture in Extremadura.

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Rock Pipits and Sand Martins

Yesterday i spent 4 hours at the woosh site trying for some more Linnets not one bird landed. I packed up and headed home. On the way i stopped off to check a small Sand Martin colony i hadn't looked in on this year. 2 hours later 33 new Sand Martin ringed.

This morning i met up with Kev down at Niarbyl to have a go for Rock Pipits, a great morning

with 10 new Rockits all individually colour ringed. It started to get busy{with people} so we packed up and headed down to castletown on the way we stopped for a greasy bacon sandwich. 

Only one Rockit caught at castletown and yes i fumbled it out of the spring trap and off it went 

 i blamed the grease on my hands and of course Kev for buying me the sandwich.

Rock Pipit

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This Week

Another 50 new Linnets caught on two visits to the woosh site this week the weather has been bad with wind and rain so the mist netting has been limited

I was out with Kev at the MSPCA this week where we ringed 22 Juv Herring Gulls

that had been brought in and were now ready for release.

Also Rooks, Jackdaws, Mallards and a Eider Duck.

The rest of the week ringing in my garden in between showers and down at Port Mooar

where 3 more Rock Pipits have been colour ringed.

Garden

6 new Blue Tits  3 retraps 1 of them ringed as a chick in my nest box on the 18 June this year and still hanging around 

16 more House Sparrow, 96 ringed in the garden this year they seem to be every where, looks like they have had a good breeding season. They kicked the House Martins out of the nest on my house and the young are calling away as i type.

5 Chaffinch

2 Dunnock

1 Coal Tit

1 Rook

and a new Species for the year ten minutes ago

a juvenile Collard Dove.

Species for the year so far  69

Herring Gulls at the MSPCA

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JULY 2011: Notable bird sightings in Extremadura

Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris). Photo by Ángel M. Ceballos.



A list of the most interesting records sent to the GOCE forum in July 2011. Compiled by Sergio Mayordomo.



- Egyptian Goose: 4 adults and 12 young at Valdecañas Reservoir (Cáceres) on

28/07 (Ángel Sánchez and Ángel Luis Sánchez).

- Shelduck: 2 adults and 12 young at Valdecañas Reservoir (Cáceres) on 28/07

(Á. Sánchez and Á. L. Sánchez).

-Mandarin Duck: one female in the bathing channel of La Isla, Plasencia (Cáceres), on 17/07 (Javier Prieta).

- Red-Crested Pochard: one female at Galisteo Lake (Cáceres) on 31/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Glossy Ibis: one lame bird still at Cerro Alto, Saucedilla (Cáceres) on 09/07 (Javier Briz and Manuel García del Rey). One bird at Valdecañas Reservoir (Cáceres) on 28/07 (Á. Sánchez and Á. L. Sánchez).

- Spoonbill: over 70 at Los Canchales Reservoir (Badajoz) on 21/07 (Á. Sánchez). A flock of 30 at Charco Salado, Casatejada (Cáceres) on 21/07 (Eva Palacios and S. Mayordomo) and 40 on 26/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Squacco Heron: breeding proven at Orellana Reservoir (Badajoz: one pair with 2 chicks on 05/07 (Á. L. Sánchez, B. Cienfuegos, Domingo Rivera, P. J. García and P. Gasco). Fifteen birds including 8 young on ponds around Los Canchales Reservoir (Badajoz) on 21/07 (Á. Sánchez). One young bird at Charca de La Haba (Badajoz) on 30/07 (José Luis Pérez Chiscano and Juan Pablo Prieto). Eight birds on a pond of Montijo (Badajoz) on 30/07 (Á. Sánchez).

- Purple Heron: one young bird at Portaje Reservoir (Cáceres) on 22/07 and 31/07

(S. Mayordomo). Four birds at Valdefuentes gravel pit, Galisteo (Cáceres) on 23/07 (César Clemente and Javier Mahíllo) and on 29/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Osprey: one bird at Los Canchales Reservoir (Badajoz) on 09/07 (A. Cangas and Elvira del Viejo). One bird at River Tiétar, Monfragüe (Cáceres), on 16/07 (María, park guard).

- Marsh Harrier: new breeding site and first in the Alagón catchment area: one pair and one juvenile over Galisteo Lake (Cáceres) on 27/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Hobby: one bird at La Garganta (Cáceres) on 24/07 (Ricardo Montero).

- Crane: one bird at Casas de Hitos (Badajoz) on 03/07 (Martin Kelsey). Two adults at Monroy (Cáceres) on 30/07 (Manu de Hauwae).

- Purple Swamphen: breeding confirmed at Charco Salado, Casatejada (Cáceres): 2 adults and 2 large chicks seen on 26/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Avocet: one bird at Valdecañas Reservoir (Cáceres) on 28/07 (Á. Sánchez and Á. L. Sánchez).

- Kentish Plover: 30 birds including 2 small chicks at Valdecañas Reservoir(Cáceres) on 28/07 (Á. Sánchez and Á. L. Sánchez).

- Temminck's Stint: one bird at Portaje Reservoir(Cáceres) on 31/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Lesser Black-Backed Gull: adult in breeding plumage at Valdesalor Reservoir (Cáceres) on 23/07 (S. Mayordomo) and several birds at Valdecañas Reservoir (Cáceres) on 28/07 (Á. Sánchez and Á. L. Sánchez).



Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus). Two adults in the centre together with several Yellow-Legged Gulls of various ages and a Black-Headed Gull. Valdecañas Reservoir, 12.07.11 (Ángel Sánchez).













- Mediterranean Gull: 15 adults seen at Valdecañas Reservoir (Cáceres) on 12/07 (Á. Sánchez, J. A. Guerrero and Manuel Flores) and 2 on 28/07 (Á. Sánchez and Á. L. Sánchez). This is the biggest group ever recorded in Extremadura.

- Common Tern: 5 birds at Valdecañas Reservoir (Cáceres) on 12/07 (Á. Sánchez, J. A. Guerrero and M. Flores).

- Whiskered Tern: 2 birds at Portaje Reservoir(Cáceres) on 22/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Reed Warbler: one male singing at Valdefuentes gravel pit, Galisteo (Cáceres), on 03/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Western Olivaceous Warbler: 3 birds captured for ringing (one young and 2 adults) at River Guadiana, Badajoz capital, on 18/07 and 19/07 (Antón David Pérez). Could be Extremadura's second breeding record.

- Pied Flycatcher: one male in breeding plumage at Cornalvo National Park(Badajoz) on 09/07 (José Ledo).

- Tawny Pipit: one bird at Puerto de Esperabán, Pinofranqueado (Cáceres), on 24/07 (E. Palacios and S. Mayordomo).



FIRST POST-BREEDING DISPERSAL RECORDS

- Garganey: one female at Galisteo Lake (Cáceres) on 16/07 (Sergio Mayordomo) and 17/07 (J. Prieta). One drake at Valdefuentes gravel pit, Galisteo (Cáceres), on 17/07 (J. Prieta).

- Shoveler: one female at Talaván Reservoir (Cáceres) on 16/07 and another at Charco Salado on 26/07 (S.Mayordomo).

- Teal: one female at Galisteo (Cáceres) on 16/07 (S. Mayordomo) and 17/07 (J. Prieta). Four birds at Portaje Reservoir (Cáceres) on 22/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Ringed Plover: one bird at Valdesalor Reservoir(Cáceres) on 23/07, another at Talaván Reservoir(Cáceres) on 25/07 (S. Mayordomo) and another at Valdecañas Reservoir (Cáceres) on 28/07 (Á. Sánchez and Á. L. Sánchez).

- Snipe: 4 birds at Galisteo Lake(Cáceres) on 27/07 and 1 bird at Portaje Reservoir (Cáceres) on 31/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Redshank: 2 birds on 23/07 at Valdesalor Reservoir (Cáceres) (S. Mayordomo) and 1 at Galisteo Lake(Cáceres) (C. Clemente and J. Mahíllo).

- Spotted Redshank: 1 bird at Charco Salado, Casatejada (Cáceres), on 21/07 (E.

Palacios and S. Mayordomo) and 8 birds, 5 in breeding plumage, at the same site on 26/07 (S. Mayordomo). One bird in breeding plumage at Charca de La Haba (Badajoz) on 26/07 (J. L. Pérez Chiscano); still there on 30/07 (J. L. Pérez Chiscano and J. P. Prieto). One bird at Valdesalor Reservoir(Cáceres) on 30/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Wood Sandpiper: 1 bird at Sotillo Reservoir, Monroy (Cáceres), on 17/07 (S. Mayordomo) and another at Valdefuentes gravel pit, Galisteo (Cáceres), on 23/07

(C. Clemente and J. Mahíllo).

- Ruff: 1 bird at Valdecañas Reservoir (Cáceres) on 28/07 (Á. Sánchez and Á. L. Sánchez).

- Dunlin: 1 bird at Portaje Reservoir (Cáceres) on 22/07 and 2 at Valdesalor Reservoir (Cáceres) on 23/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Curlew Sandpiper: 15 birds at Valdecañas Reservoir (Cáceres) on 28/07 (Á. Sánchez and Á. L. Sánchez) and 2 at Valdesalor Reservoir(Cáceres) on 29/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Little Stint: several on a Mérida pond on 31/07 (Á. Sánchez).

- Willow Warbler: 1 bird at Cornalvo (Badajoz) on 27/07 (Á. Sánchez, Isa and Jesús).

- Iberian Chiffchaff: 1 bird at Galisteo (Cáceres) on 27/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Bonelli's Warbler: 2 birds at Cornalvo (Cáceres) on 09/07 and 10/07 (J. Ledo) and another 2 at Tentudía (Badajoz) on 14/07 (Alberto Pacheco).

- Sedge Warbler: 2 birds la Valdefuentes gravel pit, Galisteo (Cáceres), on 29/07 (S.Mayordomo).

- Whitethroat: 1 bird at Galisteo (Cáceres) on 31/07 (S. Mayordomo).

- Wheatear: 1 bird at Cornalvo (Badajoz) on 27/07 (Á. Sánchez, Isa and Jesús).

- Yellow Wagtail: at least 6 birds at Charco Salado, Casatejada (Cáceres), on 21/07 (E. Palacios and S. Mayordomo).

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Young House Sparrow Update

House Sparrows
Do you remember the young House Sparrow I showed you that had the white wings and tail?- Unusual Young House Sparrow - Well although there have been many of the youngsters coming into the garden, I have to say that I have not seen that cute little fellow again.
New fledgling House Sparrows continue to appear on a regular basis, being brought along to our free "eat in or takeaway"

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Last night and today

An evening out with Mark to set up for Storm Petrel and later on met up with Kev for a spot of Dazzling

1 Storm Petrel Ringed

4 Dunlin

2 Curlew

1 Turnstone

and a

Oystercatcher

Ringed

a Later start today after last night

6 More Linnets 

and 

2 Goldfinch at the woosh site this aft

and 

2 Juv Stonechats Ringed

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August gets off to a great start

62 new Linnets ringed over the last two day with 8 Goldfinch and a Chaffinch 

14 More Sand martins ringed
5 More Rock pipits colour ringed

Mark found us another feeder site to ring at in St Johns

Mr Mrs Sloper's garden

We set 2 40ft nets yesterday at 1230

3 Hours later

 Dunnock              2

  Coal Tit                5

    Blue Tit                26

Great Tit               6

   House Sparrow 15

    Chaffinch           12

Greenfinch          1

Goldfinch             2

   Siskin                9

TOTAL                   78

Thanks Christine for all the tea and biscuits

Today Mark was at the reedbed site another 35 Birds ringed

Mainly Tits

and 5 Willow Warbler 

This aft a Kittiwake was caught and ringed

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LAMMERGEIER IN EXTREMADURA: UNEXPECTED VISITORS

Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus). Hortelano, identifiable by the discoloured feathers in the centre of the left wing. Male released in 2010 in Andalucía and present in Extremadura during April, May and June 2011. Photo: Fundación Gypaetus.



This blog entry has drawn freely on the information furnished by F. Javier Ortega Pinilla, a tireless compiler of Lammergeier records and stories.



If we look for the phrase "Lammergeier in Extremadura" in any search engine we get no hard and fast info back. This is surprising, given that this singular vulture still bred in the region only half a century ago, as pointed out by Javier Ortega in an article pending publication(Ortega, in press). This article tells us that at least the sierras of Gredos, Hurdes, Villuercas, San Pedro and Monesterio were home fairly recently to the "Bearded Vulture". J. Ortega has also compiled 13 Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus) sightings, presumably of Pyrenean birds, in the 30-year period running from 1979 to 2008, most of them in the eastern half of the region and in Badajoz (9 records against 4 for Cáceres). Another "oversight" is the absence of this species from the Regional Catalogue of Threatened Species(Catálogo Regional de Especies Amenazadas), where it should by rights feature as an extinguished species.



The number of Lammergeier records in Extremadura has recently soared due to the launch of a reintroduction programme in Andalucía, in the sierras of Cazorla y Segura, and especially the satellite tracking of the released birds. The first juveniles were released in 2006, after which a total of 19 were released in Andalucía up to 2010, the release programme then being called off in 2011. Ten of these releases are still alive; 8 have died and the whereabouts of another is unknown. The early deaths of some birds and technical hitches meant that only 11 birds were tracked for over one year, with records of seven birds spending time in Extremadura. Although the journeys made by these birds differ greatly from one individual to another, a general pattern can be discerned, with several months spent at first in the release area(Cazorla and roundabout) and then dispersal from about the age of one year with wide-ranging movements about the mountain ranges of the whole Iberian Peninsula. This vulture species matures slowly (6-8 years to breeding age), so no breeding pairs have yet been formed, though hopes were raised in 2011 with the pair bonding of the male Tono (born in 2006) and the female Malena (n. 2009).



During the first five years of the project only a handful of these birds spent any time at all in Extremadura, which didn't seem to be much to their liking. At the beginning of 2011 8 birds were still being tracked by satellite, although this number fell to six by June due to the lamentable death of two birds in May.



The Extremadura records from 2006 to 2010 fit into a meagre paragraph. Faust, born in 2006 and still alive, visited us from 25 to 31 May 2007, when it was found in the south of Badajoz (Malcocinado and Fuente de Cantos). The visit of Pontones, born in 2007 and dying in May 2011, was even briefer. On 5 September 2009, in one of its trips between the Cordillera Cantábrica and Cazorla, it flew right across Extremadura without landing, entering the region in Las Hurdes in the north and leaving it in La Siberia in the south. Lastly, the female Cata, born in 2009 and also dying in May 2011, spent two weeks of June 2010 in the centre and south of Badajoz, in the areas of La Serena, La Siberia and Alange.



In 2011, however, Extremadura seems to have become all the rage among Andalusian Lammergeiers. Of the 6 being tracked in June, 5 of them born in 2010, 4 passed through the region (see the maps below)... and it remains to be seen what happened in July and what might happen in the future:

- Hortelano. This was the trailblazer and most loyal bird. After 3 months in Cazorla, it left the area in April, stopping over in Villuercas and the Cáceres part of the Gredos mountain chain (Vera and Jerte). In May it returned to Gredos on a lightning trip to Salamanca. In June it remained in the area, visiting Las Hurdes as well as Madrid, Teruel and several other provinces.

- Tranco. This bird followed in the former's "footsteps". After 3 months of lounging about it suddenly set off to explore the world further afield. In May it roamed widely around the southern half of Spain, including Cáceres, and also entered Portugal. After returning to Cazorla, in June it spent a longer spell in Gredos (Vera and Jerte) and in Hurdes-Batuecas.

- Huéscar. This is the bird that has visited most Extremadura sites of the 4, with June stopovers in Villuercas and the whole central mountain system of Cáceres, from Gata to Gredos, passing through Las Hurdes.

- Quiteria. Only 1 of the two 2010-born females has arrived briefly in Extremadura, with a short spell in Villuercas in June.



As usual in tracking arrangements of this sort, few field sightings have been made. We know of only one by Environmental Agents (Ángel Sánchez, pers. comm.) So we should all keep on the qui vive in the hope of more luck in the future. As well as the tracking devices all the birds are also marked with coloured rings(one on each foot, uncoded) and discoloured wing feathers (for more details click here).



Sources:

- Fundación Gypaetus. Evolución de los ejemplares liberados [web].

- Ortega, F. J. In press. El quebrantahuesos (Gypaetus barbatus) en Extremadura: revisión histórica y presencia actual. In: Prieta, J. and Mayordomo, S. Aves de Extremadura, vol. 4. Anuario 2003-2008. SEO-Cáceres. Plasencia.

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