SPOONBILL WINTERING IN EXTREMADURA. December 2012

In December 2012, for the seventh year running, the Spanish Spoonbill Monitoring Group (Grupo de Seguimiento de la Espátula Común: GRUSEC) brokered another count of wintering Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) in Spain. Figures were once more given for Extremadura though, as on previous occasions, these were based more on ad hoc wetland visits than a systematic census strictly speaking. 

The December 2012 result came out as 26 Spoonbills seen in eight different spots in Extremadura: 

1- Laguna de Galisteo (Cáceres), 2 birds. 2- Arrocampo Reservoir (Cáceres), 4 birds. 
3- Lugar Nuevo, Peraleda de la Mata (Cáceres), 2 birds. 
4- Charca de Brozas (Cáceres), 1 bird. 
5- Los Barruecos-Lancho-El Majón (Cáceres), 7 birds. 
6- Madrigalejo and Campo Lugar (Cáceres), 2 birds 
7- Los Canchales and Montijo Reservoirs (Badajoz), 7 birds. 
8- Laguna de La Albuera (Badajoz), 1 bird.

Among the 26 sightings there were at least two Spoonbills ringed in Holland. One was seen at Los Canchales, without being able to decipher the exact code. The other was seen on 29.12.12 at Campo Lugar and perhaps at Madrigalejo some days earlier. This bird, born in 2010 (YaYf/RLR), was seen on 30.09.12 at Salburua (Álava), 14.10.12 at Los Canchales reservoir (Badajoz) and on 19.10.12 at Morantes reservoir (Badajoz); these sightings suggest the bird stayed in Extremadura for the whole autumn.

The information from the rest of Spain, pending results from Doñana, adds up to at least 1027 Spoonbills: 

- Basque Country. One bird (Urdaibai, Vizcaya) 
- Cantabria. 44 birds (34 at Santoña and 10 at Bahía de Santander) 
- Asturias. 6 birds. (Villaviciosa) 
- Galicia. 202 birds. (196 at O Grove and 6 at Ribadeo) 
- Extremadura. 26 birds. 
- Cádiz. 445 birds. 
- Huelva. 303 birds.

Collaborators. Antonio Calvo, Godfried Schreur, Rafael Parra, John Muddeman, Francisco Lopo, Javier Briz, Martin Kelsey, Jesús Solana, José Guerra, Sergio Mayordomo, Carlos Fernández, José Tapia, Maribel Jiménez y Javier Prieta.

In December 2012, for the seventh year running, the Spanish Spoonbill Monitoring Group (Grupo de Seguimiento de la Espátula Común: GRUSEC) brokered another count of wintering Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) in Spain. Figures were once more given for Extremadura though, as on previous occasions, these were based more on ad hoc wetland visits than a systematic census strictly speaking. 

The December 2012 result came out as 26 Spoonbills seen in eight different spots in Extremadura: 

1- Laguna de Galisteo (Cáceres), 2 birds. 2- Arrocampo Reservoir (Cáceres), 4 birds. 
3- Lugar Nuevo, Peraleda de la Mata (Cáceres), 2 birds. 
4- Charca de Brozas (Cáceres), 1 bird. 
5- Los Barruecos-Lancho-El Majón (Cáceres), 7 birds. 
6- Madrigalejo and Campo Lugar (Cáceres), 2 birds 
7- Los Canchales and Montijo Reservoirs (Badajoz), 7 birds. 
8- Laguna de La Albuera (Badajoz), 1 bird.

Among the 26 sightings there were at least two Spoonbills ringed in Holland. One was seen at Los Canchales, without being able to decipher the exact code. The other was seen on 29.12.12 at Campo Lugar and perhaps at Madrigalejo some days earlier. This bird, born in 2010 (YaYf/RLR), was seen on 30.09.12 at Salburua (Álava), 14.10.12 at Los Canchales reservoir (Badajoz) and on 19.10.12 at Morantes reservoir (Badajoz); these sightings suggest the bird stayed in Extremadura for the whole autumn.

The information from the rest of Spain, pending results from Doñana, adds up to at least 1027 Spoonbills: 

- Basque Country. One bird (Urdaibai, Vizcaya) 
- Cantabria. 44 birds (34 at Santoña and 10 at Bahía de Santander) 
- Asturias. 6 birds. (Villaviciosa) 
- Galicia. 202 birds. (196 at O Grove and 6 at Ribadeo) 
- Extremadura. 26 birds. 
- Cádiz. 445 birds. 
- Huelva. 303 birds.

Collaborators. Antonio Calvo, Godfried Schreur, Rafael Parra, John Muddeman, Francisco Lopo, Javier Briz, Martin Kelsey, Jesús Solana, José Guerra, Sergio Mayordomo, Carlos Fernández, José Tapia, Maribel Jiménez y Javier Prieta.