2012 MAY 16th
What a beautiful things !!
Here you can download a PDF document with some information about the 10 lynx cubs born in Acebuche Breeding Centre this year.
2012 MAY 9th
Vultures and mushrooms
We will have to resign ourselves, very few birds will breed in Doñana this spring; last few weeks rain will not be able to amend last winter low rainfall, most of the marshes are still dry, offering few opportunities for herons, ducks, storks and waders this year. Several hundred Glossy Ibis are concentrated in the Jose A. Valverde breeding colony and a small number of Purple Herons can see some, but none of them has come to consider breeding this year. Only a few Purple Swamp-hens, Coots, Moorhens, Red-crested Pochards, Mallards and Gadwalls have made up their mind to. That is nature, some years good, some bad, and they know it, and adapt to it the best they can.
Still on migration time, flocks of Ringed Plovers fly over the dry plains in search of food or at least, a quiet place to rest on their long journey north. Environmental conditions in Doñana are not good this year due to the lack of rain but they will not have any problems to find good conditions for breeding on the shores of lakes, rivers and seas in the cold Scandinavia. Huge flocks of Whiskered Terns and Collared Pratincoles can be seen in the distance feeding over the flooded areas near the edge of the marshes, next to long lines of pink Flamingos. A few Short-toed Eagles also keep coming through Doñana and show themselves very well as they hover in search of a clueless snake. Only a few pairs of Lapwings are nesting in the marshes this year and Pintail Sandgrouse have just began displaying. Black Kites are abundant, as every spring, working tirelessly in search of something edible over forests and marshes.
But if there is a species that do well in bad years is the vulture, the big Griffon Vulture which, coming from their breeding colonies in the mountains of Cadiz and Huelva, use the Doñana marshes as a huge feeding ground. In dry years like this, the number of cows, horses and sheep that can not withstand the harsh conditions increases, benefiting these scavengers with unrefined taste. You can see them every day, when the sun is already high in the sky, gaining altitude in groups, in order to control a wide area around and be alert for any of their fellows who suddenly drop on a prey, to redirect their route to that point.
In the other hand, in pine and cork oak woods spring has come late but now, with increasing temperatures and the last rains, there has been a spectacular explosion of color. Yellow and white Chrysanthemum and blue Viper Bugloss dominate in all meadows. With the breeze this morning, large clouds of pine and oak pollen, also in flower, emerge from the tops to cover everything as if it were sand dust. I watched it with suspicion, considering the effects it would have on me a cloud of that size of olive pollen, which is just starting to produce their deleterious periodic effects on my nose and eyes.
All are rushing to take advantage of these few weeks of good breeding conditions, Black Kites and Booted Eagles, Partridges and Shrikes, Goldfinches and Serins, Lynx and rabbits; all run to make the most of it while it lasts . Even mushrooms accelerate flowering showing us their mushroom-shaped eye-catching reproductive structures.
2012 APRIL 24th
Inconspicuous warblers and colorful Bee-eaters
Weather is improving and temperatures rising up to some comfortable 20ºC. Migration is still moving through Doñana’s forests and marshes and birds like Golden Oriole, Roller or Bee-eater are sill passing. Many of the last ones will stay to breed with us, like the one on the photo taken at Dehesa de Abajo, a small natural reserve next to the National Park. Other birds like Red-necked Nightjar, Western Olivaceous Warbler and Rufous Bush Robin are also coming in these days.
A good place this spring to try forest and water birds is La Rocina Stream which still keeps a good level of water. The walking trail that starts at the visitor centre will take you to a series of hides along the southern banks of the river, where warblers like Melodious, Savi’s, Great Reed and Reed are common at the moment, and through some nice patches of stone pine forests where Tree Sparrow, Crested Tit and Short-toed Treecreper are common sightings. La Rocina is also a good spot for species like Purple and Squacco Heron, Marsh Harrier and Red-crested Pochard.
2012 APRIL 6th
Great for Crakes
Rain these days is improving the conditions in the Park very quickly. Meadows and plains are turning green at last and flowers are coming out decorating forests and marshes. Large flocks of Collared Pratincoles and Whiskered Terns feed in the dry plains. Griffon Vultures are also very common sights in the marshes. Great chances for crakes at Jose A. Valverde Visitor Centre Baillon's, Spotted and Little Crakes plus Water Rail are all possible.
Bee-eaters, Rollers and Orioles are passing in good numbers. Weathears and Black-eared Weathears are also coming through in large numbers now. Cuckoo is already singing in our forests and Lynx sightings are common during our tours.
Large concentrations of birds at Dehesa de Abajo. Red-crested Pochard, Shoveler, Purple Gallinule, Night Heron, Purple Heron, Crested Coot, Glossy Ibis, Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit Black-winged Stilt, can be seen there along with the largest White Stork colony on trees in Spain. We also saw there yesterday the first Olivaceous Warbler of the season.
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2012 MARCH 29th
Spring in Doñana
Migration moves through Doñana these days. Garganeys, Wood Sandpipers, Tenmick's Stints, Common Wheatears , Redstarts, Sedge Warblers, Willow and Western Bonelli's Warblers, Orphean Warblers, Alpine Swifts and Rollers are passing through on their way north.
Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Black Kites, Lesser Kestrels, Purple and Squacco Herons, Crakes, Gull-billed and Whiskered Terns, Pallid Swifts, Cuckoos and Great-crested Cuckoos, Bee-eaters, Black-eared Wheatears, Short-toed Larks, Reed Warblers, Subalpine Warblers, Woodchat Shrikes and Collared Pratincoles, like the one on the photo, are coming to stay.
Female lynx is taking care of her recently born cubs and reed deer is loosing their antlers to start regenerating them stright away. La Rocina Stream and forests and the marshes next to El Rocío offer a very good variety of birds at the moment, including Crested Coots, Flamingos, Spoonbills along with a large number of waders. At the lagoons around Jose A. Valverde Visitor Centre there are several Garganeys and good number of Squacco and Purple Herons. Water Rail, Spotted and Baillon's Crakes are spotted there every day.
Despite of the lack of rain that keeps large parts of the marshes dry, Doñana is offering very good oportunities to watch birds this just started spring. Some rain is expected in the next few days which will improve sensibly the situation.
2012 JANUARY 30th
From Seville to the marshes
There was a huge traffic jam outside Seville, so after 15 minutes, moving not more than 100 meters, I decided to look for an alternative to get to work in El Rocío. I headed towards Coria del Río, a village which spreads along the western banks of the Guadalquivir River next to the capital. Soon after I passed the next village, Puebla del Río, following signs to Isla Mayor, I entered the largest rice area in Spain, with about 35,000 has devoted to rice. Birdwatching opportunities start here. It’s been dry this year so far so only a few of the numerous fields are flooded, but that is actually good since bird tent to concentrate in them. Just before I got to Venta del Cruce, the last place to stop and have a cup of coffee by the way before you get into the wilderness of the Doñana marshes, I stopped to check a field full of Black-winged Stilts, Black-headed Gulls and Glossy Ibis among other waders. And then I did what I have just recommended you, I stopped and have a nice cup of coffee. From there you have two options, either you take left and keep going through the rice fields towards the village of Isla Mayor or you keep going straight along the edge of the cultivated area which is actually the shortest way to the marshes, this is what I did.
There are a number of lagoons now along the right hand side of the road where, in wet years, you can get interesting species like Red-knobbed Coot. These are just old gravel quarries that have turned today into temporary pools. A Squacco Heron on the edge of one of them did not flinch as I passed. For the next few kilometres I had pairs of White Storks all along, getting ready for breeding and flooded rice fields on the left with concentrations of a good variety of waders and other aquatic birds; Marsh Harriers started to be common.
Another place where birds concentrate all year round come next, Dehesa de Abajo, its stork colony and the reservoir below it well deserve a stop. The far edges of the lagoon where packed with flamingos, spoonbills, avocets, ducks, geese and coots; but what it really caught my attention was the pair of Marbled Ducks half hidden under the tamarisk of the edge. In the near rice fields I saw a couple of solitary Black Storks just standing still next to a ditch and flocks of Ibis feeding in the shallow waters. I did not have much time to spend so I kept going south along the asphalt road, went over Brazo de la Torre, in whose reed beds group of about 20 Purple Gallinules rushed into, then crossed Don Simón Ford over Guadiamar River and turned right at the T-junction. The left turn would also take you to the marshes following Entremuros along the western banks of the canalized river, but I wanted to try Pintail Sandgrouse and Little Bustards at Dehesa de Pilas.
Dehesa de Pilas is just a grassing area for cattle and horses where great conditions for steppe birds are kept all year round. These include breeding Stone Curlew and Sandgrouse and small groups of wintering Little Bustards. There are not many places in the area to try the last ones and even here is not easy; chances increase for all of them at the end of the day, when they come back from their foraging getaways. Wintering Hen Harriers and Black Storks, a small population of resident Lesser Kestrels, resident Calandra Larks, a huge colony of Spanish Sparrows, breeding Great-spotted Cuckoos and the usual visits of the Black-shouldered Kites from their breeding grounds at Vado del Quema are the main attractions here.
The access to Jose A. Valverde Visitor Centre have been improved last summer so now, specially this year that is being dry so far, the driving south is an easy job. I kept moving south, passed through Haton Ratón farm land where several thousand Cranes concentrate in winter in the cereal fields and many thousand Greylag Geese do the same in the rice fields after the harvest. The power lines and pylons in this area are great perching places for raptors, now in winter mainly Common Buzards, Red Kites and specially Common Kestrels which winter in Doñana by hundreds. Passed 2 Puentes (2 bridges) I turned right and went through a vast extension of cereal fields just planted, regular area for Hen Harriers, Cranes, geese an Golden Plovers in winter. Large flocks of Skylarks, Calandra Larks and Corn Buntings now in winter and good numbers of Short-toed and Lesser Short-toed Larks later in the year. For the last ones, the natural marshes are better places now in the winter.
Arrived in Caño Guadiamar I stopped to check the flocks of ducks and coots and enjoyed the distant flocks of calling Cranes in flight. This is a good place to try all kinds of raptors in spring, including Spanish Imperial Eagle flying over the dry marshes to the west or sitting on the fence along the far side of the water. Great site for a very good variety of species all year round. This gravel track that goes along the eastern banks of the Caño takes you directly to Jose A. Valverde Visitor Centre, although a stop at the bridge over the Caño just before getting to it is compulsory. At this T-junction next to the bridge I turned right to the el Rocío, but this is a not allowed route for non authorized vehicles. This is part of itinerary of our 4x4 tours through the northern forests and marshes from El Rocío.
The alternative for private vehicles is turning left at the junction to the Jose A. Valverde Visitor Centre, take a deserved coffee break and enjoy the unbeatable sights over the lagoons. To go back you can take a different route to the east, passing by Lucio de El Lobo, Huerta Tejada and then north along Entremuros via Casa Bombas and back to the asphalt near Isla Mayor. It took me only a couple of hours to El Rocío but it will take you the whole day for the whole route and advisable to start as early as possible if you are especially interested on birds. Good Luck!
2011 DECEMBER 21st
Kings and Landlords
Kate and Nicholas, during one of our private tours yesterday, were lucky enough to enjoy a great lynx sighting. For about 3 – 4 minutes an impressive male Iberian Lynx was much more interested on the noises coming from potential preys than worried about our near presence.
It was a cold morning and frost had caught for the first time this year on some patches in the forest where there was no protection from the canopies. As we moved trough the dense pine woods the just awaken sun tried to break through the trees painting the skies above on red and orange. Who decides when you see it or when you don’t, I don’t know. It just happened that my head was turned to the right direction and there he was, very close to the Park fence, sitting quietly on his four legs, like waiting for the next rabbit to come by. He did not flinch when we arrived; he just barely turned its head to us for a second, that was all, and kept doing what he was doing, not much, just waiting.
Have you ever seen a wild cat close enough to see its facial expression? Every time I do I think the same, they look sad. There is something on its facial gesture…Anyway, our wild cat turned his head away from us, redirected his ears and changed his position by stretching his front legs to try and get the least vibration moving through the dense and cold air. There is something moving in the bushes, we thought. He repeated the operation several times but to no results. Our great expectations to see him hunting vanished when he stood up on his four legs and begun walking, slowly, very slowly away from us. I don’t think his behaviour was being altered at all by our near presence. He just walked away from us to try his breakfast somewhere else, slowly, keeping his majesty, like the king he is. We, still holding our breath of emotion, saw it disappearing behind a mastic tree. And that was it, a little piece of a lynx’s life watched through human eyes.
Can you expect something better after this? That is what I was thinking when I turned the engine on again. Difficult but I had four more hours ahead of me to show Kate and Nicholas Doñana.
Despite of the cold morning Wrens, Treecreepers, Serins, Blackcaps, Sardinian warblers, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Robins, work together to compose a complete symphony of melodic songs that fill the forests. Spring is still far in the calendar but they feel it coming. The solitary Iberian Grey Shrike doesn’t share the joy of them. It remains majestic, thoughtful, keeping its place on its usual perch overlooking the clearing; in the absence of the king Sparrowhawk he is the landlord. With the permit of the Booted Eagle that flew over head, unusual in winter time, but I don’t think he will interfere in business under the canopies.
Reed deer has changed its diet to fresh grass that grows in the meadows and marshes edges and we came across several groups of females and juveniles and a few strong males sharing now watching tasks after the competition for females is over. They looked now healthy and fat after the exhausting autumn duties. Red Kites, Common Buzzards, Hen Harriers, Marsh Harriers and Common Kestrels have increased their numbers quickly in the last few weeks; we also found a pair of Black-shouldered Kites happily back at their usual winter quarters after two very wet winters.
Along the marshes edges, feeding on thistle fields, a mixed huge flock of Goldfinch and Corn Buntings flew on and off every couple of minutes while a Little Owl, seating on its usual perch in the artificial rabbit warren at Veta Zorrera, enjoyed their performance. We could hear distant flocks of Greylag Geese on their way to the rice fields; they will be safe there until Saturday when hunters will play again a game they never loose.
Wind begun to blow stronger from the north in the open marshes; the sun shining over our heads was not enough to keep Kate warm anymore so she stayed in the land rover when we found a Peregrine on dry ground at about 1 km from us with something among its claws; a bit further south, not far from a group of several hundred geese, a Merlin watched the scenery seating on a cow dung, its usual perch. When we got to Caño Guadiamar none of us felt like going out of the car and set up the scope to look at a couple of Black Storks and the flock of Spoonbills, the day had turned unpleasant and also we could nearly smell the cup of coffee from Jose A. Valverde Visitor Centre, so we decided to keep going and take a break.
Restored our energies, we enjoyed several Marsh Harriers and Red Kites manoeuvring over the lagoon flying over several Flamingos and a flock of Gadwall and Shoveler; a Purple Gallinule sneaked away through the reeds and a group of Night Herons cold shrunk in the tamarisk. A couple of coffees later we were ready for the quest of Cranes. Kate was specially interested on seeing them, so I told her not to worry, we would find them sooner or later somewhere in the marshes. The first place we tried was Lucio del Lobo, east of the visitor centre, but there was no sign of them there, we found a large group of about 20 female Fallow Deer driven by an imposing male. Along the electric line a Kestrel chased away a Buzard and huge flocks of Calandra and Sky Larks shared in harmony the cereal fields covered by a green carpet of grass now. Groups of Ravens feed also on the fields over flown by a pair of Red Kites.
There were no sign of the Stone Curlews next to Huerta Tejada, in a day like that, with cold north winds, they shelter behind the vegetation and that make even more difficult to spot them. More buzzards and kites on the way along Entremuros checking the plains for cranes with no result. They have to be somewhere, I said. We kept moving north now and stopped at Casa Bombas, where a few Night Herons flew away from us to hide in the reeds and the Common Kestrels that live there flew off to have a look around. I checked again the fields in the distance and, good luck!!, there they were at last, a large flock of several hundred cranes some 4 – 5 kms away from us, a promising sight.
Five minutes later Kate could enjoy of great views of them. Cranes are very shy birds in Doñana and even having some 400 metres between them and us they started to fly off to set down again just a bit further; Kate did not take her eyes off the telescope not to lose any detail of that either. Feeling a bit more relaxed now after succeeding with the cranes I begun driving back to El Rocío with the feeling of a job well done.
2011 NOVEMBER 17st
Autumn pleasure
The level of water at El Rocío Marshes
is just the right one for a good selection of birds concentrate there to
feed.
It is a real pleasure to have a relaxing walk around it, enjoying the nice
temperature, the quietness, the views and a good variety of water birds
under the perfect sunset light. That is what I have just done today.
I went to check for Crested Coot and after checking several hundred Coots
I failed to find any. It did not matter at all, I had a very good time
just looking at a beautiful variety of ducks, waders, herons and egrets,
passerines and raptors.
Further inside the Park Cranes have come back by hundreds and they share
the just germinated cereal fields near it.
2011 SEPTEMBER 1st
Rain at last !
After 3 months without a drop we had
today some heavy showers over the dry Doņana, a good relief for plants
and animals.
2011 AUGUST 21st
The sounds of Summer
Paco, Inés, Manolo and
Maica came to spend some time relaxing at Mazagon beaches; they have
travelled much through Spain and Europe for working reasons but they
love the uniqueness of these endless beaches of fine and white sand
along the coast of Huelva. No other place in Spain or perhaps in Europe,
they said, where one can still find something like it: a quiet and
beautiful beach that stretches as far as the eye can see, all for own.
You just have to take a short walk to get away from one of the few
public accesses between Matalascaņas and Mazagķn to find yourself
surrounded by the finest nature of the most beautiful forms.
I met them early, just
before dawn, when the light is still not good enough to define shapes
and colours. By that time the Imperial Eagle was already perched on a
dry branch of the eucalyptus that serves as a nesting place, just across
the El Rocio marshes. The deer grazing not far away, along the very edge
of the dry plains, taking advantage of the last patches of green grass
of the summer, had nothing to worry about, the queen of Doņanas skies
was only stretching to a new day, and maybe from his high vantage
examining the chances of an early and easy breakfast, you never know,
with the shape of a distracted rabbit.
Just a little further along, in the last pond remaining
in the Mother of the Marshes, hundreds of storks, flamingos, spoonbills,
herons, avocets, stilts, ducks and
other smaller waders difficult to identify in the distance, swirled
around the shallow waters where the last fish, frogs and other aquatic
invertebrates concentrated trying to postpone the inevitable. The days
first black kite flew over them, also in search of an easy prey to
satisfy its hunger with. All calm, a silence broken only by some
starlings greeted each other on the nearby roofs.
Back in the Land Rover we
headed towards the northern entrance of the park. Shortly after crossing
Ajolí Bridge we made a new stop to examine the oaks nearby. We got out
of the car and using the binoculars located a black kite perched on a
dead trunk which we could easily spy through the telescope; the soft
light of the sun just out tinted its plumage in red as he stretched its
wings to get them ready to start working. To the right and closer, but
much more hidden from the untrained eye, a pair of Booted Eagles also
took advantage of the first rays of sunshine to wake up. Some Blackcaps
and Chaffinches began their first talks from the pine trees and bushes
behind us; a Wren began to sing from much deeper in the forest. A small
white spot on a distant bush turned into a Woodchat Shrike for Inés when
viewed through the telescope. A couple of Ravens flew over us breaking
the smoothness of the scenery of the new day with their cries. This
seemed to awaken our pair of Booted Eagles completely and started a
basic conversation consisting of very simple alternative calls that
sounded more suitable for a large chick than for our most skilful flying
predator. The reddish Black Kite greeted one of its cousins that flew
over with the usual half joking half tearful cry that reminded us more
of a skinny horse than anything else, really hard for a layperson to
think that the sound came from a bird of prey with a wingspan of a metre
and a half.
As I write this the
sparrows return from the fields to their night shelter in the gardens of
the houses in El Rocío, Cattle Egrets fly towards their roosts at the
edge of the marshes in groups and Nigth Herons do the opposite and begin
to work.
For the next few miles we
moved through Coto del Rey pinewoods where we tested our eyes to fund
try and find the most desirable silhouette, that of the Iberian Lynx, no
easy task. I had and additional a work consisting of scanning the sandy
road on the move to find its trail, in which I succeeded and offered my
companions that day at least the hopeful sign of its recent nocturnal
wanderings. Great and Blue Tits along with Serins and Treecrepers warned
each other of our presence with their melodic songs; nothing comparable
to the spring elaborated performances.
Pines gave way to ash and
olive trees in the most open lands of El Vicioso. As we passed the House
of Caņada Mayor, an old warden house, a Booted Eagle watched us from the
top of the tallest cork oak tree in the area; it wont be long before it
begins its journey to sub-Saharan Africa, as most of their relatives the
Black Kites have done already, where it will spend the winter. Migration
has begun. Delicate Willow and Melodious Warblers are passing through as
well, moving south, as well as the first Wheatears.
The fresh lynx tracks we
found shortly afterwards, just before entering the marshes, confirmed us
that it had been there earlier that day, but this time we missed it. A
flock of Cattle Egrets hunted singing grasshoppers among the dry grass;
we also found fresh reed deer tracks going through an area full of
ant-lion traps.
We left the forests behind
and moved through the dry marshes where we found a meeting of 6 Black
Kites that seemed to be just relaxing and socializing while a Common
Kestrel glanced furtively at them from the cattle fence. Around 20 other
Kestrels would fly not very high hovering for insects in the short
grass; we were obviously looking at a group of migrating Lesser
Kestrels, a common sight at this time of the year; a couple o Montagus
Harriersd search for bigger prays flying low as usual. A little further
a couple of Ravens pecking at the remains of a dead cow and next to them
a group of mares with their foals began the daily march to the water
trough by the shepherd huts.
The horizon line, already
swinging by the updrafts of hot air that began to form on the wide
plains, the long yellowish sort of low cloud in the distance was nothing
but the locally well known as Cerro de los Ánsares (Geese Hill). In this
harsh environment only a few species of birds such as larks are able to
take advantage of the scarce resources; Spectacled Warblers are also
well adapted to withstand these conditions and we saw some of them
feeding on small arthropods in the close fences and small bushes.
Finally we arrive at the
oasis of Caņo Guadiamar where the vegetation still remains green and the
birds concentrate in large numbers. A number of Black-winged Stilts,
Green Sandpipers and Glossy Ibis were feeding on a nearly dry puddle
while young Purple Gallinules and Moorhens got frightened and screamed
out of our way. Flocks of Glossy Ibis and Spoonbills flew overhead and
solitary Purple Heronsd hunt hidden in the reeds. Some young
inexperienced ones had serious difficulties landing on the road in front
of us.
Numerous sightings along
the Caņo Guadiamar for the next few kilometres; a Spoonbill flew passed
followed by its grown up offspring who relentlessly demanded food with a
characteristic groan that seemed to sprout from somewhere as deep as the
stomach. We found a little farther a Short-toed Eagle perched on a
utility pole of which we had excellent views through the telescope, its
big yellow eyes caught the attention of Maica, and another one a bit
later that delighted us with its majestic flight.
We then took a well
deserved break at the José A. Valverde Visitor Center for a while where
we saw some Little Egrets and many Glossy Ibis surprisingly still
feeding their chicks and several Marsh Harriers and Black Kites in
search of their lunch. Once our strength were regain we headed towards
Lucio del Lobo, where we saw several groups of Fallow Deer resting in
the high vegetation and enjoyed again the majestic flight of a pair of
Short-toed Eagles. They came down to perched on two adjacent poles and
began a pleasant chat, obviously we did not understand anything. Being
very quiet birds normally I enjoy the little moments that nature gives
to those of us with our senses open to them. The sounds of summer in
Doņana were a great complement to a visit that morning and helped me in
good measure to turn our trip into an experience to remember for my four
clients that day.
2011 JULY 4th
Summer in Doņana
Temperatures go up, pastures wither, marshes dry out and crack and green is slowly losing its dominance in favor of yellow, it's summer in Doņana.
El Rocio marshes attract always in the early summer a large number of birds that prey on the shallow and nutrient-rich waters next to the village. Large groups of Flamingos, White Storks and herons and also Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets and some Stilts can be easily observed at close range specially in the early hours of the morning, . Flying over the lagoon there are numerous Whiskered Terns, gulls and Black Kites. It is definitely one of the most interesting spots in the Park these days to anyone who comes close to El Rocío.
In the pine and cork oak forest in the north of the National Park hinds with their calves are hidden in the undergrowth, especially from mid-morning when the sun presses. Partridges, still in family groups, are seen easily, and the tireless Black Kites continue, now in large groups of young individuals, flying over streams, forests, meadows and marshes near Coto del Rey; most are moulting now getting their plumage ready for the trip back to their winter quarters in Africa. Small baby lynx are putting weight daily well fed by their mother in a good year for rabbits. If seeing a lynx is an experience in itself, if you are lucky enough to see an adult accompanied by their offspring then it becomes unforgettable.
In the contact zone between forests and marshes fallow and reed deer herds take advantage only the cooler hours of the day to graze and browse, after which they disappear into the woods. Little Owls in the rabbit warrens stare at us with indifference as usually while some Black Kites stretch their winds on their perches along the endless cattle fences that cross the vast marshes.
It is a good time now to observe the colourful Pintail Sandgrouse; being late breeders as they are it is now when they become more active having to feed constantly their broods. Larks find now in the early summer the best conditions in the vast dry plains with scattered water ponds Iberian Hare feel also at home in these tough conditions for most although they can never forget the presence of several pairs of Spanish Imperial Eagles in the area that would love to carry their chicks a good piece of fresh meat to start the day.
As we move eastward through the Hinojos marshes the yellow dry grass turn gradually to green towards the Caņo Guadiamar where water still remains deep . There large flocks of ducks, herons, Flamingos, Spoonbills and some waders concentrate again. Hidden in the reeds Purple Swamp-hens, Moorhens, Reed Warblers, Black-crowned Herons and Little Bitterns are still very active, some facing a second brood as often happens in boom years like this one. Great-crested Grebes are also abundant in the Caņo, the young ones have reached adult size but they still look very different with their striped heads. It is also in these good years when several thousand Greater Flamingos find the right conditions to breed in the Doņana marshes, a kindergarten with several thousand chickens has congregated a few kilometres south of the bridge over the Caņo, too far from our itinerary to be seen.
At José A. Valverde Visitors Center the breeding of hundreds of pairs of Glossy Ibis, Purple Herons, Squacco, Herons and Egrets continues. Considering how late in the year it is unusual to see such activity in the colony. A little further east, in the Lucio del Lobo also concentrate large groups of waders, herons, storks, flamingos and ducks; small groups of Fallow Deer hide in the tall bushes looking for fresh grass among them. Several Short-toed Eagles use power line poles running along the track to perch get off our way and show us their majestic glides and move to perch a few posts ahead if they have eaten already or take advantage of the effort and continue flying in search of a juicy snake if haven't yet.
In the old Pump House of Garrido, near the Caņo Guadiamar, which still barely stands up, several pairs of Lesser Kestrels have breed successfully this year again. Adults and juveniles perch on the nearby wires if it is not too late in the morning. In the tunnel used to carry the water pumped from the nearby agricultural fields to the Caņo several pairs of Common and Red-rumped Swallows have also successfully bred and have not yet started their journey back south.
A promising year that is giving us a very attractive early summer in the woods and marshes north of Doņana. If you are thinking of spending a few days in our area this summer and enjoy our wonderful beaches do not forget that the National Park worth a visit even in summer.
2011 MAY 18th
Spring moves through
Spring moves restless across forests and marshes in Doņana. In the meadows among the pines in Coto del Rey grasses begin to dominate over other plants, although the Wild Gladiolus, Italian Bugloss, and Iris stand out of the green. Black Kites and Booted Eagles continue their nesting duties and are often seen perched near their nests. Iberian lynx females also continue to work hard to keep their babies well fed and educated, to our joy, there are few pleasures better than to see them tumbling beside a mastic tree, which occurs some days during our tours. Antlion traps abound in the roadsides and sandy areas with little transit of animals and vehicles. Wrens, Nightingales, Sardinian Warblers, Cetti´s Warblers, Treecrepers, Chanffinchs, Serins, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Great and Blue tits, which recently joined the Melodious Warbler, continue filling the woods with their songs.
In the cork oak woods of Matasgordas is the Halimium rockrose who dominates now filling with yellow flowers the undergrowth; the long stems of the Mullein and Bugloss are the only ones who minimally discuss its dominance. It´s been a few weeks since water moved away from the edge of the forest, but the nearby meadows still remain green and attract reed and fallow deer in the early hours of the morning.
In the marshes, many thousands flamingos occupy the shallower areas feeding on small invertebrates whose density increases as the water level drops. It is an impressive sight when they all fly away coloring the marsh in pink. Above them fly often Glossy Ibises, Purple Herons and Cattle Egrets on their way to the breeding colony loaded with food for their chicks. Black-winged Stilts and Collared Pratincoles share a plot of dry clay near the water's edge, defending aggressively their nests from Black Kites attacks. The first chicks must be about to hatch, same as the Kentish Plover who is also sharing he changing borders of the dry islands of the marsh.
The Pintail Sandgrouses and Marbled Teals now begin their reproductive duties. Both are species that require large efforts to be seen; the first may found over the other colors around; and the second between the aquatic vegetation in the flooded areas.
In the Caņo Guadiamar the Great Crested and Little Grebes are still carrying their babies on their backs and they will do while their size permits. Sharp-ribbed Salamanders and frogs abound in the waters of the channel but only to see on the peaks herons and egrets before eating.
With a little patience in the appropriate place in the marsh you can also enjoy watching the scarce Red-knobbed Coot. This is another species for which is very important to have the help of an experienced guide. In the breeding colony at José A. Valverde herons, egrets and ibis are struggling to feed and care for their offspring; whose number is increasing day by day. Black Kites and Marsh Harriers fly over every day in search of an easy snack.
Today it is raining again over the marshes which pleases many because it will help maintain the water level and make others unhappy like me because it will also help to maintain appropriate conditions for the grass keeping high the density of pollen in the atmosphere; which will not sit well with my hay fever.
2011 APRIL
27th
In memory Joanna
Francis
It was about 10 years ago, back in the spring of 2001, when I had the fortune to meet this great person. It wasn't her first time in Doņana, the exuberant nature of these latitudes had already caught her. Being an enthusiastic nature lover, always willing to increase their knowledge on any subject, always grateful for a new experience, always happy with any small surprise that our excursions in Doņana offered us. From large events like the stunning bird breeding colonies to small events such as the construction of an ant lion trap, from the mighty stag to the most delicate flower, from the highest tree tops to the lowest strata at the eyes of a lizard level, no corner of wilderness felt outside her interest.
I enjoyed our outings to Doņana as much as her. After a good number of years of experience as a guide in the Park and thousands of people who I had tried to convey my enthusiasm for this wonderful corner of Europe, I must say that few of them showed such a fervent adherence to Doņana. Nothing motivates more a nature guide than seeing the enjoyment of the person that shares with you the day , so I'll always be grateful to Joanna for all those great moments we spent together in Doņana.
Knowing that it might be the last time, she visited us in late January, she had never seen the Cranes and Geese in their winter quarters, and not being particularly good in waders, wanted to improve their identification skills at the time of the year that was a better challenge. The light of Doņana in winter also captivated her, the clarity of the landscape and the vastness of the marsh flooded after the heavy Autumn rain. But another light, her light, extinguished for ever last week. All who knew her will miss her.
I would have loved to show her Doņana again this spring. Winter rain have also been abundant this year so the marshes look great and the expectations are the best in a number of years. Meadows, constantly overflown by Bee-eaters, stay green with abundant flowers and butterflies; in the forest you can easily identify and locate every species by their song, and diversity in the marshes is the highest of the year. The great Imperial Eagle, the querulous Black Kite, the powerful Short-toed Eagle, the great hunter the Booted Eagle, the elegant Montagu's Harrier, the skilled Kestrels and the tender Little Owls, all would have been willing to show their skills again before Joanna's eyes.
Joanna would undoubtedly also enjoyed the small Kentish Plovers, hatchings their eggs now in a small slit of dried mud on the edges of marsh ponds, and the rare Tenmick's Stint passing in small numbers now mixed with large groups of other small waders on their way back to the north, and the exotic look of Collared Pratincoles, the loud chatting of the Black Winged Stilts, the displays of fun-toed Lark, the flights of the Lapwings chasing the Black Kites away from their nests, the curious silhouette of the Crested Coot hiding in reeds away from our sight, Glossy Ibis formations returning to the breeding colony, large flocks of Flamingos flying off and showing the flashes of red fire that decorate their wings and under which we name them, Griffon Vultures gaining height by cycling in a thermal and Purple Swamp-hen, Joanna would have thoroughly enjoyed our extravagant blue cocks which are already feeding their chickens this spring hidden among the aquatic vegetation.
She would have enjoyed so much to help me again in the search of, what she perfectly knew it was my favourite bird, the Pintail Sandgrouse. Difficult task each time you try, but that just makes it more interesting and rewarding. The three pairs that we saw today were just taking a dust bath in an open corner of dry clay only about 50 meters away from our car, their twisting to make it reach every corner of their bodies caught my attention and made my work easier.
If she had been able to come back to Doņana, the attractive song of the Calandra Lark and the delicate melody of the Melodious Warbler had caught her attention as much as they caught mine today, and she had loved to see again the small Spectacled Warblers and those little brown birds that all birders want to see when they come to Doņana, the Lesser Short-toed Larks. On arrival at the bridge over Caņo Guadiamar she had asked me to find for her again a Savi's Warbler, to see it singing from the top of a reed its monotonous tune that resembles more that of a cricket than anything else, his mouth staying open, as if waiting for the small insects that feeds on to fell inside by themselves attracted by it; that is one of those little things that she used to enjoy with gratitude.
Needless to say that her pleasure levels had risen high above when reaching once more Jose A. Valverde breeding colony. There the activity is hectic again, like every spring, 15 to 20,000 Purple Herons, Squacco Herons, Night Herons, Cattle Egrets, Little Egrets and Glossy Ibis, among others, are struggling to complete their nests and begin to hatch their eggs. The attractive Red-crested Pochards nesting under the tamarisks and, with a little luck, you can also see the elusive Little Bittern flying over the lagoon to hide again among the reeds
It took us a whole day last winter to find a species that she always missed on her visits to Doņana, and we had to go as far as Sanlúcar de Barrameda to get it, the scarce Marbled Teal, now we have some back in the marshes.
It took us a whole day last winter to find a species that she always missed on her visits to Doņana, and we had to go as far as Sanlúcar de Barrameda to get it, the scarce Marbled Teal, now we have some back in the marshes.
Febrero 2011 en la isla de Santa Lucía
A good friend is gone, and will not return to her beloved Doņana, at least in flesh and blood, though I'm sure the Doņana's marshes and forests have been somehow infused with her vital energy. From here I send you my most sincere gratitude wherever you are
2011 FEBRUARY
28th
Green and blue , pink and yellow
Spring is here, no doubt, we have only to look at our fields and our skies and see how the green takes over our lawns and as the blue of our skies every day is more ornate with the increasing number of individuals of species such as Black Kites, Booted Eagles, House Martins and Swallows.
Paper-white Narcissus hide among mastic and olive trees; wild geraniums, white and yellow daisies, yellow rockroses, blue borages, wild mustards, asphodels, all participate to varying degrees in decorating our fields. Pinks, yellows, purples and whites begin to take shape against the green background that lines our sand.
Reed and Fallow Deer lose their old antlers and immediately start forming new ones. Females of foxes and other mammals show their swollen bellies ready to give birth, while House Martins, Swallows and Coots are already working in the development or restoration of their nests. Needless to say that some storks are already hatching their eggs and male Great Spotted Cuckoos are already being chased by magpies in order to remove them from their nests while their partners do their work in them.
The first Black Kites and Booted Eagles over fly our forests, they are here to stay, while the first Short-toed Eagles on passage hover over the meadows in search of their favorite food, snakes, which have started to awaken from hibernation. On the other hand, Red Kites and Buzzards begin to decrease their numbers, only some will stay to face stiff competition with their newly arrived relatives. Lesser Kestrel also begins to return to their breeding colonies in our towns and cities, filling the sky with their claims and pirouettes.
The marsh begins to get cover with Salt Bulrushes while huge flocks of many thousand House Martins and Swallows feed over it. Other small flocks of waders, Godwits and Golden Plovers share the space in the vastness of the plain swamp. Flamingo pink lines and large flocks of Shoveler and Pintail also find their place in the horizontal landscape of the Hinojos marshes.
The still abundant White Wagtails welcome their yellow close relatives, the Yellow Wagtail, whose first units are now back from African lands wearing their best plumages. The Lesser Short-toed Larks do the same with her cousins the Greater Short-toed Lark, with which they will share the dry areas of the marsh until the summer. Although is the Calandra Lark, the queen of Larks the one that governs in the dry islands, their twittering stand above the rest of the songs in our early spring here in the marsh.
Further east, in the Caņo Guadiamar, the first Squacco Herons are easy to see now. Gallinules, coots, moorhens and grebes calls divert our attention from the delicate song of the Sedge Warblers, which are hidden in our tamarisk and reeds. The scarce Crested Coots display their impressive horns pointing to the sky as if to get rid of their heads. The elusive Bittern can be seen with some luck along the Caņo, along with the first Purple Heron detected already this year. Surely both are spotted without difficulty by the first Ospreys that have already begun their migration and its passage through Doņana.
A bit further east, around the Lucio del Lobo, the latest Cranes and Geese share the shallow flooded areas with groups of Fallow Deer and flocks of Glossy Ibis, which have already started their approach to the breeding colony at Jose A.Valverde Visitors Center.
Also worth a visit the Dehesa de Abajo, where male White Storks are holding nest on a first come and try to attract females to them. The displays may last for long time, unless it is a couple from last year that finds each other after the winter. Though storks form monogamous pairs for the duration of the breeding season, they do not migrate or over-winter together. If the same pair reforms in successive years it is largely due to their strong attachment to their nest site.
Down on the lake, besides large groups of avocets and stilts, it should be noted a large flock of several thousand flamingos that perform their courtship together producing one of the greatest natural performances that Doņana can offer its visitors.
I am sure you will find attractions enough to encourage you to visit Doņana this spring.
2011 JANUARY
20th
A ghost army
Spring announces its near arrival to Doņana, or perhaps we should say that it is already here; day by day green is taken the rest of the chromatic scale, especially in the pine woods, where the bright green grass covers it all, except in areas where trees have been allowed to grow too close each other, preventing needed light to reach the grounds. However, these dark areas become places for other forest inhabitants at this time of year, mushrooms, a large army ghost. A huge mosaic of wet and cool soils, with more or less light or small differences in acidity and salinity, where most of vital stories of the great forest take place, gets invaded at this time of year by a horde whose silent conquest is performed without pause while the conditions are favorable.
There are no disputes or apparent struggles, each platoon of the great army does its job in the plot assigned and when they are done plant their banners in the form of wonderful mushrooms of all shapes and colors imaginable. Viscous Boletus, pink Russula, appealing Lactarius, funny Lycoperdon, elegant Geastrum, bluish Lepistas, delicate Omphalinas, cheeky Coprinus, provocative Amanitas, strange looking Clathrus, colorful Fuligos, all have their role and place in our forests and are there to be enjoyed by those who dont forget to look down from time to time.
 
They are not exactly looking forward to the arrival of spring, but others are anxious because their proximity. The first swallows already fly over our wetlands as every year at this time, in the forests Chiffchaffs songs become increasingly apparent, others like Wren, Chaffinch, Great and Blue Tits help them to compose the soundtrack of the forest. Coots in the marshes are no longer in large groups, but begin to break up into small groups and couples that are put to work to choose their little corners and defend it from competitors. The humor of the Little Grebe also begins to improve day by day; their contagious laughter is heard frequently now. The soundtrack here in the extent of the marsh is different, here Cettis Warblers, Common Moorhens, Crested and Calandra Larks work together to build it; Lapwings, Greylaag Geese, Shovelers and Pintails collaborate too, they also feel that strange sensation which must make for them the arrival of spring. But if there is someone in these winter warm sunny days that intends to conduct this motley choir is the Purple Gallinule, this amateur baritone is back in the marsh and seem to try and turn this refined classical melody into a piece of free jazz with their cries out of tune. The saltmarsh bulrush is only now beginning to stand out of the water so that species such as the Purple Gallinule and the Crested Coot are now easier to observe.
Royal spectator of the eagerness of each one of them the Imperial Eagle watch with interest from the top of one of the electric poles that are distributed evenly along the Caņo Guadiamar. For the non usual visitors certainly they will not mean anything but a nuisance in the plain uniform landscape, but for many common inhabitants of the marsh, power lines and poles crossing become invaluable perches. The large number of Kestrels wintering in Doņana would not be here if not for them, and the abundant Red Kites, Ravens, Buzzards and Starlings are also deeply grateful. The juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle we found today peering from their perch on the pole was without doubt one of best surprises of the day, but the biggest surprise for me was certainly the unexpected Short-toed Eagle flying over the pine trees around the House of Caņada Mayor. On rare occasions, individuals of this species remain in Doņana for the winter so their sightings are usually very rare in this time of year.
But there is another regular visitor to the winters of Doņana that is coming late this year, this is the Great Spotted Cuckoo, a species whose first individuals often return from African lands in early January or even late December, well ahead of even the earliest swallows, but this year has not been seen around the edges of the northern marshes. Unaware of these absences and presences off calendar, huge flocks of Geese, Shoveler, Pintail and the especially abundant this year Shelduck seize the Hinojos Marshes. In the distance we also see large flocks of Glossy Ibis, Godwits and Lapwings flying over the marshes. The Golden Plovers, more timid, remain well camouflaged in the muddy higher areas, accompanied by a myriad from small Pipits, Wagtails and Larks.
The edges of the road are constantly animated by small flocks of Goldfinch, Serin, Greenfinch and Linnet that come to feed on the seeds from thistles and in the meadows near the woods where the first spring narcissus bloom already and the lower leaves from storks bills and other species cover the sand, small groups of deer and deer graze peacefully.
With just a little bit of luck so you can come across such a sunny day as this your visit to Doņana this winter will become a beautiful life experience full of the small stories that all its inhabitants will tell you.
To read former reports go to the Report page
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