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MAY
2nd
Just a
few notes before leaving El Rocio for a few days due to the annual
Festival.
Plenty
of water in the marshes and birds all over, excellent time to visit
Doñana. Good opportunities for Sandgrouse
and numerous Pratincoles and
Terns, including Gull-billed,
Whiskered, Black
and some White-winged
around Caño Guadiamar; there are at least 2 female White-headed
Duck and 1 male there.
We saw
today 2 grown up Short-eared Owls chicks at Veta Zorrera,
I will have to check when I am back if this species has ever bred in
Doñana. We also saw an European Nightjar, a very uncommon migrant
to Doñana, I just found it by chance when I was doing private things
behind a bush next to the bridge of Caño Guadiamar. It was just seating
on a stone next to the water, I thought it was a toad first. We had
excellent views of it. Later in the day we saw a Red-necked Nightjar
in flight next to the Guadalquivir River.
There
has been a Western Reef Egret at Jose A. Valverde during
the last few days, I saw it for the first time the day before yesterday;
today it was still there.
Melodious and Olivaceous Warbler still passing. Several
Crested Coots at Dehesa de Abajo. Short-toed Eagle passing
through the marshes in good numbers.
Many Glossy
Ibis, Purple
Heron and Squaco Heron, in
beautiful breeding plumage, all over the marshes and 2 Great
White Egrets
at least at Caño Guadiamar.
The
two juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagles are still often seen on the
eucalyptus at the far banks of the marshes in El Rocío.
APRIL
25th
Melodious Warblers are passing at last, we saw a couple of them
at the northern marshes. On the way back to El Rocio we also found an
Olivaceous Warbler singing from a
Tamarisc near Puente de Ajolí. Garden Warblers passing now too.
Unexpectedly I found a Short-eared Owl rusting in a Tamarisc at
Veta Zorrera, several of them spent a few weeks there at the end of the
winter but the end of April is not the right time for them to be still
here. I don't do that area often before sunset, the good time of the day
to see them, so there might be more than one.
We
also found yesterday several Wheatears and a Whinchat still passing
across the Hinojos Marshes. And several Short-toed Eagles, one of
them extremely pale, at different places in the northern marshes.
APRIL
21st
Three
Sacred Ibises seen this morning again next to El Rocío.
Apart from that I saw today a rare migrant to Doñana, a Wood
Warbler, it was at La Rocina, in a large pine next to the
visitor centre. We saw there also several Garden Warblers, the
first of the season for me.
Later
in the morning I found the first Olivaceous Warbler of the season
and the 2 first Golden Orioles, all at the pond next to Cortijo
del Quema.
APRIL 18th
Mobbing stones and cows
Intense activity all around, everyone is busy with breeding tasks, from
Partridges, Kites, Serins and Lynx in the forests to Horses, Larks,
Herons and Pratincoles in the marshes. Skies are still full with Swifts,
Martins and Swallows passing and many small waders are still using the
shallow waters in the marshes as the ideal stopover spot. Coots sat on
their cones of reeds are common along Caño Guadiamar as well as
Squaco Herons
in breeding plumage.
No
sings of Sacred Ibis in the last few days. Many are happy for
that, they don't have a very good reputation in the conservationist
European community. To know about the species you can read this
excellent report:
http://www.birdingworld.co.uk/images/SacredIbises.pdf
On
Wednesday we found an unexpected concentration of Great White Egrets
at Entremuros, north of Casa Bombas. We counted around 20 individuals
and one was showing the typical dark beak of the breeding plumage. They
are usual winter visitors to Doñana but they haven't been reported to
breed here for a long time and only occasionally. We found 2 today at
Caño Guadiamar, not far from the breeding colony of Jose A. Valverde and
one of them had also a dark beak. By the way, the colony is timing with
life, thousand of Egrets, Herons and Ibises come and go restless.
Also
on Wednesday, we stopped at the Dehesa de Pilas to see some Stone
Curlews. This birds gather by hundreds in the winter to rust in a
particular spot of the marshes so it is not difficult to see them
if you know where they are, but now in Spring the split in pairs and it
is a hard job to find them. Luckily if you find a pair you are very
likely to see them there again because they are probably breeding in
that particular plot of meadow. So my clients that day benefited from my
search on previous days and had excellent views of a male standing up
next to a small bush and a female sat on the nest a few meters away.
Dehesa de Pilas is a large extension of common land used to graze
livestock, horses and cows mainly and that day there was a big herd of
cows sharing the same field with our couple of Stone Curlew. I always
wondered how ground nesting birds manage to succeed in such a difficult
conditions; how do they avoid cattle to step over their nests and
spoiled their breeding efforts. Or they don't, is it just a matter of
luck?
Well,
we found out that day. We watched through our telescopes how an enormous
white and brown cow walked heavily towards the female Stone Curlew; we
all imagined the disaster. When there was just a couple of meters
between them, 2 short steps for the big cow, the immobile small stone
with yellow eyes jumped from its nest wings open and faced the monster
during a fraction of a second, enough to make it turn aside and change
direction away from the nest. Easy and effective we thought. Small Larks
must have taught horses in the marshes to follow the same path when
walking through.
APRIL 11th
Happy frogs, happy me
Frogs
must be really happy to see the marshes flooded again. I really enjoyed
the day today, a bit windy but the marshes looked beautiful under the
sunlight.
I am
not showing this picture to attract more clients for the season because
I am virtually fully booked for the whole spring but just to share with
you the views of the paradise where Doñana's frogs live and encourage
you to visit this wonder of nature.
We had
excellent views of Pintail Sandgrouse today, first at Dehesa de
Pilas, along with a pair of Stone Curlews, and then at the
Hinojos Marshes, just on the other side of the road where I took this
picture from. Later we had very good views of two juvenile
Spanish Imperial
Eagles near Cancela de la Escupidera.
We also found two Tenmick's Stint well camouflaged
among hundreds of other small waders at Marisma de Hinojos.
There are
not 9 but 10 Sacred Ibis at El Rocio, plus a Bald
Ibis, at the open fields east of the
village.
APRIL 10th
As
expected, the rain we have had last two days have made a lot of good to
the Park. The short way from El Rocío to the marshes along the Raya Real
is blocked. The marshes look at their best again, flooded with a good
level of water. Many thousand small waders were passing today across the
Hinojos Marshes: Curlew Sandpiper,
Dunlin, Ringed
Plovers and Little
Ringed Plovers,
some Grey Plovers,
Greenshank, Redshank
and Ruff and a few
Little Stint.
We had
scattered showers, strong winds and sunny spells today; the day started
with Cirl Bunting
at Coto del Rey and a couple of Black-shouldered
Kites at Vado del Quema. Kept going
with many Gull-billed and Whiskered Terns and
1 Black Tern at Dehesa de Abajo; a couple of Water
Pipits at Vado de Don Simón; Short-toed, Lesser Short-toed
Larks and Calandra
Larks at the National Park marshes; Great Spotted Cuckoo
and Spanish Imperial Eagle near Veta
Zorrera; Collared Pratincoles all over;
Glossy Ibis and Purple
Heron building nests at Jose A.
Valverde; a few Squacco Heron
in breeding plumage and 3 Great
White Egrets
at Caño Guadiamar; a pair of Stone Curlews at Dehesa de Pilas.
And we ended up the day with 9 Sacred Ibis
at the fields east of El Rocío, the highest number of this species I
have ever seen together in Doñana.
APRIL 4th
Temperatures have been very high today, over 25º C but they will low
down from Monday next week, when some rain is expected . The more we get
the better for the marshes. Migration keeps going and
Whiskered and Gull-billed
Terns are passing through along with
Subalpine, Sedge,
and Willow Warblers.
I have seen today the first Whinchat and Whitethroat of
the season a some more Wheatears and
Redstarts.
There
are a few Great-spotted Cuckoos around Puente del Ajolí and some
more at Veta Zorrera. I have seen today the first 2 Common
Cuckoos in the Park despite of having
heard a couple before but not seen any until today. Pintail
Sandgrouse have been seen very well in the last few days in the
fields south of the bridge over Caño Guadiamar.
We
found 2 second year Black Storks at the left edge of Entremuros
and several Great White
Egrets in the northern marshes. A
Black Vulture was seen yesterday in the Hinojos Marshes and several
Garganey today at Cerrado Garrido.
The
access along the Raya Real has been restricted due to the Iberian Lynx
breeding season and even authorized companies have been asked not to
even stop along several kilometres on that route. Rangers patrol the
area all day up and down. All the efforts are few to preserve this
scarce wild cat.
MARCH
30th
Bee-eaters passing through in waves.
Hundreds of Collared Pratincoles fly in dense flocks over El
Rocío marshes, many can also be seen at Marisma de Hinojos and Dehesa de
Pilas. Nightingales can already be heard at Puente del Ajolí. Short-eared Owls can still be seen hunting over the open
fields next to the northern edge of the marshes. Great-crested Cuckoo is
still around Veta Zorrera but it will not stay for much longer.
Short-toed Larks
are becoming common along the marshes; Willow and Sedge
Warblers are still passing. Great
Reed Warblers are arriving at Caño Guadiamar and
Savi's Warblers sing perching on the reeds there.
A pair
of Crested Coots, one uncollared, was seen on Friday at Dehesa de Abajo.
MARCH
23rd
The
first Short-toed Larks are back in the marshes, we saw some near
Casa Bombas. The first Great Reed Warbler and a few Savi's
Warblers at the bridge over Caño Guadiamar and several Purple Herons
along the Caño. Many Red-crested Pochard there too.
There
are still some Hen Harriers around and some Montague's Harriers back
from Africa. Sedge, Willow and Subalpine Warbler still passing, along
with thousand of Martins, Swallows and Swifts of both kinds. We also saw
a Tenmick's Stint at Lucio del Lobo and a large flock of Collared
Pratincoles at Dehesa de Pilas.
MARCH
22nd
New species coming in
every day. Today we saw the first Bee-eaters flying over Dehesa de
Abajo, just over a dozen of them, a very early arrival this year, and the first
Gull-billed Terns over a
rice field south of Isla Mayor, about 20 of them. A Black Stork
was spotted at the left banks of Entremuros near Casa Bombas. We also
saw today another Wryneck near Vado del Quema, a male
White-headed Duck at Dehesa de Abajo reservoir and a Red-knobbed
Coot with no collar there too. There are around 25 Tufted Duck,
still, at the small lagoon north of Cortijo de Quema.
No
more Sacred Ibis seen today away from El Rocío.
MARCH
21st
The
first Collared Pratincoles have
arrived in Doñana, there is a flock of about a hundred of them at El
Rocio marshes, along with a good number of Whiskered
Terns and a few Garganey. One Little
Bittern has also been spotted there and
several Sacred Ibis, up to 6; I have been out of Doñana
for the last 6 days so I can only report what I have been told. We only
saw one today at the open fields east of El Rocío.
We
also found a Wryneck displaying at Arroyo del Algarbe.
MARCH
6th
A
bright and sunny but windy and cold day. The last wintering birds share
wires, branches and patches of sky and water with the first breeding
birds. A Black Redstart next to the first Woodchat Shrike
of the season on the top wire of a fence near Palacio del Rey, a Hen
Harrier flying over the same open field as a Black Kite at
Veta Zorrera and the last Greylag Geese and Cranes
feeding near a couple of passing Garganeys at Lucio del Lobo.
Not
many waders around any more, we explored a large extension or rice
fields around Isla Mayor to find only a few flooded fields with some
Kentish and Ringed
Plovers, 4 Snipe
and a few Greenshanks in Cantarita. We
found the best fields for waders next to Dehesa de Abajo reservoir where
we found one Tenmick's Stint mixed with a small group of
Little Ringed
Plovers and Litlle
Stint.
A
group of about 20 Garganeys at La Madre
and several Squaco Herons. A Baillon's Crake has been
spotted at Jose Antonio Valverde.
Glad
to announce the pair of Spanish Imperial Eagles are back at their usual
nesting spot in the rice fields. The female was sat on the nest and the
male perched on a near branch, we had excellent views of it.
FEBRUARY
27th
The
marshes look beautiful these days; the rain we had last week have made a
lot of good to the park in general and the marshland in particular. The
plains are mostly flooded and start to green up. The white of wild
narcissus in the forests and the pink of Stork's Bill in the meadows
dominate the landscape.
Spanish Imperil Eagles still show well along the northern edge of the
marshes, along with the first Short-toed Eagles and
Black Kites.
Magpies try to chase Great
Spotted Cuckoos
away from their nests and Black-shouldered
Kites hover elegant over the marshes.
There are still hundreds of Geese and
many Cranes trying to choose the best
day to go.
Today
we saw the first Garganey and
the first Sedge Warbler
of the season, both at Jose Antonio Valverde visitor centre. At Lucio
del Lobo there are large flocks of Shoveler and Red-crested Pochard, a
good number of Pintail and Black-tailed Godwit, dozens of Black-winged
Stilts and Avocets.
FEBRUARY
20th
Today we
had some mist in the early morning, clouds and sunshine around midday
and some heavy showers after it. An American lady and I spent the day
birding around in the northern forests and marshes. A good variety of
species as usually but a few things to emphasize.
We saw
not only one but two Wheatears today around Cancela de la Escupidera,
that means that they are passing through already. Two Yellow Wags
instead or one as well and a good number of Sand Martins
around José A. Valverde V.C.
Today I
saw the first Subaplpine Warbler this year, a beautiful
male.
We missed
them yesterday but we had today one juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle from
the Raya Real near Palacio del Rey sat on a tree early in the morning
and two more flying over Matasgordas a bit later.
Back in
the forest we found 4 black-kite like raptors sat on a tree. After
looking at them with my binoculars I realized that one of them was
extremely pale on its head and body, a probable juvenile, and another
looked like a Red Kite because of the rufous body, but looking at the
other features, tale, silhouette and size it was definitely nothing more
than a Black Kite too. I was amazed by the unusual colorations of the
birds in that interesting group of Black Kites, shame I did not have
that day the camera with me.
FEBRUARY
19th
After today's tour I can
tell you that Short-eared Owls are still near Huerta
Tejada, we counted 9 there today but I have to tell you that last
Sunday, around the same time of the day, I was not able to see one. It
rained last night so they were all drying their wings out in the
sunshine.
A good number of Griffon
Vultures were doing the same with their wings open sat on trees
along the edge of Matasgordas cork oak wood; also a couple of wet
Black Kites, several pairs of Black-shouldered
Kites, a male Hen Harrier and several Great-spotted
Cuckoos at Veta Zorrera, in the restricted northern route of
the National Park, as well as an unusual for the spot, Black
Stork.
At Cancela de la Escupidera
we saw again the Northern Whetear that has stayed around
for the whole winter, a small flock of Pin-tailed
Sandgrouse grazing next to a large group of Greylag Geese and
the first Yellow Wagtail of the season just back from Africa.
Skylarks, Calandra
Larks, Crested Larks and Lesser Short-toed
Larks are common in the Hinojos Marshes, we saw many today.
Large mixed flocks of Lapwings and Golden Plovers
fill the marshes. One Ruff with them and several Greenshanks
and Green Sandpipers along the road to Jose Antonio
Valverde Visitor Centre.
A female Peregrine
chasing a Marsh Harrier near Lucio del Lobo and many
Shoveler, Pintail, Common Teal, Mallard,
Red-crested Pochard, Black-tailed
Godwit, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt on
the water, among others. On the way to Huerta Tejada there are still
many Common Cranes, several Great White
Egrets, dozens of Common Kestrels and small numbers of
Stone Curlews if your eye sight is good.
Corn Bunting,
Stonechat, Goldfinch, Serin, Linnet,
Greenfinch went to my client’s day bird list too. Back in the forest
we added Azure-winged Magpie, Little Owl,
Booted Eagle, Sardinian Warbler,
Dartford Warbler and Great-spotted
Woodpecker to the list.
The total number of species
after only 6 hours went up to 94.
FEBRUARY
17th
Reporting a Bald Ibis in Doñana: an adult from the Eremita
Project, carried out by the Jerez Zoobotanic to reintroduce the species
in south Spain, was seen yesterday near the country house of Hato Blanco
Viejo feeding on a pasture field with a group of Cattle Egrets. It
carries several rings, the white one with the number RO2.
Crested Coot can be found at the marshes next to El Rocío and at
Dehesa de Abajo reservoir where we also saw today the first Red-rumped
Swallow this year, the Sacred Ibis is still there too. Several junvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle are
still moving around the edge of the northern marshes near Cancela de la
Escupidera.
The
first Black Kite are back from Africa and the first Booted
Eagle are also reported around Matasgordas. Great-crested Cuckoo
are also as usually in Veta Zorrera.
Cranes and Geese are already going back north and waders
passing through.
It's
raining and more rain is coming in the next few days.
JANUARY 29th
A few
unexpected sightings today: a juvenile Osprey in the rice fields
near Dehesa de Abajo, a group of about 15 Tufted Ducks in the
lagoon next to the Stork colony and also there a Sacred Ibis
on one of the islands.
JANUARY 27th
Today
I meet two Spanish couples from Jerez at the petrol station in El Rocío
for a half day tour in the Park. While we introduced each other I was
wondering where a beautiful fragrance in the air was coming from. I
asked them if the could smell it but they couldn't. Now I am recalling
that moment I can nearly feel it again. It was a sweet and delicate
smell that filled my nose suddenly. I asked the two women if they were
using some kind of perfume but they were not. A local man wearing a
typical borsalino cap with a pattern of small green squares was using
the car washer so I thought: maybe he has chosen the expensive option
and it includes some kind of fancy detergent. I took it as the possible
answer. But a little while later, we stopped at Coto del Rey to look at
some mammal tracks on the sand and there it was again. Better than any
perfume I could remember.
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, the main character of "Perfume: The Story of a
Murderer", the novel by Patrick Süskind, would have enjoyed it very much.
I asked them again if they were really not using any perfume, that smell
had to come from somewhere. Only one of the woman could now feel it a
bit. Jose Juan, one of the men of the group, could not smell it but he
remembered that he had seen a peach plantation in blossom not far from
El Rocío that morning. I knew about that plantation north of the village
and the wind was blowing form the north so there it was the answer. I
was amazed by the simple but unexpected explanation for that great
fragrance that made that day different from any other to me.
A
short report to let you know that there are already some Common
Swallow and House Martin around the Mother of the Marshes in
El Rocío; a few Squacco Heron can also be seen there. Several
Spotted Eagles have been seen in the area this winter; I saw last
one at the road from La Rocina to Acebron on the 25th. Several immature
Spanish Imperial Eagle are still around the Cancela de la
Escupidera at Marisma de Hinojos and several pairs of Black-shouldered
Kites around Veta Zorrera. This year there are only a couple of Great
Crested Cuckoo there yet. Short-eared Owl can still be seen
near Huerta Tejada, specially before sunset, and Stone Curlews
are still there too.
2008 JANUARY 10th
I
start a new year with my thanks for all birdwatchers and nature
lovers that have visited Doñana and those still to come wishing them a very successful 2008 full of enjoyable days, good
luck for everybody.
Spring is around the corner so the first flowers are coming out
these days: Peperworts fill the olive groves, Sea Squill and Field
Madder decorate the side roads and the first Stork's Bill the forests
edges and meadows.
The
Mother of the Marshes, a large lagoon next to the village of El Rocío,
is teeming with life. Mallard, Shoveler,
Pintail, Pochard,
Greylang Goose,
Coot, Spoonbill,
Flamingo, Herons,
Ibis and Egrets abound. It's one
of the few places to try the Squacco
Heron this year and a good one to try
the Crested Coot. In the near La Rocina Stream a couple of
Bittern have been seen recently.
In the
pine forests of Coto del Rey a male Lynx from Sierra Morena is being
relocated to restore partially the situation derived from the 11 animals
died during the outbreak of Feline Leukemia (FeLV) that affected the
local Lynx population in the last few years. They will keep it within a
6 hectare fenced and monitored plot until is adapted to the new
conditions. Blackaps and Robins
are specially active and noisy; their calls along with those of
Great, Crested
and Blue Tits,
Treecrepers, Chaffinch,
Blackbird, Wren,
Sardinian and Cetti's
Warbler, Wood
Pigeon and Woodpeckers
fill the forests. They can also feel Spring coming.
Great Spotted
Cuckoo is back, the first can be seen at Veta
Zorrera, the sandy island near the edge of the northern marshes. First
winter young Spanish
Imperial Eagle
have been showing very well in this area in the last few weeks. We saw
very well today a nice adult flying over Caño Guadiamar being mobbed by
two Buzzards. Several pairs of
Black-shouldered
Kite can also be found around the
northern edge of the marshes and Hen Harrier is also easy these
days. Red Kites
and Common
Kestrels are specially common now in the winter.
We also saw today an unexpected Short-toed
Eagle hovering over this area, they are rare but
not strange in winter time.
A bit
further, in the Hinojos Marshes, several thousand geese graze on the
still dry fields of the wet plains. A group of about 10
Dotterel have chosen these fields to winter
this year, sharing the area with Pintailed
Sandgrouse and hundreds of
Calandra Larks and White
Wagtail. Today we saw one of the rare
Pied Wagtail
next to Caño Guadiamar. For the first time since I can remember we have
a Wheatear wintering in the marshes; a new sign of the Global
warming? Short-toed Lark and Skylark
are also common in the marshes and Crested Lark also shows signs
of feeling Spring coming.
Lapwing and Golden Plover
are the commonest waders in the marshes, most of the other can be found
in the rice field area north of the Park. Blue
Throat and Penduline
Tit show themselves well normally
around the bridge over the Caño Guadiamar along with Black-winged
Stilt, Avocet,
Purple Swamp-hen,
Green Sandpiper,
Flamingo and Black
Stork. Glossy Ibis have just
started to arrive in the colony around the Jose Antonio Valverde visitor
centre.
A
Peregrine here or there and groups of
Cranes in the marshes around Lucio del Lobo. A bit further, near
Huerta Tejada, can be found at their usual roost several hundred
Stone Curlew
and about a dozen Short-eared
Owls. If you adventure yourself into
the rice fields you may find some fields with large concentrations of
waders including Grey and
Golden Plover, 3
kind of Shanks, Black-tailed Godwit,
Ruff, Ringed and Kentish
Plover, Dunlin
and
Little Stint.
The lagoon at Dehesa de Pilas is a very good spot for ducks, a couple of
White-headed Duck were spotted there two days ago.
DECEMBER 6th
Today
we had again a dry and sunny day with good visibility from early in the
morning; the marshes are still just wet but not flooded. We saw again a Spanish Imperial Eagle sat on a cork oak tree
at Matagordas and several Black-winged Kites in the same area.
When we entered the marshes I stopped the car to check something big and
dark perched on a low tree at the edge of the forest, it was a
Black Vulture, uncommon but usual winter visitor to the area. It
had been seen by Alex, my colleague, the previous day not far from
there. A bit further down we found a small flock of some 11 Little
Bustards, also usual winter visitor, and spotted a Merlin
seating on a cow dung in the middle of the Hinojos Marshes near the
Cancela de la Escupidera.
On the
way back to El Rocío we found the Black Vulture seating on an old tree
very close to the road, stopped the car and check it. It was a juvenile
(black ruff and head, it takes some 6 years to get the adult plumage)
with a yellow ring around the left leg (76C). A Griffon Vulture joined
it and one of the clients took a picture with both, hopefully you will
be able to see that picture soon here.
NOVEMBER 28th
We
have seen today a Spanish Imperial Eagle sat on a cork oak tree
at Matagordas and a Spotted Eagle, an
uncommon but usual wintering species in Doñana, was eating first something
on the ground and then set off and flew over Haton Ratón Rice Fields,
this one was the first this season for me.
A very nice
Ryneck has also been spotted at Jose Antonio Valverde Visitor
Centre. This is an uncommon species in Doñana but its numbers increase
with the wintering individuals, even though only a few of them are seen
every year during our tours .
NOVEMBER 23rd
Exploring and
learning
(An average Autumn full day tour)
I met
Machteld and Geert at 8 o'clock at Puerta Doñana Guest House
in El Rocío where they were staying since Wednesday. The sun was ready to rise over
the top of the trees along the route through Coto del Rey Pine Woods.
We had the whole day in front and the Dutch man and the Belgium woman
wanted to see as much of the park as possible. They were not expert
birdwatchers but willing to learn.
The
couple of
Little Owls living in the
dead cork oak just passed the Puente del Ajolí shown themselves very
well as usually. In that pour light of the early morning it was
difficult to tell them apart from the grey bark of the tree unless they
moved. Luckily for my two clients they did just enough to realise that
the rounded piece of branch was actually the head of one of my little
friends. Partridges, as many other birds, go now in groups; in
this case of about 10 or 20. Robins could be heard all around and
Common Chiffchaffs seen moving nervously in
the bushes; both are common wintering species. Black Redstarts shown also
easily coming up and down the metallic bars of the Park fence. A
Common Buzzard seating on a dead branch of an
old oak was waiting for the first rays of sunlight to warm up a bit and
a couple of Ravens flew passed
squawking loudly. We stopped the car by the fence and went out to watch
over it at a small group of Fallow Deer
eating acorns under the trees; a good male and two females still
accompanied by their two young bucks which will remain with their
mothers for about 18 months.
I
stopped the car and turned off the engine several times along the way so Machteld and Geert
could heard the songs of Serin,
Sardinian Warbler, Great,
Blue and Long
tailed Tits,
Chaffinch, Tree-creeper,
Wren
and Blackcap. You don't learn bird
songs in a couple of hours but it is always useful to be told the
differences between some of the easy ones; it takes years, I am still on
it, but once you now them they turn into one of the most used tools of a
bird guide. How many of you haven't had a good sight of a
Cetti's Warbler? How many of you would not
hesitate to identify its song? Knowing about bird songs opens you the
doors to a new world the same as knowing about starts open your eyes to
a new sky.
We
stopped again at the usual view point over the marshes by the edge of
the forest. From there we watched with enthusiasm the hunting techniques
of a pair of Black-shouldered
Kite not far from us. A
male Hen Harrier flying low was taken by Geert for another Kite so I
explained her that the Harrier was much bigger and used a very different
hunting technique. A large charm of several hundred Goldfinches
set off from the thistle fields and group of about twenty Reed Deer
would have a rest while keeping an eye on us.
We had
had some rain at last at the beginning of the week after around one
month and half of dry weather.
 Although it
was not enough to fill the marshes it had been very welcome for the
population of Greylag Goose wintering in Doñana. That rain had
soften the hard clay of the marshes so now they are able to dig out the
tubers of the Red Nut Sedge and that also save them the journey to the
rice fields in search of food. That is what they had been doing every morning until now.
A dangerous trip because they have to fly over areas of the marshes
included in the Natural Park where shooting Geese and ducks is
allowed from the beginning of October to the end of January. It does not
make much sense that they are save on one side of a
fence and not on the other side, but that the way it is with hunting in
Spain in general and Doñana in particular. It was a very nice show to see: endless flocks of squawking geese moving
north east. The show is over but now we can see the flocks spread
all over the Hinojos Marshes for the whole day. Skylarks,
Crested Larks
and Lesser Short-toed Larks
are abundant in the wet marshes. White Wagtails, Stonechats,
Linnets and mixed flocks of Goldfinch and Serin also abound along the roads. A very late
Wheatear surprised me that day too. Red Kites and Common
Kestrels are increasing their numbers and Griffon Vultures
are seeing often around the sheep which are giving birth these
days; sights of Egyptian Vultures are not rare either. We
did not see any Merlin that day but they are around, not common
but seen most days.
A stop
at the bridge over the Caño Guadiamar is always compulsory. From there
we had good views of Purple Gallinule, Common Coot
and Moorhen, White
and Black Stork, Great
White Egret,
Grey Heron,
Little and Cattle
Egret, Green
Sandpiper, Common
Snipe, Greenshank,
Common Redshank,
Black-winged Still, Ring
Plover and Little
Ringed Plover,
Common Pochard
and Mallard, Marsh
Harrier and a solitary female
Peregrine sat on the wires. I put in practise
my knowledge on bird songs to show Machteld and Geert a small group of
Pintail Sandgrouse
flying over. They normally sing only while flying and its characteristic
short and repetitive note is easy to identify. It sounded week so they
were obviously moving very high over our heads. I got to find them, not
without effort, and show it to them, there were only 4 flying south at
about 4 hundred meters of altitude with its usual quick wing beat.
A
short and sharp call in the reeds attract my attention. I had a theory
but was not sure. It was confirmed soon after when I saw the first
White-spotted Bluethroat of the season (Red and White-spotted
Bluethroats are scientifically confirmed to be just two different races
of the same species). I saw it first from behind so I could not see the
blue bib at all but the usual lifted tail, the white supercilium and its
silhouette accused it. There are no other birds in the winter season
with that kind of varied, melodic and loud song in that kind of habitat
so if you know it you find them easy if they are around. The reddish red
band across the tail is also a good tip if you just see something flying
away from you along a ditch. But that sort of short alarm call was not
familiar to me. I only see them in the area for a few months and it is
not breeding season for them so they don't sing much after they arrive
and choose a piece of the reed beds to live. I added that day a little
note to my personal bird song list . There were several of them, maybe 5
or 6, all around the bridge, which were just arrived and still a sort of
building territories and ranks. We enjoyed them for a while (with more
or less blue around the chest) before moving to Jose Antonio Valverde
Visitor Centre for a cup of coffee from were we saw a small flock of
Flamingos, a few Avocets
in flight and several Spoonbills.
The
plan was having a drink and a couple of "tapas" at a bar in Isla Mayor
and spend the rest of the day exploring around the rice fields. On the
way there we had the chance to see several groups of Common
Cranes grazing in the cereal fields
north of the Park. Large flocks of Calandra Larks with their
contrasted white bellies and black underwings performed their
choreography before us and family groups of Zitting Cisticola
zipped while flying ahead close to the vehicle.
We had
Spinaches with chickpeas, fillets of Dusky Grouper and pig cheeks
stewed. Men had a glass of Rioja and Geert one of local white wine. Two
cups of coffee, total 22€, excellent value for our money. Well their
money actually, I insisted on sharing the bill but they did not accept
and paid it all.
After
lunch I headed south towards Cantarita , the southernmost rice fields in
the area but soon after we left the village I stopped to watch over a
flooded field which have been just harvested and hold a great number of
Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, White Storks and Lapwings. A
tractor was ploughing the field to mixed the remaining straw with the
blackish clay and birds were tacking advantage of the smashed crayfish
and frogs. There was a yellow track in good conditions running west
along the field banks which I didn't know. I will still need a few more
years to know every single track in an area of about 350 square
kilometres of rice fields. Furthermore, I even find sometimes that new
yellow tracks have been built on the inappropriate black clay tracks or
some others have been dismantled so once you leave the main tracks you
never know what you will find, a new adventure starts. We stopped the
car by an old abandoned house with a staircase going up to a
rooftop which looked very convenient to look over the area. We enjoyed
good views of the area as well as of a small group of Grey Plovers
in one of the flooded fields and found several Black
Storks at different distances from the house. The track ended up
going around a large extension of fields and back to the main track so
the exploring was profitable.
A bit
later I turned off the engine and stopped the car again to check a the
reed beds in an old branch of the Guadalquivir River, the so called
Brazo de la Torre, and the grassland next to it. We found a group of
Purple Gallinules
flying back into the reeds and several Common Snipes
and Lapwings. I approached a thick
patch
of Tamarix to check for a Barn
Owl that rusts there and as usually saw
it flying away from it. When I was just about to go back with my clients
I heard a long sharp call I am used to. I called Machteld and Geert to
come and bring the telescope. We had very good views of several
Penduline Tits playing around. When
going back to the car we saw a flock of about 50 Glossy Ibis
flying towards us; they flew over us and turn back to follow the line of
reeds for several hundred meters; they turn back again and headed
towards us once more to repeat the behaviour to turn back and disappear
this time in the distance after taking land somewhere in the far reeds.
Funny performance that gave us the chance not only to see well but to
hear perfectly the sound of their wing beats.
Once
we got to Cantarita we found a good rice field full of waders and saw
there Little Stint, Dunlin, 1 Ruff and a
group of Knot. Further inside we spotted an Osprey
and one more later. A couple of Kingfishers flew away from us
while crossing over ditches. It was getting late and we had not much
light left so I decided to head back. On the way I drove off the main
road to finish the day with several hundred Night Herons at their
rust place.
That
was a good day out and Machteld and Geert so told me when I took them
back to the guest house.
OCTOBER 24th
Magical sounds at night
Temperatures are going down at last, despite of not having had a
specially hot summer, we were still having up to 30º some days and that
made visibility in the marshes get worse from very early in the morning.
These days we see often a beautiful background of sand dunes when
looking South from the northern marshes and the elegant silhouette of Grazalema mountains to the East.
To the
usual sound of the Barn Owls I enjoy every night from the bed
room, during the last couple of weeks mainly I have to add the sound of
the arriving flocks of Geese. There is
plenty of magic in the sound of the Owls
but a flock of Geese squawking while
flying in formation during the night put me under a spell. Furthermore,
for us, nature lovers in the area, that sound means the beginning of the
birding year.
The
early rain we had in September flooded the marshes next to El Rocío
unusually soon this year and have kept also flooded the Caño Guadiamar
which are the only two spots where aquatic birds have been concentrating
during the end of the summer. Flamingos
and Spoonbills can bee seen at both
places, along with a good number of species of waders and ducks. A few
Squacco Heron also move around the
Mother of the Marshes. There are still a good number of House
Martins flying around waiting for the right day
to move south.
In the
forests male Fallow Deer is still taking good efforts to keep their
harems together and fulfil their reproductive tasks. Thrushes,
Robins, Chiffchaffs,
Black Redstarts and Common
Starlings are back from the north. Some
Wheatear and Whinchat
were still passing last weeks through the marshes, where thousands of
geese can be seen grassing and flying north east early in the morning in
formations of different sizes towards Hato Raton Rice Fields where they
can be seen by the hundred. Calandra
and Skylark gather in flocks of
hundreds or even thousands in the cereal fields while smaller flocks of
Lesser Short-toed Larks and
Meadow Pipits are common all over the Hinojos
Marshes. Peregrine, Red Kite,
Buzzard, Common Kestrel
are becoming more abundant while the last Short-toed Eagle
and Osprey are still around. Young
Imperial Eagles have seen several times
recently flying over different parts of the marshes during our tours.
And of course flocks of Pintail Sandgrouse
calling in flight with a bit of luck. Black Storks
and Great White Egrets
can also bee seen in the Caño Guadiamar as well as Tenmick's
Stint.
Cranes
are also coming back and they can be found normally somewhere around the
cereal fields north of the Park
But an
area that should not miss if you visit the area these days is the Rice
Fields north of the Park. The harvest season attracts thousands of birds
to the fields. Thousands of White Storks,
Glossy Ibis and Gulls
among the most common concentrate in the just harvested fields.
Black Stork is also common around Isla Mayor
Rice Fields. There is where we normally spend the second half of our
full day tours, exploring the complicated net of tracks across the area.
Autumn is a good time to come and see the Park, good temperatures,
plenty of sunny days and a very good number of species.
For previous reports go to
the Reports page.
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