Birds in Spain Blog

Rangers of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Agents Rurals) searching for alive chicks in the colony 13.6.2014 © Ricard Gutiérrez 608 Audouin's Gull Larus audouinii nests. That was the 2014 count which marked a local record for the species in its 'new' breeding site at El Molí island of Llobregat river mouth. colonised by the species in 2009. Ringing of the colony was scheduled for June Friday 13. And the friday 13 reputation seemed to work again: almost no activity in the colony showed that something had went wrong. The colony had a great number of abandoned nests, some broken as 'crashed by something coming from the sky', some predated but probably 'after-death' according to the official Vet and Mammal expert that visited the colony. There were a few abandoned nests with very young dead chicks at least two weeks before the visit, according to the condition of the corpses . Failure was not complete, since 21 chicks could be found and

Por Albert Cama, Antoni Peco, Bàrbara Celada y Ricard Gutiérrez Larus audouinii. ad. Tarragona, 6.6.2014 © Ricard Gutiérrez Después de la colonización de una zona en obras del puerto de Tarragona por la gaviota de Audouin ( Larus audouinii ) en 2013, la especie ha vuelto a la zona en 2014, con las obras ya finalizadas y presentando un área sin edificaciones y cubierta por cantos rodados y tierra. Después de ser detectada la presencia de la especie por técnicos de la Autoridad Portuaria de Tarragona y del equipo de biólogos que efectuan un seguimiento de la avifauna de la zona (de acceso restringido), se constató lo que parecía ser la nidificación de un mínimo de treinta parejas en la zona (19 nidos en 2013), con presencia de abundantes ejemplares adultos, con cifras próximas a los 500 individuos (A.Cama). En primer plano, colonia de cría. Port de Tarragona, 6.6.2014 © Ricard Gutiérrez El dia 6.6.2014 se efectuó por parte de los autores y en una acción coordinada entre

After our post on a Sardinian warbler tinged with some reddish polen from a garden flower , another photo of a similar case has been received. Carlos Manuel Martín photographed a small passerine with much red on its head at Puerto Moniz, Madeira, Portugal. The photo is labelled as captured on 5 December 2009. At first sight, and until structure was avaluated and a proper view was obtained, the author was surprised and even wondering if he was in front  of a rare vagrant (even more considering he was in an Atlantic island...) 'A mí me pegó un susto de órdago en Madeira (en Puerto Móniz) el sujeto (la sujeta) que acompaño. Hasta que pude verla en condiciones un segundo, me volvió loco, pensando que estaba contemplando un divagante desconocido'. However, if you don't pay attention to the reddish colour, it is clear this individual is indeed a female blackcap ( Sylvia atricapilla ) again stained with that polen from the same plant species featured in the Sardinian Warbl