Birds in Spain Blog

Aegolius funereus (Foto: CRFS Torreferrussa) Castellano: más abajo English: see below El 25 de octubre de 2012, un particular va trobar un exemplar de Mussol Pirinenc ( Aegolius funereus ) a l’àrea de servei de l’autopista AP7 a la Jonquera, Alt Empordà, Girona (Eva Marcos). L’ocell estava ferit i es va contactar amb els agents rurals de la Generalitat de Catalunya que el van traslladar al Centre de Recuperació de Torreferrussa. L’ocell presentava un traumatisme sever a la columna vertebral que li va causar la mort el dia 8.11.2012. D’acord amb l’estat del plomatge, totes les plomes tant de l’ala com cua eren de la mateixa generació. Distribució d' Aegolius funereus a Espanya (Font: Atlas de las Aves Reproductoras de España ) Distribució d' Aegolius funereus a Catalunya (Font: SIOC )   Distància del nucli reproductor més proper d' Aegolius funereus al lloc de la troballa (45,5 km) (Font: elaboració pròpia en base a SCOC ) [D...

Català més avall El primer fin de semana de octubre se celebra el dia mundial de las aves. No sin razón. Estamos en plena migración otoñal y las poblaciones de las aves migratorias están en pleno movimiento. Un espectáculo en sí mismo que se magnifica cuando estas aves se reunen en dormideros o puntos de alimentación. Es el caso de los hirundínidos como pasó el 3.10.2012 en los alrededores de la zona de l'Embut, en la laguna de l'Encanyissada, Amposta, Delta de l'Ebre en Tarragona. Después de ver unos arrozales segados con limicolas, advertí en el cielo una mancha oscura que no cuadraba con los típicos estorninos al ser dicha 'mancha' por un lado muy grande y por otro de 'punteado más fino'. Tras bajar del coche y examinarla la sorpresa se tornó admiración al ver que era un inmenso grupo de hirundínidos, sobre todo golondrina común Hirundo rustica y avión zapador Riparia riparia . El grupo, inmenso, se estaba congregando sobre un nuevo ámbito inundad...

Castellano más abajo Red Kite ( Milvus milvus ) is a nearly threatened bird of prey which may be still fairly abundant in Spain but has been subject of conservation measures, e.g. in the UK. It's a bird species, together with Black Kite ( Milvus migrans ) that comes to carcasses and dumps to feed on different prey remains. And that links with the story below.   Human aimed? No! for Milvus only [Para personas? ¡No, solo para milanos!] Friend from the office, vet Francesc Mañas explained us how a family of friends living in the Spanish Pyrenees, carry out a kind of tradition in which the family cooks large amounts of pasta (macarroni) not for their children but for the local kites (see video above). The family has created a sort of feeding point within their property where they benefit the local population of kites giving them pasta to eat from time to time. And according to the enclosed photos (provided by them) with a great success. Indeed, they have been per...

Late July offers the opportunity of watching fresh plumaged juvenile Mediterranean gulls ( Larus melanocephalus ) and both exploring the variation amongts their upperwing feathers plus overall structure and characteristics. Besides, the presence of 1st summer birds (Euring 5, born the year before) can give some chance of comparing newly moulted to birds in active moult. We enclose some photos taken in the Ebro delta, Catalonia on 28th July 2012. juv 1 juv 2 juv 2 juv 2 juv 3 Euring 5 bird Moulting 1st summer to 2nd winter  [1r estiu a 2n hivern] [1r verano a 2º invierno] Same individual as above. Note growing feathers [mateix individu, noteu les plomes en creixement] [mismo individuo, notad las plumas en crecimiento] Already moulted Euring 5 to 2nd winter. Note bill colour, old outermost primary in right wing and dark edges in innermost secondaries [2n hivern. Noteu el color del bec, d'Euring 5, i les plomes velles a la primària més e...

[Castellano más abajo]    Miguel Avelino Suarez, from Gran Canaria island, Canaries has sent us this amazing picture of an adult Canarian Sourthern Grey Shrike ( Lanius meridionalis koenigi ). This bird was observed in the mouth of the   Tirajana gorge , in the south of the island of Gran Canaria. This individual was first observed in 2009 and in May 2012 was already present in  the area. The Tirajana gorge is very large so any visit will not produce an immediate detection. However, the bird has been seen intermitently in the area at least these last three years . Bill  deformation in some passerines are known (e.g. in Alaska here ) and have been documented for the related Woodchat Shrike ( Lanius senator ) in Morocco ( Förschler & Geiter 2008 ). They also can occur in waders and gulls . However these deformations are often associated with a reduced bird survival ratio . In this case it is demonstrated that this huge ...

The Little Crake ( Porzana parva ) at Torreferrussa on 28-29.6.2012  (© CRFS Torreferrussa) On 28th June 2012, a Little Crake female ( Porzana parva ) was found at Vilafranca del Penedés, Barcelona by personnel of the local town council. It was presumably found within the village. The bird was brought to the recovery center of Torreferrussa where on 29th June was properly identified, being only the 2nd ever reaching the recovery center of the Generalitat de Catalunya. The Little Crake is a scarce migrant in Spain, but in the NE is fairly regular. Indeed, the only breeding record for Iberia is that of a bird at Llobregat delta with a nest and chicks on 19th May 1995 (Gutiérrez, R. 2004 Rascletó Porzana parva in Estrada et al Atlas dels Ocells nidificants de Catalunya 1999-2002 : 194-195) Given the dates of the observation this female could be a failing breeder  already on dispersal movement. Bird examination by Elena Obón, vet of the Torreferrussa center revealed a rath...