Marian's birds "ilustrated diary" 2011 (Spain) (1 Viewer)

madamcoolpix · Jan 13, 2011

Hi, folks!!! :hi:

Well, a bit late but I started 2011 in a chaotic way and couldn't even think of posting my sightings until now! :eek!: I'm still not settled but thought it's about time to start my "illustrated diary" and so here it goes an introduction!

I spent the first part of my Christmas holidays at my parents in Avilés and on New Year Day I travelled to Madrid to spend another week there. As I've still not sorted out my pictures, this first post is just the birds I saw around my parent's home, and the rest of sightings will be added as soon as I can, with pictures:

1 January 2011: Avilés, Asturias, N Spain

1. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
2. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
3. Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michaelis)
4. Magpie (Pica pica)
5. Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)

What an exciting start!!! :-O

madamcoolpix · Jan 17, 2011

From Avilés to Madrid (almost 500 Km) all is done by motorway, so the chances to do proper birding are scarce… unless you stop strategicly!

Having wide open eyes while travelling at fast speed and a very short but convenient stop at Villafáfila (the famous place for Great Bustard) provided all this birds:

1 January 2011: motorway from Avilés to Madrid

6. Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
7. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
8. Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
9. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
10. Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
11. Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
12. Red Kite (Milvus milvus)
13. Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
14. Marsh Harrier (Circus aeroginosus)
15. Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
16. Linnet (Acanthis cannabina)
17. Greylag (Anser anser)
18. Great Bustard (Otis tarda)
19. Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
20. Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)

Of course under these circumstances to take pictures was almost like dreaming… but the dream came true because I managed a couple of images!

Both are from Villafáfila, first is the Linnet and second a couple of Great Bustards from a bunch of about 30 that were relatively close by the main road to the lagoons! o

Just can’t believe this year I've seen the Bustards before Blackbird, Robin, Great Tit, Black-headed Gull… :eek!:

madamcoolpix · Jan 18, 2011

The stay in Madrid was very disappointing, the family duties and specially the awful weather didn't allow me to do much birding. The only outing I did was to El Escorial with the family, where I could spot a few birds with the bare eye:

2 January 2011: El Escorial, Madrid, C Spain

21. Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
22. Coal Tit (Parus ater)
23. White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
24. Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)

Back home a week later, and work was waiting for me and demanding all my time! :storm: Still, on Friday, under a beautiful blue sky in my way to work, a Peregrine flied over my head, and in the University campus Meadow Pipits were feeding on the lawn. How nice to see!!! :bounce: My withdrawal symptoms were so critic that I decided to have an hour break and go to a very close park with the compact Leica for lunch, and so to breath a bit of fresh air while watching some birds. This is the list of the urban and garden birds spotted this day:

14 January 2011: Oviedo, Asturias, N Spain

25. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
26. Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
27. European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
28. Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus)
29. Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)
30. Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
31. Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
32. Chiffchaff (Philloscupus collybita)
33. Siskin (Carduelis spinus)
34. Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

I even managed a piccie of a male Black Redstart that posed for a few seconds close to me in the park! o

And that was the starter of a mad weekend of birding and snapping trying to catch up with all the common birds missed during these days of January. That stuff will be the contents of the next episode. |=)|

madamcoolpix · Jan 21, 2011

On Saturday 15th I paid a visit to the closest to my home of my patches, Las Caldas, which I enjoy very much and it's easy and quick to reach by urban bus. In the way to the bus stop, and still in my neighbourhood I managed to spot:

15 January 2011: Oviedo, Asturias N Spain

35. Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
36. Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Oddly, at first birding was very slow in Las Caldas, and I think it was due to low temperatures because at noon, when the Sun started to warm up, birds began to move and show up. I saw many of the common birds spotted on Friday and:

15 January 2011: Las Caldas, Oviedo outskirts, Asturias, N Spain

37. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
38. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
39. Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
40. Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus)
41. Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
42. Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
43. Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla)
44. Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)

Maybe I could have found more species but I spent a lot of time trying to photograph what I was finding… and my aim is to enjoy what I find, not beating my marks. |=)| For example, the Fieldfare is a real highlight in my area, it has not been seen for years, so I "wasted" a whole hour in getting a decent view of it, just in case my friends think I dreamt!

Here it is stuffing itself on apples (pic a) Then I got a quite cooperative Robin (pic b) and a not so cooperative female Blackcap (pic c)… she looked like in a hurry, so I don't complain of what I got in her couple of second in the open!

And finally, the last pic is a full frame of a taking-off Buzzard… I almost didn't get it in the frame! :eek!: But still I'm chuffed with the pic!

madamcoolpix · Jan 25, 2011

And next Sunday was very intense, the day started with a lovely blue sky so I ventured further, a coach took me in half an hour to one of the most exciting places near my home, Villaviciosa, you never know what can appear there! o

A walk around the fields and marshes provided me with a nice bunch of new year birds:

16 January 2011: Villaviciosa, Asturias, N Spain

45. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
46. Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
47. Common Teal (Anas crecca)
48. Stonechat (Saxicola rubecula)
49. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
50. Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
51. Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta)
52. Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
53. Redshank (Tringa totanus)
54. Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
55. Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
56. Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)

A selection of the pictures taken during this first walk around is this:
a) A common Snipe in the fields where Thrushes and Redwings were supposed to be but they weren't… I don't complain with the change!

Snipes are far more difficult to have close for a pic. In fact as they started to fly away one after another I counted about 40, but only could see 3 while they were still sat on the grass, it's amazing how they disappear in the fields! :eek!:
b) A huge flock of Lapwings (maybe 300! :eek!

passed over my head and here you have 1/100 part of the flock! :-O
c) A Common Sandpiper that frustrated me badly with its fast frenzied movements… at least I managed this pic!

That was the "go" walk, but there was another "return" one!

And took many pics then, so I need a different post to show what I saw.

madamcoolpix · Jan 28, 2011

In the walk back to the bus I found more or less the same birds than before in the day but with the addition of a very unexpected surprise!

16 January 2011: Villaviciosa, Asturias, N Spain

57. Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)

Chuffed to have come across one of these, I've seen it very few times in my life and had the best views in many years!!! :bounce: A pity it wasn't closer but I don't complain! (pic a)

Other birds more cooperative for pics in this second part of the morning were:
b) A synchronized pair of Teals that made me smile… they looked like minding their own business but in the pic I noticed they both had an eye on me! :-O
c) There were plenty of wintering Chiffchaffs and one posed for a few seconds while I was after the Spotted Redshank… just couldn't resist to click on it!

d) Another pair of ducks, now Mallards. I've told it before but I like photographing ducks by pairs, so this was a nice opportunity to add them to this thread! |=)|

madamcoolpix · Jan 31, 2011

Second part of this intense Sunday. After Villaviciosa I looked for different habitat and decided to take a couch to the beach in Gijón… a slight mistake, as it was Sunday and the promenade was packed with people and the birds in the beach particularly nervous. There were several species there (Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gulls, Little Egret, Black Redstart, one Pied (not White! :eek!

Wagtail…) and the expected and new for the year:

16 January 2011: Playa de San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, N Spain

58. Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus)
59. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
60. Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima)

But no way to take decent pictures, with so many walkers around me! :storm: Not even the cooperative Turnstones gave me a chance to do something interesting with them. The only piccie I got that I like is this "hydrophobic" Little Egret shooed away by an abrupt wave! :-O

A visit to the nearby park followed this aborted attempt of birding… but that's another story!

madamcoolpix · Feb 6, 2011

Sorry to be so late with my updates! :eek!: I'm in a hectic period at work and I'm too busy and with very little spare time… and I must admit I spend my scarce free time outside instead of processing pictures!

Anyway, I'll catch up sometime!

Here you have what I found in the park of Gijón in the afternoon of January the 16th. Nothing exciting but a lovely bunch of common new birds for the year:

16 January 2011: Parque de Isabel La Católica, Gijón, Asturias, N Spain

61. Tufted Duck (Aythia fuligula)
62. Common Pochard (Aythia ferina)
63. Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
64. Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
65. Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
66. Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

and with some piccies:

a) This is a Magpie with a hanging wing that I had observed for some time in this park… I was chuffed to see it flying for the first time since I noticed its problem! o

The wing looks really bad but finally it seems it works!
b) Another regular in this park, the Collared Dove, always willing to have its picture taken even while “walking the plank”.
c) Just couldn't resist adding this silly boy to this post… a Black-headed Gull with bigger eye than crop. I followed him for a long time to see if he could swallow that huge piece of bread… well, finally he couldn't!

madamcoolpix · Feb 14, 2011

I didn't have a chance to go out birding or anything similar until next weekend (the closest to be in contact with nature was trying to spot birds in the gardens of the Chemistry Faculty when I arrive to work! :-O But thanks to that I spotted this week my first Butterfly of the year in a warm noon: a beautiful male Brimstone!!! :bounce

When the weekend arrived it was cold, the sky looked cloudy and the ambience miserable… typical! :storm: But I didn't give up and went out for a bit of fun with my binos and cameras. My plan was to visit the Botanical Gardens of Gijón, as I hadn't been there for quite a long time. As it isn't open until 10:00 in the morning, I had a walk around the University Campus close to the gardens, as it's always a nice place to find birds, specially during the weekends when nobody is there. And so I could add to the year list the following birds:

22 January 2011:Viesques University Campus, Gijón outskirts, Asturias, N Spain

67. Redwing (Turdus illiacus)
68. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
69. Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
70. Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)

And in spite of the awful light I could photograph a few species:
a) One of the always-present Moorhens happily strolling along the canal.
b) This year there are plenty of wintering Common Starlings, in fact the local Spotless Starlings are no longer obvious when these flocks are around. Still they are wary, so it was nice to see this more confiding specimen.
c) Plenty of Meadow Pipits too, this one treated me with a nice photographic session.

My findings in the Botanical Gardens, for the next post!

madamcoolpix · Feb 22, 2011

Second part of this gloomy Sunday… but I don't complain as I did not bad as a whole during the day in spite of the low light. Frenzied activity among the Thrushes of any kind, many Robins too… and not much else in the Botanical Gardens. :-C Still I could enjoy a close encounter with a Great Tit and an unexpected visit by a Sparrowhawk, both new for this thread:

22 January 2011: Gijón Botanical Gardens, Asturias, N Spain

71. Great Tit (Parus major)
72. Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

And as selected pictures from this spot here you have:
a) The Great Tit, which appeared like displaying in the only spell of sunshine I had in the whole day.
b) A blissful Redwing showing us where it names comes from.

c) One of the many Song Thrushes stuffing themselves on berries with the Redwings at the entrance of the gardens.
d) Just when I was about to leave, spotted three Carrion Crows and could get reasonably close skulking behind the trees. I got one of them trumpeting to the four winds that intruders were close! :-O

madamcoolpix · Mar 7, 2011

With February a mad period at work started that doesn’t allow me to have free time, not even at the weekend. :-( That’s why I don’t have time to come here to update either. Still, I’m not wasting any opportunity so I’m taking my binos and compact camera with me at work and spending short little breaks birding in the University Campus area.

Thanks to this “strategy” my illustrated list keeps growing. In the first day I did this (a sunny late morning) I was rewarded with a nice but distant view of a Cetti’s Warbler in the open in hectic activity and the lovely surprise of a Gadwall in the canal, first time I see one of these around this area (pic a)

4 February 2011: Viesques University Campus, outskirts of Gijón, Asturias, Spain

73. Cetti’s Warbler (Cettia cetti)
74. Gadwall (Anas strepera)

Second pic is a female Siskin from a little restless group that came quite close to me and the last shot is the wintering Grey Heron of the canal making sure it doesn’t pass overlooked. |=)|

madamcoolpix · Mar 19, 2011

In the first weekend of February I was already well into my harsh period of work but I made the effort to join the guys of the local birding club to help in the monthly seabirds survey. February is not the best month to see many seabirds but there is always something to enjoy… and of course, the information obtained is important.

This is what I saw new for the year list:

5 February 2011: Cabo Vidio, Asturias, N Spain

75. Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)
76. Great Skua (Catharacta skua)
77. Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
78. Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

along with many Yellow-legged Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gull… and Meadow Pipits and Black Redstarts as nice companions of our activities in the cliffs. |=)|
This time I didn’t take the cameras with me, as it’s a waste of energy to carry them, the birds are too far away for photographs in this kind of surveys. I don’t like when I don’t have a picture to add a bit of colours to my posts, but sometimes it has to be so…

madamcoolpix · Apr 9, 2011

I better add an update before you all forget I'm keeping a thread with my year list! |=)|

Really, my duties have gone far beyond any expectation so I had to give up coming here, but fortunately things are starting to slow down, so I can start to tell you what has been happening in my busy life from the birding point of view!

Next update is from the day I tried a new patch I was told about, not far from my city, it can be reached in a 10 min ride by train. The place was very promising, a track by the river with plenty of trees and vegetation in a rural area. I only could be there for an hour during a break at work, but came back home happy with the sightings, a nice list of birds with a few new ones for the year:

6 February 2011: Soto del Rey, Asturias, N Spain

77. Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
78. Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalus caudatus)
79. Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)

and the Rock Bunting is always a great bird to come across! o

(pic a) The second picture is a White Wagtail among the branches… had to do manual focusing handhelding, I'm surprised it turned out reasonable! :eek!:

madamcoolpix · Apr 14, 2011

This is a super-duper surprise I had a friday, after finishing my lectures, when I had a little walk to relax a bit after the exhausting week! o

Serins where singing loudly all around (first sign Spring wasn’t so far away) but the best was to come across a Water Rail in the Canal!!! :eek!: Sadly I hadn't my cameras with me.

11 February 2011: Viesques University Campus, outskirs of Gijón, Asturias, Spain

80. Serin (Serinus serinus)
81. Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)

I'm adding here this picture of a Cetti’s Warbler caught next morning in the outskirts of Oviedo during another break I took at lunch time.

madamcoolpix · Apr 21, 2011

The content of this post is the "reward" for having another break at work during my hectic days. |=)|

In another act of desperation I had a walk to the local park after my lectures with the aim of photographing some of the common birds I still had no chance to snap so far. The big surprise was coming across a Ring-billed Gull just walking in front of me in the park!!! :eek!: Chuffed with the encounter, they are becoming regular visitors in the area but I couldn't find any last year:

25 February 2011: Parque de Isabel la Católica, Gijon, Asturias, N Spain

82. Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)

And the pictures are:
a) One of the wintering Mediterranean Gulls, starting to get a hint of the black hood.
b) A Great Cormorant in breeding plumage… a bit further than I wished but it looked great in its summer fineries, and I decided to add it now to the thread.
c) The star of the day, the Ring-billed Gull.

madamcoolpix · Apr 26, 2011

At last some exciting birding!!! o

After two months with no chances to do something really interesting I took a weekend off to travel a bit. I spent the whole first weekend of March in Madrid and first day I went to El Pardo, I was longing for this visit as it's a place I thoroughly enjoy in all my visits.

I saw and photographed many bird during the day so I'm adding two posts with this visits. First is a report of the events of the morning, which includes these birds new for the year list:

5 March 2011: El Pardo, outskirts of Madrid, C Spain

83. Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)
84. Monk Parakeet (Myipsitta monachus)
85. Lesser-spotted Woopecker (Dendrocopus minor)
86. Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
87. Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus)
88. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

And the pictures are:
a) A Corn Bunting that showed up right after leaving the bus that dropped me at El Pardo… looked like waiting for me to welcome me! :-O
b) A top surprise, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, wow, something that you don't come across every day, I was delighted to have taken a good bunch of pictures of it!!! o

c) Cinerous Vultures are seen almost every day soaring in the sky but not always do it low enough for a picture, this day was an exception!
d) Monk Parakeets were in cooperative mood, so I could snap them away. More pictures of them in my gallery, but here I'm adding this "eloquent" one.

madamcoolpix · May 2, 2011

Second part of the visit to El Pardo, with some terrific birds like the unexpected Black Stork not to mention the always great to see Spanish Imperial Eagle!!! o

The Goldcrest was another hit, as they are much more uncommon than the Firecrest in my country.

5 March 2011: El Pardo, outskirts of Madrid, C Spain

89. Black Stork (Ciconia nigra)
90. House Martin (Delichon urbica)
91. Crested Tit (Parus cristatus)
92. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
93. Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
94. Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus)
95. Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti)
96. Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
97. Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
98. Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)

The morning had been quite sunny but this afternoon was cloudy and the light much lower which spoiled my chances of getting pictures! :storm: Still, I managed a few:
a) A lady Chaffinch amazingly cooperative. Thank you for that, girl!

:-O
b) Probably the Black Stork was the highlight of the day, it's the first time I see it in this spot, wow, that was a nice surprise! o

Besides, there were 3 of them, super finding!
c) Another cracking moment, having a Crested Tit for a jiffy showing nicely among the pine needles!!! :bounce:

madamcoolpix · May 9, 2011

A new update now… but if I keep being so slow preparing my pictures probably by December I'll be still uploading stuff from August! :-O

Anyway, here you have my sightings and pictures from my last day in Madrid during the first weekend of March. A visit to Rivas in a sunny Sunday, with plenty of insects starting to move in the warm weather and bird migration still not really obvious (except for some Swallows and Martins)

6 March 2011: Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Madrid outskirts, C Spain

99. Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)
100. Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
101. Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

I've selected these birds to illustrate this visit to Rivas:
a) For a change, a close-up!

A White Stork too close to fit in the frame so I did with it what I should do! :-O
b) A festive looking Spotless Starling.

c) Just can't believe this lady Sardinian Warbler didn't fly away when she appeared in front of me and in the open! o

A pity it wasn't a bit closer...
d) Another lady, a Serin now… I've noticed for a strange reason I'm photographing plenty of female birds this year! :eek!: Oh, well, I suppose it's about time to claim for their beauty!

madamcoolpix · May 16, 2011

Another surprise this year in my patch at Las Caldas!!! o

After the Fieldfare in January, another first here was a Black Kite, a sunny day I went there during a break at work, hoping to see some early Butterflies (which I found,

: Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, Comma Butterfly, Brimstone and Holly Blue, just in case somebody is interested).

19 March 2011: Las Caldas, Oviedo outskirts, N Spain

102. Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

Sadly I only had with me the compact Leica, but managed to immortalize the passing-by Kite, and I'm happy with just with this souvenir under the circumstances! o

madamcoolpix · May 26, 2011

Another local surprise!!! o

Next day I sneaked out of work for a break to Soto del Rey again, my new local patch, even if the weather was bad but really needed to go out for a little while. And I was thrilled to see there a Dipper, the closest I've seen to my city, only 15 minutes away from my home by train!!! :bounce:

20 March 2011: Soto del Rey, Asturias, N Spain

103. Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)

Maybe should have waited for a better pic to add to this thread later in the year but it was so thrilling to see and get a pic of the Dipper so close to my home that I decided to add it now… it has sort of emotional value.

Marian's birds "ilustrated diary" 2011 (Spain) (1 Viewer)

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