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Birdwatching in a big city, Barcelona (1 Viewer)

Parc Collserola information

I tried the www.parccollserola.net website but there isn't any raptor information yet for this year. Anyway, have a good holiday. I hope to be back there next year!

Allen

I have checked that website tonight and they have now logged the raptor counts for the first 7 days of September. Ten species of raptors have been seen already, including double figure counts on 2 days each for marsh harrier and sparrowhawk.

Allen
 
Collserola Raptor Sightings Direct Link

Here's the (almost) direct link I spoke of earlier:

http://www.parccollserola.net/catalan/home/marcos_rapis.htm

just click on "Seguiment de les observacions (dades actualizades)" on the right.

After a total absence last year, I believe, finally three Black Stork were seen on Friday.

In other areas of Barcelona and Catalunya (and Spain actually) there's been an influx of north-American vagrants with currently two Buff-breasted Sandpipers (they're the ones that attract females by displaying their armpits!) at Llobregat with another, along with Pectoral and Broad-billed Sandpipers, on the Ebro Delta.

All the best
 
I tried the www.parccollserola.net website but there isn't any raptor information yet for this year. Anyway, have a good holiday. I hope to be back there next year!

Allen

... and thanks for your information Stephen. I checked the website this morning and it now includes information to and including 12th September. The 11th and 12th were big days for honey buzzards, with 30 and 37 respectively. I hope that pandachris gets to see some.

Allen
 
... and thanks for your information Stephen. I checked the website this morning and it now includes information to and including 12th September. The 11th and 12th were big days for honey buzzards, with 30 and 37 respectively. I hope that pandachris gets to see some.

Allen

Observers there counted 87 honey buzzards on the 15th and 71 on the 19th!
 
Not really Barcelona, but easily accessible by anyone with a car, despite thick fog most of the time, there were hundreds of Citril Finches (a new species for us) around the top cremallara station and buildings at Vall de Nuria on 18th. On 19th we went to Pedraforca and had not even got our binoculars out of the day sack when a big bird drifted over - Lammergeier - a first for the northern hemisphere for us. Less luck in Barcelona so far but a stunning day and Tibibus is running so I'll see if Julie is amenable ...
 
Pedraforca

...hundreds of Citril Finches at Vall de Nuria on 18th. On 19th we went to Pedraforca and had ... Lammergeier

You finally got to Nuria then! Rather more incredibly, we were also at Pedraforca on the 19th so we were probably looking at the very same Lammergeier! After we banged into each other at Collserola a couple of seasons ago I'm rather (retrospectively) surprised that we didn't see each other on the 19th.

I assume you were at the official viewpoint while we were along the valleys and ridges opposite. We had three Lammergeier, two (an adult and a juvenile) directly over the car, between 1145 and 1230. Given your usual exploits at La Merce I suppose that was late enough for you to get up in time!

Other treats included Alpine Chough, Honey-buzzard, Raven mobbing a superb Golden Eagle, car side Citril Finch feeding obliviously and lots of other passerines - although the strange lack of pine cones is causing a distinct absence of Crossbill this year. We only heard Black Woodpecker but thankfully we'd picked up a good view (same clients) a couple of days earlier further east.

May be I'll see you on Collserola, although the raptor passage in the Garraf where I live has been good enough so far - at least 8 Honey-buzzard over the house last evening - to keep me away, especially as it's better for Eleonora's Falcon.

All the very best and I hope you're having a great time.
 
Hi Stephen

I'm prepared to guess that one of those Lammergeier was the one we saw. I didn't bring my voice recorder this year but I checked my watch and we reckon about 11:50 give or take. Shame we didn't bump into each other again. No Alpine Choughs for us, I'm afraid. I'm going to send several messages because not sure how reliable this connection is.
 
Black Woodpeckers seemed active around our hotel, Sanctuari de Falgars, which is our main excuse for starting late - an interesting almost monastic style plus an unmissable breakfast. We were sort of locked in until 07:30 and then the local paths beckoned quite strongly.
 
Much better day in Barcelona yesterday. A Hobby from our 11th floor rooftop bar (better than our usual scruffy city centre apartment - it's amazing what Tesco vouchers can get you) then one close ST Eagle, three Honey Buzzards, three Sparrowhawks, thousands of hirundines (mainly House Martins) and a Firecrest at Tibidabo + about 10 unidentified raptors. Also three incredible dragons from Molins del Rei as guests at Correfoc, but that's a different kind of wildlife, as was the Ash session at Parc del Forum from midnight.
 
Much better day in Barcelona yesterday. A Hobby from our 11th floor rooftop bar (better than our usual scruffy city centre apartment - it's amazing what Tesco vouchers can get you) then one close ST Eagle, three Honey Buzzards, three Sparrowhawks, thousands of hirundines (mainly House Martins) and a Firecrest at Tibidabo + about 10 unidentified raptors. Also three incredible dragons from Molins del Rei as guests at Correfoc, but that's a different kind of wildlife, as was the Ash session at Parc del Forum from midnight.

You always do have a different sort of Barcelona experience than I do, with the dragons at Correfoc. Seeing a hobby from a rooftop bar sounds good. Let us know where that is when you have a chance. I might check it out when I next go birdwatching in Barcelona! Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Allen
 
You should definitely try La Merce, Allen. Not much good for early morning birding, though, as we never really get to bed before 2 a.m. Other birding Merce hightlights included the Eagle of Barcelona (repeatedly), a giant laser projected rubber duck floating on the bath that the Ayuntament had been transformed into - yes, we'd been drinking but we definitely saw it - and two rather disturbing giant pigeons and one giant parrot. Ditto re the alcohol. I've no doubt that one or two of the wines available at the harbourside wine festival had birdy names as well, but I'm damned if I can remember them. Also there were 'Falcons' appearing before the Castellers but we didn't get there in time to see them this year.

The hotel is the Barcelo Raval and enjoys uninterrupted views in all directions as it towers above everything nearby. Not a choice for those afraid of heights.

Bit of a walk around Montjiuc on Sunday "a.m". Plenty of Serins, Sardinian Warblers and Crested Tits - also at least three of what we were certain were Hawfinches in the big fig tree (currently fruiting) just below the large gun on the south-west(?) corner of the castle - the one that seems positioned to blow the cruise ships out of the harbour. We just didn't get that decent view of them to clinch ID and they flew off when we tried to get a better angle.
 
You should definitely try La Merce, Allen. Not much good for early morning birding, though, as we never really get to bed before 2 a.m. Other birding Merce hightlights included the Eagle of Barcelona (repeatedly), a giant laser projected rubber duck floating on the bath that the Ayuntament had been transformed into - yes, we'd been drinking but we definitely saw it - and two rather disturbing giant pigeons and one giant parrot. Ditto re the alcohol. I've no doubt that one or two of the wines available at the harbourside wine festival had birdy names as well, but I'm damned if I can remember them. Also there were 'Falcons' appearing before the Castellers but we didn't get there in time to see them this year.

The hotel is the Barcelo Raval and enjoys uninterrupted views in all directions as it towers above everything nearby. Not a choice for those afraid of heights.

Bit of a walk around Montjiuc on Sunday "a.m". Plenty of Serins, Sardinian Warblers and Crested Tits - also at least three of what we were certain were Hawfinches in the big fig tree (currently fruiting) just below the large gun on the south-west(?) corner of the castle - the one that seems positioned to blow the cruise ships out of the harbour. We just didn't get that decent view of them to clinch ID and they flew off when we tried to get a better angle.

Thanks Chris,

I only returned home last night after a month in Australia, hence the delayed posting. Needless to say, perhaps, but I had some mighty ornithological sightings, including when I was in Cairns and met up with Chowchilla, a BirdForum member who used to work in Barcelona. We saw a great range of species on a walk just after first light on 27th October, "lifers" for me including double-eyed fig-parrots, brown-backed honeyeaters and papuan frogmouth. Thanks again, Chowchilla. Next holiday, back to Barcelona!

Allen
 
Thanks Chris,

I only returned home last night after a month in Australia, hence the delayed posting. Needless to say, perhaps, but I had some mighty ornithological sightings, including when I was in Cairns and met up with Chowchilla, a BirdForum member who used to work in Barcelona. We saw a great range of species on a walk just after first light on 27th October, "lifers" for me including double-eyed fig-parrots, brown-backed honeyeaters and papuan frogmouth. Thanks again, Chowchilla. Next holiday, back to Barcelona!

Allen
No worries Allan; great to see you again!:t:
 
Premonition?

Birdwatching in a big city, Barcelona on 15th May 2010


I walked to the river mouth and then back inland a little along the path at the edge of the green area along the river. Along the little creek just in from the river mouth I saw a little ringed plover and then a yellow wagtail. The latter looked as if it had a paler crown than that of the iberian subspecies, but it was very flighty. I tried to approach it in the creek, but it flew inland a bit close to the path. I hotfooted that way and noticed movement in open ground to my left, but checked myself when I realised that it was a couple, erm, sunbathing under a blanket. I continued walking quickly along the path, but the woman seemed to be shouting at me, maybe something like, "Oi! Watch where you're going!" Of course, they could have been birders who had not been able to afford the expensive prices of some of the hotels in the city and were just calling something like, "Hey, have you seen the squacco heron?" or whatever! Anyway, there were lots of other birds along that part of Riu Besòs, including little egret, grey heron, moorhens, 2 common sandpipers, white wagtails, 2 cetti's warblers, fan-tailed warbler, 2 reed warblers and spotted flycatcher. Another escaped bird was a muscovy duck, swimming in the river.


Allen

I saw a squacco heron there when I visited the river mouth this month - more later!

Allen
 
Birdwatching in a big city, Barcelona 2011

I spent 5 nights in Barcelona during the first 2 weeks of May 2011. I actually arrived there by Easyjet on the morning of 30th April, but after some tapas in 3 bars along Passeig de Gràcia I caught the train north. I spent 3 nights in Figueres and had a trip in and around Aiguamolls de l'Empordà with Stephen Christopher and Mike on the 1st, a great day.

I returned to Barcelona on 3rd May for the first 3 nights in Hotel Montblanc, which is just below the top end of Via Laietana. I spent the rest of that day walking and dining in the old part of the city. I saw a flock of 6 little egrets fly past Església de Santa Maria del Mar later in the afternoon.

Next morning, the 4th, I visited what have become my birdwatching patches in Barcelona. I walked along Ronda de Sant Pere to Arc de Triomf and then down Passeig de Lluís Companys to Parc de la Ciutadella. Before reaching the park I had already noted both species of swifts (common and alpine), monk parakeets, feral rock doves, both species of starlings (common and spotless), house sparrows, great tit, magpie, jackdaw and a kestrel, which perched on an aerial on top of a tall building overlooking Passeig de Lluís Companys.

There were no water birds at all on the upper pond at Parc de la Ciutadella, but on the lower pond were mallards with young and 16 greylag-type geese, including one gosling. Around the lower pond were a blackcap and a spotted flycatcher, while 4 grey herons flew over, one by one. Other species in the park included yellow-legged gulls, woodpigeon, collared doves, rose-ringed parakeet, swallow, white wagtail, robin, blackbirds, bluetits and goldfinch.

I caught a tram from nearby to Central Tèrmica del Besòs, the last stop before Riu Besòs itself. By the time that I had crossed the bridge I had seen 2 new species for the day, house martins and black-headed gulls. I walked across a rough car parking area and then followed the higher of the two paths along the northern bank of the river to the sea. I saw the first of the day's surprises, 4 tree sparrows in the trees alongside the path. I had only ever seen one tree sparrow in Barcelona before, and that was just up river in October 2009. More usual species down in the area of grass and bushes along the river between its mouth and the first bridge were grey herons, mallards, yellow-legged gulls, swallows, white wagtail, blackbird, cetti's and fan-tailed warblers, magpies, spotless starling and serin.

As I walked just inland along the lower path I had another surprise, when a bird with a buffish body and white wings flew off to my left. A squacco heron, my first ever in Barcelona, it flew towards the river mouth and then returned upstream moments later. I then saw it between the lower road and rail bridges, hunting in bare ground that looked as if it had recently been flooded. It was in non-breeding plumage and did not seem to be bothered by me watching it from the path.

I continued inland to the next bridge, seeing 3 moorhens, 3 black-winged stilts, a little ringed plover and a common sandpiper, as well as another tree sparrow. Returning along the roadside path, I caught the tram and Metro to Vallcarça, from which I went by foot and escalator up to Parc Güell. It was really busy with people again, but I saw or heard 3 species of bird that were new for the day, sardinian warbler, coal tits and greenfinch, as well as 3 spotted flycatchers and a swallowtail butterfly.

I walked on down from the park, paused at a new branch of Bracafe just around the corner on Travessera de Dalt, and continued down into Gràcia for lunch at Bo, then caught the Metro down to the city centre from Diagonal.

I had seen or heard 40 species of birds during the day, including the feral greylag geese. In the evening I went down to Port Vell but did not see anything new amongst the yellow-legged gulls. I walked to Barceloneta and Born, close to the port, and flocks of swifts were always overhead. As I stood outside El Xampanyet at dusk, the swifts were particularly spectacular flying up and down narrow Carrer Montcada.
 
Delta de Llobregat with Stephen Christopher

After visiting my birdwatching patches in Barcelona on 4th May, I had a trip to Delta de Llobregat on the 5th that I had booked with Stephen Christopher of Catalan Bird Tours. Leaving Hotel Montblanc I saw 2 alpine swifts, and I heard a blackcap singing in the trees in Plaça de Catalunya as I walked to catch the Metro to Sants for the train to El Prat de Llobregat, from where Stephen collected me. Delta de Llobregat is a bit out of the scope of this thread, or else Barcelona might be able to claim the largest avifauna of any European city. The day's highlights were many, but included 2 "lifers" for me at almost the same moment at Cal Tet, white-winged black tern and smew, the latter a fine female, as Stephen and Mike, who joined us for part of the morning, would agree. Mention must be made of the wood warbler that we saw close to Cal Tet, as it was the first that I had seen since 1990, and we saw 12 species of waders from the observation tower at the mouth of Riu Llobregat, about the same number of wader species that I saw on my last visit to the Esplanade at Cairns, another city with such an impressive avifauna!

Altogether that day I saw or heard 90 bird species, which is my best ever total for a day in Europe. All but two of them were with Stephen, the others being monk parakeet and peregrine falcon. I was having a evening meal outside Cerveceria Inter-tapa on Avinguda de Gaudí close to La Sagrada Familia when I saw the peregrine fly in from the left, do a lap of the spires, and fly off left again and out of sight.

Stephen - thanks for a great day in this amazing site.
 
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Another Barcelona tour

On the morning of 6th May I left for a weekend in Zaragoza, another fine city where I saw such birds as gull-billed terns and pallid swifts. I then stayed near Tortosa in the far south of Catalunya for 4 great days with Rob and Marg of Ebrotours. I returned to Barcelona on Friday 13th. Perhaps fitting for Friday the 13th, the train broke down twice along the way, the second time close to the nuclear power station on the coast just south of L'Hospitalet d'Infant.

I don't read many novels, but one of my favourites is "The Shadow of the Wind," which is the English translation of a novel by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. The author was born in Barcelona, although he now lives part of the year in the USA. The book is about Barcelona in the years 1945-1966, and the action happens in many of the places about the city. Before going on holiday I mused on doing a tour of some of the places mentioned in "The Shadow of the Wind." Indeed, that idea was further encouraged earlier in the holiday when I saw the surnames of 3 of the characters in the book. In Figueres I saw a pizza van with the name Palacios on it and close to the Teatre-Museu Dalí is a shop called Monfort, while just along from my hotel in Barcelona was a hotel that is part of the Barceló group. The famous restaurant, Els Quatre Gats, features in the book and I considered going there on the evening of the 13th, but I was put off by the length of the queue standing outside, waiting to dine there. There are so many great places to eat in Barcelona that I just move on to the next if I can't get in the first one that I try.

By now any readers of this thread might be asking themselves what place has the previous paragraph in a bird forum? Well, I decided to record the birds that I saw or heard on my way round. Thus it was that I set off along Carrer de la Canuda to Rambla de Canaletes, up which I walked to Plaça de Catalunya. There I found bus number 58 that was going to Avinguda del Tibidabo, so off I went. Between leaving the hotel and the bus setting off I had seen 5 species of birds - common swifts, feral pigeons, house sparrows, grey heron (flying over as usual) and spotless starlings - and there was a yellow-legged gull just around the corner. Places from the book that the bus passed on the way were the University, Ronda de Sant Antoni and Carrer de Balmes.

The bus dropped me off at Plaça de John F. Kennedy, from which Avinguda del Tibidabo rises steeply. I walked up the hill past some grand houses in whose gardens I heard blackbirds and serin, pausing outside number 32, a significant address in "The Shadow of the Wind." According to a plaque on the gate post and the name picked out on the building, it now houses the offices of companies of consultants; financial, I suppose.

From here I deviated from "The Shadow of the Wind" trail. Both pandachris and Stephen C of BirdForum have recommended visiting Tibidabo, so I continued walking up the hill towards there, although it was already very hot and I took a bus for the last section to Plaça del Doctor Andreu. I walked along a rough track that gradually gained height past a building where people were looking after a vocal throng of abandoned dogs, and then the track went along an open hillside overlooking Avinguda del Tibidabo and the rest of the city, a fine sight, despite the heat. I know that Chris and Stephen recommended more distant parts of Tibidabo, but I decided just to visit the area of pine trees immediately above where I was now. I cut diagonally across the hillside to another track just below the pine wood. This higher track was very popular with dog walkers, joggers and mountain bikers. At a big bend up on the left I turned back on myself and took a narrower track up into the wood, watching out for mountain bikers on the way. Birds seen on Tibidabo before I entered the pines were woodpigeons, monk parakeet, common and alpine swifts, bee-eater, magpies and blackbird, and I also heard robins and a goldfinch and saw a hummingbird hawk moth.

The pine wood was a great place for western bonelli's warblers. I first heard one singing and then saw it, and later saw two that appeared to be in a territorial boundary dispute, fluttering about near each other and singing but not crossing what to me was an invisible line. It was cooler under the dense canopy of the pine trees, so I sat by the edge of a thickly wooded gully and listened out for birds. I saw great, coal and long-tailed tits, and also heard one each of cuckoo, swallow and golden oriole. I had a good view of two squirrels, presumably the local colour variant of the red squirrel, with dark greyish coat and a white patch on the chest. Most frustrating birdwise were some high pitched twittering calls that I guessed were probably firecrests, but I am not particularly familiar with the species, having seen it just a few times, and was certainly unable to see whatever was calling in the dense tree tops.

Giving up on the invisible twitterers, I headed back down a gap in the wooded hillside. There was a kestrel flying up above by an astronomy observatory, from which direction the cuckoo was still calling. Butterflies seen included swallowtail, speckled wood, large white and one of Spain's many species of fritillary. The most numerous bird species on the way down to Plaça del Doctor Andreu was the blackcap, hearing lots singing but seeing just one. I followed an almost overgrown little path next to the Funicular and was pleased to come face to face with a crested tit, my only one this holiday. I heard a nightingale singing in a little park just below the road at Plaça del Doctor Andreu, after which I walked right down Avinguda del Tibidabo, by which I saw 2 goldfinches, to Plaça JFK, and eventually caught a bus back to Plaça de Catalunya from off to the right. New species for the day seen on the bus ride down were jackdaw and common starling.

Carrer de Santa Anna also features in "The Shadow of the Wind," so I decided to walk along there, take a little detour to the Romanesque church, Església de Santa Anna, and then have lunch in Restaurant Santa Anna. I had eaten there on my first 2 visits to Barcelona back in 2001, but not since, spoilt for choice in the city, 'tis true. Satisfied with my lunch, I headed off to the Cathedral and then down a little alley on the right to Plaça de Sant Felip Neri, which also features in the book. There were groups of people who had presumably come to the little square for the same reason as me, as it is not the place to stumble on accidentally. I then crossed La Rambla to have a look in the fine Mercat de la Boqueria, where the market stalls and cafes were all besieged by people, and then went to L'Arc del Teatre, where in is the only really imaginary place in the book. From there I doubled back on myself a bit, crossed Plaça Reial and found the narrow opening that led to Carrer dels Tres Llits and Carrer de la Lleona. The latter is the home of a website by Terry Jones (not the Python), who described what it was like to live in that 2 metre wide street. Jones' website points out that these streets have particularly colourful names, translating into English as "Three Beds" and "Lioness" respectively!

Heading off back to my hotel I passed the northern end of Carrer de Santa Anna, where two musicians were playing didgeridoo and something like a kettle drum; well, it looked like a larger steel version of the Portuguese cataplana. I paused to listen to them but a wagon turned up, a pneumatic drill was unloaded, and when the musicians started another tune the workmen began drilling, so that was that.

In the evening I headed off down to Port Vell. Numbers of yellow-legged gulls there exceeded 100, and I also saw 2 grey herons, monk parakeets, 2 alpine swifts and one last new bird for the day, a little egret. Dark clouds were gathering over the sea as I walked to Barceloneta and then there were rumbles of thunder. I had a meal in my favourite bar, El Vaso de Oro. The food and own-brewed beer were on form, as always, as good a reason as any to put off going back out in the rain. When I eventually set off back to the hotel the rain wasn't falling quite so heavily, but the streets around Església de Santa Maria del Mar and El Xampanyet were a bit damp!

That day I saw or heard 29 species of birds, not bad for a literary tour.
 
Hi everyone. A year later, I've got some updates about Barcelona's peregrine population.

First the bad news: this year, the family of 4 chicks were stolen from the Sagrada Familia. More information here:

http://iberianature.com/lucyblog/2011/05/peregrine-falcon-chicks-stolen-from-sagrada-familia/

The good news is that three healthy falcons were reared on the Montjuic cliffs. There's an account of their ringing here:

http://iberianature.com/lucyblog/2011/05/peregrine-falcon-chicks-on-montjuic-get-ringed/
 
Hi everyone. A year later, I've got some updates about Barcelona's peregrine population.

First the bad news: this year, the family of 4 chicks were stolen from the Sagrada Familia. More information here:

http://iberianature.com/lucyblog/2011/05/peregrine-falcon-chicks-stolen-from-sagrada-familia/

The good news is that three healthy falcons were reared on the Montjuic cliffs. There's an account of their ringing here:

http://iberianature.com/lucyblog/2011/05/peregrine-falcon-chicks-on-montjuic-get-ringed/

Lucy,

Thank you for the news, albeit sad as far as the peregrines of La Sagrada Familia are concerned this year.

Welcome to the Forum. I hope that life is good for you in Barcelona, my favourite city.

Allen
 
Just noticed this thread. Excellent stuff. Just returned from a 5 day family break in this great city, so not much chance to do birding. Stayed at the Pere IV Hotel in Bogatel district. A good hotel it is too even if the district is slightly run down.
Plenty of alpine swifts about. I just loved watching these 'super swifts' mingling with the common swifts from my top floor hotel room. Monk parakeets were everywhere. I saw sardinian warblers at Parc Guell along with a short toed trecreeper. Also had a sardinian warbler in a palm tree in the Olympic Village area. Saw a few spotless starlings, serins and little egrets. I would love to return again some day and put in some proper birding in the area instead of randomely noticing things while trying to take in the sites. Spring and autumn must be the best times to visit. Well done Allen.

Si.
 
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