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.
Alpine swifts seem to be on the increase in Barcelona. Wonder if it's because they arrive earlier than the Common, and get first pick of ever-dwindling nesting sites.
A short-toed treecreeper was a good find in my experience. I have only seen one once in 14 visits to Barcelona...
Actually Allen Short-toed Treecreeper is quite common in Barcelona's parks and, because of their relatively more open nature over the treescapes out 'in the wild' as it were, are often easier to get good views.
I think people miss them because we don't know them well enough in flight, dismissing any sighting as a LBJ. The best way to see them is to learn their rather melodic and easy to recognise song, keep an ear cocked and track them from that.
Good luck next time!
We're back in Catalunya in two weeks time and in Barcelona in three
Thanks Stephen
I think we're probably sorted, itinerary wise, but we're in Vall de Nuria on the 15th.
We're in the Hotel Vall de Nuria, Allen, just for one night. From memory it's up at about 2000 metres and there were loads of Citril Finches (much the commonest species) there last September. Reachable via train and mountain tram from Barcelona.
I reckon that the Llobregat area is a reasonable inclusion (it's in zone 1 on the T10, isn't it?).
I'm considering El Prat for the last day of our trip later this month Allen. I'm assuming that you simply take the metro to the station of the same name and start walking. Is that about right? Any tips and timings would be appreciated.
I'll do a proper post later this week, but this might be of immediate interest to anybody in the city this week ...
Between 14:00 and 14:20 on 26th September from the track just below the Castell de Montjuich, overlooking the port, 21 large raptors, including 17 pale-phase and 3 dark phase Booted Eagles, all heading north-east, i.e. along the coast towards France. The other bird was presumably a BE too.