Last throw of the dice

So it's our last visit of the year to Montnegre and check out if those red billed Finches were still around. Not feeling my best and with a hangover, and not much sleep we set off.

Well it looks like they now dispersed, migrated, as there no sign of the Trumpeter Finch.

John and I have identified 3 nesting site over spring and summer which was very helpful.

I was quite around the valley with most birds keeping there heads down in the brisk chilly wind, temperature only 17 degrees.  With the exception of about 300 House Martin's sheltering out the wind, and a hand full of Swallows, a Blue rock Thrush, that was the best of it.

 House Martin's

 House Martin '
Warming  up on a sunny rock face

 House Martin

We did a detour to Tibi Reservoir for a look, but nothing of any note to report but very picturesque, haven't been there for years and I expect it might be a similar time before I go back.

Next week the Salinas,  Flooded Fields if we're lucky, San Felipe, it'll be good to do some Birding rather than research.

have fun

Cheers Bryan

Extra time

Hey apologies I copy the words from John Edwards web site, not knowing it inverted so back is white and white is black anyway now problems. Sorted 

Thursday 1st September was a good day to make another journey up Montnegre to see what was around. Our primary target has been for months to monitor Trumpeter Finches - Camachuela Trompetero in the ravines and slopes below the village of Montnegre. We have not checked on them this late in summer before and for the month of August they have been flying well and today at least 9 at the same time and probably more? A mixture of adults in good plumage and juveniles flying all around us and perching too. We will check again as we would like an end date for them on this mountain. And, then where do they go? We want to know.

Sitting, waiting and looking we have found pays us back. We saw flypasts of Red-rumped Swallows - Golondrina Daurica just below us and there were about 40 House Martins - Avión Común perched obviously on their way south. Swifts - Vencejo Pallido or Comun were absent.

Later we added to our list Spotted Flycatcher - Papamoscas Gris, a juvenile Blackeared Wheatear - Collalba Rubia and perched and on distant rocky platform two Blue Rockthrushes - Roquero Solitario sat. Add into that mix a couple of warblers - Sardinian - Gurruca Cabecinegra Cetti’s and a Melodious - Carcero Comun probably on passage.

We don't normally go up to the top but this morning we did. High up over the ridge were three cruising Griffon Vultures - Buitre Leonardo and as we were about to leave three Ravens - Cuervo

Also flying high and passing south were other raptors. Too distant to be sure but possibly Marsh Harriers - Aguilucho Luganero and we did our best to find any eagle for Matt.

We will be out there again to see what is about. Again not all species hear and seen listed.

Big Thanks to John Edwards for letting me use his word

cheers

Bryan

The Game goes on.

And despite my prediction that the Trumpeter Finches would be long gone, and it's probably a waste of our time, and we would  draw a blank today,

Doh

Amazingly within a minute of arriving they were all around us contact calling, today mostly juvenile birds. Most birds seen at any one time were 12, other birds seen at the site 2 juvenile Black-eared wheatear 2 Black Wheatear, Spot fly, Black Redstart, and Red-legged Partridges. Almost the same birds from a week ago.

So we keep going trying to get the last date of these Finches and at some point try to find where they winter 

From our feedback from social media and other platforms, it is probably the best breeding season for Trumpeter Finch in recent memory and is considered to be of regional importance. And for this reason, the site will not be revealed.

Other birds seen

A few Pallid Swift still, and one Alpine Swift also an Ocellated Lizard, other than that it was quiet.

Second breakfast and slab of Lemon Drizzle cake and a mug of tea, we headed home, content that our efforts are making a difference to the knowledge base.

information received from another Trumpeter Finch site is being checked out.

Be InTouch

Have a fun-filled day

Happy Days

Ta-Da 

Canon 30d a twenty year old camera is it any good in 2022

My review,

Canon EOS 30D from 2006

So I purchased this Canon camera from eBay, in 2021 and due to COVID-19 restrictions, I didn't travel back to the UK. So now the camera is back here in Spain, I've used the 30d almost all of the time during the spring migration of 2022. Although the Canon 7d Mk 1 is still my favourite.

Purchased for €25.00.+ £5.00 p+p. From ebay. In 2006 EOS 30D body cost £1,399 mine is in mint condition with a battery grip and shutter count of 5614, and I was assured by the seller the shutter count has never been reset. Shutter's life expectancy is 100,000. 5 frames a second, Spot Metering, high iso, and low ISO down to 100 and clear of noise. This was one of Canon's high-end semi-pro cameras from that time.

To be honest I've mostly indulged and purchased all the latest Canon Cameras and now with everyone wanting Mirrorless Cameras, the bottom has dropped out of DSLR secondhand market, with loads of bargains to be had.

Canon 30D

Image from Canon WebSite

Do these images still stand up, for this sixteen-year-old camera you judge for yourself in 2022?

I seem to be going backwards in time and I prefer the older Canon cameras with smaller pixel counts the 30D is only an 8.2-megapixel sensor but it is the size of the pixel and the density of the pixel that I think makes a difference Canon EOS 30D counts 2.43 MP/cm² compared with my Canon 760D (2015) which has a pixel density of 7.3 MP/cm²

European Roller

what does this mean in real terms, more pixels squeezed in the APS sensor can produce bigger prints but more digital noise. But the improvement of the in-camera noise reduction software does reduce grainy camera noise? The main improvement I think is in ISO being able to take images in almost total darkness. But in reality how many photographers are doing this? but I like this feature.

Blue rock Thrush

See the graft below about pixel size

The short answer is yes, more pixels should produce sharper images and more resolution, but in practice and the real world, it's hard to notice.

Brimstone Butterfly 

Sharpness has two components - resolution (fine detail) and contrast (how those details are seen). Of the two, contrast contributes most to our visual perception of sharpness once resolution reaches a fairly modest level (and easily exceeded by most cameras these days). For example, when you apply sharpening to an image, it doesn't improve resolution but increases edge contrast around details so they're more clearly visible - and the result can be dramatic.

Orphean Warbler

Image ‘sharpness’ is subject to lens quality, pixel density, and sensor size. In theory, the full frame should be better than APS. Recent APS sensors are claimed to be as good as a full-frame.

Last but certainly no means least it's the kind of light you're working in. Hard light casts stronger shadows and naturally increases contrast and the emphasis on detail (bright sun, direct flash) whereas soft light on an overcast day flattens contrast and softens perceived detail. When using long lenses at a distance, atmospheric pollution or heat shimmer can also reduce contrast substantially, like shooting through a fog.

Black Wheatear

There is a gap of 9 years between

Canon 30D (2006) and Canon 760D (2015). Nine years is a lot of time in terms of technology, meaning newer sensors are overall much more efficient than the older ones.

But here's the big question can you tell the difference? All images are taken in Canon RAW and processed with Adobe Camera RAW, with minimal adjustments and corrections, everything is done in manual mode, with no auto adjustment. And no tricks.

Have a look for yourself, any decent Canon Camera and Canon L lens may produce high-quality images and fine resolution with good Canon glass.

Trumpeter Finch

The lens I almost used was a Canon 600f4 with a Canon 1.4 converter and sometimes a Canon DO 400 f4 L lens with a converter.

The Beast

I'm always cropping from the centre maybe if I was cropping from an edge it might be different Story, upload images are prepared to a small image file size of less than 150kb so there's a big loss of image detail and quality when I upload to Blogger. The blogger software compresses it even more and takes away even subtle details.

Make your mind

conclusion and images

Whinchat

I still struggle to see any major difference between images, in the real world. As long as it looks sharp on the screen on the back of the camera. it will be fine on the computer as the resolution on the Canon 30d screen is poor and lacks colour, pixels, and contrast, but other than that I can live with it, I just check the histogram And correct it in post.

So is the Canon 30d worth £25.00 and any of the older generation EOS Cameras in good condition

Well a massive yes for £25.00 is a no-brainer

Sardinian Warbler

Grab yourself a bargain you won't regret it.

Any of the semi-pro Canon cameras or the out-of-date professional cameras will do the job just fine. if like me Andy publish images for the web, the difference is undetectable.

Stone Curlew 

Save yourself a few grand and go on a birding holiday

And make some news

And go birding.

Melodious Warbler

hope you enjoyed the article

some of these photos have already been publishing the blog.

Bonelli's Eagle

Today the Pallid Swifts have moved on and gone south.

Winters Coming.

Smashed it Big Time

Hey Good morning

And apologizes 

Well, it looks like I've not been Birding. I've just birded my local patch the Clot de Galvany. If I didn't see anything of note or something different, I've not been  bothered to write it up. 

And with John Edwards back in the UK these last few weeks. And with the relentless heat, I have the feeling, that I've not missed too much.

Montnegra 

Boom

As you know John Edwards, and I and our other Amigos have been following the progress of the breeding Trumpeters Finch in Montnegra. We've spent many hours and loads of visits to the different areas of this beautiful little Valley in 2022.

 We've put the effort in, and sat there and preserved the 40-degree diablo heat. We already knew this year was a successful breeding season. But until today we didn't realize just how well this special little red-billed Finch had done.

Until now the highest number ever recorded at any one time was 10/11. ( not this year )  And so today there were at least 23 Trumpeters Finch perch on a fence, a mixture of mounting adult and juveniles and no sign of the 2 adult male ringed birds which would push it up to at least 25 birds. Interestingly the adult birds in general didn't mix with the juvenile birds they seem to be independent.

Trumpeters Finch 

Unbelievable 

The Trumpeter Finch were flying around in close formation and contacting calling for most of the time, maybe they're getting ready to go?

18 Trumpeters Finches 

It's so good when a plan comes together.

Today I thought we wouldn't connect with the Red-billed Trumpeter Finch's and I thought they would be long gone and moved south.  And with that, mind I only took a short telephoto lens and travelled light and in a cockeyed way, I made the right choice, if I would have taken The Beast, my big lens, I would have never got the full flock perched in the photographs and prove just how many there are.

 Juvenile Back eared Wheatear

 And with our dater collected, photographs, leg ring number, and the help from Malcolm Palmer (CBBC) Alicante University, we will in due course produce a paper on the breeding status of the not-so-Elusive Trumpeter Finch.

 Juvenile Back eared Wheatear

Other birds seen today are a beautiful juvenile Back eared Wheatear, Black Wheatear, Spot Fly, Blue Rock Thrush, a very early returning Black Redstart, Red-rumped Swallow, House Martin, Grag Martin, 2 Juvenile Woodchat Shrike, and a mounting Adult. Swallows, Bee-Eaters, Alpine Swift, Pallid Swift's, and 2 distant Golden Eagle's 

Juvenile Bee-Eater

To me, it looks like things are on the move and migration the other way south has begun.

Brilliant days birding, great views of the birds

Juvenile Woodchat Shrike

Smashed It

Trumpeters Finch

Thanks to all, you know who you are, and who has helped make the Trumper Finch the successful story It is. Without you and your perseverance and effort, we couldn't have ever made so much progress on the status of Trumpeter Finch at Montnegra and so a big thank you.

Golden Eagle
 A long way off for my little telephoto lens

Cheers  Bryan 

Roller's, Bee-Eaters and Trumpets

 Two mornings out Birding and back home before heat arrives

Juv Bee-Eater

It was pretty good and our target birds we're nailed. Double figures for European Roller's 10+ around the lower levels of La Marina in fact we saw more Roller's that Bee-Eater's which I think is a bit of a record and around our local patch Bee-Eaters don't seem be as numerous as in previous year's? 

European Roller

Adult Bee-Eater

Diablo Furnace Montnegra.

Juvenile Trumpeter Finch Bird 1

And carrying with our research into the Trumpeter Finch in the Valley of Montnegra I'm pleased to say the breeding was pretty successful with at least 10 individuals identified most birds seen at any one time was 8 and also two adult male with different leg ring numbers

Juvenile Trumpeter Finch bird 2

Adult Male Trumpeter Finch leg ring number N283591

At some point john Edward's and I will publish our findings and produce pdf 

Adult Male Trumpeter Finch no leg ring

Juvenile Trumpeter Finch bird 3 

Snails
 You when its getting hot, when these bad boys get off the ground

 to stay cool

Adult Male Trumpeter Finch
different bird from above 

Have a great weekend

Cheers Bryan 

lets see what tonight brings

Carabassi Road and Clot de Galvany

Early start and trending around the historical Rufous-tailed scrub Robin site on the Carabassi Road and just in case the bird has turned up.  After a decent wander around, it's a no show, at this site, incidentally previously this site was a wash with rubbish left by holidaymakers but today it was clear of leftover waste and pristine. I watched today a major clean-up along the road and also lots of concrete blocks being laid along the length of the road. Maybe to stop the camper vans?  Plenty of Spotted Flycatcher there and the odd Turnstone on the beach.

The Clot de Galvany. 

Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Night Herons, in good numbers. Whiskered Terns, Audouin's Gull, Black-necked Grebe, Great reed Warbler and Reed Warbler seen.

 Audouin's Gull

The Surprise of the day was a Penduline Tit.  Marbled Duck seems to be doing well and the same for White-headed Duck.  The resident Ducks like Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, and Mallard, are all present and breeding.

Penduline Tit

So That's the end of my Birding with Trevor till the Autumn when he returns. 92 species on the list, which is not too bad as we've only done a few mornings till about 11 o'clock and the nightjars for a few hours. And we've seen not travelled more than 50+ kilometres.

Pallid Swift

Tomorrow I have a Wedding to do, so no pressure.

Enjoy the rest of the week and go birding.

Cheers Bryan 

Maigmo Mountian

You never know what's these mountains are going to give you, will we be lucky today?

 Brimstone

An odd overcast day and high humidity, bird wise lower down nothing much happening 6+ Crossbills was the best of it.

Crossbill

As we began to drive up we picked up Crested, Long tailed, Coal, and Great Tit, also a Short toed Tree Creeper.  Flushed the first of four Rock Bunting's.  A Buzzard circled above us and Trevor pick out a large Swift but lost it?

Crested Tit

Several Bonelli's Warbler we're seen close to the top also lots of Chaffinch, and some bref views of Jay and Mistle Thrush. And at the top an Alpine Swift gilded around for a little while.

At the Balcony of Alicante 2 more Rock Bunting's and a few more Chaffinch coming to a small watering hole could be an interesting place to keep an eye on.

Rock Bunting

Rock Bunting

 Brimstone

For me the best thing about today was the shear amount of Butterflies and the different types Brimstone, it looks like they've just hatched absolutely everywhere,  lots of Swallow Tailed, a few Painted Lady,  Fritillary Butterfly, Spanish Gatekeeper, Clouded Yellow, Grayling,

Swallow Tailed

 Painted Lady

So nothing out of the ordinary and the best bit not a bird but the Butterflies

Mediterranean Fritillary 
Female

but where next?

Cheers Bryan.

The Tarmac Road

 3 more trips up and down the Santa Pola lighthouse road, for Trevor and me.  No sign of any Red-necked Nightjars on the Tarmac road,  but at twilight, there were a few moments around the car park of Red-necked nightjar with a few flyovers and a limited photo opportunity. both specie's seen or heard

Red-necked Nightjar 

Red-necked Nightjar 

No sign or any calling of Long-eared Owl from our previous visit?

The moment of the day was an SUV that turn up and lit up the night sky, the car park and the surrounding area, and the loudest music blasted out with deep bass (why)

We gave up,  but not before we jigged about and we left them to Shaggy and Boombastic blasting out music into the cosmos

Unbelievable 

Oh to be 20 again

Tomorrow another day let you know how it happens

Cheers Bryan 

Early Bird ect

So this morning Trevor and I set out to find a few European Rollers, on the way we checked out Santa Pola Salinas adding a few of the resident breeding birds to Trevor's trip list.

It didn't take too long to find the Rollers 3 on a wire together, so as we watch them, one flew straight towards a palm tree and promptly disappeared into a hole in the Palm, a new nesting site. We didn't stay long and moved off. Lots of little Owl the odd Bee-eater, and a Peregrine Falcon.

European Roller

Collared Pratincoles seem to have had a good breeding season as there are plenty around and another Roller  ended our morning's birding

Time for home

I've not mentioned every bird seen

Cheers Bryan