Its Arrived..........................................Migration

El Clot Infrared Filter

A funny old start to this morning birding at the El Clot, cold wind and cloudy, same old quackers, a couple of Grey Wagtails,  Marsh Harrier's now 4 in number. No sign of any Fudge Duck today, but they can disappear for hours. Heard only Stone Curlew and little Bitten. By mid-morning the skies were alive, thousands of hirundines so many I can only guess, just everywhere over the waters of the Clot,  good views of House Martin, Barn Swallow, Sand Martin, and Grag Martin, much higher a few Pallid Swift, 

Chiffchaff

Grey Wagtail

Not much of a photo but all those little specks are hirundine's

I did  venture out on Tuesday morning it was more of a recce, searching other possible birding areas, bird of the day was Osprey followed closely by the sheer number of Greater flamingo more like Lake Nakuru Kenya than Santa Pola Costa Blanca, a few other bits and bobs but nothing out of the ordinary.

Hope you've had a great day

Cheers BT

Not 1 not 2 not 3 but 4

A quick visit to El Clot too check out the quackers, everything is much the same there? And around about the same number of quacks,  except for Fudge duck which now 4 in number paired up and displaying with luck we might have a new breeding bird for the Clot wouldn't it be nice to see some little fudgeling's paddling around.

3 of 4 Fudge Duck
bird furthest left might be a hybrid Pochard x Ferruginous Duck
looking at the head Shape? It looks a little Bigger, body shape as well is not quite right?

 Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) is a medium-sized diving Duck

Ferruginous Duck
This photo from 2018 taken at the Clot

Their breeding habitat is marshes and lakes with a metre or more water depth. These ducks breed in southern and eastern Europe and southern and western Asia. They are somewhat migratory, and winter farther south and into north Africa.

Pochard

The work continues at the use to be Reed hide they've dug down at least 2•5 meters it looks like there's going to be some shallower areas and the raised areas higher, there's truck after truck moving earth away, whoever responsible thanks

 should be good when it's done. 

Young male Pochard

The only thing of note was there seemed to be more heavy hooters around ( Great Tits ) calling there heads off, nice to hear on a fine spring-like day it sound like there having fun.

Avocet

Have a fabulous day

Cheers BT

El Pinet

Good morning 

Today we visited El Pinet and searched for Eric the Terick Sandpiper, I had a bet with Michelle, I said  I'd strip off and run around naked if we got to see the bird?   I was pretty sure I was on a safe bet and we wouldn't see Eric? And Michelle was praying it wasn't there as well.

We spent 4 hours around the El Pinet area and Salinas scoping every bird that was identifiable even the distant blobs.

Some other birds seen over n332 nice full summer plumage Mediteranean Gulls, Audouin’s Gulls looking very smart, Kentish Plover, the usual canteen of Spoonbill, at the standing stones. All the usual suspects there.

And at El Pinet

About 15 + Black-tailed Godwit, a few Ruff,  lots and lots of Dunlin (150+) little Stint, Redshank and Greenshank, Avocet about 100, Little Egret with summer plumes.

 Star bird of the day which walked right in front of us giving absolutely stunning views of a rather shy and nervous bird that often heard but seldom seen 

it was like it was on stage giving a performance well done Michelle for calling it.  The Werther's creamy caramel came out, it was a moment.

Water Rail

Water Rail

And despite the predicted no show of Eric the Terick Sandpiper it was a rather nice morning out and a possible new member of the NBBC ( No Bins Bird Club )

Gareth a fellow welsh man and Swansea city supporter ( we won't hold that against him ) we'll be in touch.

Have a great week everybody

Black Wheatear

The Black Wheatear is still displaying around my house

Our 1st bird of the day

Some of you may of notice that I've now had to reluctantly include a watermark on my images, it's because my images keep turning up on web site/ blogs publications and newspapers etc. 

I've really not got a problem with anybody using any of my photos, a credit would be nice. it's also a bit of compliment, that they steal, because they can't actually achieve it for themselves and so that quite a nice feeling, copying is the ultimate form of flattery,  What's really pissing me off is that some web site's embellishes there blogs/web site's and publication with images that's clearly not there own. And use it to Promote themselves and their web site with images which is not achievable for them in the real world.  So they steel, That's not right. It's lying

And it's so easy to check out the Guff,  just Google the image, 

it don't take much to see the bluff

Stop the steal

Get up get out and look up

 Good morning

This morning I've seen my first Barn Swallow of the year, just a single bird,  but a bit of a nudge that springs have almost arrived, also Raven, and Black Wheatear. Has anybody else seen the reported? Terick Sandpiper reported for the 11th at El Pinet, does anybody have a / or even distant blurry photos?

So I thought its a good opportunity to dig out one of my old photos from the Isles of Scilly of a Terick Sandpiper from 22 years ago April 1999. to show what one looks like, unmistakable with that turned up bill. 

Eric the Terick
from 22 years ago photo still looks good
just where the time has gone?

 

Good news for El Clot?

Thursday 11th February

As we are confined to barracks during this latest phase of Covid 19 it difficult to make any fresh bird news so it's more or less the same bird sightings for the Clot De Galvany. It was great to meet up with John and Michelle and we had the hide to our selves for most of the time.

All the ducks previous reported are still present but number are at least half that of a week ago maybe some have moved over to the other 2 lakes which we can't view? Good to see the Widgeon Duck are still there in numbers, 6 + plus males and few females scattered around. The fudge Duck is still there but a pain in the ass to find?

Gadwall

 Number of Gadwall have gone up about 40 birds the male are displaying and there's more Red-crested Pochard and the only new addition to the bird list is 2 reed buntings which Michelle found.

At the Reed Hide which has been a major waste of time for years, except if you like looking at reeds? is having a major makeover, (about time) big earth-moving machines are In there. There's reed cutting tree cutting etc going on.

As it happens I got lucky a speak to one of the Wardens ( who could speak really good English ( shame on me and my poco Spanish ) The plan is as I understand, is to make it more like or similar to the popular hide? They plan to dig out the channels to make it much deeper which should stop some of the reed growth as the reeds don't like to be in too much depth of water, some of the raised areas are meant to stay?  So it's mostly good news? And anything that encourages birds is OK with me. I did ask about the other lakes and the water levels, I asked if they had any plans to reflood as the water has dropped by a meter, the warden told me that there are no plans to re-flood and those lakes are a natural occurrence? Even though the warden said this, I have my doubts as the water seamed to come from nowhere and a new hide built and about  20 pairs of Marbled Duck introduced?  So it's likely to return to a marshy type area again, which is a great shame as its been brilliant there, all this summer, we've had no significant rain since the last winter of 2019/ 2020 so I'm hoping that it lashes down before the summer arrives and fills up the lakes, spring is here and summer doesn't feel that far away, going by today's weather it's all ready here.

Black Redstart

I might have to do the rain dance before not too long 

We could do with some of the UK's rain

Please send some

Thanks in advance

Have a great weekend

Cheers BT

Photos later