On The Beach Fuerteventura

Another Bird Blog is doing its best to get back to normal with a visit to the feeding station in the hope of a spot of ringing soon. The usual birds were around the site including 2 Kestrels, 14 Corn Bunting, 1 Little Owl and 50+ Tree Sparrows, but after my absense for 2 weeks and little topping up of the feeders, there wasn't too much activity around them. Nonetheless, 10+ Reed Bunting, 6/8 Goldfinch, 10+ Chaffinch bodes well for later in the week when the wind eventually subsides.

No such problems with the weather in Fuerteventura where the light for photography was often perfect, so for today’s post there are images from the recent holiday of 12th-26th January. 

Beach walks proved a good way to work off breakfast and although birds were fairly scarce in the face of processions of tourists exercising their often flaccid limbs, there was always something to marvel at. Read on and remember to "click the pics" for a close encounter.

On The Beach Fuereventura

Costa Calma is a large bay approximately 1.5 km long. Southwards it is possible to walk along the beach to Morro Jable for approximately 21 km. The stretch of beach from Costa Calm and then south to Jandia is reckoned to be amongst the most beautiful in the world, with large swathes of pristine sand exposed at times of low tide where just the occasional black rocks extend into the beach. It’s at such locations that you realise how the scurrying Sanderling probably obtained its name with the often employed “clockwork toy” description springing to mind. Kentish Plovers could usually be found running across the sand, with dozens of Sandwich Terns loitering on the distant tideline or feeding offshore where a Gannet or two might also be seen. 

Sanderling

On The Beach Fuerteventura

Kentish Plover

Sandwich Tern

 Sandwich Tern

The retreating tides leave pools of clear salt water where the occasional fish and smaller items are left behind for the scavengers and opportunists, mainly herons and egrets. Being accustomed to passing tourists the birds aren’t too concerned when people stop for snapshots, and if someone gets a little close the birds just fly a few yards out of harm’s way. 

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

The perfect sand beaches are not the result of sand being blown across from the Sahara Desert (as some Guidebooks claim) but are in fact composed of broken shells and other remains from marine organisms. Fuerteventura can get very windy, though normally it is possible to find a sheltered beach somewhere along the east coast 

On The Beach Fuerteventura

Grey Herons aren’t too common, with just occasional birds seen. 

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

There’s a word of warning to the squeamish and to bird watchers carrying binoculars and cameras. Nude sunbathing is very popular on Fuerteventura, some might even say legendary, so if those Sanderlings are running along under people’s feet, take care where you point the camera and that any blowing sand doesn’t stick to moving parts. 

Sanderling

On The Beach Fuerteventura

More bare facts and related bird news from Another Bird Blog fairly soon. Today we are linking with Stewart in Australia who knows a thing or two about sandy beaches.

Where Did Two Weeks Go?

Back home after 14 days in the unbroken sun of Fuerteventura, and it’s a large bag of dirty washing for Sue and 800 images on the SD card for me. Yes, it’s a tedious, thankless task, but someone has to show willing so as to keep Another Bird Blog updated. Many thanks to all those who logged in during the holiday, I will be visiting you all soon to return the complement and catch up with your blogs, and in the next few days my priority is also to catch up with friends and family. 

After a check of the many images from the last two weeks I lumped together a quick post by way of an introduction to Fuerteventura, the birds and the scenery which they and the many tourists inhabit. This post details birds in the immediate area of our stay in Costa Calma, so named I think with reverence to the relatively sheltered nature of this resort from the prevailing winds. This relative calm is due in no small part to the easterly geographical location and to the long belt of pine trees which give a degree of protection from the often strong prevailing wind systems.

It’s peculiar how the same bird species occur in the vicinity of many holiday places we visit, with Fuerteventura providing a similar hotel list to other places we know whereby sparrows, pigeons, gulls, kestrels and a few wader species are to the fore. Don't forget folks, click on the pics for a better view.

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

Sanderlings and Turnstones were ever present on the sandy and partly rocky shore. Turnstones can be fairly confiding here in the UK, but on Fuerteventura they are even more so and are approachable to within a few metres. 

Sanderling

Turnstone

After taking photographs of a Sanderling I noticed only upon examining the images later that the bird had a British ring on its right leg. With only a couple of shots I couldn’t get enough detail to send the record in to the BTO so as to find out where it had been ringed, so in the following days looked for the Sanderling but couldn’t relocate it. 

Sanderling

An unusual hotel bird proved to be Raven, a pair of birds from the locality paying infrequent visits to the shore to steal monkey nuts from under the noses of the Barbary Ground Squirrels. Almost every tourist I saw paid more attention to feeding the “cute” squirrels whilst ignoring the long-distance-migrant shore birds at their feet, the closeness of the huge Ravens, the feeding terns along the shore or the handsome Yellow-legged Gulls. 

Sandwich Tern

Raven

Barbary Ground Squirrel

Yellow-legged Gull

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

It was the quiet parts of the hotel grounds where I found the Spanish Sparrows, the pair of Hoopoes, the resident Kestrel and the White Wagtail, one of the latter in particular which followed the gardener’s watering hosepipe so as to locate the resultant insects. There were Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs about the grounds but they kept out of sight in the strong sunshine of most days.

Kestrel

Kestrel

Spanish Sparrow

White Wagtail

Hoopoes mostly have that hair-gelled look, a sleeked back crest held in abeyance until some fool with a camera interrupts a feed and causes a moment of anxiety when the feathers fan out. 

 Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

As very birder knows, there’s a price to pay for a spot of birding, brownie points to be earned and then banked for another day with bins and camera. Here in Costa Calma it’s the “African” market where bartering is the order of the day followed by a glass or two of wine reflecting on the fading light and planning the day to come. 

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

Anyone For a Massage?

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

There’s local news soon from Another Bird Blog plus more pictures from Fuerteventura. In the meantime the blog is linking to Weekly Top Shot  and Anni .

Where Are You?

Hello everyone, and this is just a short post designed to let readers know where I am should they be concerned that Another Bird Blog is defunct. 

No it’s just taking a break from wet and windswept Lancashire by spending time on the lovely warm and sunny island of Fuerteventura, just 60 miles from the coast of Morocco. This picture of Fuerteventura was taken from outer space by NASA, and not by me from a Boeing 757. 

Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura is the oldest Canary Island, formed about 70 million years ago as a result of volcanic activity. The geographical position of Fuerteventura means that for many tens of thousands of years sand from the Sahara has been deposited on Fuerteventura's shores, resulting in 125 miles of some of the world's best beaches. I volunteered to check out a few beaches for waders. While you don’t see too many species from a static sunbed, I managed to clock up Kentish Plover, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Grey Plover, Redshank, Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and Curlew. Lots of Sandwich Terns buzzing along the shoreline too. 

Ringed Plover

 

Fuerteventura

Since most of the island is semi-desert, many of the more notable bird species found here are semi-desert species such as the Houbara Bustard, Stone Curlew and Cream-coloured Courser. There is one endemic species, the Canary Island Chat, which is found in some of the gullies around the island. Hopefully I’ll see this Stonechat relative in the next few days. Egyptian Vultures can be seen in remote parts of the island while Kestrels and Southern Grey Shrikes are very common. 

Southern Grey Shrike

There seems to be plenty of Hoopoes about, sometimes in gangs of three and four, with a number of Trumpeter Finches and Lesser Short-toed Lark seen. 

Hoopoe

All of the mammals found on Fuerteventura were either introduced deliberately or accidentally with the exception of bats. Of note is the Barbary Ground Squirrel, something of a tourist attraction at many of the miradors around the island, where the squirrels eat out of tourists’ hands. 

Barbary Ground Squirrel

Other mammals found on the island include Barbary Hedgehogs, Rabbits, Mice and Shrews as well as feral populations of Donkeys and Goats. Look out for the goats damaging your hire car though as they attack their own refelection in a shiny, well-waxed door.

There are no snakes on the island but there are plenty of geckos and an endemic race of Atlantic Lizard. It is possible that some Turtles still breed here on some of the more remote beaches and several species of Turtles are seen regularly in the waters around the island. 

Fuerteventura

Back in a day or two, in the meantime keep logging in to see how Another Bird Blog survives the heat of the midday sun.

For all regular readers, please continue to post comments and I'll reply asap.  I've asked the house-sitter to just log in and publish comments without trying to update the blog in any other way, so fingers crossed nothing goes awry.  

Mainly Finches

The weather this week has been mostly nasty, rain or fog and simply no sunshine, so when this morning dawned grey and cloudy but decidedly dry I headed over to Out Rawcliffe for a ringing session. During Tuesday’s rain I topped the feeders and scattered a little finch food, and with Wednesday being a shoot day which would keep birds away for a while, I hoped for a decent catch today. 

Arriving in the half-light I followed a Barn Owl for a while as it hunted along the road ahead of the car, then as I slowed to watch the owl it sped away with that rather rapid wing beat that Barn Owls can employ. 

The session was quite steady with just 4 species but a reasonable total of 24 new birds which were mainly finches, but no recaptures today: 10 Chaffinch, 10 Goldfinch, 3 Reed Bunting and 1 Brambling. The catch reflected the number of birds in the area today, with a mixed flock of c 160 Chaffinch and 8 Brambling in the distant stubble, a small number of which find their way to the nets. Once again there were 18/20 Reed Bunting along the woodland/field edge and a coming-and-going count of 45+ Goldfinch. 

A couple of this morning’s Chaffinches proved to be of probable Continental origin, an adult male with a wing length of 95mm and an adult female with a length of 87mm, both measurements almost as long as their respective limits. 

 Chaffinch - adult male

The single Brambling caught was a second calendar year (born 2012) female. The very pointy tail feathers gave the game away. 

Brambling - second calendar year female

Brambling - second calendar year female

Today’s three Reed Bunting added to the 23 apparently winterering but also very mobile birds caught here in November, December and to date in January 2013.

Reed Bunting

The ringing kept me fairly busy, however in-between times I clocked up 1750 Woodpigeon, 2 Jay, 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 32 Corn Bunting, 90 Fieldfare, 22 Redwing, 4 Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, 4 Skylark. 

On the way home I couldn’t resist a shot of the dependable and regular Little Owl, even though I had to use ISO800 and over expose due to the poor light.

Little Owl

Keep looking in folks, Another Bird Blog is back soon.

Slowly….

With a capital “S” became the order of the day at Out Rawcliffe when catching just 24 birds took up four hours of the morning. Of the 24 birds caught, 15 were new ones, with 8 recaptures and a single “control”, a bird ringed elsewhere: 11 Chaffinch, 4 Goldfinch,3 Reed Bunting, 2 Dunnock, 1 Great Tit, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Goldcrest and 1 Brambling. 

The "control" bird a second calendar year male Reed Bunting, Y763574, was quite well advanced into acquiring the black headed appearance of a spring and summer male. 

Reed Bunting

In all there were approximately 18 Reed Buntings in the area again, similar number to recent weeks and days. As most of them now manage to keep clear of the nets, the new birds I continue to catch must be precisely that, newcomers to the site. It was quite unusual to recapture 5 Chaffinch today, one of them first ringed here in September 2007, so now a good age for a Chaffinch. 

The plumage confirms an adult, well demarcated tertial feathers and well rounded, even “squared off” tail feathers. There’s an adult male for comparison. 

Chaffinch - adult female

Chaffinch - adult male

Although I caught 11 Chaffinch there didn’t seem many about until the shoot on a neighbouring farm caused 200+ birds to scatter from the stubble. There were probably Bramblings amongst the flock as I saw and heard at least 5 about the nets today, catching just the single female. Looking at the bird’s dirty bill, it too had probably flown over from the same peaty stubble field. 

Brambling

A number of Goldfinch appear to be attaining full breeding plumage, like the male below - black nasal hairs and red extending beyond the eye. 

Goldfinch

The slow ringing allowed time to look about and around, although not much happened until the nearby shoot disturbed many feeding birds. As previously mentioned, 200+ Chaffinch, 30+ Fieldfare, 25 + Redwing, 2000+ Wood Pigeon, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Kestrel, 2 Buzzard, 2 Lesser Redpoll and 7 Corn Bunting. One of the Corn Buntings sung a brief melody from the regular spring and summer fence posts nearby.

Corn Bunting

Slowly but surely, Spring will soon be here. 

Join Another Bird Blog soon and watch time fly. In the meantime visit Weekly Top Shot , Anni's Blog and Stewart's Photo Gallery for more birds and cool photography.

Don’t Bank On It

A dry start at last, so I drove to Out Rawcliffe hoping for a spot of ringing, and while the catch was poor, the in-between birding was more than OK. 

There wasn’t quite the 7mph wind promised by the BBC, more like a 10-15, enough for a single net in the ride which is sheltered but least favoured by the finches who prefer a more open aspect when feeding. There were a good number of Chaffinches about together with a much smaller number of Bramblings, probably 50 and 5 respectively, together with 20+ Goldfinches, but not all at the same time. It’s not a large, mixed feeding continuously flock, but more of a stop off point for birds roving the area. 

Just 6 Chaffinches caught until I packed up when the breeze increased and a light drizzle began. I had to remember to change the IPMR ageing codes this morning as from 1st January first calendar year birds become second calendar year birds, and for all six of the birds caught today the age code is now “5” - a bird born last year. Chaffinches are a doddle to age at all times of the year and below is a second calendar year female with worn, pointed tail feathers and worn, bleached edges to the tertial feathers. 

Chaffinch

Chaffinch - 2nd calendar year female

Birding wise and in-between the quiet net rounds came 1600 + Woodpigeon, with at one point a smaller flock harassed by a male Peregrine. After a few half- hearted passes the Peregrine appeared to lose interest and went on its way south. Other raptors - 1 male Sparrowhawk , 1 Buzzard and then 3 Kestrels, the now closely bonded pair and a single male some distance away. Nearby wet fields held 17 Whooper Swan, 200+ Lapwing and 500+ Black-headed Gull. 

Peregrine

There were thrushes about this morning, and in addition to the now regularly singing Mistle Thrush were 50+ Fieldfare and 18/20 Redwing. Other passerines included 20+ Reed Bunting, 4 Skylark, 50+ Tree Sparrow, 12 Corn Bunting and a single Chiffchaff close to the ringing station. 

No, there are no exotic, colourful flowers out on Rawcliffe Moss, the picture was taken in the sunshine of Lanzarote just twelve months ago. Wish I was there now. 

Chiffchaff

I’ll have another try at the finches in a day or two if the promised high pressure system and resultant settled weather appears. Don’t bank on the Met Office getting it right though; just rely upon Another Bird Blog to report in with more news, information and pictures quite soon.

Someone in Saudi Arabia found my blog by searching the Internet for a sketch of a Kestrel. All anyone has to do is ask. Sorry it's a day late my friend, but doing a watercolour took a little longer.

 Kestrel - Fotosketcher