Thursday, 1st March 2012

Cabo de Palos lighthouse garden, Cartagena

Weather: Sky 4/8 cloud (misty, clearing), no wind, temp. 12ºC. 09:25 to 10:10.

A quick trip around the lighthouse garden and surrounding area. There were no summer migrants, just an increase in the numbers of winter passage birds (such as Blackbirds, Black Redstarts, Sardinian Warblers and a single male Blackcap).Species seenYellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Rock Dove/Domestic Pigeon (Columba livia)
Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus)
Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)
Starling (Sternus vulgaris)
Spotless Starling (Sternus unicolor)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Serin (serinus serinus)

Rambla de Albujon, Cartagena (ringing)

Weather: Sky no cloud, wind NE F2, temp.17ºC. 15:30 to 17:15.

I had been invited to see some ringing at the Rambla de Albujon in the afternoon, and I certainly didn’t want to miss it, as it’s a great way to see Jack Snipe in the hand, and there’d always be a chance of seeing Spotted Crake in the hand! This didn’t happen, and due to the clear conditions and wind blowing, the catch was very light. A single re-capture Jack Snipe and a couple of new Common Snipe.

As there was another foreign visitor who wanted to see Richard’s Pipit, I took him to the local wintering site. It took us about 15 minutes to find the only pipit that was around – announcing itself by it’s loud ‘shreep’ call. We managed to see it in the ‘scope, but as always could not get near enough to photograph it. The photograph below is a ‘testimonial’ shot taken a week or so ago.

‘Testimonial’ shot of Richard’s Pipit, taken on the 17^th Feb.