Rare Birds in Spain Blog

T õ nn at El Hondo, Alicante © Graham Critchell. 3.2.2010 The Estonian Greater Spotted Eagle ' Tõnn' that has been overwintering at El Hondo wetland in Alicante has left north on 2-3 Aprl 2010 (2.4 according to Estonian team, but 3.4 according to local observers which recorded the bird on the afternoon of 2.4) and by 5.4 it was in Catalonia, about to enter in France, at Alt Empordà county, near La Jonquera. The Estonian team in charge of the monitoring of the eagle have built a webpage with a map of its migration which you can follow here . Thanks to all observers reporting its staying in Spain, let's hope to meet you again next winter and good journey Tõnn ! Resumen: Tõnn se va al Norte. El águila moteada estonia conocida con el nombre de Tõnn dejó su zona de invernada en El Hondo, Alicante entre el 2-3.4.2010 y marchó al norte. El 4.4 estaba ya en los puertos de Beceite, Teruel y el 5.4 junto a la frontera el La Jonquera, Alt Empordà, Catalunya. El equipo estonio de segu...

Sad news. The managers of the Hungarian LIFE project on Saker Falcon sent us this message with details on the death of the travelling Saker Piros. A sad end for perhaps the most outstanding travel ever recorded for such species. 'A few days ago - following of my request - an international team of biologists working with monk seals in Mauritania found the body of Piros on a peninsula on the northern part of the country (see 20.77100 -17.04467). When first seen, Piros seemed exhausted but the colleagues could not help her. She spent 8 days in the area before her signals disappeared. There is no explanation for her death since apparently there is plenty of food around: shorebirds, gulls and probably passerine migrants too. Nevertheless, the possibility of getting too tired after crossing the desert and not being able to hunt is not excluded. Further possibilities are: secondary poisoning (a large number of ships have been dismantled and sank in the area), some kind of disease...

It was almost 100% sure it had to happen: Piros, the Saker from Hungary, not only visited Spain and Portugal (after crossing S Europe) but made its way to Africa. The bird crossed the straits on 19-20.9.2009 and even went S to Morocco and the Western Sahara! (Matyas Prommer in litt.). See a couple of maps of the whole Iberian journey and data until 24.9 of the bird, courtesy of LIFE project managers). Era casi seguro que iba a pasar: Piros, el halcón sacre húngaro no sólo visitó España y Portugal después de cruzar el sur de Europa sino que se ha ido a África, atravesando Marruecos y llegando al Sáhara Occidental. El halcón cruzó el estrecho entre el 19-20.9.2009 (Matyas Prommer in litt.). Adjuntos hay un par de mapas del viaje por Iberia y su periplo africano hasta el 24.9, cortestía de los gestiores del proyecto LIFE. Hay que agradecer desde este blog la profesionalidad de diferentes ornitólogos españoles que han colaborado con el proyecto LIFE al seguir el ave y mandar datos a los g...

As shown in the LIFE project website ( see interactive map here ) and informed before in this blog, the Hungarian Saker Piros (Falco cherrug) which left Hungary to cross many countries in S Europe to make its way into NW Spain is still sending data of its long (and amazing) journey. After having visited briefly Portugal (another country adding an 'A' species to their national list...) the bird has left the area around Palencia and Valladolid where it was contacted and photographed by local observers aiding the Hungarian project managers. The Satellite images show that Piros had left the Castille region by 14.9.2009 after 10 hours since at 13 hours its satellite device showed ir entering Extremadura, north of Plasencia. At 19h it was East of Villafranca de los Barros, having crossed almost all Extremadura North to South. After having spent the night at Extremadura the following day crossed Seville province and by 19h of 15.9 it was around Doñana marshes. The following day, 16.9...

As confirmed by the Estonian team that marked and follows the famous Greater Spotted Eagle Tõnn ( Aquila clanga ) that overwintered last year in Spain, at El Hondo reservoir, Alicante, the bird is on its Sourthbound way already. As informed in their blog here , the bird has left Estonia and it is almost in France by now (see a map from their blog below), so it's expected it will follow the same trip as last year. Would be observers in Spain be ready! Según confirmación del equipo estonio que marcó y sigue el águila moteada ( Aquila clanga ) Tõnn que invernó el año pasado en España, en el El Hondo , Alicante, el ave está de camino hacia el sur ya estos dias. Como se muestra en su blog, el ave ha dejado ya Estonia y esta el domingo 20.9 casi en Francia (véase el mapa cortesía de Looduskalender) Como se muestra en inglés en su blog aquí , el ave va directa hacia el SW por lo que se espera que siga el viaje del año pasado y pueda llegar a España. Atentos posibles observadores!. 26.9....

Romi, a Female juvenile Saker, like Piros, ringed and tagged on 2008 (Source: Saker LIFE project website) Mátyás Prommer has commented in the Raptor Biology yahoogroup the sighting of a juvenile Saker from Hungary in France and N Spain. : ‘As some of you may be aware we are carrying out a four-year satellite-tracking project in order to study juvenile dispersal of Sakers in Hungary and Slovakia . We are in the 3rd year now and we have quite a lot of good data on the movements of our birds. However, this year (probably as the vole population collapsed after the peak) 1cy juveniles started the dispersal sooner as in the last two years and they went further in their first two months after fledging as in previous years. Most of them flew to east to the steppes - their typical habitat. However, not all of them did that. The most interesting move has been done by 'Piros' a 1cy female from West-Hungary! She made it to Spain ! Until now we have only one ring recovery from sout...

Tõnn en el embalse del Hondo (El Fondo), Elx, Alacant 2.1.2009 © Toni Zaragozí Tõnn at El Hondo reservoir, Elx, Alacant January 2 2009 © Toni Zaragozí Si en el post anterior informábamos de su presencia en Murcia, al menos desde el 24-26 de diciembre de 2008 (César Javier Palacios) y nuevamente el 2.1.2009 (Antoni Zaragozí, Vicenç Bataller) se ha detectado el águila moteada ( Aquila clanga ) Tõnn en el embalse de El Hondo -o El Fondo - (Alicante). Se trata de un águila moteada procedente de Estonia y marcada con un emisor vía satélite que ha cruzado media España por el este y después de estar en Murcia se ha establecido en el humedal del Hondo. Según César-Javier Palacios 'es muy fácil de ver, pues todas las rapaces de la zona, laguneros, calzadas, ratoneros e incluso dos jóvenes perdiceras, no le dejan en paz' y 'se le puede observar desde la carretera, así que no supone ninguna molestia ir a verlo, con dormidero en los eucaliptos del canal central, cerrado a cal y...

View Larger Map Un águila moteada ( Aquila clanga ) procedente de Estonia y marcada con un emisor via satélite, y llamada Tõnn se hallaba el 28.11.2008 en Murcia! El ave ha atravesado los Pirineos por Catalunya donde no ha seguido la costa sino que ha entrado entre el Ripollés y la Garrotxa, para seguir hacia Osona, hasta Montserrat, seguir por la llanura del Penedès y salir hacia la costa pasado el macizo del Garraf. Luego por la costa hasta el Delta de l'Ebre desde donde se ha ido a la Mancha húmeda, a Daimiel, Ciudad Real. Posteriormente ha reculado hacia la costa y saliendo a la costa en Cuevas de Almanzora, Almería, se encontraba el los alrededores del Mar Menor, Murcia el 28 .11. View Larger Map Según el seguimiento que se le está haciendo, y a juicio de los estonios, el área donde está ahora no parece muy buena para la invernada del ejemplar, que seguirá rumbo sur. Para más información en inglés: http://www.looduskalender.ee/node/2046 Gracias a Gunter de Smet por enviar la i...