Summary of 2013

During 2013 I was lucky enough to see some birds I’d not seen before (marked with *): not exactly rarities but very special for me anyway.

Here are a few highlights, as well as migration dates, all seen in our local patch unless stated and within the provinces of Salamanca and Ávila:

JANUARY

Buzzards mating close to our village

Raven versus Red Kite above our vegetable plot

White Stork arrives end of month

Red Kite tries to scare off Raven

Raven displaying territorial behaviour

FEBRUARY

Crested Tit* and Firecrest in the Sierra de Francia

Golden Eagle (1^st winter) outside our village

Hoopoe close to home (seen frecuently in winter)

Over 1100 Crane flying in to roost on shores of Local reservoir. They remained in the area until end of February

Cranes flying over the reservoir to roost in the evening

Redwing in the Sierra de Francia

Great-Spotted Cuckoo outside our village

Fieldfare ¼ mile from our village

Great Spotted Cuckoo just behind our house

MARCH

Iberian Chiffchaff arrived mid-March

The Short-toed Eagle and the Booted Eagle arrived around the middle of March and were here until mid-September, although a few were sighted later

The Cuckoo first made itself heard in late March as did the

Nightjar

First Swallows arrive

Short-toed Eagle near village

APRIL

Great Bustard Peñaranda area

Lesser Kestrel arrives

Wheatear arrives

The Spectacled, Subalpine, Melodious and Western Orphean Warblers arrive mid-April

Blue Rock thrush in local St. Teresa Reservoir and also by the River Tormes in SE Salamanca

Blue Rock thrush

Bee-eaters arrive

Black Kite arrives

Woodchat Shrike arrives

Honey Buzzard arrives

Bonelli’s Eagle above our vegetable patch

Black Kite

MAY

Spanish Sparrows nest in garden behind our house

Spanish Sparrow and guarding nest below

Western Bonelli's and Garden Warblers arrive

Short-toed Lark arrives

Pied Fly-catcher
See Tawny Owls mating on a neighbour's TV arial!

Red-rumped Swallow arrives

Red-rumped Swallows and nest

Golden Oriole arrives

Egyptian Vulture in Arribes, W. Salamanca

Spoonbill in Arribes

Black-necked Grebe in Arribes

Black Stork in local reservoir

Nightingale arrives

Black Stork and three Herons

Nightingale singing

JUNE

Montague's Harrier close to home

Turtledoves arrive

Penduline Tit* in Arribes

Pallid Swift* in Arribes

Great Reed Warbler in Arribes

Linnets and Subalpine Warblers nest in our Rosemary bush

Mother Linnet in nest

Three hungry Linnet chicks

Ladder snake digesting our Linnets

Sadly the chicks are eaten by a large Ladder Snake which I remove in a sack to a safe distance from the village..

Quail near village: sadly very few in area due to overhunting

Eagle Owl chicks with parent in their nest on a rocky outcrop above reservoir

Black Tern* over reservoir

Subalpine warbler in our back yard

JULY

Black-eared Wheatear by reservoir

Large colony of Sand Martin near River Tormes

Water Pipit* Sierra de Bejar

Little Ringed Plover chicks and parents

Hobby above vegetable plot

Black-eared Wheatear

Sand Martin colony

AUGUST

White Storks begin to gather for migration

family of Golden Oriole next to village

Nightjar near village

Savi's Warbler San Bartolomé de Bejar

Pied Flycatcher and Spotted Flycatcher arrive

Whinchat arrives

Storks gather for departure

SEPTEMBER

Golden Eagle over village

Wryneck* in the outskirts of Salamanca town

Marsh Sandpiper* Laguna del Cristo

Alpine Swift River Duero, Arribes

Slender-billed Gull* local reservoir

Night Heron by River Tormes

OCTOBER

Widgeon and Shoveler River Tormes

Alpine Accentor Sierra de Francia

Large gathering of Griffon Vulture close by village

Griffon vulture gathering

NOVEMBER

Teal local reservoir

Cranes begin to arive

Great White Egret by River Tormes

Cranes

Cranes gathering in late afternoon

DECEMBER

Gadwall Laguna del Cristo

Red Kite Roost

Red Kites above roost