JUNE 2012: NOTABLE SIGHTINGS IN EXTREMADURA

Gull-Billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica). By Juan Carlos Paniagua. 

A list of the most notable June 2012 records sent to the GOCE birdwatching forum. Compiled by Sergio Mayordomo.

- Greylag Goose: Two birds at Cubilar reservoir, Logrosán (Cáceres), on 24/06 (Sergio Mayordomo and Eva Palacios). Probably feral. 
- Egyptian Goose: Seven pairs, one with eight chicks, at La Serena reservoir (Badajoz) on 12/06 (Sergio Pérez, Miguel Sánchez, Fermín Sierra, Domingo Rivera, Demetrio Vázquez and Ángel Sánchez).
- Shelduck: Two birds at Charca de Esparragalejo (Badajoz) on 07/06 (E. Palacios and César Clemente). At Valdecañas reservoir (Cáceres) 12 adults and 20 chicks on 17/06 (S. Mayordomo, Javier Prieta and C. Clemente) and 18 adults and 39 chicks in 5 family groups on 21/06 (Manuel Flores, José A. Guerrero and Á. Sánchez). Second year running with breeding records at Valdecañas reservoir .
- Wood Duck: One bird on irrigation ditches of Casas de Belvís (Cáceres) on 02/06 (Javier Briz and Alejandro Briz). One drake on a village pond of Guijo de Coria (Cáceres) on 21/06 (C. Clemente).
- Shoveler: One drake at Valdecañas reservoir (Cáceres) on 17/06 (S. Mayordomo, J. Prieta and C. Clemente).
- Red-Crested Pochard: Three birds, two drakes and one duck at Arroyoconejos reservoir, Llerena (Badajoz), on 05/06 (Joaquín Vázquez and Francisco Montaño). One drake at Soto gravel pit, Valverde de Mérida (Badajoz), on 11/06 (Jesús Solana).

- Pochard: On 01/06 three drakes and one duck seen at El Ancho, Arroyo de la Luz (Cáceres), and one drake at Los Arenales, Cáceres (S. Mayordomo). At Charca del Manantío, Aldea del Cano (Cáceres), 11 drakes and 4 ducks on 02/06 (S. Mayordomo) and 10 birds on 07/06 (E. Palacios and C. Clemente). Seven drakes and three ducks at Arrocampo (Cáceres) on 23/06 (S. Mayordomo). One duck with several chicks at Villalba de los Barros reservoir (Badajoz) on 28/06 (José Elías, photograph).
- Ferruginous Duck: One drake at El Manantío, Aldea del Cano (Cáceres), on 02/06 (S. Mayordomo) and on 17/06 (Antonio Ceballos). - Great-Crested Grebe: Over 250 birds at Valdecañas reservoir (Cáceres) on 17/06 (S. Mayordomo, J. Prieta and C. Clemente).
- Glossy Ibis: At Montijo reservoir, Mérida (Badajoz), 15 birds came into roost on 02/06 (Antonio Calvo), twelve on 07/06 (E. Palacios, C. Clemente and Antonia Cangas) and seven on 17/06 (J. Solana). At Azud de Guadiana, Badajoz, birds were still seen throughout June (Juan Carlos Paniagua and Atanasio Fernández; bottom photograph).
- Sacred Ibis: One bird at Montijo reservoir, Mérida (Badajoz), on 14/06 (Gerardo Pizarro and Andrea García) and 17/06 (J. Solana).

- Squacco Heron: At Azud del Guadiana, Badajoz, up to four birds in breeding plumage seen throughout June (Juan Carlos Salgado, J. C. Paniagua and A. Fernández; photograph). Three birds at Montijo reservoir, Mérida (Badajoz), on 07/06 (E. Palacios, C. Clemente and A. Cangas).
- Cattle Egret: Flock of about 5000 birds at La Serena reservoir (Badajoz) on 12/06 (S. Pérez, M. Sánchez, F. Sierra, D. Rivera, D. Vázquez and Á. Sánchez).
- Montagu's Harrier: One dark morph bird between Álcántara and Membrío (Cáceres) on 13/06 (Javier Mahillo, C. Clemente and Carlos López Albar).
- Hobby: One bird at Valverde de Mérida (Badajoz) on 14/06 (F. Montaño).
- Great Bustard: One bird flying north at Castillo de Monfragüe (Cáceres) on 16/06 (Samuel Langlois). One male at Mohedas de Granadilla (Cáceres) on 21/06. Nine females, one of them with one chick, at Llanos de Guijo de Coria (Cáceres) on 21/06 (C. Clemente).
- Crested Coot: One bird marked with a neck collar at Arroyoconejos reservoir, Llerena (Badajoz), on 05/06 (J. Vázquez and F. Montaño). Second Extremadura record.
- Lapwing: Two birds at Los Arenales, Cáceres, on 01/06 (S. Mayordomo). 200 birds on the ricefields between Palazuelo (Badajoz) and Campo Lugar (Cáceres) on 12/06 (A. Calvo) and only one bird on 16/06 (Martin Kelsey). 50 birds on Galisteo ricefield (Cáceres) on 13/06 (S. Mayordomo).

- Kentish Plover: 11 birds, including one female incubating three eggs, at Valdecañas reservoir (Cáceres) on 17/06 (S. Mayordomo, J. Prieta and C. Clemente; photograph by César Clemente).
- Green Sandpiper: One bird at Laguna de Campanilleros, Saucedilla (Cáceres), on 09/06 (E. Palacios). Two birds at Palazuelo (Badajoz) on 16/06 (M. Kelsey). One bird at Azud del Guadiana, Badajoz, on 17/06 (J. C. Paniagua and A. Fernández).
- Ruff: One bird at El Batán ricefields (Cáceres) on 22/06 (S. Mayordomo).
- Common Sandpiper: One bird at Portaje reservoir (Cáceres) on 22/06 (S. Mayordomo).
- Dunlin: One bird at Arroyoconejos reservoir, Llerena (Badajoz), on 05/06 (J. Vázquez and F. Montaño).
- Collared Pratincole: Colony of about 200 pairs at La Serena reservoir (Badajoz) on 12/06 (S. Pérez, M. Sánchez, F. Sierra, D. Rivera, D. Vázquez and Á. Sánchez). Colony with over 25 pairs at Valdecañas reservoir (Cáceres) on 17/06 (S. Mayordomo, J. Prieta and C. Clemente).
- Yellow-Legged Gull: 22 birds at Valdecañas reservoir (Cáceres) on 17/06, including one adult with territorial behaviour in the Gull-Billed Tern colony (S. Mayordomo, J. Prieta and C. Clemente).
- Little Tern: Colony with about 100 pairs at La Serena reservoir (Badajoz) on 12/06 (S. Pérez, M. Sánchez, F. Sierra, D. Rivera, D. Vázquez and Á. Sánchez). Colony of over 15 pairs at Valdecañas reservoir (Cáceres) on 17/06 (S. Mayordomo, J. Prieta and C. Clemente).
- Sandwich Tern: One bird in the Gull-Billed Tern colony at Valdecañas reservoir (Cáceres) on 21/06 (M. Flores, J. A. Guerrero and Á. Sánchez). Second record for Extremadura.
- Common Tern: On 21/06 two birds were seen at Valdecañas reservoir (Cáceres) (M. Flores, J. A. Guerrero and Á. Sánchez) and four at Alange reservoir (Badajoz) (M. Sánchez, Joaquín Fernández, Jesús Prieto and Á. Sánchez).
- Black Tern: Two birds at Arroyoconejos reservoir, Llerena (Badajoz), on 05/06 (J. Vázquez and F. Montaño). Seven birds at Valdecañas reservoir (Cáceres) on 17/06 (S. Mayordomo, J. Prieta and C. Clemente).
- Whiskered Tern: Two birds at Arroyoconejos reservoir, Llerena (Badajoz), on 05/06 (J. Vázquez and F. Montaño).
- Nightjar: One bird in a low-altitude area at Pinofranqueado (Cáceres) on 01/06 (Alberto Pacheco). One bird singing at Montehermoso (Cáceres) on 14/06 (J. Mahillo and C. Clemente).
- Wryneck: Four birds at Dehesa de Aceituna (Cáceres) on 08/06 (A. Pacheco).

- Yellow Crowned Bishop, Euplectes afer. Several birds on 17/06 at Alfarofia ricefields (River Caya, Elvas, Portugal) at less than one k from the border with Badajoz (J. C. Paniagua and A. Fernández, photograph). A small population was found in this area in 2002 comprising at least five pairs, but no records are known from subsequent years; it seems, therefore, as though the species is still hanging on ten years later.
- Carrion Crow: One bird at Santa Cruz de Paniagua (Cáceres) on 24/06 (J. C. Paniagua).
- Spectacled Warbler: One male at Ovejuela, Pinofranqueado (Cáceres), on 16/06 (A. Pacheco). Two males at Refugio del Brezo, Losar de la Vera (Cáceres), on 17/06 (S. Mayordomo, Pepe Guisado, J. Prieta and C. Clemente). Ten males at Pitolero, Cabezabellosa (Cáceres), on 22/06 (J. Prieta).
- Song Thrush: one male singing throughout June from a Cedar in the garden of Campamento Carlos V, Jerte (Cáceres) (Iván Solana). Second probable Extremadura breeding record, the previous dating from 1999 at Descargamaría, Sierra de Gata.
- Rock Thrush: At Puerto de Esperabán, Pinofranqueado (Cáceres), three males, two adults and a young bird, on 12/06 and one male on 25/06 (A. Pacheco).

- Pied Flycatcher: Five pairs in nestboxes of Poyales pinewood, Losar de la Vera (Cáceres), on 17/06 (S. Mayordomo, P. Guisado, J. Prieta and C. Clemente -photograph-).
- Redstart: Several at Aceituna (Cáceres) on 08/06 and one male at Ovejuela, Pinofranqueado (Cáceres), on 16/06 (A. Pacheco).
- Rufous-Tailed Bush Robin. One pair at Rebollar (Cáceres) in a bramble patch between two cherry orchards on 10/06 (I. Solana). First record in Jerte Valley and in cherry orchards, habitat not previously recorded for the species.
- Tawny Pipit: Two birds at Puerto de Esperabán, Pinofranqueado (Cáceres), on 12/06 and 25/06 (A. Pacheco).

THE CINEREOUS VULTURE IN EXTREMADURA. 1974-2009.

The minutes have recently been published of the International Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) Symposium held in Córdoba in 2004. It stands to reason, given the important Extremadura population of this species, that several of the published contents should refer to this region. The huge time-lag between the event itself and the publication of these minutes means that some of the articles have already fallen behind the times. Luckily, some of the submitted papers have been updated. This is the case of an article dealing with the Extremadura Cinereous Vulture population, with additional figures from 2009 phased in (Caldera, 2012). Tapping into this data, we have compiled the published figures on this species in Extremadura, from the first estimates of 1974 up to the 2009 count. The results are displayed in the following table (click on it to open it up).

In more intuitive form the following graph shows clearly the upward trend in Extremadura's Cinereous Vulture population, although the population of the early years was greatly underestimated. The figures are more trustworthy from 1990 onwards. We also show the trend over time of the two biggest colonies, Sierra de San Pedro and Monfragüe. Bear in mind here that the figures refer to pairs that start breeding, so the actual population, including non-breeding birds and those undetected due to methodological reasons, is higher. In 2006 the breeding population was 829 pairs in Extremadura whereas the actual population is estimated to have been over 1200 pairs (De la Puente et al., 2007).

The lower map below shows the distribution (modified from Costillo, 2004). To match the colonies with the figures of the top table, the three northern colonies, marked with in green (Sierra de Gata), light blue (Las Hurdes) and dark blue circles (Granadilla) are considered to be a single group. In the southwest lie the big colony of Sierra de San Pedro (grey circles) and Tajo-Salor (dark green). In the centre-east of Cáceres lie Monfragüe (yellow, as from 2004 it has spread westwards) and Los Ibores (pink), which should really be taken to be a single unit. In the northeast of Badajoz are the two small clusters of Cíjara (red) and La Siberia (white; dying out in 2012). The original map dates from 2004 so it does not include the new expansion areas, which have been added on with a larger coloured circle: Canchos de Ramiro (red), Cañaveral (light green), Montáchez (blue) and Villuercas (orange). This latter cluster does not figure in any official count but birds are known to have nested there since 2007 (one certain pair and another probable), as recorded in the Extremadura Ornithological Yearbook (Anuario Ornitológico de Extremadura: Herrera et al., 2011).

Sources: 

- Caldera J. 2012. El buitre negro Aegypius monachus en Extremadura (España), pp. 38-40. In: Dobado, P. M. and Arenas, R. (coords). El Buitre Negro: Situación, Conservación y Estudios. Actas del Primer Simposium Internacional sobre el Buitre Negro Aegypius monachus (Córdoba, Spain, 21-23 October 2004). Consejería de Medio Ambiente de la Junta de Andalucía. 

- Costillo, E. 2004. El buitre negro en Extremadura. Doctoral Thesis . Universidad de Extremadura. 

- De la Puente, J., Moreno-Opo, R. and del Moral, J. C. 2007. El Buitre Negro en España: Censo Nacional (2006). SEO/BirdLife. Madrid. 

- Dobado, P. M. and Arenas, R. (coords). 2012. El Buitre Negro: Situación, Conservación y Estudios. Actas del Primer Simposium Internacional sobre el Buitre Negro Aegypius monachus (Córdoba, España, 21-23 October 2004). Consejería de Medio Ambiente de la Junta de Andalucía. 

- Herrera, J. A., Cerezo, J. and N. Baeza. 2011. Buitre negro Aegypius monachus. In, Prieta, J. and Mayordomo, S. Aves de Extremadura, vol. 4. 2004-2008. SEO-Cáceres. Plasencia.

- Rodríguez, Á. 2012. El buitre negro Aegypius monachus en el Parque Nacional de Monfragüe (Cáceres, Extremadura, España), pp. 223-226. In: Dobado, P. M. and Arenas, R. (coords). El Buitre Negro: Situación, Conservación y Estudios. Actas del Primer Simposium Internacional sobre el Buitre Negro Aegypius monachus (Córdoba, España, 21-23 October 2004). Consejería de Medio Ambiente de la Junta de Andalucía.

WHITE STORK: 2012, A TERRIBLE YEAR

There are few easier birdwatching tasks than studying White Storks in Extremadura. Almost by inertia, therefore, monitoring of the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) population in Plasencia and roundabout began back in 1998. 2012 therefore saw the culmination of 15 years' work. Sadly, however, for natural and man-induced reasons, it has been the worst season since the series started, with an all-time low of 74 occupied nests recorded. This figure is 40% lower than the peak of 122 nests in 2005 and 12% lower than the start of the study in 1998 (84 pairs). The reason for this fall is basically the systematic removal of nests from powerlines and buildings, since the White Stork population has continued to grow in neighbouring areas. In the grid QE22, for example (Valle del Alagón) it grew by 63% from 2004 to 2011 (from 87 to 142 pairs; Corchero, 2011) and the colony of Mirabel landfill site by 210% in the same period (from 42 to 130 nests).

 

The study zone almost coincides with IBA 304 "Plasencia y Sierra de San Bernabé" and takes in the built-up area of Plasencia (56 pairs in 2012 - see distribution by buildings in the image above - peaking at 75 in 2001-2002), three powerline colonies (13 pairs in 2012, peaking at 45 in 2005) and five isolated pairs on the churches of Casas del Castañar, El Torno, Valdastillas, Barrado and Gargüera. All nests were built on artificial structures barring one rock-based nest (active for five years but never with breeding success) and another in a Cork Oak (active for eight years), both associated with a powerline colony.

The above graph shows the population trend. There was a big increase in pairs in the first three seasons(1998-2000) the rise levelling off in the next five (2001-2005). The upward trend finally came abruptly to a halt in 2006, when 19 pairs were lost after the removal of 20 nests from the powerline of the N-110 road (eight new nests were built and this same number remains in 2012 though with continual changes of site after further nest-removal campaigns) and 15 from the Centro Universitario-Cuartel de la Constancia (seven new nests were built). Further destruction followed in March 2008 when all the nests (25) were removed from the Cathedral, the biggest colony in the area. Fortunately local ginger groups forestalled new dissuasive measures and 18 nests were rebuilt, remaining occupied in 2012. Fifteen nests were also removed from the powerline of El Robledo, Malpartida de Plasencia; eight were rebuilt and only four remain in 2012. After slight dip in 2011 the biggest percentage reduction came in 2012 when all nests were removed from the powerline of Gargüera (none rebuilt) with only two occupied of the 15 that once existed on the Centro Universitario. It is paradoxical that it should be an ostensibly educational institution perpetrating this persecution of the storks. In this period many of the buildings of Plasencia have lost their nests, some on blocks of flats, others on property of the bank Caja de Extremadura (hotel, auditorium, offices), several in the bishop's palace and some from stately homes. In general tolerance is higher in religious buildings than in civil buildings.

 

If we factor in the poor weather conditions it is now easy to explain the extremely low breeding success in 2012. The situation seems to have been similar in the rest of Extremadura and in other regions of Spain, and also with the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) in Cáceres too. White Storks began to breed in a poor physical state due to the dearth of food after a long and severe drought from November 2011 to March 2012. Untimely bursts of rain and cold snaps in April then exacerbated the situation and undoubtedly led to the death of small chicks in the nest, as shown by the graphs. The number of fledglings was the lowest ever, only 59, way below the 283 recorded in the exceptional year of 2001 and the mean figure of 162. This represents fewer than one chick per pair, specifically 0.8, half of the mean figure. The percentage of successfully breeding pairs (53%) is also the lowest in the 15-year series (mean of 75%); the same goes for the fledgling rate (number of chicks per successful pair). In 2012 only two pairs managed to rear three chicks. By way of comparison, in 2001 there were five nests with five fledglings and 21 with four. In general, the breeding parameters show a downward trend, especially after 2008; this might be bound up with the persistent removal of nests. In the last six years only three cases of four-fledgling nests have been observed, whereas this was fairly habitual up to 2006. Nonetheless, the breeding success is determined above all by the weather. The factors most detrimental to breeding success are wet springs (high chick death) low fledgling rate but with a high percentage of successfully breeding pairs; witness 2009) and drought (high nest failure, with a good fledgling rate, as in 2005). In 2012 both factors obtained, so the result was a dire breeding season across the board.

 

Sources: 

- Corchero, E. 2011. La cigüeña blanca en municipios de regadío del valle del río Alagón (NW Cáceres). Censo y parámetros reproductivos. Informe inédito.