The Extremadura breeding Spoonbill survey (Platalea leucorodia) continued in 2012. See other Spoonbill posts in this blog.
During the breeding season all Extremadura's spoonbill colonies were visited. Nests occupied by Spoonbills were found in 6 places, adding up to a total of 49 pairs (74 in 2011, 50 in 2010).
The colonies were the following:
- Valle del Tiétar I (Cáceres). 18 pairs.
- Valle del Tiétar II (Cáceres). 15 pairs.
- Arrocampo Reservoir (Cáceres). 1 pair.
- Valle del Alagón (Cáceres). 2 pairs with nest, in one fledged 3 chicks.
- Montijo Reservoir (Badajoz). 12 pairs.
- Villanueva del Fresno (Badajoz). 1 pair. New site.
- Alqueva Reservoir (Badajoz). Two colonies empty.
- Borbollón Reservoir (Cáceres). It could not be accessed.
- Llanos de Cáceres (Cáceres). All colonies empty.
Three visits were made to the Valle del Tiétar I colony to monitor breeding success. The 18 detected pairs all began breeding. In 15 nests it was possible to estimate the final number of fledglings: 23. This represents a fledgling rate of 1.92 chicks per successful nest (2.93 in 2011 and 1.86 en 2010) and an estimated productivity and breeding success of 1.28 chicks per pair (1.94 en 2011 and 1.43 en 2010).
Collaborators.
Emilio Costillo (Badajoz province), Javier Prieta (Valle del Tiétar and Arrocampo), Sergio Mayordomo (Valle del Alagón and Llanos de Cáceres) and Alfonso Pérez del Barco (Villanueva del Fresno).
