In an earlier post of this blog we reported regular wintering of Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in one particular spot of the province of Cáceres. February has now arrived and the first Egyptian Vultures will soon be back from Africa, so, before spring migrants muddy the figures, now is the time to report on wintering birds 2012-2013 in Extremadura. According to Ángel Rodríguez and Manuela Rodríguez, who have monitored the only known winter roost in Cáceres, the maximum count was 49 Egyptian Vultures, about 40% of them immatures. The above photo was taken by Ángel Sánchez on 2 February 2013 at this 36-strong roost (Roberto Sánchez, Isabel Alcántara, Angel Luis Sánchez, Manuela Rodríguez, Jesús Sánchez, Angel Rodríguez, Fermi Martínez and Ángel Sánchez). The graph shows the peak numbers detected in this wintering spot (information is missing for 2007-2008). After the all-time low of only seven birds in 2012-2013, numbers have soared to an all-time high this winter.
