Trip reports, photographs and articles by Lutz Lücker

Short-toed Eagle












So here I am back from Spain. Went to Estremadura, to see hundreds of Great Bustards in Villafafila but missed the wolves I saw last year in Vilardeciervos. I am not going to write another trip report since I basically saw everything I'd seen in 2006, described on the first page of this website.

As the birds were often at a far Distance, photography was difficult , pictures blurred by wind, humidity and differences in temperature. So I made a lot of mini videos; 60 of which are on
http://www.dailymotion.com/lutz6lucker/1
Click on "zoom" if you want a bigger picture!
You will be able to see on those that getting sharp photos was rarely possible. Nevertheless i put 140 pictures on
http://lutzluecker.spaces.live.com
Click on "Spain April 2007", then on the last symbol to the right ("vue intégrale") to enlarge the pics + trigger the slide show.
The images with the P code were made with my old Novoflex lenses + Olympus digital reflex camera, The IMG code ones as well as the videos were digiscoped with Canon Ixus and Kowa and Opticron scopes.

Some of the outstanding observations were:
- The Monfrague Eagle Owl that had been brooding its chicks for 7 hours in pouring rain, sitting wings spread out to get dry like a Cormorant, attacking all the Griffon Vultures that came too close to its nest.
- A Short toed Eagle that caught a very big rodent (hamster? young hare?) and swallowed it in mid-flight.
- Up to 280 Great Bustards at a time with groups of over 50 males cockfighting.
- Up to 50 Pin-tailed sandgrouse, sometimes less than 150 yards from the La Aldea-Monroy road.

My English friends Colin and Merilyn have just refurbished a beautiful house in La Aldea (snug, unspoilt little village north of Trujillo, 5 mins. drive from the steppes holding both bustards and sandgrouse as well as the 5 eagles, vultures and storks) and plan to organize birdwatchers' holidays. If you are interested, let me know!

- The Imperial Eagles again bred near the Portilla de Tietar car park, unfortunately just behind the ridge, but could be seen daily.
- A Golden eagle's nest 150 yards from the road to Talavan., incredible!
- Several Otter sightings in Monfrague nature park and near La Aldea.
- My only "tick" was a singing Spanish Chiffchaff. Very surprising song; has nothing in common with our birds! - The most uncommon birds: 5 Spoonbills at Talavan lake.- I am not much of a twitcher, neither a list keeper but indulge in re-visiting gorgeous places + literally watching tons of big birds. (How much does a flock of 280 bustards weigh?)
- A real colony of at least 7 pairs of Montagu's Harriers. Colin might tell you where it is!
- A booted Eagle tried to catch pigeons from the roof of a Hacienda for almost 20 minutes but was unsuccessful. It looked as if it was used to trying its luck there regularly. Another does does the same on La Aldea church!
- The Purple Gallinules in Almaraz had chicks of very various sizes; excellent views of Little Bittern and Savi's Warbler.
- A male Hoopoe feeding its spouse on the roadside.
- Copulations of Black-shouldered Kites, Egyptian Vultures and Little Owls, nests of Black Stork and Black Vultures, Black Wheatears; up to 30 Lesser Kestrels on a pigeon house near Villafafila.
- Calling Scops Owls in Malpartida town park, opposite my hotel, I could watch them in the light of a large torch. But they can be a nuisance if you want to sleep with windows open.....
- The Dupont's lark in Belchite/Zaragoza was again singing through the night beside my car but vanished at dawn due to nasty weather conditions. Well, I'll see it next year!

Well, there is no other place in Europe where you can see 20 raptor species within 48 hours, plus all the Owls, Storks and Bustards. And every year I get some more unforgettable moments there, not to mention the exquisite Spanish food and wines...!


Me voilà de retour de mon habituel périple d'Espagne orientale. Trujillo, Villafàfila, Villardeciervos (où les loups m'ont fait faux bond...). Pas la peine d'écrire un rapport comme en 2006; il n'y a pas beaucoup à rajouter.
Comme les distances d'observation dans ces régions sont souvent énormes, j'ai fait beaucoup de (60) mini-vidéos qui sont sur
http://www.dailymotion.com/lutz6lucker/1
Vous verrez que les conditions étaient médiocres pour la photographie; beaucoup de brumes de chaleur, de flou dû au vent ou à l'humidité de l'air.- Il y a tout de même 140 images sur
http://lutzluecker.spaces.live.com
(cliquer sur Spain April 2007", puis sur le symbole à droite, sous la mini-photo: "vue intégrale" pour lancer le diaporama.)
Les photos codées P sont faites avec mon bon vieux Novoflex + Olympus réflex digital, les autres + les vidéos avec un Canon Ixus sur télescope Kowa ou Opticron.
Un séjour agréable, agrémenté par la présence de mes amis de Paris et les copains anglais qui ont fait rénover une grande maison à La Aldea ( 15 km au nord de Trujillo), à 5 min. de voiture des steppes avec les 5 aigles, les 2 Outardes, Gangs et Cigognes et les 3 vautours. Ils vont louer des chambres (avec salle de bain moderne) à des ornithos; si ça vous intéresse, dites-le moi! Mais il faut savoir un peu l'anglais! Ils connaissent très bien la faune de la région, y compris les coins à loutre!

Quelques obs exceptionnelles:
- Un Grand-Duc mouillé qui se séchait comme un Cormoran sur un arbre après 7 heures passées sous la pluie (et sur ses petits), et qui rentrait dans le cadre des Vautours qui venaient trop près de son aire....,
- un Circaète qui a saisi un très gros rongeur (hamster? jeune Lièvre??) pour l'avaler en vol...,
- Des groupes de plus de 50 Gd.Outardes mâles qui se battaient comme de chiffonniers; jusqu'à 280 Outardes dans un coin...,
- Des groupes de Ganga cata qui se nourrissaient parfois à 100m de la route de La Aldea...,
- L'aigle ibérique qui nichait de nouveau au parking à Portilla de Tiétar, hélas DERRIERE la crête, mais qui venait tous les jours...,
- un Aigle royal qui nichait à moins de 200m d'une route à trafic modéré...,
- Des loutres à 3 ou 4 endroits différents, surtout au parc Monfrague...,
- des Petits-Ducs qui se laissaient admirer avec une grosse lampe de poche dans le parc de Malpartida, en face de mon hôtel ("Los Rosales", très simple mais bon marché..),
- Seule "coche": un Pouillot véloce ibérique au chant étrange. Rien à voir avec les nôtres! Mais pourquoi faire des coches quand on peut observer 20 espèces de rapaces en 48h ? Des tonnes d'oiseaux! (Combien pèsent 280 Outardes...?)
- Mon ami Colin peut vous montrer un champ avec une colonie de Busards cendrés. 15 couples en 2006!
- Un aigle botté qui essayait pendant un quart d'heure de saisir un des pigeons sur le toit d'une Hacienda, sans succès mais avec obstination. Faut croire qu'il vient tous les jours, au cas où....,
- Les Talèves sultanes à Almaraz avaient déjà des poussins en partie assez âgés. Flanqués de plusieurs Locustelles et Blongios....,
- Piafs les moins communs: 5 Spatules à Talavan. Encore trop tôt (ou trop frais ?) pour Engoulevent à collier roux, Rollier ou Martinet à croupion blanc.
- Il est vrai qu'il n'a pas toujours fait beau mais les Guêpiers étaient là, et trop de soleil...c'est trop, surtout pour la photo!
- Un couple de Huppes avec offrandes de nourriture répétées.
- Copulations de Percnoptères, Elanions, Chevêches, nids des 3 vautours, Cigognes noires, et Traquets rieurs, un Colombier avec 30 Crécerellettes dessus...,
- Le Sirli de Dupont a chanté la moitié de la nuit à côté de la voiture, mais a abandonné avant l'aube dû au mauvais temps. Ce sera pour la prochaine !


War mal wieder in der Estremadura, sowie in Villafafila bei den Trappen + Villadeciervos, wo die Wölfe sich aber nicht blicken liessen. Ich werde diesmal keinen trip report schreiben; ich habe praktisch wieder all das gesehen, was schon in meinem Bericht 2006 drin steht hier weiter unten!

Habe viele Videokurzfilmchen gedreht wegen der oft grossen Entfernungen; 60 davon sind auf
http://www.dailymotion.com/lutz6lucker/1

Auf "Zoom" klicken, wenn Ihr sie grösser haben wollt!
Man sieht, dass das Flimmern der Luft wegen des nicht immer guten Wetters oft erheblich war (Luftfeuchtigkeit, Wind, Temperaturunterschiede...), weswegen ich nur relativ wenig Fotos gemacht habe. 140 davon sind auf
http://lutzluecker.spaces.live.com

Die Fotos mit P sind mit Novoflex + Olympus Digital gemacht, die mit IMG mit Canon Ixus und Kowa bzw. Opticron- Spektiven digiskopiert, so auch die Videos.
Auf "Spain April2007" klicken, dann auf das Symbol ganz rechts "Vue intégrale" für Grossbild.

Ein paar herausragende Beobachtungen:
- Nach einem halben Regentag kam der klatschnasse Uhu in Monfrague/Portilla de Tiétar vom Nest, trocknete in der Sonne wie ein Kormoran + griff ständig die auch trocknenden Geier in Nestnähe an.
- ein Schlangenadler griff sich ein recht dickes Nagetier (Hamster?junger Hase?) + schluckte es im Flug herunter.
- Verbände von über 50 Trapphähnen, die sich in Villafafila schlugen wie die Kesselflicker,
- Spiessflughuhntrupps, die an der Strasse La Aldea-Monroy oft in nur 100m Abstand frassen,
- Der Kaiseradler in Monfrague brütete wieder in der Tiétar-Kolonie, nur leider hinter der Kante, war aber regelmässig zu sehen.
- Der Steinadler brütete in 150 m Abstand vom Hide am Talavan Stausee. Unglaublich!
- Mehrere Fischotter-Beobachtungen in Monfrague und bei La Aldea, wo ich bei meinen Freunden Merilyn und Colin Jewitt wohnte, die da jetzt ein Haus in La Aldea (N von Trujillo, sehr zentral!) renoviert haben + Zimmer an Ornis vermieten wollen. Sehr zu empfehlen! Nur 5 Minuten Fahrt bis in die Steppe mit Trappen, flüghühnern + 5 Adlerarten. Schreibt mir, wenn's Euch interessiert. Ein sehr nettes Ehepaar, das die Gegend gut kennt.
- Einziges (halbes) Häkchen diesmal: ein singender span. Zilpzalp. Noch nie gehört! Hat nichts mit unseren Zz zu tun. Aber ich bin weder ein Twitcher noch ein Listenfan , mag es aber, immer wieder in eine Ecke zu fahren, wo SEHR SCHÖNE Beobachtungen (und tonnenweise Vögel) garantiert sind.
- Colin kennt ein Feld mit 7-15 brütenden Paaren Wiesenweihen. Spektakulär! 1 richtige Kolonie!
- Ein Zwergadler versuchte 15 Min. lang, eine der dummen Tauben, die auf einem Dach einer Hacienda sassen, zu schlagen. Er war aber noch dümmer!
- Die Purpurhühner in Almaraz hatten schon Junge, z.T. kleine Kükchen, z.T. schon 2/3 Grösse wie Ad.
- Ein wiedehopf fütterte geraume Zeitlang sein Weibchen im Feld am Wegrand.
- Kopulationen von Gleitaaren, Schmutzgeiern, Steinkäuzen..,Trauersteinschmätzer am Nest, bis zu 30 Rötelfalken auf alten Taubenhäusern auf dem Land...,
- Zwergohreulen im Park von Malpartida bei meinem Hotel, die sich im Schein meiner Taschenlampe begucken liessen,
- Die Dupontlerche in Belchite/Zaragoza sang wieder die ganze Nacht neben dem Auto, aber gab im Morgengrauen wegen Sauwetter auf. Schade! War aber schön!

So, der Rest war wie gesagt 2006 sehr ähnlich. Obwohl die Qualität + die Umstände der Beobachtungen immer wieder anders sind. Ich kann mich garnicht sattsehen. Und wo sieht man schon in 48 Stunden 20 Greifvogelarten, beide Trappen, Flughühner und Störche???

6th journey from S Sweden to the Barents Sea - July 2006

Report on a birding trip

Illustrations on http://lutzluecker.spaces.live.com
and
http://lutzluecker.blog4ever.com/blog/lirarticle-59350-147097.html

Lutz Lücker 5, Fort-L'Ecluse – CH-1213 Pt.-Lancy/Geneva / Switzerland

Introduction (same as in 2002-2004):

Travel :
By car from Geneva. Petrol less expensive in Finland, most expensive in Norway.
Crossed Baltic Sea at Fehmarn (Puttgarden/Rödby) and Helsingör. Way back via Gedser/Rostock.
Beware! In late July, waiting queues in Rödby can be long; better use the bridge near Odense.
There are lots of automated petrol stations in Fennoscandia but they do not all accept foreign credit cards. Better have a few small banknotes ready...!

Maps :
Used mainly the Norwegian Cappelens 1 :400.000 Troms og Finnmark map (main reference for this report). For local use the 1 :250.000 Statens vegvesen VERGKAART, blad 21 (Varanger) is very good. There are better maps for hikers (1 :50.000), but very small and expensive. An excellent bargain is the Statoil Scandinavia atlas NORDEN for 200 skr: the whole of Scandinavia on a 1:300.000 scale! But it does have some imperfections: a yellow road may turn out to have thousands of potholes, a red one may not be tarmaced.

Daily route, weather and highlights
Weather in the High Arctic was cool (cold), wet and quite windy this year. And it had been so since late May! Worst summer since the beginning of meteorological records! There was virtually no snow left on high tundra; all had been washed away by the rain. But breeding/hatching was rather early than late.
Still no Lemmings on the tundra but quite a few other rodents by the sea; so Rough-legged Buzzards (Buse pattue) (Raufußbussard) and Short-eared Owls (Hibou des marais) (Sumpfohreule) were not scarce there. But in Norrbotten, rodents were rare: very few owls!
Mosquitoes scarce this year, only on the very few calm, warm days on wet tundra. Lots of species were quite rare or seemed absent like Steller's Eider (Eider de Steller) (Scheckente), breeding Bar-tailed Godwit (Barge rousse) (Pfuhlschnepfe) , Ruff (Combattant varié) (Kampfläufer), Purple Sandpiper (Bécasseau violet) (Meerstrandläufer), Pied Flycatcher (Gobemouche noir) (Trauerschnäpper), Twite (Linotte à bec jaune) (Berghänfling) etc.
I had no special target species since I had already seen anything one could expect on previous journeys and had no illusions about difficult small birds like Terek Sandpiper (Chevalier bargette) (Terekwasserläufer), Little Bunting (Bruant nain) (Zwergammer), Greenish Warbler (Pouillot verdâtre) (Grünlaubsänger) or Great Snipe (Bécassine double) (Doppelschnepfe). So I decided to consider anything new as a bonus.

31st June:
Arrival at Store Mosse National Park. 15 Whooper Swans (Cygne chanteur) (Singschwan), 8 Cranes (Grue cendrée) (Kranich) (no juv.), 5 (!) Ospreys (Balbuzard pêcheur) (Fischadler) on/over Kävsjö! - Sun, a few clouds, mild. Dead badger (Meles m.) on the road near Gävle.

1st July:
6 km S Sörbrännigen a pair of Black-throated Divers (Plongeon arctique) (Prachttaucher).
In Hudiksvall, 22 Lesser white-fronted Geese (Oie naine) (Zwerggans) at the traditional moulting site by the lake. Only one ringed, but 10 were in the water... The only place in the world where you can get this close to wild Lesser Whitefronts! The same birds have a 600 yd. flight distance on their Lapland breeding sites.
Stopover at a large lake (Manjaurträsk) NE Amsele (road 363), where a drake Surf Scoter (Macreuse à front blanc) (Brillenente) had been seen a week before in a flock of Common Scoter (Macreuse noire) (Trauerente). Not ONE duck on the lake, but a few minutes later, ONE black bird came along, flying and that was the one! It came down on the water and I could watch it for 20 min. before it disappeared. What does an American bird do in the middle of Sweden in July?
Two more pairs of Black-throated Divers (Plongeon arctique) (Prachttaucher), the first Waxwing (Jaseur boréal) (Seidenschwanz), first Reindeer and Wood Sandpiper (Chevalier sylvain) (Bruchwasserläufer) on the road to Norsjö. I had well arrived in Lapland! 2 Woodcocks (Bécasse des bois) (Waldschnepfe) SW Glommersträsk, a Curlew (Courlis cendré) (Großer Brachvogel) NE, with Osprey (Balbuzard pêcheur) (Fischadler) and first Redwing (Grive mauvis) (Rotdrossel). (Sunny and warm)

2nd July:
First and only Three-toed Woodpecker (Pic tridactyle) (Dreizehenspecht) SE Arvidsjaur. 53 km before Älvisbyn, a Crane (Grue cendrée) (Kranich) family, 1 Whooper swan (Cygne chanteur) (Singschwan), first Brambling (Pinson du Nord) (Bergfink) and an Adder (Vipera berus). 1 Red-necked Grebe (Grèbe jougris) (Rothalstaucher) near Viskträsk.- I spend the rest of the day with my Swedish friends in Boden and leave in the evening with some information on a family of Great Grey Owls (Chouette lapone) (Bartkauz) about 40 km north. After a fruitless hour of searching the Northern Taiga I finally hear the female begging for food. She is perched on a Birch tree, the chick in the dense forest behind, and I shortly hear the male calling. I do not want to disturb the scene and stay within a distance of 40 yards, the bird not even looking at me, sometimes snoozing. As it is very late, I get back to the car after an hour. (Sunny and warm)

3rd July:
Long road to the Arctic circle where the weather deteriorates. First Redpoll (Sizerin flammé) (Birkenzeisig) near Kersilö, Moskuvaara/Viankiaapaa junction after the dam, 80 m before the right turn to Viankiaavan reserve, but no Little Bunting (Bruant nain) (Zwergammer) like in 2004. Too windy. 1 Curlew (Courlis cendré) (Großer Brachvogel) and 1 Whimbrel (Courlis corlieu) (Regenbrachvogel) on the Petkula bog near the road by the Vajukoski junction, first Golden plover (Pluvier doré) (Goldregenpfeifer) on Kaunispää hill S Ivalo, but no grouse and no Dotterel (Pluvier guignard) (Mornellregenpfeifer). Too many dogs! Night in the rain near Nuorgam after 4000 km drive.

4th July :
First Bluethroat (Gorgebleue à miroir) (Blaukehlchen) near Polmak, Merlin (Faucon émerillon) (Merlin (Faucon émerillon)) near Harrelv, first Long-tailed Duck (Harelde boréale) (Eisente) at Kongsvoll pass, first Arctic Skuas (Labbe parasite) (Schmarotzerraubmöwe) near Batsfjord, first Rough-legged Buzzard (Buse pattue) (Raufußbussard) at km 25, just outside town. Night in Havli Hotel in pouring rain. It's 400 nkr for a simple room (no shower/WC), however there is a TV ..., but Germany lost the match!

5th July :
Meet my German friends who are studying Dotterels (Pluvier guignard) (Mornellregenpfeifer) in the Gednje area. They have found several nests which are about to hatch, two of them less than 150 m apart. Their Purple Sandpiper (Bécasseau violet) (Meerstrandläufer) clutch has hatched and disappeared.- 2 Bean Geese (Oie des moissons) (Saatgans) fly by, as well as a group of 8 non-breeding Long-tailed Skuas (Labbe à longue queue) (Falkenraubmöwe). Bad sign: no Lemmings! 2 Shore larks (Alouette haussecol) (Ohrenlerche) by the road. (Cool, windy, showers, sunny spells)

6th July:
After a long search I finally find ONE lone Dotterel (Pluvier guignard) (Mornellregenpfeifer) in my study area. He is quite nervous but does not try to run away, so I go twenty yards backwards, and sure enough, he gets back to his clutch of 3 eggs within minutes, just a few yards from where I had found a nest in 2004. I leave him alone because he seems to be a shy bird. They are NOT all as confiding as people believe.
A pair of Arctic skuas (Labbe parasite) (Schmarotzerraubmöwe) with chicks near the car park, 4 "Redpoll" (Sizerin flammé) (Birkenzeisig) on the high tundra, one of which is a splendid white adult male Arctic Redpoll (Sizerin blanchâtre) (Polarbirkenzeisig); the others may have been immatures! Temminck's stint (Bécasseau de Temminck) (Temminckstrandläufer), Lapland Bunting (Bruant lapon) (Spornammer), singing Shore Lark (Alouette hausse-col)(Ohrenlerche)..., and 2 Red-throated Pipits (Pipit à gorge rousse) (Rotkehlpieper) at the car park at km 10 of Batsfjord road. (Cool, windy , showers)


7th July:
Another Red-throated Pipit (Pipit à gorge rousse) (Rotkehlpieper) at km 20, near Batsfjord and a splendid adult Glaucous Gull (Goéland bourgmestre) (Eismöwe) bathing with other gulls, Kittiwakes (Mouette tridactyle) (Dreizehenmöwe) and Red-breasted Mergansers (Harle huppé) (Mittelsäger) in the river mouth, just by the roadside. My first in this area. Shopping and e-mailing in Batsfjord Library. Great Place, nice lady librarian!
Back to my study area with Snow Bunting (Bruant des neiges) (Schneeammer), 2 very shy cock Ptarmigan (Lagopède alpin) (Alpenschneehuhn), Long-tailed Skua (Labbe à longue queue) (Falkenraubmöwe) and Red-throated pipit (Pipit à gorge rousse) (Rotkehlpieper). But to my dismay the Dotterel (Pluvier guignard) (Mornellregenpfeifer) eggs have disappeared! No shells, no chicks, but 4 adult birds, probably 2 males and 2 females, are resting not far away. After some time they start feeding, always staying within less than 100 yards of the robbed nest. 2 hours later, the rain makes me go home to my cabin. (Cool, wet, windy)

8th July :
A pair of Snow Buntings (Bruant des neiges) (Schneeammer) in front of my cabin, more at km 12.5.
Another shy cock Ptarmigan (Lagopède alpin) (Alpenschneehuhn) in my study area but only one female Dotterel (Pluvier guignard) (Mornellregenpfeifer), about 150 yards from the nest. It flies off after 10 minutes; I see the same or another one half a mile further uphill, but no trace of breeding birds. An Arctic (Blue) Hare (Lepus timidus) does not wait until I am ready with my camera. More Temminck's stints (Bécasseau de Temminck) (Temminckstrandläufer), and 2 long-tailed Skuas (Labbe à longue queue) (Falkenraubmöwe) with 1 fem. Red-necked Phalarope (Phalarope à bec étroit) (Odinshühnchen) at Gednje T-junction.
I take the road to Berlevag to check on two Gyrfalcon (Faucon gerfaut) (Gerfalke) sites and am lucky at site no. 2. The birds must have used a nest that had been occupied by Raven (Grand Corbeau) (Kolkrabe) and Peregrines (Faucon pèlerin) (Wanderfalke) years ago. There is a family of 6, the young all flying well and being very mobile. Nevertheless I manage to get some nice pictures and spend the rest of the day by the water, listening to my friends (Bach, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Mozart, Schumann, Schubert...), having a good read, watching from time to time the falcons, seabirds (Shag (Cormoran huppé) (Krähenscharbe), Cormorant (Grand Cormoran) (Kormoran), Black Guillemots (Guillemot à miroir) (Gryllteiste), Red-throated Divers (Plongeon catmarin) (Sterntaucher)) and a pair of Ring Ouzel (Merle à plastron) (Ringdrossel). THAT is what I call a real holiday!
(Sunny but windy, overcast in late evening...)

9th July :
More literature, few birds: 2 Arctic Skuas (Labbe parasite) (Schmarotzerraubmöwe) chasing a Redpoll (Sizerin flammé) (Birkenzeisig) and nearly getting him was the only highlight. 3 Long-tailed Skuas (Labbe à longue queue) (Falkenraubmöwe) in the same place (km 4). All the Dotterels (Pluvier guignard) (Mornellregenpfeifer) in the other study area have now hatched (within 24 hours). (Cloudy, windy, cool, ...and wet)

10th July:
Same weather, few birds, more books. 3 Long-tailed Skuas (Labbe à longue queue) (Falkenraubmöwe), Temminck's Stint (Bécasseau de Temminck) (Temminckstrandläufer), Lapland Bunting (Bruant lapon) (Spornammer) in my study area, the usual... but NO Dotterels (Pluvier guignard) (Mornellregenpfeifer). (Weather: forget it!)

11th July:
Worst day of my stay: stormy, cold and pouring rain. Spend the day in my cabin with my books and my Snow Buntings (Bruant des neiges) (Schneeammer) and a Stoat (Hermine, Hermelin) in front; my friends Jerome and Nassera from Paris arrive.

12th July:
The rain has stopped for a little while and we go and look for Dotterel (Pluvier guignard) (Mornellregenpfeifer) but only see a White-tailed Eagle (Pygargue à queue blanche) (Seeadler) looking for fish in the river valley before we are caught by the next shower. Shopping, e-mails, then lunch and showering in Batsfjord Fishermen's hostel. Then we head for Syltefjord. A dozen Long-tailed Ducks (Harelde boréale) (Eisente) on the lakes long the road, a Ring Ouzel (Merle à plastron) (Ringdrossel) and 1 Willow Grouse (Lagopède des saules) (Moorschneehuhn) by the little canyon. Then, rain again....

13th July:
The White-tailed Eagle (Pygargue à queue blanche) (Seeadler) appears again in my study area with 3 non-breeding Long-tailed Skuas (Labbe à longue queue) (Falkenraubmöwe) flying and sitting around on their bellies, doing nothing. We get as close as 15 yards. Nice pictures.
On I go towards Berlevag. The Gyrfalcon (Faucon gerfaut) (Gerfalke) family have moved a bit away from the nest site but are still in the area with the same Ring Ouzels (Merle à plastron) (Ringdrossel) and 1 Rough-legged Buzzard (Buse pattue) (Raufußbussard).
Later on I spot a small Common Tern (Sterne pierregarin) (Flussseeschwalbe) colony in Kongsfjord harbour. Not a very "common" bird here! (Sunny spells, cool, windy, showers later.)


14th July:
My friends having left for Hamningberg on the previous day, I decide to join them there. Long drive to Vardö. 2 Long-tailed duck (Harelde boréale) (Eisente) and 1 Red-throated Diver (Plongeon catmarin) (Sterntaucher) on Kongsfjord pass, no Gyrfalcons (Faucon gerfaut) (Gerfalke) in the Tana valley (roadworks under their nest site), huge areas infested by caterpillars, just like in 2003 and 2004. Seem to have become an annual plague, the winters being too warm to kill off the eggs.
Near Vestre Jakobselv, a Rough-legged Buzzard (Buse pattue) (Raufußbussard) allows stunning views, hovering by the main road for 20 minutes.
First Turnstones (Tournepierre à collier) (Steinwälzer), Velvet Scoter (Macreuse brune) (Samtente) with White-tailed Eagle (Pygargue à queue blanche) (Seeadler) between Salttjern and Ekkeroy, but no Steller's Eider (Eider de Steller) (Scheckente) (someone claimed to have seen ONE in Batsfjord harbour, that was all)...5 more White-tailed Eagles (Pygargue à queue blanche) (Seeadler) between Skallelv and Kiberg with the old eyrie still occupied by 1 big young bird. No Snowy Owls (Harfang des neiges) (Schnee-Eule) on Domen; there had been one in June! Night in comfortable Vardö hotel, nkr. 450. (Sunny first, showers in the evening, windy)

15th July:
2 Brünnich's Guillemots (Guillemot de Brünnich) (Dickschnabellumme) in the harbour, seen from breakfast table, and 3+ Common Tern (Sterne pierregarin) (Flussseeschwalbe). 1 Long-tailed Duck (Harelde boréale) (Eisente) in Svartnes harbour but no rare gulls. More Long-tailed Duck (Harelde boréale) (Eisente) in Rijsfjorden with Razorbills (Pingouin torda) (Tordalk). Arrive in Hamningberg and find my friends who saw a big shoal of Beluga Whales and an Otter (Lutra l.) the day before. Just my luck! But we manage to find ANOTHER otter just outside the little harbour, around the "corner". AND another Beluga whale! Snow Bunting (Bruant des neiges) (Schneeammer) and Red-throated Pipit (Pipit à gorge rousse) (Rotkehlpieper) near the N car park, I dip on a Gyrfalcon (Faucon gerfaut) (Gerfalke) and a Great Skua (Grand Labbe) (Skua), there are more Brünnich's Guillemot (Guillemot de Brünnich) (Dickschnabellumme) with Black Guillemot (Guillemot à miroir) (Gryllteiste), Gannets (Fou de Bassan) (Basstölpel), Puffins (Macareux moine) (Papageitaucher) etc.
The otter wait in the evening only yields a White-tailed Eagle (Pygargue à queue blanche) (Seeadler) and 2 Black-throated Divers (Plongeon arctique) (Prachttaucher) with lots of moulting Goosanders (Harle bièvre) (Gänsesäger) on the shore. (Dry, cool and windy)

16th July
Weather still very unsettled. Long drive back to Ekkeroy with frequent stopovers.
Near Hamningberg 1 White-tailed Eagle (Pygargue à queue blanche) (Seeadler), 6 Long-tailed Duck (Harelde boréale) (Eisente) , the first King Eider (Eider à tête grise) (Prachteiderente) and 2 imm. Great Northern Divers (Plongeon imbrin) (Eistaucher). 2 more Eagles at km 18 with 3 more King Eiders (Eider à tête grise) (Prachteiderente) (1 imm. male) and a family of 1 ad. + 2 imm. White-billed Divers (Plongeon à bec blanc) (Gelbschnabeltaucher), catching fish not very far away! Sometimes these large divers seem to breed every other year, remaining with the chicks longer than 13 months, just like Great Northern Divers (Plongeon imbrin) (Eistaucher). - 35 Long-tailed Duck (Harelde boréale) (Eisente) at km 14 with another male King Eider (Eider à tête grise) (Prachteiderente). But not the Steller's Eider (Eider de Steller) (Scheckente) someone had seen 2 days before. Another Eagle at km 11 with 70 Common Scoter (Macreuse noire) (Trauerente). Good views of Rough-legged Buzzard (Buse pattue) (Raufußbussard) by km 5 with Snow Bunting (Bruant des neiges) (Schneeammer) and calling Snipe (Bécassine des marais) (Bekassine), not very common here.
We discover a family of Red Fox (Vulpes v.) near the Eagles' eyrie after Kiberg with a surprising Kestrel (Faucon crécerelle) (Turmfalke) mobbing the adult Eagle. Never seen one that far up north! 2 Whimbrel (Courlis corlieu) (Regenbrachvogel) near Skallelv, 1 roadside Short-eared Owl (Hibou des marais) (Sumpfohreule) at km 24. In Ekkeroy NE bay, 6 Black-throated Divers (Plongeon arctique) (Prachttaucher) with 1 splendid adult Great Northern Diver (Plongeon imbrin) (Eistaucher) in full breeding plumage! Wet night on car park.

17th July
Walk along the big Kittiwake (Mouette tridactyle) (Dreizehenmöwe) colony. No predators except a few Raven (Grand Corbeau) (Kolkrabe). Among the Black Guillemots (Guillemot à miroir) (Gryllteiste) I spot 2 Razorbill (Pingouin torda) (Tordalk) on the water which are uncommon here. We hear Snipe (Bécassine des marais) (Bekassine) calls, another "rare" bird. 3 Harbour Porpoise in the NE bay and 2 ad. + 1 imm. White-tailed eagles (Pygargue à queue blanche) (Seeadler) between Ekkeroy and Krampenes. Between the village and the Storskog plateau there are Golden Plover (Pluvier doré) (Goldregenpfeifer), Whimbrel (Courlis corlieu) (Regenbrachvogel), Shore larks (Alouette haussecol) (Ohrenlerche), and Long-tailed Duck (Harelde boréale) (Eisente) with chicks on a lake. 1 Bar-tailed Godwit (Barge rousse) (Pfuhlschnepfe) on the shore in Salttjern, but none on the Golnes plateau where they should breed, but another Short-eared Owl (Hibou des marais) (Sumpfohreule) just below. (Cloudy, cool with showers)

18th July:
Nice surprise during breakfast on Ekkeroy: another Great Skua (Grand Labbe) (Skua) flies by! And 1 Bar-tailed Godwit (Barge rousse) (Pfuhlschnepfe) on the beach. We decide to leave Varangerfjord. Stopover at Nesseby but still no Steller's Eiders (Eider de Steller) (Scheckente)! Only a few Bar-tailed Godwits (Barge rousse) (Pfuhlschnepfe) at high tide and a dozen Shelduck (Tadorne de Belon) (Brandgans), 1 with chicks.
And, a rare sight, 2 Red-necked Phalaropes (Phalarope à bec étroit) (Odinshühnchen) on the pond by the church, one with 2 chicks!
Further East, I see 3 Waxwings (Jaseur boréal) (Seidenschwanz), 4 more in Neiden churchyard where an Arctic Warbler (Pouillot boréal) (Wanderlaubsänger) sings briefly but keeps well out of sight. A Woodcock (Bécasse des bois) (Waldschnepfe) displays at 2 p.m., and there is a family of Kestrel (Faucon crécerelle) (Turmfalke) up the cliff. Rough-legged Buzzards (Buse pattue) (Raufußbussard) 10 km NW Ferdesmyra and by Neiden bridge where we spot a dozen Salmons trying to get through the tumultuous waterfalls.
We arrive in the Pasvik valley in early evening. From the watchtower on Högan 96 we see 2 Cranes (Grue cendrée) (Kranich) in a large bog. Terrific views over the valley until the ugly industrial complex on the other side. On the way down to Hestefoss dam we see a Merlin (Faucon émerillon) (Merlin (Faucon émerillon)), 2 Greenshank (Chevalier aboyeur) (Grünschenkel), 3 Black-throated Divers (Plongeon arctique) (Prachttaucher) on the lake and a Rough-legged Buzzard (Buse pattue) (Raufußbussard) hunting at midnight, but no Brown Bears, only 1 female Elk (Moose) seen from the hill at Gjokasen gravel pit!
(Cloudy with some sun, very cold in the evening, windy)

19th July:
6 Waxwing (Jaseur boréal) (Seidenschwanz) and a group of Siberian Tits (Mésange lapone) (Lapplandmeise) in the Hestefoss area. From the Fuglebu hide in Noatun/Nyrud we see 3 Little Gull (Mouette pygmée) (Zwergmöwe), 1 Osprey (Balbuzard pêcheur) (Fischadler), 2 more Waxwings (Jaseur boréal) (Seidenschwanz) and another, bigger Elk. More little Gulls (Mouette pygmée) (Zwergmöwe) from the shore in Noatun, Black-throated Divers (Plongeon arctique) (Prachttaucher), with Spotted Flycatcher (Gobemouche gris) (Grauschnäpper) (uncommon) and Yellow Wagtail (Bergeronnette printanière) (Schafstelze) in the trees. Another party of Siberian Tits (Mésange lapone) (Lapplandmeise) on the Lyngmo road. After some pishing ("tsee-tsee-psss, psss, psss"), 2 come as close as 2 feet from our heads and even try to perch on my hat! Another Osprey (Balbuzard pêcheur) (Fischadler), seen from Gjokasen. I hear 1 Siberian Jay (Mésangeai imitateur) (Unglückshäher), 2 Willow Grouse (Lagopède des saules) (Moorschneehuhn) and a Spotted Redshank (Chevalier arlequin) (Dunkler Wasserläufer) (all invisible..) from the road to Hestefoss. 1 Blue Hare and a Stoat (Hermelin, Hermine) on the dam, 1 Short-eared Owl (Hibou des marais) (Sumpfohreule) at night. (Mostly dry but cold and windy...we needed our gloves!)

20th July:
A rare occurrence: we hear a Lesser spotted Woodpecker (Pic épeichette) (Kleinspecht) near Hestefoss ( the northernmost in Europe?). More Siberian Tits (Mésange lapone) (Lapplandmeise) at the W end of the dam, 1 Bluethroat (Gorgebleue à miroir) (Blaukehlchen) by the road. After a fruitless night near Grensevatn (3 country corner), we decide to leave Pasvik and to meet again in Dividalen and Bleik/Andenes on Vesteralen islands.
Long drive. Jerome stops at Neiden churchyard and sees the Arctic Warbler (Pouillot boréal) (Wanderlaubsänger) at precisely 1.30 p.m., exactly the same time when I and another birder saw it on 2 consecutive days in 2004!
Uneventful journey across Finland. 30 miles before Kaamanen I see 1 Siberian Jay (Mésangeai imitateur) (Unglückshäher) and hear a juv. Merlin (Faucon émerillon) (Merlin (Faucon émerillon)) beg in the distance. Yellow Wagtail (Bergeronnette printanière) (Schafstelze) near Enontekiö, Bluethroat (Gorgebleue à miroir) (Blaukehlchen) and Waxwing (Jaseur boréal) (Seidenschwanz) with young at Kaaresuvanto T-junction. In the valley before Kilpisjärvi, some Arctic Terns (Sterne arctique) (Küstenseeschwalbe) are sitting on telephone wires! Another Merlin (Faucon émerillon) (Merlin (Faucon émerillon)) near Maarkina. Night on the beach near Skibotn. I have crossed the whole of Fennoscandia between the Russian border and the North Atlantic in 1 day! (Cloudy, cool with showers, snow above 4000 ft.)

21st July:
We meet in Övre Dividalen National Park (no road signs; you need a map to find it!..) and go on a 10-mile afternoon/evening walk to find shy, furry predators - Brown Bear, Wolverine (Glouton, Vielfrass), Arctic Fox -.... Well, we only found a lot of Reindeer (Renne, Rentier), so no predators around. The only birds of interest were a few Siberian Tits (Mésange lapone) (Lapplandmeise), 1 Willow Grouse (Lagopède des saules) (Moorschneehuhn) and 1 Merlin (Faucon émerillon) (Merlin (Faucon émerillon)). But the countryside is beautiful.

22nd July:
Off we go towards Vesteralen islands. Weather very rainy, no birds on the road. Just 2 families of Whooper Swans (Cygne chanteur) (Singschwan) before Andenes. But in Bleik..., what a sight! A cloud of Puffins (Macareux moine) (Papageitaucher) and other seabirds swirling round Bleiköya Rock with up to 7 White-tailed Eagles (Pygargue à queue blanche) (Seeadler) giving them chase. Unforgettable, even in wind and drizzle. Otter tracks on the beach...!

23rd July:
Wet night in car, breakfast a bit complicated. But the rain stops, we get good views of an Otter tearing apart a big fish. Calls of Spotted Redshank (Chevalier arlequin) (Dunkler Wasserläufer). Migration? In the afternoon, I go on board a trawler in Andenes, and we are lucky to find a big male Sperm Whale (Cachalot, Pottwal) after a 2-hour search. Only one (sometimes there may be half a dozen...) but we have time to wait for it to diver and come up again 2 more times. More info on http://www.whalesafari.no .
One unusual bird for July: an unexpected Sooty Shearwater (Puffin fuligineux) (Dunkler Sturmtaucher). 7 Gannets (Fou de Bassan) (Basstölpel), 2 Long-tailed Skuas (Labbe à longue queue) (Falkenraubmöwe), 1 possible Pomarine skua (Labbe pomarin) (Spatelraubmöwe) and lots of Northern Fulmars (Fulmar boréal) (Eissturmvogel). Expensive trip (760 nkr) but it is worth the while. And you get a free trip if no whales are spotted (very rare)! (Cloudy, cool but - thank GOD - less windy.)

24th July:
I leave my friends who want to make Otter portraits and take the Ferry to Lofoten Islands. Alas, all the mountains are shrouded in fog from 200 yds. upwards, so no stunning landscape photos! I spot 6 Whooper Swans (Cygne chanteur) (Singschwan) at Skogvoll, a Grey heron (Héron cendré) (Graureiher) W Sortland, a Chiffchaff (Pouillot véloce) (Zilpzalp) near Olderfjord, and 2 White-tailed Eagles (Pygargue à queue blanche) (Seeadler) near Hammerstad and 5 km after the first bridge.
Am lucky to get the first evening ferry to Bodö and flush 1 Woodcock (Bécasse des bois) (Waldschnepfe) on the road from Nordvik to Fauske. (A little sunshine a.m., dry, but overcast later.)

25th July:
Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park has a great museum but the only bird I see on windy Semska-Stödi pass (85 km before Mo I Rana) is a Golden Plover (Pluvier doré) (Goldregenpfeifer). But here you can get higher than anywhere else in this part of Norway above the tree line by car. The Arctic Foxes cannot be far away. But there are only a few on several 100 sqm.
I cross the Arctic Circle and soon see a few Swifts (Martinet noir) (Mauersegler). !- In Mo I Rana I fork left towards Sweden and get again near the tree line. 2 Black-throated Divers (Plongeon arctique) (Prachttaucher) 3 km before Umbukta lake. In Hemavan, there is a ski lift in service which may get you higher up, too. (Sunny and less cool but windy)

26th July:
Arrival in Sanfjellet at sunrise. The Brown Bear paradise! I quickly find the place where Jerome saw a female with cubs in 2004. But I only hear singing Siskin (Tarin des aulnes) (Erlenzeisig) (very difficult song pattern!) and Common Crossbills (Bec-croisé des sapins) (Fichtenkreuzschnabel). Birdlife here is very Central European with Bullfinch (Bouvreuil pivoine) (Gimpel), Redstart (Rougequeue à front blanc) (Gartenrotschwanz), Robin (Rougegorge familier) (Rotkehlchen), Meadow Pipit (Pipit farlouse) (Wiesenpieper), Whinchat (Tarier des prés) (Braunkehlchen), Black Woodpecker (Pic noir) (Schwarzspecht), Crested Tits (Mésange huppée) (Haubenmeise) etc. The only "Arctic" birds are a few Siberian Jay (Mésangeai imitateur) (Unglückshäher) on the roads to Nyvallen and Nysätern with up to 6 Waxwings (Jaseur boréal) (Seidenschwanz) which catch insects with Swifts (Apus a.) that breed in woodpecker holes. Another Adder (Vipera berus) on the road to Hede. But the showers start again in the afternoon, and for bears there is too much traffic on the Nyvallen track until 10 pm. (Cool, unsettled)

27th July:
Back on my Elk hunter watchtower at sunrise. But no bears, no elk. A few Willow Tits (Mésange boréale) (Weidenmeise), a Siskin (Tarin des aulnes) (Erlenzeisig), a Lesser Whitethroat (Fauvette babillarde) (Klappergrasmücke), a Willow Warbler (Pouillot fitis) (Fitis) and a Wren (Troglodyte mignon) (Zaunkönig) are chasing each other. When I start pishing (tsee-tsee-pss-pss-pss), ALL this little folk come towards me and look at me from less than 4 feet distance, the tits even perching a few inches away on the barrier!!! Incredible!
Then the showers resume and I cannot go on top Sanfjellet to look for Dotterel (Pluvier guignard) (Mornellregenpfeifer), Snow Bunting (Bruant des neiges) (Schneeammer) and Ptarmigan (Lagopède alpin) (Alpenschneehuhn).
In the evening, I try to drive around the mountain (clockwise) but get lost after the park entrance on the eastern side. After driving around in the dark for 2 hours I get back to Sörviken village, thinking I was on the other side of the park!!! Never again! DON'T DO IT! Too many unmapped forest roads, no road signs, anyone can get lost. Only bonus: a female Capercaillie (Grand Tétras) (Auerhuhn) on a track at dusk. (Cool, unsettled, heavy showers)



28th July:
No Bears at sunrise so I get back to Hede Urskog (S Hede), a pristine bit of old primitive Pine and Fir forest. The only birds are a Black Woodpecker (Pic noir) (Schwarzspecht) and 2 tame Siberian Jay (Mésangeai imitateur) (Unglückshäher) at the car park which get the mealworms I had taken for my Dotterels (Pluvier guignard) (Mornellregenpfeifer) on the Fjell. But this forest is a must! (Showers, sunny intervals.)

29th July:
Long journey south. By a large lake in the woods near an empty car park after Malung (Brickelbergtjärn), about 3 miles before Väbergstugan, I surprise a pair of Cranes (Grue cendrée) (Kranich). First Marsh Harrier (Busard des roseaux) (Rohrweihe) at Alvängen, last Redpoll (Sizerin flammé) (Birkenzeisig) S Göteborg. (Drizzle a.m., then sunny and warmer, just my luck..!)

30th July:
I cross over to Denmark and see the first Honey Buzzard (Bondrée apivore) (Wespenbussard) near Gedser!

2nd August
On my way home from Berlin I see a big dark bird of prey in the Nuthetal (SW Berlin). I could not stop on the Magdeburg motorway but I am quite sure it must have been a Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aigle pomarin) (Schreiadler) (which breed around Berlin), too big for Harriers, Kites or Buzzards (Buse variable) (Mäusebussard) with round, shortish tail. I am told that those birds may well straggle around this place but I will never know for sure.

What next? Well, I will have to come back to Lapland one day. Few new species but lots of fantastic unknown places to see...and far away from crushing central European heat waves!

No list this time, sorry! I am not a list birder. Have a look at my other trip reports here. They do have lists!
The pictures are in the 2006 Lapland album on
http://lutzluecker.spaces.live.com/

Male Great Bustards (Grosstrapphähne)

There aren't only birds in Spain, there are Wolves, too!!!

Lutz Lücker - Geneva

Residence
First nights camping rough , then Hotel Rosales in Malpartida de Plasencia and Motorway Motel El Cruce, 10 kms north of Trujillo between la Aldea and Torrecillas. Had not booked anything in advance, so it was very difficult to find something else. Paid 70 euros for 2 nights (with simple dinner but exquisite wine) in Malpartida. El Cruce: 25 euros per night, noisy (24h service...), food quite expensive for what it was. But room, bathroom and bed ok, better than sleeping in a car on a rainy night.

Maps
Guia Campsa 2000 (1: 300.000) has turned out to be the best. 22 euros for the whole of Spain is a good investment. Alas, the old 200.000 Firestone maps are out of print! But beware! There are (even yellow, numbered) roads on those maps that do either NOT exist, or else are only usable for jeeps, or which are private, fenced country tracks! Anyway, ALL species can be seen from asphalted roads; no need to trespass ! In some steppe areas (La Serena) many tracks that used to be motorable are in a rotten state, quite a few famous signs mentioned in old birders' guides (La Calderuela, La Encinilla...) have disappeared. But the Monfrague park road has just been entirely re-tarmaced. I do not like the layout of the Campsa 2006 edition but there are new roads in it and some corrections have been made.

Introductory remarks (same as in my reports on 2001/03):
Having nothing special to “tick” off (except for Wolves...), my main aim was to get GOOD views of certain raptors and steppe birds. As 90% of the Estremadura is fenced in (NEVER cross a fence with cattle behind; bulls and sheepdogs can be VERY uncooperative!), many birds have a very short flight distance. Some Great bustards (Großtrappe) may be only 200 m from the road, whereas in Hungary, they will fly off when they spot an unknown car 500 m away. Sitting unobtrusively in the county for hours is often more rewarding than zigzagging around for a new tick. (I DID see the eye colour of a Black-shouldered Kite (Gleitaar) and a Spanish Imperial Eagle (Spanischer Kaiseradler) !)
I will not disclose precise locations when there is an accessible nest of an endangered species. One example: one day, there were some British birders picnicking beside their car in the Monroy area, virtually under a Black-shouldered Kite (Gleitaar)'s nest, the exact location of which had been unwisely published on the internet and a British guide book. Unfortunately, the bird had the bad idea to build its nest in the only unfenced area of the whole district, not far from an unsurfaced but driveable country road. SUCH SENSITIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE WITHHELD ! There are plenty of other (fenced) places where one can see these birds ! Obviously, the birders had chased the Kite away at did not see it! Serves them right!

During this week, sunrise was at 7.55 – 7.40 h, sunset 20.35 – 21.05 h, so “noon” at about 14.25 h summer time. Few raptors fly before 10 a.m.

Weather and season:
Good weather on 12th until noon 15th. During the next days, the weather was a bit cool, with frequent showers, windy, then becoming much warmer on 17th afternoon, dry, warm and less windy. Rain on the night of 20th/21st, then showers and windy until evening of 21st. Much better on 22nd.

Highlights of the trip

Wed 12th:
Spent night at the Estany de Europa in the Aiguamolls reserve near Castello de Ampurdan east of Figueras. Scops owls (Zwergohreule) calling in the trees, Night herons (Nachtreiher), Black-winged Stilts (Stelzenläufer), Stone Curlew (Triel) calling, the first Swifts (Mauersegler) and Great Reed Warblers (Drosselrohrsänger).

Thur 13th:
First Booted Eagle (Zwergadler) near Gelsa (between Lerida and Zaragoza). Arrived at 1.30 pm in the El Planeron steppe reserve between Codo and Quinto/Belchite (E of Zaragoza, about 1 mile after the FIRST “El Planeron” sign after Quinto, and sure enough, when I stopped the engine, a Dupont's Lark (Dupontlerche) was already singing about 80 yards away with a second bird answering! As the roads were all dry, I explored the whole of the reserve until the valley between the table mountains in the north by the quarry. 60+ Griffon Vultures (Gänsegeier), feeding on a carcass by a derelict farm, 2 Egyptian Vultures (Schmutzgeier), Black-eared wheatear (Mittelmeer-Steinschmätzer), Black-Bellied Sandgrouse (Sandflughuhn) (heard twice + 4 in flight), and once the calls of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Spiessflughuhn). 3 pairs of Red-billed Chough (Alpenkrähe) by the hills + the quarry. 2 Short-toed Eagles (Schlangenadler), 6-8 Red-legged Partridge (Rothuhn), Spotless Starlings (Einfarbstar), 1 Montagu's Harrier (Wiesenweihe), and, surprise, a pair of Spectacled warblers (Brillengrasmücke) in the shrubs of the foothills. The Dupont's larks (Dupontlerche) started singing again at 7.30 pm, this bird and a Stone Curlew (Triel) kept me awake some time (full moon)!

Fri 14th:
Sublime spring morning with Dupont's lark (Dupontlerche) showing at 8h10. Off we go towards Madrid. Heavy Easter traffic on the bypass with a traffic jam at the Puerto de Guadarrama tunnel, so I leave the motorway and take the mountain pass. Not a great deal and even though traffic is quite slow in the village on the other side, it is less bad than before. The weather is turning grey, cool and windy. Back on the motorway...which is nearly empty! 4 Booted Eagles (Zwergadler) along the road near Medina del Campo. I leave the motorway in Villalpando, and a few miles further, there they are, dozens of Great Bustards (Großtrappe) with 3 Little Bustard (Zwergtrappe), Quail (Wachtel), 2 Montagu's Harrier (Wiesenweihe), 10 Gull-billed Tern (Lachseeschwalbe) flying behind the ploughman, 5 Bee-eaters (Bienenfresser), breeding avocet (Säbelschnäbler) on one of the lakes near Villafafila, more Black-winged Stilt (Stelzenläufer), and many ducks. One Rock sparrow (Steinsperling) at the Otero de Sariego pigeon houses.
As the weather is getting worse, I decide to spend the night under the roof of a dry hay barn in the fields....

Sat 15th:
Rain all night, and my dry barn has become a prison because there are 70 yards of sheer mud that separate my car from the road. I am ready to sit it out, but when it starts raining again, I try the impossible and only just manage to make it to the gravel road, skidding and zigzagging through deep mud and wet grass. A close shave it was! Be warned! This area is famous for its sticky clay that will adhere to your wheels like glue. Even the farmers don't venture out in their tractors for fear of ruining their own country roads.
Then the sun comes out again and I have a real stroke of luck. Not far from the only drivable gravel lane there are 300+ Great Bustards (Großtrappe), some of which are displaying in the morning light. There are huge groups of middle-aged males that run after each other, fighting and pecking. Unbelievable!
Some Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Sandflughuhn) fly by. I manage to get some good pictures of the bustards (from inside the car) and then, after a stopover at the Villafafila lagoons (Gull billed Tern (Lachseeschwalbe), Redshank (Rotschenkel), Greenshank (Grünschenkel),
4 winter-plumaged Grey Plovers (Kiebitzregenpfeifer) and Lesser Kestrels (Rötelfalke) on a pigeon house near La Tabla), head west towards the Sierra de la Culebra near the Portuguese border in order to look for....wolves!
I admit that it may seem somewhat conceited, even foolish, to come along from Switzerland, only knowing the name of a village miles from nowhere and then spend hours sitting somewhere in the woods, waiting for a wolf to come out and show. That is at least what I was told by a Spaniard I met up in the mountains after he had understood what I was doing with a telescope in such a godforsaken place. I only knew that it might be worthwhile to explore a certain forest road..., which turned out to be over 5 miles long and went over a mountain pass. I had no idea where exactly to look for these shy animals, on which side of the mountain and at which altitude. So I had to do the usual thing: put myself into a wolf's shoes, if I may say so. Just say "If I were a wolf, I would....", and follow your wolfish instincts! Well, I spent my first evening looking a some Red and Roe deer (Reh+Rothirsche), a surprising Black-winged Kite (Gleitaar) (at nearly 3000 ft altitude!), a Hen Harrier (Kornweihe), a Bee-eater (Bienenfresser), and listening to Liszt, Chopin, Woodlarks (Heidelerche), Cirl Buntings (Zaunammer) and Rock Buntings (Zippammer). But no wolf came out of the woods. So I tried tape-recording at nightfall because wolf howls are said to be contagious, but to no avail. The only sheltered place to sleep in the car was a dense pine monoculture with no birds at all. Don't try the few hotels during the Easter week, they are all fully booked!

Sun 16th:
A few sunny spells after cool showers during the night. I wait for the wolves in the same place until 10 a.m., then go down into the valley to find Bonelli's Warbler (Berglaubsänger), Dartford Warbler (Provencegrasmücke) in the Maquis, and some Nightingales (Nachtigall). Back to "my" spot in late afternoon. Now there is a pair of Hen Harriers (Kornweihe) hunting over the Maquis, a Short-toed Eagle (Schlangenadler) is soaring over the village in the distance and a stupid immat. Booted Eagle (Zwergadler) misses a very much surprised (sitting) Rock Dove (Felsentaube) by at least 2 feet. At nightfall, a Scops Owl (Zwergohreule) starts calling at 3300+ ft. despite the cold Atlantic winds! A few Red and Roe deer, the usual. Wolves? None! Only some telescope carrying motorists about half a mile from my place. So if there are OTHER people here, obviously following the same purpose, my choice may not have been altogether wrong...!

Mon 17th:
I wake up at night, having heard some doglike noise, no howling, rather some sort of yapping call. I may have been dreaming but I feel a presence in this ugly, synthetic piece of pine woodland. I switch on the tape recorder, no reaction....The rain starts again, back to sleep!-
Up at 7.15h (luckily, the sun goes up VERY late in the Far West...), breakfast beside the car on the forest road. And half an hour after sunrise, while I am munching away at some soft old Swiss sweetbread, I see something move at the edge of that very pine wood I had been sleeping in. And there they are: one very big Alpha male Wolf, still wearing a fluffy winter pelt ,with a much slenderer specimen, idly trotting along a large vegetation-free anti-fire breach in the forest! A beautiful sight in the pale morning light. They come closer and closer until I can make out the yellowish colour of their irises. After 5 (or 10 ?...frankly, I have no idea) minutes, they suddenly dart at full speed through the Maquis, jumping high up to see their prey (which I can't see...). After 200 yds.' chase, the male stops whereas the female (?) continues. A few seconds later, they have disappeared in the high vegetation, never to come out again. All I can hear is the alarm calls of a (very) frightened Roe Deer. Some stags (a young 12-point male still wearing his antlers,) cross the Maquis, visibly nervous, but the wolves have gone. I wait for another hour and then decide to leave the area, having only 4 days left for this paradise on Earth called Estremadura. But I've made it, I've seen "my" wolves without being guided by locals, just following a hunch and my empathetic feeling. What I am going to see during the rest of my journey will just be considered as a bonus.
More Bee-eaters (Bienenfresser) near Ferreras de Abajo, heavy traffic in Zamora, more jams and rain in Salamanca, lots of lorries with crazy drivers on the road to Caceres but sunny, warm weather on the southern side of the Sierra de Gredos as I arrive at good old Hotel Los Rosales in Malpartida.
As it is still early, I decide to go as far as the Portilla de Tiétar at the northern limit of the Monfrague Park. In or near the Griffon Vulture (Gänsegeier) Colony there is still a nest of both Spanish Imperial Eagle (Spanischer Kaiseradler) and Eagle Owl (Uhu), further on Black Stork (Schwarzstorch) with Black Vultures (Mönchsgeier) and Short-toed Eagles (Schlangenadler) that must breed not far away. Lots of small birds in the area: Bee-eaters (Bienenfresser), Bonelli's Warbler (Berglaubsänger), Swift (Mauersegler), Hoopoe (Wiedehopf), Thekla Lark (Theklalerche), Woodlark (Heidelerche), Crag Martin (Felsenschwalbe), Blue Rock Thrush (Blaumerle), Cetti's Warbler (Seidensänger), Dartford Warbler (Provencegrasmücke), Subalpine Warbler (Weißbart-Grasmücke), Red-Backed Shrike (Neuntöter), Southern Grey Shrike (Raubwürger Unterart meridionalis), Azure-winged Magpie (Blauelster), Spotless Starling (Einfarbstar), Rock Sparrow (Steinsperling),.... I also see many Rock Doves (Felsentaube), a Sparrowhawk (Sperber) and a Montagu's Harrier (Wiesenweihe). In the evening, two Scops Owls (Zwergohreule) call in the park opposite the hotel.

Tue 18th:
Early morning start. I try my luck at two Black-winged Kite (Gleitaar) sites near Malpartida, but they are both deserted. Quail (Wachtel) in the fields, first Golden Orioles (Pirol) singing. A lone Black Stork (Schwarzstorch) on the road to Jaraiz, 3 more at the Tietar site. With 3 chicks in the nest! Having driven 2000 miles in less than a week, I spend the whole day looking at the pair of Spanish Imperial Eagle (Spanischer Kaiseradler) that still breed opposite the car park like last year. More short-toed eagles (Schlangenadler), Booted Eagles (Zwergadler), a Bonelli's Eagle (Habichtsadler), two Egyptian Vultures (Schmutzgeier), Black Vultures (Mönchsgeier), Red-rumped Swallows (Rötelschwalbe) and a splendid display flight of Subalpine Warbler (Weißbart-Grasmücke).
Meet my friends Martine and Michel from Switzerland, as well as Merilyn and Colin from Northumberland who tell me to look for Otters by the lake near Almaraz nuclear power station (on the Saucedilla road). I find some Otter scat full of Crayfish (Flusskrebs) bits but no otters. But it is a great birding place. I see several Purple Swamphen (Purpurhuhn), Marsh Harrier (Rohrweihe), four times male and female Little Bittern (Zwergdommel), Bearded Tit (Bartmeise), Gull-billed Tern (Lachseeschwalbe), Great spotted Cuckoo (Häherkuckuck), Spanish Sparrows (Weidensperling) that nest in a White Stork (Weißstorch)'s nest on a pylon, purple Heron (Purpurreiher), Great white Egret (Silberreiher), Great Reed Warbler (Drosselrohrsänger), Cetti's Warbler (Seidensänger) and hear Savi's warbler (Rohrschwirl) in the reeds.

Wed 19th:
Back to Almaraz, much the same birds as yesterday but no Otters. But there must have been one in the reeds because a dozen Magpies (Elster) were constantly harassing an invisible animal in the high vegetation. It might have been a fox but that place was a bit too wet for foxes...!
Drove through Monfrague park, stopped south of the Castillo. Red-billed Chough (Alpenkrähe), Pallid Swift (Fahlsegler), Booted Eagles (Zwergadler) in the air, Blue Rock Thrush (Blaumerle) on top, Orphean Warbler (Orpheusgrasmücke) singing in the Cork Oaks.
I leave my luggage at El Cruce Motel and explore the road between Monroy and La Aldea. Very high grass nearly everywhere but I manage to find a flock of 32 Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Sandflughuhn) near km 16. Meet Colin & Merilyn (small world!) and we count about 10 Montagu's Harriers (Wiesenweihe) near the Sta.Marta / Monroy T-junction. Two immature Golden Eagles (Steinadler) fly by, an imm. Spanish Imperial Eagle (Spanischer Kaiseradler) is tearing something apart on a lone tree, 3 surprising Whimbrel (Regenbrachvogel) feed in a field with Stone Curlew (Triel), Little Bustards (Zwergtrappe) and Quail (Wachtel) calling nearby. And a Little Owl (Steinkauz) is sitting by the road in broad daylight.

Thur 20th:
Back to the Monroy road. Between kms 13 and 21 I count 100+ Cattle Heron, 20 Black-Bellied Sandgrouse (Sandflughuhn), 4+8 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Spießflughuhn) (very scarce this year!), 1 Golden eagle (Steinadler), 3 Stone curlew (Triel), several Little Bustard (Zwergtrappe), 1 Hobby (Baumfalke), 2 Hoopoes (Wiedehopf), 3 Great Spotted Cuckoos (Häherkuckuck), and 4 Tawny Pipits (Brachpieper).
Go to the Belén steppes east of Trujillo at lunchtime. Not a very good moment: only 3 Great Bustard (Großtrappe), no Black-winged Kite (Gleitaar), but 80+ Griffon and Black Vultures (Mönchsgeier), about 140 Cattle egret (Kuhreiher) with 10 Little Egret (Seidenreiher) in the tree colony as well as the usual Lesser Kestrels (Rötelfalke) on the old farmhouse nearby.
Back to the Monroy road where some obliging German Birders show me a new nest of Black-winged Kite (Gleitaar), less than 300 yds. from the road. Great sights (mating and hunting scenes)! I spend several hours there, looking at the birds, listening to Bach, a Thekla Lark (Theklalerche) and a Cetti's Warbler (Seidensänger), with more Golden Eagles (Steinadler), Booted Eagles (Zwergadler) and Short-toed Eagles (Schlangenadler) in the air. If I don't get more exercise, I'll end up being a Fat Birder, too!

Fri 21st:
Well, my holiday is up, I have to go! Stopover at Almaraz but nothing new except for a Kingfisher (Eisvogel). I'll have to come back next year to see the Otters!
On my way home I see 2 Rock Sparrows (Steinsperling) at the new Madrid-Mostoles toll station. (On a Friday afternoon, one should always take the toll motorways around Madrid to avoid the traffic jams!) I leave the motorway between Lodares, Jubera, Somaen and Arcos (SW of Calatayud) to see if there are any Golden Eagle (Steinadler) or Red-billed Chough (Alpenkrähe) in the beautiful deep gorges. There aren't but I see Griffon Vultures (Gänsegeier), Booted Eagles (Zwergadler), Crag Martins (Felsenschwalbe), Rock Bunting (Zippammer), Grey Wagtail (Gebirgsstelze) and Rock Doves (Felsentaube).
As it is very windy around Belchite, I decide to go the whole hog until the Aiguamolls reserve on the Catalan coast. I arrive shortly after sunset and see several Purple heron (Purpurreiher), 2 Purple Swamphen (Purpurhuhn), 10 Whiskered Tern (Weißbart-Seeschwalbe), Little Egret (Seidenreiher), lots of Black-winged Stilt (Stelzenläufer), a colony of 100+ Cattle Egret (Kuhreiher) by the river of San Pere Pescador, and a stupid Fallow Deer (Damhirsch) at less than 20 yds.!
With more Scops Owls (Zwergohreule) and Nightingales (Nachtigall) calling in the trees I spend my last night in Spain on the car par of the Visitors' centre. Hope to be back next year!

PS: A few photos on my website
http://spaces.msn.com/lutzluecker/

Click on "Diaporama" (top right corner), then on "VUE INTEGRALE", then launch the slide show.

Stone Curlew (Oedicnème criard)

Trip Report: Extremadura and northwestern Spain,12th to 23rd-April 2006

Lutz Lücker - Geneva

Residence
First nights camping rough , then Hotel Rosales in Malpartida de Plasencia and Motorway Motel El Cruce, 10 kms north of Trujillo between la Aldea and Torrecillas. Had not booked anything in advance, so it was very difficult to find something else. Paid 70 euros for 2 nights (with simple dinner but exquisite wine) in Malpartida. El Cruce: 25 euros per night, noisy (24h service...), food quite expensive for what it was. But room, bathroom and bed ok, better than sleeping in a car on a rainy night.

Maps
Guia Campsa 2000 (1: 300.000) has turned out to be the best. 22 euros for the whole of Spain is a good investment. Alas, the old 200.000 Firestone maps are out of print! But beware! There are (even yellow, numbered) roads on those maps that do either NOT exist, or else are only usable for jeeps, or which are private, fenced country tracks! Anyway, ALL species can be seen from asphalted roads; no need to trespass ! In some steppe areas (La Serena) many tracks that used to be motorable are in a rotten state, quite a few famous signs mentioned in old birders' guides (La Calderuela, La Encinilla...) have disappeared. But the Monfrague park road has just been entirely re-tarmaced. I do not like the layout of the Campsa 2006 edition but there are new roads in it and some corrections have been made.

Introductory remarks (same as in my reports on 2001/03):
Having nothing special to “tick” off (except for Wolves...), my main aim was to get GOOD views of certain raptors and steppe birds. As 90% of the Estremadura is fenced in (NEVER cross a fence with cattle behind; bulls and sheepdogs can be VERY uncooperative!), many birds have a very short flight distance. Some Great bustards (Outarde barbue) may be only 200 m from the road, whereas in Hungary, they will fly off when they spot an unknown car 500 m away. Sitting unobtrusively in the county for hours is often more rewarding than zigzagging around for a new tick. (I DID see the eye colour of a Black-shouldered Kite (Élanion blanc) and a Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aigle ibérique) !)
I will not disclose precise locations when there is an accessible nest of an endangered species. One example: one day, there were some British birders picnicking beside their car in the Monroy area, virtually under a Black-shouldered Kite (Élanion blanc)'s nest, the exact location of which had been unwisely published on the internet and a British guide book. Unfortunately, the bird had the bad idea to build its nest in the only unfenced area of the whole district, not far from an unsurfaced but driveable country road. SUCH SENSITIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE WITHHELD ! There are plenty of other (fenced) places where one can see these birds ! Obviously, the birders had chased the Kite away at did not see it! Serves them right!

During this week, sunrise was at 7.55 – 7.40 h, sunset 20.35 – 21.05 h, so “noon” at about 14.25 h summer time. Few raptors fly before 10 a.m.



Weather and season:
Good weather on 12th until noon 15th. During the next days, the weather was a bit cool, with frequent showers, windy, then becoming much warmer on 17th afternoon, dry, warm and less windy. Rain on the night of 20th/21st, then showers and windy until evening of 21st. Much better on 22nd.

Highlights of the trip

Wed 12th:
Spent night at the Estany de Europa in the Aiguamolls reserve near Castello de Ampurdan east of Figueras. Scops owls (Pt.-Duc) calling in the trees, Night herons (Bihoreau gris), Black-winged Stilts (Échasse blanche), Stone Curlew (Oedicnème criard) calling, the first Swifts (Martinet noir) and Great Reed Warblers (Rousserolle turdoïde).

Thur 13th:
First Booted Eagle (Aigle botté) near Gelsa (between Lerida and Zaragoza). Arrived at 1.30 pm in the El Planeron steppe reserve between Codo and Quinto/Belchite (E of Zaragoza, about 1 mile after the FIRST “El Planeron” sign after Quinto, and sure enough, when I stopped the engine, a Dupont's Lark (Sirli de Dupont) was already singing about 80 yards away with a second bird answering! As the roads were all dry, I explored the whole of the reserve until the valley between the table mountains in the north by the quarry. 60+ Griffon Vultures (Vautour fauve), feeding on a carcass by a derelict farm, 2 Egyptian Vultures (Vautour percnoptère), Black-eared wheatear (Traquet oreillard), Black-Bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga unibande) (heard twice + 4 in flight), and once the calls of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (G.Cata). 3 pairs of Red-billed Chough (Crave à bec rouge) by the hills + the quarry. 2 Short-toed Eagles (Circaète Jean-le-Blanc), 6-8 Red-legged Partridge (Perdrix rouge), Spotless Starlings (Étourneau unicolore), 1 Montagu's Harrier (Busard cendré), and, surprise, a pair of Spectacled warblers (Fauvette à lunettes) in the shrubs of the foothills. The Dupont's larks (Sirli de Dupont) started singing again at 7.30 pm, this bird and a Stone Curlew (Oedicnème criard) kept me awake some time.

Fri 14th:
Sublime spring morning with Dupont's lark (Sirli de Dupont) showing at 8h10. Off we go towards Madrid. Heavy Easter traffic on the bypass with a traffic jam at the Puerto de Guadarrama tunnel, so I leave the motorway and take the mountain pass. Not a great deal and traffic was quite slow in the village on the other side but it was less bad than before. The weather is turning grey, cool and windy. Back on the motorway...which was nearly empty! 4 Booted Eagles (Aigle botté) along the road near Medina del Campo. I leave the motorway in Villalpando, and a few miles further, there they are, dozens of Great Bustards (Outarde barbue) with 3 Little Bustard (Outarde canepetière), Quail (Caille des blés), 2 Montagu's Harrier (Busard cendré), 10 Gull-billed Tern (Sterne hansel) flying after the ploughman, 5 Bee-eaters (Guêpier d'Europe), breeding avocet (Avocette élégante) on one of the lakes near Villafafila, more Black-winged Stilt (Échasse blanche), and many ducks. One Rock sparrow (Moineau soulcie) at the Otero de Sariego pigeon houses.
As the weather is getting worse, I decide to spend the night under the roof of a dry hay barn in the fields....



Sat 15th:
Rain all night, and my dry barn has become a prison because there are 70 yards of sheer mud that separate my car from the road. I am ready to sit it out, but when it starts raining again, I try the impossible and only just manage to make it to the gravel road, skidding and zigzagging through deep mud and wet grass. A close shave it was! Be warned! This area is famous for its sticky clay that will adhere to your wheels like glue. Even the farmers don't venture out in their tractors for fear of ruining their own country roads.
Then the sun comes out again and I have a real stroke of luck. Not far from the only motorable gravel lane there are 300+ Great Bustard (Outarde barbue), some of which are displaying in the morning light. There are huge groups of middle-aged males that run after each other, fighting and pecking. Unbelievable!
Some Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga unibande) fly by. I manage to get some good pictures (from inside the car) and then, after a stopover at the Villafafila lagoons (Gull billed Tern (Sterne hansel) , Redshank (Chevalier gambette), Greenshank (Chevalier aboyeur),
4 winter-plumaged Grey Plovers (Pluvier argenté), and Lesser Kestrels (Faucon crécerellette) on a pigeon house near La Tabla), head west towards the Sierra de la Culebra near the Portuguese border in order to look for....wolves (Loups)!
I admit that it may seem somewhat conceited, even foolish, to come along from Switzerland, only knowing the name of a village miles from nowhere and then spend hours sitting somewhere in the woods, waiting for a wolf to come out and show. That is at least what I was told by a Spaniard I met up in the mountains after he had understood what I was doing with a telescope in such a godforsaken place. I only knew that it might be worthwhile to explore a certain forest road..., which turned out to be 5 miles long and went over a mountain pass. I had no idea where exactly, on which side of the mountain and at which altitude, to look for these shy animals. So I had to do the usual thing: put myself into a wolf's shoes, if I may say so. Just say "If I were a wolf, I would....", and follow your wolfish instincts! Well, I spent my first evening looking a some Red and Roe deer (Chevreuil, Cerf), a surprising Black-winged Kite (Élanion blanc) (at 3000 ft altitude), a Hen Harrier (Busard Saint-Martin), a Bee-eater (Guêpier d'Europe), and listening to Liszt, Chopin, Woodlarks (Alouette lulu), Cirl Buntings (Bruant zizi) and Rock Buntings (Bruant fou). But no wolf came out of the woods. So I tried tape-recording at nightfall because wolf howls are said to be contagious, but to no avail. The only sheltered place to sleep in the car was a dense pine monoculture with no birds at all. Don't try the few hotels during the Easter week, they are all fully booked!

Sun 16th:
A few sunny spells after cool showers during the night. I wait for the wolves in the same place until 10 a.m., then go down into the valley to find Bonelli's Warbler (Pouillot de Bonelli), Dartford warbler (Fauvette pitchou) in the Maquis, and some Nightingales (Rossignol philomèle). Back to "my" spot in late afternoon. Now there is a pair of Hen Harriers (Busard Saint-Martin) hunting over the Maquis, a Short-toed Eagle (Circaète Jean-le-Blanc) is soaring over the village in the distance and a stupid immat. Booted Eagle (Aigle botté) misses a very much surprised (sitting) Rock Dove (Pigeon biset) by at least 2 feet. At nightfall, a Scops Owl (Pt.-Duc) starts calling at 3300+ ft. despite the cold Atlantic winds! A few Red and Roe deer (Chevreuil + Cerfs), the usual. - Wolves? None! Only some telescope carrying motorists about half a mile from my place. So if there are OTHER people here, obviously following the same purpose, my choice may not have been altogether wrong...!



Mon 17th:
I wake up at night, having heard some doglike noise, no howling, rather some sort of yapping call. I may have been dreaming but I feel a presence in this ugly synthetic piece of pine woodland. I switch on the tape recorder, no reaction....The rain starts again, back to
sleep!
Up at 7.15h (luckily, the sun goes up VERY late in the Far West...), breakfast beside the car on the forest road. And half an hour after sunrise, while I am munching away at some soft old Swiss sweetbread, I see something move at the edge of that very pine wood I had been sleeping in. And there they are: one very big Alpha male Wolf , still wearing a fluffy winter pelt, with a much slenderer specimen, idly trotting along a large vegetation-free anti-fire breach in the forest! A beautiful sight in the pale morning light. They come closer and closer until I can make out the yellowish colour of their irises. After 5 (or 10 ?...frankly, I have no idea) minutes, they suddenly dart at full speed through the Maquis, jumping high up to see their prey (which I can't see...). After 200 yds. chase, the male stops whereas the female (?) continues. A few seconds later, they have disappeared in the high vegetation, never to come out again. All I can hear is the alarm calls of a (very) frightened Roe Deer. Some stags (Cerfs) (a young 12-point male still wearing his antlers,) cross the Maquis, visibly nervous, but the wolves have gone. I wait for another hour and then decide to leave the area, having only 4 days left for this paradise on Earth called Estremadura. But I've made it; I've seen "my" wolves without being guided by locals, just following a hunch and my empathetic feeling. What I am going to see during the rest of my journey will just be considered as a bonus.
More Bee-eaters (Guêpier d'Europe) near Ferreras de Abajo, heavy traffic in Zamora, more jams and rain in Salamanca, lots of lorries with crazy drivers on the road to Caceres but sunny, warm weather on the southern side of the Sierra de Gredos as I arrive at good old Hotel Los Rosales in Malpartida.
As it is still early, I decide to go as far as the Portilla de Tiétar at the northern limit of the Monfrague Park. In or near the Griffon Vulture (Vautour fauve) Colony there is still a nest of both Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aigle ibérique) and Eagle Owl (Grand-duc d'Europe); also Black Stork (Cigogne noire) with Black Vultures (Vautour moine) and Short-toed Eagles (Circaète Jean-le-Blanc) that must breed not far away. Lots of small birds in the area: Bee-eaters (Guêpier d'Europe), Bonelli's Warbler (Pouillot de Bonelli), Swift (Martinet noir), Hoopoe (Huppe fasciée), Thekla Lark (Cochevis de Thékla), Woodlark (Alouette lulu), Crag Martin (Hirondelle de rochers), Blue Rock Thrush (Monticole bleu), Cetti's Warbler (Bouscarle de Cetti), Dartford Warbler (Fauvette pitchou), Subalpine Warbler (Fauvette passerinette), Red-Backed Shrike (Pie-grièche écorcheur), Southern Grey Shrike (Pie-grièche méridionale), Azure-winged Magpie (Pie bleue), Spotless Starling (Étourneau unicolore), Rock Sparrow (Moineau soulcie),.... I also see many Rock Doves (Pigeon biset), a Sparrowhawk (Épervier d'Europe) and a Montagu's Harrier (Busard cendré). In the evening, two Scops Owls (Petit-duc scops) call in the park opposite the hotel.

Tue 18th:
Early morning start. I try my luck at two Black-winged Kite (Élanion blanc) sites near Malpartida, but they are both deserted. Quail (Caille des blés) in the fields, first Golden Orioles (Loriot d'Europe) singing. A lone Black Stork (Cigogne noire) on the road to Jaraiz, 3 more at the Tietar site. With 3 chicks in the nest! Having driven 2000 miles in a week, I spend the whole day looking at the pair of Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aigle ibérique) that still breed opposite the car park like last year. More short-toed eagles (Circaète Jean-le-Blanc), Booted Eagles (Aigle botté), a Bonelli's Eagle (Aigle de Bonelli), two Egyptian Vultures (Vautour percnoptère), Black Vultures (Vautour moine), Red-rumped Swallows (Hirondelle rousseline) and a splendid display flight of Subalpine Warbler (Fauvette passerinette).
Meet my friends Martine and Michel from Switzerland as well as Merilyn and Colin from Northumberland who tell me to look for Otters (Loutres) by the lake near Almaraz nuclear power station (on the Saucedilla road). I find some Otter scat full of Crayfish (écrevisse) bits but no otters. But it is a great birding place. I see several Purple Swamphen (Talève sultane), Marsh Harrier (Busard des roseaux), four times male and female Little Bittern (Blongios nain), Bearded Tit (Panure à moustaches), Gull-billed Tern (Sterne hansel), Great spotted Cuckoo (Coucou geai), Spanish Sparrows (Moineau espagnol) that nest in a White Stork (Cigogne blanche)'s nest on a pylon, purple Heron (Héron pourpré), Great white Egret (Grande Aigrette), Great Reed Warbler (Rousserolle turdoïde), Cetti's Warbler (Bouscarle de Cetti) and hear Savi's warbler (Locustelle luscinioïde) in the reeds.

Wed 19th:
Back to Almaraz, much the same birds as yesterday but no Otters. But there must have been one in the reeds because a dozen Magpies (Pie bavarde) were constantly harassing an invisible animal in the high vegetation. It might have been a fox (renard) but that place was a bit too wet for foxes...!
Drove through Monfrague park, stopped south of the Castillo. Red-billed Chough (Crave à bec rouge), Pallid Swift (Martinet pâle), Booted Eagles (Aigle botté) in the air, Blue Rock Thrush (Monticole bleu) on top, Orphean Warbler (Fauvette orphée) singing in the Cork Oaks.
I leave my luggage at El Cruce Motel and explore the road between Monroy and La Aldea. Very high grass nearly everywhere but I manage to find a flock of 32 Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga unibande) near km 16. Meet Colin& Merilyn (small world!) and we count about 10 Montagu's Harriers (Busard cendré) near the Sta.Marta/ Monroy T-junction.
2 immature Golden Eagles (Aigle royal) fly by, an imm. Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aigle ibérique) is tearing something apart on a lone tree, 3 surprising Whimbrel (Courlis corlieu) feed in a field with Stone Curlew (Oedicnème criard), Little Bustards (Outarde canepetière) and Quail (Caille des blés) calling nearby. And a Little Owl (Chevêche d'Athéna) is sitting by the road in broad daylight.

Thur 20th:
Back to the Monroy road. Between kms 13 and 21 I count 100+ Cattle Egret (Gardeboeuf), 20 Black-Bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga unibande), 4+8 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga cata) (very scarce this year!), 1 Golden eagle (Aigle royal), 3 Stone curlew (Oedicnème criard), several Little Bustard (Outarde canepetière), 1 Hobby (Faucon hobereau), 2 Hoopoes (Huppe fasciée), 3 Great Spotted-Cuckoos (C.geai), and 4 Tawny Pipits (Pipit rousseline).
Go to the Belén steppes east of Trujillo at lunchtime. Not a very good moment: only 3 Great Bustard (Outarde barbue), no Black-winged Kite (Élanion blanc), but 80+ Griffon and Black Vultures (Vautour moine), about 140 Cattle Egret (Héron garde-bœufs) with 10 Little Egret (Aigrette garzette) in the tree colony as well as the usual Lesser Kestrels (Faucon crécerellette) on the old farmhouse nearby.
Back to the Monroy road where some obliging German Birders show me a new nest of Black-winged Kite (Élanion blanc), less than 300 yds. from the road. Great sights (mating and hunting scenes)! I spend several hours there, looking at the birds, listening to Bach, a Thekla Lark (Cochevis de Thékla) and a Cetti's Warbler (Bouscarle de Cetti), with more Golden Eagles (Aigle royal), Booted Eagles (Aigle botté) and Short-toed Eagles (Circaète Jean-le-Blanc) in the air. If I don't get more exercise, I'll end up being a Fat Birder, too!




Fri 21st:
Well, my holiday is up, I have to go! Stopover at Almaraz but nothing new except for a Kingfisher (Martin-pêcheur). I'll have to come back to see the Otters!
On my way home I see 2 Rock Sparrows (Moineau soulcie) at the new Madrid-Mostoles toll station. (On a Friday afternoon, one should always take the toll motorways around Madrid to avoid the traffic jams!) I leave the motorway between Lodares, Jubera, Somaen and Arcos (SW of Calatayud) to see if there are any Golden Eagle (Aigle royal) or Red-billed Chough (Crave à bec rouge) in those beautiful gorges. There aren't but I see Griffon Vultures (Vautour fauve), Booted Eagles (Aigle botté), Crag Martins (Hirondelle de rochers), Rock Bunting (Bruant fou), Grey Wagtail (Bergeronnette des ruisseaux) and Rock Doves (Pigeon biset).
As it is very windy around Belchite, I decide to go the whole hog until the Aiguamolls reserve on the Catalan coast near Figueras. I arrive shortly after sunset and see several Purple heron (Héron pourpré), 2 Purple Swamphen (Talève sultane), 10 Whiskered Tern (Guifette moustac), Little Egret (Aigrette garzette), lots of Black-winged Stilt (Échasse blanche), a colony of 100+ Cattle Egret (Héron garde-bœufs) by the river of San Pere Pescador, and a stupid Fallow Deer (Daim) at less than 20 yds.!
With more Scops Owls (Petit-duc scops) and Nightingales (Rossignol philomèle) calling in the trees I spend my last night in Spain on the car par of the Visitors' centre. Hope to be back next year!

PS: A few photos on my website
http://spaces.msn.com/lutzluecker/

Click on "Diaporama" (top right corner), then on "VUE INTEGRALE", then launch the slide show.

(Grus grus)

(Fotos auf: http://spaces.msn.com/lutzluecker/ )

Résumé:
Intense passage d'oiseaux migrateurs en fin d'automne suite à une amélioration des conditions météorologiques

Dans la région genevoise, on a constaté pendant la nuit du 5 au 6 novembre 1998 une intensité migratoire de 15.000 à 20.000 oiseaux par kilomètre et heure, c'est -à- dire 5 à 1O fois plus par rapport à la normale de cette saison. Ces observations ont été effectuées de nuit, en enregistrant avec un équipement vidéo les oiseaux qui passaient devant le disque lunaire. Le phénomène s'explique de la manière suivante: les perturbations atlantiques fréquentes qui avaient déferlé sur le continent pendant les 2 semaines précédentes avaient bloqué la migration par des vents d'ouest trop forts. Durant la nuit en question, les oiseaux ont enfin trouvé des conditions idéales pour une migration dans leur direction normale (sud-ouest): vent nord-est, pas de précipitations. Une intensité migratoire (MTR) très élevée (4.000-8.000 oiseaux par km et h) est observée le 19 septembre 1994 au bord nord des Alpes. Une MTR moyenne pendant la saison migratoire se situe autour de 2.000 oiseaux par kilomètre et heure.



Summary:
Intense bird migration in late autumn due to accumulation of birds in a bad weather period. -
The intensity of bird migration varies widely between places and seasons. Geography, topography, weather conditions and migratory schedules of the birds are the main reasons for this variation. During the night from 5 to 6 November 1998, one night after full moon, we carried out bird counts by moon-watching with the aid of a video equipment. 232 bird silhouettes were counted from 21.40 to 22.40 hrs. near Geneva. This corresponds to a migration traffic rate (MTR) of about 15.000 to 20.000 birds crossing a front line of 1 km perpendicular to the principal direction of migration in 1 hour. This migration intensity was the highest value ever observed for night migration in autumn in Europe, and it was very late compared to the peak migration season. We consider this high migration activity to be mainly the result of an accumulation of migrants due to unfavourable weather. A funnelling effect between the northern border of the Alps and the chain of the Jura mountains might be an additional factor that led to an increased migratory intensity in the region of Geneva. This event was observed and recorded on tape with video equipment and not with a telescope, normally used for moon watching. A possible degree of inaccuracy for the calculated MTR due to a different species composition compared to the main migration season is discussed and error estimations are presented. Up to now an MTR of 4.000-8.000 was found to be the highest measured in the alps (19 September 1994). Mean MTR during migration season turned out to vary around 2.000.
Key words: Migration, moon-watching, weather.

Dieter Peter und Barbara Trösch, Schweizerische Vogelwarte, CH - 6204 Sempach;
Lutz Lücker, 5, Fort de l'Ecluse, CH-1213 Petit-Lancy


Die Intensität des Vogelzuges variiert stark, je nach Jahreszeit und Ort. Die Hauptgründe dafür sind in der geographischen Lage, der Topographie, den Witterungsbedingungen sowie in der Zugphänologie der einzelnen Vogelarten zu finden. 1994 und 1995 wurde der nächtliche Vogelzug im Rahmen eines grenzüberschreitenden Projektes in Mitteleuropa mit der neu definierten Methode der Mondbeobachtung nach Liechti et al. (l996a, b) systematisch erfasst. Verschiedentlich wurden die Beobachtungen nach diesem gross angelegten Projekt systematisch, teilweise auch in unregelmassigen Abständen weitergeführt.
ln der Nacht vom 5. auf den 6. November 1998 wurden in der Nähe von Genf Videoaufnahmen des Vollmondes und der davor sichtbaren ziehenden Vögel gemacht (Abb. 1).


1. Material und Methoden

ln der Nacht des 5. Novembers 1998, eine Nacht nach Vollmond, wurde in Petit-Lancy (46°13'N, 6°08' E, 400 m ü.M.) von 21.40 bis 22.40 Uhr der Vogelzug vor der Mondscheibe beobachtet. Die angewandte Methode wurde in Liechti et al. (1996a) detailliert beschrieben.

1.1. Video-Ausrüstung

Die Flugbewegungen vorüberziehender Vögel wurden mit einer Videokamera (Canon EXI mit 1: 1,4-5,6/75-300 mm Zoom-Objektiv und 2-fach-Konverter; 24 Bilder/s) aufgezeichnet und nachträglich ausgewertet. Die gewählte resultierende Objektiv-Brennweite von 600 mm entspricht 60-facher Vergrösserung. Bedingt durch das enge Sichtfeld der verwendeten Videoausrüstung (vertikal ca. 8 m auf 1000 m) und die manuelle Nachführung auf dem Stativ war nie die ganze beleuchtete Mondoberfläche sichtbar, sondern nur ca. 80 - 90 % davon. Die von uns berechneten Intensitäten entsprechen folglich Mindestwerten, da im NormalfaIl der voIle von der Erde aus sichtbare Durchmesser des Mondes berücksichtigt wird.
Ein wichtiger Vorteil dieser Beobachtungsmethode ist, dass das Videoband bei Unsicherheiten beliebig oft abgespielt werden kann, bis aIle aufgezeichneten Vögel korrekt protokolliert sind.



1.2. Schätzung des Fehlers der Methode

Bolshakov (1985) ging davon aus, dass die jeweils beobachtete Silhouette einer bestimmten Art zugeordnet werden kann, womit die Grössenverhältnisse klar und damit die korrekten Flughöhen zu berechnen waren. Nach eigener Erfahrung ist die Artbestimmung nur in seltenen FäIlen möglich, da die Silhouetten häufig nur während Sekunden oder Bruchteilen einer Sekunde sichtbar waren. Ausserdem wurde der Vogel unter irgendeiner Perspektive beobachtet. Der Eindruck der Dimension der Tiefe geht bei Anwendung dieser Methode weitgehend verloren. Es werden also zweidimensionale Silhouetten beobachtet, was zu Fehleinschätzungen der Länge eines Vogels führen kann.

Wir schliessen aber trotzdem nicht aus, dass es wenigstens teilweise möglich ist, etwas über die beobachteten Arten mindestens bis zum Niveau der Gattungen oder Familien auszusagen. Hinweise auf das Spektrum der zu erwartenden Arten lassen sich als Phänologiedaten ableiten. Ausserdem ist bei einigen Vögeln der Flügelschlag zu erkennen. Auf Grund der Flügelschlagfrequenzen, die wir häufig aIs relativ niedrig eingeschätzt haben, und der gegebenen Jahreszeit nehmen wir an, dass z.B. Drosseln Turdus sp., aber auch etwa Rotkehlchen Erithacus rubecula am Zug beteiligt waren. Zum Zeitpunkt der Distanz-Kalibrierung mit Radar im September 1994 waren hingegen hauptsächlich kleinere Singvögel unterwegs (Bloch et al. 1981, Bruderer & Liechti 1990). Die resultierende Grössenklassen/Distanz- Tabelle (Tab. 1) wurde durch die Grössenstreuung der am Zug beteiligten Arten bestimmt. Das veränderte Artenspektrum Ende Oktober, Anfang November gegenüber dem September konnte eine vergrösserte Reichweite und damit eine gewisse Überschätzung des Zugvolumens bewirken.

Um eine Fehlbeurteilung auszuschliessen, machten wir eine Fehlerschätzung, um zu zeigen, in welchem Mass sich eine Verschiebung des Spektrums der am Zug beteiligten Arten und damit der Silhouettengrössen auf die berechnete Zugintensität auswirken konnte. Durch ein Verschieben um eine Distanzklasse nach aussen erwarten wir eine vollständige Kompensation der grösseren Arten, die spät in der Saison zu erwarten sind. Dies entspricht einer angenommenen Verdoppelung des Silhouettendurchmessers der am Zug beteiligten Vogelarten.


2. Ergebnisse

2.1. Beobachtungen bei Petit-Lancy

Die Video-Aufnahmen vom 5./6. November 1998 bei Genf dokumentieren die höchsten Zugdichten, die in Europa je festgestellt werden konnten. Diese Tatsache erstaunt umso mehr, aIs zu dieser Jahreszeit eigentlich mit einem starken Abflauen des Vogelzuges zu rechnen ist.
Zwischen 21.40 und 22.40 Uhr wurden 232 Vögel registriert. Die Hauptmasse der Vögel flog konzentriert in Richtung 210 bis 240 ° (220 :+/-: 21 °; r = 0,93, Abb. 2). Berechnet mit der ursprünglichen Distanz-Eichtabelle resultierte eine Zugintensität (MTR: Migration Traffic Rate) von 18.849 Vögeln, die innerhalb einer Stunde eine Strecke von einem Kilometer Länge (quer zur Zugrichtung) überflogen haben (Lowery 1951). Rechnet man mit den korrigierten Werten (Tab. 1), resultiert ein Wert von 15.440 für die MTR. Da bedingt durch die Methode nicht die ganze Oberfläche des Mondes registriert wurde, entspricht der zweite Wert einem theoretischen Minimalwert. Die effektive MTR dürfte zwischen 15.000 und 20.000 Vogel pro Stunde und pro Kilometer Frontlänge liegen. Unter der Annahme, dass diese Zugintensität für 5 Stunden über der 15 km breiten Ebene in der Region Genf anhielt, hatten in dieser Nacht über eine Million Vögel diese Region überquert.
Die relativ hohen Fluggeschwindigkeiten der beobachteten Vogelsilhouetten deuten darauf hin, dass die Vögel mit Rückenwindunterstützung flogen.


2.2. Daten von anderen Beobachtungsorten

Weitere Beobachtungen aus den Vollmondnächten im November 1998 liegen uns vor vom 2.11. (21.35-22.00 h) aus Wengen, vom 4.11. (40 min zwischen 23.00 und 23.55 h) und vom 5.11. (80 min zwischen 22.00 und 23.55 h) aus Airolo und Nottwil (21.47-22.00 h) sowie vom 6.11. (110 min zwischen 22.00 und 24.00 h) von Entraque (Mediterrane Alpen, Italien) (Tab. 2). Sie wurden mit Fernrohren (Vergrösserungsfaktor 20- bis 35-fach) durchgeführt, im Gegensatz zu den Beobachtungen in Petit-Lancy, wo eine Video-Kamera aIs Beobachtungs- und Aufzeichnungsgerät benutzt wurde.


3. Diskussion

Die eng um einen Mittelwert von 220° konzen¬trierten Flugrichtungen entsprechen recht gut den von Baumgartner & Bruderer (1985) mit Überwachungsradar festgestellten Richtungsverteilungen mit einem Modus von 224 ° und einem Hauptstreubereich von 210-240°. Nahezu immer Iiessen sich die beobachteten Silhouetten mit Bestimmtheit aIs Vogelsilhouetten identifizieren. ln sehr wenigen Fällen (im Bereich < 1 %) liessen sich Fledermäuse oder Insekten nicht sicher ausschliessen; bei der herrschenden Kälte waren solche allerdings nicht zu erwarten.
Bei vielen Vögeln war der Flügelschlag erkennbar. Auf Grund des Flügelschlagmusters (Schlagphasen unterbrochen durch regelmässige Pausen) konnten die meisten Vögel ais Singvögel bestimmt werden.

3.1. Einfluss des Wetters

Der Hauptgrund für das Auftreten einer derart hohen Konzentration des Zuges so spät in der Saison ist unseres Erachtens in der Wettersituation zu suchen. Starke Gegenwinde und regenreiche Wetterperioden hemmen die Bereitschaft der Vögel zum Ziehen. lm relevanten Zeitbereich vom 21. Oktober bis zum 4. No-vember führte eine anhaltende Schlechtwetterperiode zu einem Zugstau (z.B. Baumgartner 1997), der sich in der Nacht des 5./6. Novembers erstmals entladen konnte.
Mehrere Schlechtwetterfronten durchquerten die Schweiz ab dem 21. Oktober 1998 in kurzen Abständen. Diese Tage waren durch zahlreiche Regenschauer, hohen Bewölkungsgrad und Winde aus westlichen Richtungen gekennzeichnet. ln den ersten Novembertagen baute sich ein Tiefdruckgebiet mit Zentrum über den Britischen Inseln auf, das sich in der Schweiz zunächst durch starke Westwinde bemerkbar machte. Eine Kaltfront durchquerte danach die Schweiz von Norden her. Auf deren Rückseite etablierte sich am 5. November ein Hochdruckgebiet über Frankreich. ln der Folge bildete sich über Mitteleuropa ein Kaltluftkeil (Abb. 2). Bis auf eine Höhe von maximal 1500 m ü.M. (Höhe der Inversion) wehten schwache Ostwinde. Nach 2 Wochen mit mehr oder weniger schlechten Bedingungen entwickelte sich somit eine Wettersituation mit optimalen Bedingungen für die nach Südwesten ziehenden Vögel (Bruderer 1975, Hilgerloh 1981). ln Mitteleuropa war die Nacht vom 5. auf den 6. November 1998 durch sehr gute Sicht, Wolkenlosigkeit und Wind aus östlichen Richtungen gekennzeichnet. Diese Situation lässt den Schluss zu, dass in dieser Nacht witterungsbedingt viele Vögel aufbrachen, die in den vorangehenden Nächten wegen schlechten Wetters am Boden geblieben waren.

3.2. Topographie

Der Einfluss topographischer Strukturen auf die Zugrichtungen der Vögel wurde in verschiedenen Studien untersucht (Baumgartner & Bruderer 1985, Liechti & Bruderer 1986). Baumgartner & Bruderer (1985) fanden durch den Verlauf der Jura- und Alpenkette stark beeinflusste Flugrichtungen. ln der Region von Genf wurde weniger Streuung in den Flugrichtungen festgestellt ais im nordöstlicheren Mittelland, wo die Höhenzüge des Jura weniger hoch und weiter von den nördlichen Voralpen entfernt sind. Da in der Region Genfersee der Abstand zwischen der Jura- und der Alpenkette am geringsten ist, kann mit einer Konzentration (Kanalisierung) des Vogelzuges an diesem Ort gerechnet werden (Bruderer 1996). Diese kann jedoch die extremen Zugdichten am Abend des 5. November 1998 allein nicht erklären. Ein ähnlich starker Effekt hätte sonst auch bei anderen Untersuchungen festgestellt werden müssen (Liechti et al. 1996a, b). Aus den gleichzeitig durchgeführten Beobachtungen im zentralen Mittelland (Nottwil) könnte man ableiten, dass der Topographieeffekt knapp zu einer Verdoppelung der Zugintensität geführt hat.
Für einen direkten Vergleich mit Petit-Lancy in der Nacht vom 5. auf den 6. November 1998 kommen nur Nottwil und Airolo in Frage. Die Zahlen für die beiden Orte nördlich der Alpen (Nottwil und Petit-Lancy) zeigen eine ausserordentlich hohe MTR an, während in der oberen Leventina bei Airolo kaum Zug festzustellen war. ln Wengen wurden in der Nacht vom 2. auf den 3. November erstaunlich viele Vögel beobachtet. Die Erklärung dafür könnte das Ausweichen der Vogel in die Alpentäler bei Schlechtwettersituationen sein, ein Phänomen, das auch bei anderen Gelegenheiten beobachtet werden konnte (Bruderer & Winkler 1976).

3.3. Vergleich mit Fangzahlen und Feldbeobachtungen

Der Basellandschaftliche Natur- und Vogelschutzverband betrieb zur fraglichen Zeit eine Beringungs- und Beobachtungsstation auf der Ulmethöchi, Baselland (47°22' N, 7°39' E, 973 m ü.M.). Am Morgen des 6. November wurden dort die meisten Vögel der Herbstsaison gefangen, obwohl nur ein kleiner Teil der Netze geöffnet wurde. lm Jahresbericht des Verbandes ist zu lesen: «Am 6. November entlud sich ein gewaltiger Zugstau». An jenem Tag wurden unter anderem mehr aIs 1075 tagziehende Erlenzeisige, 741 Kernbeisser und 456 Distelfinken gezählt. Für diese drei Arten entspricht dies den höchsten Tagestotalen der ganzen Beobachtungsperiode vom 26. September bis 7. November 1998. Diese Beobachtungen des intensiven Tagzuges bestätigen unsere Eindrücke aus der vorangehenden Nacht.


3.4. Vergleich mit anderen Durchzugsfrequenzen

lntensiver nächtlicher Vogelzug wurde im Bereich der Alpen auch am 19. September 1994 gemessen. DamaIs wurden MTR von 4000¬8000 Vögeln pro Kilometer und Stunde erreicht (Liechti et al. 1995, 1996). Diese Werte lagen also deutlich tiefer aIs die am 5./6. November 1998 in Petit-Lancy festgestellten, obwohl der September allgemein aIs der Monat betrachtet wird, in dem wohl die Hauptmasse des Nachtzugs zu beobachten ist. Normalerweise erreicht die MTR Werte um 2000 Vogel pro Kilometer und Stunde, also 5- bis 10-mal weniger aIs die Rekordwerte, über die hier berichtet wurde.


Dank

Für die kritische Durchsicht des Manuskriptes und fruchtbaren Anregungen danken wir Bruno Bruderer, Felix Liechti, Matthias Kestenholz und Ueli Rehsteiner. Für das Überlassen der Feldbeobachtungs- und Beringunglisten danken wir dem Basellandschaftlichen Natur- und Vogelschutzverband, namentlich Matthias Kestenholz. Der Meteorologin Carolin Schmitt von der Universität Freiburg im Breisgau danken wir herzlich für die Hilfe bei der Interpretation der Wetterkarten und Satellitenbilder.



Zusammenfassung, Résumé

ln der Nacht vom 5./6. November konnten wir in der Region Genf anhand von Mondbeobachtungen mittels Videoaufzeichnungen eine Zugintensität MTR von 15.000-20.000 Vögeln pro Kilometer und Stunde feststellen, 5 bis 10-mal soviel, wie dies normalerweise zu dieser Jahreszeit zu erwarten wäre. Wir führen dieses Phänomen darauf zurück, dass in den zwei Wochen davor sehr häufig Regenfronten ans Westen über Mitteleuropa zogen, die teilweise mit starken Winden ans westlichen Richtungen verbunden waren. ln der fraglichen Nacht fanden die Vögel erstmals wieder sehr gute Bedingungen (Rückenwind, keine Niederschläge) für den Zug in die bevorzugte Flugrichtung Südwest vor. Zusätzlich erwarten wir schätzungsweise eine Verdoppelung der lokalen Zugintensität durch den topographisch bedingten Kanalisierungseffekt. Es handelt sich bei den berechneten Intensitäten um die höchsten Werte, die in Europa bisher festgestellt werden konnten. Hohe Dichtewerte wurden bisher auch in der Nacht vom 19. September 1994 festgestellt, as die Zugintensitäten (migration traffic rate, MTR) am Nordrand der Alpen 4.000- 8.000 Vögel pro Kilometer und Stunde betrugen; normalerweise erreichen die MTR Werte um 2.000 Vögel pro Kilometer und Stunde.




Tab. 1. Grössenklassierung der Vogelsilhouetten im Verhältnis zum Mondkrater Tycho und für die Berechnungen verwendeten Distanzen der Eichtabelle vom September 1994 bzw. die zur Fehlerschätzung berücksichtigten korrigierten Distanzwerte. _ Size classes used for estimations of the silhouette size of the birds in relation to the size of the crater Tycho and corresponding mean distances according to measurement by radar in September 1994 used for the calculation of the migratory intensity, as well as corrected values for error estimations.

Grössen- Grössenverhältnis Distanz Distanz
klasse zu Krater Tycho korrigiert
Size compared distance corrected
class to Tycho distance
(m) (m)
1 Punktförmig 1500 1750
2 / so gross 1250 1500
3 halb so gross 1000 1250
4 gleich gross 800 1000
5 doppelt so gross 700 800
6 4-mal so gross 500 600
7 grösser 300 400


Tab. 2. Anzahl der beobachteten Vogelsilhouetten (n) in den verschiedenen Beobachtungsnächten im November 1998. Die Spanne der Zugintensitäten MTR (Vögel pro Kilometer und Stunde) ergibt sich aus Berechnungen mit den Original-Distanz-Eichwerten als auch mit den korrigierten Werten (Tab. 1). Eine Angabe der MTR für Wengen ist nicht möglich, da uns für diesen Beobachtungsort keine Grössenangaben zu den einzelnen Vogelsilhouetten vorliegen. –

Numbers of observed bird silhouettes (n) in front of the disc of the moon within certain time limits and the actual duration of observation in minutes during different nights in early November 1998 at different places. Migration traffic rate MTR (birds per km and h) is calculated based on the new estimated distances for error calculations as given in Table 1 (first value) and on the original calibration measurement of September 1994 (second value). ln the case of Wengen it was not possible to calculate any migration intensifies due to lacking information about silhouette sizes of the observed birds. At Petit¬Lancy, instead of a telescope, video equipment was used to observe and record the bird silhouettes crossing in front of the moon.

Beobachtungsort Geografische Lage Höhe Datum Beobachtungszeit n Dauer Zugintensität MTR m ü.M.
Site coordinates altitude date observation duration n Migration
ma.s.l. time traffic rate
Wengen 46°37' N, 7°55' E 1275 2.11.98 21.35 - 22.00 25 min 38
Airolo 46°31' N, 8°37' E 1165 4.11.98 23.00-23.55 40 min 1 88 - 106
5.11.98 23.00-23.55 40 min 1 57 - 68
Nottwil 47°08' N, 8°08' E 550 5.11.98 21.47-22.00 13 min 31, 9.646-12.060
Petit-Lancy 46°13' N, 6°08' E 420 5.11.98 21.30-22.30 60 min 232, 15.440-18.849
Entraque 44°13' N, 7°23' E 940 6.11.98 22.00-24.00 110 min 18, 506 - 603