Yesterday I discovered European Wildlife by Lukáš Pich on YouTube and this beautiful video, Wild Czechia – My Best Wildlife Encounters of 2023, featured below. Filmed in the Czech Republic in 2023 the images are gorgeous, the action is fascinating and all is enhanced by the sound track.
For North Americans most of the birds, insects and animals in the video will be unfamiliar but we have a few in common. Watch for the leaping red fox, a family of ravens, barn swallows in flight, and a flock of great egrets taking off. There are also many species that resemble our own ants, staghorn beetles, dragonflies, hawks, owls, woodpeckers and songbirds. For instance, we don’t have great crested grebes in North America (photo at top) but it has traits similar to our horned and western grebes.
At 1:00 minute into the video a bird enters the frame and poses to sing. I guarantee that you will be able to identify this bird by its song (see *1 below).
(3) Though I’ve never to Czechia the Czech Republic brings to mind old buildings and the capital city, Prague. I found beautiful photos of its wild places including the Javornik Mountains.
White garden snails encrust a fencepost in southern Spain, 11 Sep 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
7 October 2024
One of the strangest things we saw on the WINGS Spain in Autumn tour last month were many snail encrusted fenceposts and plants along the road. The snails were everywhere in the dry hot areas of southern Spain. Why?
Snails as far as the eye can see near Tarifa, Spain, 11 Sep 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
White garden snails or Mediterranean snails (Theba pisana) are an edible land snail native to the Mediterranean. We saw them up on posts and plants because we were visiting during the hot dry season when the snails are aestivating to escape the heat.
Discovering Doñana describes their life cycle:
Our land snails are mainly nocturnal, since at night the presence of predators decreases and the environmental conditions are more conducive to them by significantly increasing the humidity of the environment. During the favorable time of the year, with mild temperatures and adequate environmental humidity, land snails feed in the herbaceous layer closest to the ground, being able to remain active for a good part of the day as well.
But when spring gives way to summer, temperature increases and the humidity decreases, producing a truly hostile environment to them. …. To overcome these unfavorable conditions, which usually begin in June, land snails enter a state of dormancy … [called] aestivation.
The snails climb up where the temperature is cooler above ground. Then they close their shells with a sticky secretion that adheres to their chosen plant or post, leaving a tiny hole for breathing. The snails go to sleep.
Theba pisana on a reed at the shore near Tarifa, Spain, 12 Sep 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Their high perch keeps them safe from ground predators but not from birds that stop by for a snack. Discovering Doñana shows photos of a kestrel and a lark eating snails on fenceposts.
Theba pisana on dried weeds near Brazo del Este, Spain, 7 Sep 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)Every white dot is a snail! Near Tahivilla, Spain, 11 Sep 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
When the season changes and the weather becomes cooler and more humid, the snails come down. If you visit southern Spain in the winter you won’t see them.
Yesterday afternoon a black tern (Chlidonias niger) made Allegheny County’s Rare Bird Alert when it was spotted at the main pond at Imperial. Immediately I thought of the black terns I’ve seen during spring migration at the Great Lakes with gorgeous black heads and bellies.
Black terns live in both the New and Old Worlds. The North American subspecies (C. n. surinamensis) spends the winter on the coasts of Central and South America. The Eurasian subspecies (C. n. niger) migrates across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast to Africa.
Donkey, sheep and a horse at Parque Natural de Los Alcornocales, Spain, 13 Sept 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
29 September 2024
On our WINGS Spain in Autumn birding tour we visited Parque Natural de Los Alcornocales on 13 September to see the birds and habitats of the cork tree forest. Spain’s Natural Parks allow grazing so we often saw cattle but when we stopped at Mirador Puerto de Ojén (Ojén Pass viewpoint) we found a donkey, several sheep and a chestnut horse.
It was hot. Most of the animals huddled in the shade cast by the Natural Park sign. Those who couldn’t fit their bodies into that crowded spot hung their heads in it. But the chestnut horse stoically stood in the sun. One sheep lay beneath it.
Sheep sleeps in the shade cast by The Shade Horse, Parque Natural de Los Alcornocales, Spain, 13 Sept 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
As we walked around scanning the sky for birds, the sign-shade sheep walked over to the horse and tried to fit into its shadow. There was only enough shade for their heads.
All the sheep try to fit into the shade cast by The Shade Horse in Spain, 13 Sept 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
The Shade Horse walked away and the extra sheep were out of luck. The companion sheep moved with the horse, constantly in his shadow. “We’re going to eat?” asked the sheep. “Fine. There’s something here in your shadow.”
The Shade Horse and one of his followers, Parque Natural Los Alcornocales, Spain, 13 Sept 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Did the horse feel used? Or did he appreciate his friend? Whatever works to stay cool.
p.s. The donkey was very friendly, more interested in us than the shade.
Friendly donkey comes close while Oli Reville and Jean Bickal take photos at Mirador Puerto de Ojén, 13 Sept 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)Myrna Beards pats the donkey while our guide Oli Reville scans the sky at Mirador Puerto de Ojén, 13 Sept 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
“Take me with you?”
Donkey examines the van at Mirador Puerto de Ojén, 13 Sept 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Embarking from Tarifa we motored almost all the way to Morocco — this close to Tangier.
View of Morocco near Tangier from a boat in the Strait of Gibraltar, 12 Sept 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Along the way we saw pods of common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, and a pilot whale which is actually a large dolphin.
In the U.S. the word dolphin is used casually as a synonym for the common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus — i.e. “Flipper.” But common dolphins are a different species, Delphinus delphis, about half the size of bottlenose dolphins.
Several pods of common dolphins jumped high and played in the water. They came close to the boat to swim in the bow wave. Jean Bickal took a video of them through the anchor portal.
Common dolphins riding the bow wave, Strait of Gibraltar, 12 Sept 2024 (embedded video by Jean Bickal)
How many times have you seen a bird and thought, “Oh, it’s just a starling.” Well, in Spain it’s not just a starling, it’s a spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor). We saw this Life Bird nearly every day on the WINGS Spain in Autumn birding tour.
Spotless starlings are very similar to our familiar European (or common) starlings. They sing wiry songs and make scratchy noises. They hang out on wires and squabble with each other. They choose similar nest sites to common starlings and will even nest communally with them. The big difference is that spotless starlings have no spots. They don’t have the “stars” that gave the starling its name.
Spotless starlings look oily black in the breeding season …
Interestingly, I didn’t see any common starlings in southern Spain though the map says they are there.
We take European starlings for granted because they are common and live close to us. It was hard not to dismiss spotless starlings with the same “ho hum” after I’d seen them many days in a row. 😉
(photos from Wikimedia Commons; click on the captions to see the originals)
Beautiful valley of Serrania de Ronda, 14 Sept 2024 (photo by Kate St. John) We saw an Iberian grey shrike here.
21 September 2024
“Seen Last Week” goes back today to 7-17 September for my best photos of the WINGS Spain in Autumn birding tour in southern Andalusia. Some sites are missed entirely in the slideshow because my photos were lousy.
Scenes include:
The salt pans at Sanlucar de Barrameda where we saw shorebirds and flamingos.
A beautiful cat watched us eat dinner in Sanlucar. Its subtle colors reminded me of my cat Emmalina.
Great day of hawk watching on 10 September at El Algarrobo and Cazalla near Tarifa.
3 photos: Views of the Strait of Gibraltar, Tarifa and the Torre (watch tower) de Guadalmesi.
Every day we were birding as early as possible under hot, bright sun. No rain. Temperature reached 98°F some days.
Cattle were often present on the dirt roads where we looked for birds.
4 photos: Dry, dry, dry landscapes, even in the mountains.
View of Montejaque, one of the Pueblos Blancos (White Villages) near Grazalema.
3 scenes from Ronda where the cliffs surrounding the town are steep! (No I will not get near that railing)
Spain is the world’s 1st or 2nd largest producer of olives. Olive groves everywhere.
Dried lake bed with a bit of salty water is a good place to look for flamingos near Fuente de Piedra.
Narrow streets in Osuna as we walk to dinner on our last night together.
Birding at the Sanlucar salt pans. Flamingos out there!
Salt piles harvested when the water evaporates
Handsome cat watches us at dinner in Sanlucar de Barrameda
Great day at El Algarrobo Hawk Watch, Tarifa! 10 Sept 2024
View of the Strait from El Algarrobo
View of Tarifa from Isla de las Palomas causeway
The Strait seen at Torre de Guadalmesi
On the road just after at sunrise.
On dirt roads we often encountered cattle
Dry everywhere! Landscape at Jimena de la Frontera
Looks like Arizona, eh? (landscape near Montejaque)
FIRE DANGER
Beautiful valley of Serrania de Ronda. (Iberian grey shrike seen here)
Montejaque, a Pueblo Blanco in Sierra de Grazalema
Alameda de Tajo in Ronda
I'm near the edge of the cliff at Alameda de Tajo. (No I will not touch the railing)
Looking down the cliff at Ronda.
Olive groves everywhere
An almost-dry lake bed. Flamingos in the distance. Fuente de Piedra
Our last evening together, walking to dinner in Osuna, 16 Sept 2024
Wind power is BIG in Spain as seen in this video of wind turbines near Tarifa. During heavy bird migration some turbines are turned off to prevent collisions by hawks and storks.
Wind power turbines near Tarifa, Spain, Sept 2024 (video by Kate St. John)
Greater flamingos flying above the Strait of Gibraltar at Tarifa, Spain, 11 Sep 2024, Morocco in the background (photo by Jean Bickal)
20 September 2024
On the morning of 11 September our WINGS Spain in Autumn tour arrived early at the southernmost point of Spain, Isla de las Palomas at Tarifa. Yeray Seminario, our guide from Birding the Strait, had arranged in advance for us to pass through the gates of the fort (shown below) to watch birds from the water’s edge at the Strait of Gibraltar.
Entrance road to the fort at Isla de Las Palomas, 11 Sep 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Inside the fortress we walked this path and climbed the steps ahead. Yeray briefly looks for birds from this vantage point.
Lighthouse at Isla de Tarifa, Spain. Yeray on the walkway to the hide, steps in the distance, 11 Sep 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
At the wall’s crest we saw our destination, a bird hide near the water.
Bird hide at Isla de Las Palomas, 11 Sep 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
At El Estrecho Parc Naturel–Isla de Las Palomas, Cádiz (eBird hotspot for this location) we saw 15 species. Checklist is online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S194711541.
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) 75 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)) 1 Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) 1 Sanderling (Calidris alba) 3 Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus) 1 Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) 2 Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) 350 Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) 12 Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) 1 Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) X At least 1000 past towards Atlantic. Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) 25 Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) 2 Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) 1 Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus) 2 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 10
As we arrived a feeding frenzy — probably a school of fish — drew in shearwaters, gulls, a jaegar and two great skuas.
Three harriers flew low across the water on their way to Africa.
But the biggest surprise was a flock of 75 greater flamingos flying past us along the coast with Africa as their backdrop. Fellow traveler Jean Bickal captured the start of the flock and posted this photo on Facebook. (Photo at top is cropped.)
Greater flamingos flying above the Strait of Gibraltar at Tarifa, Spain, 11 Sep 2024. backdrop is Morocco (photo by Jean Bickal)
We all agreed that this was the best moment of the trip. Thrilling!
18 September 2024: En route flying home to Pittsburgh via Seville –> Barcelona –> Chicago
Today I’m flying home from Seville to Pittsburgh with connections in Barcelona (east of Seville and further away from home) and Chicago (an hour beyond home). All told my journey will take 18.5 hours.
When I get to O’Hare airport in Chicago I might see this common North American bird that’s almost impossible to see where I’ve been in southern Spain.
Ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) are North American birds that rarely stray across the Atlantic. Even when they do they usually end up in Iceland, Ireland, England, France, or northeastern Portugal. In southern Spain they generate Rare Bird Alerts.
However if ring-billed gulls hang out at O’Hare Airport, I’ll see one this afternoon in Chicago. Later I’ll land in Pittsburgh where I’ll arrive before the ring-billed gull flocks that visit over the winter. They won’t show up in good numbers until November.
17 September 2024: Day 11, WINGS Spain in Autumn. On the plains east of Seville, then our tour concludes at noon in Seville. Click here to see (generally) where I am today. NOTE: This article was written in August.
Today is our last birding day in Spain and I’ve already seen four hoopoes.
Utterly unmistakable orange bird with zebra-striped wings, a Chinese fan of a crest (usually held closed, but often raised just after landing), and a rapier of a bill. Favors semiopen habitats such as heathland, farmland, orchards, grassy lawns, where it feeds on the ground, probing with its long bill for insects
Hoopoes are large in my imagination — perhaps because of their crests — but they are only the size of American robins though their shape is very different. This video of captive hoopoes in Dubai shows their size relative to a human hand.
Hoopoes were named for their song …
… and are so eye-catching that humans have both revered and feared them. Hoopoes were sacred in Ancient Egypt and a symbol of virtue in Persia yet harbingers of war in Scandanavia and foreshadowers of death in Estonia. Was it the hoopoe’s behavior that prompted these opinions?
Hoopoes nest in cavities where the female lays 2-12 eggs that hatch 24 hours apart in the order they were laid. The nestlings can therefore range in age from 1 to 12+ days old but the youngest don’t last long.
A March report at Science.org describes how researchers in Granada Province observed a gruesome behavior in hoopoe families that is quite unusual among birds.
In the first of two studies, Juan José Soler at the Experimental Station of Arid Zones in Spain showed that “hoopoe mothers frequently feed younger chicks to older chicks. And he suspected that hoopoe mothers laid extra eggs with the intention of using the hatchlings as food.”
The second study bore this out. In settings where food was plentiful during egg laying female hoopoes laid more eggs and later used the youngest chicks as food for the older ones. Interestingly, nests with high cannibalism fledged more chicks that those without.
Beyond the strangeness (dare I say horror?) of cannibalism offered by one’s mother is the fact that hoopoes do not have beaks and claws equipped to kill small birds. “That might be why, says Soler, mother hoopoes often grab the unlucky chick and shove it into the mouth of an older chick, which swallows it whole.” — Science.org.: Watch Out! This colorful bird raises a nest of cannibals.
This behavior may sound familiar to those of you who remember the peregrine mother nicknamed Hope who nested at the Cathedral of Learning in 2016-2019. Every spring Hope killed and ate one or two of her chicks and offered them as food to the older chicks. Now that I know of the hoopoe’s unusual behavior, Hope deserves some extra o’s in her name –> Hoopoe.
