As I am now participating in the SACRE programme for SEO/Birdlife Spain, I had to choose a route to go and count birds twice a year in spring. I opted for an improvised route near Estella del Marques, in the province of Cadiz, Spain. I visited this place twice: the first time I had technical problems using the app on my phone. After a while I lost all the birds I had put into the app and got so frustrated that I decided to stop counting and just enjoyed the birds that I saw, trying to take some good photos and enjoying the songs. On both occasions I got there really early in the morning, I started my route at 8 o'clock. On both days, I was welcomed by a singing Nightingale. A bird which I hear frequently, but hardly ever see.
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| The beginning of the route |
So, what is the SACRE programme? Twice a year, participants walk the same route which they choose within a certain rectangular area. The route has eight segments of fifteen minutes. Every fifteen minutes they write down how many birds they see or hear. The numbers can be uploaded straightaway using the app, or afterwards on the SEO website. This is done to see how birds species are doing and provides very valuable information.
It can be a bit overwhelming if you are carrying binoculars, a mobile phone, a notebook and a pen and especially a heavy super-zoom lens at the same time. But it is for a good cause!
This route starts in a small wood and this is where you hear many birds but don't usually see them. Plenty of Nightingales, European Serins, Greenfinches and Goldfinches here!
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| Greenfinch between the trees |
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| A singing European Serin in a treetop |
After leaving the small forest area, the rest of the track runs through agricultural land with small hills and a lot of varied vegetation. Also a lot of variety in the bird species I observed. |
| Common Waxbill, an invasive species |
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| Common Linet, feeding in the early morning light |
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| Swallow in flight |
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Zitting Cisticola, about to jump on an insect
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| A pair of European Stonechats, female in the foreground |
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| Melodious Warbler |
Although I visited this place in late spring, with temperatures during the day already rising to 30 degrees, I was surprised by how many birds I observed. Some are even still breeding and have to find food for their young. |
| Red-legged Partridge |
The highlight of my visits was without any doubt the encounter with a Little Owl, sitting on a fence and flying off as I came too close. But after waiting patiently it came back and gave me another opportunity for some great shots. |
| Beautiful Little Owl, keeping an eye on me |
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| Half an hour later: same bird, same spot |
I did not particularly enjoy the landscape in this place, but the great variety of birds and especially the sighting of a Little Owl made this visit worthwhile. I am already looking forward to going back in the spring of next year and seeing what differences there are in the numbers of birds I counted.
Spread over my two visits, the following are the 23 different species that I observed:
- Red-legged Partridge
- Common Wood-Pigeon
- Common Swift
- Glossy Ibis
- Woodchat Shrike
- Zitting Cisticola
- Melodious Warbler
- Sardinian Warbler
- Eurasian Blackbird
- Common Nightingale
- European Stonechat
- Common Waxbill
- House Sparrow
- European Greenfinch
- Eurasian Linnet
- European Goldfinch
- European Serin
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- Yellow-legged Gull
- Little Owl
- Willow Warbler
- Spotless Starling
- Barn Swallow
Henry.
