Bird Guide: June 2012

Monday, June 18, 2012

Albino Stonechat - Major rarity, Major find!

Quote "Our guide Peter Jones gives an account of his remarkable encounter with an extremely rare albino Stonechat Saxicola rubicola, an unexpected occurrence on one of his famous day tours in the areas of the Serranía de Ronda and Sierra de Grazalema, Andalucia, Spain. Of course Spanish Nature day tours are renowned for providing wonderfully exciting days throughout Andalucia, here in the Serranía de Ronda it is particularly true with frequent sightings of Rüppell’s Vulture and Long-legged Buzzard, both very rare in our part of the world, but nothing quite prepared Peter for the sighting of what he originally thought was tissue paper snagged on a briar of bramble!" Spanish Nature

A real lucky and extremely rare find.

Wow, always something to surprise me. Here I stumbled upon a true albino young Stonechat Saxicola rubicola, so very rare and privileged to have been witness to this so unusual occurrence! See video and article here: Albino Stonechat video and article

For day tours with Peter see here:

Day Tours

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Iberia Bird Festival - 2012

A novel and innovative concept for showcasing wildlife in Iberia has recently hit the ground running! Of course there are many festivals and fairs where we might wander along to and enjoy meeting-up with fellow nature enthusiasts, but I really like the idea and concept of the Iberia Bird Festival. It is a kind of travelling show, focusing on areas where birdlife is a rich and diverse resource, but has been largely missed on most birder’s radar. Almería is the region chosen for the very first festival of its kind and deserves its chance to promote itself to the nature loving public. It is a region that has suffered from a lack of any meaningful promotional investment by the powers that be for southern Spain, where both the focus and funding tends to concentrate on already known areas such as the Doñana (Seville) and Strait of Gibraltar.

Iberia Bird Festival sets out to be different. The festivals are non profit in so far as any surplus revenues are donated to a single nature project or charity each year. The organisers are passionate about our wildlife and want to be able to contribute to the preservation and conservation of birds in particular. IBF will hold the festival at a different location each year, not only to raise awareness of birds in various regions, but also to give visitors opportunities to see and learn about the great diversity of Iberia. The chosen project the festival will support for 2012 is the Osprey Migration Foundation, for details of the project see this link.

Iberia is collectively a veritable mecca for those of us that love nature. There are so many areas within the peninsula that are absolute jewels for nature in general, but in particular for birds. From some of the highest mountain ranges in Europe, to wide and expansive wetlands, steppe country and at its southern most tip the famous Strait of Gibraltar, the western European highway for birds passing to and fro on migration between Europe and Africa. The Iberia Bird Festival is an annual event, visiting a new location each year, supporting worthwhile causes for nature involving educational and conservation projects. They very much hope to welcome you to a celebration of the birds in Iberia at one, if not all, of their festivals. Entrance to this year’s festival in Almería is FREE!

• All festivals include daily excursions to wild places.

• Internationally famed authorities on nature give lectures on their particular speciality.

• Exhibitors for nature goods, photography and travel will be showing their wares.

• Local guided tours available and the tour descriptions and costs will appear on the official website: Iberia Bird Festival

• Music and parties each evening for the duration of the festival, tickets available at the festival.

• All net profits from the festival will be donated to a single educational or conservation project.

The venue and home for the festival in 2012 is Rodalquilar, starting 7th to 9th September, in the heart of the Parque Natural Cabo de Gata, it is the largest terrestrial-maritime reserve in the European Western Mediterranean Sea, covering 460 km² including the town of Carboneras, the mountain range of Sierra de Cabo de Gata, and 120 km² of the sea as a part of a Marine reserve. Hosting the festival for 2012 is the splendid Hotel Naturaleza Rodalquilar, close to the village of the same name and the head offices for the Parque Natural. The surrounding area is a protected nature reserve and has a plant list of over 1000 species as well as many much sought after birds such as Dupont's Lark and Trumpeter Finch. It promises to be a memorable year for the organisers and all who visit this year’s Iberia Bird Festival. The main partner with organising and promoting the festival this year is Hotel Rodalquilar. As a local and well respected company, the organisers of IBF could not wish for better partners during this year's festival. Their philosophy is more than just a business; it is a passion, a dedication to the portraying of values and emotions by means of environmental education, heritage interpretation and nature tourism.

The 2012 festival will not only be a celebration of our birds, but is also the 25th Anniversary of the Natural Park Cabo de Gata. Sounds to me like a very good excuse for a party! The Park will have their own stand at the festival, their offices and an extremely interesting museum are just a short walk away from the main IBF venue.

Main Link for the Iberia Bird Festival - IBF

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Nature's funny moments.

Startled, but who is the Spotted Owlet or us?

Encounters of the smiley kind!

A look back over WBT tours so far this year.

Most folk who have spent time in the wilds and watching nature at firsthand will no doubt have had a tale or two to tell about unusual encounters. For me, looking through various tour photographs, I thought I’d share a few of the more amusing snaps taken so far this year. They made me smile and may they also bring a smile or two to you! It is always great to remember moments of our tours, normally there are so many superb moments on each of the many tours, but the bizarre or chance encounter, strange expressions or behaviour of our wonderful nature just seem to stick in one’s mind.

I hope you enjoy this small collection of my abiding memories so far this year…

If you would like to see more, please leave a comment and if enough folk are willing to suffer, I will post some more photos in the future.

You can be sure this terrier would have been happy the anteater didn't stop!

Costa Rica Tour. Photo: Norman Cook

Makeup on, this Verreaux's-Eagle-Owl is ready for going out on the town.

Kenya Tour.

Mud Skipper - Burping or singing I'm forever blowing bubbles?

Thailand Tour.

Hyacinth Macaw smiling & dribbling at the waterhole.

Brazil Tour.

Bloody pesky insects!

Ecuador Tour.

What me? It wasn't me who broke wind honest....

Brazil Tour.

Gotcha, but now what do I do???

India Tour.

Where did that bloody photographer go?

Spain Tours.

Fierce predator? No way, just a an over-grown softy!

Botswana Tour.

Watching you watching me...

Galapagos Tours.

Upland Buzzard thinks camera & cameraman are a rabbit...

China Tours.

I hope you enjoyed this small collection, if you would like to see more, please leave a comment and if enough folk are willing to suffer, I will post more.

For all featured tours and more, please visit Worldwide Birding Tours

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WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT PETER

Author Guy Hunter Watts wrote: Peter is a nature guide leading groups throughout Spain and leads tours to such far flung destinations as Morocco, China, India, Costa Rica and other exotic places worldwide! The author cannot speak too highly of Peter's birding and wildlife excursions. A natural communicator, Peter has that rare ability of conveying specialist knowledge in a way that's accessible to one and all. A day in his company will offer a unique insight in to birds and other wildlife......

Tour Operator and wildlife guide Uday Patel wrote:
Peter strikes rapport with astounding ease and his birding skills are amazing. He is the tour leader for Spanish Nature a wildlife touring company and other tour companies. He is most widely travelled on ornithological quests.
I had the pleasure of birding along with him as tour leader from DMC Indiafootprints. We had an exhaustive bird watching tour from November 15th to 4th December. Tour highlights were - Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Nainital - Sat Tal, Chambal River Sanctuary, Kanha National Park and Pench Tiger Reserve.
As a tour leader and birding guide, accompanying Peter was a learning experience. His professional skills go beyond spotting and identifying the avian species, being more analytical he could enlighten us a lot on morphology and flight patterns of raptors and birds with uniform characteristics like warblers, pipits and larks.
The best evenings on tour I spent with him were by the fireside....beer, bites and his ever accompanying wit. He is a very generous man, helping local people wherever he goes....

Nature and Walking FH Tours wrote: We've just received emails from all of our clients about the tour. They all agree on one thing, that it was a privilege having you as their guide Peter! Many many thanks for making this such an enjoyable tour for all concerned....

BS African Safaris wrote: As you know we act for many nature travel companies here in east and southern Africa, but we have to say that your tours Peter are the greatest fun and you seem able to lead these tours with such ease! Not just popular with clients but also with our staff, thanks Peter from all the crew.

Los Castanos Hotel wrote: There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about with Peter Jones. A day in the company of this (in)famous research biologist is entertaining and informative. If you are just a dabbler with birds, you will learn a lot. If you are a card-carrying twitcher, he can still teach you something. No interest at all? You are guaranteed a fantastic day full of laughter and fun, fascinating insights into Andalucian culture, flora, fauna, geology, and, there’s always Good Food. He knows all the best restaurants, their owners and their best dishes. All this hype may lead you to suspect I am somehow in his pay but no, I am just an ardent fan and very grateful to him for giving so much joy to so many of my guests at Los Castanos.

Headwater Holidays wrote: Thanks Peter for hosting such great birding weeks, the feedback is excellent in every way. Thanks for all your help with Headwater clients.

Elderhostel (now Road Scholar) wrote: Just a short note, but a big thank you for all your expert help with our tours to Andalucia. Not only did all our clients, without exception, sing your praises, they were more than impressed with your easy going and helpful nature. Thank you Peter, oh and they also loved your entertaining lectures!

Birding Cadiz Province wrote: Peter Jones, one half of Spanish Nature, knows more about the Grazalema & Ronda area than it's reasonable to expect and his knowledge of plants, insects, etc is also enviably wide. A scientist, talented musician and artist Peter is just the sort of Renaissance man one wants to hate, but, unfortunately, he ruins all my attempts to dislike him by also being a humorous, kind and friendly all-round good guy. His company runs some great tours - including day trips - to Serrania de Ronda (Peter's beat), Almeria, Jaen, Huelva, Coto, etc. Peter also writes an informative and interesting blog as you no doubt know reading this here, is there no end to his talents? It seems not!!

What Fellow Birders say about Peter:

M,A&L wrote "One of the best decisions we made in Spain was to book a day birding with Peter Jones of Spanish Nature. Our focus was raptors. Highlights included excellent views of Short-toed, Booted and Bonelli's eagles, Peregrine falcons, Kestrels, and Lesser Kestrels, and Griffon Vultures. Along the way we picked up many more passerine and shore birds. Peter's excellent teaching helped us later when birding on our own in Monfrague and Doñana. As nature nuts we enjoyed Peter's deep interest/knowledge in the natural history of the Serranía de Ronda --especially the rare orchid and Pinsapo Spanish Fir stops. The pace was just right with cafe/lunch stops at delicious and scenic locales. Peter is great company. Couldn't ask for more. We're looking forward to our next visit when we'll get serious about passerines. Thanks Peter!"

C&L USA wrote "Thank you for the wonderful birding experience. We were so fortunate to have you as our guide on the terrific tour of Andalucia"

B&J UK wrote "We had a great time and Peter made sure the whole trip was relaxed and interesting as promised! The birds were good as was every other detail, Peter did a great job"

R&A USA wrote "Andi and I want to thank you again for a great day we shared in your beautiful back yard!"

P,A.J&P UK wrote "Your wealth of knowledge & expertise and the fantastic manner and enthusiasm in which you shared that knowledge, made our holiday a 'holiday of a lifetime', thanks"

E&G Canada wrote "Thank you for a very good day on Friday, both Graham and I feel that we learnt a lot and we will be able to use that knowledge on future trips"

M&J UK wrote "Thank you very much for the excellent holiday. We enjoyed ourselves enormously and felt you did an excellent job. I suspect you should get a few enquiries from friends"

H UK wrote "Just wanted to thank you again for the great birding week. Enjoyed your expertise and company"

D&A Germany wrote "Hope you are well, I must say that we really enjoyed your tour of the Ronda area and we are back in October looking to repeat the experience if possible?"

J&B UK wrote "Travelling in Morocco was great fun. Peter as ever was a natural host and a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. The birds were tremendous, and a commentary on the scenery and life in Morocco an added extra! The travelling was comfortable, manageable and the hotels were comfortable and varied. At no time did we feel rushed or pressured. I would thoroughly recommend it."

J Canada wrote "I really enjoyed the trip to India! I thought the group was great and I enjoyed spending time with them. Thanks Peter, I am so glad that I did the trip. It was good to spend some time with you, you make it easy."

A&R USA wrote "We recently had the good fortune of touring the Ronda countryside with Peter as our guide. Peter made it happen for us. He provided learned insights on all fronts. We have been on various other guided outings, none of which were as comfortable and as enriching as Peter's. Peter is truly a great resource and great company as well."

M&M Ireland wrote "Michael and I visited Ronda for the first time and although not on a "birding" holiday, we were very fortunate to come across the Spanish Nature website before we left and planned a day's birding with Peter. His knowledge of the birds and where we were likely to find them was excellent. Although it rained heavily on us, it did not dampen our spirits and the birds we saw. I certainly recommend him and his company to anyone who wishes to see and hear the birds in and around the Ronda region"

C&L UK wrote "We had our third day tour with Peter in three years. The first was fantastic and the rest have got better and better. As enthusiastic, but not very good birdwatchers, we find them inspirational. At the end of each day, having been overwhelmed by Peter’s ability to locate birds, his knowledge and the ability to put this across in an approachable friendly way, we come back with renewed energy – we think we’re getting a bit better! So whatever your level of knowledge, we would highly recommend a birding trip with Peter – we’re looking forward to our next one"

M&J USA wrote "We really appreciated both your expertise and your kindness during our visit; particularly, your ability to connect with the kids. "Happy kids make happy parents" isn't always true, but it was true that day. We left that day thinking we'd not just met a fantastic bird guide, but perhaps made a friend"

Los Castanos wrote "Peter, thank you so very much yet again for the wonderful day you gave my guests. They sang your praises for hours and hours while all my other guests grew green with envy. Their day with you contributed so much to their holiday at Los Castanos and appreciation of the Serrania de Ronda. You are VERY good! Thank you."

J of Spain wrote "I thoroughly enjoyed the tour with you to Botswana, all aspects of the tour were first class. I was delighted to share my holiday with you and Worldwide Birding Tours and I very much hope to join you again in the not too distant future. I thought the excellence of your Leadership Peter was a classic example and sets a standard few Tour Leaders could aspire to."

LG of UK wrote "So now I am planning my downloading of the pictorial adventure of my current lifetime thanks to you Peter my birding mentor. Thanks for your company I don’t need to tell you in too many words how much fun it all was and how much I enjoyed our repartee and the rest of the crew. I believe this is the start of many trips for us so maybe a few laughs ahead could be on the schedule!"

J&L Andorra wrote "Had a fabulous time with you all in Botswana and like your photos.. pretty good for an "amateur". Thanks for the many laughs and birding education. Best holiday we have ever had, Peter, didn't want to come back to Europe........know what I mean?"

S&M Germany wrote "Thanks again for such an amazing day we had together Thursday last week seeing the Roller, Black-bellied Sandgrouse etc. We will see you again!!"

K&M UK wrote "Just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for a great day’s birding last week. The day we spent with you was enjoyable on so many levels. The birding was excellent – you showed us some brilliant birds and informed us without being boring; the anecdotes were great; the talk about shared interests added to the pleasure and above all it was a fun day out. For us the length of the day and the timing and quality of the lunch also added to our enjoyment. So many thanks for providing one of the highlights of our short trip."

D&A UK wrote "Peter Morocco was a fantastic holiday – we enjoyed it greatly. The variety of birds seen was brilliant and being with you getting to know Morocco was a real eye-opener. I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes in the Moroccan cookery book I bought on the way back! We particularly appreciated the variety of habitats visited which gave us a real taster of Morocco as well as providing a good variety of birds. Seeing some of our north European birds on migration was impressive – quite moving really."

GC Holland wrote "I want to thank you once more for showing me around last week and finding so many birds. I had a great time and thanks to your knowledge saw much more then I would have seen by myself. Thanks for the great day."

C&DB USA wrote "What a trip to Costa Rica!!!!! Great birding, good food, wonderful friends, thanks Peter. The birding was more than I ever dreamed plus all the mammals and the flora."

N&CW UK wrote "Many thanks Peter for an exceptional holiday to Costa Rica...we had a fantastic time!"

B&P UK wrote "Morocco -Photos fine, birds excellent, the birding was good and you managed to find some nice hotels and pools for the ladies to indulge their requirements. Thank you for your patience and for showing me some fascinating birds, I would love to catch up on your current native patch at some stage."

B&B USA wrote "Thank you for a great trip to Morocco. We really enjoyed ourselves. We especially appreciated the balance between birds and non-birds - thus contributing to world peace.We will, of course, recommend you to our friends, but please don't hesitate to ask, if there is anything else than we can do for you. Until we can see a few birds together here in California..."

R&C UK wrote "Just a line to thank you for making our week in Andalucia so enjoyable. Clive seems to have had just as good a time as me, which was really entirely down to you. Thank you!"

P&J UK wrote "Thanks so much for guiding the trip last week, for your expertise, and for making it such an enjoyable holiday. Jem and I both had one of the best holidays we've ever had. Thanks again and I hope we'll be able to go birding again in the future."

C of UK wrote "I'm sure the memsahib will be writing to you to express her/our thanks for the week. However, as a non birder I would like to say how much I enjoyed it and, mainly through your efforts, always felt part of the group. Thank you, it was fun."

Bill of UK wrote "Thank you for a great trip Peter. I was more interested in the spectacle of the migration than ticking birds but I got both. The flocks of storks - black and white was just amazing and the then the shear number of raptor was wonderful. Next year in Morocco and or Norway!"

Jonathan of UK wrote "I thoroughly enjoyed our recent day out from Los Castanos. Hope we meet again; I would definitely intend to make another stay at the hotel, possibly with my wife and in autumn rather than spring."

D,K&A UK wrote "Rechecked and it was 12 raptor spp today! Lesser kestrel, Kestrel, Griffon vulture, Booted eagle, Golden eagle, Bonelli's eagle, Short-toed eagle, Sparrowhawk, Honey buzzard, Long-legged buzzard, Common buzzard, Black kite. Thanks for such a great day's birding."

P&P UK wrote "Just to let you know we are back in England where it is sleeting and freezing cold! We had a fabulous time in Gibraltar & southern Spain thanks to your tutelage! So thanks again for everything."

W&C USA wrote "Thanks for those great photo's and a wonderful birding experience. We got to see some great birds and a good look at Morocco. If you ever get to Cape May, please look me up. I'd love to show you around Cape May. Stay well and Good Birding!"

H&C UK wrote "We just wanted to say how much we enjoyed birdwatching with you last week, despite the exceptional weather! You took care of us so well, collecting us from the airport and driving us round to all the bird hotspots, thanks so much. Also for taking us to tapas restaurants for lunch - we enjoyed trying different tasty dishes (we really must learn Spanish!). Thank you too for bringing us some of your kaki fruit for breakfast. We learned a great deal from you as you shared your immense knowledge of birds, their behaviour and migration. We also loved your sense of humour and listening to your anecdotes, as the rain lashed onto the car windows! We will definitely have to return to the Ronda area perhaps in spring, or during the autumn migration - I would love to see the hillsides alight with flowers. We shall not forget the sight of about 50 Griffon vultures soaring on the thermals - wonderful. May you not have to use your plastic poncho for some time to come!"

L&K UK wrote "Thanks for such a great day on Tuesday, Louise and I had a great time, good birds, nice company and great lunch. Hope to see you again sometime."

A,C,K&C Canada wrote "Hello Peter, My family and I are back from Spain. The highlight for me was, by far, our birdwatching trip around Ronda. Anyway, just to say thanks again for the wonderful day. You have an ally in Ottawa."

D&M UK wrote "Just to say to you we both really enjoyed our day with you, John and Heather. Seeing the Bonelli’s on the nest was the icing on a great cake! What a fantastic place to live, I know you fully appreciate how fortunate you are living in Ronda. I have had a quick look at the Costa Rica page and for me it would be fantastic, I could think of nothing better than doing this every day!"

J&L Andorra wrote "Thanks for a wonderful day, Peter. It was another page in our continuing ties with you and Laurence and not forgetting Spanish-Nature. Gerald looked keen and maybe might be persuaded to join a tour? We´ll stay in touch of course and hope we meet up again sooner rather than later."

K&M UK wrote "Thank you for such a great day out last week. Martin and I really enjoyed ourselves. We found it really helpful. The next day on the way back from El Torcal we even managed to track down some bee eaters and their nests all on our own. Thanks again Peter!"

P,A,J&P UK wrote "Well we have been back at work for 2 days now and guess where we would rather be! It was this time last week we went seeking Spanish Sparrows etc on the steppe in that amazing heat. What a day and what birds we saw. From the whole trip we got 34 lifers - going to have to return to get that oriole! Many thanks once again Peter for your expertise and patience with showing us all the wildlife and the scenery and local bars etc! You once again made the holiday special and memorable for us all. The car sticker has now taken pride of place and reminds us of a special place and person. We will stay in touch as we are returning in 2015!"

Maite Borràs y famalia Spain wrote "We would like to thank you once more for the nice experience you offered us, we felt really privileged. If you come to Barcelona do not hesitate to contact us, we would like to introduce you our garden friends and the neighbors in Collserola Parc. Kind regards from all of us!"

P&R UK wrote "We hope you had a fruitful and photogenic time in Morocco. We got back easily and are just emailing to thank you again for the excellent guiding you gave us over the two days. Without your help, our list of sights would have been severely reduced."

H,S&G UK wrote "Thank you so much for a lovely day out last week. It really was a good day - I think the Bonelli's nest was the star of the show! The rest of our week went well and we had good sightings of golden orioles and bee-eaters. Simon, Gina and I send our best wishes and hope to see you again one day."

B&P Denmark wrote "Birgitte and I are now back in Denmark - 8 degrees and rainy, it will take a couple of days to adjust! It was really a fantastic day and we will certainly come back! Great that we had the black shouldered kite as an unexpected add on, and the whiteheaded duck which I never saw before!! Peter, thanks again for a great and memorable guidance in the most beautiful landscape."

P&BM UK wrote "We thoroughly enjoyed our day last Tuesday and were very impressed with your knowledge of your local patch. We would be interested in joining you again in the Spring, do you have any availability for 4 or 5 days early May?"

NC UK wrote "Thanks for taking care of us all on the recent birding trip. I enjoyed the trip, the company and your expert knowledge of the birds and the sites to visit. I shall keep an eye open for other trips being planned."

J,A&R UK wrote "Rather belatedly very many thanks for the 2 trips we did with you this year. Very enjoyable as always, and we will catch up with the Bustards another time! We did see Bonelli's Eagle over the apartment in Serrato later in the week before we came home, as well as very close views of Short-Toed Eagle. I did manage to get the scope on the male Golden Oriole + young for Alison and Ruth to see, when it was showing well in a tree near to the apartment for a change rather than hiding in Poplars! Best wishes for the future, and I am sure we will be in touch."

B&T USA wrote "Our trip has been great and you are now a very special part of it. thanks again for a super fun day AND for sending the great pictures!! Hope we can pull together Morroco."

P&H Spain wrote "This is a rather belated e-mail to say thank you so much for acting as an 'expert guide' last Saturday. It was a real pleasure to spend time with someone who really knows the local birds inside out; it was great fun and I know that I had the best seat in the house for learning and catching up with some new species. Thank you again for a great time."

T&H USA wrote "Thank you, Peter, for a wonderful day! We left Tom´s hat in your vehicle, but this is to say please don´t worry about getting it back to us, our small gift to you. We´ll find another on our travels! That was such a good lunch too!"

G&L Spain wrote "Just to say a big Thank You once again for a fabulous trip. It’s always such a treat to be with you on this type of safari and we particularly enjoyed the last few days with pastures new."

M&E USA wrote "It was a great pleasure to have your company and experience as we had such an interesting view of Morocco. I wish I were a better birder, because I know I missed so much. Your ability to see the birds, but more than that, to place them in 4-dimensional context is such a joy to behold. Thanks so much for all of that."

P,J & I Denmark wrote "We all arrived in Copenhagen yesterday on schedule after a great time in the Ronda area, all of us really thought you showed us the best we could have possibly hoped for - and will have unforgettable memories from the three days. I shot more than 1000 pictures!"

N & E UK wrote "Now we are back in the UK I just wanted to send an e-mail thanking you for all your time & care in giving us two such wonderful & successful days birding. So very many species, quite an achievement and so, many thanks"

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